Currently viewing the tag: "vintage"
I was reading through my introduction to Itazura when it dawned on me that I hadn’t included half of my favorite items from the shop, so here we go again! Needless to say, I would highly advise you to read the original post before you begin so you get an idea of the new kind of Japanese vintage fashion that this place focuses on, as otherwise this might just look like a random aggregation of culture, but trust me, there is method to this particular madness.
This is how the place appears from the doorway in, and you have to virtually crawl [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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The greatest realization you will ever have in Tokyo, is that there will always be more to see. Just when you think you have got a handle on the trends of the moment, the movements of the past and the shape of what is imminent, you be walking down a road you have been a hundred times before when you spot a cafe in a basement or an isolated boutique perched in a tent on the roof (I speak from personal experience). The reason being that these kind of places are entirely self-contained, and have no real need to promote themselves beyond the devoted clientele that the vast, [...]
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Continuing our on-going coverage of Tokyo best and most unique vintage shops, here on Tokyo Telephone we’re very proud to introduce Green Dot.
Under the same umbrella as DaiDai and Koenji’s other Green Dot boutique (coming soon!), today’s Green Dot is located on Koenji’s main covered shopping street. It’s a rather unassuming front for what’s actually a very beautiful retail environment and surprisingly large too – the first time we popped in I was genuinely taken back by how big the shop is, especially with the downstairs space too. I really love the thoughtful decoration inside Green Dot: on the ground level the floors [...]
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So far in our vintage fashion odyssey here at Tokyo Telephone we have been neglecting the darker side of vintage fashion, so we thought we would remedy that with a good look at the ultimate destination for the crust of Tokyo, horror punk aficionados and anyone who basically wants their fashion to be a light-hearted middle-finger to society. Kuro-Benz, ironically named after the Mercedes-Benz owning club of conservative kachigumi types purring around Ginza, is a vintage fashion institution responsible for dressing at least one person in each issue of Tune magazine in a mix of scummy colours, worn fabrics and confrontational artwork. It is the perfect anecdote [...]
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I think it’s high time we delved into the wonderful world of vintage boutiques in Tokyo again, right? Our focus today is on DaiDai in Koenji, and it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face…
Under the same umbrella as the marvellous Green Dot (coming up on Tokyo Telephone very soon!), DaiDai is almost literally a riot of colour – you’d better bring your sunglasses! Hidden in the backstreets of Koenji and jostling with its fellow vintage neighbours, DaiDai really manages to stand out, and is a great example of the focused aesthetic that makes Japanese vintage shops really unique – here you’ll find rag [...]
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Continuing on ongoing project showcasing the the best and most beautiful vintage shopping experiences in Tokyo, today we’re very proud and excited to feature Gaijin, a vintage boutique in Koenji.
Even though I kind of prefer the darker side of fashion, I always pop in to Gaijin whenever I have time – I love the pastel colours and calming atmosphere, as well as spotting lots of cats and unicorns all around the lovely little shop! Gaijin is owned by a charming couple (alas out scouting for new treasures in London when we took these photos), and while the wife runs Gaijin, the husband [...]
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If you take a walk down Koenji’s main covered street, you might pass by a green sign and a flight of stairs leading up to a vintage shop… I’d advise that you climb those stairs and discover GrogGrog!
As I think pretty much everyone is aware now, here at Tokyo Telephone we’re more than a little in love with the amazing and unique vintage shops in Japan, and now we’re happy to be able to share some of our favourites with you. We think it’s high time we celebrated these beautiful boutiques and stand-out select shops, and while we realise that not everyone [...]
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Guess how many vintage shops there are in Koenji, go on, guess! If you follow us on twitter (we’re tokyo_telephone), then you’ll already know the answer, but for those of you that don’t: our last count was somewhere around 70. Yes, that’s right, about seventy shops selling vintage clothing just in Koenji alone, let alone the rest of Tokyo… It really is a vintage-lover’s paradise, and I urge anyone with even a passing interest in all things old and exciting to get to Koenji as soon as possible to have a good old rummage around.
With that in mind, we risked life and frozen limbs in [...]
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If you haven’t heard the name ‘Lactose Intoler-Art‘ yet, then get ready to be educated! Brandon Reierson, aka Lactose Intoler-Art, is an incredibly talented illustrator whose dedication to Japanese street fashion and culture is evident throughout his body of work. So let me get this straight: puns and Japanese fashion? How can we resist?! It seems that we’re not alone in having an art-crush on Lactose Intoler-Art: Tavuchi of Spank! is also a big fan, and Brandon’s work has also been featured on several major Japanese fashion websites – worn by fans, and street snaps of the man himself too.
We were lucky enough to [...]
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LittleBig is a new brand designed by Mawatari Keita who is also a buyer over at Cannabis in Harajuku. It is hard to think of a job that better qualifies a man to be completely and utterly in touch with the ebb and tides of the streets of Tokyo, so it is no surprise that he has completely nailed the mood of the moment. And what is that mood? Japanese 80s New Wave style, yes, it has been slowly creeping back in street snaps in vintage form for quite some time, but LittleBig is the first to rework it for these modern times and make [...]
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