Volume 18　ドレスコードあれこれ


Modern and Traditional Dress

Michael: Well, one thing in England, uh, which is interesting, is how dress can identify the group you belong to. Not so much nowadays, but certainly when I was growing up in the U.K. the dress was very much a part of who you were in that society - who you were amongst the people of your age.

Ann: For example?

Michael: For example, the punks are obviously a great example of that, um, starting at 1979. And they developed a look that was really quite like a uniform. It identified you as a punk. Going back a bit further you had things like the mods in the 60s, the rockers. Each of them had their own style and it identified them as a m-you know it identified you as a member of that group. Uh, and that was very much a part of the culture, growing up. But in Japan you see that a little bit, but not as much. How about the States?

Ann: Yes, there are those groups in the States. And one of the things I was thinking while you were talking, it's interesting, is that they're alternative groups, right? You, generally, these are people who want to ego off the main track or be, uh, alternative to the mainstream, right, of society. And yet the hallmark of that particular group is they all dress alike. Right? Ha-ha.

Michael: Yeah, which is the great irony.

Ann: Ha-ha. Which is the great i-ha-ha. So, so I love that. Ha-ha. Yeah. So yeah, and I, I think in, in Japan one of the interesting things is, as I understand it, quite a lot of designers draw inspiration from Tokyo style because it's so unusual. For example, by a lot of American standards where, I remember when I first came to Japan and I noticed people would wear sometimes a plaid skirt with polka dot tights, or something like that, right? Which makes America look very conservative, right, because we think, "Oh no, no, plaids and polka dots don't go together."

Michael: Right.

Ann: But and then I thought it's interesting, 'cause if you look at some kimonos, you often, you know which are, of course, stunningly beautiful, you have those combinations of patterns that we might not think - in a, again I think, a quite conservative way - go together.

Michael: So, you know, while we may think of Tokyo as being very, very modern and very new and progressive, its roots may actually be quite traditional.

Ann: Yeah, yeah. 

Michael: Now, of course, we mentioned kimono there, and Japan has its own traditional dress. In the U.K. as well. I mean, we have in Scotland, of course, everybody knows the kilt. But there is a, a traditional dress. Wales has it as well. Not so much England. The U.S. though is a very young country, but do you have any kind of traditional dress?

Ann: I suppose the thing that immediately jumps to mind is blue jeans. I don't know. Would you say that, ha-ha, could that be our . . . ?

Michael: Well, it's nice to know that today I'm dressed traditionally American.

Ann: That's right. Actually you know you're global. You could go, ha-ha.

Michael: Exactly it's become, blue jeans have become the global fashion.

Ann: That's right, that's right. 

Michael: I guess. Yeah.

Ann: All right, well on that, uh, global note, we will say goodbye and look forward to being with you next month.

Michael: Yes. So it's goodbye from me, Mike.

Ann: And this has been Ann. Bye.

Michael: Take care, bye-bye.