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A Blast from My Past: Japanese Gyaru Fashion & Life in Japan

A few weeks ago I went back to my parent’s house for a few days. Whilst I was there I decided to raid the attic, and see if I could find my old textbooks. I found myself knee-deep in university papers and old cuddly toys from my childhood. Amongst these were a few boxes of items from my time living (and studying) in Tokyo, Japan. Suddenly my objective was out the window and all I wanted to do was reminisce.
Japanese fashion has been a part of my life for over 10 years now. One fashion sub-culture in particular took up a decent amount of that time – gyaru. With hair high enough to reach the gods, and enough make-up to make an MUA weep, gyaru was an enigma wrapped in a mini skirt and fuzzy leg warmers. I was automatically drawn in, and spent most of my time reading magazines and blogs dedicated to the style. Gyaru is the reason behind me starting this blog in the first place! So you can imagine that finding these magazines and books was something quite special. Memories flooded back: Buying the Ranzuki Hair & Make-up Book in a small conbini in Kyoto. Adding points to my WC loyalty card as I bought everything and anything from the brand. Getting a ‘hair set’ (that has since created perpetual hair envy) with a friend for our joint birthday party. 
I met some amazing people because of gyaru, people who I can now call good friends.  So naturally it will always be a big part of my life and although I’m sure there were bad times, I can only remember the good. Recently I’ve missed my time living in Tokyo, but I do wonder if going back might tarnish those memories. It’s safe to say that things wouldn’t be the same now, but maybe that’s a good thing? Gyaru has faded from it’s origins and seems to be evolving into something all together different. So for now, I’m happy to keep my memories as just that. 
Interested in reading more about Japanese fashion and how my blog started?
Check out my Style Evolution post or browse my Japanese Fashion tag.
bloomzy /

GETS!

Just a small filler post with some recent gets and some coords I put together with the items…
Sephora ‘lemon meringue’ body lotion 

I was drawn in to Sephora again haha. I also bought my boyf some products for his birthday as they had given me a special discount when I bought the above lotion – and was then given even more discount cards for their latest products. 
I can see why people such as Jenny love Sephora so much; they have great customer service and their products are reasonably priced. This lotion has really helped keep the moisture in my skin during the hot weather we’ve been having recently. It also smells AMAZING just like a lemon meringue. 
ZARA shirt 

Since I’ve been lucky enough to be placed in one of the more affluent areas (5min from Arc de Triomphe, 10min from Champs Elysees) in Paris there are plenty of shops for me to peak in. There’s a small Zara just down the road from me – I was surprised when I first went in as it was full of chic Parisian women in Chanel with their tiny dogs at their side, which is normal for this area…but not so normal for the Zara stores I’m used to haha
It hangs really nicely~ 
ZARA shirt 
[sorry for the poor picture]

This one is an off the shoulder shirt, but you can also wear it as a regular loose top, if you wish. 
Earrings: Shinjuku ALTA
Necklace: Liz Lisa
Top: Zara
EGOIST cut-out lack back shirt

Necklace: Swarovski
Shirt: Egoist
Shorts: H&M
This is another one of those shirts that is longer at the back. I really love the cut of this and the fabric is lovely. I’ve been pairing it with a black vest top underneath as I already draw too much attention showing off my legs haha – according to my French guy friend, that’s not normal for Parisian women so the men tend to get a bit leary when they see a woman showing some skin.
I’ll also be wearing this for my meet tomorrow with the gorgeous Ananya and Emmie – can’t wait to see you guys in Paris!!
bloomzy /

Check out my room!

Thank you to all of those who entered the poll – and for those of you who didn’t, well you still can!

As some of you who follow my twitter may know I was given a very small baggage allowance by my university when travelling to Paris – ONLY 14KG!! I swear my suitcase weighs about 4kg by itself…so I had to pack lightly!
Then when I got to Paris I was placed in a rather awkward accommodation situation…But you have to make the best of things, right?
So anyway, how about taking a peek at my room & some of the stuff I took?!

 

 

 

 

 


bloomzy /

Liz Lisa Summer Collection Vol.1

Liz Lisa have released their Summer Collection Vol.1 catalogue, and the theme this year is… French Vacation. This transcends from their Spring ‘French Bohemian‘ collection nicely, no?

Those who know me are already aware that I love, love, love France – more so than Japan, but in a different way. Anyway I also love to vacation there, so this catalogue has me very excited!
This season we’re seeing plenty of denim, lace and florals (of course, it’s LL) all with a retro girly 70’s vibe.

please click images to enlarge

And to sweeten the deal, Liz Lisa will be offering novelties throughout April. These include: towels, beach bags, flip-flops, totes, pouches and more.

You can order items online, here.
As for the gals who can’t order online; The retro trend has made its way over to the highstreet in the UK and Europe (US gals, any confirmation?!) and I think we will be seeing plenty more of it during the Summer.
Shops to look in: New Look, Miss Selfridge, H&M, Mango, Zara and River Island – RI especially has a few pieces that look like they came straight out of the LL catalogue.

So keep your eyes peeled for duplicate items for creating that gorgeous, summery French Vacation coordinate. I know I will be!!

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