‘My mom apparently wore them' – Triumphant return of ‘loose socks'
For fashion, 'loose socks' are making a comeback in a big way with Reiwa school girls — and with some modern touches to boot, reports TBS News (July 30).
Recently, the network asked 50 girls of the Reiwa generation, 'What's popular right now?' The most common answer was loose socks, the long, white legging sported by nearly every self-respecting gyaru (slang for gal) in the late 1990s.
'A little over 2 meters long,' a third-year high school girl says. 'The longer they are, the better [loose socks] are!'
'As a gyaru, I can't live without loose socks, so I wear them,' a second-year high school girl says. 'They're hot, though!! Loose socks are my life!' Loose socks are making a comeback (X) Takeshita Street
At the Harajuku Takeshita Street branch of Kutsushitaya in Shibuya Ward, over 10 varieties of loose socks are available, ranging from classic white to colorful shades like pink and light blue.
'This product has become extremely popular,' says manager Yuiko Nagai. 'Its popularity has been gradually increasing since around 2023, and it will likely continue to perform well in 2025.'
Sales are already 1.5 times higher than usual. This popularity seems to have as much to do with nostalgia as fashion.
'I wear them because I think they make my legs thinner, reduce weight and they're cute,' a second-year high school girl says.
A third-year girl comments, 'I thought it was cute to see the Heisei-era gals wearing loose socks.'
'My mom apparently wore them quite a bit, and she recommended them,' says a first-year high school girl.
First-year high school girl says: 'My mom apparently wore them quite a bit' Varieties
As mentioned before, loose socks in the Heiwa Era were strictly white. Reiwa girls, however, have a choice as various colors are now available.
'I matched my purple T-shirt with my purple loose socks,' an elementary school girl says.
'I wear them because I feel like my feet look empty when wearing a miniskirt,' a first-year high school girl says.
Sock Touch (X) 'That product'
And then there's 'that product.' Sock Touch is an adhesive that keeps the socks firmly in place above the shoe and below the knees.
'When my socks keep falling off, I put on Sock Touch and they stay in place,' a third-year middle school student says.
Available in blue and pink, Sock Touch allows girls to keep their socks in place wherever they like.
Short t-shirts, also popular in the 1990s, are also trending, as is the covering of school bags with large lettering and illustrations.
'Y2K fashion, from the late '90s to early 2000s, was all the rage, and everyone admired and imitated the energetic gyaru girls of the time,' says Mai Nagata, who is in charge of marketing to the Reiwa generation at SHIBUYA109 lab., located near JR Shibuya Station. 'It's fun to take inspiration from old fashion and add your own original touch to it.'
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Tokyo Reported
a day ago
- Tokyo Reported
‘My mom apparently wore them' – Triumphant return of ‘loose socks'
TOKYO (TR) – The Heisei Era (1989-2019) is all the rage at the moment. From digital cameras to school bag accessories, items from several decades ago are gaining popularity. For fashion, 'loose socks' are making a comeback in a big way with Reiwa school girls — and with some modern touches to boot, reports TBS News (July 30). Recently, the network asked 50 girls of the Reiwa generation, 'What's popular right now?' The most common answer was loose socks, the long, white legging sported by nearly every self-respecting gyaru (slang for gal) in the late 1990s. 'A little over 2 meters long,' a third-year high school girl says. 'The longer they are, the better [loose socks] are!' 'As a gyaru, I can't live without loose socks, so I wear them,' a second-year high school girl says. 'They're hot, though!! Loose socks are my life!' Loose socks are making a comeback (X) Takeshita Street At the Harajuku Takeshita Street branch of Kutsushitaya in Shibuya Ward, over 10 varieties of loose socks are available, ranging from classic white to colorful shades like pink and light blue. 'This product has become extremely popular,' says manager Yuiko Nagai. 'Its popularity has been gradually increasing since around 2023, and it will likely continue to perform well in 2025.' Sales are already 1.5 times higher than usual. This popularity seems to have as much to do with nostalgia as fashion. 'I wear them because I think they make my legs thinner, reduce weight and they're cute,' a second-year high school girl says. A third-year girl comments, 'I thought it was cute to see the Heisei-era gals wearing loose socks.' 'My mom apparently wore them quite a bit, and she recommended them,' says a first-year high school girl. First-year high school girl says: 'My mom apparently wore them quite a bit' Varieties As mentioned before, loose socks in the Heiwa Era were strictly white. Reiwa girls, however, have a choice as various colors are now available. 'I matched my purple T-shirt with my purple loose socks,' an elementary school girl says. 'I wear them because I feel like my feet look empty when wearing a miniskirt,' a first-year high school girl says. Sock Touch (X) 'That product' And then there's 'that product.' Sock Touch is an adhesive that keeps the socks firmly in place above the shoe and below the knees. 'When my socks keep falling off, I put on Sock Touch and they stay in place,' a third-year middle school student says. Available in blue and pink, Sock Touch allows girls to keep their socks in place wherever they like. Short t-shirts, also popular in the 1990s, are also trending, as is the covering of school bags with large lettering and illustrations. 'Y2K fashion, from the late '90s to early 2000s, was all the rage, and everyone admired and imitated the energetic gyaru girls of the time,' says Mai Nagata, who is in charge of marketing to the Reiwa generation at SHIBUYA109 lab., located near JR Shibuya Station. 'It's fun to take inspiration from old fashion and add your own original touch to it.'
SoraNews24
3 days ago
- SoraNews24
Immerse yourself in all things Heisei era at the Neo Heisei Retro exhibition now open in Shibuya
'I didn't choose the Heisei retro life–the Heisei retro life chose me.' While modern Japan primarily uses the Gregorian calendar for most things, a complementary system of Japanese era names known nengo is also in use. These era names correspond to the reign of each emperor, with each year within an era receiving its own number as well. For instance, 2025 can also be referred to as Reiwa 7, as it's the seventh year since Emperor Naruhito ascended to the throne on May 1, 2019. The three most recent Japanese eras are the Reiwa era (2019-present), the Heisei era (1989-2019), and the Showa era (1926-1989). A concept called 'Showa retro' has been around for a while, referring to an appreciation for the nostalgic artifacts, music, lifestyles, and other cultural embodiments of the Showa era. In more recent years, however, the term 'Heisei retro' has also begun popping up for a similar appreciation of all things Heisei. ▼ As a millennial whose formative years were spent in the Heisei era, I was equal parts delighted and shocked to start seeing displays like this collection of Heisei-era music hits popping up in stores (are the things I like really old enough to be considered 'retro' now??). © SoraNews24 For anyone who's feeling like taking a little stroll down the Heisei-era lane, there's no better place to visit than the special Neo Heisei Retro Exhibition currently running from July 24 to August 31 at the Seibu Shibuya Store in Tokyo's Shibuya district, a fitting location as the mecca of youth culture and trends back in the Heisei day. The exhibition is the brainchild of one Mero Yamashita, a Heisei-era enthusiast and self-appointed guardian of all things Heisei. ▼ Mero Yamashita was born in 1981 and spent his formative years in the onset of the Heisei era. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NEO平成レトロ展 (@neoheisei_retro) The exhibition's opening day was attended by official ambassadors and musical unit Chi⭐︎Q. The duo, composed of Ippei Kyuma and Mamoru Daichi, debuted as 'psychic idols' on April 1, 1989, the official first day of the Heisei era. They enjoyed a ribbon-cutting ceremony and playing around with some of the 300 Heisei-era items on display. Diving more into the contents of the event, the exhibition is comprised of nine different sections centered on common themes. The walls are also decorated with 'neo Heisei retro' designs–illustrations meant to evoke the feeling of Heisei from a modern Reiwa lens–which are befitting of the exhibition's main slogan: 'Towards a 'Heisei' that's nostalgic but new somewhere in your memories.' For instance, there are areas dedicated to digital cameras and the garakei mobile flip-phones that were unique to Japan at the time. You can even hold one of the phones in your hand and see if your muscle memory takes over. Other featured gadgets include pagers, music players, and transparent goods that were all the rage back then. The entertainment section is sure to be a big hit by bringing you right back to the hottest gaming systems, CDs, and toys (like Tamagotchi!) of the time. There's even a section devoted to Heisei fashion trends such as kogyaru style and more. Contemporary fashion magazines are also on display. Finally, some of the more interactive elements of the exhibition include a quiz area to test your knowledge on whether something is from the Heisei era or the Showa era, as well as a community journal where you can share your favorite Heisei memories with others. Of course, in true Japanese exhibition fashion, there's also event-exclusive merchandise for purchase, including goods like stickers with common Heisei-era slang and buzzwords. Tickets for the Neo Heisei Retro Exhibition cost 1,800 yen (US$12.12) for general admission and can be purchased at Lawson Ticket or TBS Tickets in advance. On weekends and other days expected to have high traffic, tickets may be valid on a timed-entry system at the start of every hour. For more on how some brands such as Sanrio has also leaned into the Heisei era, check out this piece as well. Exhibition information Neo Heisei Retro Exhibition / NEO平成レトロ展 Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Udagawa-cho 21-1, Seibu Shibuya Store, A Building, 2nd floor event space 東京都渋谷区宇田川町 21-1 西武渋谷店 A館2F イベントスペース Duration: July 24-August 31, 2025 Open: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (last entry at 7:30 p.m.) Website Source: Shibuya Keizai Shimbun Images: SoraNews24, PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Yomiuri Shimbun
6 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Kayokyoku Bar Spotlight Shimbashi; Bring the Spotlight Back to When We Were Young
As the voice of popular J-pop singer Momoe Yamaguchi plays in the bar, customers with glasses in their hands hum along and sway their shoulders to the music. At Kayokyoku Bar Spotlight Shimbashi in Tokyo's Shimbashi district, visitors can listen to Showa-era songs from the '70s and '80s on vinyl, and fans are enjoying a reunion with their favorite songs. The shelves are lined with 2,100 extended play and long-playing records, and if a customer hands in a record he or she wants to listen to or writes a request on a card, the DJ will drop the needle on each one in turn. A man in his early 60s who works at a nearby company requested 'Soleil,' an album by Takako Okamura. 'This is the song that soothed me after coming home exhausted as a rookie,' he monthly request rankings are posted on the wall up to No. 10, in the style of 'The Best Ten,' a famous Japanese music TV program of yesteryear. In May, C-C-B's 'Romantic ga Tomaranai' (Romantic never stops) was No. 1 and Kyoko Koizumi's 'Kogarashi ni Dakarete' (Embraced by wintry wind) was No. 2. The name of the bar is taken from the name of a segment on the TV program, and also means 'to bring the spotlight back to when we were young.' The interior is decorated like a set from a 1980s disco or singing show, complete with red chairs and a mirror ball. The entrance door has a round window and resembles the entrance to a TV station studio. Nostalgic cassette tapes are also on display.'We have a lot of fun talking about which company's cassette tapes we used to use, Maxell, TDK or Sony,' said Nobuaki Ando, a 57-year-old representative of the bar. After Ando's best friend died suddenly about 25 years ago, his friend's wife told Ando that 'listening to the tapes Ando-kun dubbed for him when he was in junior high and high school and talking about the old days was a source of emotional healing for him.' Ando opened the bar in 2011 with the hope of creating a place where he could play nostalgic songs to ease people's minds during difficult times, and where people could talk about their problems on a daily basis. 'I want to provide a space where people can talk about the old days without worrying about others,' said Ando. Kayokyoku Bar Spotlight ShimbashiAddress: Karasumori Building 6F, 3-16-3, Shimbashi, Minato Ward, Tokyo Access: 1 minute walk from JR Shimbashi Station Hours: Open 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on weekdays. Open until 2 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, national holidays and days before holidays. Closed on Sundays.
