Welcome to the second part in our extended look at Meno, Harajuku, one of Tokyo’s finest vintage shopping destinations (part 1 here if you missed it). Today we are looking at the fashion and aesthetic of the shop itself, as well as picking out some of our favorite pieces that we think encapsulate the shop’s direction. With Meno it is really easy to get drawn to the museum-esque side of the shop with their collection of late 1800s and early 1900s clothing being truly outstanding, but rest assured there are plenty of cheap frills and pastel layers to keep you occupied if your budget and fashion doesn’t quite stretch to pieces of that providence.
I think the best way to get into the spirit of the shop is to start with an extravagant key item, say a hat, pair of boots, etc that expresses the direction you want to go in, and then just start layering simple pieces with relative abandon until you have blended it in. The basic silhouette is always going to revolve around longer layers with just less to float around in in the summer and a weight of them in the winter, so the place to have fun is with a stand-out piece as far as I am concerned.
As for the level of dishevelment of your layers in Mori fashion, that is really up to you. I find something appealing about ultra disheveled, ripped and re-constructed ensembles like the above, but if that punk take on 18th century French peasant garb isn’t your cup of tea then it is probably actually easier to keep it simple and keep the layers clean.
Keeping the look on the side of fashion and avoiding cosplay is best done through incorporating things that are modern or re-worked like the bag above, which keeps both the historical and aesthetic side of things on track, but feels fresh.
Alternatively, why not burrow through their piles of vintage fabrics and customize something for yourself?
The trend of the moment in Harajuku is to wear one of these pink night gowns with blusher of the exact same shade right below the eye – I would say it has a 50% success ratio.
The footwear of choice is largely sturdy climbing boots, although I do warn you that the sizes in Meno were tiny.
Some great example coordinates,
and some delectable heels to infuse a touch of femininity into the ensemble.
Oh my! These boots wear their age magnificently.
Modern accessories courtesy of friend of the shop – Apolia.
The jewelry case with some nice examples of vintage American silver.
Hope you enjoyed that look into the fashion of Meno, and I trust there has been plenty to gather inspiration from – stay on Tokyo Telephone for more Japanese vintage fashion very soon.
