Looking like a Hipster

Skinny jeans aren't the only fashion staple a Hipster needs to leg it around Tokyo. There's much more to cultivating the look (but thankfully less attention to detail than required for some of the other fashions seen in Harajuku mentioned in the previous post).

Malcolm Barnard discusses style as an essential marker of our identity in his text Fashion as Communication: "People appear to need to be social and individual at the same time...fashion affirms both membership of various social and cultural groups and individual, personal identity."

For the hipster there is no greater hurdle. To look hip without being too contrived (unless your outfit is "a commentary on being contrived" as I heard one teacher describe Lady Gaga), to follow without being a follower. Such a complex, existentialist notion, no?(Existentialism is very hip, take a break from reading this and grab a dog-eared copy of Satre to smoke over in your chosen University quadrangle...)

So here I compile a top-secret how-to guide in Japanese Hipster fashions. Keep it to yourself...

How to Wiki Wired says it's all in your t-shirt.

"For hipsters, how the T fits is absolutely crucial. If you're a guy, go for a fitted T: it should hug your torso and have shorter sleeves than your average T. If you're a woman, the opposite is true: your T should look like it came from your boyfriend's closet, so choose a traditional size T a size or two up."

They also reference the need for an ironic accent in "superheroes, manga, classic and indie bands, and nostalgic characters from your childhood" emblazoned on your tee to " a button-up plaid shirt" or "set of fake glasses if you really want to finish off the look".

This still lends a little too much simplicity to a hipster's look. What about hats? Accessories? Shoes? Bottoms other than skinny jeans?

Where do good hipsters find their inspiration these days???

Well there's the streets as aforementioned...but what about websites and stores?

Great websites to take a sneaky peak at what's being worn right now (though a good hipster is far too original for imitation of course) include:

Japanese streets: Beautifully photographed it promises real people, real clothes, real cool! It delivers with a trends, colours and shops section.

Tokyo Dandy: When interviewing Sebastian P, creator of Osharez.com an homage to the cool people of Japan he said that "If you love hipster Fashion you must check out Tokyo Dandy".

I did and now I concur.

Tokyo Fashion: Quite aptly it recognizes that "In Tokyo, there are so many different fashion styles, cultures, and subcultures that it’s hard for even the most devoted fashion freak to keep up."

They counter with photos of Japanese street fashion. Lots of them. As well as Brand guides and a Fashion Map so you can find them.

They claim that "There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of magazines devoted to Tokyo street and fashion photography. But magazines are published once a week or once a month. In a fast moving fashion mecca like Tokyo, trends may be gone by the time you read about them."

But just for the hell of it....

Vice and Nylon Magazine Japan: Like their American predecessors these magazines seek to be the leading voice in counter-culture wherever they roam. Open a page of Vice and you can almost smell the irony of their helpful Do's and Don'ts section that will guide you away from hipster wannabe to the ultimate in cool (a hipster who refuses to acknowledged as "hip" as they are so post-labels). Open a page of Nylon and you can hear the coos (in as nonchalant a tone one can manage when cooing like a hipster should)of your friends as they exclaim "I like the way you have paired the sailor's hat with those vintage peach culottes and jelly sandals, you look so cute and ironic at the same time! I feel positively passe just looking at you!"

Failing this. A good trawl through a thrift vintage store (op-shop) should sort you out. Just go with a tried and tested hipster formula. Fitted bottoms, draped top, tailored jacket or vest, quirkiness in the accents (hats, bag, shoes).

If you really don't like the idea of buying new threads(although you should, remember eco-chic is incredibly hip)these designers are firm favorites for the non-conforming conformist in us all.

DressedUndressed: Why not be resplendent in slashed bike-shorts, nylon over the elbow gloves or batwing capes in a pallet of all black when you cruise down to Shibuya Station on your fixie? This brand is doing big things and was the talk of Tokyo Fashion Week. So much so they even got a feature in Australian Grazia Magazine's Japan HotList article (April, 2010).

Graniph: If tees are the hipster staple then Graniph should be the Tokyo Hipster's Target. This brand was applauded by Nylon magazine's Japanese and American publications, and rightly so. Graphic tees don't come much more hipster-credible than these with designs from Vintage sports lettering to Scandinavian Graphics.

Ambush: What better to adorn yourself with than jewellery that takes an "ironic look at blingin' gangster jewellery and reinvents it". Fans include Beyonce and Kanye West, but don't let their mainstream cred ruin things...I'm sorry to interrupt and Imma let me finish but designers Verbal and Yoon make some of the best jewellery of all time!!!