Fancy free.
Kiko Mizuhara, from the snidel A/W 2011 mook.
More you might like
Sexy fall coordinates from LIP SERVICE. Fur stoles and short one-pieces are classic brand items, updated with a mix of seasonal trends like plaid and leopard print.
Various pieces can be purchased here.
New coordinates from GILFY. These shots are meant to showcase “set” items you can choose and purchase together here.
Cute and sweet coordinates from LIZ LISA (top) and Rojita (bottom). Various pieces can be purchased here.
Fall arrivals from MA*RS. The popular agejo brand shares the spotlight with, you guessed it—Betty Boop! Various pieces can be purchased here.
EMODA S/S 2012
Ah, EMODA. After a pretty solid showing this past fall, the brand continues their winning streak with this group of offerings for the coming spring. The theme is “mode exotic,” but the most “exotic” thing on the runway might very well be the models’ metallic turbans and silver hair. Much of this collection is built on what EMODA already does well, like sheer fabrics, floral prints, and monotone designs. That hardly makes this a disappointing collection, though. Overall, the end result is polished and elegant. That said, on with the show!
This tapestry-like pattern is a departure from EMODA’s usually bold floral prints.
Simple and sleek style—love it! The pearl wrap is especially eye-catching.
More tapestry patterns. I can see this mixing and matching well with the jacket above.
A truly lovely combo of moire and metallic finishes.
Leather for spring? Bring it on! I love the mash-up of soft lace with tough leather. (Something tells me EMODA opted for faux, though.)
Lots of sheer fabrics—clearly an EMODA signature.
More sheer fabrics. The combination of floral and dots brings an unexpected—but pleasant—dose of sweetness.
A belly baring top paired with flowing palazzo pants gives an ethnic feel.
Collars—either sewn on or detached like the one here—have made a recent splash in gal fashion, so it’s nice to see the trend continue here. EMODA’s embellishment of choice this season? Pearls, of course!
Take note of the makeup, ladies! Always cool cat-eyes are amped up with an intense flash of blue.
Gorgeous combination of textures here. The metallic knit immediately made me think of Roberto Cavalli’s Spring 2011 collection.
Easy look for everyday with a blazer and black body-con dress. Perfection!
And the bold florals return, softened by white under-layers, and again, sheer fabrics.
Layering worked in the above look, but here it just feels fussy. Sorry, EMODA! (The knit pieces are still fab, though.)
A very feminine look, accented by metallic finishes. Those shorts are killer.
Swingy fringe and a cool turban combine for a bit of flapper influence.
What a beautiful piece to close to show with! The white-on-white beading is super-glam but still understated.
What are your thoughts on EMODA’s collection? Be sure to let us know on the forums!
The work of Japan’s most famous fashion designers is being celebrated in a major exhibition at the Barbican gallery in London.
Their designs made an enormous impact on the world fashion scene in the late 20th century.
The event called Future Beauty: 30 years of Japanese fashion looks at how the work of designers such as Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto redefined the very basis of fashion.
Anna Holligan reports.
Comment on this article at HARAJUJU.net Forums | Ask Us | Submit to Our Tumblr
Really great discussion going on at the HARAJUJU forum right now. Member Synthese writes (among a lot of other things):
Firstly, why is being objectified good? Second, why is being lauded for your immaturity and “cute little outfits” also good? And why do labels matter so much? Why are itemized fashions so…idolized? And, despite my stance on clothing as costume, do many of these fashions take this too far? I’m all for dressing like a pirate, or a ninja, or even better, a space cowboy, but at what point are these costumes only that?
Check it out if you’re interested in the darker side of J-fashion.
Japanese Sales Season in Full Swing
Pretty much every store in Japan is having huge sales right now! If you’re having trouble finding stores to shop at, check out our ultimate Japanese fashion store list!
Have any of you bought anything from the widespread Japanese sales yet?
It seems that Rebecca of Tokyo Telephone fame has begun blogging about Japanese fashion on the Brighton Fashion Week blog. In her latest article she dissects the appeal of dolly-kei and the infamous vintage shop Grimoire.
Tokyo too has it’s fair share of vintage sellers and lovers, but what makes the Tokyo vintage experience different is that each shop has it’s own distinct identity and style associated with it. … The Grimoire signature style, often referred to as dolly style or dolly-kei, has become phenomenally popular over the past year. …
I think that’s the real appeal of places like Grimoire, you’re so immersed in the atmosphere of the shop that you’re quite happy to buy into such a wonderful lifestyle.
Grimoire does not make its own clothes, but is rather a curated stock of clothes designed and manufactured by others from all sorts of time periods and places. The collection is curated so well that it gives the impression of Grimoire being a brand in and of itself. It’s a very impressive way of doing business.
It’s a fascinating article and I would encourage all our readers to check it out!
HA·RA·BYE·BYE
Harajuju.net, our online Japanese fashion community, closed its doors today. We will also officially stop updating this Tumblr.
Rather than write a long drawn-out goodbye, I’ll leave you with this note from longtime contributor and friend @vampirefiction, which was posted on the site a day before it went dark.
A Eulogy for Harajuju
I joined Harajuju in 2011, at what was probably the nadir of my fashion existence. I had reached my zenith a few years earlier when I was in Japan living the life, with long chemically straightened hair and ballin’ outfits from h.NAOTO and Black Peace Now. When I got back though, none of that worked in tropical, laid-back Brazil – so I cut my hair, sold most of my wardrobe and was sorta muddling through in dumb polos and clubmasters.
Then I “met” Brad through some comment about cool headphones that looked like they were designed by Gackt. And Brad was insanely cool. Like, I wouldn’t wear any of the crazy patterned Tornado Mart gear he wore, but the way he wore it was inspiring. He was unapologetically feminine and over the top, like I was in Japan, except he did that in ~The West~ and didn’t give a shit. And there was real intelligence and care behind his clothes, which I assume helped him get away with wearing a snakeskin suit in Canada.
So I lurked his forum for a while and thought it was a collection of really charming weirdos, and of course I wanted to join in. Posts were funny and irreverent and people could make fun of themselves and each other without putting anyone down. That intelligence and care in fashion came through in other users too, such as Galism’s constant constructive advice and Retromantique’s passion for Anna Sui and strong encouragement of others. Retro was a show unto herself, an explosion of color and beauty and just brimming with love in everything she did and said. Most of all, though, there was a warmth in Hara that I have yet to find in any other internet community. When I started posting, I got a reception that I don’t think will be beat any time soon.
And that surprised me, in a way, because most of the fashion circles I had seen outside Japan (and participated in) almost always involved a certain meanness. Harajuju was the opposite. It was constantly uplifting and everyone was a pleasure to read.
Very soon the fashion became just one aspect of Harajuju. I looked forward to reading book reviews, movie reviews, updates on life stuff or just banter. In fact mostly banter. From very early on, I think, it felt more like a group of friends hanging out together than an internet space for fashion. In fact the fashion side was always pretty complicated. Turns out it’s hard to give concrete advice – no matter how constructive and clear – than can really help someone across the world figure out what they want to wear and how to wear it. But the contact with cool people that were thinking about and sharing ideas about style in general did help me enormously. I discovered my love of Rick Owens and managed to find a direction I was happy with. I bought skirtshorts from Synthese and they arrived labeled “shorts for my friend”, which I still think was pretty nice.
And I read more, laughed more, thought more – about clothes, about anime and about everything – and met people I would never have met. From ettezuslust with her guns, Sai with her art, Cows with his perfect, toned body, Cielux with his perfect, toned body, G and her infinite advice, Chau and Synth with their writing (which somehow, I think, even helped me write better), Who and his THINKING, not to mention bladequeen Azile, dark empress Rosenrot and Shah, the hierophant. And the couple of times I managed to meet any of you in real life you were even cooler and nicer than on the forums (way nicer in Cows’ case).
So not to let this ramble out of control, I just wanted to leave in writing, on Hara, how cool this has been and how cool everyone here has been and how strange and awesome it is that we all came together, even if only for a while. And that was Brad’s doing. Through his benevolent dictatorship he kept the forum warm yet provocative and I think really set the tone for what we did. His humor was precise, he called out bullshit when it needed to be called out, argued everything with real insight and could spot a good idea or a bad idea faster than anyone else. He proved that you can look cool and not be an asshole, which I genuinely think is an important lesson. Because of him, Harajuju was as varied and exciting as it was, with lolita, mori, menswear, casual, goth etc. all sharing one space. His ability to relate to most styles and most people and to keep it interesting for everyone is probably unique, so we better not forget it. And it didn’t come for free. He put serious time and money into thinking up new designs, new improvements, new ideas that would make this a better experience for us. It may not have exploded into an internet sensation, but I think all of us who were here can agree that he did make it a wonderful experience.
So thanks everyone and, especially, thanks Brad.
Thanks to you too.