Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

tokyo & kyoto shops

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • the breaks
    Senior Member
    • Sep 2007
    • 1543

    I mean Harajuku of course (forum software won't let me edit my post )
    Suede is too Gucci.

    Comment

    • kuugaia
      Senior Member
      • Feb 2010
      • 1007

      Thanks a lot you badass mother fuckers, that's a lot of help. The fact that my house internet is down has been limiting my ability to pinpoint stores. Shall just try my best to find Mindtrive and Cradle. I think I got the rest.

      Cheers again guys.

      Comment

      • jumpoff
        Senior Member
        • Jan 2008
        • 394

        Mindtrive is inside Omotesando Hills and is easy to find. 2nd floor. You should also check out Edition which is also on the same floor. Stocks Guidi, Augusta and Stephan Schneider.

        You could also add the N4 store to your Daikanyama list. They have a couple of nice jackets this season + some decent basics. It's located 50m from Julius, across the street towards the station.

        Comment

        • nictan
          Senior Member
          • Jul 2009
          • 885

          i cant believe i forgot about mindtrive when i was there

          Comment

          • Yardsale
            Junior Member
            • Jun 2008
            • 11

            Great used buys at Kind, 4 floors of clothes.

            Comment

            • boxma
              Senior Member
              • Feb 2007
              • 133

              Does Attachment have their own flagship store in Tokyo? thanks in advance

              Comment

              • jumpoff
                Senior Member
                • Jan 2008
                • 394

                Thought I'd share this map I've made. Might be of interest/help to some.

                Will probably update some more before I leave Tokyo.
                Last edited by jumpoff; 12-21-2010, 10:48 PM.

                Comment

                • nictan
                  Senior Member
                  • Jul 2009
                  • 885

                  Originally posted by boxma View Post
                  Does Attachment have their own flagship store in Tokyo? thanks in advance
                  are you talking about kazuyuki kumagai attachment? or specifically attachment? or both?

                  KKA is in Daikanyama. Just next to the station.

                  Comment

                  • lowrey
                    ventiundici
                    • Dec 2006
                    • 8383

                    it should now be just one label for the most part. pretty sure they combined the stores as well?

                    Originally posted by boxma View Post
                    Does Attachment have their own flagship store in Tokyo? thanks in advance
                    did you search at all?

                    google > attachment kazuyuki kumagai > attachment.co.jp > stores > daikanyama flagship
                    "AVANT GUARDE HIGHEST FASHION. NOW NOW this is it people, these are the brands no one fucking knows and people are like WTF. they do everything by hand in their freaking secret basement and shit."

                    STYLEZEITGEIST MAGAZINE | BLOG

                    Comment

                    • nictan
                      Senior Member
                      • Jul 2009
                      • 885

                      ^ yknow what, now that i recall, they are indeed housed together in the daikanyama flagship. my bad

                      Comment

                      • kuugaia
                        Senior Member
                        • Feb 2010
                        • 1007

                        In Tokyo

                        Daikanyama:
                        Lift Etage - Not much is needed to be said as all the hype rings true. If there was only one store that you could visit in all of Japan, it should be this one. Most exceptional service I have ever experienced in my life. Very cool interior with the funkiest fitting room. If you are privileged enough to meet the owners during your visit...revel in the amount of knowledge they have.

                        Lift Ecru - Much smaller than Etage but still a worthy companion store. It may be a better idea to look for Ecru first and then with the assistance of store staff, find Etage. As the latter is much more obscure and difficult to find even with google map + superfuture iphone app.

                        Julius - Smaller store than I had imagined, but very Julius indeed. Very good selection of leathers and had about 3/4 of the current collection.

                        N4 - A store that you might as well visit since it's along the way. Decent basics, although it seems a bit too inspired by other designers with its footwear. A part of the Mindtrive chain.

                        Attachment - Moved next to the Daikanyama station, although I didn't end up going to it. May be worth the visit since it's so conveniently close.

                        Shibuya:
                        Midwest - Array of clothing in the store was disjointed to say the least. Surely worth the visit if you are in the area, but wouldn't expect too much.

                        Opening Ceremony - Large store with lots of stuff that you probably wouldn't buy. Cool interior...but that's about it.

                        Monotone - A design store with various cool gift goods and basic clothing. Admittedly the selection of clothing fairs better for women, but that makes it a more valuable destination for those buying female gifts.

                        Ragtag/Space Tokyo/Kind - These stores have huge stock. You have to be quite the hunter to be able to go through all of it. Ragtag was particularly good because it was spacious and well organised (had some CCP and Carpe Diem as well). Although honestly speaking, shopping in Tokyo is exhausting enough as it is...so be physically and mentally ready beforehand.

                        Shinjuku:
                        iSetan - Julius, DBSS, KKA, Falerio Sarti, VA, etc. Good selection. Probably would avoid during sale time because it is just too intense. Although disappointingly no Devoa or Individual Sentiments...the sales assistants didn't even know of them.

                        Barneys - There's also another Barneys in Ginza, collectively they have stuff like Odyn Voyk, Jil, LUC, CdGH+ and PH. Although whilst I was there they literally only had one PH coat in stock.

                        Uniqlo - Uniqlo and Muji are the only two chain stores worth visiting. Although the Shinjuku store is a pale comparison to the Osaka main branch.

                        Lad Musician - There's one in Daikanyama and Shinjuku as well. Not a fan of this label but worth a browse if walking past it.

                        Harajuku:
                        Boutique W - Another store along the same lines of Lift Etage, although the female selection being larger than the males. MA+, LUC, Guidi, IS, BBS, Falerio Sarti etc. They called an English speaking sales assistant into the store to assist me when they realised I was a tourist. This was a definitely helpful.

                        Mindtrive (Omotesando Hills) - Smaller than its Kyoto counterpart, quiet and cosy. VA, KKA, N4, WjK, etc.

                        Edition (Omotesando Hills) - In the same building as Mindtrive, so in that sense, it's also worth a visit. LUC, Falerio Sarti, Werkstatt Muenchen, Guidi.

                        Dior - Building is just awesome. Interior design for the menswear downstairs is still one of the best around.

                        MoMA Design Store - 3F in the Gyre Building next to Dior. Very cool goods and gifts to be found in here. Not clothes, but still worth the visit (although there was a scarf).

                        Addition Adelaide - I actually gave up looking for this store after 15 minutes, and on my way back to the main road I bumped into it without realising it. I don't believe the maps are entirely accurate. Haider Ackermann, Alexander Wang T, Balenciaga, Todd Lynn, RO and Ann. Sadly a small selection of each designer (menswear at the back of the store).

                        Lounge Lizard - Couldn't find this store.

                        Aoyama:
                        Viridi Anne - Far away and not worth the visit unless you are a big fan of the label. Small store and doesn't have nearly a good enough selection to justify the trip.

                        Men's Shop (Art+Science) - Store that stocks mostly its own label paired with some MA+ accessories. Can find some gems in here.

                        Undercover - Decent selection of its collection available, menswear is downstairs.

                        Comme Des Garcons - Even if you don't like this label, please visit the store. It's an extremely cool concept store...and a huge one at that.

                        Rick Owens - Very large selection of leathers in a very luxurious looking space. Stocked some of the 'out there' pieces as well, and a must not miss for any RO fan.

                        Loveless - Pointless. Not even sure it's worth crossing the road for. Nude:Masahiko Maruyama and Falerio Sarti.

                        Yohji Yamamoto - Huge store. A YY fan's dream. The Y-3 store is on the southern parallel street on the end near Undercover.

                        Jil Sander - Sadly there was mostly casual clothing in stock and only a small selection of formal wear.

                        10 Corso Como - Attempted to look for this store...could not find it.
                        Last edited by kuugaia; 01-30-2011, 11:29 PM. Reason: added more

                        Comment

                        • kuugaia
                          Senior Member
                          • Feb 2010
                          • 1007

                          Kyoto:
                          It is as Lowrey's post indicates at the start of this thread. Mindtrive, Bullet and Bloc are all within a close distance of each other and run by the same company. Bloc however is now only 3 stores, with the top floor being the best one. MA+, IS, Guidi, Lumen, RO, Ann, N4 and some Carpe Diem python leather boots.

                          Your best bet on getting to the stores is by orientating from the Teramachi shopping street. Once you're in an area where you think you're nearby, ask a random store for its location. Mindtrive is pronounced as 'mind-oh' (or something along the lines of that). Bullet is 'bulle-toh'. If you manage to find one of the stores, they will give you a map of how to get to the rest.

                          New Year Sales:
                          In Japan, most large retail stores close on the 1st of Jan and re-open by the next day. This includes department stores like iSetan, Barneys, Beams, etc. The smaller stores such as Lift and Boutique W reopen by the 4th of Jan. Sales typically begin the moment a store reopens after the new year holiday, although some chain and department stores begin sales before new year.

                          Navigating in Japan:
                          I recommend saving electronic maps of the stores you want to visit on your phone. I paired this with the Tokyo Superguide iPhone App which has a non-data consuming GPS system that works wonders. The money spent on the app is well worth the time it saves you from getting lost. With it you can just freely shop down random alleys and find you way back without any problems. I've uploaded the jpeg maps I edited from lowrey's google shopping map so it can be used without the internet. Although you can get free wifi from Starbucks or locations pointed out by this site, free net is not always available. Note: not all the stores in the above list are on the maps. Use the superfuture maps for Viridi Anne (Gaienmae) and Addition Adelaide (Harajuku) while Attachment has moved to near the Daikanyama station.

                          Daikanyama
                          Shibuya
                          Shinjuku
                          Harajuku
                          Aoyama

                          SUFU Gaienmae (Viridi Anne)
                          SUFU Harajuku (Addition Adelaide, Dior)
                          SUFU Aoyama (RO, Art+Science, Jil Sander)
                          Last edited by kuugaia; 01-30-2011, 11:34 PM. Reason: added more

                          Comment

                          • jumpoff
                            Senior Member
                            • Jan 2008
                            • 394

                            That's a good rundown of Tokyo. Did you really find Lift Ecru that hard to find? Unless they've changed the exterior drastically it's fairly easy to find.

                            As for Barney's they also have Paul Harnden and CdG HP. Decent selection of LUC the last time I was there, and surprisingly they had lots of it on 30 or 40% off, but of course still not much cheaper than full retail in Europe.

                            I don't find the second hand shops in Tokyo that stressful. At Ragtag in Shibuya it's basically just a couple of racks on the second floor with designers discussed here and at the one I've been to in Shinjuku it's just a small corner that is of interest. At Kind all the racks are labelled so it's easy to find the designers you are looking for. Space is the exception, as it is often quite chaotic.

                            Comment

                            • chameleon
                              Senior Member
                              • Jun 2008
                              • 387

                              ^I agree with you, jumpoff, I think it's fairly easy to go through both Ragtag and Kind once you learn how to look. I guess the exhausting part is that you have to go back often for a good chance of finding the great stuff as stock change quite frequently for the real deals. I frequently visited Ragtag in Shibuya, Shinjuku (x2) and Ginza, where the latter often stock a lot of YY which is what I was mainly looking for. Unfortunate for me, since there aren't many other reasons to go back to ginza on a regular basis, except for some good coffee, miso ramen and possibly the national film center in kyobashi.

                              kuugaia: great list! you covered the essentials of tokyo SZ shopping very well.

                              Comment

                              • stadsvandringar
                                Senior Member
                                • Aug 2008
                                • 217

                                Ginza also has lots of movie theaters, some nice pastries, the muji flagship (technically yurakucho I guess), and the coolest stationary department store ever, Ito-ya. It's worth a periodic trip if you're in the neighborhood.

                                The only addition to Kuugia's list I would recommend is 10 corso como in aoyama. The selection varies, but they have a lot of SZ friendly brands. Plus they're just up the street from undercover.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X
                                😀
                                🥰
                                🤢
                                😎
                                😡
                                👍
                                👎