What a Trip: Tokyo Street Fashion
Tokyo street fashion is an unparalleled carnival of color and insanity. Costume and style are synonymous and it is so dazzling, hypnotic, and intoxicating, it should be a sin. It could be a drug considering how trippy it is. But the insanity that is present in Tokyo street fashion is the good kind of insanity that reveals itself in creativity and extreme indulgence. Tokyo fashion is of two extremes. On one side it is modern, clean, structural, and even architectural, the other side, however, is an explosion of Harajuku, Ganguro, and rock and roll and it is this extreme that makes its way onto the streets.
Tokyo street fashion has many definitions and labels usually according to the name of the shopping district like the Harajuku district, the Shibuya district and many others including Omotesando, Daikanyama, and Ginza. Harajuku is the capital of the shopping districts and well known to non-natives thanks to Gwen Stefani's publicized obsession and her Harajuku themed albums and clothing line. Of course her reenactments are weak impressions compared to the real Harajuku and its saturated content.
Harajuku can easily be recognized by its outrageousness but usually it includes knee high colorful socks, short skirts, dyed hair, and a lot of colorful and random or not so random accessories. But Harajuku isn't a formula for dressing; it is a lifestyle, not an outfit that can be taken off at the end of the day. Harajuku transcends. Other fashion trends include Ganguro which is Malibu Valley Girl to the extreme: bleached hair, very fake looking orange tans, white lips, and white outlined eyes. Another is Gothic Lolita or just Gothloli, in which girls dress in dramatized victorian garb to resemble porcelain dolls. Again skirts are made short and accompanied with knee high stockings, a popular and common look thanks to the classic Japanese school girl outfit.
Japanese street fashion is so wide and different it is impossible to classify no matter how many districts or labels there are. The Tokyo youth have made a colorful revolution that is so fantastic it could be imaginary. I can say nothing else except thank you Tokyo street fashion for being so inexplicably cool and different.
the sad thing about those girls is that they usually have the suitcases so they can change out of their loli or fruits clothing before they go home to their family.
gaguro is really Fugly :x
The idea street fashion in Japan especially the Harajuku stuff is all over the map, which is what I like about it. I agree with Muffin-of-Doom's comment on the gaguro. I wish would see a litle more of this radical idea here in North America.
Loli is actually not supposed to be short
it's only considered short because of the porn industry and playboy versions of the outfits
there aren't anything like this around america cause people are too into trying to stand out, but still fitting in at the same time (does that makes sense?)
I absolutely love Harajuku girls! They have their own style and they're not afraid to show it. The greatest thing about Tokyo (to me at least) is Cosplay, they do it in the district of Harajuku in Tokyo, Japan every sunday you'll see people dressing as characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, and video games or just plain crazy cute!
I think there's two rules to getting Tokyo street fashion one of them is to always go all out and extreme and two is to always always always over - accessorize.
As much as I would love to go to Tokyo and I would trust me I would not fit in there I am on the .... larger size like well what 43% of americans now and would look just stupid dressed up like that... still... I want to go
Finally I got it!! I love it and understand it!!
Er I think "Harajuku Girl" is just a term coined by Gwen they just look like Decroas to me
I've been to Tokyo twice and loved it. The clothes, the food, the atmosphere is amazing. I am a big girl from WV at 5'6" and 200 pounds with red hair and freckles I really stood out I couldn't find clothes to fit so I gave up. But shoes glorious shoes as far as the eye could see.
The girls from Shibuya as my sister in law says are all crazy. They had the spray tans and tight clothes. They looked like Malibu Barbie on acid. Great fodder for people watching.
shire_fey the Japanese like the rest of us are all getting larger. So don't feel too out of place Fast food is taking over there as well. They have opened their first Krispy Kreme donut shop recently.
hmmmmm Ganguru went out a couple years ago
want real Harajuku style
get on E-Bay and buy a newer FRUiTS mag
Im madly in love with the harajuku style!!!! does anybody know where to get the platform shoes (not teh hottopic ones) or the fuzzy boots, anywhere but swear, they're really expensive
That style is very cute and its not Fugly.
I love this style love is sooo muck where can you get this stuff???
oops I was trying to say much not muck.... just so ya'll know
Actually this side of Japan is what I'm not proud of. This is my personal opinion: Harajuku Girls and those who do Cosplay goes to show that some people in Japan have no life whatsoever. Being Japanese, this is totally something to be ashamed of.
hmm, well i think that all these sluts on here do all this for attention. this cosplay sh*t is just another version of playboy.
those are some very strong words that you used. i think that they dress like that because they enjoy it and it makes them feel unique.
well your just stupid and prude! and you really need to get a life. =]
and all my american friends think you suck.
OMFG.
get out of her business.
she can write whatever the hell she wants. jeez. LOSER. :) haha.
Yo Chelsea. Do you know whats cute and not fugly? cause you got it all wrong.
you prolly look like one of these sluts.
thats why you think its cute. b*tch.