Masato's Place #1

Hello and welcome to my first blog post! To give a small introduction of myself - I'm Jade! I'm the friendly face behind the counter Monday to Friday and the occasional weekend.

Today I wanted to share one of my favourite fashion magazines that I look to for inspiration for both when I design and create and when it comes to planning outfits - Larme.

Larme is a magazine that was founded in 2012 and focused on a more feminine and girly style (ガーリー系). The magazine includes pages of the current girly styles trending in Japan and makeup and hair tutorials that readers can follow that match the hyper feminine outfits that are featured in the magazine.

Larme has been responsible for the births of many trends in Japan due to them featuring the clothing from stores in a cute and appealing way. 

Recently I was gifted an older edition of Larme and I wanted to share some of my favourite excerpts from the magazine. This edition comes from March of 2017 - even though this is an older issue there is always very interesting styling in each issue.

The theme for this issue is 'Little Princess Labyrinth' - each issue has a theme and there is a selection of photos which showcase this theme.

The staging for these photos are gorgeous and always serve as a great point of inspiration for me - this issue features Maria Kurotaki, Monaca Nishi and Chisato Yoshiki.

The photos make me think of country living with a hint of whimsy - almost like Alice in Wonderland. I love the rustic feel of the background contrasting with the soft and pastel clothing. 

The lighting also makes me think of spring which brings me back to all of the springs when I lived in Wales and the early mornings with the birds chirping and the fresh dew on the grass. 

Each image on this page has a brief breakdown of the main points of each outfit, which explains the intention behind the styling was - whether that's to be more girly and cute, or feminine and elegant and how they portrayed this. 

I particularly love the contrast between the darker backgrounds and the soft and pastel clothing on this page. The models not smiling gives the photo a more melancholic vibe which contrasts the light and girly nature of the magazine.  

I also really love this excerpt, it reminds me of all of the symbolisms of spring - the birth of new life. Spring always gives me a fresh feeling where I feel born anew and ready to learn and grow from new experiences that I will gain in the coming months. The styling on this page is intended to show innocence and girlhood.

This excerpt really showcases how Larme shows multiple ways of styling the same piece. A lot of the outfits are heavily dependent on different layers and texture to be seen as completely different outfits.

Without the different layers/textures if garments are similar colours become flat and uninteresting - I enjoy looking at this as it gives me ideas for new layering methods/shapes I can use in my garments and in my own personal style. 

It also showcases what season is recommended for these styles of outfits which also gives me inspiration as to how to layer my own outfits - a lot of people have a summer wardrobe and a winter wardrobe but I do not! 

I like to have all of my pieces to be worn year round - this is why for me layering is a crucial part of my personal style - it keeps me warmer/cooler and I still get to wear my favourite pieces year round!

This page showcases popular elements that people can use to add more detail and depth to their outfit - in spring of 2017 large collars on blouses were a popular item to layer under jackets and cardigans and adding sheer tops/layers over the top was also super popular - they display each point as a 'keyword'.

This page aligns with my own personal style quite well as I love soft and flowy shapes. Pink is my favourite colour so I often enjoy wearing pink clothing so it is always nice to find different colours I can pair it with, as well as new ways to layer pieces that have sat at the back of my wardrobe for longer than others. 

In this issue there is also a section where some of the Larme models showcase kimono and talk about what their plans and goals for the new year is - the new year in Japan is one of the most important dates - I like to equate it to how Christmas is for most people in the UK!

I enjoy this section as kimono are important traditional garments and both with Masato being Japanese (who I regard highly as both a friend and a mentor) and my appreciation for Japanese culture and it's fashion scene - kimono are a very important part of my fashion journey. 

I am planning on renting and wearing a kimono in Asakusa when I visit Japan at the end of this month and I look forward to experiencing it.

Larme continues to be one of my favourite places to pull inspiration from to this day and I love to see older issues and I'm hoping to find some more in second-hand book shops when I visit soon.

I enjoy reading lots of different fashion magazines/artbooks to pull inspiration from many different places - knowledge is power and even if the clothing and the styling featured isn't my personal style, I always enjoy learning about different subcultures.

The magazine is aimed at women in their teens up until their early 20's however I am a strong believer that you are never to old to express yourself in the way that you want, and to not care about anyone else's opinions.

And now I ask you; Where do you like to get your inspiration from? Do you have a certain magazine? Or even a brand that aligns with your personal style perfectly? Please let me know, I would love to hear from everyone!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day - see you next time!

- Jade