‘Loose silhouettes’ stand out by covering up

TOKYO: Oversized clothes are trendy among young women, who are donning comfortable outfits that appear to envelop them.

Chisato Watanabe, a 20-year-old vocational school student I met in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, wore an oversized jacket with a pair of wide-leg pants. Her light-blue jacket reached almost to her heels.

According to Watanabe, it’s the fashion now to match a loose top with a loose bottom. “I think it’s cute to wear masculine clothes that look really big on me,” she said.

Wakako Kakizaki, 21, a college junior, wore an oversized tunic long enough to cover her knees. “I thought I’d look slender in this,” Kakizaki said. “Besides, I wanted to stand out.”

Some women choose to wear men’s large-sized T-shirts and denim jackets. Jura Kurihara, a 19-year-old college sophomore, looked like she was wearing a royal blue one-piece dress, but it was actually a large men’s sweatshirt that covered the upper half of her thighs.

“It’s really comfortable wearing loosefitting clothes,” Kurihara said.Other woman said oversized clothes covered up their body shapes.

“The concept of androgyny may be a factor in women wanting to hide their figures by wearing baggy clothes and men’s things,” said Mumi Misawa, chief editor of the street fashion magazine titled mini. Published by Takarajimasha Inc., the magazine targets women in their 20s.

“Being comfortable” has been an important factor in fashion for some time now. The latest trend seems to stem from the desire to “stand out,” in addition to comfort. — The Japan News/Yomiuri