Japanese Fall Fashion Is Trending. Here’s What That Means for Your Wardrobe

According to Pinterest, searches for “Japan fall fashion” are up 140 percent and the term “Japanese long skirt outfit” is up 85 percent. In fact, Japanese influence appears to be on the rise across multiple categories—home decor, food, hair, gardening—but the one I find most intriguing is fashion. Specifically, the outfits that come up when I search the above terms taking innovative layering and manage to make it look fresh and cool and not just a cosplay of my middle school fashion sense. For me, experimental layering has long taken the form of Disney channel insanity (see Ashley Tisdale circa 2005), but these outfits are proof that layering needn’t always look like you’re wearing all your clothes in an effort to get your suitcase under the weight limit.

There are a few key elements to recreating these Pinterest-approved Japanese fall fashion looks. First, and perhaps most important, is embracing eclectic layering. Rather than pile on any and all tops in your wardrobe a la Joey Tribbiani, these outfits specifically play with texture, opacity and asymmetry. A cut-out top layered over a lace one (or vice versa) creates a cool new texture without being overly bulky. Similarly, wearing a pleated wrap skirt over wide-leg pants feels much more cohesive than layering a boho minidress over straight-leg jeans. Try creating more peekaboo moments or choosing pieces whose shapes complement one another.

The second element is volume. A lot of these looks feature wider skirts and pants, oversize jackets and sweaters or chunky-sole boots or shoes. Resist the urge to add a belt or cinch your waist, and instead balance these voluminous pieces with exposed skin at the ankles, clavicle or wrists. And lastly, try leaning into a unisex vibe. Layer a men’s jacket over a pleated skirt or a puff-sleeve blouse over wide Bermuda shorts. Shop across all departments and ignore traditional garment gender assignments. You can always use accessories to play up feminine or masculine vibes, but let your clothes simply stand as they are.

Ready to get started embracing Japanese fall fashion like a true Pinterest star? Here are eight pieces to help you get started.