We had a good look at the concept of Pyarco in Parco Shibuya yesterday (here if you missed it), but today we thought we would look at some of the individual items and brands that make it such a hit. In simplest possible terms it reads like an A-Z of current Japanese women’s fashion trends, right now. There is a metric ton of pastels, clothes that look like they are spun from the rainbow tails of unicorns, cats, patchwork in abundance, remade clothes from Cult Party and Grimoire, 8bit fashion and of course, the most ubiquitous word of our time “kawaii”.
But whereas the majority of the aforementioned would usually make me think of the majority of the mainstream, the brands that Pyarco stocks are the ones that do the those trends best, and are generally the ones getting ripped off all along Takeshita Doori, and even if it kills me, I will always stress that the people you ought to support are the ones who make the culture rather than those who profit from it. Basically, this is the authenticity of the moment, and if you want to be at the very hub of what is big right now, you could do no better than to take a trip to Pyarco.
Our highlights:
Perfectly hand-made patchwork courtesy of Keisuke Kanda – the love behind every hand-stitch reminds me of Harukakimie and Nusumigui.
Perfectly sourced vintage ribbon accessories - I love the contrast between the modern plastic cartoon parody of a ribbon and the classic elegance of the “real” ribbon.
Pixels on top of pixels in Anrealage’s work – their original textiles are simple amazing.
Remade vintage from Cult Party from Paradigm Shift. Again with a level of authenticity that connoisseurs will appreciate.
Facetasm is all about the textiles (that is where the designer’s background is).
It is clear that pastels and off-whites are the big trends in Harajuku and amongst the fashion crowd, which juxtaposes with the perfect neons that are cropping up all over Gyaru fashion in Shibuya.
Anrealage’s attention to detail amongst its in-house patchwork team always humbles me. No-one does it better.
Love the wicker butterfly!
I hope I have persuaded you to take a look in Pyarco if you haven’t already, and if you do, make sure you take a picture using their shop camera to commemorate the occasion.
If you can’t make it in person then you will have to make do with the official website here.
