The flagship store of the Japanese clothing brand Auralee is tucked away in a quiet corner of Aoyama, Tokyo’s premier fashion-shopping district. It’s just a hair away from the main drag’s bustle, but if you don’t know where the store is, you will never stumble upon it. The shop’s location reflects Tokyo’s retail scene, where the coolest stores operate on an if-you-know-you-know basis.
In the past several years, Auralee has become a closely guarded secret of fashion-world cognoscenti, whose previous brand of choice was the Row. Auralee, with its sumptuous fabrics, a cocoon-like silhouette, and almost fanatical attention to detail, is a worthy successor to the Olsen twins’ sophisticated, drapey, terminally stylish—but no longer niche—brand. In the finest fashion boutiques and at the important shows, Auralee’s name has come to evoke a mix of enthusiasm and hushed reverence.
