Style Deficit Disorder: Harajuku Street Fashion - Tokyo (Hardcover)

by Tiffany Godoy (Author), Ivan Vartanian (Editor) "The transformation of Harajuku into the iconic fashion district we know it as today began after the end of World War II..." (more)
Key Phrases: japanese fashion, street fashion, fashion scene, Comme des Garçons, Cream Soda, Hysteric Glamour (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo has become an international style mecca, a street-level fashion scene prowled by major designers looking for inspiration, and whose local, cutting-edge labels enjoy global cache. Style Deficit Disorder is the first book to explore this remixed, fast-forward fashion hotbed, profiling its most daring and influential designers, labels, stylists, and shops (including Comme des Gar ons, Hysteric Glamour, Super Lovers, A Bathing Ape, and Laforet). Featuring nearly 200 photos, essays by key Japanese fashion editors, and commentary by Edison Chen, Patricia Field, John Galliano, Shawn Stussy, Shu Uemura and others, this is a must-have, insider's look at an international fashion and pop culture epicenter, past, present, and future.

About the Author
Tiffany Godoy is a contributor to V and Vogue Nippon and former fashion editor at Japanese culture magazines Composite and Studio Voice. She lives in Tokyo

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (December 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811857964
• ISBN-13: 978-0811857963
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #161,824 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DEFINITIVE WORK ON HARAJUKU, January 13, 2008

By	E. M. Sorensen "Eve" (Tokyo) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Rarely has a book been published with more insight and subject comprehension than "Style Deficit Disorder: Harajuku Street Fashion -- Tokyo" by Ms. Godoy. It is clear that Ms. Godoy has done a enormous amount of research and exploration in illuminating the complex and fascinating subject matter of Tokyo street fashion. Anyone who has ever lived in Japan will attest to the relentless and creative fashion changes that the youth culture has embraced and adapted to their own unique expression of individualism. Anyone wishing to understand the fashion phenomenon of Tokyo this book is the one to own- all the other manuscripts fail in comparison to Ms. Godoy's research. Ms. Godoy has written the definitive work on Harajuku Street fashion and culture.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Fashion, July 22, 2008

By	Zack Davisson "All Good Things" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The main difference between Western fashion movements and Japanese fashion movements, as author Tiffany Godoy tells us, is that whereas the West is caught up in political statements or a quest for identity, Japanese style is simply fashion for fashions sake, playing with materials and colors the way an artists plays with paints and canvas. Individual designers create their scenes, complete with music, magazines, models and hot places to be seen, rather than an organic outgrowth of a social movement.

"Style Deficit Disorder" is a serious history lesson and study of Harajuku fashion, from the Post-war transformation of the district and the influence of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and the major changes in style brought by each successive decade. All of the major players are introduced, such as Okawa Hitomi and her shop Milk and the fashion band The Plastics whose look inspired Madonna's early designs. Magazines, such as Cutie, FRUiTS and TUNE are covered in detail, showing how their fashion editors were able to exert their power and change the decorated face of Japanese fashion.

Of course, as a fashion history "Style Deficit Disorder" is an explosion of colorful images, authentic street photographs and composed professional scenes. There are more than enough visuals here to satisfy anyone's lust for the sometimes-bizarre world of Japanese design, and a designer looking for influence and ideas would find this a valuable tool. But don't be fooled into thinking this is a coffee table flip book. The accompanying text is heavy enough to be used in a college course, and any serious student of fashion should have this book in their library.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great account of Harajuku, April 6, 2008

By	Y. Okada "tre kawaii!!" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I live in Tokyo and this is pretty legitimate account of the history of trends in Harajuku. Two thumbs up!