A ‘Paradiso: Decadence’ Fashion Show Highlight by JBTK Zine
There were a lot of fantastic name brand and independent designers on the Paradiso runway this year. What’s great about all these brands coming together for this event is, despite their differences, they still fall under the Lolita umbrella. They mostly have the aesthetic, silhouette, and overall “feel” that the community comes to expect from brands based on this Japanese fashion style, however, they still brought their own special flair to it.
The two biggest names that attended, the ones we would call name brands (or “burando”), would be Triple Fortune and Angelic Pretty (San Francisco), but there were a lot of other reputable names at the fashion show, including Ikemen Mode, Mossbadger, Voodoodolly, I Do Declare, The Bloody Tea Party, Lily of the Valley, as well as Clock Monster, Datura Doll Design, Crystal Arcade, Bizarre Couture, Elegy, and Crystal Isis.
If you visit each of these brands’ websites and social media pages, you will notice they all have many aspects and styles that separate them from the rest. I Do Declare and Voodoodolly have gothic aesthetics, while Lily of the Valley tends to be classic and sometimes an elegant country style. There were even some unique looks by Crystal Isis and Crystal Arcade that turned some heads, but they were still true to the elegant and kawaii style that we all know and love about Japanese street fashion.
What really spoke to us at JBTK, and what we want to put a spotlight on, was the amazingly unique usage of denim in Ikemen Mode’s collection. We had excitedly written about the infamous denim dress by Taobao brand Heisei Witch a little over a year ago, and upon seeing these looks go down the runway we were absolutely floored! The quality and attention to detail on the garments were not limited by the choice of the material, and overall the looks were very, very cool! It makes us excited to know that designers and brands are always working actively to bring something new to the table. Did you have a favorite runway look from Paradiso? Care to share your own unique looks? Post in the comments!
Picture from Ikemen Mode on their Instagram instagram.com/ikemenmode
