Old posts
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09.07.08Japanese fashion: Kawaii lolita and punk
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.
08.28.08Design Adoration: Tado
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, 2008The 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!
