Japanese Hair Accessories: Head and Shoulders Above the Rest

One of the things i love best about Japan is their dedication to hair accessories. As all of my readers know, I'm very into head gear. The bigger and the more elaborate - the better!

As an early Christmas gift, I got to pick out some gifts in Tokyo. So of course, I went straight for the hair accessories. I literally wanted to headdesk when I saw the difference in the prices. Seriously, I would have to pay at least twice as much for similar quality and style in the US.

Even better, I love that the selection I've found here is way more daring than what I've seen for sale in the US. Don't get me wrong I'm a HUGE fan of jennifer behr and and ban.do, but I feel like here I can get as crazy as all get out with my hair accessories. That might be because what I wear is tame compared to the everyday gear of some of your everyday Japanese.

Enough commentary though - onto the accessory porn! Once again, i apologize for the quality in model and photo. I'm in Japan without my digital camera (or Adobe Creative Suite) and well its the end of a long day of trekking merrily about Tokyo.

This one is definitely a night piece. It is really dynamic and huge and perfect for when I go out. I tried to capture it in the photos bus alas an iphone and a bathroom mirror are all I had to make it happen. It is made out of satin which makes it super shiny and the bows are bendable, so it is totally customizable. Well to a point anyway!

This one looks way better when I style it correctly. I love the 20s flapper feel of it and lately I've been kind of obsessed with Boardwalk Empire. It is only fitting then that I should get my hands on an accessory that is reminiscent of that era!

The "plainest" out of the bunch this reminds me of a designer piece I saw quite some time ago. I think it was Lanvin? I seriously cannot remember for the life of me right now. Ah jet lag the gift that truly keeps on giving. I just love how it is able to be understated at a distance and when you get closer it hits you right over the head with the details. Don't you agree?

In the Land of Masstige the Limited Edition is King

Shopping in Japan is a one of a kind experience. Mostly because they have all the brands you'd ever want with a Japanese twist via limited editions. Seriously, this is a country where even the candy has limited editions by city.

The question then becomes how do you sustain a brand in an environment like this? In theory, this should make it more difficult to sustain a brand as the variants make it more difficult to maintain a unified brand front. Everything you are taught in branding and marketing is to make a consistent experience to ensure consumer comfort. Disruption in the brand equals discomfort supposedly, but I'd actually argue that it can as in the cases of the Japanese limited editions delight consumers.

This is a great example of how the limited edition is handled in Japan. This is Francfranc for Disney and as you can see here they developed some products around the 7 dwarfs. Now I'm a bit old for Disney paraphernalia, but these candles and candle holders are something I could easily see my self purchasing. Those bath salts to the left would also make a great gift for my more serious friends who are still kids at heart.

The trick about it is that it requires a better understanding of the brand than just the mass production and execution of key values. Japan has everything from Starbucks to Coldstone to Prada to Chanel and yet it is through the limited editions that they are able to claim the brands for themselves. And you know what that does? Generate more cash overall for the brands. This is because the Japanese feel they are being catered to and someone like me for instance is delighted by the fact that they can get a Matcha Latte at Starbucks.

In a time where the recession is pushing consumers out of the stores, marketers might want to take note here of the way the Japanese handle the limited editions. Simply slapping Lanvin's name on H&M gear is really not the way to go. Well in my opinion anyway, because granted I did go to H&M to see the collection but it was more for rubbernecking then purchasing. That hardly happens with the limited editions here, because you know what? They actually take the time to think of how the consumer will respond to the product beyond the brand association. It also eliminates masstige as the higher price points are balanced with extremely limited supply. Even moreso than those of the H&M collaborations. This results in making the overall shopping expierence more dynamic, interactive, and a heck of a lot more exciting.

When Retail Therapy Goes Terribly Wrong

Yesterday was not one for the record books. If they ever do a lifetime movie version of my life I sincerely hope they leave that little episode out. I have never been so embarrassed/ashamed of myself in my life.


I had a major freak out in Isetan. Like to the point of almost breaking down in tears. A bit of context is probably necessary here. Isetan has this amazing plus size store, well it did anyway. I've been a couple of times so I was really pumped to be back in Japan and able to shop at the equivalent of Willa Wonk'a chocolate factory for plus sized fashion. (Isetan itself is a department store that has the style direction of Barneys, the penetration of Bloomingdales, and the white glove service of Bergdoff Goodman.) Unfortunately, the section I normally shop in had slim pickings and I could not shimmy into anything in other sections due to my bountiful bosom. I don't know if it was jet lag, all the family obligations (meeting people I don't know very is always taxing), or the language barrier. I just all of a sudden felt extremely overwhelmed and as a byproduct got extremely upset. So much so that I rushed out of the section and was extremely rude to the sales clerk. Ugh.

Even visiting the bag floor couldn't cheer me up. Well that is until I saw this amazing piece by Celine (which I would love to share but I can't track down a pic and forgot to snag one with my phone). Clocking in at over 170,000 Yen (more or less 2K in dollars), it was love at first sight and hearbreak as well as I was lacking the funds to procure it. I'm really not one for french brands in the handbag department as I feel they are always just a bit to "much" for me. I like my handbags utilitarian for the most part and I'm a stickler for leather quality (the Italians seem to be the only ones to really get it right in my opinion). Though every once in awhile I will fall in love with a French one. Last time it was a Chloe and it was the ONLY Chloe I have ever wanted in my life. Stupidly, I did not purchase it (would have required selling a kidney) and then they went in a completely different direction design wise.

I'm planing on visiting a vintage store later on in Shibuya. I'll let you all know what I find! Maybe I'll even track down that Chloe I've been chasing for years. I might also stop by Roppongi and see if I can track down that Celine bag for the sake of all you guys back home. I would go back to Isetan, but I'm not sure my obviously oh so fragile ego could take it!