[merylsilverburg]

Yatta! I'm so happy this thread was created! I've been so interested in Japanese fashion for a long time (since 1999) and I thought creating a thread like this wouldn't be popular. But I'm glad you did, Hylas thank you! ^__^

Originally posted by Hylas

Lately I've been looking at photos from some japanese site and magazine (like Fruits, I don't know if somebody ever buys it around here), and at first I found the fashion taste of the young people a little weird, then I started to like it more, because it's very creative and everybody seems to be concerned to look unique.

I used to get the "Fruits" magazine, but at the bookstore I go to, they don't supply it anymore because it's not very popular. And my thoughts were the same as yours; I thought the fashion was a little weird but then I really started getting into it and ever since, I've been wearing Japanese clothing and mix-matching my Western clothes similar to their style.
However, as much as the Japanese kids there really try to be unique as possible, but they do copy their fashions from a lot of European countries, especially the UK. They have an obsession with the English, so that's why the Japanese try to copy off of the "London street-style". But, this isn't to say the Japanese teens don't create their own or aren't unique.

The way they mix styles and accessories is fantabulous! Lots of colors, lots of diy outfits. Isn't this kinda strange for a country with so strong traditions (they still wear kimonos now and then, after all...). Apparently it is, but they are very good at blending these traditions with the newest trends, also taken from anime and videogames.

I would agree with you that it's strange for such a traditional country to have such outrageous clothing, but because they are Asians, we Asians have our own little obsession with clothing and try to wear the most bizarre things (believe me, the Japanese have their own clothing style, the Taiwanese have their own style which I think is incredibly stupid, the Chinese have their own, the Koreans, etc.). The Japanese teens there do wear kimono on special occasions of course, but there are special cases where the kimono are torn up, stitched together with new patterns, etc. and this comes along with the Gothloli (Gothic Lolita) style you mention below.

Actually, in cases like for example the ones of gothic lolitas or such things, we have people dressing up as if they really were characters of a fantasy world. No wonder visual kei bands are so popular there.

Exactly! The whole Gothloli thing is incredibly popular in Japan and I think it's gorgeous! I'm absolutely adoring it! Actually, as you mentioned with the Visual Kei bands, Mana from Malice Mizer was the first to start off the Gothic trend of EGA (Elegant Gothic Aristocrat). After that, everyone started going crazy for it. Oh, you wouldn't believe how many categories there are of the Gothic and Lolita. There's: EGA, EGL (Elegant Gothic Lolita), Country/Prairie Lolita, Classic Lolita, Black Lolita, Erotic Lolita, Punk Lolita and a few more. These people would dress up in their Gothic or Lolita costume and a large percent of these people live in Tokyo, in the Harajuku district. On Sundays, they would go to the park and just stand there posing for pictures and being pretty. I know it may sound a bit weird, but I think it's very cool. The sad thing about the whole Gothloli thing is that a lot of the costumes can be bought or there are magazines that teach you how to create your own corsets, blouses, capes, etc. So, in a way there are only a few people who actually create their own costumes, but most of them are store-bought. However, these costumes, bags, shoes, hats, etc. are extremely pricey...an arm and a leg, if you know what I mean. The most popular Gothloli stores are "Baby, the Stars Shine Bright", "Metamorphose Temps de Filles", "h.NAOTO", "AtelierBOZ", "Union Jack", "Victorian Maiden", "Black Peace Now", "Moi Meme Moiti" (Mana's brand), and "alice auaa". The clothes usually are around $200 (cheapest) and up. Very pricey...the bags and hats are a little cheaper (around $30) and the shoes are around $80-$100. They have online sites, but most of them are in Japanese, except for "Baby the Stars Shine Bright" (BSSB) and "Metamorhpose" (Metamorphose). There are even wigs (I haven't found any sites though) for sale around $100. Hylas, if you're interested in looking at the Gothloli stuff, I suggest you get the "Gothic Lolita Bible" magazine. There are tons of images, clothing, people, decorations, etc. And very beautiful artwork by Mitsukaz, Mihara.

What kind of sources do you have to keep yourself updated? I'd like to read opinions

Well, as I mentioned, I enjoy reading the "Gothic Lolita Bible" as well as these other fashion mags: "Zipper", "Olive", "Spring", and "Mini". There are tons of other magazines, but these are my favorites and they aren't as messy (like "Can Can" or "NONO"...*shudders*).
The Japanese fashion style really isn't such a surprise but at the same time it is. A lot of the styles for older women are similar to those of other Asian countries I mentioned earlier. A lot of Taiwanese, Japanese, and Koreans are obsessed (and I do mean obsessed) with designer brands and basically if you carry a designer brand bag, you're basically "in trend". That's why a lot of Asians mix and match and create their own styles so fast...a lot of trends come and go so quickly that they're running out of ideas. Seriously, it's really annoying especially the Taiwanese, but I won't get into that unless someone wants to hear it.

EDIT: Also, if anyone wants to hear about the whole Gothloli thing, I would be glad to explain it if anyone's confused. A lot of people tend to mistaken the Japanese Lolita trend with the famous book/film "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. They're no way related. I don't know much and I would also love to hear more about this if anyone knows about it as well!