A conversation with Sebastian Masuda

Soms zijn er van die momenten dat je net op het juiste moment op de juiste plek bent. Toen Sebastian Masuda, oprichter van het Japanse merk 6% Dokidoki en art director van Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's muziek video "Ponponpon" aankondigde op zijn facebook pagina zijn fans in Amsterdam te willen ontmoeten bijvoorbeeld. Natuurlijk bood ik aan te helpen met het opzetten van een meeting en al snel kwam ik in contact met iemand van Sebastian Masuda's studio. Al snel hadden we een afspraak gemaakt en een een paar dagen later zat ik samen met een handjevol Nederlandse fans op een terrasje op het Leidseplein.

Sometimes you just have to be at the right place at the right time. When Sebastian Masuda, founder of Japanese brand 6% Dokidoki and art director of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's music video "Ponponpon" announced on his facebook that he wanted to visit his Dutch fans for example.

I had no choice but to offer my help in organizing a meet-up. Someone from Sebastian Matsudas studio contacted me and it didn't take long before we settled on a date. A few days later we would meet with some of his Dutch fans in Amsterdam.

In Tokio heb je je eigen brandstore 6% Dokidoki. Hoe ben je eigenlijk op die naam gekomen?

- You have your own brand store in Tokio, 6% Dokidoki. Where does that name come from?-

6% is een lichte helling dus geen rechte lijn. Net even anders dus. Dokidoki is het geluid van je hartslag. En er zit in bijna alle letters en tekens een rondje verwerkt.

- 6% isn't a straight line, like going on a hillside. A bit different then normal. Dokidoki is the sound of your heartbeat. And if you watch closely most characters are round like the o and the dot on the i.-

Kun je iets vertellen over de reden waarom je in Amsterdam bent?

colorful rebellion, one of Masuda's installations.

- Could you tell us something about the reason why you decided to visit Amsterdam? -

Ik ben op het moment bezig met een aantal verschillende projecten. Een daarvan is een project waarbij verschillende kunstenaars hun visie op Dick Bruna's Nijntje zullen geven. Deze zal worden geëxposeerd op Schiphol. Verder ben ik bezig met het bekijken van de mogelijkheid om hier te exposeren met mijn kunstinstallaties. En als laatste zijn we bezig met een wereldwijd project waar we J-fashion fans in Nederland bij willen betrekken.

- I am working on a few projects at the moment. One of them is a project about Dick Bruna's Nijntje ( Miffy ). Different artists were asked to give there vision on Miffy. The exposition will be held on Schiphol airport.

I am also looking around to see if there is a possibility to expose my art instalations here in Amsterdam.

And we are working on a huge world wide project were we would like to include the Dutch J-fashion fans. -

Je bent heel druk dus! Kun je ons iets meer vertellen over het project wat je als laatste noemde?

- Working hard! Could you tell us a little bit more about that last project? -

Ja, natuurlijk! In Tokio hebben we de jaarlijkse J-Fashion walk. Hierbij lopen we met iedereen die van bijzonder mode houdt door het centrum van Tokio. Hiermee willen we de buitenwereld laten zien dat mode mensen met elkaar kan verbinden. We willen hier graag een wereldwijd event van maken. Zo zijn we onder andere bezig dit op te zetten in Parijs en in Amerika. Het event zal volgend jaar plaats moeten gaan vinden en we gaan proberen een aantal bekende Japanse fashionista's over te laten komen. Ik kan in ieder geval al bevestigen dat Yuka, een van de shopgirls van 6% Dokidoki, er ook zal zijn.

- Sure! In Tokio we have this J-Fashion walk. Everybody who loves excentric fashion will gather and walk through the city center of Tokio. It's a way to show the outside world that fashion can connect people. We would love to make this a world-wide event. We have been talking with people in Paris and the U.S.

The event has to take place next year and we are trying to get some Japanese fashionistas involved. I can already confirm that Yuka, one of the shopgirls from 6% Dokidoki will be there. -

Een wereldwijd concept dus waarbij Japanse mode centraal staat. Vind je het niet vreemd dat Japanse mode zo populair is buiten Japan?

- So you are talking about a world wide concept about Japanese fashion. Don't you find it strange that Japanese fashion is so populair in other countries? -

Ik vind het erg bijzonder te zien hoe iedereen zijn eigen draai eraan geeft. Mode is uiteindelijk voor iedereen en gaat veel verder dan de grenzen van een land. Mode is meer dan alleen maar iets aantrekken wat je mooi vindt, het verbind je met anderen.

- I find it rather special to see all the different visions on Japanese fashion. In the end fashion belongs to everyone, it not bound by the boundries of one country. Fashion is more then just wearing what you like, it connects people. -

Dat mode mensen verbindt heb ik je al eerder horen zeggen maar wat bedoel je daar nu precies mee?
- Fashion connects people. You have mentioned this before but what does it mean? -

Ik ben opgegroeid buiten de grote stad. Daar viel ik best wel op, ik was een uitzondering. Al snel besloot ik te verhuizen naar Tokio. Door me te omringen met mensen die net als mij waren was ik niet langer een uitzondering. Ik maakte daar vrienden en kom me ontwikkelen tot de persoon die ik wilde zijn.

- I've been born and raised on the country side. I was different, the exception. I decided to move to Tokio. Surrounding myself with people who were just like me made me feel accepted. I made friends and could be the person I wanted to be. -

Hier in het Westen hebben we het idee dat we zo strak mogelijk aan bepaalde regels vast moeten houden met betrekking tot J-Fashion. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan lolita. Als je dit niet doet dan word je hier al snel op aangekeken. Wat is jouw mening over deze ontwikkeling?

- In the West we believe that we have to follow certain rules when you want to wear J-fashion. For example all the rules that apply to lolita fashion. If you don't follow the rules people might mock you. What is your opinion on this development? -

Ik vind het jammer dit te horen want dat is niet waar het om gaat. Het gaat er vooral om dat je jezelf kunt zijn en je eigen stijl moet kunnen ontwikkelen. Zonder beperkingen. Uiteindelijk bepaal je zelf wat je wel en niet mooi vindt. Ik zie hier vandaag bijvoorbeeld al heel veel verschillende stijlen als ik naar jullie kijk. Lolita, decora en nog veel meer, dat gaat toch ook allemaal gewoon samen?

- It's a shame cos that is not what it's all about. Most important thing is to be yourself to be able to create your own style. Without limitations. You are the one to decided what you like and what you don't like.
Today for example. When I look around I see so many different styles. Lolita, decora and many many more. You people seem to get on pretty fine. -

Het dragen van J-fashion zorgt er nog wel eens voor dat mensen je raar aankijken of dat je op een vervelende manier aangesproken wordt. Heb je misschien advies voor mensen die die hier mee te maken hebben?

Sebastian Masuda with two of the 6% dokidoki shop girls

- Wearing J-fashion will make you stand out. People might look at you or even worse call you names.

Is there advice you can give when you end up in such a situation? -

Zoek mensen op die er hetzelfde uitzien en die je passie delen. Samen sta je sterk en durven mensen minder snel iets tegen je te zeggen. Ook kun je elkaar inspireren en het is gewoon leuk om met mensen te zijn die dezelfde hobby hebben. Wees niet bang nieuwe mensen te ontmoeten.

- Try to find people who look the same and who share your passion. You are stronger together and people tend to stay away from lager groups. Its nice to inspire each other and to share what you love. Don't be a fright to meet new people. -

Ik heb in ieder geval via deze meeting veel leuke nieuwe mensen ontmoet. Dank je wel voor het beantwoorden van de vragen en je tijd.
- I've met a lot of amazing new people through this meeting. Thanks for answering all these questions and sharing your time with us. -

Jij bedankt! Ik hoop snel weer hier in Amsterdam te zijn en kijk uit naar de fashion walk. Tegen die tijd nemen we graag weer contact met je op.

- Thank you! I am really looking forward to the fashion walk and visiting Amsterdam again. We would love to hear from you again. -

Sebastian Masuda and me :)

Pamela Baas

With special thanks to: Sabastian Masuda, Nao Tazaki, Odette Mul en Nathan Bakker.

How to survive lolita as a plus size girl.

Let me start this blog post by saying that I have been wearing lolita fashion for over six years now. In those years a learned a lot.

First thing you need to know is that lolita fashion is not exclusive for those who are lucky enough to fit in the famous lolita brands. It's all about knowing how to dress and were to get clothes that actually do fit you.  Even the most skinny girls have trouble wearing a fashion designed for small Japanese people.
When I started wearing lolita the market was really small. Meta just accepted online ordering and my first dress was a Bodyline replica. Six years later I am able to wear lolita on an every day basis!

What you need to know when you are a plus sized girl and thinking about wearing lolita fashion?

1. Keep in mind that it's a difficult process. People will probably mock you for wanting to dress this way. Even the non plus size girls get insulted wearing lolita on the street. It's just something you have to face. Being different is something some people can't seem to handle, but that's their problem don't let it become yours!

2. Be prepared for the fact that some other girls believe that this fashion isn't made for us plus sizers. And yes they are right. This fashion wasn't made for bigger girls but that doesn't mean we can't make it ours! Unfortunately there is a lot of hate on sites like egl secret and 4 chan. Don't let them get you. The most popular girls get bashed the most. Just be who you want to be.

3. Know your own body! Sounds simple but know your measurements. Your flaws and your good sides. Work with what you have.

4. Realize most brand pieces won't fit you! It sounds harsh but believe me its frustrating lusting over a brand piece when knowing it will never ever fit you!

5. Be ready to invest. To take risks. This is pretty much a hit and miss trail.

Oh yeah dressing lolita sounds like a horror story doesn't it? I am just being honest here. There were times I loved this fashion but also lots of moments I truly hated it. I'm not one of those persons who likes to sugarcoat things.

So you're still set on becoming the prettiest lolita that walked the planet? Good for you, go for it!
Here are some things that might be help full.

fully shirred dress by Metamorphose

* Shirring is your best friend! Full shirring is the best option when you want to buy and wear brand clothes without altering them. Keep in mind that most shirring pieces look best if your bust is under
120 cm/47 inch. The fact that you might fit into something doesn't mean it looks good on you!
Almost every brand has released a shirred piece, some far in the past some more recently. Metamorphose and Baby the stars shine bright are known for recently putting out fully shirred pieces.

White underskirt by fanplusfriend

* If you are tall, invest in a good underskirt! Brand dresses are short cos, like I mentioned before, these dresses aren't made for the Western market. You don't want to walk around knowing that everyone can see your butt even though you are wearing those cute frilled bloomers. I actually have 4 underskirts. Two black skirts, one white and one of white. I had most of them made by a friend of mine, but I've also been lucky enough to stumble upon a underskirt from Emily Temple Cute with an elastic waist.

 I've never seen any other brand underskirts tho

 ( except the ruffled butt once by the classic brands ) and it's kinda useless to invest a lot of money into something that you'll wear under your expensive brand pieces. A simple skirt with a ruffle will do. Just make sure that they are the right length cos walking around with a tiny little dress over a skirt looks kinda weird.

Overknee socks by Innocent World

Overknee socks by Baby the
stars shine bright.

*Buy some solid colored tights. I have a bunch of them. Choose dark colors to make your legs look slimmer. If you are thinking about wearing sweet lolita check uit we love colors for an amazing collection of coloured plus sized tights. Many brands offer matching socks for their printed pieces. Most brand socks will fitt just fine. Even tough some people may advice you to stay away from socks cos they'll make your legs look shorter I would go for overknee socks. Those probably will not go over your knee when you are plus sized but they look so much better then knee socks. If your skirt has the right length then you will only show a little bit of leg.


* One of the basics when you are wearing lolita and want to have that perfect lolita silhouette is a petticoat. It gives that nice poof that makes this fashion so recognizable. But it will also make you look heavier then you are. So to wear a petti or not?

Pannier by Angelic pretty

I personally don't wear my petti's that much. If you have large hips you already have that shape needed for your skirts and dresses. I don't see the need to make me look any bigger then I already am. But that's my opinion. Do whatever feels good for you. Don't use your petti to add some extra length. A petticoat should not to be seen.
The same goes for bloomers, eventhough you can use them for adding some extra length when a piece is too short on you they also add extra volume and will make you look bigger then you are. If you want I little extra poof you can go for a pannier. A pannier isn't as stiff as a petticoat and doesn't give you that poof of doom look.

bolero by Metamorphose

*Invest in some boleros and cardigans! They don't have to be brand. But if you want them to be brand look around for Metamorphose or Innocent World knit onces they stretch quite a bit or Baby the stars shine brights cutsew types. Btssb knits tend to be not as stretchy as Meta's. Angelic Pretty is really hard. Most of their items run really really small.

Bolero by Innocent World

Buy them in solid colors. I like wearing cardigans that match my tights for a nice color scheme. Make sure the length isn't to long. If a cardigan hits your waist it's already on the long side.

I love cardigans for the following reasons:
- If a dress is a bit tight at the bust you can cover it up.
-When you can't or haven't invested in a blouse you just wear a cardigan or a bolero.
-You can dress up by adding items like bows or brooches so with a solid piece you can even go over the top sweet. It's all up to you!


* That brings us back at something I shortly mentioned before. Blouses. I have a love/hate affair with my blouses. A blouse is one of those basics that will make your look complete but it can also make you look bigger then you are.

Shirred blouse by Baby the stars shine bright.

I've got a few brand blouses but to be honest I love my non brand blouses more. Metamorphose has an L range in blouses and Baby the stars shine bright to, eventhough the L section seems to come and go. Maxicimam has a range named lovely with larger sizes.
Btssb releases fully shirred blouses every now and then. They might fit but take good care that they'll fit you well. I had problems with the sleeves being to tight or to short. Make sure the sleeves aren't to puffy making you look broader then you are.
I have most of my blouses made for my size. I used to buy them from fanplusfriend but since they are kinda hit or miss I recently decided to buy them from taobao. However you will need a shopping service to shop there. I will post a blogpost about plus size shopping at Taobao soon.

High collar blouse by Mary Magdalena

Innocent world fur collar.

I've never been so lucky to find the perfect blouse in a mainstream fashion shop. They all have the wrong collar. However you can hide that collar by investing in some (fake) fur collars that you can wear over it. Innocent World has some really nice onces, but most brand seems to carry them these days  and the are not hard to make so if you are on a budget go get a cheap blouse and make it work.
I've given up on cutsews ( brand t-shirts) they simply don't fit and if they do they are too short cos I have boobs of doom pulling the cutsew up. There are a lot of tutorials online on how to make a cutsew out of a regular shirt. Just look it up on google.

* If you are really set on wearing brand find a good seamstress! Brand pieces can be altered for your size by someone who knows what he/she is doing. Keep in mind that re-sale value will go down if you alter brand.

Being a plus sized lolita can be utterly depressing. Try not to get stuck in that but-I-want-it-to-fit-cos-I-love-it-sooooo-much fase. Cheer up by buying the brand stuff that will make your look complete like bags, headbows, necklaces etc.  Keep in mind that you are pretty as long as you feel pretty no matter what others say!
Please feel free to ask me anything. I would love to help! I hope this was useful and I wish you all the best in your lolita adventure!

*A small edit...since some people mentioned it, I will write a post about custom sizing and replica's and such soon! Probably around next week when I have time! Thanks for the amazing reactions! *

Witch girl a new Japanese fashion?

We’re cute but also poisonous.

Today I would like to share something that got my interest a little while ago. Japan has always been one of those lets-start-a-new-fashion countries. I've never heard of another country that invented so much different fashion styles. There are hundreds of blogs and websites around that will give you a view inside Japanese fashion. Some of my favorites are: http://www.japanesestreets.com/   http://tokyofashion.com/ and http://www.style-arena.jp/  just to name a few.

To be honest I am no expert in Japanese fashion but there are some trends that I like in particularly. One of them being lolita fashion and more recently mori girl. The fact that most fashion styles evolve around lifestyles is something that fascinates me. I am in no way a lifestyle/fashionstyle follower but I find it kinda interesting that people feel the need to express their lifestyle into their clothing but that's a whole different kind of discussion. Anyway thanks to a post on facebook I stumbled upon the term Witch girl

( 魔女ガール ).

It seems to be a new fashion style that's based around ( no suprise there.... witchcraft ) There isn't much information to be found on the internet yet but it really got my attention. The basics for this fashion seems to come from mori girl ( or wood girl ) which started around 2009. Witch girl seems to be the younger darker sister. 

The magazine for this fashion is MISTY ( fortune magazine). A magazine that focussus on witchcraft.

MISTY magazine has made an index for witch girls.

( This is a rough translation )

1.  Be one with nature

2.  Be good to nature

3. Stay focused don't lose yourself

4. Believe in your intuition

5. Believe in the future

6. Believe in yourself

7. Be happy with what you have

8. Be honest to yourself and others

9. Be who you are don't let others judge you for your beliefs

10.  Discover the world, be curious.

The big difference between Witch girl and all other fashions is that Witch girl wants to be a fashion that comes from the inside. It wants to be a way to show that you are a spiritual being. I am not sure how this will evolve into a fashion. But it most definitely sounds like something I will keep my eye on. And who knows maybe next year I can say: Oh witch girl? I blogged about it a year ago...you are soooooo 2011. ;)

Witch Girl - A darker version of Mori Girl

All the information for this blog post comes from the following websites:
http://mbhappy.com/topic.php?topic_id=MBTO00000327

http://howtojaponese.com/2010/03/29/witch-girls/

http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4679223/

http://blog.japantimes.co.jp/japan-pulse/