Droptokyo part 3 - Speaking Volumes

I've already mentioned my love of Japanese aesthetic in terms of voluminous structure, but these are really great showcases of how it can really be stunning (and yet wearable) in real life.  One of my favorite captured streetstyle looks from my trip to Korea also featured such drama.  

Here are some from Droptokyo:

Name: Kurumi | くるみ
Occupation: Free Model
Tops: HELK
Pants: JOHN LAWRENCE SULLIVAN
Shoes: Cry.
Accessory: Used

How elegant is this woman?  It takes skilled tailoring to achieve volume like this without looking heavy.

Name: Daiki | ダイキ
Occupation: Hair Stylist (OOO YY)
Jacket: Used
Sweater: UNIQLO
Bottoms: Used
Shoes: VANS

Something as simple as unexpected bagginess (while everything remains crisp) really adds attitude.

Name: SEN | セン
Occupation: Model
Jacket: LOEWE
Shirt: LOEWE
Pants: LOEWE
Shoes: LOEWE

I'm not sure if this counts as volume or just relaxed, but Sen Mitsuji is just good looking so I'll just leave this here anyway ;)

Name: Yuka | ユカ
Occupation: Office Worker
Tops: H&M
Pants: Bershka
Shoes: Balenciaga
Bag: LOEWE
Belt: Polo Ralph Lauren

Whether she works in a creative field or this is her off-day, this is an incredibly bold look!  Definitely not the typical OL-san.

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Droptokyo part 2 - Cult Classics

Sometimes the classics are the most striking.  Love how these looks all have a modern twist - whether it's in length, combination, hair and makeup, accessories, or cut - that definitely keep them from being anything but boring.

Name: Shuhei Uesugi | 上杉柊平
Occupation: Actor (KEN-ON)
Coat: UNIQLO

This blazer coat hits at such an interesting place.  Since the rest of his outfit is completely white it really highlights the sharpness of his outerwear.

Name: Ruka | る鹿
Occupation: Model
Jacket: ROSE BUD
Bag: ROSE BUD
Shoes: Dr.Martens

Styling is so important.  Neckline buttoned up all the way, matching red in the lips and nails = on point.

Name: Ken Morita
Occupation: Model (BARK in STYLe)
Sweater: UNIQLO
Denim pants: A.P.C. 

Rings and earrings are super subtle.  Love the cozy grandpa knit and suave hair.  Hipster style, Tokyo version?

Name: RUKO | るうこ
Occupation: Model
Tops: Acne Studios
Skirt: IRENE
Bag: Bottega Veneta
Shoes: Bottega Veneta

So many ways things can be reinvented.

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Droptokyo part 1 - Muted Magic

Japanese fashion's influence on minimalism is monumental.  I absolutely love voluminous structure inspired by traditional shapes, and the classic combination of varying shades of navy and khaki reminiscent of indigo dye and bamboo.  The simpler some things appear, the more studied and perfected the lines actually are.

Droptokyo features all sorts of streetstyle, and I love how they give you facts such as occupation, so that you can imagine how each person incorporates their style into their normal lives.  It surprises me some of the unique major designer items people own, but they are always incorporated in a subtle, personalized style all their own, and mixed with low, and even second-hand pieces.

Here are some of my favorites in the muted theme:

Name: Saki Shibata | 柴田 紗希
Occupation: Model
Jacket: Yves Sain Laurent
Bottoms: Used
Bottoms: flower
Shoes: Used
Bag: GUCCI

No rules for petites.  Anyone can rock a dramatic hemline.

Name: Rintarou Asari | 浅利琳太郎
Outer: MUJI
Tops: Used
Bottoms: AOKI
Bag: Christopher Nemeth

That white scarf really pops despite the restrained, introverted air.

Name: Suzumi | スズミ
Tops: Used
Bottoms: MUJI
Shoes: JOURNAL STANDARD relume
Bag: ZARA
Hat: Used

Love her use of texture to break up the black, and make her French chic look not at all cliché.

Name: Sho Ono | 小野 匠
Occupation: Actor
Jacket: YANTOR
Tops: YANTOR
Pants: YANTOR
Glasses: Chistian Roth
Hair Salon: vicca

The hues of this look are so rich when combined in layers.  See how large yet streamlined the shape is.

Name: RYUTARO | リュウタロウ
Occupation: Hair stylist (OOO YY)
Jacket: NuGgETS
Setup: yotsuba
Casket: Yohji Yamamoto
Shoes: MIHARAYASUHIRO

A cute, mori ("forest") look.

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Fashion Boundaries

"Fashion fades, style is eternal." - Yves Saint Laurent

All the sorts of people were there today to view the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit at the SAM.  YSL has always had a dichotomous image in my head of being either very elegant and proper or very daring and pushing the envelope.  Like with any sort of art though, anybody can appreciate the creativity and craftsmanship and history of such a designer, whether or not it's their personal aesthetic.

These were some of my favorite pieces, although there were many more risque, elaborate, fantastical works that YSL was known for.  I loved all the mod styles with sleek cuts that just barely frame the figure.

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Article: 'Getting Over My Fear of Dressing "Asian"'

Article by Connie Wang

And here’s something that’s worth bringing up: Cultural appropriation has made it so a blonde, white woman who doesn't know her chopsticks from her hair accessories will always look “cute” in a cheongsam, and an Asian woman will look like she’s dressed in a costume. That was definitely how things were in the ‘90s, and is often the case today. But, to my surprise, I’ve also found hopeful signs that we are moving in a new, more informed direction. These days, when I encounter non-Asian people wearing Asian trends, oftentimes they’re from trips they took to abroad. They know the origins of these garments and are interested to learn more. I’m biased, but I’ve always found that these clothes are objectively beautiful, too; the silhouettes are striking, and the patterns hit that mix between eclectic and elegant that I’ve always been drawn to. I'm willing to share, but to do that, I need to have ownership of these trends, too. They’re rooted in a history that feels real and tangible to me. In my mind, Woodstock will always evoke technicolor snapshots from Lifemagazine; Audrey Hepburn’s LBD will always conjure scenes from the movie — those are my adopted cultural story. But a jade earring is my mother and my grandmother and my aunts and my cousin; it comes from the same place I do, and it's part of the narrative I was born into.

*applauds*

But seriously though, I thought I was the only one who felt shame about emphasizing that I was Asian.  Going through the racks in the thrift store to see beautiful qipaos discarded and then picked up as Halloween costumes or "boho" styles...  And worse, knowing that different traditional fashions are "cooler" than others.  I hope I'll have the guts one day to don my culture one day.

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Sora

These pieces were made out of hand-felted muskox wool done in a Japanese method.  They look like pieces of cloud and sky all in one.

Taken at Indigo Dreams in Bow-Edison, WA.

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Marvle: A Sensitive Magazine

Adding to my (tiny) international magazine collection: Marvle Magazine!  

Marvle Magazine - Kyobo Book Centre

Snapback and cartoon socks - various small shops

Some cool features included reports on local designers, backstage fashion shows, and interviews with professionals in the industry.  Wish I could read Korean haha... but the pictures were amazing enough on their own!  

And of course what really sold me - the streetstyle shots!  I've seen these all over Tumblr so was excited to have the real deal in hard copy (which is printed on lovely heavy weight paper to boot).  Didn't even realize that this magazine/photographer was where they came from.

Can't believe we were standing in the exact same spots in Dongdaemun Plaza only a month ago!

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Traditions

Beautiful hanboks.  I think the color combinations are so unexpected but work so well together despite the strong colorblocking.

More modern takes.

A Buddhist (?) monk.  The ones in Korea seemed to always wear grey.

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How a T-shirt travels the world

Above, a worker named Jasmine from Bangladesh.
Below, a Columbian t-shirt factory.

Planet Money Makes a T-shirt series

Planet Money, a facet of NPR, produced a segment where they documented the manufacturing of a simple t-shirt, starting from the cotton farm and following the process all the way to the shipment of the final product around the world.  It's fascinating to see every step that goes into such a simple item that we consider cheap and disposable.  A LOT of resources - from water and raw materials, to labor and chemicals - goes into this mass production.  Is it okay for this to be the norm?

I particularly was intrigued by the "People" video chapter.  It contrasts the working conditions and motivations of people in the garment district of Bangladesh with those in more developed Columbia.  These people earn a fraction of the workers in Columbia.  Bangladesh was also the location of the recent factory collapse, where workers could not escape due to poor protocols.  

Demand for clothing provides jobs, sure.  But should we be concerned with the background scenes?  But what happens with the scraps, and the t-shirts that go unsold?  Is it really worth all this just to provide consumers a cheaper t-shirt?  Business supplies if there is a demand.  If we demand slower, more sustainable practices and better treatment for the workers, will we be able to change the whole industry?  Not that it's necessary to reverse it to the pre-Industrial Revoluation, but it cannot continue in the trajectory it's currently going.

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From the other side of the register

Very interesting read:   Luxury Shopping, from the Other Side of the Register

"My work, truthfully, is not bad, nor are the customers...  But there is something shocking about working in a place like this, especially around the holidays. It is the presence of money—lots of it, more than I have ever seen in one place before—and the ease with which it moves around me."

Something about the state of the economy and just growing older makes me realize more and more the reality of what shopping is - an experience to be bought.  And once you see past the glitz and gimmicks, you know what you really need, and that you can be happy without it.

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Redress: Rethinking fashion's eco-impact

Okay, Blogger isn't letting me post this video so I'll link it:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUgmBVI73ic

Tons of textiles and unwanted clothes are tossed each year - it's amazing how much is wasted from the manufacturing process all the way to individual closets in this fast-fashion, hoarding society.  Frankly, I've been sick of "Made in China" being an adage meaning cheap, poorly constructed, and with exploited hands, so it's refreshing to see that this movement is gaining a following in China itself.

Redress is an organization based in Hong Kong with the goal of promoting sustainability in fashion.  From challenging student scholarship competitors to use recycled fashions, to salvaging parts from donated clothes to produce genuinely fashionable quality pieces, they're finding innovative ways to build a solid reputation. "Ecochic" doesn't have to look hippie or patched together anymore.  It can be the new norm.

One reason why I've perhaps shied away from going into the fashion industry is that it can seem so frivolous and destructive and conformative.  But with groups such as this - where my serious passion for the environment in combination with style (that doesn't have to be sacrificed) - I could seriously consider such a path.  Possibly.  There are all sorts of ways to chip in and save the planet, right?

 Sorting through donated clothes and picking things that are made of quality material to reuse.

An EcoChic fashion show.  You wouldn't have known these were recycled, right?

Liora Lasalle, recent competition winner.  She transformed old worker uniforms in a totally new direction.

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Wishing I were at Seoul FW

Wishing I were at Seoul FW by lea281

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The future is now

Although I haven't taken a fashion history class or anything, all the mainstream trends as of the past decade have seemed recycled from previous eras - peplums (50's), crop tops and chunky shoes (90's), flowy maxi skirts and jumpsuits (70's), Peter Pan collars (1900's), and even my favorite baggy top and skinny legs silhouette from the 80's (although now it's more flattering, IMO).  On the other side of the spectrum, however, a lot of avant-garde designers push the envelope way out there so that their looks are a lot less accessible, thus aren't as able to change the greater population's wardrobes.  Now I love all the innovative, creative collections that designers dream up every season, but I'm not sure if there have necessarily been any iconic, perpetuating shapes that can be added to the textbooks.  I don't want to wait for my generation's "look" when it's already been 20 years past.

Future talk always turns space age-y, a preparation for harsh environmental changes and the need to re-locate to Mars within the next 15 years.  Then I saw the two looks below and was excited by their "current modern" vibe.  This is what a woman, with a foot in the new millennium, should dress towards. The shapes aren't outlandish, but they're still new and unexpected and hard to describe with old definitions.    They contain elements that we're well acquainted with, but are as much for visual interest as for function.  Nothing's confined to a major reference or pinpointed to an obvious culture.  There are twists to the details - extra panels in the hood and leather mixed with knits in the first, and a semi-caped top with matching pants and low-strap v-cut heels in the second.  Their beauty choices (hair and makeup) were also new but not trendy.

What's more, these women are still very beautiful and feminine.  The female form is neither hidden nor on display.  Without needing to be masculine, there's a vulnerability to the strength and confidence that they possess.  Lastly, the edginess still feels very organic.  It's not in shiny plastics and metals like an astronaut - it's earthy materials and inspirations, reminding us that we can't get further away from nature if we're to survive in the long run.

credit: The Sartorialist

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African Aesthetic

These were part of the African art exhibit at SAM.  I thought it was really interesting how the shapes were strictly aristocratic European, but done in African materials.  Perhaps a commentary on colonialism or power struggle/identity.

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30 Years of Japanese Fashion exhibit

Some time ago, I mentioned that I attended Akiko Fukai's talk on her exhibit, 30 Years of Japanese Fashion.  I was finally able to go see it myself!  It definitely tickled my inner fashion geek.

 

The above is part of the 2D to 3D series.  When laid flat, they are very geometric and origami-like, but when put on the body they have a whole new life and drape. 

Managed to snap these two photos before they told me to stop... sad T_T haha I really hope they don't hunt me down for posting these...

Inward Facing Girl managed to get a lot more somehow!  Click the link to see all the awesome detail shots.

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Humans of New York

I thought I'd share this site I found recently.  Humans of New York is run by a man who basically comes up to random people in the street and asks them one question - "What was the happiest moment of your life?",  "What is your favorite thing about the person you're with?",  "If you could give advice to a large group of people, what would it be?", or simply, "What are you doing?"  None of the people have any commonality in terms of his choice (it's not based on streetstyle or a certain age group or subculture), but they always give fascinating answers, or simple truths, and glances of a very humble, human story.  They're sometimes funny or saddening, but all very real.

I'm going to post some (okay, a lot) of the "fashionable" ones here for the sake of theme, but you should definitely check out the rest here.  Click the pictures to go to the original posts.

"We’re late for a wedding."

"It’s difficult for many people to pick a saddest moment, because they’ve had so many sad moments strung together. Same thing with a happiest moment. You can be very happy buying needles or postage stamps, or you can be miserable at a $3,000 gala. It’s not about a place or a time. It’s about a feeling."
"So what decides the feeling, if not place and time?"
"Who you’re with, I suppose."

"We just graduated."
"So what’s the craziest thing you learned in high school?"

"Choose your friends wisely."
"Mind your own business."
"Trig."

"I have time for a social life, but not a personal life."
"What’s the difference between the two?"
"Well, a social life is about going to events to meet acquaintances, for business and things like that."
"And a personal life?"
"… a personal life is when you’re around people who won’t judge you if you get wasted and do stupid things."

I took this photo just a few minutes ago. She was sitting outside of a bar. As I photographed her, she kept inhaling deeply, then exhaling slowly. “Man," I thought, “I’m really annoying this girl." Until…
"What was the saddest moment of your life?"
"Right now."
"What happened?"
"The person I love wants to take a break. He’s still inside."

Seen in The Meatpacking District.

"What’s the hardest part about being a Dad?"
“Probably just realizing that my time with him is going to run out."

She was resting after a dance performance in Washington Square Park. After I took her photo, I began with the interview, but she cut me short. “I’m not good with words,” she said. “That’s why I speak with my body.”

"It was easier than I thought it’d be."

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