Pages

Friday, August 3, 2012

Visual Kei Fashion

Visual kei fashion is a lavish form of dress from Japan that originates in the J rock (or Japnese rock) music genre. It is a subculture that began in the eighties and became wildly popular by the 1990s. Kei means visual style in Japanese and it is a way of expressing the music of J rock through lavish fashion. Those who sport the visual kei fashion have eccentric hairstyles and wild costumes. The influence of these fashions stem from Japanese rock musicians who sport these costumes on stage with their fans taking influence form their favorite bands and taking visual fashion into a high fashion medium. Bands like Malice Mizer are known for really defining and taking visual kei fashion to new heights.


Mana, who was the former bassist of Malice Mizer, is known for his hyper androgynous attire and makeup to the point where he is truly thought to be a woman at first glance. He is heavily involved in the Lolita scene through magazines and clothing lines. Attire varies when it comes to visual kei fashion; some clothing could be Victorian or historically inspired while other forms of dress can be more futuristic and technology themed. Androgyny is a big theme in visual kei fashion, so much so that female fans would try to imitate their favorite bands who were almost always male. Visual kei fashion has also come to influence the harajuku fashion scene and kei fashion can be seen in other Japanese subcultures. It is separate from the Lolita scene in Japan since Lolita is primarily about Victorian themed dresses. Visual kei can also be associated with the cosplay scene since the costumes and style of dress can also vary.

Mana from Malice Mizer

es.visualkei.wikia.com

miia-nikii.forumieren.com

www.fanpop.com

No comments:

Post a Comment