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Visual Kei: A fashion? Print E-mail
Blogs - Fashion Blog
Monday, 14 December 2009 11:06
Common Misconceptions of Visual Kei

Something that all jrock fans can agree on is that most jrock fans are usually fans of visual kei artists, and because the visual kei artists seem to have the larger fandom (or at least the most active and/or vocal fandom), jrock is usually assumed to be one and the same as visual kei, which naturally is not the case.

Of the fans who enjoy artists of the visual kind, many, if not most, want to emulate said artists' style, whether it be by cosplay or by wearing clothing similar to their costumes.  It seems that most forget the simple fact that what visual kei artists usually wear on stage are costumes, not a fashion, and the costumes themselves are always influenced by at least one genre of fashion.

Let us look at an example:  Versailles is one of the most popular visual kei bands currently active.  If a fan were to wear, say, HIZAKI's costume, unless they are a follower of Baroque fashion and dressed like that everyday, they would be cosplaying.

That is an obvious, over-the-top case.  Let us take a look at a band with a style that has daily wear worth:  An Cafe.  An Cafe is probably the most well-known oshare kei band in visual kei history.  If one were to wear something that Miku wears onstage, they would not be wearing visual kei, they would be wearing clothes in the Japanese punk genre with some kawaii thrown in there.

How about something a little darker?  If one were to mimic ZERO or Karyu from D'espairsRay, they would be wearing regular everyday trend clothes with a taste of neo-goth, grunge, and punk.

The same thing goes for hair and makeup.  Many jrock artists have common haircuts, or at least common in East Asian countries, that can lean on the rock/punk side but nonetheless are seen by the general public as just another stylish 'do.  An example for this would be Alice Nine.  No crazy mile high teased hair, no wild colors, just simple cuts with a bit of styling. 

Other artists are on the glamorous side and can trace their roots (no pun intended) to glam and/or punk rock.  Mana is a very good example of this.  A lot of his fans affectionately call his Moi dix Mois hairstyle "palm tree hair".

As for makeup, many of the more well-known artists have let go of their traditional detailed, full-face masks and have come to adopt a simpler look that consists of the basics:  foundation, eyeliner, and eyeshadow.  Nothing particularly unique about that.

Visual kei means different things to different people, but no one can argue that at its core it involves incorporating a multitude of visual mediums into rock.  The mediums range from clothes, makeup, and hair, to stage sets, lighting, and pyrotechnics.  Thus the statement "I want to dress visual kei" really makes no sense.  If a fan wants to wear what their favorite artists wear, they should dabble in the different fashions the artists themselves dress in, whether it be goth, lolita, hip-hop, prep, etc.

It is difficult to explain any further without going into a detailed history of visual kei, but unless we want to publish an encyclopedia we'll have to simply state here that visual kei is not a fashion.  When was the last time a visual kei artist walked around on the street in a PVC corset, short-shorts, and thigh high platform boots?  Unless, of course, they were a follower of fetish fashion.

If one must call visual kei something, call it a style.  Hime gyaru is a fashion.  Cyber is a fashion  Visual kei?  Not so much.
 
Gothic & Lolita Bible Vol. 34 and KERA Sep 09 Issue Print E-mail
Blogs - Fashion Blog
Saturday, 12 September 2009 11:17


The latest volume of Gothic & Lolita Bible came out recently, so here I am to share some of it with you!  As we can see, the theme of this volume is dolls.


Ryuutarou (Plastic Tree) modeling in a BLACK PEACE NOW ad

The usual poem from Arika Takarano (ALI Project)

A feature on Victorian Maiden items as presents for the readers

Models Misako Aoki and Midori sharing their trip to Paris

The usual catalogue of the new season's items from the various brands

Dolls by Koi Tsuki Hime and their fashion by gothic brand alice auaa

Doll making with Kokushoku Sumire

Japan meets Spain!

Recipes for horror themed treats

Mana in Fall 2009 Moi-même-Moitié

Harajuku street snap

And we also have the latest issue of KERA!

This issue's main feature is items that can be worn both in the summer and the fall

Must-haves from brand ALGONQUINS

Miku (An Cafe) showing off his galaxxxy t-shirt in the summer and fall

Gou (Megamasso) in his GLAD NEWS pants

Takeru (SuG) coordinating with his G2? tank top

Do-it-yourself crazy accessories

More of Miku, this time shootin' some hoops

Hair tutorials

Harajuku street snap with Sachi (Kokushoku Sumire) on the left

KERA models sharing scary stories

Special interview with the GazettE

Ryuji (ZORO) decked out in yukata

Sapporo people are fashionable too!

People in various styles in Harajuku, including SiSeN outside of the Takuya Angel shop

A MUCC live report, a short interview with ViViD, and a conversation with model Midori and Kanon Wakeshima

A walkthrough of An Cafe's '夏恋★夏GAME' (Natsu Koi★Natsu GAME) PV


Share your thoughts on these magazines!


All pictures by Krystal
 
NEW PEOPLE to Open in San Francisco Print E-mail
Blogs - Fashion Blog
Sunday, 26 July 2009 16:40

People in the San Francisco area can look forward to a new addition to Japantown this August 15th!  NEW PEOPLE is a building dedicated to Japanese pop culture including movies, food, art, and namely fashion!  Well known gothic, lolita, and punk brands BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT, ALICE AND THE PIRATES, BLACK PEACE NOW, and PEACE NOW will be opening their first U.S. flagship shops in NEW PEOPLE as well as 6%DOKIDOKI for those who want the cute and colorful fashions you can find in Harajuku and SOU・SOU will be providing traditional Japanese style shoes with a modern twist.

The J-Pop Summit Festival will be happening the same day so check it out if you can and share the experience with us!
 
Kanon Wakeshima at Royal/T Print E-mail
Blogs - Staff Blog
Sunday, 26 July 2009 15:28

Last Tuesday, Kanon Wakeshima had an in-store performance at Royal/T in Culver City, CA!  Yours truly attended the event:

Kanon's performance started around the planned time of 6:30pm and she played a short set list mixed with short MCs in English and a little Japanese:

1. still doll

2. 砂のお城 (Suna no O-shiro)

3. 真紅のフェータリズム (Shinku no Fatarhythm)

4. L'espoir ～魔法の赤い糸～ (~Mahou no Akai Ito~)

5. skip turn step♪

Shortly after the show the cellist-singer signed autographs for all the fans that waited in line with merchandise in hand after which she bid her goodbye to everyone in the room and made her exit.

Kanon is just as cute in person and a lovely performer and we look forward to seeing her again here in Southern California!
 
Anime Expo 2009 Part 4 Print E-mail
Blogs - Staff Blog
Saturday, 25 July 2009 06:06

Here's Part 4!  We'd like to thank everyone who came to see us this year, we had a blast and we hope to see everyone again next year!

 
 
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