BABYMETAL USA TOUR!!!

If you all have not heard then your hearing it now. BABYMETAL is touring the United States for their 2016 tour. Tour Schedule

h.NAOTO Closing All Stores in Japan – Brand Will Remain Active Online

Posted on July 13, 2016 in: Features, Tokyo Fashion News

Naoto Hirooka, the founder of influential Japanese subculture fashion brand h.NAOTO, has announced that the brand will close all of its brick and mortar stores in Japan by the end of August. The brand – which closed its flagship Harajuku boutique last year – will remain active through its online store and social media.

Here is the full statement from Naoto Hirooka (translated into English by us):

h.NAOTO Stores – Store Closing Notice

Dear customers: I’d like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for making use of the h.NAOTO stores.

However, effective July 31st, 2016, the h.NAOTO Shinjuku Marui Annex and the h.NAOTO Laforet Shinjuku stores will be closing.

My deepest thanks go out to the many people who have made h.NAOTO one of Tokyo’s major stores since our debut.

In addition, our flagship store in Kansai, h.NAOTO+ in Osaka will be ceasing operations as of August 28th, 2016 (Monday). It should be noted that starting July 10th (Sunday) and continuing until closing, the store will only be open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for operational reasons.

It is with deep regret that I’ve decided to cease operations for these stores in anticipation of future trends, sales figures heading into the fall, and concern for the brand. I’m really sorry for any inconvenience this causes our customers, but I hope you understand.

After these stores are closed, the sale of h.NAOTO, Sixh., and GRAMM products will be consolidated in my online store, where I hope I can rely on your continued patronage.

Out of gratitude for years of support, I’ve organized store closing sales and other events. Since our staff members will be moving on to other things, it’s a good idea to take this opportunity to drop in and say hello. I hope you can come and enjoy yourselves before the stores close.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all. With grateful humility,

Managing Director Naoto Hirooka

 h.NAOTO is popular in a number of Japanese fashion subcultures including Gothic and Lolita, Punk, Visual Kei, and Steam Punk. The brand was founded in 1999 Naoto Hirooka and has been influential on younger Japanese designers as well as in the street fashion scene.

The brand’s store closings are the latest signs of the accelerating decline of Japanese fashion subcultures in a world where fast fashion and social media drive trends worldwide.

Follow h.NAOTO on Twitter and Instagram for updates on the situation

Sources: Tokyo Fashion News

BABYMETAL Meets Vogue

Hello World, before I begin with this post I would just like to say thank you all for visiting my blog. It means a lot. A big shout out to Brazil  Olá. Anyway, lets talk about lolita fashion and music. The Japanese rock band BABYMETAL. You may have heard of them, three adorable girls ranging from the age of  16 to 18. They consisted of three vocalist Su-metal (Suzuka Nakamoto), Yui-metal (Yui Mizuno), and Moa-metal (Moa kikuchi) and the awesome Kami Band.  They have become so populary that everytime I try and get tickets they are always sold out. BABYMETAL has even had in impacted on the fashion world. Now you know when your in the Vogue fashion magazine that you have hit it big.  Here is the article:

VOGUE MAGAZINE ARTICLE:
By now, you know Babymetal—or at least, you’ve heard of them. A trio of Japanese schoolgirls who sing and dance wildly to heavy metal, Babymetal is the brainchild of a Tokyo studio exec, inspired by dynamic film heroines such as Hit-Girl fromKick-Ass and Hayao Miyazaki’s wind-rider Nausicaä. Call it the million-dollar idea—one that drew me and a crowd of shirtless headbangers to a sold-out show at a Times Square theater last month, where we stood transfixed by the frenetic spins, pulse-racing guitar, and hypnotic hand gestures.

Much fuss has already been made over Babymetal, who kick off the European leg of their tour this week, and their “kawaii-metal” sound. But I’ve arrived at a studio downtown to talk to band members Moa “Moametal” Kikuchi, 16; Yui “Yuimetal” Mizuno, 16; and Suzuka “Sumetal” Nakamoto, 18, about the other half of the equation: their idiosyncratic performance style. “You haven’t seen any other artists who sing metal while wearing such cute dresses!” Nakamoto tells me, waving toward the pleather peplum at her waist with a chiffon bishop sleeve. No argument there.

Peering closely at the elaborate handiwork, the group’s reference points rise to the surface: a chrome-colored knit woven into each black tulle skirt is a playful nod to Metallica that catches the stage light; a silver snakeskin-stamped breastplate recalls the medieval chain mail of Joan of Arc and pairs well with a gothic floor-grazing cloak. “It also looks like fish scales!” Kikuchi says. “I like that.” Above all, the costumes are infused with Japanese culture—a cropped silk kimono with a white wood kitsune mask honors the folkloric fox demon. Then there are traces of Gothic Lolita—Tokyo’s iconic street style subculture—spliced into the fuwa fuwatulle skirts, the Victorian ruffled collars.

Therein lies the secret: At its core, Babymetal is a wholly Japanese phenomenon, a genuine cultural export. Where else but in Japan would the worlds of shredding guitar solos and doll-like dressing so perfectly collide? As Nakamoto tells it, the band has a secondary mission beyond music—that through their clothing, fans around the world might come to love the country’s one-of-a-kind style. “That’s what makes Babymetal special—not only the music, but the fashion,” she says.

Which brings us to Harajuku, the birthplace of Gothic Lolita, where in their spare time, the girls wind their way along Takeshita Street, flipping through racks of tulle skirts with fresh crepes in hand, searching for inspiration. New to the neighborhood is a heavy metal tee shop; they’ll pop by to check if Babymetal shirts are in stock (not yet) and to look for Metallica, their favorite band. I ask if Metallica might be their next muse—blended together with Lolita clothes—and a collective whoa grips them. “It’s our fantasy to dress like them!” Mizuno says. “In the future, one day down the road,” Nakamoto adds. We can’t wait.

 soures: Vogue Magazine  

The "40 Years Of Goth" Video is a spookily Perfect Representation of Goth's Fashion Evolution

Canadian filmmaker and heavy metal guru Liisa Ladouceur literally wrote the book on goth (The Encyclopedia Gothica) back in 2011. While she's been busy since them working as a writer, poet, speaker, and producer at Banger Films, her latest project shows that the poisoned apple doesn't fall far from the old oak tree. "40 Years of Goth Fashion" is a playful riff on those beauty history videos you've seen all over Youtube (with a much darker edge) that takes the viewer on a frightful ride through goth's many shades of black.

We're premiering the video—which cycles through 40 years of spooky looks in under four minutes—below, and caught up with Ladouceur to find out more about goth music, goth fashion, and what goth even means anymore in the age of Etsy witches.

Read More: Noisey.vice.com  

Why?

A Japanese Fashion you Didn’t Know

You probably know everything about pastel goth because it has been trending for quite a while now. But do you know where it has its roots? Do you know that American and European pastel goths should probably give some credits to Japan? Fairy kei, meaning fairy style, is a popular Japanese street fashion trend and it has been around for years now. It’s centers around pastels, fluo colors, and 80s inspired fashion. Prints are for the vast majority cartoons from the 80s and the 90s, like My Little Pony, Care Bears and Rainbow Brite. It’s a street style, born on the streets and later spread all over shops and even the world. It seems like the first fairy kei is Tabuchi Sayuri, founder of the brand SPANK!. With her colorful and childish style she gave life to this new trend, now that’s what a trend setter is!

Fairy kei is a feminine and colorful style, with a little if no structure at all, with A-line skirts and dresses. Sweaters and oversized t-shirts are largely common in this style, and shapes are not really body-flattering (puffy bloomers, colored petticoats, layers). Loose t-shirts and dresses, decorative patterns mixed with 80s colors, quirky accessories, and sweatshirts: this is what fairy kei is. Colour is the key in all fairy kei looks. There’s little room for black clothes, everything must be colorful. The more colors the better, the more accessories the better. Fairy kei is the opposite of minimal or nu-goth if you want to think about it in these terms. Popular colors are mint, seafoam, lavender, pink, electric blue and lime green. Patterns and themes also rule the fairy kei world: unicorns, kittens, stars, moons, rainbows, sweets, cupcakes, cotton candy, hearts and so on. This style is also based on DIY a lot. Being the brain child of one quirky girl, it has started on the street and that’s where it continues to evolve. If you want to get the fairy kei style you’d better start rummaging markets, thrift stores, and vintage shops. Many fairy kei brands are vintage or re-purposed vintage brands, like Ticket to Darling. You can obviously purchase new items and it’s fairly easy to do so. The style has become more popular and thanks to pastel goth you can now find a lot of pastel and neon pastel items in shops and online. When it comes to shoes and accessories you have to buy new items. The most popular shoe styles for fairy kei are sneakers, boots and sometimes boots similar to UGGs in shape. High heels are used as well, like cute shiny pink platform mary janes, or shoes that you could also see on a sweet lolita. Purses and bags are of many types, there aren’t many rules in fairy kei style. Shaped purses, plush purses, vintage lunch boxes and cute backpacks are all on the table. Pick your favorite style as long as it matches the general “rules” of pastel and cuteness. Other pretty common accessories are tights and legwarmers. Patterns are always rainbows, kittens, stars and cutesy imagery, colors are pastels of course. Legwarmers are soft, droppy and usually fluffy, like the ones you can find in dance supply shops (or specific fairy kei brands of course.) What about hair and makeup? Hair styles are typically dyed in pastel colors like pink, lavender and green, and they are styled in cute ponytails, buns and locks. Bangs are very popular too, adding to the general cuteness of the whole look. Wigs are also a popular item because in Japan you won’t be allowed to work anywhere with purple hair. Extensions are common for the very same reason. Makeup is not a big deal in this style. You’ll maybe want to go for pastel lipgloss and an eye makeup that will make your eyes look bigger. So lots of mascara, light eyeshadow and a thin line of eyeliner works best. Do you like fairy kei? Would you like to know more about it, perhaps through a video tutorial? Let us know in the comments below. Photo credits: Pinterest.com

Sources: Rebel Circus.com

It’s far more than just wearing a pretty dress: inside the secret world of Lolitas

"When I wear Lolita I feel more feminine than I usually do; and it’s like armour in a way. It just gives you a feeling of confidence.”

Lotti is a freelance writer. She’s one of a growing number of Australians who are exploring the Japanese subculture of Lolita; adults dressing like dolls. She’s been dressing this way for years.

The style was born in the Harajuku district of Tokyo, an epicenter of fashion subculture. Some liken Lolita's to real life Barbies; others say they take inspiration from vintage Victorian-era dolls. More than just an alternative fashion and not just cosplay, the signature Lolita look is hard to miss: big banana curl wigs, porcelain white skin, eye enlarging make-up and cupcake clad dresses. There are also subsects of gothic, classic and sweet styles. 

They’re often described as living dolls, a title which most Lolitas prefer to avoid. Read More: Secret World of Lolitas

"Guys are going to shout some kind of sexual innuendo or something highly inappropriate so you just want to avoid that situation all together."