Tokyo Girls Collection 2011 A/W (Part 1): aramatheydidnt

liime_arix in aramatheydidnt

Tokyo Girls Collection 2011 A/W (Part 1)

Sep 06, 2011 17:18

This weekend, over 30,000 Japanese fashion fans - the vast majority of them female - converged on Saitama Super Arena for Tokyo Girls Collection Autumn/Winter 2011. This day-long, twice-a-year fashion event is more than just a mega-fashion show. Tokyo Girls Collection mashes up shopping, music, and celebrity into a one-of-a-kind only-in-Japan extravaganza.

TGC (as Tokyo Girls Collection is affectionately known by many fans) is very different from other fashion events. To get into most big fashion shows around the world, you need to be a buyer, wealthy, or well connected. TGC is targeted at - and attended by - the average young Japanese woman who wants to look her best and keep up with the latest trends on the street. Also, while the looks on other event’s catwalks often lean toward art and extravagance, Tokyo Girls Collection’s focus is on “real clothes” - fashionable, affordable, wearable, and above all trendy clothing for “real” Japanese women.

Another aspect of Tokyo Girls Collection that sets it apart is on-the-spot shopping. When attendees see a must-have outfit on one of the Tokyo Girls Collection catwalks, they don’t have to wait a year for it to hit the stores. They simply access one of the special TGC shopping websites on their mobile phone and order the entire look for home delivery.

Fashion is only part of the fun of TGC. Japanese celebrities and popular fashion magazine models regularly grace the stage. This year, the model list included Anna Tsuchiya (she was everywhere, but don’t miss her Alice-themed outfit in the Lovedrose show), Mayuko Arisue, Mikako Ishii, Emiri, Elena, Seira Kagami, Leyna Kagami, Karina, and Midori Kuzuoka. On top of all the catwalk excitement, attendees were treated to performances by top K-pop and J-pop artists - and even a special Cirque du Soleil “Zed” show!

This edition of Tokyo Girls Collection kicked off with an awesome surprise - a special collection of outfits inspired by the 1974 Charlotte Rampling movie “The Night Porter”. The dark edgy collection was styled by noted Japanese stylist Tsuyoshi Noguchi. His 1940s-fetish-meets-high-fashion looks definitely set a high bar for the rest of the show. After the “Night Porter” collection, things quickly shifted back to TGC’s “real clothes” roots, with brighter colors and lots of everyday-wearable fashion.

Actus by Yamaichi