There are few moments in your life which you will walk away from feeling completely overwhelmed by the whole experience. This is how I felt when returning to Sydney after having made my first trip overseas all on my own. My destination was Japan, and fortunately for me it was one of those trips that opened up my eyes to a whole different world outside of the one I had known in Sydney. Unfortunately for Australian fashion however, it was one of those trips which left me utterly convinced that Japanese fashion is more cutting-edge, inspiring and original than anything we have on offer. For me, it seems, the Japanese just do it better.
I realise I may be biased as a result of my recent experiences, and I understand that being in a different hemisphere from Japan means their fashion is at polar opposites with ours. Regardless, whether it is the street fashion in Tokyo or the latest offerings of Japan Fashion Week, the diversity and vibrancy of the clothes is indescribable and incomparable to anything that is available here. It may sound like I am doing a lot of fashion-bashing but when you become exposed to people dressed in the street like in the picture below, you too would become sceptical about the individuality of the Australian fashion scene.
(Original Photo from FRUiTS magazine but featured in this blog:
La Coctelera: Gamuza - Fotografia)
Even when it comes to high fashion, Japanese designers rarely fail to impress with their innovative designs. The latest offerings of part one of Japan Fashion Week held in August-September 2007 (part two is to be held in March and it showcases the Autumn/Winter 2008 Collection) brought to light what was in store for Spring and Summer 2008.
Combination is the key and clashing is ideal. I enjoy ‘mercibeaucoup’ (whose clothes are pictured above) because of these exact reasons. Clothes should be fun and if you’re one to express yourself externally there is no better way to do so. Everything about mercibeaucoup makes a statement. The shoes, the socks, the shorts, the shirts, the dresses, and the hair are all vying for your attention yet none of the components takes anything away from the other.
Layering also plays a big part in mercibeaucoup’s collection and is even more evident on the streets of Tokyo. I just love the combination of socks and shoes in each of the girls’ outfits pictured above. I noticed that the Japanese are very big on stockings and socks and use them to accessorise a lot of their outfits. It also seems the more layers one wears the better, and it works amazingly well with the casual clothes of the fashion label.
The fashion house ‘everlasting sprout’ adopted a modern take on the clothes of the 1920s and the 1960s. I mention everlasting sprout because I was drawn to the beautiful femininity of the outfits featured in their collection.
It is clothes like these, the bubble skirts, crocheted dresses and billowy blouses that a girl should spend the warm days frolicking about in. I also took a great liking to the head pieces that each of the models is wearing. I found that they added a classic touch to the outfits; they made them timeless, but at the same time played up to the femininity of the entire collection.
If you wanted to check out the rest of the Spring/Summer 2008 collection I grabbed these photos from a great site called Japanese Streets which follows Japanese fashion on and off the catwalk. If you are primarily interested in street fashion, more specifically, Tokyo street fashion (as I am) then head to Tokyo Street Style for weekly photo updates of what people are wearing in five separate areas of Tokyo.
I realise that the photos I have posted might not make much of an impact at this point in time, but the main message I am trying to get across is that innovation is what we lack in Australian fashion, both on the street and on the catwalk. I look at the snaps that are featured in the Urban Style section in the Sun-Herald’s ‘S’ lift-out and I fail to see anything that is inspiring. There are some cute outfits that people have put together but all in all nobody is doing anything that truly stands out from the mass produced stock. The only way we try to be different is by adding something vintage, and while I understand that it is necessary to look back in order to move forwards in terms of fashion I see nothing modern and fresh that challenges the designers of yesteryear. So whether you agree or disagree with me, do me the favour of at least having a look around at the sites I’ve provided links to and seeing what modern Tokyo has to offer. I guarantee you, it will leave you breathless.
