And after the Teacup, here we are to tell you about another event related to Japanese fashion in Italy! As we mentioned recently, in late April there was in Udine a day entirely dedicated to Eastern street styles. To tell us about the event, our friend Deborah/Ray, who sent us her chronicle of the Fashion Walk and the conference that followed. Of course, we thank her for taking her time to write the post you are about to read. Additional thanks to Christian Pellegrin, which allowed us to use his photographs (you can see much more on his Flickr page).
During the Far East Film Festival in Udine, there were two days dedicated to Japanese street styles. Nana, Carmela, Grazia, Morena and Giorgia are the organizers of these two days and they did their best to make them interesting and fun! The first day, April 26th, was the day of the Fashion Walk, the first in the city of Udine. The girls and the boys who participated in this event worn different styles, such as cyber, Mori, Fairy Key, Gyaru, Lolita, Punk and many others.
Photo (c) Christian Pellegrin
The day began with a workshop dedicated to makeup and hairstyle, with helpful tips for ones that wish to improve their look, and has continued with the Fashion Walk itself. The parade started from the railway station and has attracted the gaze of onlookers, fans and even the police, who approached the group a bit worried! XD At about 15.30 we started to walk the streets of Udine, stopping every so often for a few photos in some of the most beautiful places of the city, and then arriving at Games Academy, where the organizers held a conference on the different Japanese fashion styles.
Photos (c) Christian Pellegrin
The girls spoke about the vast world of Gyaru style, with its infinite number of sub-styles. They talked about Visual, a style that western guys really like as well, Decora, now on the wane, Fairy Kei and how this style was born from a store in the neighborhood Koeji, the now famous Spank!. The story of Sayuri Tabuchi reminded me a bit of Mikako Koda, from Gokinjo Monogatari, with her dream of becoming famous opening a shop of her own!
There were also references to Western styles such as Rockabilly, Punk and Cyber, arrived in Japan from the West, and even male fashions as Ouji, Onii Gyaru and Sentaa, born as the male counterparts to women’s fashions. There were many topics and it would be difficult to summarize them all in this article, I could not do justice to the speakers and their immense work! What I find amazing is the ability of Japanese girls to create or reinvent a style, taking inspiration from Western fashions or the local folklore and also to readjust the fashion for those girls no longer teenagers, who want to continue to express themselves in an adult society rather stiff. The best examples of this “transformation” are Onee Gyaru and Classic Lolita. I must say it was very helpful to understand this aspect of Japanese fashion and I hope to take inspiration from what I’ve learned in order to change a bit my wardrobe!
Photo (c) Christian Pellegrin
On the second day, the 27th, there was a conference on Lolita Style, which I could not attend because of work. I am very sorry about that, because it would be an opportunity to learn more about this style that I love, but I’m quite ignorant about, since it’s constantly evolving. The girls talked about the different Lolita styles, the famous “canons” to follow to avoid the risk of going off topic, hairstyles, makeup, nail art and especially what brands we can find in our cities, suitable for this style.
Photo (c) Christian Pellegrin
Carmela sent me the material of the conference and I would like to extract just the part about shopping in our stores, which I think can be very useful even for those who do not have much money available or does not have the possibility to shop online!
The chains Claires, Accessorize, Bijoux Brigitte, but also H&M, Pinkie sell accessories that go well with Lolita. Adaptable cutsew and blouses can be found at H&M, Pinkie, Oviesse, but it can be also helpful to also give a look at local markets. Finding dresses and skirts that meet the requirements Lolita is difficult, but not impossible. For what concerns the tulle underskirt or petticoat I found it in my city, in a sensual shop.
This experience was really fun and exciting! It was great to meet new people who share the same interests as mine and I want to thank the girls for the commitment and passion that they put into creating this event. Thanks also to the event’s official photographer, Christian Pellegrin, who was able to capture the best moments, and a special thanks to the guy at the projector, Moreno, who has helped to make the perfect conference! I really hope that next year (and even before) we can repeat this adventure, hoping that participation will be higher and higher!
And we thank again Deborah for sharing with us her experience at the Udine Fashion Walk and congratulations to the organizers! We also hope that these events will be taking root! Please note that there are different groups that organize FWs around Italy, so if you happen to be passionate or curious and want to participate, keep an eye on those closest to your home!