Koakuma-小悪魔 Style

There are so many different types of Japanese fashion, from the "Bohemian" look to the elaborate Cosplayers.

I'm partial towards the Koakuma(little devil)-小悪魔 style, which is sexy and doll-like, channeling big hair, heavy eye make-up and dressy clothes, often with garters or removable sleeves, paired with sky-high heels. Think lingerie meets Lolita, and you kinda get the picture.

Ageha is the defining magazine for Koakuma fashion. In fact, girls who adhere to this style are referred to as Agejyo.

Popular Japanese brands catering to this style are Mars, Golds Infinity, Stella and Growing Rich. Unfortunately, none of them ship outside of Japan, so you'd have to use a forwarding service like Vpost. The lack of English translation on the websites makes it even more daunting, not to mention the high prices of the products and the shipping costs.

My personal favourite is Mars. It is one of the higher-end brands, and is famous for their denim shorts with frilly lace hems and garters.

Thing is, in Singapore, show up ANYWHERE in public dressed like that and you are guaranteed to not only draw stares, but negative comments from onlookers. Don't fancy becoming the talk of the town? (or should I say, your estate?) Then your only alternatives would be Orchard Road,(where you'd still draw stares and comments... albeit of the opposite nature than say, from the uncle selling chicken rice at the kopitiam downstairs) or a club(where you'd likely attract the WRONG type of admiration from the guys and incur the wrath of fellow females... at least you won't be able to hear their sarcastic comments above all that noise, er, I meant music).

If, like me, you find none of the above options appealing, it's time to make the look more "wearable"(tank tops with shorts and flip-flops comes to mind... but I digress) by modifying it to suit local "taste".