That's What All the Girls Say

There're a million ways to miss the point. This might be one of my faves.

Paper Bags as Fashion Statements

It gets better.

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.

You'd think this was an article from the Onion titled Human Beings Greedy, Stupid, but no. This is the Style page of the New York Times, where one might think we'd see the latest in form-flattering oak barrels.

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.

Hey, that sounds pretty good. Maybe Tokyo is experiencing a sensible drop in plastic bag use.

“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.”

No, no. I'm sorry. Nothing sensible here - just plenty of crazy.

“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.”

Well, you can be sure the environment and all that loves you right back. I guess sometimes you need stories on a lighter note, and sometimes you get one so light it floats.