The Tokyo Look Book: Stylish to Spectacular, Goth to Gyaru, Sidewalk to Catwalk

Armed with a PhD in Tokyo street fashion, anthropologist Keet hits the pavement to interview and profile several distinct tribes of fashionable Tokyo youth in this eye-catching style guide. Keet combines her findings with bold graphics, more than 200 color photographs, information on popular shops and brands, and interviews with several Tokyo-based fashion designer to ""take the reader beyond the outer layers of clothing and into the minds of the wearers."" Starting in the ""street fashion epicenters"" of Shibuya and Harajuku, Keet introduces the fast-paced trends of the teenage gyaru, the panda-like make-up of yamamba street kids, the ""Little Bo Peep"" dresses of the Lolitas and the colorful costumes worn at the biggest anime and manga convention in Tokyo. Beyond the highly visible ""extreme minority fashions,"" Keet also covers the more sophisticated clothing of upmarket Ginza and the Marunouchi business district, showcasing ""style tribes who are little known outside of Tokyo, but who represent what is probably the dominant fashion aesthetic."" While Keet's method of spontaneously meeting and interviewing subjects gives the book a you-are-there feel, similarly impromptu photography can be frustratingly repetitive (many one- or two-shots playing stiffly to the camera), and occasionally out of focus. Still, with its cheerful format and knowledgeable commentary, this book is sure to catch the eye of young fashionistas around the globe.