Dressing for the Apocalypse, Tokyo Fashion Week Style
Much ink has been spilled over the rise and fall of the It bag, but things were pretty clear-cut at Tokyo Fashion Week. There were no clunky box bags in sight and no ladylike top handles; even New Yorkers’ go-to cross-bodies were in short supply. Bags were rarely the story in any of the photographs Kira took for Vogue Runway, in fact. Tokyo’s most stylish guys and girls took a different approach to storage, tucking their belongings into utility vests, harnesses, belt bags, or simply jackets with enormous pockets. Who needs a $4,000 tote when all the stuff you need—phone, keys, wallet, and show tickets—is secured snug against your body?
We have a feeling convenience wasn’t really the draw, though. The uniformly black, silver-buckled looks we saw evoked a survivalist sensibility our Vogue Runway colleague Steff Yotka coined “warcore” last year. It’s a trend that trickled up from the streets and onto the fall 2019 menswear runways, including Prada, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Balmain, Dior Men, Ambush, and Dries Van Noten. Miuccia Prada said she wanted to offer clothes for “a very tough world”; Kim Jones’s luxe tactical vests resembled armor at Dior Men; and Ambush seemed to nod to a dystopian future. All seemed to suggest that in this day and age we should be ready for anything—only take the essentials you can keep safely on your person.
Tokyo Fashion Week street style has a history of being on the cutting edge of trends, so you can expect to see more apocalyptic gear in the months to come. Get started with Ganni’s zippered cotton vest or Amiri’s suede harness, among other options below.
Pushbutton belt bag-detailed draped wool-crepe midi-dress
780.00, NET-A-PORTER
Manu Atelier tech leather belt bag
460.00, MODA OPERANDI
Ganni Sagamore cotton-blend utility gilet
328.00, FARFETCH
Ambush harness bag
1401.00, FARFETCH
Jil Sander mini leather belt bag
590.00, MODA OPERANDI
Jacquemus Le Manteau Bagli belted herringbone cotton trench coat
1175.00, NET-A-PORTER
Amiri suede harness bags
990.00, MR PORTER
Louis Vuitton utility harness bag
2010.00, LOUIS VUITTON
Prada Monolith mini bag knee high boot
1450.00, NORDSTROM
L.L.Bean Pa’tridge strap vest II
119.00, LL BEAN
Staud glossed-leather belt
195.00, NET-A-PORTER
Heron Preston logo-patch tool vest
411.00, FARFETCH
Fendi pockets belt bag
1290.00, FARFETCH
Originally Appeared on Vogue
