Fashion

Olivia Palermo Hearts Tokyo Fashion

by Lindsey Rose Black

Having a wardrobe as varied and original as Olivia Palermo's requires serious globe-trotting. Revealed on People, Palermo loves shopping in Tokyo, as well as London, Italy, and France. What's that? A sale in Milan? Oh, let me just grab my passport...

Palermo builds her style not by looking at storefronts, but the world around her. She told People, "[I'm inspired by] stylish girls all around the world that I see on the streets throughout my travels really ... Just women who love fashion and get excited about it.” Aw.

Girl's got the globe on lockdown, but only one city holds the key to her fashion heart: Tokyo. She revealed, "Just sometimes I might pop in to Matches in London, sometimes I might be able to go to Portobello [in Sardinia] really early in the morning ... In Paris, they have so many cute little shops. But Tokyo is probably my favorite place to shop, I have to say. I’m on the shorter side, so the sizing fits perfect.”

After having spent a year teaching junior high English in rural Japan and taking many, many all-night bus rides from Shikoku to Tokyo, I will back Palermo up all the way on loving the style there. Every pocket of the city is so unique and distinctive, and you really never quite know what treasures you'll find tucked in a shop or street market tent. If you're planning a trip to Palermo's favorite fashion city soon, be sure to hit these 5 spots I suspect she frequents.

1. Shibuya

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Shibuya is where high fashion meets commercial intensity to the max. The busiest Starbucks in the world is also there (off the corner of the busiest street crossing), so there's that. Grab a Frappuccino and gaze in amazement at the Tokyo Scramble street. It's unfathomable.

When you get your fill of the classic tourist spot, hit up Shibuya 109, the shop where all mainstream Tokyo fashions emerge (side note: it's actually a ton of little shops all open and next to each other!). I bought a pair of sheer cupcake printed socks there and they are quite possibly the best clothing purchase I've ever made.

2. Harajuku

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There's a lot more to Harajuku than just the Lolita girls that inspired Gwen Stefani. To properly explore, grab a giant, sticky crepe from a food cart and then surrender to the sea of people moving you along from storefront to storefront. And when you need a breather, Meiji Jingu shrine and garden is nearby and wonderful to get lost in.

3. Koenji

Koenji has an amazing underground music scene, and tons of cool punk clothes to match. Its streets are a mix of industrial buildings and graffiti-covered Alice In Wonderland-esque shops. There's a veritable treasure trove of great vintage, as well as harder-to-locate brands like ilil and Garter.

4. Shimokitazawa

Ugh the things I would do for an apartment here, y'all. Shimokitazawa is like Koenji's younger hipster sibling, and packed with university students and amazing thrift stores. Fuel up at Bear Pond Espresso and prepare to spend the entire day/your whole trip here. I once found scarves and pans in the same store. It was a win.

5. Daikanyama

First off, GO IN THE SPRING because the cherry blossoms in Daikanyama (and okay, all over Japan) are breathtaking. Daikanyama is scattered with quirky high end fashion and home goods stores, restaurants with menus in English (which you start to appreciate after a year), and beautiful, wide streets. Also, if you're needing inspiration, there are tons of great bookstores here carrying fashion mags you won't find anywhere else!

Image Credits: Olivia Palermo/Instagram; Getty Images (2); Author's Own; Nacho, Jonathan Lin, Keiichi Yasu/Flickr