bloomzy /

Thoughts on Gal…

It’s my birthday tomorrow and maybe it’s something to do with getting older and all the recent backlash in the Gal community but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about…
Obviously my opinion is not going to suit everyone, but I just wonder if I am alone in thinking that it isn’t the cookie cutter, EGG, ‘you need blonde hair and curls’ image everyone thinks it is.
When I attended the Gal Me2 recently in Tokyo, where we were all filmed for ‘Tokyo Kawaii TV’, after introducing myself the cameraman asked me “Are you Gyaru?” I paused and thought about it for a bit and replied with “…maybe?!” Afterwards I wondered why I hadn’t said yes, and when Lou told them she was “…about 80% Gyaru” I realised why.
I guess I feel like I still have a way to go and that I can improve…but that’s not just it. I enjoy wearing the clothes and doing the hair/make-up but I also feel like there’s more to me than that – it’s not what I’m 100% about. My priorities are family, friends, my boyfriend and studying for my degree – but that’s not a bad thing in my eyes.
I know we all have contrasting views of what Gal is… Some people relate to the original blonde hair, big curls, Liz Lisa and ‘EGG Style’ whilst others prefer short, straight dark hair with a bit of W♥C. It seems to me that we all have so many ‘ideas’ about Gal when really there aren’t as many rules as some people might think. We should just take it for what it is – a mixture of styles which allow you to be as sexy, cute or chic as you want. It offers people confidence and it helps people all over the world connect~★
I’ve been called Gyaru by people before and I was even called it by a Japanese Gal recently, which made me happy. I take it as a compliment that I’m doing the clothes and make-up justice, but if someone comes along and tells me “You’re not Gal” it’s not the end of the world. In fact it doesn’t upset me at all, because I enjoy what I’m doing, for myself and this blog. I’m going to keep trying my best and enjoying the style whilst I do it, because one day I’m going to realise that I’m too old for ‘all this nonsense’, although I think I have a while to go yet haha
I’ve met some wonderful people because of Gal and this blog!
Thank you to all my readers and friends for being fabulous and continuing to support me.
bloomzy /

UPDATE

Sorry for my lack of posts lately.

If you follow my Twitter than you will know I came down with the flu last week. I thought I was getting better, but it turns out it has come back for another round. So I am afraid there will be a lack of updates whilst I try to get myself back to normal.
In the mean time, let’s not let this post go to waste…
Do you have any requests for the blog?
Maybe you would like to see a particular post? Of what?

Anything and everything is open to discussion ;D
Please feel free to comment and let me know your opinions.
bloomzy /

Street snaps and store fronts….

Well I was planning to write a review of a few Japanese make-up products today, but I went out with some friends last night and I don’t really think I’m in the best state for it haha
However I will not leave you empty handed. I took a few photos of some Gal store fronts on Friday and a couple of street snaps during the last night’s festivities, so enjoy ;D
W♥C, in Shinjuku Lumine EST
Definitely the best looking of all their Tokyo stores,
but wayyyyy too small inside.
Emoda – loved this store, so gorgeous.
Murua – there were plenty of chic staff-chan here.
Street Snaps
I adored this Gal, she had a real Nonoka-vibe.
These Gals were so cute and sweet.
I loved that one of them had the Gilfy U.K flag skirt.
Sorry for the pixel-heart noses, just want to preserve peoples privacy as much as possible.
Is this something you guys would be interested in seeing more of?
I want to update more often but I don’t usually have the time to make big posts during the week, so I’d like to maybe do little ‘filler’ posts when I can.
Please let me know your ideas on what you would like to see.
bloomzy /

Gyaru gaki….

Here’s an interesting article about ‘Gyaru’ clothing for children.

If we look at the strong revenues of Shibuya 109 and the rise of ex-“Popteen” model Tsubasa Masuwaka, it seems gyaru fashion has pretty much taken over mainstream Japanese fashion. The male equivalent of gyaru is the yankii who have moved on from the extremes of bosozoku jump suits to a slightly more upscale style they call Oniikei (“big brother style”).
Gyaru and yankii tend to marry each other, and they also tend to get married much earlier than the rest of the population. Evidence exhibit A: Tsubasa Masuwaka got knocked up and married Naoki Umeda of Oniikei magazine “Men’s Egg” back in December 2007 when she was 22.
gyaru gaki

If all goes well, your children will be this cool.

So when young gyaru and yankii have children, the only logical thing for them to do is to dress them in the exact same style. Think about it: if upper middle class French mothers are putting their three year-olds in Petit Bateau nautical sweaters, why shouldn’t kyabajo hostess‘ four-year old daughters also wear a black chefon mini-skirt?

This concept has led to the “gyaru gaki” (gyaru brat) phenomenon, where a good portion of Japan’s young children now look like they are about to beat up the kindergarten teacher for catching them with cigarettes. Oniikei magazine “Men’s Knuckle” even does street snaps of the toddlers to show parents the latest kids fashions.
So now we know turning our children on to the joys of extreme taste is in vogue, we have to ask: Where can we buy such glamorous items for my kids?
Start with Coco Market, a site for “kids only.” This is the best place for child-sized leopard print pumps and sweaters with human skull patterns. Angel Kiss is also a good place for skull-motifs. Yankii parents evidently think it is very important to reinforce the concept of mortality to their offspring.
Dream Wing meanwhile has all the leopard print baby sleepers you will ever need. If all goes well, your daughters will end up looking like this.
Yes, the world is so topsy-turvy that it will be kids no doubt that embarrass their parents by not dressing “cool” enough. The only way gyaru gaki will have to rebel in the future is by sneaking off to piano lessons when they are supposed to hit the tanning salon.
I don’t know about you guys, but the author seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to Gal. The whole article makes way too many generalisations, assumptions and even manages to discriminate against Gyaru. I would be surprised if he had done much research at all. Instead it seems as though he has googled some websites, seen a few Gals in Shibuya and picked on Tsu-chan’s shotgun wedding (he forgets to mention they were a couple for several years beforehand) – why does he also keep picking on Tsubasa (only one he knows probably)? Just because you have one or two examples doesn’t mean you can generalise D:

He also forgets to mention that these items of clothing are nothing different to what you can find/might buy your children in the U.S. or Europe. I personally wouldn’t buy the MA*RS-esque outfit (see top image) for my non-existent child but the rest seem to be cute, casual and fashionable.
What do you think?
Would you buy these clothes for your children?

Source; 1
bloomzy /

MA*RS….


Well I am back, but unfortunately I have been struck down with flu so I apologise if my post’s aren’t up to their usual standards over the next few days ;D
MA*RS
During my visit back home I couldn’t stop thinking about a recent post Mitsu had made about the new Spring/Summer collection by MA*RS. When I first saw the post, I was entranced by the sheer Gal-ness of it all. That might sound a bit odd, but with Gal going in so many directions right now, it was nice to see something that was unique and purely Gal.
Of course I wasn’t new to MA*RS (which you can usually see in magazines such as Ageha). I just hadn’t shown a keen interest in it…until now. With it’s mixture of pinks, blacks and lace it really is the epitome of Ero-Kawaii. However…
My style is slightly more ロック (a la Gilfy etc.) at the moment, but it reminded me of the way I used to dress a few years ago – when I first started at university. A bit girlier, and a lot sexier. Don’t get me wrong, the Rock look can be sexy just in a different way.
Anyway, I happened to pop into ZARA when I was back home – as the store in Norwich is a lot better to any I have come across near here (even Manchester). I don’t always shop at ZARA but some of the pieces caught my eye. For cute, affordable fashion it really is worth a look, especially as a lot of the new items are mirroring the Rock & Western looks that are showing up in Gal this season.
As I was browsing I came across some lace shorts, made to look like a skirt when worn…skorts haha. For me, this was perfect as I adore sexy, lacey short skirts, but I don’t love the chance of them blowing up so much – this is a real problem living in England during Winter haha. They immediately jumped out at me, as maybe this was the revival of my love for a sexier Gal.
I am currently planning coordinates (I constantly do this when I see/buy an item) and thinking about how I can incorporate these into my look. So you can expect some more MA*RS themed posts in the future ;D
I haven’t forgotten about what YOU have been asking for though.
The general consensus at the moment, seems to be;
  • Coordinates (from magazines, model’s etc.)
  • Shibuya 109 News (stores, trends etc.)
  • Update’s on Model’s (Jelly, Ageha etc.), more specifically from their blogs.
I will get round to doing more posts like this, just as soon as I am feeling a little better.
If you haven’t already left feedback about what you would like to see more of, please do so in the post below.

Source; 1
bloomzy /

Your opinions….


As I am away for the weekend and would like to hear feedback from you guys, I’m going to ask what kind of posts you would like to see here;
  • Coordinates (from magazines, model’s etc.)
  • Shibuya 109 News (stores, trends etc.)
  • Make-up/Hair (reviews of products, tutorials etc.)
  • Update’s on Model’s (Jelly, Ageha etc.), more specifically from their blogs.
  • Other (please comment and let me know)
These are just a few idea’s, but I really want this blog to be more about what’s currently going on with Gal, than just me posting my coordinates all the time – I know you don’t want to be stuck looking at those constantly.
So please comment, your feedback is important to me 😀