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Tokyo Fashion Sketch

by Petria May

These days, without a shop in titanic Tokyo, you are not a major player. Simple as that. Beyond hobby territory, shopping qualifies as a national obsession. Even if most people prefer a sort of chic uniform to individual style, one has to give Tokyo inhabitants their due. Viewed as a group, they are the most impressive fashion collective I have witnessed. Yes, you do recall correctly that I have lived in Paris.

Walking and walking (and walking some more) in big, old Tokyo, I was able to distill the current style favorites to a fairly long list of recurring items. Viewing the favorites as a group, I then tried to determine where Tokyo-style comes from, since mass style there is strictly non-Asian, but for a few really wonderful examples of creative hybrid style, sometimes involving a kimono. I think that most young people are looking to London and New York's East Village for punk, individual style cues. Middle-aged and older folks nod demurely to Italy and France. I refer to men and women, since both shop and spend in symbiotic fervor.

There is not enough space here to tell all, so I will offer some highlights. Perhaps you will be inspired to pay a visit and make a new list.

American 1970s and 1980s vintage. I thought I was in the East Village all over again. In fact, one shop in Harajuku is called East Village. No one spoke English though.

Department stores. While department stores are falling out of favor here, they are alive and thriving in Tokyo. There are several Macy's-size stores, including Isetan in the outsized Shinjuku district. Isetan and stores like it have several branches in Tokyo. Isetan competes with about four other major Japanese department store chains. I saw a Barneys New York, downright boutique-like in comparison to the behemoths.

Cigarettes. People smoke freely in many restaurants but curiously, there are many No Smoking signs outdoors.

Starbucks. The ones in Tokyo have delicious soy green tea lattes.

Drainpipe jeans. The typical Japanese physique (in flux, thanks to McDonald's) is particularly well-suited to these jeans.

Label handbags. Whether it is Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Le Sportsac, or Prada, she really wants it. At times, he does, too.

Tiffany & Co. One of the many labels captivating the Tokyo market is Tiffany. As my friend Miho explained, her sister was offered Tiffany engagement rings by two men at the same time. She could not decide. I gathered that it was the name brand that made the decision nigh impossible to reach. I wonder whether Miho's receipt of only one Tiffany engagement ring constitutes a stroke of good luck.

Anorak jackets. Think Army green and real or Teddy bear fur.

Converse sneakers. I am so over them, but they are more popular than Uggs in Tokyo. I saw no Uggs, actually. Their absence is a big hole in the Japanese market.

Loose leggings with loose skirts. Why?

Free Kleenex tissues with ads inside. Great for allergy season. I'm still using them.

Paddington Bear coats. A fashion classic.

Cowboy boots. Another classic.

White leggings. School girls, in blue school uniforms, wear these not-so-fabulous fashion statements, curiously referred to as spats. Most often, they combine them with bare, faux-tanned legs.

Beatles haircuts. Everyone seems to love that choppy cut that is longish up top and a bit shorter on the sides while tapering to its shortest length in back. The color is often a shade of red.

Newsboy caps. Kind of cute with the Beatles haircuts.

Manboys. They are skinny, effeminate, vain and loved by all the girls (Yup, they like the girls, too.). They tend to pluck their eyebrows, tease their Beatles cuts into a high hill and check themselves unselfconsciously in subway train windows. Their sex appeal was invisible to me.

Cellular telephones. Teens and adults attach little toys to them and literally never stop pounding on the poor suckers. Several people I met own two or more. I saw one man (my friend's husband Aki) with four lined up.

White face masks. You have probably seen Michael Jackson donning the anti-germ mask. I have the impression that he wants to keep germs out. In Japan, it is usually a sign that the wearer has a cold and is trying to keep germs in. I cannot count the number of perfectly nice outfits spoiled by this considerate gesture.

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