Followers of men's fashion were close to getting exactly what they wanted at this month's inaugural Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo, with many designers — while mindful of the uncertainly in the air — pitching their collections directly at their existing fan base and seemingly keen to return to their core aesthetics.

That trend was typified on the last day of fashion week at the "Versus Tokyo" events on Oct. 22, where the giants of Japanese menswear sold the vast majority of tickets to their shows directly to the general public rather than to the usual industry insiders.

Likewise the presentations themselves felt toned down for direct consumption, with even the flamboyant genius Takeshi Osumi's brand Phenomenon seeming relatively muted and unusually accessible. That's not to say that even in rather restrained mode there wasn't still plenty of the heavy color-blocking, progressive-pleated skirting and showy stuff that has won this brand its acclaim among the Tokyo avant-garde.