How do I dress like this Japanese woman?

[itchybumhole]

There's a woman in the playground at pick up time. She's Japanese, very quiet and unassuming. Mid thirties I think.
Her style is amazing. She wears lots of wool and natural fabrics, cocoon style coats, asymmetric wool dresses and they hang beautifully on her. Her clothes look almost futuristic in style. Everything in gorgeous muted tones and slightly too big for her.
Where does I even start to look for these sort of clothes? Any ideas?

Love this thread - i know exactly the look you mean. Last summer i saw a japanese woman on a cambridge train wearing an amazing yellow minimalist/futuristic/fifties-style dress that seemed to skim over her rather than fit to her if you see what i mean, and a fab hat with it. The only thing that stopped me going over and asking where she got it was that 1) i know the answer would be japan, and 2) i am entirely the opposite of a japanese body shape and would NOT suit it outside my imagination. This thread has had me searching ebay for lagenlook/ minimalist / drape etc clothes that i might fit though, so thank you for that

Susiesoso blogs what sounds like a slightly more mainstream version of the look.

... minimalist / drape etc clothes ...

I’m not sure draping is necessarily on the right road? It’s more about architectural structure - clothes that could stand up by themselves. The types of fabric that do this don’t generally want to drape. (At least, in my perception!)

Another one who wants this look bad. Architectural/structured is exactly where I want to go with my wardrobe but i find it so hard to find. I've tried going to Cos with an open mind but everything just seemed to swamp me.

Drooling over your description of that leather shirt though.

is it private school?

I agree draping js not the right japanese thing. The thing is, for those ample of bosom and hour-glassy, anything boxy and structural makes us look like Hatty Jaques dressed as Matron (and i LOVE Hatty Jacques, it’s just not the image i’m coveting). Draping can sometimes give minimalist-type clothes without the dreaded uni-boob.

I was in a branch of Cos yesterday (very familiar with the brand) and it reminded me strongly of Jigsaw about ten years ago ... Possibly the problem is that really excellent fabric is just getting too expensive for this price-level of shopping. Dunno. They seem to have dumbed down and become less distinct.

Also Arket - which I know does tend towards drapey - even the supposedly crisp cotton shirts I’d wanted to try on were kinda ... limp.

Is this the type of thing? Brora sale in blue or white. Linen, looks lovely.www.brora.co.uk/linen-kimono-blouse-navy-db1810fl1814

Shops in Japan are fabulous. Uniqlo, Comme des Garçons, Muji all sell clothes online. My DIL is Japanese and looks fabulous. Is your school in Walthamstow?

This article is quite fun - Japanese/architect cross-over and Mumsnet is even name-checked!

www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/aug/29/structure-your-wardrobe-dress-like-an-architect-this-autumn-pair-of-heels

Hey
No, not a private school. We're just your normal common or garden small town academy.