We have been discussing the influence of Akihabara culture on fashion quite recently on Tokyo Telephone.  It all began with the Akihabara Fashion Week, then a look into 5okai, the shop that is leading the way in the future of Akihabara fashion, but if that represents where we are going, where are we right now in terms of Japanese fashion with Akihabara influences?  The answer came to me rather abruptly on our travels in Shibuya when we were quite literally grabbed and taken into a new vintage shop that has just opened this month in the same building as Wagado in Shibuya.

As the [...]]]>

We have been discussing the influence of Akihabara culture on fashion quite recently on Tokyo Telephone.  It all began with the Akihabara Fashion Week, then a look into 5okai, the shop that is leading the way in the future of Akihabara fashion, but if that represents where we are going, where are we right now in terms of Japanese fashion with Akihabara influences?  The answer came to me rather abruptly on our travels in Shibuya when we were quite literally grabbed and taken into a new vintage shop that has just opened this month in the same building as Wagado in Shibuya.

As the unremarkable door to the shop opened we were greeted with a cacophony of imagery, sound, light and music that as your eyes adjusted to the darkness against flickering screens and lights, yielded a truly unique celebration of retro Japanese anime, manga and cult western imagery.  It is a shop that finds the common thread between Akihabara culture, overly cute kawaii culture, retro futurism and other aspects of Japanese popular visual culture, and represents it through fashion.  Perhaps a difficult concept, but when you see it and are in the shop banging your head on the toys hanging from the ceiling it all makes sense and as it becomes clear that it is all inherently “of Japan”.  Even the inclusion of Western culture, is only by the virtue of its popularity in modern Japanese culture, that it finds its identity as a truly “Japanese” space.

So what can you expect to find inside?  Courtesy of Kamisama-Gokko (Playing God), the resident re-make brand that unites a couple of different designers, you will find Gamecubes hollowed out and made into handbags, skirts made from plastic sheets with anime characters on them and childrens clothes with extra panels inserted in them so that they can be worn by adults.  On the edgier side of things there are punk vests encrusted with patches, pins and drawing all taken from Otaku culture, fencing and straight jackets that look aggressively distressed and bleached from the front, but have a cute panda hand-embroidered on the back.  Likewise, the fittings of the shop place traditional Japanese taxidermy next to cuddly toys, and pictures of cute idols next to text from adverts promoting aggressive dieting.

In short, the space is rich with detail and is so of the moment, that it feels like a single visit to this shop will tell you all you need to know about modern Japanese culture.  It is also a very welcoming and fun space, and not just because the manager’s dogs were playing with us the whole time we were in there (I cannot guarantee they will be there when you visit).  There are arcade machines you can play, a Nintendo 64 with 4 controllers ready to be played, manga you can borrow and the space can easily be cleared for parties.

But that is enough from me, you really need to visit this place to get a real feel for it, have a chat with the manager over a game of Smash Bros and listen to the remixed anime music.  If that is not a possibility then I am afraid that you will have to make do with the following pictures:

The entrance – it really makes you think just what wonder might be behind all the unmarked doors you see in buildings all over Japan.  Certainly, this one feels like you are intruding in an Otaku’s room.

Good luck navigating this place if you are particularly tall, but this part of the fun!  It reminds me of how Wagado used to be with his low lights and smoke machine that made the shop almost impossible to navigate.  FYI, Wagado is re-fitting at the moment, and I have been assured that it is going to look amazing when it re-opens.

Jason masks sit next to Disney’s gnomes, next to cute Sailor Moons and game center prizes.  It is all a bit of a mess, but that is Japanese visual culture after-all.  I suppose that it is almost like walking into a real-life Tumblr.

The vast majority of the clothes are re-made vintage and it is interesting to see the contrasting cultures in the fittings, replicated in the clothes themselves when you find a western dress spliced with retro anime t-shirts.

There is indubitably too much to take in in a single visit, but I think you will be back to this place fairly regularly.  It is like Grimoire, sometimes it is nice just to go and drink the atmosphere in when you are in the right mood.

I hope I have persuaded you to add the mischievous Itazura to your Shibuya shopping map.  It has only been open for a little while now, so it is still growing and getting its identity together, but I predict great things for this one.  To some extent it is close to Hayatochiri in Kitakore and Veveropparuuu’s approach to fashion, but this one is unique in that rather than trying to create a new fashion through Otaku culture, it is trying to reach into Japan’s recent past for inspiration.  This is vintage Japanese culture spliced with vintage fashion, and what can I say – it works.

They are working on getting their homepage sorted, but rest assured we will have any updates here (as well as from the rest of the Tokyo vintage scene) as it happens.

Eagle-eyed Tokyo based readers will have probably noticed select pieces popping up in stores already, but today I’m happy to be able to showcase the full collection in both catalogue and look-book form. (If anyone can shed light on what on earth ‘pasterine’ is when it’s at home, please do tell!) Although Liz Lisa is probably about as far away from my personal style as a bin bag (maybe [...]]]> With a collection title that reads like bad SEO tagging and more pastel colours, frills and lace than you can shake a stick at, it can only mean one thing: Liz Lisa’s 2012 spring collection is here!

Eagle-eyed Tokyo based readers will have probably noticed select pieces popping up in stores already, but today I’m happy to be able to showcase the full collection in both catalogue and look-book form. (If anyone can shed light on what on earth ‘pasterine’ is when it’s at home, please do tell!) Although Liz Lisa is probably about as far away from my personal style as a bin bag (maybe the bin bag is closer – it is black, after all…), that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the visuals and wanting to talk about it. After all, I’m not exactly in their target market, but you can be sure that this is what the vast majority of fashionable mainstream girls between the ages of about 15 to 21 will be wearing this spring.

Will ‘classical ethnic’ be replacing ‘reto girly’ as my most over-used phrase of the season?

Pink, blue and white are fairly standard colour choices from Liz Lisa – they day they stop producing floaty white dresses is the day the world crumbles. However, what I find interesting are the two new colours below:

Okay, the orange is a little more like peach, but this and mint green are two new colours from Liz Lisa that they’ve chosen to highlight this spring. I think the mint green is almost a risk here – we’ve seen peach, beige and cream before – but it does seem to be this spring’s new hue. I popped around the basement of the Lumine department store in Shinjuku just before sitting down to write this back at Telephone Towers, and mint green was in at least four or five of the small shops, with lilac coming as a close second for new spring shades – the easiest way to update your wardrobe for 2012 is to add one of these two colours.

In terms of actual clothing on offer, Liz Lisa have kept to their comfort zone which is of course in their favour – Liz Lisa fans want Liz Lisa-esque clothes. There’s a selection of printed dresses, with the majority being above the knee. There’s a couple of maxi and calf-length onepieces, in the minority this time, and with a slight ethnic twist thanks to layering and large lace. As expected, there’s plenty of florals and the prints have a rather retro feel, with fringed peep-toe wedges added to the standard Liz Lisa ankle boots with bows (side note: for the devotee on a budget, outlet shoe stores often have a range of Liz Lisa footwear at very reasonable prices…). My favourites from this spring collection have to be the peach balloon/pumpkin shorts with suspenders, the pale blue romper with sailor collar and long dress with sheer asymmetric skirt.

The carousel theme is darling – let’s run away and eat lots of candy-floss…

And finally, some new products for spring, just in case you feel the urge to Liz Lisa-ify your life a little more:

What do you think of Liz Lisa’s trends for this spring? Is classical ethnic the next big thing, or is it best left on the shelves?

The last time I saw SASQUATCHfabrix (the second most ridiculous name in Japanese fashion) it was at Versus Tokyo when they had a selection of their S/S 2012 paraded around the Tokyo Midtown area by a team of performing guerrilla clowns (the second most ridiculous show of JFW) as part of Versus Tokyo.  I will confess it was all a bit distracting, and I didn’t really take the chance to look at the clothes, which as it turns out from looking at the 2012 collection about to hit retail, was entirely my loss.

The concept is neat, succinct, and a direct hit on one of [...]]]>

The last time I saw SASQUATCHfabrix (the second most ridiculous name in Japanese fashion) it was at Versus Tokyo when they had a selection of their S/S 2012 paraded around the Tokyo Midtown area by a team of performing guerrilla clowns (the second most ridiculous show of JFW) as part of Versus Tokyo.  I will confess it was all a bit distracting, and I didn’t really take the chance to look at the clothes, which as it turns out from looking at the 2012 collection about to hit retail, was entirely my loss.

The concept is neat, succinct, and a direct hit on one of the biggest issues facing Japanese menswear at the moment.  Namely, of balancing the “Japanese” with the western, for in the aftermath of the quake last March there has been a resurgence of “Japonism”, of clothing with national pride that many thought was long tucked away in the Sukajyan and Japanese denim shops over in East Tokyo.  But whereas Amekaji and the style typified by magazines such as Japonica Blood tended to employ the Japanese elements in their fabrics and embroidery on top of a fundamentally American casual/work wear core, no-one has really built the structures and form of traditional clothes into Japanese streetwear.  That is until now.

Sasquatchfabrix, who I should add is available to buy at LN-CC (links to your right), have taken hakama, haori and the like from pre-Meiji common dress, and quite literally spliced them with conventional Western streetwear.  Not only that, but they have topped it off with Kamon detailing, woven fabrics and of course quintessentially Japanese fabrics and strong angular seams.  The result feels fresher than I expected, and while I am fully aware that this line has been blurred before, I don’t think it has been done quite so well and quite so thoroughly.

The lookbook below draws stark attention to this with two models who in turn allow their own race to blur through shifts in the styling, highlighting that this is not a collection built on drawing a sharp contrast, but rather celebrating a soft melding of cultures, to the point where it does not seem to matter.  On the other hand, the fact that this stands out is probably evidence that it does still matter, because as I have always said, the form and structure of traditional Japanese clothes remains something as yet truly unexplored in Japanese fashion – but this is as good a place to start as any:

If you are after clothes from this band of self-styled Wonder Worker Guerrilla Band, then you can head on over to LN-CC or if you are in Tokyo then The Contemporary Fix will do the job nicely.

I’m still in love with La Foret; I still get goosebumps when I step in through the huge glass doors and walk around and up and down and amuse myself on the tiny escalators. La Foret was the goal when I was a teenager: a huge fashion department store in Harajuku selling all of the Japanese street [...]]]> Scramble Market, a corner boutique in La Foret, is probably one of our favourite places in Tokyo… I know we say that a lot, but the depth and breadth of fashion in Tokyo is quite breath-taking and the result is that we have more than a dozen ‘favourite’ places!

I’m still in love with La Foret; I still get goosebumps when I step in through the huge glass doors and walk around and up and down and amuse myself on the tiny escalators. La Foret was the goal when I was a teenager: a huge fashion department store in Harajuku selling all of the Japanese street fashion brands I coveted, it must be heaven. After several years of popping in every other week or so, I can confirm that is rather heavenly, although sale season is definitely not – let’s just say that Scramble Market really lives up to it’s name.

One of the things that I really like about La Foret is the range of fashion inside: yes, you’ve got lolita and punk and gothic styles, and also H>Fractal, Par Avion and Gondoa all rubbing shoulders with each other. One must-see for us has been Scramble Market, who sell, among others, Tokyo Telephone favourites such as Etw Vonneguet, Christian Dada, Remain Silent, In-Process by Hall Ohara, FEAR, Nick Needles and red-haired super-cool model Sioux’s new venture Vive Vagina (you might recognise the VV tights from various street snaps). All in all, a perfect selection of up-and-coming Japanese designers – and all freely available in La Foret! Now there’s no excuse not to pick up something exciting – I think I’ll be dropping some hard-earned cash here before Fashion Week…

Scramble Market looking deceptively small here – there’s a ton packed in.

Yes, I love a good label shot. The Vive Vagina logo is fab – although perhaps not one to wear in the company of your mother-in-law.

New discovery: Remain Silent. Thanks to Scramble Market!

FEAR’s new line, complete with zips at every turn.

Lovely badges from In-Process by Hall Ohara – gorgeous graphics, I’ve got my eye on a couple of these!

Silver leather birthday present-style bow.

Art collaboration with Yamaguchi Yusuke – his naive style contrasts with the clean lines of the designers.

More awesomeness from FEAR.

Really want to make some kind of ‘let me lend you a hand‘ joke (terrible, I apologise).

Gold and pearls.

Really love these tote bags!

Etw Vonneguet on show outside…

Scramble Market is one of our top choices for independent fashion in Tokyo – we hope you’ll love it just as much as we do.

Japanese fashion has had a long affair with the most famous work of Lewis Carroll – “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and it has been a pleasure seeing almost every aspect of that tale expanded upon in Lolita fashion, Mori, Dolly-Kei and so on over the years.  However, by these processes of endless interpretation, you can’t help but feel that somewhere the essence of the work might have been lost over the years.  That is why it was such a pleasure to meet Okada, the creative director and owner of Mad Tea Party in Koenji, a man versed in English literature, who had spent time in England [...]]]>

Japanese fashion has had a long affair with the most famous work of Lewis Carroll – “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and it has been a pleasure seeing almost every aspect of that tale expanded upon in Lolita fashion, Mori, Dolly-Kei and so on over the years.  However, by these processes of endless interpretation, you can’t help but feel that somewhere the essence of the work might have been lost over the years.  That is why it was such a pleasure to meet Okada, the creative director and owner of Mad Tea Party in Koenji, a man versed in English literature, who had spent time in England getting to grips with eccentricity and English fashion, and finding a way to reconcile that with his origins in Japan.

Through his boutique, Mad Tea Party in Koenji, Tokyo, Okada has long been an advocate for capturing the spirit of open adventure that the original work stood for, but without forgetting the undertone of danger as exemplified by the “Jabberwocky” which I am sure has given many a child a nightmare who read (or was read) the original.  In short, by reaching back to the original work as his inspiration for the shop, he has managed to capture the inherent edge evident in the best examples of Mori, Dolly or Cult Party-kei.  Also the fact that the owner is a student of fashion in general, and that when he selects his stock, tries to find original examples of what is trending on the catwalks, elevates the standard hugely.

Perhaps the final layer of background for the shop as a whole, and the one that gives it an inherently Japanese flavor, is Okada’s appreciation of the work of Yoshitaka Amano (of Final Fantasy fame).  Indeed, as we were shooting the shop, we were accompanied by a version of Aerith’s Theme from FFVII, and it is not hard to see how that original, fantastical artwork is an easy match for the likes of John Tenniel of Alice fame.

Without further a do, let us follow the white rabbit inside and have a look round this wonderland:

Accessories by Incomplete Alchemist.

Gorgeous capes in fantastic condition sit next to cloaks some 100 years old which are so thinned with age that they are practically sheer.

Mad Tea Party keeps a good number of young Japanese designers who specialise in handmade accessories, and also antique examples like the wood inlaid brass crosses on the right.

Always a favorite with us at Tokyo Telephone, there are plenty of Masonic items from various orders around the world, with most varying in age over the last 100 years.  A real find for me was a 1890 lodge robe with attached mask from an Oxford lodge I used to walk past every day when I lived there.

Obviously the table where the Hatter would host his endless tea parties is a prominent feature, and scattered with the right amount of debris.

Likewise the fittings are appropriately ramshackle, alluding to just the right amount of fallen glory.

Men and women on the hunt for longer layers, robes and gowns will be in heaven.  There is so much that hangs from the shoulders to well past the waist to give you the nice long silhouette that is so strong in fashion at the moment.

And here is our host, I neglected to ask him whether he thought of himself as the rabbit who leads the way to the tea party or as the Hatter or Hare, either way, he is the one responsible for creating this unique bubble of culture on a Koenji backstreet.

Cup of tea anyone?

]]> http://tokyotelephone.com/tokyo-vintage-introducing-mad-tea-party-koenji/feed/ 4 http://tokyotelephone.com/roar-ss-2012-10-year-anniversary-collection/ http://tokyotelephone.com/roar-ss-2012-10-year-anniversary-collection/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:00:54 +0000 Samuel http://tokyotelephone.com/?p=13643

Is that Isamu Katayama of Backlash wearing Roar?  Yes sir it is!  Oh and is that Miyavi, Teru from Glay and the actor Shogen all in a single lookbook?  Once more, your eyes do not lie.  Who else could gather, and I am going to take a deep breath here:

Shogen, Teru of Glay, Hiroshi Shinagawa, Ken Watabe of Un-jash, Koji Ueno of the Hiatus, Akakage the DJ , Naoyuki Hujimoto of ex BY-SEXUAL, Motokatsu Miyagami of The Mad Capsule Markets, the Samurai Guitarist that is Miyavi, and, well, I could go on, but I think you get the picture.  This is a [...]]]>

Is that Isamu Katayama of Backlash wearing Roar?  Yes sir it is!  Oh and is that Miyavi, Teru from Glay and the actor Shogen all in a single lookbook?  Once more, your eyes do not lie.  Who else could gather, and I am going to take a deep breath here:

Shogen, Teru of Glay, Hiroshi Shinagawa, Ken Watabe of Un-jash, Koji Ueno of the Hiatus, Akakage the DJ , Naoyuki Hujimoto of ex BY-SEXUAL, Motokatsu Miyagami of The Mad Capsule Markets, the Samurai Guitarist that is Miyavi, and, well, I could go on, but I think you get the picture.  This is a lookbook where every single page features a different Japanese A-list celebrity (or at the very worst B-list talent) and is possible the best representation of why Roar is a brand that matters and will, as ever, keep on selling.  This collection will mark exactly 10 years of Roar being, along with Roen and Mastermind Japan, one of the biggest names in Japanese menswear and as you have now gathered, the designer Hamanaka has gathered all of his friends to celebrate the anniversary.

If anything it demonstrates the ability of his work to be a fine fit for a whole different range of styles, as demonstrated by the veteran actors well into their 40s looking the part next to young musicians busy filling their skin with tattoos.  As ever, Miyavi, who we last saw performing in Paris for Mihara Yasuhiro here, looks the part, but then again as I said before, they all do.  This is the realm of classic cool after all, and as a man you can rarely go wrong with a good bit of denim, military and workwear.  The fact that Roar always pushes the boat out on the details and crams in prints, embroidery and of course, the iconic crossed guns motif in studs, is the icing on that particular cake.  In short, it may now exist outside of the fashion of the moment, given that Roar used to be the one to create trends, but it is a fine collection celebrating what Roar does best.

So here’s to 10 years of luxury streetwear, love and peace, and Roar:

A bonus point to anyone who recognized all of them first time, and ten for anyone who can pick out the designer Saburo Hamanaka (actually very easy seeing as he never shows his face…).

To me, Valentine’s Day is a great celebration of cheesiness and [...]]]> Due to our current hectic schedule, we actually celebrated Valentine’s Day yesterday by having a lovely wonder around Shimokitazawa followed by dinner at a super-cute cafe just down the road from us in Koenji (it’s my new favourite place – they even have hot cocktails, amazing). Yet again we ended up giving each other similar presents, this time Things With Snakeskin, awesome. I could be cheesy and say it’s just more evidence that we’re a good match? Or maybe we’ve just lived together for a long time now? Either way, it was a much-needed break from running around!

To me, Valentine’s Day is a great celebration of cheesiness and love and tacky stuff – who cares if you don’t have a significant other, tell your friends and family how much you appreciate them! Here in Japan it’s a little different: women give men (mostly male coworkers) chocolate on Valentine’s Day, then on White Day in March the gift is reciprocated. It’s kind of obligatory, which destroys any good feelings… Oh, Valentine”s Day, I think it’ll always be divisive ‘holiday’ for most people.

On the subject of gifts, if you’re still searching for that perfect little something (okay it may be a little late now if you don’t live in central Tokyo) for someone special, then can I suggest Q-pot? No strangers to Tokyo Telephone, we love their chocolate-like building in Aoyama, complete with mini-castle and drawers full of gorgeous accessories. Q-pot do a fantastic line in food-themed jewellery and accessories and, discounting the hideous exchange rates, it’s not too badly priced either. A favourite of lolitas and kawaii-fans, Q-pot is a must-have for all lovers of strawberries, macarons and cakes. In addition to rings, necklaces and bracelets, Q-pot have also produced choco-tastic eyewear and mobile phones, as well as baby clothes and bags. Phew! It’s almost enough to make me want to brush my teeth! In honour of Valentine’s Day, I’ve picked a few charming items from the webstore that are certain to get your heart racing:

I love the tiny shoe-shaped biscuit.

Very tempted by both of these rings!

At Y1000 for a small punnet of strawberries at the supermarket (I’m not joking! Oh, Tokyo…), this chocolate-dipped bag charm version is pretty good value.

Samuel and Rebecca, naturally.

From the new ‘Luxe Chocolat’ line.

Guaranteed to win you a Valentine’s kiss!

Having recently written about Akihabara Fashion Week and the new Akihabara fashion boutique 5okai (probably a good idea to read those two before you proceed) it occurred to me that it might be worth discussing the origins for this new kind of fashion for those on the periphery of Akiba / Otaku culture.  After all, this can be something of a closed book to those interested in fashion who have long removed themselves from anything deemed “uncool” or indeed people who are purely concerned with Japanese fashion in isolation and don’t really require the cultural context.  Either way, I think it is a really interesting topic and it [...]]]>

Having recently written about Akihabara Fashion Week and the new Akihabara fashion boutique 5okai (probably a good idea to read those two before you proceed) it occurred to me that it might be worth discussing the origins for this new kind of fashion for those on the periphery of Akiba / Otaku culture.  After all, this can be something of a closed book to those interested in fashion who have long removed themselves from anything deemed “uncool” or indeed people who are purely concerned with Japanese fashion in isolation and don’t really require the cultural context.  Either way, I think it is a really interesting topic and it might well have formed part of my dissertation at university so I will press on.

The first influence to flag up is that of Cosplay, which due to it being a costume it is not fashion as such.  Elements of cosplay can be worn as fashion, but by wearing a complete ensemble you are by definition using your clothes for a specific use and by the terms of a “definition in use” that is not “fashion”.  On the other hand, cosplay does play an important part in this new Japanese fashion, mainly because the idea of being “completely consumed” or “being taken over” by an item of clothing is a key element in runurunu, Balmung, Bodysong, etc work.  But the important distinction is that this is fashion that consumes one from head to toe with a complete identity, as in most character design, but does not necessitate that you are leaving any of yourself behind to become someone else.

Having dealt with that rather abstract fundamental concept the second point is a whole lot easier to understand.  This next wave of Akihabara fashion is governed by fabrics and structures hugely influenced by modern computerized illustrations and modern figures.  Note the glossiness and almost latex-like sheen that you see on the figures beloved of Otaku, this is replicated using artificial shiny fabrics by designers such as Balmung and Chloma / Junya Suzuki very frequently.  Likewise, the fabrics used lend themselves to strong structures without the use of padding or petticoats in the case of skirts.  In essence these fabrics mimic the constant state of agitated movement even in stillness that modern illustrations and figure design capture so well.

Next up is silhouette distortion which has been a fundamental of fashion since, well, since fashion existed, but is harder to achieve than in the above illustration where one can just draw the body how you would like it to be.  However, consider Jenny Fax’s S/S 2012 and how she employed the same extreme shoulders to create the same impossibly long slender arms, and swan-like thin neck of the above.

This would be your basic (admittedly exaggerated) silhouette.  Note how the postion of the waist, hourglass shaped torso, vast shoulders and grossly extended lower arms is achieved with some of the outfits in this post here.

The final element of this emerging Akihabara fashion isn’t actually found in Otaku culture directly, but comes from the Buddhist (often derived from Thai and Tibetan Buddhism) imagery that has long been associated with the Tokyo underground and in particular the underground Techno scene that was such an inspiration for early Julius.  The bright and vibrant colours, clashing and saturated textures, and overall allusion to psychedelica is present in the work of runurunu and veveropparuuu, amongst others.  There are also the obvious Buddhist links to the Akihabara area historically, and also the role of Aum Shinrikyo in the area that could be brought in at this point (but that is a huge can of worms to open in this particular arena!).

So I would say that the three points to be your basic pins in the proverbial map to understanding these designers work are: Clothes that change the whole body, fabrics that mirror Otaku imagery and the anime silhouette.  The Buddhism that comes from a separate aspect of underground culture is important, but is a little more difficult to pin down in glib terms for now (maybe a topic for another time), but try and spot the religious references in these shop photos here if you doubt their presence.

I thought I would finish this post with a topic that is close to my heart, and that is – what I would like to see Otaku culture impart on fashion.  For that I will revisit my old friend Kazuma Kaneko who I have written about in the past.  He is a fantastic illustrator for a number of projects, including my favorite series of games – Shin Megami Tensei, and I have long been a champion for what his work can bring to the world of fashion:

Impossible ideals of perfection and sharpness of tailoring.

Absolute austerity.

Complete cohesion in an ensemble (obviously designers do this on the catwalk all the time).

A willingness to place a complete theme in an outfit.

OK, so maybe Gareth Pugh has been doing this for a while, but still I think his designs walk a line between the conceptual and the wearable in a way that most graduate shows do not.

Very Pugh, now there is a man who needs to use some fur…

A couple more extreme examples, but united by the theme of complete cohesion in a theme, and capturing the essence of an impossible, ritualistic ambition.

Personally there is so much that I admire in the work of Balmung, runurunu, Mikio Sakabe and the gang, but it tends to be the conceptual aspects that I have mentioned in the first half of this article and not the ritualism and austerity of the latter.  Somewhere between the two there is a new aesthetic ready to come out, one that is of Japan and arguably could only ever be worn in Japan!  It is certainly a movement to keep your eye on and even though many of the designers mentioned above will inevitably tone down their work for the fashion week shows next month, I am assured that in the aftermath there will be developments of note to look forward to…

]]> http://tokyotelephone.com/introducing-the-origins-of-akihabara-fashion/feed/ 10 http://tokyotelephone.com/furifu-re-imagining-kimono-and-furisode/ http://tokyotelephone.com/furifu-re-imagining-kimono-and-furisode/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:00:01 +0000 Rebecca http://tokyotelephone.com/?p=13543 Whenever I talk about kimono and other forms of traditional Japanese clothing on Tokyo Telephone I always feel the need to reiterate the fact that I’m no expert in this beautiful and often confusing field: I’m a fair-weather kimono fancier, a window-shopper and a dreamer. So let me say it one more time: I’m just dipping my toe into the wonderful world of wafuku, and there plenty of other people out there who know a whole more about it than I do… however if we’re talking about the social significance of Comme des Garcons, that’s another story!

Right, disclaimer out of the way, today I wanted to [...]]]> Whenever I talk about kimono and other forms of traditional Japanese clothing on Tokyo Telephone I always feel the need to reiterate the fact that I’m no expert in this beautiful and often confusing field: I’m a fair-weather kimono fancier, a window-shopper and a dreamer. So let me say it one more time: I’m just dipping my toe into the wonderful world of wafuku, and there plenty of other people out there who know a whole more about it than I do… however if we’re talking about the social significance of Comme des Garcons, that’s another story!

Right, disclaimer out of the way, today I wanted to introduce furifu, one of my favourite modern kimono retailers. I first came across furifu when searching for some authentically Japanese presents a few years ago and now I always find my feet taking me back there, especially when we’re strolling around Parco in Shibuya. I think what appeals to me about furifu is that there’s quite a relaxed atmosphere – kimono can feel like a rather closed world, particularly for a foreign novice like me. The shop staff are always friendly and happy to talk about everything, and there’s a lovely mix of contemporary wafuku and Japan-influenced clothing and accessories.

It seems that whenever anyone mentions kimono and wafuku in the media it’s always with the angle that no-one wears kimono anymore and it’s a dying art. I’ve spoken to a few of our Japanese friends about this in the past, and while they’re enthusiastic about the idea of kimono, the reality is that it’s expensive, hard to wear and something more associated with their mothers. I truly hope that boutiques like furifu and others will continue to show wafuku in a modern and accessible light, it’s essential now more then ever. While I don’t think kimono will ever really disappear from the streets of Tokyo, I’d really love to see more youth subcultures incorporating some traditional elements, such as dolly-kei rethinking obi and over-jackets. Hayatochiri of KitaKore has been producing some fantastic hand armour accessories of late using beautiful silks, and I hope that underground fashion picks up on this…  So, let’s look a little more at furifu and be inspired:

Total sucker for anything with cats.

A selection from the webshop:

Giant fake pearls?! Yes indeed.

The original colour-blockers.

More cats on the left…

In the words of Issey Miyake: pleats please!

Dangly-bobs for your obi (yes, dangly-bobs is the technical term!)

Excuse me while I sew jewels on all of my gloves.

Last but not least, yofuku styling:

I fully intended to buy the black and white cat jacket, but it sold out before I got the chance. Seriously gutted.

I feel really inspired to incorporate more Japanese imagery into my wardrobe after putting this together – let me know if you feel motived to join me! (Take a look at Lyuba’s great blog for an example of kimono being stylishly worn in the West – love it!)