This forum is utterly devoid of Visual Kei

[celery]

I really do like that style, and although I couldn't pull a lot of it off, I have always imagined that people would dress like that in the future.

Kind of an "we've come so far, there are so many styles to choose from, just do whatever you want" idea.

Life imitates art and vice versa.

The overall look reminds of stuff like Firefly, Final Fantasy and even Star Wars. And to be quite honest, I hope fashion/ style does go in that direction rather than the hyper-utilitarian direction of say . . . Star Trek where everyone is wearing a marsupialed one piece spandex suit.

I'm all for more variety. I'm not "anti-conformist" either. I just happen to find different things interesting.

 

[lazyhead]

Originally Posted by Uncontrol

I'll bite.

First off, I'm going to start off by saying that as far as I can tell this forum is not very accepting of styles that stray too far from the SF "mainstream" appearances. You're probably going to get some hostile remarks.

Second, you really shouldn't use a topless picture of yourself as your avatar. That's pretty douchebaggy right there.

When I was around sixteen I was really into visual kei style, taking cues from earlier Dir en grey, the GazettE ... well, I guess I don't need to explain it, you know all about it. However, I'm nineteen now and I honestly find visual kei to be ridiculously over the top. There are still some bands that pull it off without looking like they try too hard (the GazettE IMO does a great job balancing between looking extravagent and looking effortless). It's just not the sort of thing I'd like to wear out into the streets or something.

As for lolita, my girlfriend is really into it but I don't really like it that much. I think she looks a lot better when she's just wearing "normal" (relative to lolita anyway, my tastes are far from "normal") feminine clothes.

The problem with these styles is that they don't really look like clothes, they look like costumes, which essentially makes the wearers cosplayers. Let's be honest here; most of the people who wear these styles are complete Japanophiles who live and breathe music that is for the most part pretty derivative of itself and completely shallow. There are bands that are exempt from this (the GazettE, I wonder how many times I can write their name in this) but they're the exception, not the rule.

The reason visual kei looks like costumewear is because that's exactly what it is. Visual kei is a costume for bands, it's stagewear, it's theatrics, it's not meant to be actual clothing. When you see these bands outside of all that is when they're usually wearing the best clothes.

As for me right now, I'm still heavily into Japanese fashion, but it's more Gackt than Dir en grey; he manages to wear elegant and interesting pieces without looking like he's in a costume. You can wear these as real clothes.

However, visual kei will forever be confined to a few weird kids you see on the street and anime conventions. And I really hope it stays that way.


Exactly
Visual Kei both the music and style was interesting in the late 80's and early 90's.
But now its just dry and stale.
Even the damn bands that started it, have stopped doing it as they hit it big.

I think the whole genre is a dying one.
It seems to have garnered a following here, but its nothing like a actual movement or anything in Japan.

Seriously, unless your into the music, why would you want to dress like a dolled up drag queen?

 

[ctrlaltelite]

i think street style is currently in a state of recovering from an american version of visual kei, what with brands like nike, the hundreds, durkl, et. al. manufacturing shoes, clothes, and jeans in a variety of bright colors, as well as neon colored highlighter tees and lame headbands by american apparel, and all sorts of other crazy designs and fluorescent colors inspired by new rave culture and hip-hop figureheads like kanye west, lupe fiasco, and m.i.a.

plus, being asian american myself, it always irks me to see japanophiles appropriate certain styles as their own and pass it off as fun and exotic. it's one thing to be inspired by a certain aesthetic and implement it in your own way, but going for the whole store-bought outfit ideal seems like a cop-out. anyone with their own fashion sense should never have to be told what to buy.

 

[brad-t]

Originally Posted by lazyhead

Even the damn bands that started it, have stopped doing it as they hit it big.

I think the whole genre is a dying one.
It seems to have garnered a following here, but its nothing like a actual movement or anything in Japan.

eg. Dir en grey

Yeah, it's just been so overdone that it's stale and uninteresting now. Even bands that are "technically" visual kei don't follow it as closely as they used to.

 

[bant]

Originally Posted by ctrlaltelite

i think street style is currently in a state of recovering from an american version of visual kei, what with brands like nike, the hundreds, durkl, et. al. manufacturing shoes, clothes, and jeans in a variety of bright colors, as well as neon colored highlighter tees and lame headbands by american apparel, and all sorts of other crazy designs and fluorescent colors inspired by new rave culture and hip-hop figureheads like kanye west, lupe fiasco, and m.i.a.

plus, being asian american myself, it always irks me to see japanophiles appropriate certain styles as their own and pass it off as fun and exotic. it's one thing to be inspired by a certain aesthetic and implement it in your own way, but going for the whole store-bought outfit ideal seems like a cop-out. anyone with their own fashion sense should never have to be told what to buy.

i wouldn't say this style is influenced by "visual kei" one bit (caveat - i have never ever heard or even seen any of this until this thread) but rather an 80s / tongue in cheek classic hiphop throwback that is and has been far overdone for a while.

in any event - what a weird ass style. i find it hard to believe that people actually dress like this.

 

[keykoo]

I think moderate visual kei elements (minus the makeup) would fit relatively well into the SF aesthetic.

That being said, I think VK bands that are still around have gotten better when they sort of abandoned that culture.

 

[BrettChaotix]

Originally Posted by Uncontrol

Thanks for the heads up, dude! Wasn't aware you were the authority on what qualified as "style". I'll be sure to come to you in the future when I need validation of my own styling choices as officially stylistic.

I think the point that Rye was trying to make (and also BYucko) is that this forum does not pay much attention to the current trendy "fashions" of the day but rather to an overall attitude of "timeless style" in which extreme trends from extreme scenes are not as openly received for that same reason.

Want to see what I mean - take a look at the selections from the Styleforum's Amazon store and you'll get an idea.

 

[keykoo]

Originally Posted by BrettChaotix

I think the point that Rye was trying to make (and also BYucko) is that this forum does not pay much attention to the current trendy "fashions" of the day but rather to an overall attitude of "timeless style" in which extreme trends from extreme scenes are not as openly received for that same reason.

Want to see what I mean - take a look at the selections from the Styleforum's Amazon store and you'll get an idea.

I don't think that's necessarily true. There are many people here who enjoy chris' eccentric skinny boy fashions. Both Jet and his spawn child Ghulkan have a lot of wear that I don't think would be considered "timeless style" but are rather fashion forward and quirky. Also Socal has white patent leather sandals.... D:

 

[j]

Originally Posted by BrettChaotix

Want to see what I mean - take a look at the selections from the Styleforum's Amazon store and you'll get an idea.
I'd be happy to add any subculture type books if people want to recommend some. I just went through and found all the ones that had been mentioned on here, and I thought I put Fruits/2/the other one in there, but I can't remember. I know I put some skinhead and Mod books in there.

 

[Rye GB]

Originally Posted by Uncontrol

Thanks for the heads up, dude! Wasn't aware you were the authority on what qualified as "style". I'll be sure to come to you in the future when I need validation of my own styling choices as officially stylistic.
I wasn't talking to you!. ... Fragile youth.

. Live and let live, but if I see something that's makes me feel like some one just puked on my retina I have to comment, especially when it's being presented on a forum were I would like to find solace from youths with bad taste, moronic and immature sub cultures and plastic clothes. I thought My Space was for discussing crap like this.

 

[Rye GB]

Originally Posted by keykoo

I don't think that's necessarily true. There are many people here who enjoy chris' eccentric skinny boy fashions. Both Jet and his spawn child Ghulkan have a lot of wear that I don't think would be considered "timeless style" but are rather fashion forward and quirky. Also Socal has white patent leather sandals.... D:

Chris is my favorite poster on the forum, I don't find his style the slightest bit eccentric, certainly dynamic but not so far off the radar to be deemed unwearable by most or as tasteless as the genre being discussed here.

 

[jsp514]

This almost sounds like a cult, a prophet has come upon us to fill our void and inspire our devotion. I don't believe in the fashion vs. style dichotomy, but this is neither fashion nor style.

 

[fratstar]

Those clothes look awful. I'm guessing middle school was rough.

 

[keykoo]

That wasn't really directed at you Rye, but more towards the notion that I feel like some forum goers have a lofty impression of SF in that we're not swayed by what's "trendy" or "hot" atm which couldn't be any farther from the truth.

 

[HATORI HANZO]

Originally Posted by Uncontrol

Thanks for the heads up, dude! Wasn't aware you were the authority on what qualified as "style". I'll be sure to come to you in the future when I need validation of my own styling choices as officially stylistic.

You should go to him. Rye can dress his natural white ass off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!