The Fab 40s: Harajuku Style, According to Me.

These photos are old, but not too old. Very few people have seen them and they have never been blogged before. But they were taken during a very happy time in my life when besides being happy, I felt gorgeous inside out. Also, this is my most favorite hairdo ever and a majority of people love it on me, as well. {Note: I am very happy and I feel pretty amazing and not ugly even these days in 2020, a week away from turning 40. But this is not the topic of this post.} The topic is "Harajuku Girls" and Harajuku style. Now the way I understand Harajuku is a mixture of colors, layers thrown together without a care in the world, various styles and patterns (2, 3, 4 or even more patterned pieces at once). You can mix totally different styles: think Western mixed with Asian cultures, goth paired with girly, rock and roll, edgy mixed with street-chic appeal. You can even mix and wear together your Summery clothes with the most Winter pieces. Oversized wool socks with wispy silk spaghetti-strap dresses. Pajamas with the sexiest of heels. It conveys the aesthetic of young Asian Millennials with their sharp bobs, platinum blonde hair, combat boots paired with socks, t-shirts under sensual dresses, fishnets, a glove (or two), crazy piercings, several layers of necklaces, and even a gothy dark lipstick, at times. So, in many ways than one Harajuku Style means: ANYTHING GOES!

I went for a classy, colorful, sexy version of Harajuku where bold colors and a very bold colorblocked print played a part on it. And of course all the colors color blocked, from my sandals to my dress. Harajaku is BOLD and this dress is not for the faintest of hearts, especially since it's a kimono-style dress and kimonos are born in Japan, just like the Harajuky style is born in Japan. The industrial theme and background of Downtown Detroit with its hustle+bustle also reminds me of big cities like Tokyo or Hong Kong where the Harajuku style is alive and kicking, 100% kicking. I believe style is what you make it and there is no wrong or right way to express your Harajuku Style. Among the beautiful buildings down-town Detroit, you can definitely see me! I am also a firm believer that you should dress in your signature pieces. You should do you!! I don't have one name or one adjective that defines my style, but at the same time doing the 'typical harajuku' style is not my aesthetic at all. So I put my spin on it. I love dresses, I love bright colors, I love gorgeous pinks, I love hats - and they look great on me, I love tall buildings, I love my hair like this (like I mentioned earlier) and I happen to think my legs are my best feature, so I did ADA - whether this look translates into Harajuku or not is up to debate but what is not up to debate is that this look is 100% me!! What do you think?!

[P.S. I apologize about how wrinkled this dress looks. It was not wrinkled at all when I wore it, but it was so hot and humid outside that it got wrinkled as soon as I got out of the car.]

Silk Wrap Dress - Express.

Fedora Hat - Vintage from London UK.

Wedge Sandals - Nine West.
Colorblocked Red/Black/White Necklace - Express.
Purple Dangly Hoop Earrings - H+M.

Makeup - (done professionally) by Estee Lauder.

Location - Detroit, MI, USA.

So happy to be a part of "The FAB 40s" as a collaborator this month, as we interpret HARAJUKU STYLE. Thank you to Sheela for inviting me, an early birthday present mere days away before I turn 40! Whaaaaaaat?!

The most stellar interpretation of Harajuku is my girl SHELBEE from Shelbee on the Edge. She went on the edge side of things with her fur coat with gigantic stars, the boldest fishnet tights, cute young-girl style socks, kitty cat Mary Jane clogs, and a sexy purple bustier further enhanced by a very bold, wide belt. Even her hair is harajuku.

Our hostess with the mostest Sheela of Sheela Writes went 100% opposite of what I expected her to. I had a feeling she would mix prints, but she did so in the most elegant, modern, sophisticated, mature way. 100% covered yet sexy from her stiletto booties to that bold purple beret. Love that she chose pieces in the same family of colors. And those Asian characters on those walls, look like mini pianos. Brilliant!

Daneel from Living Outside the Stacks is a lover and wearer of neutrals, so she relied on her fuchsia lips, pink earrings and that fun and pretty bow-style on her hair to interpret Harajuku style.

I am not familiar with Dee from Dee Sayz style or her blog, but I like that in her bit-crazy, bit-sporty, bit-youngster look - that I can see any "don't give a shit attitude" teen and young twenty-something wear from the coolest places in China and Japan, all the way to New York - she kept it in a classic color combo: black and white. Now that's talent! 

Suzy from Suzy Turner Books and Style is turning heads mixing two different scales of grey+white stripes, dainty pink florals on top of bolder pink florals, the most gorgeous colorblocked, retro-looking brogue shoes (I want them!!), stunning ladylike jewels, multi-colored glasses and cute little buns on each side. Her exclamation point was an umbrella, just like those wicker umbrellas born from Asian cultures. You could use it to shade yourself, to protect yourself against the wet rain, to style your outfit with, or as a prop.