About Japanese Fashion

What is Japanese Street Fashion?

Japanese Street Fashion are styles seen worn by young people on the streets of Japan, more commonly in certain parts of Tokyo. The three main styles are Gyaru, Gothic & Lolita, and Decora. All of these styles have roots in older styles that emerged in the 1970's. They offer a weekend escape from the strict conformity enforced by the wearing of school uniforms for Junior High and High School students, and a lifestyle for older teens and twenty-somethings that is outside of normal Japanese society.

How did these trends start?

Gyaru was born as "Kogyaru" in the mid-90's. It is speculated to have roots in the earlier "bad girl" styles such as Sukeban (1960's & 70's) and Lady's (1980's-early 90's). This is speculation, of course, as there are no direct ties other than the desire to break away from traditional Japanese conformity, and the associated "bad girl" image.

Gothic Lolita has its roots in the 1970's postpunk-British music era. From there, the Japanese music scene slowly started to influence the fashion. Early interperations were the Nagomu Gals. Several brands catering to the style emerged in the late 80's and early 90's, such as Milk, Metamorphose, and Emily Temple Cute. In the mid-90's, Goth J-rock band Malice Mizer rose to astounding popularity, and their imagery of a beautiful, dream-like Victorian fantasyworld saw the upswing of Gothic Lolita. The term "Elegant Gothic Lolita" was coined by Malice Mizer's Mana, who opened his own Gothic fashion store in 1999. With the release of the novel, and later film and manga, "Shimotsuma Monogatari" (known as "Kamikaze Girls" in the US), Baby, the Stars Shine Bright founder Novala Takemoto launched Lolita style into blazing popularity. The peak of this style was 2004-2005.

Where do these people hang out?

Different fashionistas hang out in different areas of Tokyo. Gyaru are primarily found in the streets of Shibuya, but also congregate in nearby Ikebukuro. They can also be found at various ParaPara Club events all of over the city, including Roppongi.

Gothic & Lolita are often seen in Daikanyama, an area of the city featuring several Gothic & Lolita stores. They are also part of the crowd that congregates around the Meiji Shrine on Sundays in Harajuku. You will also see Gothic & Lolita of other types, Visual Kei, Cosplay, Decora, Cyber, and others in this popular Sunday meeting spot.

Sanyu Note: Para Para is less popular now, and Lolitas tend to hang out in Yoyogi park nowadays. They can also be found on the bridge in Harajuku, which is popular with Cosplayers too. A thank you to Skye for this updated info.

What is Harajuku?

Harajuku is an area of Tokyo located between Shibuya and Shinjuku. It is internationally known for its street fashion. This area is a thriving fashion district with shops ranging from designer labels to the most unknown underground brands. Gothic and Lolita, Decora, and Visual Kei patrons all gather here, usually on Sunday. Harajuku was globalized when US singer Gwen Stefani penned her song "Harajuku Girls", describing with longing her desire to be as fashionable
as the hip, Japanese youngsters. The inspiration for her first solo album came from her time visiting Tokyo.

Where can I buy these fashions?

Why, right here, of course! SpicyCream features Japanese Street Fashion-inspired clothing in American sizes with considerably lower shipping. We feature several up-and-coming young designers in our store, as well as popular favorites here in the US.

If you are interested in purchasing Japanese brands, proceed with caution. Not all stores will ship outside of Japan. There are shopping services online that will purchase the item for you, and the ship it to you, but we do not endorse any of these. There are also Japanese auction sites like Yahoo! Japan auctions.

Its pretty much a given that the Japanese are funky fashion trendsetters. They’re not afraid to show their individual styles despite its mostly non-conformist trends which can be downright strange at times. This however, is really just seen in the big cities, such as Tokyo’s streets, and nearly always involves teenagers or the young at least.

Japanese children, on the other hand, are always dressed impeccably, in neat little outfits, clean shoes and smart haircuts. And beyond the teen years, the twentysomething set and above win the well-dressed battle hands down compared with their American (or English) counterparts. In Japan you’ll pretty much never see a grungy looking kid with the less-than-respectable and unkempt look of say, Britney Spears (thank goodness!).

Heres some of the favourites:

• Traditional looks mixed with new
  
• Hats of all kinds , also with words on them
• Knee-high platform boots
• Mini cell phone accessories
• Luxe designer labels like Vuitton, Burberry and Gucci
• Umbrellas and plastic raincoats of all colours and sizes
• Pigtails and plaits
• Small bells on the person as jewelry
• Bobby pins of all kinds on coats and jackets
• T-Shirts with English sentences which dont make any sense
• Purple or blue hair (especially on Seniors)
• Nail polish colors are black, pink and orange.
• Long socks of different hues, textures and prints or baggy white socks
• Hello Kitty
• Hair extensions
• Lollipops as accessories
• Other “cute” or “dark” accessories from films like Nightmare before Christmas for instance.