LOOKING GOOD
In store


hhstyle.com
hhstyle.com' new furniture shop in Harajuku, designed by Kazuyo Sejima, is one store that is difficlut to miss-the mint-green glass façade emanates a subtle light that lures you in like the Sirens calling Odysseus. You won't be sorry if you take time to browse and climb the wonderful glass encased white staircase inside, because hhstyle.com is no ordinary furniture shop. A design lover's paradise, the store is a virtual museum of great design just check the labels and you'll see names like Marc Newson, Ray and Charles Eames, Philippe Starck, Shigeru Ban, Eero Saarinen and, surprise, even Belgian fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester. These are THE names to look for if you are hunting for a coutre chair or modern chaise longue. An eclectic mix between the young and funky and classics from the '50s means there are hot seats for all kinds of rooms. Although an Eames wire chair is shockingly cheap at JY45.000 there is a real danger is you might leave with something much pricier-perhaps Helmut Newtons' 30kg photobook and matching Philippe Starck table for JY200,000.
Anna Lopriore
hhstyle.com, 6-14-2 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tel: 03-3400-3434; www.hhstyle.com 


x-girl store
Walk 20 meters past hhstyle.com and there's yet another shiny new shop. Same story, big glass façade, but this time there was no big famous architect involved. The story behind the x-fashion lines are slightly confused, but the basic facts are that the Beastie Boys (Mike D and his wife Tamara in particular) set up and co-own x-large and later started x-girl in 1995 with Thurston Moore and his wife Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth (is there anything she's not involved in?), who designed the line.

In the meantime a third clothing line has popped up: x-elle. Anyway, the original creators are pretty hands-off these days and x-girl is actually Japanese owned now, which makes sense as no one fits the cute skatey-but-sexy designs better than Tokyo girls. It seems the clothes have grown up a little; besides the usual skate-chick Patagonia-influenced sportsgear, you will also find not-too-chic tweed tops and skirts, bow tied blouses and corduroy A-line skirts. Lines that probably wouldn't sell well anywhere else in the world include the tongue-in-cheek plastic python-print cowboy boots, at only JY13,000. Or if you're looking for something more subtle check out the very Super-Fly gold plated LA-style x-girl bracelet at JY23,000.
Anna Lopriore
x-girl, 6-14-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tel: 03-5464-3351


Diesel
King Frank is at it again. Not content with fooling art critics in London with his latest exhibition, Diesel photographic enfant terrible is scouting Japan for potential models. On November 3-5 visitors to Diesel's Tokyo and Osaka stores have the chance to choose a look and strike a pose - and potentially get lucky. Join the event and choose your togs from the new "bye-bye look" or the very Shibuya "cowboy look." Finalists will be posted on the company's website and voting by Diesel fans begins in late November. Winners will be announced in December. At stake are a top prize of JY100,000 worth of Diesel clothes and the chance to be associated with the desperately cool King Frank. Check out his modeling tips at www.kingfrank.com and work on your pouty face. MW

Diesel 1-23-25 Shibuya, Tel: 03-5468-1461; Namba City Minamikan, 5-1-60, Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Tel: 06-644-2678