The World of Tokyo Fashion

With flashing neon lights and nonstop music blaring in your ears, a brief walk through the crowded streets of Tokyo will introduce you to a variety of men and women in outfits that range from the notable stereotype of the chic Japanese lady in designer jeans to the playful teens hooked on dressing like their favorite anime characters.

From Arthur GOLDEN’s “Memoir of a Geisha” to BAN Shigeru’s cardboard bridge in France, Japanese culture and design has long fascinated the world and Tokyo fashion is no exception. Shibuya 109 has become an iconic fashion playground for women all around the world for fashion-forward designs.

Gwen STEFANI’s “Harajuku girls” inspire women desiring the kawaii look and YAMAMOTO Yohji made owning a pair of sneakers unbelievably cool. From the rebellious gyaru style in Shibuya to the classic style of the office ladies in Ginza, Japanese fashion is renowned and followed by millions of women all around the world. However, the wide range of Tokyo fashion makes it difficult to define, much less understand.

In an attempt to define Tokyo fashion, Philomena KEET’s book called “The Tokyo Look Book” describes and illustrates selected subcultures of Tokyo Fashion. She takes her reader on a well guided trip down Tokyo’s fashionable neighborhoods of Shibuya, Harajuku and Omotesando and carefully maneuvers you around the varying styles of men and women in Tokyo.

Those girls with volumous blond hair, thick tanned make-up and sexy outfits loitering around the streets of Shibuya are usually part of a circle that gathers to talk about life, love and para-para dancing competitions. They are also almost always younger than 18 years old. It’s this kind of information that the book offers, along with a great collection of unique pictures.

Philomena explain: “Tokyo is a big melting pot of fashion — they have all the major foreign brands here as well as their own brands. People in Tokyo are definitely more obsessed with luxury brand accessories. In Paris or London, it tends to be only the higher class who are interested in Hermes, but here, it doesn’t matter whether they have money or not.”

Tokyo fashion could well be seen as an expression of its people’s individuality and an outlet for their passions. With the successes of designers such as TAKADA Kenzo and MIYAKE Issey, the world puts the spotlight on Tokyo and awaits for the next “it” thing to inspire fashion lovers all around the world.

The Tokyo Look Book
Philomena KEET Photos: MANABE Yuri
3,150 yen, Published by Kodansha International

©Philomena KEET 2007
©2007 Yuri Manabe 2007
©2007 Philomena Keet, Published by Kodansha International Ltd.

Text: Eden DY

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