Japan’s had a rough year with all the natural disasters its had to endure, but the country is starting to return to some semblance of normalcy. Tokyo fashion week just ended over the weekend, and we’d say that the mood of Japanese designers for spring is pretty hopeful and joyful.
In addition to a lot of the trends we’ve seen in New York and Europe–like peplum, print-mixing, transparency, and playing with volume–Tokyo also served up a lot of its signature playfulness and attention to detail.
See below for all the highlights.
Photos: WWD
Paul Smith: The designer showed his spring collection in Tokyo on day one, with lots of support and flag waving for the beleaguered country.
Ato’s Unisex Collection: While technically a men’s show, Ato Matsumoto sent girls down the runway dressed in identical outfits as the guys–and they worked for both sexes.
Yoshio Kubo: More menswear. We totally want bowl cuts and mustaches to happen, too.
Plumpynuts: We love that this label is called Plumpynuts. Say it to yourself a few times–you’ll smile. The collection, full of sweet dresses and florals (and that lace jumpsuit), made us smile, too.
Shida Tatsuya: We’ve seen a lot of deconstructed and reimagined trench coats on runways, but we loved Tatsuya’s soft, feminine versions. He also infused a lot of shocking pink into the collection, so bonus points there.
Glow-In-The-Dark at Johan Ku:Johan Ku infused his mostly-white knitwear with glow-in-the-dark magic.
Né-Net:The scout-inspired collection was topped off by models walking down the runway with stuffed animals (think dogs and hawks.)
Somarta: Tamae Hirokawa showed a gorgeous collection mixing geometry and flowy elements, inspired by thunderbirds and falcons.
Christian Dada: A goth note in the week. Deer skeletons and coffin-like structures abound.
Jenny Fax: Based on school uniforms, Disney princesses, and manga art, a light-hearted note in the week. Attention, Nicki Minaj!
BubblesPop 