Clockwise from top left: support surface, everlasting sprout, matohu, tiny dinosaur. See NowPublic for additional photos and video.

Japan Fashion Week went down in Tokyo from September 1 – 5, and once again there were plenty of wacky designs to turn heads.

Some of the more colourful and ‘out there’ collections were embodied by the following labels:

• mercibeaucoup brought plaid, frill and chunky accessories onto the runway. Plenty of layering and quirky adornments make this line very cutesy Japanese.
• Fur Fur was very whimsical – models adopted mythical garden personas, as layers upon layers of dried branches and flowers filled in every possible layer and pocket available.
• Aguri Sagimori paraded doll-headed models with voluminous hair out in sheer fabrics and heavy asymmetrical layers.

I was drawn to the following collections, you might spot a trend here:

• the everlasting sprout collection adopted a nice balance between structured conceptual pieces and light, airy layered garments, many of which were ready-to-wear. The romantic pastels were accentuated by subtle punches of colour, very appealing to the eye.

• menswear and womenswear from tiny dinosaur was likewise marked by soft and neutral colours, with loose casual fits. Ankle socks worn with heels were a consistent styling feature.
• I absolutely loved the matohu line – graceful and lovely pieces incorporated a rainbow of pastels; everything from the robe-inspired sweaters, to the crossover belted dresses, and knit leggings caught my eye. A nice marriage between old school conformity to new school romanticism.

One additional theme I noticed emerging from this Spring/Summer 2009 collections at Japan Fashion Week was bone structure. And I’m not talking of the chiseled and angular facial features of the models, I mean real bones. Somarta, Mintdesigns and HISUI all worked bone inspired trimmings into their lines – as headpieces, jewelry, and structural enhancers.

Overall trends seem to include the ethereal, flowery and full, with lots of layering and pretty pastels.