I've had a lot of opportunities to wear recent military wear, so I tend to look at items that are more opposite to what I'm used to."
SAKS FITFH AVENUE CHINA JACKET, GIESSWEIN TYROLEAN KNIT, FOOTLOOSE MOCCASIN MAKERS MOCCASIN BOOTS
Kurihara: Third, folkloric and ethnic items. The three items are Tyrolean knitwear from Gieswein (a prestigious Austrian imperial house), a Chinese jacket from Saks Fifth Avenue (a high-end American department store chain), and moccasin boots from Footloose Moccasin Makers (a handmade boot brand in Colorado). Recently, I have been using these exotic low-tech items mixed with high-tech items such as recent military and outdoor apparel.
Abe: You are wearing a china jacket today , where is that from?
Kurihara: This is a "shanghai tang.
Abe: Heh . Did you buy it in the US?
Kurihara: Yes . . I found this at a vintage clothing store that sells maison brands and the like. . Well, this area is not particularly vintage, but it is my recent boom in this area.
Konno: Don't think this knit is quite a high quality material. Maybe it is shrunken.
Kurihara: It is a Hong Kong brand that mainly makes Chinese clothing. I have always mixed some items, rather than wearing all old clothes and all new clothes, but in the past few years I have had many opportunities to wear recent military wear, so perhaps I tend to look at items that are more opposite to what I am wearing. Also, I've been interested in high-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus recently, regardless of the item.
Abe: Well, it's one of America's leading luxury stores, and I'm sure it's a great product itself. And the fact that Saks Fifth Avenue makes Chinese jackets is interesting.
Kurihara: Yes, that's right. Perhaps it was because we were basically targeting conservative and affluent people, but I think it was just right that we didn't overdo it.
Fujiwara: I also like these moccasins. They look easy to mix with Chestnut's style.
Kurihara: . The thicker sole of the Vibram brand also seems to make them easier to wear. The sole is a bit thin in Minnetonka, and JL Coombs (an old Native American brand) might be too rugged.
Konno: (Looking at the catalog included with the boots) I guess it's a system to semi-order the number of these toggles and so on. That's very American.
Kurihara: . I guess I'm trying to keep the items with strong character in this area in a high-tech way. . If the whole body were in that style, it would look like cosplay.
Abe: I guess you could say that.
Frankly, I'm feeling a little fed up with the recent T-shirt craze."
'90s AMERICAN GRAFFITI T-SHIRT
Kurihara: The fourth one is a constellation motif T I found at my last purchase, from a minor brand called "American Graffiti," but it's made with a 50/50 Haynes body, and it has a copywrite dated 1992, so it was made around that time.
Konno: This is unusual. Did you find all the constellations?
Kurihara: In case you are wondering, all the types came out as dead stock. However, since the motif is a motif, basically I think I can only wear my own constellation (laugh).
Abe: . Surely it would be weird if he wore a motif that had nothing to do with him at all.
Kurihara: The constellation is the famous bandana, which is also Mr. Abe's monopoly.
Abe: Yes, it is.
Kurihara: I don't think I've ever seen a T-shirt like this before, even used. On the back of the T-shirt is the date of the month and the characteristics of the constellation.
Fujiwara: What are the features?
Kurihara: For example, Sagittarius would be "Jovial" or "Jovial". It's a character that is unique to that sign.
Fujiwara: So that's how it is.
Kurihara: From the flasher, it looks like there were sweatshirts and tank tops in the same print as well as T-shirts.
Konno: How did you find all the varieties?
Kurihara: . in fact, I think the coronavirus has something to do with it.
Abe: What do you mean?
Kurihara: After the Corona craze, an increasing number of stores were forced to close and companies went out of business. The unsold items, so to speak, that had been stocked in such places began to appear on the market all at once. When they can no longer pay their rent, the entire warehouse is repossessed and auctioned off. . And then they are put up for sale at flea markets and so on. I think the Corona Vortex has a lot to do with why so many items from the 1980s and 1990s have recently begun to appear on the market.
Abe: I see.
Kurihara: . to be honest, I'm feeling fed up with the recent T-shirt craze. I appreciate them as a selling point, of course, but personally, I think it's time to move on....
Konno: I'm getting a bit full, that's for sure....
Kurihara: The boom is so heated that it is hard to wear even a T-shirt that I would normally want to wear....
Fujiwara: That may be.
Kurihara: It seems that there are more and more dealers in the US who collect T-shirts for investment purposes over the past few years, and what was $50 last year is now $600 this year. I feel that price is not the only way to enjoy old clothes....
