Take a walk
down the Harajuku district in Tokyo and you will undoubtedly be greeted by the
bright colours and extravagant fashions of Japan. It is common knowledge that
the Japanese aren’t afraid to push the boundaries in almost everything they do.
Just look at the variety of Kit Kat flavours produced by the Eastern country.
These flavours may not be catching on in the Western side of the world just
yet, but the fashion hasn’t gone unnoticed. Welcome to the world of wacky
fashion.
Much like
the different styles found in the UK, Japan fashion ranges from cute and girlie
to dark and gothic. The main difference however is that they take each fashion
to the extreme. A popular street fashion found in Japan is ‘Lolita.’ The Lolita
style has a number of different subcultures within it – sweet Lolita, gothic
Lolita and punk Lolita to name just a few. This style takes the Victorian and
Rococo era and gives it a modern twist. The end result is something very unique
indeed. Not to be confused with the Western connotations of sexualised youth, the
term ‘Lolita’ in Japan references elegance and modesty resulting in high neck
collars and full skirts.
[Images from Tokyo Fashion]
Another
popular fashion is ‘Decora.’ In English, the term ‘Decora’ translates to
‘decorative’ or ‘decoration.’ This style is widely based around the layering of
accessories including both hair accessories and jewellery and is known for
being bright and colourful. It is also common for small toys to be used to
accessorise. Like ‘Lolita,’ this style can be divided into different
subcultures ranging from pink and girlie to dark and gothic.
[Images taken from Tokyo Fashion]
What happens
when you combine 1950s Americana with music and fashion? You get ‘Rockabilly.’
This style can be found almost anywhere in the world, but naturally Japan step
it up a notch. Looking like they have stepped right out of ‘Grease,’ the men
sport greased back hair and leather jackets while the girls step out in high
ponytails and poodle skirts. Alternatively, girls can be found wearing pencil
skirts and sweetheart necklines for a more pinup look.
[Image taken from Tofugu]
Finally, one
style that you may be more familiar with is ‘cosplay.’ The shortened term of
‘costume play’ refers to an outfit inspired by video games, anime and a variety
of other pop culture icons. In Western countries you will more likely see this
style at conventions such as Comic Con, however on the streets of Tokyo, it is
common to see individuals incorporate their favourite character’s style into
their own every day outfits.
[Images taken from Tokyo Faces & Tokyo Fashion]
These are
just a select few street styles that can be found in the streets of Tokyo.
Other popular fashions to be found include ‘Ganguro’ and ‘Mori.’ The Japanese
will continuously be admired for the confidence they seem to possess to express
themselves in a way that most in the UK and other Western countries may find a
little OTT. Hopefully one day we might be able to feel free to express
ourselves in similar ways. Maybe without the use of small toys as accessories
though.
Until next time,
Elijah xo
References:
No comments:
Post a Comment