Fashion in Tokyo is as stylish as it is singularly offbeat. Londoner Philomena Keet was so inspired by what she encountered there that she pursued academic studies in the topic of Tokyo street fashion and teamed up with local music and fashion photographer Yuri Manabe to explore Tokyo’s uniquely diverse urban style. In The Tokyo Look Book, Keet showcases kids in Victorian garb juxtaposed with office and construction workers, and madcap fashion designers with the Harajuku hipsters who wear their bold creations. We talked with Keet to discuss her adventures in Japan's capital.
You wrote your Ph.D. dissertation on Tokyo street fashion. Are you the first?
I think I might be the first to do a Ph.D. on the subject; that would be nice. When I lived in Osaka, I was intrigued by a mass gathering of Cosplayers—people dressed as characters from anime or video games—and Gothic Lolitas, [who dress in] childlike styles in black and white with Victorian touches. When I returned to England, my fascination was fueled by the Fruits books, which document kooky Harajuku fashions. At the same time, I had been studying the anthropology of material culture and consumption, [and] all these elements fit together to inspire me.In The Tokyo Look Book, you include the experience of being styled every day by the staff of a popular Tokyo boutique. What was that like?
They chose my outfits by going through the available clothes and picking things seemingly at random. One of my favorite outfits was a skirt that the staff made out of a parachute—with wires still attached—plus a secondhand cowboy shirt and a leather-and-silver belt attached by wires to leather cuffs on my ankles! At first I found it hilarious to be wearing this kind of stuff, but after a while, I started to choose things myself and wear some of my own clothes, too.
Are these boutiques equally as outlandish and creative in decor?
Many of them are. They are also a touch on the gruesome side. Heaven by H. Naoto uses black-and-white pencil drawings of body parts on the walls and has outfits hanging from the ceiling. Candy has an ’80s theme with amazing customized Ken dolls stuck all around the changing rooms.
What were some of the best customized street looks that you came upon?
I must say that I love the parachute skirts. Other customized things I’ve seen are bags covered in studs, headbands made of foxes—rather controversial—and lots of rips and tears, but there aren’t many outfits and looks that are entirely customized. You would usually team something that either you or a shop had customized with some uncustomized brand goods.
If you were to throw a Japanese street fashion party, how would you decorate?
A lot of the fashion parties in Tokyo now have a sort of neon-color, New Rave theme. Bright pink is always good, of course, like the book cover. DJing [and] VJing is essential, and [maybe] a band. I guess the best decorations for these parties are the clothes that people wear themselves.
You wrote your Ph.D. dissertation on Tokyo street fashion. Are you the first?
I think I might be the first to do a Ph.D. on the subject; that would be nice. When I lived in Osaka, I was intrigued by a mass gathering of Cosplayers—people dressed as characters from anime or video games—and Gothic Lolitas, [who dress in] childlike styles in black and white with Victorian touches. When I returned to England, my fascination was fueled by the Fruits books, which document kooky Harajuku fashions. At the same time, I had been studying the anthropology of material culture and consumption, [and] all these elements fit together to inspire me.In The Tokyo Look Book, you include the experience of being styled every day by the staff of a popular Tokyo boutique. What was that like?
They chose my outfits by going through the available clothes and picking things seemingly at random. One of my favorite outfits was a skirt that the staff made out of a parachute—with wires still attached—plus a secondhand cowboy shirt and a leather-and-silver belt attached by wires to leather cuffs on my ankles! At first I found it hilarious to be wearing this kind of stuff, but after a while, I started to choose things myself and wear some of my own clothes, too.
Are these boutiques equally as outlandish and creative in decor?
Many of them are. They are also a touch on the gruesome side. Heaven by H. Naoto uses black-and-white pencil drawings of body parts on the walls and has outfits hanging from the ceiling. Candy has an ’80s theme with amazing customized Ken dolls stuck all around the changing rooms.
What were some of the best customized street looks that you came upon?
I must say that I love the parachute skirts. Other customized things I’ve seen are bags covered in studs, headbands made of foxes—rather controversial—and lots of rips and tears, but there aren’t many outfits and looks that are entirely customized. You would usually team something that either you or a shop had customized with some uncustomized brand goods.
If you were to throw a Japanese street fashion party, how would you decorate?
A lot of the fashion parties in Tokyo now have a sort of neon-color, New Rave theme. Bright pink is always good, of course, like the book cover. DJing [and] VJing is essential, and [maybe] a band. I guess the best decorations for these parties are the clothes that people wear themselves.
The Tokyo Look Book chronicles inventive Japanese street styles.
Photo: Yuri Manabe/Courtesy of Kodansha International
The Tokyo Look Book chronicles inventive Japanese street styles.
Photo: Yuri Manabe/Courtesy of Kodansha International
Photo: Courtesy of Kodansha International
Expressive fashions from The Tokyo Look Book.
Photo: Yuri Manabe/Courtesy of Kodansha International
