Fashion | Trends in Japan

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Conservative Makes a Comeback

Classic Fashions Are Back on the Rack
Lately, young Japanese women on the forefront of style appear to be leading a return to a more modest, conservative look. Representative items include textured tweed half-length coats, Chanel-style collarless jackets, and tight or pleated skirts.

Laced with Style

Elegant Fabric Broadens Its Appeal in Japan
Lace, which ranks among the most elegant of fabrics, is enjoying renewed popularity in Japan. Though once used exclusively in spring and summer designs, it is now featuring regularly in outfits designed for the colder seasons.

Girls of the Forest

Mori girls favor loose-fitting clothes, particularly dresses, typically made of natural materials and in naturalistic colors like white or cream. This gentle style is winning the hearts of young women seeking comfort in a restless age.

Easy-Wear Leather and Fur

Fashion items incorporating leather and fur are dominating Japan's fashion scene this winter. While these fabrics are appreciated year in, year out for their protection against the cold and their cozy appearance, this year the merits of faux fur and faux suede products are attracting particular attention.

Sportswear Is a Fashion Winner

Sportswear that is both functional and fashionable is the latest beneficiary of the long-running health boom and the increase in the number of Japanese people participating in sports. New designs and colors abound, and the range of uses for this apparel is growing.

Leg Fashions Stride Ahead

Leg fashions are gaining in popularity in Japan. Leggings, colored tights, and leg warmers, as well as engineer boots, thigh-high boots, and other types of boots are becoming items of choice for complementing dresses and miniskirts.

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Wedding Kimonos

Wedding kimonos are enjoying renewed popularity among brides-to-be. New effects are being achieved with the use of organdy fabrics and contemporary coiffures. The growing range of wedding kimono options is one of the factors behind the traditional garments' popularity.

Dressing for Summer in Yukata

Japanese summers are hot and humid. The yukata (unlined cotton kimono) is the perfect clothing item for days like these. Yukata are becoming more and more popular as retailers offer an increasingly wide selection, ranging from traditional designs to more contemporary ones featuring frilly accessories and other such embellishments.

Return to the Eighties

Outfits with the look and feel of the 1980s are currently prominent on the streets of Tokyo. Mod clothes, destroyed jeans with studded belts and other punk wear, and other individualistic styles are all part of the current trend of arranging eighties-style items to suit contemporary tastes.

Relaxed Pants and Safari Style

Loose-fitting pants with a full silhouette are now in fashion. These pants are popular because they can be combined with a range of tops and other items to create a myriad of styles. Safari-style garments are also proving popular, with this year's items managing to be both elegant and casual.

Functional but Chic

In the coldest months of the year, warm outerwear is a must. This year, lightweight, heat-retaining synthetic and down jackets are a popular choice. Capes, ponchos, and other items that provide warmth while adding style to the wearer's neck and shoulders are also in fashion.

Minis for the Cold?!

Around Shibuya and Harajuku in Tokyo, a growing number of young women in their teens and twenties are wearing mini skirts and shorts. Though normally about half of all women wear pants in freezing winter, this year it seems that around 50% of women in these areas are wearing skirts.

"Wa" Is with the Latest Fashion?

Fashion items that use Japanese motifs and traditional techniques are enjoying newfound attention. Wa (Japanese)taste items are modern products that appeal to a contemporary sensibility while incorporating traditional elements, such as Japanese materials, decorations, or fabrication techniques.

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