Androgynous Sexy: Stodja

There are lines out there that are hard to imagine unless they are draped on a warm body. Stodja is one of these lines. Somehow, this Japanese label is affordable, androgynous and sexy all at the same time. Designer Hideki Takai, 36, learned dressmaking by watching his mother, and starting designing clothing that he himself wanted to wear. He opened his first store in Osaka in his early twenties, but when he realized he wanted to play with the big boys and girls, he moved to the birthplace of cutting edge fashion, and opened his store, Kabuku, in Tokyo. Now, as the US gradually incorporates daring touches to its wardrobe (whereas in Japan eccentricity has been synonymous with mainstream fashion for decades) Stodja is encroaching upon the continent -- starting with Atsui Tokyo in Seattle.