"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" -Oscar Wilde |
"The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth, shall be watered also himself." -- Proverbs 11:25 |
Paper Bags as Fashion Statements
It’s little wonder that, in spite of the recession, Tokyo’s closets continue to be crammed to the hilt — less so with Prada and Marc Jacobs dresses than their paper wrappers. If you can’t afford to shop, the best approximation seems to be the memory of having done so and, failing that, even the pretense will do.
It’s typical of the Tokyo femme to divide her belongings into two different camps. Many women carry yet another paper shopping bag for their purchases. These can range from sneakers to radishes to cartons of soy milk — the important thing is to refuse the plastic bags offered and nonchalantly take out a boutique shopping bag.
“This is the bag I save for weekend dates with my boyfriend,” Ayaka [Nogami] says, adding that after each outing she irons the bag — after turning it inside out to avoid burning the logo. And then she folds it away. “For me, shopping is a special occasion,” she says. “The bag will be a reminder of that day, how I felt when I bought the dress, the whole experience.”
“I don’t really like carrying eco-bags,” says Asami Harada, 24, who works at a bookstore in Shibuya. “I’m concerned about the environment and all that, but I’m not interested in promoting myself as a nature-lover.”
Shoprite sells eco-bags now but doesn't instruct cashiers to ask if you have one. Cashiers still doublebag without being asked.