Geek is the New Black

In response to my last post, one reader—probably my only reader—commented that Horie-san’s jeans were “not very attractive.” Well, gentle reader, in Uncle Swint’s neighborhood, that seems to be the point. Geek is the new Black.

At least according to Kaori Shoji, local fashion guide, care of the International Herald Tribune. Here are excerpts from her recent article.

Frumpy Geekiness is Height of Tokyo Cool
TOKYO, January 19, 2006

You would never think such a thing could happen, but evidence points to the once-unthinkable conclusion: It's hip to be a geek, at least if you live in Tokyo.

Fashionwise, this means boys in specs have come to have almost the same subtext as boys in leather jackets, and the same goes for oversized lumber-jack shirts, discount shop jeans, shapeless sneakers.

The whole look now is about not trying. In addition to glasses, the other must-have item for the sexy geek is the sweatshirt and pants set, known in Japan as the jyaajii, or jersey. The Japanese jersey is at once nostalgic and embarrassing; you may find a Japanese who has never worn jeans, but you won't find anyone who has never worn a jyaajii. We wore it during our school years (mandatory during gym and extracurricular activities) and later, men held onto their sets as the ideal home/loungewear.

Pure stretch polyester, totally unflattering on the male body and kitsch to the very core, the jyaajii was a metaphor for the caricature geek, the standard uniform for the stay-at-home guy, munching donuts in front of the computer as the bluish lights of the screen flicker on his glasses.

That metaphor is outdated now as even Comme des Garçons Hommes has come out with the ultimate anti-fashion statement, consisting of classic, old-school jyaajiis that sell for more than ¥40,000 a set (women's sets come with polyester pleated jyaajii skirts). The Japanese sports label Onitsuka Tiger, once considered too absurdly nerdy for words, has opened a Parisian outlet.

"The jyaajii is a strange outfit," says Masanobu Kotani, an Onitsuka fan. "It's neither streetwear nor sportswear. No one can look good in it, not even Brad Pitt or David Beckham. Still, we can't not wear it. Personally, I can't think of relaxing in anything else than the jyaajii."

Kotani will take pains to dress nicely when he's out on a date with his girlfriend, but the minute they return to his apartment, the jyaajii comes on.

"My girlfriend says I look cute and geeky. She says it makes her feel secure that I won't go off and have affairs on the sly,"

For full article see: Shoji in the IHT