TOKYO DRIFT
FASHION
’m often described as “cute”; a word I’ve come to have a complicated relationship with. Sometimes its connotations reek of something a little backhanded: small, girlish, not . But in Tokyo, I found my style soul city: where cute ( is part of the culture, and not once did I feel I had to apologise for wearing a heart-shaped barrette. The shopping is so good, it’s hard to know where to begin, but there are icons of Japanese retail you must visit – many offering an insight into the city’s various style subcultures. Think of multi-brand boutiques such as , and . Every luxury store you could want is in Omotesandō, including ’s with its lemon-yellow exterior. In the back streets of Harajuku, away, packed with appropriately frilly, clothes. , in the hipster hub of Tomigaya, neatly presents another Tokyo look, with its selection of straw bags, leather sandals and lots of linen. Part of the reason I think the people of Tokyo are truly stylish is that they find real joy in their clothes – and they look after them. Plus, they like to pass them on, which brings me to another key element of Tokyo shopping: vintage.
