The start of the new year is a perfect opportunity to emerge from your holiday hibernation revitalized with an updated look for 2015. That doesn’t have to mean new clothes—although the ongoing sales will help—but a tweak in your hair, makeup, or more importantly, how you coordinate what you already have is a great way to refocus your fashion eye.
For those who want to reinvent themselves entirely but are not quite sure in which direction to turn, I suggest a stroll through a department store—whether OIOI, Isetan or 109. As your wallet allows, pick a shop that fits your fashion trajectory, and throw yourself open to the mercy of the inevitably highly persuasive sales staff. Once you have a new base to riff off of, the hard work is done—and you can spend the rest of the year just tweaking the fashion formula.
On Point
Anime and manga fans are spoilt for fashion choice right now with a huge number of high-profile collaborations planned for 2015—as more and more brands give in and accept the aesthetics of Japanese pop culture.
The biggest news has to be that the biggest breakout hit of the last decade, Attack on Titan, is going to be the subject of an ongoing collaboration with fashion technicians Anrealage. The two powerhouses have joined forces on a series of photoreactive T-shirts, on sale now, that look plain at first glance but gradually transform into the bodies of the titular titans when exposed to sunlight.
If kawaii is more your proverbial cup of tea, then the highly-anticipated CLAMP and SuperGroupies collaboration, featuring classic anime and manga Card Captor Sakura, is worth a look. The line-up features shoes, hats and accessories faithfully reproduced directly from the series, as well as some more subtle designs that reproduce motifs other fans will clock but should just look like good fashion to everyone else.
Shopping Strategy
The biggest fashion sale event of the season, the LaForet Grand Bazar, is with us once again with a whole series of events set to empty shelves and fill wardrobes throughout the latter half of the month. For the uninitiated, the sale, which is pointedly held well after most department stores have finished theirs, is the best chance to buy the top avant-garde and subcultural Tokyo fashion at what is otherwise a pretty high price point. That’s why crowds well into the thousands can be expected to queue before the store opens, and why it can be one of the most entertaining to observe—even if you don’t shop yourself.
For those wanting their fill of the widely varied selection the iconic shop sells, the official website and Twitter (#Laforet_SALE) are your best guides to the bewildering number of time-specific sales, offers and student discounts.
Happy shopping!
