i love it how you grab shots like that! these people probably think that you're in fact admiring their 'trends'!

Well, I'm not too keen about the knee highs, but I like white on black. I'm sure I could get away with it :D

Hi Nadine,

I know little about fashion, but agree with you on these 2 examples. Clearly dont's. okashii.

Though i agree those fashion statements are a bit tasteless, i gotta give them credit for not being followers like most the rest of this nation. Fashion is fashion, and if they're happy with their appearance, more power to them; I'm just glad to be in a country that can at the least accept this style of expression, which is argueably more than in the U.S.

nadine is a little older than than the target group in japan of 14 to 18. so, lets give her the benefit of the doubt that her generation wouldnt wear these.
also, i think she usually equates brand name with taste and fashion (which are ofcourse two different things that he doesnt accept).

Fashion faux pas are so easy to avoid I sometimes wonder whether people do it on purpose, or if it just some culture gap I don't comprehend. These glamour don'ts pale in comparison to something I see often in mainland China that drives me insane. Angle nylons with sandals. To me it totally defeats the purpose of wearing sandals. I mean, don't you want to let your little toes get some freedom? Is it something leftover from the days of communism. I just don't understand.

Derf

The ankle/kneehigh stocking and sandal phenomenon baffled me too. So last week, I finally asked a group of older Japanese women that I meet with regularly why they and other Japanese women do it. Simple answer: to prevent blisters and rubbing, they said. I asked, 'What about bandaids?'. They laughed at me and just said, 'Stockings are better'. I guess they can't find comfortable shoes to wear in summer that don't hurt their feet. These women also preferred to wear pantihose on hot & humid days than have their skirt stick to their legs! I guess it's all a question of what you're used to.