TOKYOMANGO

How to dress like your dog

To dress up like your dog this winter, you'll need a ski mask with a muzzle drawn on it and gloves that look like paws.

Uniqlo's hi-tech heat-tech display and marketing genius

Uniqlo's a power not to be messed with. The clothing company has single-handedly put words like "heat-tech" and "micro-fleece" into the national colloquial vocabulary based purely on good marketing. The materials are nothing new, but by sexing up the language used to describe thermals and fleece, and offering them in several different styles and many different colors, they've infiltrated the closets of every other Japanese person on the street.

Crazy Hello Kitty & gumdrop nail art

Someone really likes Hello Kitty... this was seen at the Tokyo Nail Expo earlier today.

via Jezebel

Razor beauty campaign by Philips offers "mustache" diamond as a prize

Philips Japan is having a really strange promotional campaign right now — they're offering one lucky male user of a Philips shaving system a 0.3-carat diamond made out of his own mustache. Here's how the campaign works:

1. Go to the campaign's Mustache Beauty Queen web site and choose your favorite out of the 20 candidates for Mustache-Shaving Queen. When your mouse rolls over each girl, you can see her shaving her mustache. Yes, it's sexy and fun! You should check out the site even if you're not planning to enter.

2. Vote on one beauty queen you like by sending a postcard to the campaign address.

3. Once all votes are in, a queen is chosen. From those who voted for that queen, one lucky person will win the Mustache Diamond.

4. Philips reps will go to the winner's house and take videos of the person shaving off his (or her) mustache. They'll then use the carbon from the stubble to create an artificial diamond and present it to the winner in a special ceremony.

You can vote until Jan 11, 2010.

Campaign main page (Japanese, via Impress Watch)

Bra doubles as a golf putting green

Lingerie company Triumph's newest conception is this crazy green bra that transforms into a putting green. If you get a ball into the boob hole, a built-in speaker says: "Nice shot!"

Via Pink Tentacle

Related stories:
The bra that counts down to marriage
Man-bras a big hit
Rice and miso soup bra

Video: Men wearing colorful leggings for fashion

Men's stores in Tokyo are now selling leggings, which some guys like to wear under capris. Funny when the one woman interviewed at around 1:30 says: "I prefer men in jeans." Later on, though, another woman says, "If it looks good, I think that's fine."

Related story:
Boys in skirts are a new fashion trend in Shibuya, Harajuku

(Thanks, Larry!)

Boys in skirts are a new fashion trend in Shibuya, Harajuku

There's a new fashion movement in Tokyo, and it involves men in skirts. The Mainichi calls them "the skirt boys" — one interviewee, who calls himself Shana, claims he was inspired by Harry Potter robes. He does not consider himself a cross-dresser, however:

Cross-dressers are people who want to be girls. I'm not wearing this because it's what girls wear, but because I like the line and the texture of the material.

Men's fashion magazine Smart is thinking of doing a special section on skirt boys for an upcoming issue. Maybe it's similar to the Utilikilt fad in the US?

TokyoMango t-shirts shipped, and Reader Gallery

Dear readers who ordered a TokyoMango t-shirt,

I just went to the local post office and shipped off a boxful of t-shirts, which should get to you within a week or so. Please keep an eye out for yours, if you ordered one. And THANK YOU. It took Ben and me almost three full days to make them, but that's a good thing because we ended up selling a lot more than we expected — plus, it was fun.

Also, I'd love to do a gallery of photos on the site of TokyoMango readers wearing the t-shirts. Email me a pic to mango [at] tokyomango [dot] com by the end of the month to be a part of it.

Thanks, and have a good weekend!

Lisa

Last day to order a TokyoMango T-shirt

Today's your last chance for ordering a limited edition hand-printed TokyoMango t-shirt. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to round up everyone's orders, buy the shirts, print them, and mail them out hopefully by early next week.

Get yours here.

Get your hand-printed limited edition TokyoMango t-shirt now (2 weeks only)

My friend Ben and I made a test run of TokyoMango t-shirts on Saturday. They're really nice, do you want one? If so, you can buy one here. Below are the details:

- All shirts are 100% cotton.
- Each t-shirt will be hand-silk screened by me and Ben on his Yudu machine. The shirt logo was custom-designed by Ben. Mango design courtesy of my web designer James.
- The Women's tees come in a t-shirt style (pistacio and white) and a spaghetti strap ribbed tank (yellow).
- The Men's tees come in orange and white. In the pic above, Ben is actually accidentally wearing a girl's tee, but you get the idea... the sleeves will be more manly on the one you get.
- You can choose a custom colored tee for $25. Just shoot me an email with your preference after you place the order.
- The sizes tend to run a little big (except for the tanktops). They might shrink in the wash.
- Some of you will receive a free surprise Japanese toy or gadget with your t-shirt! I'm just gonna randomly stick them into bags, so keep an eye out.
- We're taking orders over the next two weeks only, at least for this first printing. They'll ship at the end of those two weeks, when Ben & I will silkscreen them by hand.
- Last day to order is Monday, October 5th.

UPDATE: T-shirts are no longer for sale. Maybe we'll do another round sometime!

The 6% Doki Doki crew in San Francisco

Here's a pic of me with the 6% Doki Doki crew at New People opening reception at the Consulate General's house in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Apparently I didn't get the memo about the colored tights and super crazy earrings. The good news is that you or I can go to Japantown to buy these awesomely cute colorful outfits at their new store in New People World.

Photos from New People World, the new J-pop center in SF

I finally visited New People World, the new entertainment complex in San Francisco's Japantown. It's small, but really cool! The shop has tons of awesome design-y Japanese things that I actually wanted to own, the cafe has delicious — albeit overpriced ($10!) — pork cutlet sandwiches, the art exhibit by Yoshitaka Amano was stunning, and I really want to go back to see the Yayoi Kusama movie at the cinema.

This is the 6% Doki Doki store, where you can buy super cute hair accessories and colorful earrings that spell out Japanese words like "arigato."

This amazing piece of art by Yoshikata Amano was made specifically for the US showing of his exhibit, Deva Loka. It's created much like the way a car is painted — with automotive paint on aluminum. And if you look carefully, it actually spells out "America" in katakana. アメリカ. The photo does it no justice, but all his works are strikingly bold and amazing! This one's price tag was around $40-50K. Made me wish I had real money to spend on art.

New People World home page

Robot bride = creepy

via Pink Tentacle.

Glasses that fog up when you don't blink

Over at BBG, I wrote about these new glasses that force you to blink every five seconds by clouding over if you don't. They're supposed to help people who forget to moisten their eyes when staring at computer screens.

Link

Designer Issey Miyake shares his experience as an atomic bomb survivor

Fashion designer Issey Miyake wrote an amazing op-ed in Monday's New York Times about having survived Hiroshima. I did not know he was a nuclear bomb survivor &mdash I don't think that many did, in fact, he says in his piece that he deliberately buried this part of his past because he didn't want to be remembered as the designer who survived the atomic bomb. He finally decided to come out in this op-ed to encourage President Obama to follow through on his pledge to rid the world of nuclear weapons:

I have never chosen to share my memories or thoughts of that day. I have tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to put them behind me, preferring to think of things that can be created, not destroyed, and that bring beauty and joy. I gravitated toward the field of clothing design, partly because it is a creative format that is modern and optimistic.

Link (Thanks, Gen!)

British girls imitate ganguro gyaru trend

According to the BBC, there's a new subset of British youth that thrives to be just like the Japanese ganguro &mdash you know, the girls with the bleached blond hair, super tanned skin, and crazy makeup. I read somewhere that for Japanese women, making themselves up this way is a deliberate form of rebellion against the traditional aesthetic of jet black hair and pale white skin. I wonder what it means when Caucasian girls with naturally lighter hair pick up the trend.

Uniqlo might buy the GAP

One of my all-time favorite stores in Japan is Uniqlo &mdash it's like the GAP, except the styles and cuts are a lot more contemporary and its cheaper. Now we're hearing that Tadashi Yanai, the guy who founded UNIQLO and the richest guy in Japan according to Forbes, might be buying the GAP.

Link

Related:
Uniqlo calendar with stop-motion scenes of Tokyo
Uniqlo to send clothes to refugees
New Years lucky bag: Uniqlo vs MUJI
Uniqlo NY will have robot shopping guides

Photo exhibit featuring Harajuku fashionistas starts next week

There's a small photo exhibit at the Japan Information Center in San Francisco featuring the works of Andy Heffernan, who spent four Sundays in Harajuku snapping pics of interesting characters, like this girl in a red jumpsuit, pink Birkenstocks, a fake scar and mustache on her face, perfectly shaped eyebrows, and a Burberry shopping bag.

The exhibit is from June 18 to July 30. It's at 50 Fremont Street, Suite 2200, in SF. Link

Warrior underwear for men

For $80, you can buy a pair of men's underwear made of classic warrior motifs.

Buy it here via Shibuya246 via Boing Boing

ANTM finalist is Creepy-chan, a 4chan web meme

If you've ever talked television with me, you know that I'm a big fan of America's Next Top Model. Cycle 12 just ended this week, and one of the finalists was a girl named Allison Harvard. As I do with every ANTM cycle, I googled the contestants—and found out that Allison used to be a web meme on 4chan, the image bulletin board started by my buddy Moot that is notorious for anime porn. Allison used to be known as Creepy-chan, and she posted all these crazy photos of herself looking like a strange bird.

Tyra does not know this (or maybe she does) but this season, thanks to Creepy-chan, her show transcended the closet-girly-girl-guilty-pleasure audience and gave web geeks something to get excited over every week. One more really creepy photo and a photo from ANTM after the jump.

"What's wrong with getting naked?" t-shirts for sale

Inspired by the recent debacle over SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi's drunken naked rants last week, someone is selling these t-shirts online with his now-famous quote: What's wrong with getting naked? on them. I kind of want one, although the fact that it's on a t-shirt is kinda ironic, because if you're wearing it you're not really naked. Maybe go bottomless to get the point across?

Product page (Thanks, Jenn!)

Fundoshi underwear makes comeback in women's lingerie shops

Fundoshi, a traditional Japanese male underwear similar to a loin cloth, is making a comeback. But this time, it's in trendy women's lingerie stores, not in pre-WW2 bath houses. Apparently it's a new form of women's lib. Since we can't, you know, ask for stuff like equal pay or respect in the household, we're gonna wear your underwear instead. The new fundoshi for women comes in tons of new designs and pastel colors. It looks comfy—I kinda want one.

(Thanks, Walter!)

Gaming cufflinks for stylish geeky men

Ok, so how geeky would you think a guy was if he showed up on a date wearing these PlayStation cufflinks? There are Nintendo Wii ones too, but I think these are prettier.

via Gizmodiva

Agejo, the new hostess bar-inspired gal trend

If you've ever walked through the streets of Kabukicho, or walked past a sticker picture booth in Shibuya, for that matter, you know what a hostess club worker looks like. Long and voluptuous wavy hair, light skin, big doe eyes, fake lashes, silky loungey dresses. It's actually now being linked to a new street trend called the agejo—-the modern day version of a kogyal, you could say. A fairly new magazine called Koakuma Ageha leads this trend, with a circulation of nearly half a million per month. The photo shows models from the magazine posing in what are dubbed "agejo dresses." It would make a great Halloween costume! (Thanks, Mary!)

Washi bracelet and other Japan-inspired jewelry

If you're looking for something to do in SF on Saturday night, you could go to 111 Minna and check out their local designers show. My friend Christine will be selling her washi cuff bracelets and earrings, as well as other cool Japanese nature-inspired things like earrings that look like moth wings or silver-and-gold necklaces that flap their wings. If you can't make it or aren't in SF, you can also buy some of her stuff on Etsy.

Related posts:
Pretty silver jewelry featuring cool moving parts
My favorite buy of the week: lotus root jewelry

Lynchian rabbits posing in front of a gal store in Harajuku

I saw these rabbit-headed mannequins on display at a storefront on Takeshita-dori in Harajuku, and it made the store look and feel like being in a David Lynch movie. These are not cute bunny-ear bunnies. These are serious bunnies that will sit in your living room and talk about really serious things that are beyond your level of comprehension.

My favorite buy of the week: lotus root jewelry

I fell in love with this gold-and-silver lotus root pendant. I first saw it at this awesome little wa-themed jewelry store in Omotesando, and then bought it online. Each of their designs is linked to a Japanese value, like peace or persistence in hard work. The lotus root represents behind-the-scenes efforts that often go under-appreciated but are nonetheless important because they lead to great success later. I actually just bought it because I like eating lotus root, and I like geometric designs, but hey, the inner meaning is a nice touch.

Character panties have manga characters on them

I found these cheap character panties in Shinjuku yesterday. Didn't buy any, but in case you want one next time you're there, they are on sale at Studio Alta.

New cell phone doubles as a fancy petite clutch

Ever wish your cell phone could double as a super-cute clutch? Kyocera has an awesome new handset called the NS01 that has a stylish, adjustable, duo-toned belt on the back so you can carry it around like a purse. The body is simple and sleek, with three colors to pick from—white, sky blue, and black. The handset itself can be configured to double as a wallet or even your housekeys, and it has a 2-megapixel camera and 3G. What else do you really need? Next thing you know, they'll be making cell phones with tiny lipstick compartments.

via Mainichi and Impress (Japanese)

Super cute Nintendo DS purse

Most of the things I buy at Best Buy are really bad. Like the DVI-to-MiniDVI adapter that the guy in the laptop aisle pointed me to—it didn't work on my new MacBook. Or the DLO IntelliTune iPod dock for my car. I almost crashed twice listening to Obama reading me Dreams from My Father (yes, he voices his own Audiobook. Awesome!) because other radio frequencies kept butting in. I returned both. But there is one good thing I bought at Best Buy, and that was this super cute Nintendo DS carrying purse. I love it. It fits all my cartridges, the charger, some lipstick, a credit card, keys, cell phone, and my DS, of course. And it was only $10.

Man-bras a big hit; and the girl who married a dog

The hottest new item for sale on Rakuten? Man-bras. The company featured in this video perfected the best-selling man-bra, and found a surprising customer base among the ordinarily quiet cross-dresser community. I think it's great, even though the reporter looks a little silly.

Also, this has nothing to do with Japan, but a little girl in India married a cute dog because her village believed it would rid their family of evil spirits. Video after the jump.

A fashion magazine based around video game culture

Apparently, there's a fashion/lifestyle magazine in France that is themed around video games. It's called "Amusement" and includes beautiful editorial photography of things like modern consoles and scenes from MMORPGs.

via PingMag

Tutorial on how to be a Harajuku girl in LA

Guidespot.com has a fun little illustrated tutorial on how to be a Harajuku girl in LA. It comes with fashion tips, simple philosophies (be bold.embrace artificial beauty), and addresses of Harajuku girl hot spots.

It's pretty funny how an American web site is transposing an entire subculture based on a specific neighborhood of Japan onto LA. Yes, Gwen Stefani had a lot to do with it. But I still find it pretty odd.

Boys' Shibuya fashion makes US debut at ETech

Yesterday, my friend Fumi and I went to Shibuya to interview some young guys and gals about their cell phone using habits. Here are two teenagers who will be making a video appearance at my ETech talk in March. They were really tall and slightly intimidating from afar, but once we started talking to them, super-friendly and excited that they were gonna end up on YouTube.

Runway show flaunts sex appeal of adult diapers

Adult diapers can be sexy. This runway show held in Tokyo in September is proof that an aging population yields an entirely new sense of fashion. A quote from a 26-year old spectator:

It was great to see so many different types of diapers all in one showing. I learned a lot. This is the first time that diapers are being considered as fashion.

What they need is Adriana Lima pouting in those nappies, then I can guarantee you they'll be flying off the shelves. (by Emily Co)

Link 

Crazy gyaru nails, and how to spot a gyaru in the wild

How do you keep your nails trim if you're a gyaru with inches-long gemstone-encrusted fingertips?? I found this scary nail clipper in the beauty section of donki. It looks bigger than my dog Peanut's nail clipper.

Boys carrying hairdryers and Gucci handbags

I managed to snap a great shot of these guys in Harajuku carrying huge Gucci bags. Two of the other guys they were with also had matching handbags. Note the pink bear keychain of the guy on the left. I know a lot of foreigners are perplexed by the abundance of handbag-toting boys in Japan. They aren't metrosexual per se, it's just the norm here. Japanese men were metro even before the term was invented. To carry a brand name handbag is just icing on the cake. You must be wondering why these bags are so huge. I did too, until my metro friend Fernando pointed out that they probably carry their hairdryers in there. It takes one to know one. (Emily Co)

New designer creates kimonos using African fabrics

Serge Mouange is a Cameroon-born, Paris-raised, Tokyo-based car designer for Nissan who had the idea of combining authentic African fabrics with the design of Japanese kimono. The resulting products are part of his new clothing line, Wafrica. Super cool. He plans on expanding the brand to other products that will be a blend of the two distinct but surprisingly harmonious styles.

Wafrica main page via The Japan Times

Hello Kitty gangster chicks spotted on the train

On the train the other day, I sat across from a couple of Hello Kitty gangsters. The two girls were decked out in full body Hello Kitty gear—baggy Hello Kitty pajamas (with Kitty hoods and a little white nub of a tail!), Hello Kitty velcro sandals, Hello Kitty charms hanging from their blue canvas bags, makeup that slightly resembled the 2D cat even. How did I know they were gangsters? Well, besides the fact that they were hanging out in these awful outfits on the train mid-day on a weekday when they really should have been in school... they had dirty nails, Sharpie drawings all over their bags, and they talked like a bunch of teamers. Oh, and they both have one badass pantleg hiked up to their knees. And I'm sure that, if I had followed them out of the station instead of transferring to another train, I would have met the rest of the HK PJ Gang.

Mario corset top = sexy?

My friend Jenna found this on Etsy:

A supercute corset made from alternating RARE & vintage Super Mario Brothers and red & white polka dot print fabric, topped off with bias tape flanking the bodice, a delicate sweetheart-shaped bustline, two polka dot ribbon bows, crude contrast stitching and silver metal grommets in the back so you can lace up! FULLY boned for support.

It's custom-made and takes 3-4 weeks, so it's too late to order for Halloween. Company Christmas party maybe? (Thanks, Jenna!)

Hair product that makes men cool & wet & wild

My mom and I found these amazingly versatile hair products for men at a convenience store in Roppongi. Not only is the packaging beautiful and the price ridiculously cheap (263 yen, or about $2.50 each), but each promises to give you a completely different kind of Asian boy band look. Want to look three-dimensional? Buy the purple one called Wild Shake. The orange will give you a Loose Shuffle, the sky blue will make you Cool & Wet, and the gray is for bad asses who prefer the Grunge Matte look.

Cosplay photo gallery on Wired.com

My photo gallery of cosplayers at Tokyo Game Show was published on Wired.com this past weekend.

Read Japanese cosplayers keep fantasies fresh (with Febreze)

Metro man wig = modeled after Jason's haircut?

Way back in Feb 07, I did a blog post about man wigs for guys who aren't blessed with beautiful boy band hair. I was at Donki last week with a bunch of friends, and that's when I realized that these wigs must have been modeled after my friend Jason's hair. Either that, or he just has the kind of hair that every Asian man desires. Lucky guy.

Where to buy maid glasses in Tokyo

Candy Fruit, a shop in Akihabara, specializes in maid glasses—that is, frames that make you look like a geeky-subservient French maid.

H&M makes its way to Tokyo

H&M is my favorite cheap clothing store to get semi-stylish stuff that doesn't last forever. I love it. Yesterday, the Swedish clothing line debuted in Japan with the unveiling of the Ginza flagship store. It's four stories high! Of course, the Uniqlo store down the street is probably much bigger, but it's interesting to see the once-uber-high-end-only shopping district turning Herald Square on us. A Harajuku store opens in November. H&M has 1600 stores around the world. Mostly in Europe, and often times there is more than one per block, and the lines for the dressing rooms are always out of control.

Link

ToastGirl's Awesome Bright Red Performances

ToastGirl is a fun singer/performer in Japan who likes toast and the color red. She started off singing with a toaster on her head; now, she tours internationally in her bright red wig and vacuum cleaner slippers and sings pop-y tunes. I'm not crazy about her music, but I love her look. She's fun, she's sexy, and she's totally domestic.

ToastGirl main page (via NotCot)

Naomi Yotsumoto is the Asian Anna Kournikova

Naomi Yotsumoto is the most-talked about ping pong player in Japan right now, and it's not just because of her paddle-swatting skillz. The petite 29-year old Tokyo native is revolutionizing the sport by dressing provocatively and presenting herself as more than just an athlete. After creating plenty of buzz in local and international press because of her hot pink and rainbow-striped outfits (there is no dress code in professional ping pong), she now has her own TV show and a published autobiography. And as you can see in this video (from the national mixed doubles competition this year, where she placed second), she's really pretty good at what she does. And even when she doesn't win, the commentators never fail to spend a bunch of time fawning over her outfits and noticing how the crowd perks up when she walks in. Naomi Yotsumoto = the Asian Anna Kournikova = awesome at doubles, not so hot at singles, better known for her looks than for her athleticism.

Naomi Yotsumoto's main page via Design Corner (Thanks, Baker!)

Bento Baby's Supercute Sushi Roll Bodysuits

TokyoMango reader Nami sent me this awesome little Zen Baby bodysuit from her clothing line Bento Baby. Each outfit comes in sushi packaging, which makes for a super cute gift. I gave one to my cousin's daughter Gracie, and she tried to eat it. She likes sushi. Yummy. More pics and info after the jump.

Hello Kitty Biker Outfit and Contact Lenses

 

OMG, yuck. Why?  

Origami Infiltrates High-End Fashion

I had no idea that the traditional Japanese paper-folding craft of origami had become such a huge global fashion trend. The Origami Blog showcases all different kinds of ways in which origami is infiltrating our aesthetic, from the leather Chloe clutch shown above to bookshelves to type fonts to haute couture fashion.