Japanese Fashion
By Thanh Kim Huynh
Fashion is a must-to-be-mentioned in Japanese pop culture due to its tremendous contribution in enabling people showing their individual identity and characteristics, which is a very important part of Japanese pop culture. Appearing to surpass Paris and become the “Fashion Capital“, Japanese pop culture fashion is considered to decide the latest trend for the rest of the world like many websites have praised it so far. Not only is it famous for designer clothes with elegant and charming designs but also does it amaze the world with its street fashion of free style known as the Harajuku style. With its various types from Lolita, Visual Kei, Kawaii to Cosplay, Harajuku is strongly spreading Japanese pop culture with an unbelievable speed.
Harajuku
The name “Harajuku” is originally from a name of a train station in Tokyo where the surroundings’ fashion has evolved vibrantly into a unique culture of wild and innovative style thanks to the cultural mix between the local people and the soldiers from World War II. Nowadays, the area with numerous boutique shops and fashion stores is a place for Japanese youth to express themselves with their new fashion invention on every Sunday, especially at Omotesanto, one of the area’s busiest streets.
Harajuku area with Harajuku style
Source:KYSpeaks
Harajuku is adapted by teenagers and young adults. The principles of Harajuku style are very dynamic yet simple. One just needs to be mix and match everything from designer garments, casual clothes, self-made clothes to used clothes with an accompany of variety of accessories to become a Harajuku girl or boy as long as they can reflect their self-identity through, feel comfortable and confident with their costumes.
Mix and match is Harajuku first principle
Source:KYSpeaks
Lolita
Lolita (link) is a fashion subculture having its clothes based on dress styles of Victoria and the Rocco period. The whole costume includes knee length skirt or dress with a ‘cupcake’ shape assisted by petticoats accompanied by blouses, knee high socks or stockings and headdresses. The very first Lolita fashion brands, such as Angelic Pretty and Pink House, were originated in Japan in the late 1970s before it the trend eventually reached Tokyo and become a booming phenomenon in Japanese pop culture. Since then, the fashion trend has been popularized all over the world with prominent sub styles such as Gothic Lolita, Classic Lolita, Sweet Lolita and many more.
Gothic Lolita style is distinguished by its uses of dark colors in clothing and make-up. Accessories like religious symbols, jewelry with crosses, or scary shapes like coffins or bats also help signal the style.
Gothic Lolita
SOURCE: Wikipeadia
Sweet Lolita style is recognized by the sweet colors, such as pink, peach or Pearl, for make-up and dresses. Costumes of this style are particularly childlike and focus on the fantasy features of Lolita fashion.
Sweet?
Source: wikipeadia
Classic Lolita is Lolita of mature and sophisticated style due to the use of small, charming patterns, more muted colors.
And many more sub Lolita styles, such as Princess Lolita, Ōji Lolita (Boystyle), Sailor Lolita.
Sophisticated?sure^^
Source: wikipeadia
Visual Kei
Visual Kei is the kind of on-stage fashion style originating from musicians, especially rock, and punk artists. They wear weird and eye-catching clothes and make-up while teasing their hair to the point that it amazes the imagination of anyone.
weird? or impressive or....both
Visual Kei with Rainbow color
Kawaii
People follow this style mix and match anything that are perceived as “cute” to form their costumes as “Kawaii” means “Cute” in Japanese. Accessories and clothes with bright and lovely colors are particularly important to create the necessary “cuteness” in this fashion trend.
Source: Harajuku Style
Source: Mooky chick
Cosplay
Cosplay is a combination of “costume” and “role playing”, indicating a fashion style in which people dress up like their favorite characters in mangas-Japanese picture comics, anime- Japanese animation, and games. However, different from some people scared of being criticized, Japanese cosplay without worries and they actually have many areas and festivals in which they can cosplay and show off their loves for their favorite characters.
Source: animania
The world cosplay submit in Nagoya 2007
Japanese Pop Culture 
I’ve always found Japanese fashion quite fascinating particularly cosplay and Harajuku. Certainly their concept of fashion is only limited to their imagination.
yep. i have always loved Japanese manga and anime since I was a teenager. Now that i ve grown up and learn about their fashion, my love for Japan just increase. The country not only offer talented mangakas but also imaginative designers whose dictionaries don’t have such thing call “limit”. Guess what I love most about them, it is they don’t live in their imagination, instead, they bring it to life ;).
Really interesting information! It had not occurred to me that Lolita is influenced by the Victorian era.
I find it really intriguing also that the Cosplay fashion movement is based on dressing up like their favourite fictional characters, because it’s so similar to costume parties in the West.
oh, really, because I think that it is true to say that Lolita fashion look a bit like costumes for tea ceremony in the West yet if you look up on google you will see how diversifying the costumes are and particularly cosplay. I’m just so in love with these cute outfits from my favourite manga characters;).
the concept of mix and match is very much emphasized in Japan too.. anything goes!
Haha, yup, I really adore their bravity cuz i cannot imagine myself in these styles. Guess Japanese have the guts to work hard and play hard 😉
I think Visual Kei has more of emo Gothic style. A lot of Rock bands in Japan who dressed that way are also influenced by them. Their way of expressing themselves is just awesome!
yeah, now that i think about it. Visual Kei does have the look of Gothic with dark color and eccentric costumes. I totally agree with you about how impressive their looks are cuz they will definitely help the rockers express their styles and mood on the stage.