• home archives browse ↓

Old posts

• 09.23.08
  Japanese fashion: Gals! (Gyaru/Ganguro) fashion | 2 comments, add your own!

  This post is a continuation of my writings on Japanese fashion and beauty trends, something which has always interested me. This post will cover the Japanese fashion style ‘Gyaru’ and its most common and more recognisable term ‘Ganguro’ The images in this posts are scanned from ‘Egg’ and ‘Ageha’ magazine, click on them for a much bigger view.
  For a quick introduction to style and fashion in Japan check the start of the first style post.Please comment if you enjoyed this post!

  The Gyaru trend

  I saw a fair few Gyaru while I was in Japan their fashion styled ranged from the very mild to the incredibly extreme. I’d love to hear from you if you’ve been to Japan, tell me what your experience of Gyaru was while you were there? Most of these sightings were in the Shibuya district and the place to go if you want to see Gyaru style is most defiantly Shibya 109, a large mall in Shibuya that is filled with clothes and accessories which is any stylish Ganguro girls port of call when pay day rolls around.

  If you’re reading this post then I assume you already know a little bit about the weird and wonderful world of Japanese fashion trends, if not then you’re probably asking yourself what on earth is gyaru?

  Gyaru (and the mens sub genre Gyaruo) is a literal translation of the english word ‘Gal’, this name originated in the 1970’s and it is rarely used today, Ganguro is a subcategory of this trend though it is a commonly used term to describe the various looks seen within the trend. The Gyaru trend is a header for many smaller trends and subtrends some of these include things like Manba (girls with a deep tan and contrasting white makeup), Onegyaru (a girl that is no longer in high school and has adopted a more sophisticated style), and Himegyaru (girls who dress up in a princess style - this genre is strongly linked to sweet lolita examples of these youth styles that can be seen in the images within the post.

  I will be using the term Ganguro in reference to the styles within this post though you should be aware that most of these styles fall under different subcategories within the Gyaru trend, Ganguro is just one of these categories but it is mostly used to describe girls with a tanned complexion and bleached hair.

  ‘What is Ganguro all about?’

  
  The Ganguro trend in Japan could easily be seen as ‘trendy’ girls anywhere else, these girls take pride in their appearance and spend the majority of their money caring for it and purchasing the latest clothing trends, however Ganguro itself is an extreme take on this.

  The girls within this trend will often sport a medium to dark tan in an attempt to emulate various hiphop stars that are popular in Japan this deep tan will usually be combined with incredibly light hair colours, taking their naturally dark hair pigmentation to shades of medium brown, blonde and sometimes white/grey blonde hair colours.

  This is of of course achieved with the use of hairdye, a very popular brand in Tokyo as well as many online Asian forums is ‘Palty’ (seen in the image on the right, click for the full colour range) with colours ranging from dark natural brown to an incredibly light blonde, the names of these colours are playful and cute, the models sport varying Ganguro looks and the box is adorned with gem graphics. The dye itself is designed to successfully lighten very dark however pre-bleaching treatments are usually needed to achieve the colour on the box, this however is the length Ganguro girls will go to in order to achieve a more unusual hair colour.

  Makeup is also something heavily relied upon within the trend, colorful eyeshadow has been the latest trend amongst Ganguro however some extremes in terms of makeup are seen within the trend, Manba will often use white concealer as lipstick and to contour their faces in an unusual manner. False eyelashes are also daily wear for a few dedicated Ganguro, along with contacted lenses known as ‘circle lenses’ which give the appearance of a larger, more open eye. This type of lens is so widely used in fact that Circle lenses are present on most of the girls in the images on this page.

  Hair extensions are something you will see an abundance of in Japan, mostly on teenage girls it is something you probably will not notice however as these extensions are usually incredibly well matched to the users hair colour (even if the colour is dyed) and human hair is often used. These extensions are used in order to create longer hairstyles as well as better volume within the hair to help create bouffant styles which are a common hairstyle for people with the Onegyaru (older sister) and Himegyaru (princess) styles. Curls and ringlets are also popular. Many Japanese fashion magazines demonstrate how easily it is to completely change your look via using hair extensions and clever styling.

  Circle lenses and hair extentions used to aid beauty cannot be solely tied down to the Ganguro trend however as these two factors are present within most Japanese style groups and can be seen on many of the teens in japan, as well as when flicking through any Japanese fashion magazine. Many famous actors and actresses in Asia have also been known to use circle lenses to make their eyes appear larger on screen and in photographic imagery as it is generally thought in Japan that having larger eyes is a much more beautiful trait.

  This being said however Ganguro is not about conforming to traditional beauty standards it is in fact the complete opposite, when the trend was first born it was said to have been a form of revenge against traditional Japanese society. The clothing and style that was being work was in direct contradiction to school rules and regulations and was very much about self expression and marking oneself as an individual. The tanning, dyed hair and use of slang is in direct contradiction to what is seen as traditional female beauty in Japan, and going against this has lead to the Ganguro girls and resembles of the style getting quite a bad press and media image in Japan. This being said during my short trip to Japan I saw very little negative behavior towards the Ganguro girls wandering around Shibuya or hanging around outside of Shibya 109, so I cannot confirm or deny this statement. (Please let me know if on your travels/life in Japan you saw a different view towards Ganguro) However it would seem that a more open and accepting view is taken towards Lolita trends than towards the trends within the Gyaru subculture.

  ‘Where’s the fashion?’

  I understand that so far this post has been purely about beauty and very little about fashion however beauty and makeup is a key feature of this trend and is usually the defining factor of noticing if a person is part of the Ganguro trend or not, however this does not mean that Ganguro fashion isn’t a big part of the trend as well. Shibuya 109 is bursting apart with stores catering to Ganguro youth, constantly churning out new clothing that takes influences from current catwalk trends as well as styles that are currently big in the United Kingdom and America.
  Taking to the streets of Shibuya and Shinjuku you will see a wide range of amazing Ganguro clothing, the girls walking these streets are dressed in bright colours, this seasons prints and will more often than not have the latest designer bag (or designer rip-off depending on how much cash they can part with.) While I was in Japan the Nu-Rave style was quite big within the Ganguro community and most of the stores in Shibya 109 were selling bright day-glo printed tshirts and luminous colored leggings.

  Ganguro style changes frequently to keep up with catwalk trends as well as trends purely confined to Japan, however the look itself is usually constant bright colours are often seen as well as cute accessories, oversized and gem encrusted jewelry, and high heel shoes sometimes verging on platforms are often seen.

  A lot of the styles within Ganguro are heavily based around music, much like the Lolita styles in Japan are based upon J-rock and Visual-Kei, Ganguro style is based around Hip Hop and R&B music you will often see girls sporting looks that are very similar to their favorite musical artists (again however the r&b look is a subgenre within the Ganguro culture.) Hotpants, trucker hats and ‘bling’ accessories are big various shops exist around Japan who’s sole purpose lies in ‘blinging’ up whatever item you like, many Ganguro girls will choose to get their mobile phones encrusted in gems which adds to the expensive and unique look they like to portray.

  ‘Where can I buy some of these super trendy clothes?’

  There are a fair few places to find Ganguro fashion in Japan however until I make a return trip and do a more full post on shopping in Tokyo I would say that your one stop shop for Ganguro style is definatly Shibuya 109 which I have mentioned many times during this post, however it really is the one place to find many Ganguro styles under one roof. It is reasonably easy to find once you are in Shibuya and features 8 floors of clothing stores, makeup stores and places to eat. You will be loving welcomed by incredibly cute store workers and will spot more than the odd 100 Ganguro girls and guys wandering the shop floors.
  There is a good range of stores (and a whole paint store of the colour pink) ranging from cheap to expensive most of the stores however are cheap and you will be able to pick up unusual accessories and cute makeup brands without putting a large hole in your purse, you will also be able to find reasonably cheap bags, tshirts, shoes and other clothing items in a lot of the stores. Most of the things you will find usually works out at about the same price you would pay for the garment in a store like Topshop here in the UK or over in the USA, when you count the fact that you are buying the item from Japan and no one else back home will have it then the prices for most things actually work out quite cheap and fully worthwhile. There are however a few stores within 109 with higher pricing but again if you see something you want the prices are usually worth it when taking the exclusivity of the garment into account.

  It can be a tiring task however looking around the mall itself, as mentioned earlier it is an 8 floor affair and though the building itself is pretty narrow like most stores in Tokyo they defiantly make up for it in height so if you are planning on going I would say be prepared to spend a whole evening there, it closes pretty late thankfully but be sure to check the times before going, there are also a few places to have a rest and something to eat within the building so if you feel you are flagging a little there are plenty of places to take a rest.

  The people in the stores within the mall will be incredibly happy and probably go out of their way to help you as well if you are needing any help with anything, feel free to ask to try anything on in any of the stores one of the girls I was with on my trip to Tokyo did and the store assistants were incredibly happy to help they told her she looked ‘kawaii’ in what she had tried on and even suggested as best as they could different ways to wear the outfit and what she could wear it with. So don’t be afraid to ask the language barrier is difficult I won’t lie but trying your best and pointing will usually end up with you getting the assistance you need, and all of it will be in the friendliest way possible I have said it before but it is true that every person I encountered in Tokyo was lovely and it will be the best customer service you receive anywhere.

  ‘I want to know more about Ganguro!’

  If you are looking for more scans from Japanese fashion magazines then I urge you check out Jmagazinescans Livejournal Community there are posts a few times a week of various Japanese fashion magazines and you can even request scans from specific issues of certain publications, it is a great tool for anyone wanting to check out the latest Japanese fashion and beauty trends.

  If you are looking for specific information and images about Gals style then I highly recommend the blog Shibuya 109 gals it has quite a lot of informative posts and frequent posts about new fashion magazine releases.

  Like always I hope you found the information you needed/learned something new and I hope the whole Gyaru/Ganguro explanation wasn’t too complicated for you (just remember all Ganguro are Gyaru but not all Gyaru are Ganguro!)
  Feel free to comment if you found it helpful! And do let me know if i’ve missed anything or if any of the information is incorrect as I can only write down what I know and what I saw while I was in Tokyo so please let me know if there is anything misleading.

  

• 09.17.08
  Inspirational Anime: Rozen Maiden anime/asian drama | be the first to comment!

  

  Following on from my last Anime post, this is my second ‘Inspirational Anime’ post, which features one of my ‘Top 10 Anime of all time’, which you should defiantly watch!
  Note: Watch the Japanese language subtitled version, not the American dub (it’s terrible)

  What is Rozen Maiden
  The Rozen Maiden anime is another that I would consider one of my Top 10, infact it is my second favorite anime of all time!
  Rozen Maiden was originally a manga series by Peach-Pit, a female mangaka duo who are mostly known for their award winning childrens manga Shugo Chara!.
  The manga has spawned two anime series and also a two part prequel to the show, the manga story is still ongoing though the two series are completed their is still a possibility for a possible third season due to many unresolved issues and plot points.

  Season one and Season two (titled Rozen Maiden: Träumend) both contain 12 episodes which is the perfect amount for both story arcs and also the perfect amount for easy watching if you’re anime watching isn’t frequent or you have never watched an anime series. It is a lot easier to commit to a show with fewer episodes as even some of the highly dedicated anime viewers find shows with a large volume a challenge to get through.
  The anime, especially the second series has at times dark themes mixed in with plenty of cute moments, mysterious elements are placed carefully throughout and the full story is never truly given to the viewer in one go, instead you are required to piece together the elements yourself which is turn makes for excellent viewing.
  There are plenty of comedy moments within this anime and plenty of characters that will make you smile, however towards the end of both series there are moments that will make your heart ache as you watch things you knew were inevitable occur, these elements of happiness mixed in with episodes that will bring a tear to your eye of course make this anime a must see.

  This anime will be enjoyed by anyone that is fond of Japanese Lolita fashion style, as each of the doll characters within it is dressed in French period clothing quite similar to that of the Lolita trend seen in Japan, also anyone that is fond of the Ball Jointed Dolls popular in Japan such as Super Dollfie will also find this anime slowly turning into one of their favorites purely due to the characters themselves.
  And although Peach-Pit are known for their Shojo (Girls manga) works a good deal of their work is viewable by both sexes (Zombie Loan for example) and I feel Rozen Maiden indeed falls into this ‘unisex’ category, however once again it fully depends on what kind of anime you are used to watching. The main protagonist of this story however is a boy, which will make it a much easier watch even if you’re used to giant robots smashing each other to pieces in your anime, Rozen Maiden will defiantly draw you in to its plot and soon you’ll find yourself needing to watch the entire thing!

  The story
  The stories main character is Jun Sakurada, he is a High School student but is never there he instead locks himself away in his bedroom and refuses to go to school due to embarrassing experiences that still haunt him, and a lack of self confidence. He is an internet shopping addict and spends most of his days tracking down rare supernatural items online to add to his collection and this is where the twist comes into it, usually in this type of anime you would expect Jun to suddenly find a harem of big busted girls in skirts so short you have their underwear in your face for the rest of the show however this is not the case instead he is informed that he has won a prize and almost moments later an antique wooden box appears in his room this box contains a doll, she is dressed in french aristocratic clothing and resembles a Super Dollfie. The only difference is that this doll has a key and when Jun decides to wind her up, she springs to life, slaps him across the face for mishandling her and makes it known that she is Shinku, the fifth doll of (what will become) the mysterious ‘Rozen Maiden.’ Enter a killer stuffed clown forcing Jun to become Shinku’s servant in order for her to save him from it and thus the story begins.

  The Alice Game
  I don’t really want to talk about ‘The Alice game’ to much as it is best understood when watched unfold through the anime, but Shinku is not the only ‘Rozen Maiden’ doll in existence in fact she has a few sisters and it isn’t long before the others surface, and as each new doll is re-awoken the centry old battle between them known as ‘The Alice game’ must begin.

  This competition is a fight to destruction and only one doll can remain, this winning doll will become ‘Alice’ the perfect doll and this doll will get to meet ‘Father’ the creator of the ‘Rozen Maiden’ In order to become ‘Alice’ the dolls must battle using their guardian spirits and special abilities, the losing doll will in turn lose her ‘Rosa Mystica’ which is almost like the souls of the dolls containing their memories and abilities, this ‘Rosa Mystica’ is then taken by the winning doll, this game continues until one doll has collected all of the ‘Rosa Mystica’ and then she alone will become ‘Alice’ and in this game only one doll can be allowed to remain intact at the end and she alone will become ‘Alice’ and get to once again meet ‘Father’, the creator of the dolls themselves.

  The characters
  All of the characters are beautifully crafted and well copied from the original manga with only small character changes, all made however to make the characters more screen worthy.
  Firstly there is Jun, you slowly get insight into his fears, and why he is such a recluse during the course of the two series and you find yourself rooting for him to overcome the things that cause him pain in life and become a much better person. His confidence gains and he takes on almost a fatherly role for the dolls, all of which are trying to find their real ‘father’, his relationship with Shinku is especially poignant and though she slaps him and bosses him around you get glimpses of her blushing cheeks and shy demeanor when faced with her feelings towards him.

  Each of the dolls in the show has her own personality as well as guardian spirit and supernatural power to be used during fighting in the ‘Alice game’, these different personalities make each of the characters a joy to watch even if you may end up finding some of the them annoying you soon realise that there are aspects of that you love, and that the show wouldn’t be the same without them.
  None of the characters present in the program are their as ‘bit’ parts, they all serve their purpose and all have their own reasons for their partaking in the ‘Alice game’, their personalities are built slowly and carefully starting out as extreme characters and cliches of themselves but these characters are soon revealed to be much more, even the more destructive of the dolls have their reasons, and Peach-Pit don’t create a purely evil character unlike many story writers, instead they allow you to make up your own mind about each characters motivations and feelings through flashbacks and small, slight insights into hidden aspects of their personalities.
  Then you have the mysterious characters within the anime, some barely showing their faces, some speaking in riddles and some not being entirely what they first appear these characters feed your need for answers within the program yet you find yourself being left with more questions until the big bombshells are dropped, because it really does all gloriously come together.

  Not convinced?
  Rozen Maiden is a story of confidence, battle and most of all friendship and love the characters within it have to make some hard decisions and rethink traditions that have been instilled in them since quite literally their creation. It is an insight into family and it is slowly reveled that all of the characters want to feel love and be loved in return however could this love be not found in the places they expect it to be but instead somewhere all togetherness different?
  You find yourself routing for the happiness of these porcelain doll characters, each with their own very distinct personalities and you find yourself wishing them not to fight as they slowly begin to realize that maybe they are best off surrounded by each other and within the warm home of Jun and his sister.
  In its most simplistic form it asks the questions ‘Which is more important your own happiness or having the ones you love?’

  Again like with NaNa give the anime a try watch a few episodes and see how you like it, you wont be disappointed. I would strongly recommend however that you watch the Japanese language subtitled version of the program, it has since been dubbed in American and in most peoples opinion the voice actors used in the dub are (as usual) sub-par to that of the Japanese version.
  You can find Fansubs of the anime itself on various online streaming sites and there are a few torrents out there if you would prefer to download the anime yourself though since the series has been licensed you may have to hunt around the net though it is nothing that a quick google search can’t help you with, there are also various DVD’s of the show online to buy ranging from the licensed versions (which feature both American vocals and an option to watch in Japanese with subtitles) that are released with a few episodes per DVD, and import copies of the anime with original Japanese voices (and the option to turn subtitles on) its up to you to decide which you’d get better value for money out of!
  As always if you do watch the anime please drop me a comment and let me know what you think of it! Or maybe you’ve found a similar anime, or would like to recommend me one of your top 10 anime? I’d love to hear from you, so get to it.

  

• 09.07.08
  Japanese fashion: Kawaii lolita and punk fashion | be the first to comment!

  This post is the first of a few I will be doing discussing Japanese fashion and beauty trends, the images in this posts are scanned from ‘Kera Maniax vol. 10′ click on them for a much bigger view. Please comment if you enjoyed reading I love to hear from you.

  Japanese style, what to expect in Tokyo
  I used to see pictures of Japanese youth fashion all of the time, along with Japanese street fashion it was something I always looked up to, the sense of style that seemed to be splattered through out Tokyo and the sense of individual style a lot of Japanese teenagers seemed to have, and a lot of high streets tried to copy.
  I don’t consider my style as ‘punk’ and it is definatly not ‘lolita’ being a Caucasian male it would be a pretty hard look to pull off, however fashion is a large interest of mine and some of the styles in Tokyo absolutely blew me away.
  I wasn’t actually prepared for what I would see when I actually visited Tokyo earlier this year, part of me thought maybe the whole thing was a bit of a myth, and that surely people didn’t walk around like this, surely only a handful of people could afford to look that good, however I was wrong. I am not saying that everyone in Tokyo was well dressed but it was defiantly a great deal more than half.
  

  I was staying in Shinjuku which is a pretty trendy place to stay in Tokyo that I would definatly reccomend to most people, there are malls everywhere in Shinjuku, there is even one above Shinjuku station which you can (and I did) get lost in. There malls are very much targeted at keeping you there for a very long time.

  I was defiantly amazed from the first day, and found myself doing double takes as people walked past and drooling over the many lovely coats that a lot of the boys seemed to have there, trust me Japan knows how to make nice coats.
  What is your take on Japanese fashion? Love it, hate it?
  

  Lolita in Japan
  I saw quite a lot of lolita’s in Japan, a lot more than I expected and it was always cute to see. For those asking what a Lolita is, lolita fashion is a sense of dress that is mostly influenced by Victorian and Rococo era styles. Think bows, petticoats, headdresses, lots of frills, and a child like look and you are pretty close. Most of the lolita’s I saw in Japan could be described as ’sweet lolita’ this is a softer style than the usual gothic look, and it focuses on cute child-like images, dresses featuring cake and teddy bear prints that sort of thing. The pictures above and to the right give you a good idea of general lolita styles (Alice and the Pirates is a sub-brand of clothing focusing on lolita with a pirate feel.)
  Now I know you’re thinking who the hell could pull that sort of thing off and really you would be incredibly surprised, nearly every person I saw did!

  ‘How can people walk around like this, don’t they get weird looks?’ Is what I used to ask before visiting Japan ‘Surely they’re not that accepting’. What I found however is that they are, I heard rumors that Japanese teenagers get bad press and that most people keep out of their way but I was totally shocked at how comfortable and accepting people were towards other people’s style. I didn’t see anyone at all getting weird looks, or second glances it just didn’t happen, you could wear an elephant on your head in Japan and people would just accept it. I’ll be posting some street fashion images in the near future and you can see yourself just how unusual, individual and extreme J-street fashion can get.

  Punk in Japan
  While there are some hardcore looking punks in Japan for the most part even Japanese punk style seems to be mixed with their kawaii (cute) culture. Japanese punk fashion merges the old 1970’s punk styles such as safety pins, chains, tartan print skirts mixed with cute hair accessories, padlock necklaces teamed with cute illustrated tshirts, and also references many punk bands and motifs from the punk era Glam rock styles are also mixed in with the punk look as seen in the image to the right, where the leopard print of the glam rock era is mixed with harsher punk elements to create a cute yet rebellious look something favored by the popular clothing brand ‘Sexy Dynamite London’, who also do replicas of Vivienne Westwood’s Seditionaries collection as worn my Sid Vicious.

  You only have to spend a little time around Harajuku to notice that Westwood is highly regarded in Japan and if you ever want to find yourself a rare piece of Westwood jewelry then Japan is the place to go, with various second hand Westwood sellers mostly scattered around Harajuku (one store even had the incredibly rare cigarette lighters, for an incredibly expensive price I might add.) There are also plenty of stalls selling Westwood knockoffs if you’re a little short on cash.
  

  Hellcat Punks is another popular Punk lolita brand it stocks incredibly cute style garments such as mini skirts and knee socks with punk prints and imagery, however the style is very tongue in cheek in deliverance check out the spoof ‘Ozzy Osbourne’ tshirts on the image to the left for example, featuring a rather cute cartoon of him biting off the elusive bats head. You will see a lot of girls sporting this cute look mixed with elements of punk, I actually saw more girls dressed this way than I did in standard lolita fashion this look itself is more casual and seems to be favored by girls with a laid back attitude.

  Where can I buy all of this wonderfully cute stuff?
  I fully intend to do a fully, and amazing post on shopping in Tokyo the next time I visit however I figured I should conclude this post with some information of where to find clothing like this, though they never look as good on anyone that isn’t Asian a lot of them are well worth adding to your wardrobe depending on what styles you are into.
  Of course Harajuku is the main place to find incredibly cheap yet stylish and individual fashions I’m going to touch on it briefly but expect a more relevant and useful post on it in (sadly) the distant future. Harajuku is amazing, Takeshita Dori is the main street you want to hit in Harajuku, you can’t miss it once you’re out of Harajuku station it’s just across the road. It is only one street, however it is packed with shops there are shops down side streets, shops up stairs on top of other shops, shops down stairs in basements they’ve crammed a shop wherever the space was available believe me, and that is a good thing. Be sure to go into the ‘Daiso’ store that is just a little way down the street from the entrance it is the biggest 100yen store in Tokyo and it has a whole host of incredibly cute stationary and the like, you can buy a lot and spend nearly nothing it is amazing.

  Takeshita Dori is incredibly packed however, I would liken it to Camden markets many other people have however I feel this is underestimating the street completely there really are some gems, and I fully fully suggest going on a weekend when it is at it’s busiest! Insane I know but you haven’t experienced Tokyo unless you’ve tried to exit Takeshita Dori through crows of people (it is quite a battle), that plus the coolest looking people come out at the weekend so there is lots of inspired fashions, and crazy ones to look at.

  Remember when in Harajuku however to spend wisely and think smart, it is very easy to end up looking like you’ve run into a small child’s wardrobe and run out wearing everything they own. Yes nearly everything in Harajuku is cute, but would you suit it? And does it suit your style, that is what you have to ask yourself when in Harajuku because it really is one place where you can spend so much money.

  If you don’t have time to go to Harajuku or you don’t like the sound of the busy streets then your one stop shop for lolita and punk fashion is OIOI in Shinjuku. There’s practically a mall every 4 steps in Shinjuku, and there are a handful of ‘OIOI’ stores (OIOI is pronounced ‘mar-oo-ee’ in case you get lost) however you can’t miss them they are gigantic and have ‘OIOI’ on the top of them in big red lettering.
  Now if you’re not too fussy there are two OIOI stores in Shinjuku that sell clothing of a none punk/lolita fashion, the clothes these stores sell are still amazingly fashionable impeccably on trend and very well made. One of these stores is Marui Men which specializes is men’s clothes, this can be a bit pricey but is worth a look if like me you’re of a male gender, the other store is Marui City which sells both mens and womens clothing however it is smaller than the other two but is good if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to scale many floors of a mall (Japanese malls are built thin but incredibly high, its escalator central.)

  The reason I mention these two is because if you are looking for lolita or punk fashion you are bound to come across these stores in your search for Marui Young, they are all difficult to tell apart but they’re reasonably easy to find so eventually you will hit on ‘OIOI Young.’ This is where you want to be for lolita and punk fashions. It can be a great deal more expensive than Harajuku but it is worth the visit even just if you’re curious or fancy a culture shock.

  It may not seem like it has anything to do with lolita style from the first few floors however so be warned, the first four floors feature trendy women’s clothing mostly with a cute edge, there is also one store on the ground floor that was very reminiscent of All Saints but at a fraction of the price.

  However if you take the back entrance (the one that looks all dark and lolita-esque, it’s a bit of a give away actually) you will be taken directly up to the 5th floor, or you can start at the bottom floor of the store and work your way up which is much more fun! Once you hit the 5th floor, if unique clothing is what you are looking for then you’ve found your mecca, Marui Young turns into Marui One on the 5th floor the change is rather visible the decor changes (the decor is amazing by the way!) and you are faced with a multitude of lace dresses. Well done, you’ve found lolita central!

  The brands you will find on this store are some of the most famous lolita and punk brands in Japan. You will find Sexy Dynamite London, h.NAOTO Emily Temple Cute, Super Lovers and Angelic Pretty amongst many others.

  But I’m a boy what about me!
  If you’re a guy being dragged around by a girl, or simply want to get yourself some individual clothing at some of these stores but find yourself faced with mountains of lace dresses and cute stuffed animals I would suggest visiting Sexy Dynamite London, h.NAOTO and Super Lovers, they have some tshirts and accessories that I would defiantly consider as unisex and I’m pretty sure they are as the brands sell boys clothing as well as girls.

  Algonquins and Peace Now have quite a few mens coats and jackets/blazers some of which would make interesting statement pieces in your wardrobe without being to over the top, though they also have plenty of mens clothing if over the top is the look you want to achieve.

  Some of the more Gothic Lolita stores in Marui One also sell mens blouse style shirts if that is your kind of thing some of them aren’t as frilly as you would expect and could possibly work as a nice dinner shirt, Algonquins some of the ties in some of the stores are also rather nice some of the cutsew ones have a rather unique look to them, sort of business punk and they’re reasonably cheap if you are short on cash.

  I’ll be doing a Japanese men’s style blog post in the near future so look out for that, and will hopefully do another more informative one after my next trip to Japan.
  Have you been to Japan, any good shopping destinations I’ve missed out?

  I can’t afford to go to Japan/I want these clothes now!
  I can’t/couldn’t afford to go either so I know what it is like, I currently have an overdrawn bank account to show for it but it was worth every penny.
  I understand though that if you’re reading this post you are probably interested in the lolita style and probably want to own some of these clothes but like most people can’t afford the trip to Japan. Well, you have everything you need in front of you in that case the internet is your new best friend when it comes to lolita styles.

  Marui One have a site, and they ship internationally! The site itself has an incredibly narrow selection of clothing compared to the mall itself but it is better than nothing. the clothes are a bit more expensive than if you were to buy them in Japan and then there is the shipping on top but if it’s something you are really craving then it is a simple option.

  Another site worth looking at is Fan Plus Friend they do copies of popular lolita and punk styles, they custom make all of their clothes to your size and will change things about the garment if you ask (such as changing the sleeves/buttons/making the back shorter), to be honest they will pretty much create a completely custom garment for you. It will take a few weeks for them to make your clothes, however the prices are really really reasonable for the amount of work that goes into them and the usual prices you’d be expected to pay for similar garments.

  Ebay is also a good option, try searching for some of the brand names you favor or if you’re feeling less specific just look for lolita, don’t forget to do an international search as well as there are a fair few items from Hong Kong, South Korea and even Japan going for quite cheap prices.

  More scans please!
  Those are all of the scans that I have from Kera Maniax sadly, however I have scans from other various Japanese magazines so expect posts on those in the near future one will cover ganguro style which is always good for a culture shock!

  However if you are interested in Japanese fashion, or just fashion in general or just want to see more Japanese magazine images I strongly recommend you head over to Jmagazinescans Livejournal Community which is a great community that is constantly updated with scans from Japanese fashion magazines.

  I hope you’ve found this post informative/useful/a good read, it took me forever to put together so please comment if you found it helpful! Let me know if I have missed anything or there is something you think i should add.

  

• 08.28.08
  Design Adoration: Tado adoration | be the first to comment!

  
  Everyone that knows me knows that I am a sucker for anything cute, it is a rare occurrence however to find a british designer with a cute style that I find appealing because lets face it Japan does cute the best and most people that try to emulate that level of cute just don’t quite get it.
  However a few years ago I came across some designers that I have adored ever since, their style mixes cute and Japanese kawaii elements with elements that have a slightly more sinister edge, creating a style that is very distinctive lies somewhere between adult and childlike. Their work is all about happiness and feeling good, much like the Japanese cute imagery used to make business men less stressed looking at Tado’s work will really really lift your spirits.
  Tado are Mike and Kate, two designers that work and live together in dreary old Sheffield bursting out amazing design specializing in illustration, animation, graphic design, toy design and most other things you can think of. Their work has been exhibited around the world and their client list is never ending having worked for big names such as MTV and Nike.
  Fortune Pork were one of Tado’s big hits, they were a blind box series of small stuffed toys which featured animal type characters reinvented, each one is incredibly cute some with big smiles, some with big cheeks, and some with big heads. They have been released in different colorways, and you can still pick them up on their websites store, which you should defiantly check out. Albert is so cute!
  

  
  Right now however Tado are about to launch a new set of blind box items, these figures (a few years in the making) are called ‘Cannibal Funfair’ and again features some of the weirdest and cutest characters you’ll see this side of Tokyo.
  

  
  Where to get Cannibal Funfair

• You will be able to order the series on Kid Robot pretty soon.
• And if you want to collect them all then I suggest getting a box of 20 from rotofugi which is an incredibly cute store and well worth a look.
• If you live in the UK and want to save on postage then you can pick them up online at Tokyo Toy Store but they will sell out quickly so hurry, hurry!


Lily: The Littlest Cannibal
Magic Pony in Toronto, Canada are holding a special exhibition of Tado’s work called ‘Lily: The littlest cannibal.’

Everything you need to know is here. but for those in a hurry:
Exhibition opens - August 28, 2008 from 7-9pm (with toy signing 6-7pm)
Exhibition runs - August 28 - September 14, 2008

The series mixes their cute style with something slightly more sinister, it is a world of smiley mountains, cute monster mushrooms and all the cute things you would expect to find in a cute cannibal infested forest world. The exhibition itself features a range of media from paintings, to wooden sculpture to plush animals, you can check out the preparations on Tado’s Flickr.
It opens this evening and will mark the launch of the ‘Cannibal Funfair’ series, and the cute blind box figures will be available to but at the Magic Pony store. Mike and Kate will be in attendance at the exhibition doing toy signing! So if you live anywhere near Toronto I suggest you get yourself down to Magic Pony this second, I only wish I could make it but it would be quite a plane journey.



Hopefully one day I will get to meet these guys and bask in the cute love, however until then I will just have to keep saving in the hopes to have enough money to get the entire set of ‘Cannibal Funfair’, and keep checking in the hopes of one day stumbling upon a super rare Giant Albert plush.
I totally suggest you check them out however if you have a spare minute and cute design is your kind of thing, and if you do buy some Cannibal Funfair boxes and end up with a duplicate ‘Piggle’ or ‘Rolo’ I for one would happily take them off your hands. So, so cute!