Siren fashion the
8
College Tribune | 3rd February 2009
Word on the street Jessica Whyte takes a look at national identity and revolutionary break away trends The French are snooty, the Americans are fat, the Irish are drunk… just a few examples of some classic stereotypes that countries and their people are branded with. Some of these stereotypes have strong links with the truth but the vast majority are nothing but generalised and sensationalised rumours. One stereotype that preaches the truth however is that the Japanese like designer labels. In 2003 the Saison Research Institute revealed that ninety-four percent of women in Tokyo owned a genuine product of Louis Vuitton. Take a moment to register that statistic; bearing in mind that Tokyo has a population of over twelve million - that’s a lot of designer leather. The million Euro question however is why Japan? In the 19th century, Japan went through a rapid process of modernisation in a bid to gain access into the circle of western superpowers. Japan’s rulers felt that the best way to modernise was to westernise which led to the abandonment of almost all Japanese traditions and the adoption of western customs. Though this transformation was halted around the turn of the 20th century, the scars of western influence are still clearly visible in contemporary Japan, particularly in their fashion industry. The virtual obsession with western style dress and brand names in Japan is almost too much to fathom. Though many Japanese still look to emulate the west, another explanation for this ‘obsession with western’ could be connected with Japan’s insecure cultural identity. Having done away with their ancient traditions, Japan has continued to look to western customs as a way of securing their social and cultural identity in the world. This “ideology” came to a head in the 1990’s with the birth of the Kogal image which saw Japanese women trying to emulate the image of the Californian valley girls by dying their hair blond, undergoing extreme tanning treatments and flaunting their wealth through western designer labels (does this sound familiar to anyone?). This outrageous look sparked the beginning of the street fashion subculture in the late nineties as younger generations sought to express themselves through an eclectic mix of styles with both western and eastern influences. Harajuku, a district of Tokyo is so syn-
onymous with the street fashion culture, as it is here, that the youths of Tokyo flock to show off their creations. There are now dozens of different street fashion subcultures that caters to all tastes. The Lolita image focuses on everything that is cute and frilly with knee length cupcake dresses, parasols and bonnets and has also evolved over time to incorporate a darker side with the emergence of the Goth/Lolita subculture. Costume play is also a very popular form of Japanese street fashion which has recently been abbreviated to Cosaplay look which involves dressing up as your favourite animated character with much inspiration taken from Japanese video games. The growing success and popularity of street fashion in Japan had led to the creation of street fashion magazines, notably “Fruits” which focuses purely on the street fashions s h ow c a s e d on the streets of Tokyo. Shoichi Aoki, who founded
n gothic lolita the magazine in 1997, said recently that “In Japan there is a strong tendency for people to dress in the same style as each other. Essentially this tendency has not changed. In Japan, having a different style is kind of a risk. Therefore the fashion movement that came about in Harajuku was a kind of revolution. This kind of fashion was not suggested by designers but rather the fashion of the young inspired the designers.” The street fashion revolution has certainly done far more for Japan than ever expected- not only has it placed Tokyo firmly on the map as one of the new fashion capitals of the world, but it has also injected a great deal of life into Japan’s cultural and social identity. Though they may not be able to revert back to ancient traditions, they are in the process of creating a new, modern identity that draws on elements from their past. To turn now to our humble little island that is rocking back and forth in the corner of Western Europe, it could be argued that it is also experiencing an identity crisis. As one assesses the damage, it is clear that the Celtic Tiger saw the dissolution of Irish identity in exchange for “exotic” American lifestyles. This has left us with an economically crippled country and a pile of Juicy Couture tracksuits. Perhaps Ireland should take a leaf from the Japanese and reassess their national identity, after all, what’s so bad about being Irish? n kogal
n Cosplay
Head over heels Make-up? Check. Bag with much needed phone, money and house-keys for the road? Check. High heels on feet and flat pumps stored securely in the handbag? Check. The difference between flats and heels can be equated to the difference between night and day-quite literally. The
average night out for the vast majority of girls involves making the decision to don a pair of heels in order to finish their night look. For many girls, these heels are so high they could potentially be used as a weapon against any oncoming aggressors and have points so sharp they could open a wine bottle. Inevitably though they will only end up inflicting severe pain on the wearer or some innocent bystander. Why then do we opt for the impractical? The extra inches for a certain number of girls is the main attraction to the heel of course. Mainly though it is the glamorous connotations a pair
of heels has that leads to this choice and reinforces the “beauty is pain” saying. Even for tall women a pair of heels can signify the ability to swagger with confidence. Dancing is something always associated with heels- even the shapes of many heels are designed with dancing in mind, like ballet-heeled boots. Nowadays we even have high-heeled flip-flops. Brands such as Mary-Jane, Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik are infamous and the designers are now branded as fashion demi-gods for their highly-expensive footwear from London to Paris to Tokyo to
No matter how tall you are sometimes the only way to go is up, says Aoife Ryan
New York. While the stiletto will always be a staple, and the kitten heel a popular alternative, chunky heels are king of the hill this season. These have again; considering they have been around since the sixties, been recognised as the happy medium between wedges and stilettos. Further creativity can be taken by changing the way in which you wear your favourite styles as well. Peep-toe shoes are now being worn not only during the summer but with tights underneath all year round. T-bar high-heels are another great focus of the season, proving
that heels can give extra definition to your legs. At the moment a growing number of women are moving away from the past wardrobe staple however, and choosing to wear pumps, boots, trainers or gladiator sandals instead. While some again cite height security as the reason, the most prominent reason is similar to the pro-heels reasons once again, to do with confidence and range of choice. So many options have flooded our gates that we can alternate and still be fashionable. Nonetheless, nothing screams party like a bruise-branded foot only an unsteady girl can cause.