Photo: Hiroki Blue

High street Swedish giant H&M created a retail frenzy in Tokyo this November, despite economic woes. The news reported insane queues and disappointed shoppers who couldn’t find their sizes despite waiting for hours.

Photo: kuschti

The lines at the Ginza store looked scary, so I decided to wait till the hype died down a little.

Photo: Guy Flaneur

But there were more crowds at the second opening in Harajuku – check out a short video about it here. Some of my fashionista friends went crazy over the Comme de Garcons/H&M collection and were determined to get at least one piece. Apparently, they look a lot more wearable than the ads make them out to be.

Photo: tokyofashion

It takes about an hour and a half to try something on in the dressing room and another hour or so to pay for your goodies, so a trip to H&M would be a whole-day affair.

Does this sound familiar? Krispy Kreme gave birth to impossibly long queues for their fabled double-glazed donuts — for a year.

Photo: joellymo

Anyway, this is indeed a breath of fresh air in the fashion scene and would make staples, like Zara, Gap, Uniqlo, sweat under the collar a bit.

I wrote about "Men’s is the best copy". I think this is related to the "Choiwaru Oyaji" trend.  "Choiwaru Oyaji" means a little bit bad middle-aged men.  The magazine LEON coined the term. LEON says "enjoy fashion, enjoy life more" to middle-aged Japanese guys.  This is an interesting article, Chic and pushing 60, the salaryman discovers fashion about the Choiwaru Oyaji trend.  It’s a really hot topic in Japan.  Well, do I feel middle-aged guys are getting fashionable? Hmmm, maybe…maybe a little bit.  But they can’t begin to compete with Italian guys. (they talk about Choiwaru too)

Of course, I welcome this trend.  It is very boring to see nothing but grey suits.  But how can I say it…middle-aged men seem to be confused, too.  When I check on-line shops using the keyword "Choiwaru," they show pages like  this or this.   Hmm. The suits? (forget it) The leather pants? (it would be very hard to find a guy who could wear these well)  The snakeskin wallet? (too much)  The fat-burning tablets? (this one should be a priority)  I laughed so much seeing this. Guess what?! It is just mint candy. Their philosophy is "Mirrorno… it’s the essence of blissfulness" and "let’s make it stylish". Stop so exaggerating. Relax.

Fashion changes quickly, but fashion sense doesn’t.  Guys need to develop more discriminating tastes :-)  I have to laugh seeing a guy having such an overzealous mint.

Just When You Thought it Was Safe to Go Back Into the Water.

They are back! You smell them before you see them: Ganguro girls. Is anyone else seeing a ganguro resurgence in their neighborhood? I saw a horde of them at Fussa station this evening. It was scary.

Gone too far?? I am inclined to think so… but then, what do I know? I value your opinion more… what do you think?

The other weekend when I was walking a back street route from Akihabara to Ueno I happened across this “maid hairdressers”… I wish I knew more about it… am I paying a lot more to have my haircut by a stylist in a maids uniform? Has anyone out there ever been?

Starting July 1st, many of the fashion departments started summer sales !!!!
Most of the departments continue for five days till July 5th with some exceptions.

Shibuya 109 is also the same.
109 is having a sale starting July 1st for five days.
109 is one of the most famoust fashion building that attracts many girls ( and some boys who like to go there and check out those fashionable ladies !!!).
The entire building is filled with the popular brands that attracts girls who have wide range of tastes in clothing.
They have two sales in a year, this summer sale and the one in winter.

Don`t miss out the sales, but don`t forget to calculate your spending,
becasue you can so easily over spend at 109 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best selling mask:

1. Spiderman


2. Densuke


3. Beer man


Well, there are best selling mask on amazon.co.jp I guess I have seen someone wearing Spiderman mask on Halloween but, never seen anyone wearing neither of latter two.
But those are best sellers, I guess some people around me are supposed to own one or two. If you have it, let me know. and let me see you are actually wearing.


The best selling costume:

1. Japanese style maid


2. Kitty maid


3. Shaman


Okay well, I think I like #1. But I cant see where to go in this outfit. Seems Many people (especially teenagers) buying those costumes but where do they go in them? Harajuku??? Akihabara??? Or do they need for some other purpose? Isnt it little too kinky for teenage girls? No??? Am I too conservative old woman? But I LOVE costumes. Give me a chance to wear costume!

I wrote a blog on Louis Vuitton Fashion show that took place on the 7th of June the other day.
This is the second blog with a different picture.

The building above is where the fashion show took place.
I have no idea how many people were involved in this show,
but it was just unbelivable!
The building was created only for this occasion and it was massive !!!

The lighting inside the building changed in several colors and the plates of food I catered were something I have never seen….. I saw too many celebreties that it was so hard to focus my view point !!

Ai Tominaga was the only Japanese model who walked the cat-walk that night.
I saw her and she was really beauitful.
She had something that all other Japanese models don`t have.

Unfortunately, roller skater girls were a suprise of the night,
so I don`t have any access to the clothes that the models wore that night.
We even needed to return the costumes…. so I am sorry to inform
but I cannot give any info on where to get the pants, tops or whatever the
models wore that night.

View image

For the first time outside of France, Louis Vuitton did an outside special fashion show in Shinkiba on June 7th, 2006. It was just an amazing fashion show with all Japanese and international celebreties filled in a big building that was created only for this occasion.

How could I be a part of this amazing fashion show !?
I was a roller skater waitress there. For this fashion show, I practiced roller skating on almost every single day for the past two weeks. Although my skating skill was just avarage on the day of audition, it has improved so much by the time of the fashion show.

The pictures I posted are all the girls from the fashion show, and the back of the costume. There are 25 of us.
The theme was the 80s disco, so we all wore Louis Vitton tops with gold leg warmers.
You may not be able to see, but we had heavy golden colored eye make-up and gold body glitter!!!

We only served for one and half hours.
Louis Vuitton wanted the roller girls to be a surprise, so it was so crazy when we entered.
It was directly after the fashion show and there are all Japanese celebreties filling the entire building.
I waitressed a lot in the VIP. I cannot count how many famous Japanese and international models there,
as well as Japanese singers, actors, actresses having so much fun.

It was just an amazing night with full of surprises.
I just started seriously roller skate, but I am already really crazy about it.
I hope to continue skating with learning some dance moves to become
a roller skate dancer !!

So, I went out with this guy last night and we were talking about Japanese lingerie.
It was so funny, cuz he felt exactly how I have been thinking about Japanese lingerie.
I mean, he cannot wear them, so just how they look etc….

So, I had lived outside of Japan eight to nine years, so almost all my lingries are non-Japanese.
Coming back to Japan, I was so suprised to see the design and colors here.
I like sexy and useful bras, not too decorative ones that would annoy wearing them.

I work as a dance instructor, thus wearing bras with big lacy flowers and whatever are so not ideal.
Japanese lingerie are too decorative and have heavy paddings !!!
To me, they make my boobs squashed and I don`t feel great.
I have a favorite brand = Victoriasecret.
They make my boobs look great and they are very comfortable to wear.
Victoriasecret isn`t so common in Japan….
people know it, but buy online… I wish we can access to it more easily…..

AND…. I like V-Strings and thongs………. but Japanese thongs are limited in kinds
and often very expensive….. again cuz of my job, I hate the lines created by
regular style panties. Moreover, I think thongs are sexier and I feel more comfortable….

Maybe I just need to create my own brands,
cuz it seems very hard to buy just right items in Japan !!!

I’m showing off and lecturing with my kimono. :P
Please cleck here if you like.