Business in the front, beach party in the back! Summer in Japan is so hot and steamy that any hack that still looks office-worthy while cutting down on the unbearable sweatiness is fair game. • If you love to laugh at strange Japanese stuff you’d never see anywhere else…
Tag Archives: Japanese fashion
Jazz Age kimonos to die for
If you’re in Tokyo right now, drop what you’re doing and hightail it to this kimono exhibit at the Yayoi-Yumiji Museum! There are two floors of fabulous 1920s-1950s kimono ensembles on display, each more swoon-worthy than the last. If this museum were a shop, I’d want to buy them ALL! The unifying theme of thisContinueContinue reading “Jazz Age kimonos to die for”
The crazy hair art show
What does a fashion house do when they want to make an upworthy statement that doesn’t stop at the edges of the garment? They hire a hair artist like Katsuya Kamo. Kamo’s creations went so far beyond haircuts… they’re sometimes closer to taxidermy… or sculpture… or masks… or crowns. The “Kamo Head: Katsuya Kamo WorksContinueContinue reading “The crazy hair art show”
Six Surprising Reasons Japanese People Wear Masks, Even When There’s No Pandemic
If you’ve been puzzling over why Japan is such a “mask-wearing society,” it’s not because they’re all super-OCD about germs. Here are six excellent Japanese reasons to wear a mask that have nothing to do with the dread COVID: 1 – You overslept Because if this is your typical morning routine… …you can cut yourContinueContinue reading “Six Surprising Reasons Japanese People Wear Masks, Even When There’s No Pandemic”
Modern Kimonos To Die For: These Designers Are Giving An Old Artform New Edge
Hello, fellow kimono lovers of all shapes, sizes, colors, & geographic persuasions! If you’re like me, and love modern kimono dressing—especially my favorite kimono hime style—you’re in for a treat! Kimono princessing is all about mixing East and West, colors and patterns, styles and eras, and it warmly embraces vintage, second-hand delights as well asContinueContinue reading “Modern Kimonos To Die For: These Designers Are Giving An Old Artform New Edge”
Kawaii Masks
Nyan, nyan, mina-san! Hey, just because we all have to wear masks now doesn’t mean we have to look like grim extras from ER. In Japan, face masks have been a fashion go-to forever, because everyone still wanted to look kawaii while not spreading around their sneezy, cough-y plague-droplets in public. But it wasn’t longContinueContinue reading “Kawaii Masks”
Princess Kimono, Animal Style
The bunnies will be all over you at the rabbit café when you swan in wearing this bun-centric obi. Obscure seasonal references to geese and crows? So tenth century! Leaf viewing and strolling beneath the cherry blossoms? Been there, called it a cab. Let’s strap on our princess kimonos and hit the animal cafés instead! Coming or going, let’s show thoseContinueContinue reading “Princess Kimono, Animal Style”
New Type Kimono: Maximum Princess
So, check out one of my all-time favorite Japanese fashion trends – the Kimono Princess! Your typical Japanese gyaru might be happy to see kimono-wearing go the way of ballroom dancing and tea ceremony, but a growing number of hip young women are adopting the techniques of alt fashion subcultures to breathe new life into old-skool clothes. Kimono hime lovers flaunt convention with a mash-up of vintageContinueContinue reading “New Type Kimono: Maximum Princess”
How To Make A Wickedly Scary Gash On Your Arm In Seven Easy Steps!
Looks totally real, doesn’t it? In fact, it’s the artistry of one of the students at the Amazing School JUR’s special effects table at Design Festa! I opted for the ¥500 standard slasher attack, but you could also sign up for the ¥1000 “X-marks-the-psycho” gashes or a gaping wound that looked like the velociraptors gotContinueContinue reading “How To Make A Wickedly Scary Gash On Your Arm In Seven Easy Steps!”
Sneakers Of Yore
If I were a samurai in the olden days, these would totally be my sneakers of choice for the cherry blossom viewing marathon. I’d stock up on those shoelaces hanging up above too. •
Scary Eyes Made Easy
If you don’t think it’s quite out there enough to have eyes that make you look like a living doll, say hello to this line of definitely unnatural contacts! How about a nice alien look, with Solid White? Or perhaps a touch of psychopath, with Spiral or Manson Red? I saw these for sale atContinueContinue reading “Scary Eyes Made Easy”
Alt Kimono
Give granny a heart attack with a Coming-Of-Age kimono that shows as much leg as your old schoolgirl uniform, bares a shoulder and some black-lace-edged cleavage, or cinches everything together with a corset instead of an obi! Last Sunday was the day all 20-year-olds officially become adults, but not everybody donned traditional maidenly garb toContinueContinue reading “Alt Kimono”
Nyan Gloves
You know you want to get your paws on a pair of these! •
Doll Eyes
100% Japanese? A-yup! I’ve always wondered, how do ordinary 100% Japanese women get that round-eyed babydoll look? Fortunately, Ageha magazine hired a pro makeup artist to spill all the secrets! Here’s where she started: She’s already got a head start on the hair bleaching and eyelid glue, and she’s no stranger to makeup and fakeContinueContinue reading “Doll Eyes”
Instaboobs
No matter how unlucky you were when they were handing out the bodacious ta-tas, in less than five minutes – without any miracle creams, thighmasters-for-the-boobs, or push-up bras – you too can sport some righteous cleavage! All you need is the handy makeup instructions in Gal Mori magazine and a few carefully chosen shades ofContinueContinue reading “Instaboobs”
All Black, All The Time
The first time I explored a Japanese department store, I was excited to see that they had an entire department devoted to clothes in my favorite color: black! Then a Japanese friend explained: it was the mofuku department. Funeralwear. Yes, in the Land of Extreme Specialization, people maintain a whole set of clothes and accessories specifically designedContinueContinue reading “All Black, All The Time”
The Perfect Barbie Wedding
This ain’t no bridesmaid dress – in Japan, brides disappear about halfway through the reception and return in a the princess-y gown of their dreams. After you finally got Kenji to go down on one plastic bendable knee and propose, what could be more perfect than to dress up like Barbie for the wedding? InContinueContinue reading “The Perfect Barbie Wedding”
Hmm, Today I Think I’ll Do A Little Body Piercing…
That’s right, these little beauties are SELF-PIERCERS! How many ways can I say OW?! And even though the “birthstone” earring included suggests they are for 13-year-old girls, the store that sold them in the Magnet by 109 building specialized in jewelry that wasn’t exactly made for earlobes. How do I pierce thee? Let me countContinueContinue reading “Hmm, Today I Think I’ll Do A Little Body Piercing…”
The Hottest New Look In…Aprons?
You’re joking, right? Aprons? Nope, even the venerable Mitsukoshi department store has an extensive apron department. Aprons with ruffles. Aprons with bows. Little black cocktail aprons. But why? It wasn’t until I was invited to a friend’s house for a dinner party that I understood. Japanese entertaining has traditionally been done in restaurants, and it’s only recentlyContinueContinue reading “The Hottest New Look In…Aprons?”
I’ve Always Wanted Red Eyes!
Nothing will provoke lively dinner conversation more than returning to the familial nest for the New Year’s holidays with…red eyes! Or if goat/alien is more your style: yellow! Of course, if either parent is prone to heart attacks, you might want to choose something slightly less alien, like blue or green. As an added bonus,Venus EyesContinueContinue reading “I’ve Always Wanted Red Eyes!”
King Of Tattoo Returns!
I knew studying kanji would come in handy someday! The big character on this gentleman’s neck is the one for “nine” and the ones running down the front are Chinese, not Japanese, but the characters are the ones for “fleeting dreams.” I’m quite sure it’s an idiom rather than something that can be easily translated,ContinueContinue reading “King Of Tattoo Returns!”
The Battle Against Unsightly Tans
Those cute little skirts on the handlebars of this lady’s bike aren’t the equivalent of doilies on armchairs – they’re to keep the sun off the rider’s hands while she bombs down the sidewalks of Tokyo. Even as fall slides into winter here, and long sleeves replace short ones, women are ever-vigilant against becoming <shudder>ContinueContinue reading “The Battle Against Unsightly Tans”
Only In Japan 