From the 1970s right on through to today, Japanese schoolgirl fashions and subcultures have sprung up, burned out, mutated, and evolved into an amazing pop cultural phenomenon that's now gone global. From Gwen Stefani's "Harajuku Girls" (Harajuku = a neighborhood in Tokyo where, essentially, no one's over 30) and her Harajuku Lovers fashion line to Gothic Lolita fueled manga to the cult of the deadly schoolgirl (most recently prominent in the Go-Go Yubari character in "Kill Bill") to the popularity of FRUITS, "Wired" magazine's "Japanese Schoolgirl Watch" column, and international fashion designers are looking to the streets of Tokyo for fresh inspiration. Here, at last, is a fun and thoroughly researched handbook to the eleven key styles and subcultures behind it all, including: sukeban - dangerous, sailer-suited, all-girl gangs kogals - supertanned schoolgirl uniform-sporting gals who sometimes date for dollars gonguro - beyond the far reaches of supertan into, well, blackface kigurumin - every day is halloween if you leave the house dressed like a giant hamster gothloli - Pippy Longstocking risen from the dead decora - the primary "FRUITS" style, rainbow brite with ten pounds of toys around her neck...and more. Each subculture fashion profile features photos and cute, clear illustrations of the style; explorations of who the girls are, what they're wearing, and why; their ideal boyfriend; and must-have items.
Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno
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First Sentence
We are outside the front gates of a nightclub, nervously wondering if the guy in the ticket booth-who looks like a Barbie doll someone has briefly set on fire, then left out in the rain-will let us inside. Read the first page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
We are outside the front gates of a nightclub, nervously wondering if the guy in the ticket booth-who looks like a Barbie doll someone has briefly set on fire, then left out in the rain-will let us inside. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Kindle Edition
In the last few years there has been a flood of books about Japanese 'street style' - most of which turn out to be about Japanese fashion and design. Some of these are interesting but they should have a think about the difference between 'fashion' and 'style'. When I was revising my own book Streetstyle I was at a loss to know what was going on in Japan (which, clearly, at least for a time, was the new centre of the street style universe. Luckily, just in time, I discovered the print edition of Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno. Yes, would be nice to have more photos and the drawings may not always be aesthetically inspiring but, crucially, they show each fascinating subculture and delve into its evolution. This is important not only because Japan elbowed London aside but also because, while British and American street style has been male oriented, Japanese subcultures are mostly female. Why this difference? Buy this book to encourage its authors to do a new version which brings us fully up to date, has more photos and explores why this is such a school girl thing.
Read while watching the delightful Kamikaze Girls film for the full Japanese subcultural experience.
Read while watching the delightful Kamikaze Girls film for the full Japanese subcultural experience.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Gabbi
Format:Paperback
Loads of nice information on Japanese street fashion and how its changed over the years. There's even some small interviews in here too and different photos and pictures, but don't expect a real photo book of Japanese fashion! That's what the Fruits books are for. X3
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars
23 reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
the where and how of japanese fashion
8 May 2007
By Megan N. Woodrum
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I've been waiting for this book since I first read about it months ago; when I picked it up, I was a little concerned. I mean, it seems a bit thin and it's not a photobook the way Fruits and Fresh Fruits are.
Lucky for me, it was better than that. "Japanese Girl Inferno" is a history lesson in the social evolution of the various trends that have pervaded the lives of young japanese women, from the motorcycle gangs to gothloli. It was incredibly informative and filled in a lot of gaps for me.
The book is divided into sections by trend, starting with the gang-types fro the early 60s and 70s and ending with the present-day decora; not only does it outline the history, it has "profiles" on each type which include and illustration of a typical member and details on specifics, then another section outlying "Ideal Boyfriends" and "Must-Have Items". The illustrations themselves were very charming, and the book is well-written.
All-in-all, I recommend this book for any fan of Japanese fashion, especially those who enjoyed the movie Kamikaze Girls.
Lucky for me, it was better than that. "Japanese Girl Inferno" is a history lesson in the social evolution of the various trends that have pervaded the lives of young japanese women, from the motorcycle gangs to gothloli. It was incredibly informative and filled in a lot of gaps for me.
The book is divided into sections by trend, starting with the gang-types fro the early 60s and 70s and ending with the present-day decora; not only does it outline the history, it has "profiles" on each type which include and illustration of a typical member and details on specifics, then another section outlying "Ideal Boyfriends" and "Must-Have Items". The illustrations themselves were very charming, and the book is well-written.
All-in-all, I recommend this book for any fan of Japanese fashion, especially those who enjoyed the movie Kamikaze Girls.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really good book, but...
30 July 2007
By NabiTi
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
When i got this book in the mail, I was really happy and read it right away. The information about all the fashion that happened in Japan and the pictures were really good and interesting, and the mini-interviews of actual people involved in the fashion was really nice. The articles tell you how long that fashion lasted and what caused it to go out-of-style. To me, it was a nice cute touch on how sprinkled in a few of the chapters were the "life of a Manba/GothLoli", and even a segment on how you can transform your face like a Ganguro girl's. Even when my friends looked into the book, then liked how informative it was.
Why did I rate it 4 stars? Well, it's not the information of the book I took out a star for...it's the fact that merely a few minutes after I opened the book, pages started to fall out. And I'm a person who's very delicate with books. I'm not sure if I was the only one that it has happened to, or if the batch of books they were selling were defective ones. But it's not a good thing.
I'm not trying to say "Don't get this book, it's defective!", because really, this handbook is a VERY good one for anyone interesting in the history of Japan's fashion. I'm just trying to give out a little warning to people who are considereing buying this book.
Why did I rate it 4 stars? Well, it's not the information of the book I took out a star for...it's the fact that merely a few minutes after I opened the book, pages started to fall out. And I'm a person who's very delicate with books. I'm not sure if I was the only one that it has happened to, or if the batch of books they were selling were defective ones. But it's not a good thing.
I'm not trying to say "Don't get this book, it's defective!", because really, this handbook is a VERY good one for anyone interesting in the history of Japan's fashion. I'm just trying to give out a little warning to people who are considereing buying this book.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome awesome awesome!
15 May 2007
By Romy Kuro
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I found this book before it came out, just dubbing around on Amazon. I thought it looked interesting enough, and not too expensive, so I ordered it. I was so pleased when I got my copy in the mail! It's an interesting, well organized, and well catagorized history of Tokyo teen girl fashion. From the well known and ongoing to the unheard of and extinct, it shows a timeline, influences, and interests of every sort of girl. What that girl did in her day. What her interests were. What future styles she may have inspired.
It really is a great book, full of pictures and cute illustrations. It even includes a few makeup and dressing tips, as well as references to check out if anything tickles your fancy. It isn't too long or wordy, and is written in an entertaining style so that the book can interest both hardcore subculture freaks, or maybe just a girl who happens to think Lolita is cute.
I must say, I really enjoyed it, and would highly recommend it to anyone with any sort of interest in Tokyo's peculiar fashions, or even someone with an interest in girl power alone.
It really is a great book, full of pictures and cute illustrations. It even includes a few makeup and dressing tips, as well as references to check out if anything tickles your fancy. It isn't too long or wordy, and is written in an entertaining style so that the book can interest both hardcore subculture freaks, or maybe just a girl who happens to think Lolita is cute.
I must say, I really enjoyed it, and would highly recommend it to anyone with any sort of interest in Tokyo's peculiar fashions, or even someone with an interest in girl power alone.
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4.1 out of 5 stars
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