Dressed Undressed S/S 2012 Mens

DressedUndressed are quickly becoming the unofficial ambassadors for a new shift towards the stoic in Japanese menswear.  It can’t have gone unnoticed among many in touch with the Ura-Harajuku scene that even while places like DOG Harajuku remain bastions of bright energetic fashion, the austerity of the times has manifested itself in dark murky palettes, monolithic column-like silhouettes and a move towards strong minimalism over the saturation of details that characterized last year.  However it must be said that the issue of individualism and the cults it creates, which has always been the key to understanding this area, has remained as important as ever and just led brands like Blackmeans, Kamo and Labrat to find slightly more subtle ways to establish their respective urban cults over their usual distinctive identifiers.

Against this backdrop DressedUndressed have effortlessly found themselves becoming the face and flavor of Tokyo alternative fashion, their succinct work having always been about pursuing the next silhouette over the next trend in detailing.  So while the rest of the scene has been jumping from studs to patchwork to the next flourish of detail, DressedUndressed have kept an eye on the overal structure and proportions that will define the next wave of Tokyo fashion.

This time the pleated and skirted trousers that we have seen dominate the current A/W have been simplified further into column-like wide-legged trousers that don’t aim to flare out to the sides as Gareth Pugh pushes for in his strong triangular silhouettes, but instead stays at a solid width of the upper body, providing a simple, masculine silhouette.  It is a vision so perfect and clean to the point where even I would have to fight the urge to clutter it with my usual clutter of accessories – enjoy:

Having indulged in that refinement I should add the caveat that despite all of these good intentions, when you catch people clad in DressedUndressed out and about they do tend to have layered and accessorized it into submission.  Maybe the simple starkness of the brand leaves people feeling a little vulnerable without their usual Ura-Harajuku fashion distractions?

Stay tuned for the female collection and your best stockist it always going to be Cannabis in Harajuku if you want to join this very very cool club.