Japanese Fashion

I thought there would be a lot to say about street fashion (beyond the Harajuku girls of course) but there is very little to add.

Work clothing is very formal: dark suits with light shirts for both sexes. Dark shoes. 

Casual clothing is either jeans and leggings and tee-shirts, as it is everywhere, or a little retro in the 1950s mode. For ladies that means full skirts, often in a thin pleated material, and a top that will often have lace or ruffles on it, all in a plain colour, generally nude or a shade of brown. Lady-like and classic, but it's not going to set the world on fire. 

Shiny, nude coloured pumps are de rigeur. The quality of the material is not good, and it is clear things are kept for a long time, but everything is immaculately clean. For guys, there might be a slightly interesting shirt or a plain jacket, but it's all pretty neutral. Nice, good-sized handbags seem to be where most money is spent, and name brands, or something with a Parisian motif. 

The one thing that does seem to be a trend is that women wear loose tops that are tucked in the front of their skirt or trousers only, and drape outside along the sides and back. This we saw everywhere, even on shop mannequins. 

I must confess I was a little surprised and disappointed. I expected some interesting, deconstructed numbers, but it's very simple at its base, and any embellishment is really unnecessary and unflattering. Girls wearing shorts with nude tights and heels. Ruffles over the belly. Lace. Crochet. Wide-legged, cropped trousers. The best were black and white striped tops with nude or burlap coloured skirts that had a huge bow under a higher than usual waist. Very little jewelry or other accessories, and what there is is tiny. Sometimes overly girlie.

The good news is I wasn't tempted to add to my own wardrobe as a result. Not that I could probably fit in anything here anyway!