After an encounter with Coco Chanel in 1960, Hanae Mori's life was forever changed and she realized her dream was to design haute couture. Starting out as a costume designer in Tokyo, Mori opened her first boutique at Neiman Marcus in New York in 1965. Her trademark of East-meets-West style is punctuated with very feminine and elegant silks adorned with Japanese flowers and kimono style sleeves finished with Western tailoring and couture techniques. When she opened her first couture salon in Paris in 1977, Hanae Mori was the first Japanese designer to break into the industry. Mori is the Queen of Couture in Japan and she has the patronage of Princess Masako, Hilary Clinton, Nancy Reagan and even Princess Grace of Monaco.