Big haired big brothers take over Shibuya 109-2

Written by: Rebecca Milner on May 6, 2008 at 10:50 pm | In 03 Fashion & Lifestyle Trends | 1 Comment

An unlikely fashion revolution is taking place on the top floors of the Shibuya 109-2 shopping complex. While 109-2 is typically considered to be the younger sister of popular teen fashion center Shibuya 109, with junior high-school girl friendly fashions, two years ago the top floors became home to 109 Men’s, the base camp of the increasingly popular onii-kei fashion movement.

Last month, 109 Men’s underwent a major renovation, taking over an additional floor that had previously housed a cosmetic emporium for the girls who shop downstairs.

Mood-lit shops with names like Kingdom and Buffalo Bobs are decked out with the latest tight t-shirts and jeans, flannel shirts, and black leather jackets.

Onii-kei, or “big brother style” is the male version of the sexy gyaru (”gal”) style popular among teenage girls who hang out in Shibuya. However as the gyaru (think dark tanned skin, teased and bleached hair, heavy make-up, and impossibly short skirts) have been cleaning up their act recently, the men are picking up the slack. For the past year onii-kei guys, with their extreme “wolf hair,” have been on the rise.

Big belt buckles, loud hats, heavy silver jewelry, and pointy shoes are key accessories for the onii-kei look.

This purikura print club arcade is the only remnant of the 7th floor’s previous incarnation as a girl gathering spot. Though, in an weird twist, it gives the girlfriends a place to hang-out while the boys do their shopping.

Tags: Fashion, Onii-kei, Shibuya

New grown-up lines from Shibuya favorite Cecil Mcbee

Written by: Rebecca Milner on April 2, 2008 at 8:13 pm | In 03 Fashion & Lifestyle Trends | 1 Comment

Cecil McBee, the queen bee of Shibuya 109 boutiques, announced at the Tokyo Girls Collection last week that the brand was launching two spin-off labels, Fabulous Cecil McBee and Cecil Linc.

It seems that Cecil McBee’s core customers, fashionable Shibuya girls are growing up: both new labels are designed for the ane-kei (”big sister style”) market. The clothes, more adult interpretations of the original’s trend-setting pieces, are more likely to be featured in the new Ane Can (the over 25 version of popular fashion magazine Can Cam), which is in part responsible for spreading this more sophisticated look, than say Vivi.

Fabulous, which is set to sell in select Cecil McBee shops in Shinjuku, Ginza, and Kitasenju, is going for a “cute” and “sweet” look.

Meanwhile the considerably more up-market Cecil Linc, channeling a “high-quality lady” who is a “little bit selfish” and a bit of a “princess,” will be sold at Cecil Linc boutiques in Shinjuku’s upscale Isetan department store and Fukuoka’s Iwadaya department store. Limited items are also available through webstores on both brand websites.

Note that neither lines will be available in Shibuya. With the girls responsible for making Shibuya the new capital of youth fashion in Tokyo possibly moving on, we can only wonder if the next generation will be content to inherit the likes of Shibuya 109 or if something new is on the horizon.

Tags: Fashion, Shibuya