If Tokyo catwalk and street fashions are becoming more and more famous around the world, people shouldn’t forget that Japan is made of 47 prefectures and each of them has its very own flavour. So let me guide you through the streets of Umeda, Kyoto and Kobe to show you what Kansai fashion is all about.
The Kansai region, which is the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area, is the complete opposite of Kanto (Tokyo region). While Tokyoites are rushed, over-polite people who seem obsessed with anything hip and trendy, from new technology to gourmet food, Kansai-jin (people from Kansai) are easy-going, friendly and direct with a much more down-to-earth mind. And not only does it reflect in their lifestyle and personalities but it also affects their fashion, as shown by the street snap shots published in the latest issue of “Kansai Girl Style”.
Nature and simplicity seem to be the keywords for this summer’s fashion in Kansai. We can see lots of soft-coloured clothes (white, off-white, beige, light blue), often paired with a darker item like blue denims or black leggings. Flower prints are also a season’s favourite as they blossom on many tops and dresses. Still in a natural spirit, we notice a lot of brown shoes, especially high-heeled clogs. Denims and denim overalls seem to be very popular too, probably because they are both convenient and highly versatile.
If we had to highlight one trend from these street snap shots, it would be the supremacy of layered outfits. Almost every look shown in the magazine is made of several layers of clothes, be it a large white T-shirt with shorts and leggings, a light Chinese tunic and dark pants, a flower-printed smocked dress with blue denims, a pleated tunic and leggings or a see-through tunic over a striped tank top and denims.
Various accessories add an extra stylish touch to these outfits: matching bangles, both large and thin, and/or watches, large novelty rings, dark-coloured berets or casquettes in natural tones and of course different types of bags. If women all around the world seem to share a special connection with their bags, it reaches new heights when it comes to Japanese women, who would never ever be seen without this precious item. This summer, Kansai women favour big navy blue, brown or off-white shopping bags and above all large raffia bags, with or without flower decorations and bright colour stripes.
