Tokyo Adorned
by Thomas C Card
(Booth-Clibborn Editions)

Tokyo is a city like none other with its unique spirit, electricity, and style and Thomas C. Card’s new photo book Tokyo Adorned looks at a range of some of the intense and fascinating personal fashion statements of some of the Japanese youth that accent the city. Card, who has been a contributor to Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, traveled to Japan after the 2011 Tsunami as the self-expression in the city was surging in response to the disaster. The 130 page coffee table book contains portraits ranging from humorous, color, pop club wear to dark, fantastical, anime inspired wardrobes.

Having visited areas like Akihabara and Harajuku I’ve seen my share of out-there Japanese street fashion but Card’s collection of photos adds another context in which to view the fashion experiments without the distraction of lights and sounds. There are a few themes that present themselves which are thought-provoking such as the many popular culture reference to 1980’s America and the detachment from traditional Japanese culture seen in the photos. Social commentary aside, the work is compelling eye candy with its abundance of color and hyper active style bordering on drag and is certainly worth checking out. The book also features an insightful and funny introduction by Barneys creative ambassador and TV personality Simon Doonan and commentary from artist Buzz Spector which adds some context and clarity to the images.