Are Japanese fashion culture doing a 360 on their fashion sense by going traditional?
Some say its just another Japanese fad, others that its a way to regain national identity, or even shake off the blues of the financial crisis. Either way the iconic kimono is making a comeback in Japan.
Check out the video here.
Avril Lavigne’s clothing line has hit Japanese shores. To be honest, it would probably do well too – her punkish gothic style coupled with a bit of lolita-ness would bode well with Japan’s street fashion. Black and pink, i think it would link.
If you’re vacationing in the stars one day, you might wanna go in style….
If you are going to visit the stars…no, i’m not joking, this hypothetical question materializes in fashion. What would you wear if you’re going cosmic, literally speaking?
LOL
I hate the weather where I am but at the same time, I love winter wear. Scarves are a necessity in my wardrobe because it keeps my neck warm. I don’t know about you but when my neck is warm, I am general OK during cold weathers. Anyway, I found some really cut scarves in AsiaJam. I love extra long scarves because they’re beautiful and you can do all sorts of stuff with them.
For those chi chi dogs whose legs I can break at a snap.
Give me a Bernese Mountain Dog anyway. I have never understood the reason for dressing up pets with insane accessories. I find it degrading to the animal. Let their hair grow and stop clipping them with 100dollar hairclips made of Swarovskis. You can feed yourself with that money.
Japan Fashion Week’s Spring 2009 collection was showcased in New York! New York! on Sept 1. I can’t believe I missed that.
Anyway, the designers that were featured are Ato, Mikio, Sakabe, Somarta, Ylang-Ylang, G.V.G.V., Mercibeaucoup and Ne-Net. The fashion show was held at Aloha Rag too.
Here’s a piece from Somarta
Here’s one from Ato
And here’s one from G.V.G.V.
Japan Fashion Week’s Spring 2009 season of collections commences on Sept. 1, but for those New York residents unable to make the journey to Tokyo, Japan Fashion Week (JFW) organized a showcase of some of Japan’s most promising emerging designers—Ato, Mikio Sakabe, Somarta, Ylang-Ylang, G.V.G.V., Mercibeaucoup and Ne-Net—at the newly opened Japanese-owned boutique Aloha Rag on Tuesday, Aug. 19, in New York.
The designs on view offered a distinct sampling of the range of styles that will be present at Japan Fashion Week. From the humor and whimsy of Ne-Net (a printed sweatshirt dress had a hood that resembled bunny ears) to the bold, almost cartoonish work of Mercibeaucoup, to the couture finishing of Somarta modern elegance of Ato, JFW hoped that with the impressive selection they would bolster the visibility of Japanese fashion design in the U.S., and perhaps encourage more foreign press and buyers to travel to Tokyo for the collections in the future. Last season, JFW reported a 25 percent increase in the number of foreign media in attendance.
Another case in point of the increased awareness of emerging Japanese talent: Alongside the JFW mannequins and models at Aloha Rag, the store’s own rack of pieces by Ylang-Ylang were on sale, an indication of the increasing availability of some of these Japanese designers stateside.
For more pictures, visit FWD.
Funny pseudo-commercial for Uniqlo’s Heat Tech. It’s actually going big in New York too with their incredible marketing launch via a Human Vending Machine.
Is there a new fashion sub-culture in Japan tht I am not aware of??
What’s a vanilla girl anyway? Is there a chocolate girl in the works?
Forget Kawaii…Sexy is back in the Japanese fashion scene.
I breathe a sigh of relief at this welcoming news because I, too, find Japanese fashion and all that kawaii-ness to be over the top, ridiculous at times. But thank god, “cute” is now sexy because all that baby doll dresses and cutesy pink tutus are cringe worthy.
It was really hot this past summer and we’re not just talking about the temperatures. Shukan Post spotted some hot-looking women in the skimpiest of fashions, some of which looked little more than underwear. Nonfiction writer Yuzu Yamashita reports on the trend.
“I can’t help staring at girls wearing short skirts and low-cut tops, whenever I am on a crowded train,” admits a businessman in his 50s. “But when I do, they soon glare at me in anger. I think it’s unfair for them to react that way as long as they expose themselves that much.”
Asking these “sexy girls” in places like Shibuya and Shinjuku who they dress for, most answer: “Nobody,” “For myself,” “I wear such clothes just because I like that brand” and “I’ve never thought I’m wearing clothes for someone else.” The most typical answer is: “I dress this way because it makes me feel good.”
One girl in her 20s says, “I chose this look because it’s cute. I don’t even pay attention to whether anyone is staring at me or not,” while a 26-year-old woman says, “I like to show off both my fashion and body line. I take care of myself and make sure I don’t get fat. What I would tell younger girls is that you can express yourself through fashions like this.”
Of course, many girls are aware of being ogled at by men. A teenage girl says, “Middle-aged guys often look at me. Some of them turn around toward me for a long look, which is irritating. But I have learned to basically ignore those guys.”
Maybe some people worry that these girls might become victims of sex crimes, or get groped on trains. In fact, they say they rarely encounter such cases. One girl says, “Gropers hesitate to approach girls who dress this sexy because it’s too aggressive for them. They tend to target more conservatively dressed girls.”
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