Category Archive for Tokyo + Japan
FAIRY KEI & CUTE GIRLS ACCESSORIES IN TOKYO: LAFORET HARAJUKU DEPARTMENT STORE GUIDE. NEO, CURE VISUAL KEI MAGAZINE.
My controversial post about the decline of Gothic Lolita fashion in Japan got many opinions. You made great comments about how the economy might a factor, as well as the natural cycles of popularity.
Wipe away that sad face. Laforet department store in Harajuku is still one of the best places for cute clothes, such as Nile Perch’s pastel fairy kei fashion.
Visual Kei bands are also disbanding in droves, but the Jrock presence remains strong in the Laforet basement. Bands often hold signings here…
Cure Magazine and Neo are displayed prominently on the walls.
Although many young Visual Kei bands have bitten the dust, the legends remain. Plastic Tree, Alice Nine and The GazettE are still active and strong.
I love browsing in the lesser-known boutiques for adorable accessories.
In the Laforet basement level, which holds all the underground fashion, there’s a relatively new accessories shop.
The furry tails and bright hair decorations are much more reasonably priced.
Or you can be creative, and make DIY eyeball ribbons yourself!
Fairy kei remains popular. Are you a fan of the 1980s pastel Barbie youngster style? What’s catching your eye these days?
I have more photos of all these stores and styles in my Tokyo shopping directory.
Lots of big announcements coming up… stay tuned!
Japanese Word of the Day: Hiritsu = Ratio, proportion
Song of the Day: Killing Miranda – Discotheque Necronomicon (“We got the rictus cheekbones / We got the death row moves / Stuck in a retro nightmare / We do the speed freak groove”)
SHARE & COMMENT
Lolita fashion is dead: Decline of Sweet and Gothic Lolitas in Japan, Laforet Harajuku shops.
Let’s touch upon a touchy subject. Gothic and Sweet Lolita fashion is undoubtedly on the decline in Japan — in the sense that fewer Japanese are wearing the style, and it’s not as visible in magazines and media. Sad, but true.
Personally, I’ve been feeling indifferent towards Lolita fashion as of late. Metamorphose’s bonnets and prints are as cute as ever. But the silhouettes, styling, materials… not much has changed in the past decade.
I still find Lolita designs beautiful. But I find more variety — and growth over the years — in other alternative street styles such as punk, electro, fairy kei.
One might say that the static styling — the “variations on a set theme” — are part of the EGL appeal. However, to me (and many Tokyo consumers), it’s not enough to motivate continued purchases. My eyes wander to Hellcatpunk’s leopard prints and polka dots.
Anyone have thoughts about why Lolita fashion is lessening in popularity? Perhaps the fuzzy bunny-girl and Mad Hatter aristocrat styles are not as accessible to customers.
I feel that most Lolita brands haven’t made enormous strides in design and presentation. The Metamorphose dress on the mannequin and cluttered store don’t exactly signal “top of the game.”
The catalogs and styling are also same-old.
On the flip side, I remain impressed with h.NAOTO, who designs in a variety of underground styles. In his Frill collection, he isn’t afraid to take risks with unconventional materials and flourishes. I think he pushes the fashion-forward envelope and succeeds.
I can’t wait for the IBI and Sixh runway show at Anime Matsuri in Houston; as you know, I’ll be a special guest at the anime convention! All information about the March 18-20th event is in this post; I hope you and your friends can make it.
What are your thoughts on the controversial subject of Lolita fashion’s lessening hold in Japan? Are you also a little bored with the recent offerings from the brands? I look forward to your comments; be nice to each other.
All these images were taken in Laforet, the Harajuku department store. To see Lolita fashion and how it changed over the past few years, there are photos from almost all the Tokyo stores in my shop guide.
Bonus: Sebastiano Serafini drew us with my fat Scottish Fold cat! There are more photos of Basil Farrow on his blog, and posted on my Twitter.
Japanese Word of the Day: Gentai = Decline
Song of the Day: Onmyouza – Kureha
LA CARMINA
