A complete history of Japanese cutie girls, 1997-2007

[imomus]

Exactly ten years ago, in May 1997, designzine Shift, then on their 12th issue, started a new feature called Tokyo Cutie Girls. Here were Harajuku girls in garish acid colours, shot close-cropped in the harsh flashlight of early digital photography.

Ten years later, a re-designed Shift quietly killed the feature after a final shoot in their 121st edition. By now retitled Girls on the Street, the last pictures showed Sapporo women of almost nun-like sobriety. The predominant colours were black, grey, cream and beige. The super-protestant spirit of Muji and Uniqlo seemed to have won. Japanese street fashion -- as a funky freakshow cliché, at least -- went from active to archive.

The Shift Cutie Girls feature was the bit of the "e'zine for digital generations" I always turned to first. I suspect I wasn't the only one -- Shift suspended the feature for two years (1998 and 1999); the Cutie Girls were clearly attracting the wrong kind of surfer and eating bandwidth. In late '97 sarcastic notices appeared on the site asking "Do you want to see those girls, to touch them with your hands, ever?" and "Ooooooooops! This month feature boys!" The Cutie Girls page became a more neutral-sounding "Tokyo Snaps" -- and then went into hibernation.

Two years later, having banished the pervs, Shift's editors had another change of heart. Perhaps agreeing with Brian Eno -- who once said that the hair, clothes and make-up of the women passing his London studio were the best cultural barometer he knew -- or perhaps just better equipped with bandwidth and keen to glam up their designer readers' lives a bit, the Shift people brought back their fashion feature in late 1999.



By 1999 the acid-fruit eyestrain of the Shibuya-kei years has been toned down. It's a relief, actually. Things have got more organic. Women have chestnut brown hair cut into mushroom shapes or boyish ragamuffin spikes. Outfits are slightly hippyish, featuring autumnal ponchos with a thrift store Missoni look.



As the noughties arrive, pictures still show an exuberance -- girls are clearly thrifting creatively, putting their own looks together. In the new decade, cultural references cede to natural ones -- Slow Life takes hold. The manga-like cyber-geisha look of the 90s (summed up visually by Mariko Mori) seems clumsy and unsubtle next to these new, more relaxed, more recognizably Asian women. There's a fad for peppermint stripes. Colour begins to ebb away, drawing the eye more to form. Skirts give way to jeans. Easier to wash.

In desperation, the Shift editors open the feature up to other countries. Features from guest photographers show us what people are wearing in St Petersburg or Zurich, Baltimore or Barcelona. We get the message: street fashion in Japan isn't what it used to be. Nothing to see here, folks, move along, please.

But it's Japanese women we want to see on Shift. We want to take a virtual visit to the Cafe Soso, Shift's HQ in Sapporo, and peek shyly at the kind of friendly, creative girls who come there to sip latte and chat. By 2005 the chromophobia is thawing -- it's 80s retro now, so it's the kind of pinks and dark greens you might have seen in 1984 accessories worn by Madonna or Cyndi Lauper. Gorgeous ostentation also slips back in via traditional kimono patterns -- 2005 is the year I notice a new mood of narcissism swelling up in Japanese culture.

By 2006, though, Sapporo girls have banished all colour except the odd splash of red. (Hisae attributes the new look to the influence of singer Mika Nakashima.) Colour's loss, though, is form's gain: there are some interesting cuts and shapes going on. The final Girls on the Street may be dead colour-wise, but quirky cuts and accessories compensate -- a huge safety pin hanging from one girl, a white donkey pouch pocket slung inventively around the loins of another.

It may be that street fashion is dealt with perfectly well elsewhere. Sites like FashionSnap, Tokyo Street Style or even Fumi Nagasaki's New York video reports in Flasher serve the purpose Shift's Cutie Girls page once did, and the indefatigable Shoichi Aoki continues to publish Tune and FRUiTS for those who want hard copy confirmation that interesting looks still thrive on Japanese streets.



I guess you really need to be in Japan to gauge how interesting its streets are looking and feeling. I've just booked my next trip -- Hisae and I will be there between mid-May and mid-June, staying in visually-conservative Ginza, but ranging far and wide. I'll update you then. In the meantime, here's a glimpse of what I use street fashion snaps for. I copy the ideas. To find something you actually want to copy is a great pleasure. It's just not a pleasure I'll be getting from Shift again. Thanks for ten years, guys, and do please leave the archive online -- this is cultural history we're dealing with!

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I really liked the french-only-day yesterday, even though my French skills only allow me to read, not to write.

Robert

[evxanadu.livejournal.com]

I sorta feel this way when I look at the cars in the church parking lot, or in car lots from up in an airplane. Mostly dark somber colors, silver, dark silver, black, and with some maroon / dark red and occasional white.

Hypercolorful VWs do try to buck the trend though.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

As with girls, so with computers. Ten years ago we were in a world with a dazzling array of coloured plastic computers to choose from (bondi blue! tangerine!), and the girls were all plastic, pink-haired and brash like Mariko Mori. Now we have white iBooks or black iBooks or metallic iBooks, and here's Mika Nakashima, who'll give you any colour you like as long as it's white:

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[imomus.livejournal.com]

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

The thing I like about FRUiTS is that they take photos of interesting outfits seemingly at random; whats there is there, it will be captured on film, theyre not trying to pinpoint a look -- the lack of regard for the fashion-bandwagon is very unique to Japan. where as 'Shift' seems to be attempting to define a trend... that's very much what fashion magazines try to do in the west, and the truth is, that's just not Japan at all. At least, it's not Japanese street fashion.

Here's an extract from Vice Magazine's "fashion report 2007" regarding Japanese street style, and it hits the nail on the head:

"A note about summing up street style in Tokyo: It’s fucking impossible. A note about summing up street style in the Shibuya or Harajuku areas of Tokyo: You may as well try curing cancer with a fifth-grade education and no hands or eyes. There are so many different kinds of shops catering to so many heavily regimented subcultures, you can be unrecognizable from day to day. Do you want to be a gothic Lolita with a slight fetish for grunge leggings and a sprinkle of Edith Head on top? Fine, no prob. How about the body of a BOY London 1980s club kid, the feet of a British skinhead, and the hair of, I don’t know, fucking Astro Boy? Sound good? Well, can do!"


British/American street fashion is all about variation of a theme or whats in vogue, as opposed to well, just plain variation.

Take a look at this, this is London street fashion to a T:



I know some of you will be thinking "all you've done is picked 4 people in a jeans + trainers + sweater/hoodie combo, that doesnt represent London." but honestly, It does, it really is that boring here. Here's (http://ftp2.dns-systems.net/~sams/LSF/new_map.html) the website I found these photos -- a good 85-90% of the people on there are all about the Jeans + trainers + sweater/hoodie look. Oh, and Nu-rave, just add neon colors to that combo.

Dont get me wrong. People should just dress in what makes them comfortable, and I'm not gonna complain about ordinary, mainstream fashion because again, its just a social meme for the masses (complaining that the grass is green, as I put it). but when even the indie fashionista, the so-called trend setters and artists are too scared to deviate from whats cool in indie land, it makes me a little sad. It makes me think of people who wanna be poseurs as opposed to people who just want to be who they are.

When I go to the trendy areas of Japanese cities, I wanna see 30 year old men in victorian, gothic lolita dresses, and people dressed in cosuplay outfits... I wanna see eccentric dorks dressed as cyber ninjas and the ultra-trendy, chic model types walking side by side, being who they wanna be.

I personally say down with Magazines like Shift, sitting there, defining what cutting edge fashion is. That crap is all too common in the west. I also say long lives FRUiTS, purely because it's always been about asking people "What is your fashion? You tell us and we'll photograph it." as opposed to overly the self-concious "we know what is fashion is; this is it" fashion media with their shitty trends with their limited shelf-lifes.

[obelia.livejournal.com]

I find food presentation through the ages is a bit more interesting. Currently, fashion seemsto be ataking a bit of a breather.
There is not anything and there is not nothing but everything. Which really doesn't make much sense at all.

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I forgot to add -- For those 4 models to be indie fashionable by London street fashion 2007 standards, swap their slightly baggy jeans for skinny cut jeans... thats it.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Shift isn't top down at all, it's a very casual approach, pretty similar to Shoichi Aoki's FRUiTS style. They just photograph the girls that come to their cafe, mostly. Or did.

It'll be interesting to see whether the Nu-Rave / CassettePlaya (http://www.cassetteplaya.com/) look has any impact in Japan, or whether the ambient chromophobia kills it stone dead. I suppose Nu-Rave intersects with Bape hoody jackets and with infant style, both potential Japanese favourites. But I'm inclined to agree with those who've charted skirt length to economic boom and bust cycles (boom = shorter). I think colour would require a big economic boom to come back. But wait, the colourful, zany 90s was a recession time in Japan, wasn't it? And the economy now is better. Maybe it's more about feelings about the future, then. I think the 90s cyber-geisha thing was about futuristic feelings about the soon-come 21st century. And now there's a new feeling about the future, a darker feeling. The cybertopia idea has gone, replaced by an ecolo-dystopia idea.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

That London street fashion site is interesting for the glimpses it gives of expat Japanese in London, a whole subject unto itself. Most of them are very much still living on Tokyo time, visually. Some -- maybe those who've been in the UK longer -- preserve the styles of a vanished civilisation, like human time capsules. Or like the Shift Cutie pages.

[electricwitch.livejournal.com]

I used to have that exact hairstyle from age 4 to 6. Stylish!

[electricwitch.livejournal.com]

I see London has become a lot more boring since I left.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

In Philly you might see a slight variation in fashions these days--at least in kitchens. Saw my good friend Jeffrey over the weekend, who has likewise favored form over color of late.



I just love the androgny of it all: the patch of fuzz below the lip, the shaved head, the tuxedo jacket, the silk dress, the light footwear, and the dainty ankles. Damn good cabaret singer, too. Knows most of the Kurt Weill songbook by heart.

Can you imagine someone like Jeffrey at a Vice party? Me neither.

yay Kurt Weil

[electricwitch.livejournal.com]

Oh he has lovely legs. And such a tastefully combined outfit, he looks beautiful!

[queenspaz.livejournal.com]

It disappoints me that vivid color has vanished.
As a lover of color, the kind that adorns the most spectacular shapes of nature, I was inspired by those skilled-at-coordinating covered in boldness.
It felt like it originated from something between rebellion and progress-passion - the part of humankind that needs to push for change to avoid complacency. Now, though it is more organic, it is also easier to ignore and it blends in with the salarymen and office ladies' black suits and leather briefcases.
Did the exploitation and mtv-ization of "Harajuku Girls" in the west play a part?

Re: yay Kurt Weil

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Philly in general tends to be fairly anti-scene, so you get a lively mix of styles at gatherings, and all are welcome. Rockers, transvestites, indie softboys, hip hoppers, art goons, old barflies, middle-aged men in plaid suits...you can tell the New York transplants, because they still think that openly sneering and jeering is acceptable behavior. It will be interesting to see which sensibility wins out.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Can you imagine someone like Jeffrey at a Vice party? Me neither.

Oh you big liar, Whimsy, I saw you at a Vice party! You were dancing the Charleston!

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

"They just photograph the girls that come to their cafe, mostly. Or did."

hmm. So over the years, they just happened to have groups of girls who'd just walk in, wearing matching, up-to-date outfits? Sorry, but I smell a fashion photographer cherry-picking at the very least...

"It'll be interesting to see whether the Nu-Rave / CassettePlaya look has any impact in Japan"

Are you kidding? Nu-rave has been spreading like wildfire everywhere, much to the dismay of the Klaxons, who're now trying to distance themselves from it, as you do when you need to be one-up on everyone else to maintain your indie credibility...

Just to prove it, heres a photo from http://www.Japanesestreets.com, Feb 2007:



neon pink jacket: check. Black skinny jeans: check. Wide, retro trainers: check. Giant glasses: check. (ignore the trucker hat, we dont do that here anymore)

"chromophobia"

Oh and while I was browsing I found these guys:



I cant tell you how fresh this looks to me. If you hang around Camden long enough, you'll encounter someone dressed in cyberpunk. They'll always always always have black buffalo boots, black something else and loads of neon to off-set it. Pure-white cyberpunk never happens here... these 2 look like theyre off on a trip to the moon to fight aliens.

Re: yay Kurt Weil

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Thing is, I find that color varies from region to region. The northeast tends to be blackety black-black, but the west coast isn't as dour in their palette. This young woman was a treat in Portland. I just loved her exuberance:



And I found that San Francisco had a freer palette, encouraged by the clear light, colorful surroundings and marvelous residential architecture:

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I think that site is a little dated, but my point is still the same -- London street fashion is a variation of trainers + jeans + hoodie/sweater/top.

At the moment, It's skinny jeans and retro trainers that are the look of 2007.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

(It was the Lindy)

But I was in a suit, not dressed like the glorious La Jeffrey. My ankles are too fat for heels. Besides, you took me there--you told me there'd be kites and ponies.

You should give the tragic cabaret chanteuse look a go-- you're in Berlin, after all. Might go well with the eyepatch and wig.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

So over the years, they just happened to have groups of girls who'd just walk in, wearing matching, up-to-date outfits? Sorry, but I smell a fashion photographer cherry-picking at the very least...

Well, fashion itself is of course a conspiracy! When people all over are wearing the same thing, there's more to it than meets the eye!

I think when you add filters and editing to that "conspiracy" you get a selectivity which can look like styling but isn't. For instance, Cafe Soso (where many of the Shift pictures have been shot since about 2000) attracts a fashion and design-conscious clientele. And the photographer picks who to photograph, and then the editor presumably selects from within that selection, narrowing it down to the requisite ten girls.

But, again, that's how Shoichi Aoki's magazines work too, or any street fashion website. It's all someone's eye, picking and choosing from what's out there.

Re: yay Kurt Weil

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

High-key, but looks very much at home with a deep blue sky and International Orange.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

But you're right about the Nu-Rave thing, there's quite a lot of it about on that Japanese Streets site, like this (http://www.japanesestreets.com/photos/data/media/133/70224-8237-JP.jpg) and this (http://www.japanesestreets.com/photos/data/media/133/70224-8237-JP.jpg).

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Second link should be this (http://www.japanesestreets.com/photos/data/media/133/70224-8239-JP.jpg).

Come back chromophobia, all is forgiven!

Re: yay Kurt Weil

[desant012.livejournal.com]

I definitely need to check out Philly if it's anything like that. NYC is great for a lot of stuff, but since everything is like this brutal competition, you either compete 100% with everyone around you or you just don't do anything at all. It doesn't foster playfulness or casual, imaginative fun, though there are definitely cool people here and there (who pretty much have the same complaints).

[flying-squid.livejournal.com]

God, I love your Cale gifs!

Re: yay Kurt Weil

[bricology.livejournal.com]

Even with my high-key palette, when I first visited Japan, I felt rather drab compared to all the bright colors natives wore (at least in Shibuya, Omotesando, Nakameguro, etc.). However, in subsequent visits, I've noticed that -- just as Momus points out -- the colors of the young Tokyo-ite's clothing and accessories have become more subdued.

I'll be back in Tokyo this Wednesday, and the clothing I've packed is intentionally a bit more neutral -- perhaps I'll finally fit in! (er, as much as a blond, 6'3" gaijin ever could).

[electricwitch.livejournal.com]

Haha, thanks. (visit glam_lolz! it inspired most of them)

Re: yay Kurt Weil

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

It tends to be a loose network of social circles rather than scenes, if that makes any sense. The more modest scale demands that creative people support one another, or at least coexist. The downside is that the more otherworldly personalities are thinner on the ground because only a world-class metropolis can support a concentrated, large population of such creatures. That said, Philly has her share of Dreamlanders.

Re: yay Kurt Weil

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

A safe trip to both you and K!

Apologies for mannequinizing you, R (I think your slimness and height works for you as far as color choices. I'd look like a grapefruit if I tried it).

[electricwitch.livejournal.com]

"Did the exploitation and mtv-ization of "Harajuku Girls" in the west play a part?"

Do you know, I think that´s probably a large part of it.

[(Anonymous)]

You look very Toshiro Mifune-esque in that bottom right picture Nick, do you have a samurai sword to fell your intellectual enemies?
Thomas S.

Re: yay Kurt Weil

[bricology.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the wishes, W!

Please -- no apologizes for mannequinizing me; I'm flattered. And I get mistaken for a fruit all the time (not that I mind).

..uncage the colours ,unfurl The Flag...

[niddrie-edge.livejournal.com]

but.... Boys Keep Swinging!?

[(Anonymous)]

Why do I get the feeling the next post here will have Segolene Royal simulating a blowjob with someone's finger while wearing a day-glo jumper?

As far as "fresh" looks go (a bourgeois sentiment if there ever was one) I'd vote for Whimsy's confrere Jeffrey over most of the magazine photos, who look like they're in rags and tatters.
He's really doing his own thing and doesn't look like he wrings his hands over magazines too much.

Jeans have indeed invaded the entire world it seems, and yet, paradoxically, has there ever been a world war or a violent invasion of a country waged by someone wearing jeans? It seems all the mad leaders in world history have had on uniforms (Robes? Togas even?) or two piece suits. But no jeans. Interesing. I'm trying to figure out if "clothes make the man" fits in here somewhere. Wait, Charles Manson fancied jeans, but he wasn't exactly a world leader.

Michael

[imomus.livejournal.com]

[(Anonymous)]

then not a person who wears jeans as an everyday attire, if you like.
i believe the point still stands: none of the mass murdering leaders of the world have carried on so whilst denim-clad. none have (yet) been bitten by the bug of denim-uber alles. but i wouldn't rule out the cult of casual infesting even the highest ranks of statesmanship ultimately.

(now i'm imagining a new Diesel jeans ad with an historical group of mass murdering heads of state, Lenin, Stalin, Tojo, Truman, Churchill, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, Saddam, Bush, etc.--insert your own choice from a seemingly endless list--all standing around pouting in perfectly cut and distressed designer jeans. wait, adbusters may have already done this one).


the photo on the above left is of the terrorist in chief merely playing weekend cowboy. granted, shrub may have even been wearing jeans in crawford, texas when he willingly ignored classified briefings warning him of the pending 9/11 attacks, for example, but you can bet he's outfitted in bespoke and cuff links in the "white" house when he's calling the shots to murder and terrorize people. the photo on the right is of his coat-tail-riding lap dog. (looking rather "off the peg," i might add. but, alas, it seems no jeans on the job for him, either).

michael

[alphacomp.livejournal.com]

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