Welcome to part 2 of our look into PIN NAP – Harajuku’s newest vintage fashion shopping destination. As ever, part 1 was an introduction to the shop, and today we will be looking at the overall aesthetic and some individual items that caught our experienced eyes on our visit. I suppose you could say that PIN NAP occupies a nice bridging point between shops like Kinji which offer a clinically trend based approach to fashion, bringing in tattoo tights and Dr. Martens as required, and vintage shops like Birthdeath for whom authenticity and providence of the item in question is paramount – so you get the curated aesthetic and quality of the latter, but accessibility and price point of the former. It is a direction I am glad to see things move in, as shops such as Grimoire are increasingly in danger of being niche cults that new-comers can feel a little bit scared of joining (and Nadia isn’t far behind), mainly because it encourages the diversity and mix of high and low, Harajuku and Shibuya, that new magazines like .Ruby celebrate.
Our very welcoming guides to the shop – thank you for showing us around.
Obviously the 90s influences are primary, but you can’t miss the hints of 80s Patrick Nagel, Playboy and Vogue stylings. It all eludes to a stronger femininity than the vulnerability and frills all over 109 and the gang at the moment. Key items for the look are bustiers as outerwear and dog collars, but countered with baggy ill-fitting t-shirts and shirts, and completed with tomboyish styling.
90s cultural references have aged enough to be considered retro it seems (a scary thought).
Likewise 90s skater culture has come around, but needs a touch of Boy London or studs to bridge the gap to the present.
If you only buy one item from PIN NAP, make it a vintage dog collar.
Clear PVC is going to be a big trend this summer and these studded sandals are perfect (the studs are glued on so they won’t bother your feet).
Patrick Nagel meets My Little Pony.
A beautiful sheer sleeveless rider at a fantastic price.
Betty Boop seems to be the unofficial mascot of the shop, and I guess she does fit the PIN NAP look quite nicely.
For more on PIN NAP there is an official blog here, and stick around for much more Tokyo vintage very soon indeed.
What an breath of inspiration! I’m sooo in love with the studded hats, and the plaid shirt with triangle buttons.
@ Coco
Glad you liked it! We will have more for you soon.
[...] + Tokyo Telephone looks at the amazing PIN NAP store in Harajuku. [...]
hello, first of all thank you for this amazing site, it’s really useful and i love spending time here. Second, i’d like to know if you can tell me the exact adress of this shop, er even better, the link to the shop on google maps if you can find… i know that sounds crazy, but i’m going to japan in some days and i NEED to go to that shop xD
@ Vika
Thank you, and don’t worry it is really easy to find. It is not on Google maps yet but if you go to Dog Harajuku:
http://www.dog-hjk.com/dog/access.html
and just keep walking down that road you will find it in no time.
Enjoy your visit!