NEW YORK — A t first it was a familiar scene, par for the course in the Tokyo shopping hubs of Harajuku and Omotesando: There was iconic Comme des Garcons, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto, flanked by a smattering of Gothic Lolitas and punks.
But this wasn't Tokyo; it was New York City. And it was a snapshot of the looks on display and the revelers on hand at the opening reception of the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology's "Japan Fashion Now" exhibit in late September.
It was a full house that night, as Japanese fashion fans poured in to see a "virtual snapshot" of Tokyo fashion, beginning with a review of the 1980s avant-garde revolution and leading into a broad look at Japanese fashion today. "Today" meaning both modern high-end designers such as Undercover and Mihara Yasuhiro, and subcultures such as Lolita, forest girl and bosozoku (biker-gang) punks.