"Korean Girls Shine at Tokyo’s Premier Fashion Show" by Mark Buckton

Saturday, on Oct. 13, 2012, was a day to remember for the 31,100 fans crammed into Saitama Super Arena just north of the Japanese capital.

There to be a part of the now world famous Tokyo Girls Collection – the 15th such show featuring many of Japan and Asia’s top models, from 3 – 9pm the fans were treated to runway show after runway show hosted by some of the top brands from Japan and across Asia.

Live performances, comic sketches and sponsored events peppered the shows to give the 600 or so media folk representing over 200 agencies worldwide a chance to catch a breather but as big, glam, and in-your-face as this is and was intended to be, TGC is always about the girls taking to the 40 plus meter runway in front of tens of thousands.

Japanese household names such as Anna Tsuchiya, Yu Yamada and former Miss Universe Japan, Emiri were on hand with over 100 other models – many causing a fan frenzy as they appeared for one, often two or three brands, waving to the spectators.

Particularly popular amongst the non-Japanese models were Korean nationals, themselves hugely popular in Japan – Youn-a, and Sogyon (see images).

Youn-a was the first of eight models to hit the runway on the Autumn/Winter designs of popular fashion house Another Edition in darker hues not too dissimilar to the usual fare served up by AE’s often tom-boyish A/W designs for girls, and sticking with the colored tights that were so popular last winter.

The next brand out in a series of four back to back stage sets saw Sogyon in Adam et Rope attire; baggy floral pants, sweater pinched at the waist and donning a hat that wouldn’t look out of place in a circa 1920s Hollywood movie.