Rei Shito: The Look #35

Monochrome head to toe? Check. Okappa haircut? Check. Gender-fluid style? Check and check. When street style photographer Rei Shito spotted this stylish man out and about, she instantly recognised his oh-so-Tokyo look as the epitome of the current moment in the city’s fashion history.

Rei says: “I captured this fashionista in front of the Shibuya station. When I photographed him, I felt like I was looking at a condensed version of the current state of youth fashion in Tokyo.

“The first thing to note is his hairstyle: the so-called ‘Okappa’ cut. Long in the back with straight-cut bangs in the front, this hairstyle was originally worn by men in the Edo period, then became a staple for Japanese schoolgirls, and is now a trendy look among Tokyo’s stylish young men. The popularity of the hairstyle can be seen as part of the rise of genderless and non-binary fashion, and also a result of the increasing awareness of the LGBTQ+ community in the wider public.

“Then there’s his monochrome style. Wearing the same colour from head to toe, top to bottom, is very popular in Tokyo right now among both men and women, regardless of gender.

“As Anna Wintour is quoted saying: ‘Fashion is a reflection of our times.’ I certainly felt this when I photographed him.”

About Rei Shito

Each month, Rei Shito identifies one defining look that she’s spotted on the street, whether at home in Japan or abroad on her latest trip to the world’s fashion hotspots, providing readers with a fresh, thought-provoking perspective on current trends. Rei is acclaimed as one of the planet’s most original and influential street style photographers and fashion bloggers, publishing her work on her blog Style from Tokyo, as well as several magazines in Japan and overseas, such as vogue.com.
[Portrait Rei: Jun Tamura]