THE impeccable June Yamada sat in the corner of a cafe opposite the Scholar's Bookstore in Xujiahui in the last afternoon of 2004, anticipation clearly written on her face.

For the 3 pm press conference that day, Yamada, author of the English-Chinese book "Tell It Like It Is ... June! - Book of Fashion & Manners", was wearing dark green with chocolate-coloured sash and scarf, not exceptionally eye-catching in the crowd but looking warm in the chilly windy weather and perfectly matching the bright-green-dominated poster promoting her first book in China.

Yamada has been playing with colours all her life. At the age of three, she could already pick out a colour mistake in her uncle's tie. At only 26, she was told by Michelle Clauier, former president of Givenchy, that she was "the best" at colours.

Her glamorous CV does not stop there. She was the first Asian model contracted with Chrysler Automobile Corp in the 1960s. She wrote fashion columns for Hollywood Citizen News. Her long list of clients over past decades has ranged from US presidential candidate Ross Perot to Japanese Princess Takako to big entertainment names such as Frank Sinatra, Paula Abdul, Sean Connery and Meg Ryan.

"I am a lucky girl," said Yamada.

Lucky indeed. Born to the daughter of the founder of the Ashikaga Bank of Japan and the son of Taiwan's world-famous banana tycoon, Yamada inherited from her family good manners and a heart that was eager to share what she has with other people, characteristics that have accompanied her all her life.

However, the talkative young Yamada disappointed her parents after she graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she majored in Political Science. She started a career in the fashion business rather than becoming a lawyer or a diplomat.

There she met Henry Miller, the controversial author of "The Tropic of Cancer", who proved to be an enlightening influence in her life.

"He taught me a great deal about being confident and being yourself," said Yamada. "Many people all their lives look for (answers to the questions) 'who am I', 'where am I' and 'what am I'. Many people don't have answers and die. I think I found these (answers) when I was rather young, and I owe this to my mother and to Henry Miller."

Apart from Givenchy, Yamada has also worked for World Co, Chanel, reputed Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake and Oscar de la Renta.

"I do not care about money," said Yamada. "I want people to say 'June is good'. That's all I want."

That modest ambition is at work again now, more than three years after Yamada moved to Shanghai with her stepfather, who is also Chinese.

Lessons in manners

On the 16th of this month, the June Yamada Academy, the first school for fashion and manners in China, will be officially launched in Shanghai, offering help to white-collar and upper-class Chinese wanting to improve their manners and hone their taste for elegant dressing.

Firmly turning down co-operation if the quick money it promised might have jeopardized the quality of the programme, Yamada, dean of the academy, is determined to build the school into "the No. 1 in Asia".

"Everything (in the academy) is up to international standards," said Yamada, who will serve as an icon of the academy and will personally teach the students. "Young Chinese want the best. Even if they are not ready now, they are going to be ready very soon."

With 30 teachers from overseas, the academy will offer flexible schedules, consisting of workshops and diploma courses on such topics as make-up, table manners, communication skills and proper dressing. That will be a significant step forward for Yamada, who had never started a business venture before and had done much of the lecturing within a local international fashion club that has steadily grown in size over the years.

The academy and the new book, along with more on the way, are obviously inspired by Yamada's experiences in Shanghai.

Though Yamada said she fell in love with China and its easy-going people immediately after arriving in Shanghai, she is upset by the improper manners and faux pas in dressing of some local people.

"After I had stayed here for a while, I realized that China needed it (advice in fashion and manners), especially with the Olympic Games, the World Expo and all the other nice things coming," said Yamada, believing that Western manners, Japanese hospitality and Chinese culture would make a perfect combination.

"China is the centre of many events, ... but when it comes to fashion or manners at this time, unfortunately China is not a master," she added, insisting that manners come from the West. "China is now in a position to learn and it is never too late."

Easy-going but uncompromising in her own way, Yamada declined to describe herself as a perfectionist.

"I do not pursue perfection, but I chase the rainbow," said Yamada. "I'm a dreamer."