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Global Trend Report '08 - Tokyo

Tokyo boys are walking neon signs. Like the city itself, the kids like to make your eyes feel like they're on fire. And attention to detail is another specialty. Look closely at Keiji's yellow hoodie here: It's actually two hoodies stuck together.
VICE Staff
Κείμενο VICE Staff

Tokyo boys are walking neon signs. Like the city itself, the kids like to make your eyes feel like they’re on fire. And attention to detail is another specialty. Look closely at Keiji’s yellow hoodie here: It’s actually two hoodies stuck together. He’s turned the yellow hoodie inside out and stuck it together at the zipper with a gray hoodie. We don’t even really know what that means, we’re just taking his word for it. And then over that he wears a jacket incorporating both colors. A whole lot of thought went into that. Combine this all with red pants and purple shoelaces and he’s basically a human Pantone palette.

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Yoshihiro’s donut-dotted oversize jacket gives rhythm to his whole style, and the skinny black pants keep things grounded. He throws in a pair of colorful sneakers for punch. This is what the electro kids wear here. Black-framed glasses are another big thing right now. Like many kids in Japan, both his hair and eyebrows are dyed blond, which has iffy implications we don’t want to get into.

Matching is huge. Naoyuki artfully matches a bright turquoise zip-up hoodie with his Converse. The non-washed tight denims help tighten the whole look. We’re seeing a lot of mushroom haircuts these days too, just covering the eyebrows.

Compared to the boys, girls are practically funereal, with tons of black, gray, and white and just a hint of color. Bagginess is a big factor for girls, like Ayaka here in a huge men’s Gap sweatshirt worn like a dress, with a big scarf thrown around her neck loosely to emphasize the bagginess. Leggings and engineer boots tighten the bottom half, getting a good loose vs. tight balance.

Fanny’s style is also monochromatic and chic. You’ll notice, though, that her leggings are striped and her heels are fuchsia. It’s great how she brings the whole look to life with just those two details. And then there’s a brooch placed just so in the drapes around her neck. It’s all very subtle, but she knows what she’s doing.

The leopard print is back in Japan. To match it, Ayumi has thrown in some glittery leggings and a gold belt. They’re loud as hell, but the black jumper keeps everything in check. The soft pink shirt and blue skirt make sure that she doesn’t end up looking like a gaudy old hag from Osaka. At first glance you might imagine her entertaining seedy men in the Ginza district, but there’s just enough there to keep us from writing her off as a slut with bad taste (although having said that, there’s no doubt that she works at a hostess bar). In any case, leggings plus boots is definitely the look of the moment.

Text and photos: Tomokazu Kosuga; assistant: Ryo Taromaru; translation: Lena Oishi