Puffy

Man, halloween can be a stumper. I have a lot of awesome ideas, but am limited due to a combo of laziness and budget. A few of my ideas though rely on the "hair" being the main selling point of the costume, like an ice cream cone or dandelion. In the process of researching, I rediscovered the Spring '08 show from japanese designer mercibeaucoup, where models donned puffy pastel hairpieces in shapes like bows, stars, and bunny ears. I'm definitely inspired.. whether or not that will motivate me to go all Edward Scissorhands on a wig is yet to be seen!










via here and here

Still an animal

Here's your January dose of Japanese crazy, this time from Tokyo-bred label BANZAI. A giant stuffed tiger got it on with a jacket...while a matador watched. I like that the tiger looks to be a backpack at first glance, but is really attached to your back. Interested? The jacket is only available at Ilil in Tokyo right now, but its designer, Yoruko Banzai, promises he is "roaring towards large projects" in the near future so watch this man's blog!

Jurassic

We all have our "style icons" out there, some of whom we may stalk on the daily...don't lie, you read Fuck Yeah Mary-Kate Ashley too. On the opposite end of the spectrum is a familiar face on the Tokyo scene, Mademoiselle Yulia, who I have been following for the past few years because, well, she rules at life. The girl is a DJ, singer, and designs an accessory label called GIZA that blows me away. Yulia OWNS her style...it's hard to sum it up, but she's big into Jeremy Scott, short shorts and blue hair. If you look at any recent pictures of her, she can probably be seen sporting the collection she recently collaborated with LA-based Joyrich on, which is due out real soon. Joyrich x Giza is the perfect marriage: it's got classic pieces like tanks, shorts, and motorcycle jackets, all decked out in prints like dinosaurs and wrenches. I mean!!??











In November, a club in Taiwan played host to a party celebrating the collaboration. Of course Yulia was behind the decks! She even arrived in a Lambo.. now that's the life.

images via Cadmus Family here and here

Your FACE

So there's this somewhat obscure Japanese label called Facetasm...maybe you've heard of them? Maybe you also agree that it's a genius name for a clothing label! I mean, DAMN. So prepare for multiple facetasms when you feast your eyes on some of their latest and greatest...









So yeah, it's basically a printSPLOSION of wonderful proportions. To top it off, they did these fantastic down mufflers for the chilly season that are so crucial. I really can't get over the Last Supper one...anything that can simultaneously delight and offend is a sure winner.







Ironically, I found the muffler images on an e-store called DeepInsideinc. WOW.

Grandma gone wild

Do I get an award for the most zany knit find of the season? If so, I will gladly accept the find itself: this crazy cardigan by Japanese brand Hiro. It's available at this shop in Tokyo called Acycle which I stopped by this past spring when I was there- only a few doors down from the new Mishka store. As far as "streetwear" goes, it has one of the best and most interesting selections I've seen worldwide, clearly illustrated by this gem!

Throwback

There's a handful of designers I carefully watch on ebay for rare and amazing stuff that pops up from time to time. Take Japanese iconic designer Issey Miyake for example. If you are into his vintage creations or 80s graphics in general, these sweatshirts might interest you. They were never available for purchase (talk about limited!), but instead were made for the staff that worked the mens collections in Paris each season. Some have portraits of Issey and others have dates indicating the season..definitely a great collector's item if you are into this sort of thing (too bad bidding is now over)!

I can't feel my face

Yeah here we go....more face-melting photo prints! Marios AW10 DELIVERS the visuals and I want to reach my hand through the screen and touch that cream fabric too! The Duomo Showroom blog promises the webshop will be coming back in the near future too so hopefully we'll be able to get some of this gear outside Japan. Cross your fingers and your toes. (Until then, if you live in the UK or in Europe, you can score some Marios as part of Topshop's Emerge collection)

Time to go

I dream of owning a Zucca watch one day. For those not familiar, Zucca (the Japanese clothing label designed by Akira Onozuka) started making watches under the name CABANE de ZUCCa in 1996 with reputable watch company Seiko. I recently went digging through their archives to pick out my favorites which was not an easy task! If you appreciate good branding and clever design, I definitely recommend checking out all the fantastic packaging too, which is pictured on the site with each watch.







I gotta say the alligator watch from the '98 Safari Zoo collection trumps them all!

Juvenile Hall Rollcall

The name of this Japanese label kind of says it all. You got a bit of delinquent in you that you don't care to shake off anytime soon? Let these clothes do some of the talking..maybe it will help keep you out of trouble. Bones, studs, denim, plaid, SHARKS. Geeze, it might all sound cliché but it's completely fresh and I'm so into it for fall!









images via Change Fashion

Eat it

Dropsnap™ is now Droptokyo™ and they recently got a little makeover too. I'm kinda freakin out over this chick's steez: Jeremy Scott tee, CDG red body piece, Demeulemeester shoes, Margiela bag, and whatever that square bangle is, I NEED IT. Pureness.

Curry

So I've been casually looking for a certain type of bag for awhile now- like specifically one that I can easily wear on my bike (adjustable shoulder strap) and on the street, AND perhaps big enough to adapt to most "scenarios." There's no doubt I got a handle on the tote bag collection, most of which I have not bought (freebies!) except a Weedeater one I got at their show. A lot of these bags by Macromauro I saw at a Japanese online store called Wallace & Murron would be most IDEAL. Now if only I could figure out how to order anything from there...that's always the case.

Split decisions

Just when you thought everything's already been done. NOPE. Japanese brand Facetasm (who I wrote/obsessed about last summer and just discovered is available at Antwerp's RA) has come up with these unisex "big & slim" jeans, if you just can't decide what fit you feel like wearing! I actually think they are pretty rad, dual personality and all, but there's no doubt a lot of people would disagree with me!