Ten years have now passed since Tokyo first strutted its stuff on the international catwalk and yet the metropolis still lacks the pulling power of rivals such as Milan, New York and Paris. As if the domestic industry didn't have enough on its plate, the wheels threatened to come off the spring/summer 2015 edition of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo even before it got off the ground, with Typhoon Vongfong bearing down on the capital at the beginning of the week. Fortunately, the storm turned out to be something of a damp squib as far as Tokyo was concerned, giving those in the industry the opportunity to showcase their collections in the clear skies that followed.

This season's special guest was enigmatic British actress Tilda Swinton, who has been working with sponsor Mercedes-Benz on an advertising campaign in recent months. Accompanied by renowned Colombian designer Haider Ackermann, Swinton's appearance in the front row of the Hanae Mori collection designed by Yu Amatsu upstaged the swaths of satin that flowed on the runway. Swinton is perhaps the biggest celebrity Tokyo fashion week has ever seen, and her appearance on Oct. 13 generated an air of expectation for the week.

However, the pomp and glamour that Swinton brought to the capital disappeared out the back door along with the British actress. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo has in the past tended to focus on cardigans instead of couture and this trend was more apparent than ever this season, with a range of collections that not even ordinary people would sniff at. Tastes in Tokyo have shifted away from high-end brands to high-street fashion, an adjustment that other fashion capitals around the world are eyeing nervously.