doubletaps

hope it was good, bentobox

wasnt in town this weekend

sometimes it's commercial, but as always, shit gets more interesting off on the periphery so koenji yes, but also naka-meguro and love the vibe of yanaka-ginza.

Nevertheless there's some great shops that are pretty central, N id, and post-party depression are a few highlights for me. All depends on your specific steeze of course.

nakameguro and yanaka are so charming, for different reasons. didn't know there is fashion to be had at yanaka ginza, i had given that place a miss.

the guys in n-id are looking pretty awesome. didn't spot many of such people on the streets though. was probably at the wrong places at the wrong time.

in hindsight, i realized i had covered much of the big names but missed out on the lesser known places. Tokyo warrants repeat visits.

I haven't really been keeping up with the latest fashion trend but most of those so-called small "independent" labels are in the vicinity of Harajuku Tonchandori. Vintage-remake-DIY shops that specialize in fashion-forward (read weird) like Dog are still around. I don't really know if there are such things as small, up-and-coming labels anymore.

I'd rather pay some $ to go to Shinjuku Gyoen. Yoyogi koen kinda sucks.

Speaking of Harajuku, I was kinda shocked when the first street we roamed in the district was Takeshita Dori. We thought that was 'the real Harajuku'. Relief when we crossed the street.

We did go to Shinjuku Gyoen, but the crowd were mostly senior citizens taking macro shots of flowers. I prefer Yoyogi for its vibe: music blaring, vegetarian food fest, flea market. Those people selling their stuff = broke uni students?

Just got back from Tokyo 2 days ago

Fantastic city, can't wait to return

7 floors of everything: Tokyu Hands, Seibu, Yodobashi Camera, Opening Ceremony. And I loved how there were no badly dressed locals, only badly dressed tourists.

As much as I loved Tokyo, I noticed a few things tho:

a. I was kinda surprised how most Tokyo-ites dressed in pretty similar autumn trends. Looking awesome nonetheless, but usually the elegant OL look for the girls and of course, Ame-kaji/Kireime for the guys. Of course I noticed other schools of dressing for the guys: the 'Smart' magazine sneaker look, the Shibuya-kei look (ironically seen among the Ikebukuro hustlers), the western denim etc. Wonder what happened to the salon boys and sales associates with their ironic haircuts and neon pink culottes that we see in style-arena. No goth ninjas in Julius either.

b. I was chatting with a friend who just got back from Seoul and she was telling me of places that sold independently designed clothes by small time designers/ fashion design students etc. Don't think I saw such a place in Tokyo. I remember an article from a decade ago that talked about kids rushing to Harajuku to get unique pieces of clothing that ran on an extremely limited supply. Obviously times have changed, but I found Harajuku surprisingly commercial. The blog Style Bubble says that Koenji is probably the last bastion of Tokyo indie sensibilities, but I hadn't had time to check the place out. Has Tokyo sold out?

c. Is it wrong to love Yoyogi Park? After 2 weeks, I was kind of tired of sitting up straight and speaking in hushed tones in trains. It was a relief to discover a place where the locals and the tourists could let loose without being inebriated.

my mistake herpsky, guess i caught you out of context. didn't want to make assumptions about anyone, this being sufu after all.

don't think i'd hit the bars in the hotels, though. Probably do not have enough wads of yen to go all out swanky.

Just found out that Buchi is within walking distance to where I am staying (few nights in Meguro Aobadai) so I'll probably check that out.

Rock Fish sounds like a must go.

Will also roam the Ginza area and Dogenzaka in case we see a place we like. And Trump sounds awesome!

thanks for all the input guys

spy gotanda eh? at first glance i misread it as Gotemba, thought it was a factory outlet heh

checked out the three places you mentioned

iigc (if i googled correctly), hub is a british themed pub, heartland is a place for japanese women to hook up with expat businessmen. NOS seems pretty much what i was looking for, think i might give that place a shot. Aoyama/Ebisu/Org?

gonna be in Tokyo with 2 of my friends, but they're a married couple so we're more likely to hit the bars than the clubs

the time has come and it's finally less than a fortnight away from my inaugural Tokyo trip!

although weather seems to be still pretty balmy judging from the weather forecast. seems like i'm more likely to be lugging my heavyweight jacket along rather than actually wearing it

any recommendations for bars that trendy locals would go to but won't shoo away the non-native?

i checked out cnngo and they recommend bongout noh and buchi.

i'm surprised tenc joined the bandwagon and got into american preppy now

they used to sell jc de castelbajac t shirts the last time i was there yonks ago

yea tangs is great, they have this small select section that stocks lesser known labels like greyhound. used to see john varvatos there but don't think they do them anymore. and their fred perry selection seems better than the one at fred perry store

btw u like 7ate9? food was ok but i felt the menu a bit too limited

delucca is nice, and twentyone is nice for both food and drinks. palate palette too

Where to stay in SG for cheap (100-150SGD/night) that's not in the red light district and walking distance to a bus stop/train?

i m gonna be staying at hangout at mount emily

price is about 120/night

no frills lodge with private rooms, not exactly a hotel, dont expect a swimming pool or things like that

reviews have been good and so does the pics

You just missed Chinese New Year Sales.

Anyways, Know It Nothing has an ongoing sale on sifr, engineered garments and gitman vintage. Get your kop on.

Front row moved from Ann Siang to Raffles Hotel.

Otherwise singapore is pretty much the same as few years ago. All import labels mostly carry a price premium.

ION is mostly hiked-up luxury brands like LV, Prada, YSL etc.

Ambush now carries Our Legacy and Robert Geller, Surrender now carries thom browne, visvim clothes and gitman. Be prepared to pay exorbitant prices.

Better off saving cash for Japan retail.

thanks for the word up on the KIN sale, too bad i wont be down until middle of March for the Mosaic Festival.

coincidentally, i am planning a trip to tokyo this year, around sept. summer sales season is apparently between july and august, but i can't see the logic of visiting a country at a time when it is even hotter than my own country...

i saw the full line up yesterday at isetan. i recall seeing pieces that aren't posted on the website.

i was pleasantly surprised. attention to detail is great. really nice color. the pictures don't really do justice.

most of the short goretex shells were 65100 and up. shirts were 20,000 - 30,000 yen

i can't really afford any of the stuff but this is definitely one of the most interesting but wearable domestic labels right now.

if i were to spend mad $ on clothes, this is it.

any chance of crazy summer sale price reductions i wonder. really hope to get an item or two from this collection, even if only an accessory

thanks for all the replies herpsky, yom and ghostdeini

will take ur input into consideration

and shall check back this thread as my date of travel inches closer for more detailed recommendations

ps: the wishful thinking side of me would like to buy one or two items from White Mountaineering's SS2011 at sale price during my trip!

http://www.gq.com/style/street-style/201102/wandering-eye-gordon-von-steiner-tokyo-style

Must get ass to Tokyo this year, no excuses.

thanks rat for the help

by the by, any recommendations for new stores in singapore?

my last trip down the causeway was 2 years ago, followed the superfuture maps which led me to haji lane, surrender, ambush, leftfoot, the works..

anything new that happened in the singapore shopping scene between 2009 and now?

i know arc closed down, never got to see that

style nordic moved

ion orchard is open (anything worthy in there?)

apc opened

so is a curious teepee

keen to check out sifr and actually

any other noteworthy spots to hit?

oh wow, hvn been in sufu for ages, what happened to the old singapore thread?

anyway was wondering if anyone knows where to get Moscot eyewear in Singapore? I read in a blog that KIN stocks them?

hey there people

i m thinking of making my first trip to Tokyo this September.

Is September a good time to go?

I am aiming September cos I would like adequate hours of sunshine without the summer heat and crowds.

Hopefully there are still summer sales going on that month, or are A/W things already on the rack? (I'm from a year-round tropical country, sorry)

Would 7-10 days be too much or too little? I am not interested in seeing the big sights per se. I have been a japanophile since young, so all I wanna do is explore the districts I've been reading throughout my whole young adult life and soak up as much as of Tokyo as my wallet can afford. More on eating, shopping, roaming, visiting museums, street style snapping (hopefully).

shameful to say, but KL has gone from bad to worse these few years. it showed a bit of promise a few years ago, then the recession happened.

even Club Monaco could close down. Specialized, individualized, independent boutiques that most SuFu members are after would be hard to find in KL. but keep reading tho..

What we have though are high street labels; some of which we can get a good selection of stuff from. Topman has their own standalone branch in KLCC. Zara is in most major malls. Uniqlo is a saviour. Cotton On can get dirt cheap. For reasons unknown, the horrendous brand Armani Exchange and CK jeans are popular and found everywhere.

HIgh end labels are usually the generic ones available in most other capitals already. Doubt prices are much cheaper here too, altho sales can be good. Lanvin was up to 40-70% off storewide. HIgh end shopping can be done at Starhill and Pavilion.

For cheap clothes, there are tonnes of selection for the girls, with boutiques selling cheaply made clothes from Thailand, China, Korea, Taiwan. Bangsar's Telawi area is a pleasant place for this. For better prices, Sungai Wang is the tackiest but most comprehensive mall for cheap stuff, take an aspirin before going in. Prices can't beat Bangkok, tho.

For the guys, slim pickings.

Noteworthy boutiques selling good clothes for men?

I'd suggest

M for men in Gardens (Fred Perry, K Karl Lagerfeld, CDG PLAY), tenc in Pavilion (although I am not sure if this place is still open) and Materiel in Parkson Pavilion. Menswear section in Pavilion's Tangs and Parkson are quite decent. MUSA is open in Avenue K, rave reviews altho I haven't been there myself.

Food is a different story, tho. Lots to offer for restaurants and bars. Just need to checkout the Time Out KL or KLUE websites for recommendations and listings.

yup i went there that night got pissed drunk on my own cuz non of my friends actually wanted to go... it was a pretty decent set i guess. there was this girl that actually wore a dress he design at the club. pretty sweet.

i went for the battles concert alone this year too...i don't think any of my friends here know who they were

barsonic might be the only place in KL where people actually know who Gareth Pugh is.

yupster, I think you're pretty much the only KLite here. Better join streething instead? Hang in there brother.

Anyway, Ratatat will be playing at Zouk on May 28th.

yes yes i just saw the ratatat listing. i think i;ll go to that. so unfortunate to be here all alone ;( the only shows good shows ive been to here were battles and jens lekman

Streething peepz are like the Malaysian version of Hypebeast, difference is that Malaysians own less stuff due to lack of availability and high exchange rates. So everything that is posted by the rich spoilt brats gets an "Ooh, HYPE!" response from the comparatively less affluent remaining members.

I don't think there was anything worth watching ever since the Jens Lekman show, other than the Rainforest World Music Fest in Kuching.

Oh but did anyone know that Gareth Pugh slipped into Barsonic to spin in May?

youll get pickled balls if you do during the day

at night, not so bad.

I quit the denim game for good few months ago since the unbearable heat wave. Chinos and shorts every day please thank you.

num. because life isn't a straight line.

wtf

80% of my clothes are from online... the retails here usually mark up a lot...

what online shops do you get your stuff from that ships to this side of the world and doesnt charge crazily for it?

i came from KL to Singapore this weekend for the Mosaic festival (still buzzing from the excellent Soil & Pimp Sessions gig).

Spent most of my time wandering your supercity with the help of the Supermaps. Went to most areas except most of Orchard (no sales) and didn't have enough time for Far East Plaza,Wheelock & Chinatown. Here's my observations:

Haji Lane. Great concept, lovely place to walk in. Was expecting more Superfuture friendly shops rather than so many girly boutiques. I particularly liked KIN for its clothes (Obedient Sons, Engineered Garments, PAM tees) and this unknown shop that had mostly footwear at the ground level (Paul Smith shoes and sandals, Umbro Kim Jones) and some clothes on the upper level. If this wasn't 3 then I don't think I entered it cos I didnt see any shops that sold Material Boy and Another Label Another Boy. The rest of the shops sold the typical male hipster uniform of gingham shirts, slim shorts or graphic tees. Some shops sold some really nice shirts, but I question their authenticity because of the price and the dodgy labelling. A Vivienne Westwood shirt on the sale rack going for 100+?

muji. Loved their shoes and their boston bags. Gonna get them at my next trip

Ambush/Surrender. I think some of you might roll your eyes at this hypebeast-y establishment. What's worthwhile is the b store's excellent b clothing and the superb henrik vibskov. Crazy prices, to me at least...$330 for drop crotch shorts. And also drooled at the overpriced CP sneakers of course.

Cathay. Had my eye on the shop Dress Code but I think its owners were still hungover cos it wasn't open even at 1pm!

Went to the Heeren for Queen's Couture. Sales going on, but didn't get anything. Also checked out Orchard Cineleisure for Leftfoot, Collage and Fred Perry.

Final note:

Observation #1: Your girls look lovely in their generic hipster look of oversized blouse, gladiator sandals, unkempt hair and hot pants. Beats Ah Lians of KL anytime.

Observation #2: Denim is a downward trend? Maybe its the places I go, but I see more skinny shorts than skinny jeans now. More sensible, actually.

Observation #3: Havaianas >> Sneakers? Also may be due to where I was at. Could be wrong.

Verdict: Much needed visual break from the KL nightmare of douchbags in upturned polo collars, Taiwan influenced Beng/Lian fashion sense and tacky bootlegs. Would visit again soon

hai hai, Kotton Duck-u san.

chigaimasu, minna

"watashiwa cotton duck" desu

"-san" ga arimasen desu ne