Japanese Street Style #1

[*Addicted*]

Lovely! Lovely! Lovely!

I want to find meet her and ask very nicely "May I steal that coat please?"

yeah.. that's really cute outfit

 

[Labeladdict2]

the Japanese have such great style! it's all individual and not sooo controlled by trends like here in America.

 

[valak]

Does anybody here share the opinion that altough japanese are very unique they change their style a bit too fast perhaps?

 

[softgrey]

actually from what i've read and from people i know...apparently it IS driven by trends...they just have different trends than we do...so it looks unique to us...

and i guess vice versa...

 

[vintage_princess]

^^ I agree too..

 

[valak]

I go to Japan on a regular basis for research and I totally agree that it is driven by trends but i still prefer the good old sense of individuality. Real style should not be about following trends but individualising.

 

[Magne]

Anyone seen the Japanese movie "Ichi the Killer"?
The main character in it is a mad masochist with a GREAT taste in clothes!
Colourful, funny and stylish!

I really want his pink-ish/purple coat...

 

[urd]

from the same director One Missed Call ( best clothes ever) and Battle Royale (clothes not so great, but the movie even better)

 

[mishahoi]

I go to Japan on a regular basis for research and I totally agree that it is driven by trends but i still prefer the good old sense of individuality. Real style should not be about following trends but individualising.

*sigh* as much as i foften find myself defending japanese style in its "uniqueness", i know deep in my heart that im pretty much lying through my teeth. it's so true, 90% of the japanese have NO STYLE WHATSOEVER, they follow trends which are pushed *HARD* by every single "popular" boutique. ...and really, the styles are hideous they may look "interesting" but really they are cheap clothes made in china, marked up atrociously, and then will have to be discarded because a new trend will come out the next season that everyone will follow.

some horrible trends:
boxy v-neck shirts with butterfly camisole underneath, jeans, and old tennis shoes. no colors match. super cheap quality on everything (and theyre *supposed* to look cheap and faded and ugly).

a few years a go it was the "oneechan" (big sister) with huge collars on the sweaters that MUST have included a fuzzy little fluff pompom pin. they came in barrettes, gloves, bags, everything. im starting to see these pompom things again...they arent cute, either imo

those cloth tote bags with sequins running up the handle everyone and their dog has.

straw bags last summer, and rabbit fur bags this winter. they are out to ATTACK my black clothing on the trains... i have to carry around a tool to get all the shedding off of me

"dislocated" sweaters wrapped around people's necks.

the people in these pics are pretty original (and some just bought normal stuff at the corner store), but the interesting pics were taken in harajuku, where people dress up uniquely because they *know* their pic could be taken. try looking at places like takadanobaba, machida, komaba, where a lot of young people congregate, and yet they will look nothing like that.


im just saying that japan has its flops along with its upsides. style is not at all instilled in the japanese people, its just true what was said above that their trends are different from ours.

*flashes a V sign*B)

 

[mishahoi]

from the same director One Missed Call ( best clothes ever) and Battle Royale (clothes not so great, but the movie even better)

one missed call (if this is in fact chakushin ari) is indeed directed by takashi miike who did "ichi the killer", but battle royale was directed by the late kinji fukusaku who died right at the beginning of production for battle royale II. i dont know who designed the school uniforms for the first movie, but for the second, the green and neon orange army jumpers were supplied by the popular brand BA-TSU and were sold in limited editions at the stores.

 

[softgrey]

*sigh* as much as i foften find myself defending japanese style in its "uniqueness", i know deep in my heart that im pretty much lying through my teeth. it's so true, 90% of the japanese have NO STYLE WHATSOEVER, they follow trends which are pushed *HARD* by every single "popular" boutique. ...and really, the styles are hideous they may look "interesting" but really they are cheap clothes made in china, marked up atrociously, and then will have to be discarded because a new trend will come out the next season that everyone will follow.

some horrible trends:
boxy v-neck shirts with butterfly camisole underneath, jeans, and old tennis shoes. no colors match. super cheap quality on everything (and theyre *supposed* to look cheap and faded and ugly).

a few years a go it was the "oneechan" (big sister) with huge collars on the sweaters that MUST have included a fuzzy little fluff pompom pin. they came in barrettes, gloves, bags, everything. im starting to see these pompom things again...they arent cute, either imo

those cloth tote bags with sequins running up the handle everyone and their dog has.

straw bags last summer, and rabbit fur bags this winter. they are out to ATTACK my black clothing on the trains... i have to carry around a tool to get all the shedding off of me

"dislocated" sweaters wrapped around people's necks.

the people in these pics are pretty original (and some just bought normal stuff at the corner store), but the interesting pics were taken in harajuku, where people dress up uniquely because they *know* their pic could be taken. try looking at places like takadanobaba, machida, komaba, where a lot of young people congregate, and yet they will look nothing like that.


im just saying that japan has its flops along with its upsides. style is not at all instilled in the japanese people, its just true what was said above that their trends are different from ours.

*flashes a V sign*B)

thanks for the insider info misahoi...nice to hear from someone in japan firsthand...
i think those sequin tote bags are vanessa bruno...
...you're funny... ....

 

[vintage_princess]

*sigh* as much as i foften find myself defending japanese style in its "uniqueness", i know deep in my heart that im pretty much lying through my teeth. it's so true, 90% of the japanese have NO STYLE WHATSOEVER, they follow trends which are pushed *HARD* by every single "popular" boutique. ...and really, the styles are hideous they may look "interesting" but really they are cheap clothes made in china, marked up atrociously, and then will have to be discarded because a new trend will come out the next season that everyone will follow.

I agree with you there! I know what you mean about cheap clothes..the quality is really bad but I dont mind as long as its cheap and cheerful!

 

[MissLiz]

I love Japanese street fashion!

Everyone should check out the book Fruits!
I get really inspired. Gorgeous, outragous, funny, kawaii, bizarre... And casual.

FRUiTS is fab!!! i love it

 

[mishahoi]

I agree with you there! I know what you mean about cheap clothes..the quality is really bad but I dont mind as long as its cheap and cheerful!

thats the problem.... they ARENT cheap. not in the least...a cotton camisole runs anywhere from 4,000yen (abt $40) on up... i sometimes want to throw back my head and laugh out loud that such a cheapy piece of cloth could run a price that high. im sure some store workers have seen me laughing before... B) thats why i save my money for the boutiques (and everyone knows if you want basic clothing you go to uniqlo to get it for the price its worth). Now THERES some style!

oh, and BARGAIN...i hardly ever buy anything inbetween the two bargain seasons... it really is heaven, you guys would be drooling all over yourselves (bring a bib!D

 

[mishahoi]

thanks for the insider info misahoi...nice to hear from someone in japan firsthand...
i think those sequin tote bags are vanessa bruno...
...you're funny... ....

vanessa bruno, huh? at least they *were* vanessa bruno until every store under the sun copied them... its nice to know where the inspiration came from~~~~~thankyou

 

[vintage_princess]

thats the problem.... they ARENT cheap. not in the least...a cotton camisole runs anywhere from 4,000yen (abt $40) on up... i sometimes want to throw back my head and laugh out loud that such a cheapy piece of cloth could run a price that high. im sure some store workers have seen me laughing before... B) thats why i save my money for the boutiques (and everyone knows if you want basic clothing you go to uniqlo to get it for the price its worth). Now THERES some style!

oh, and BARGAIN...i hardly ever buy anything inbetween the two bargain seasons... it really is heaven, you guys would be drooling all over yourselves (bring a bib!D

I meant stuff from Hong Kong, since you said the clothes came from China, before they are marked up

 

[breathe0xygen]

thats the problem.... they ARENT cheap. not in the least...a cotton camisole runs anywhere from 4,000yen (abt $40) on up... i sometimes want to throw back my head and laugh out loud that such a cheapy piece of cloth could run a price that high. im sure some store workers have seen me laughing before... B) thats why i save my money for the boutiques (and everyone knows if you want basic clothing you go to uniqlo to get it for the price its worth). Now THERES some style!

oh, and BARGAIN...i hardly ever buy anything inbetween the two bargain seasons... it really is heaven, you guys would be drooling all over yourselves (bring a bib!D

Uniqlo
I agree, the bargain seasons are to die for...
And although the pictures posted contain mostly of very original and stylish people, Japan's streets aren't filled with them. Theres alot of originality here, but not all of it is tasteful...

 

[mishahoi]

FRUiTS is fab!!! i love it

i just hope you guys are referring to the magazine and not the book in which the pics were taken something like 7 years ago really, you'll be hard pressed to see *ANYONE* dress like that anymore (unfortunately)

oh, but wait..... here's what has grown out from under the ashes of the ganguro and ko-gyaru movements.... everyone shield your eyes! its....... MAMBA!!

known to the masses as "yamamba" (slightly different, but altogether a hideous attempt at standing out ), they parade in large down center-ctreet in shibuya in animal suits (namely hamsters and mice) with dark skin, fried hair, white makeup around the eyes and on the mouth, and lots of sparkly stickers on their face. they also use a lot of funny slang that only very few can understand:

 

[breathe0xygen]

^ my elementry school classmate friend lives on the top floor of my apartment looks exactly like that. my grandma and dad saw her coming down the elevator in that yellow suit...

 

[sashatheelf]

dear everyone, i am going to tokyo next month for two months.

i will take lots of pictures.