S t r e e t F a s h i o n
Harajuku Harajuku is a district in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo situated next to the Meiji Jingu shrine. A near by bridge over the Yamanote railway line is the hot spot for some of the most imaginative and bizarre manifestations of youthful exuberance found anywhere in Japan. Every Sunday groups of mostly teenage girls gather in Harajuku to be hip, to be seen and to express themselves through what is known as “kosu-purei” costume play. These young folks whose previous generation was known as the “Takenokozoku” bamboo shoot tribe. The girls spend hours creating their costumes and putting on their faces. Their purpose is to be as different as possible from anything that resembles the ordinary. But…it sure is a wild and crazy spectacle while it lasts!
On a single street in Tokyo Omotesando the world's elite luxury brands have built one dazzling flagship store after another. Luke Barr takes a look at fashion's new architecture
K o j i k i M a g a z i n e
The rose is a rose, And was always a rose. But now the theory goes That the apple’s a rose, And the pear is, and so’s The plum, I suppose. The dear only knows What will next prove a rose. You, of course, are a rose But were always a rose.
Founder of Comme des Garcons, was born in Tokyo in 1942. Her designs have inspired many new designers like e.g. the Belgian Martin Margiela and Ann Demeulemeester, as well as Austrian designer Helmut Lang. The newest off spring of Kawakubo's fashion think tank is former apprentice Junya Watanabe, who has recently attained much attention in the fashion business. The worldwide launch of Rei Kawakubo's H&M collection is set for the beginning of November 2008 when H&M opens its second store in Tokyo.
Fashion Designer
In traditional Japan, a pale complexion was considered a sign of beauty. Both geisha and courtesans embodied this ideal through the application of white powder on the face. The white powder formed an exaggerated paleness, mask-like and alabaster in effect. Once lead-based, the powder caused women to age prematurely and left them with a sallow wrinkled complexion. Other powders consisted of rice husks or even creams with a base of nightingale droppings. The latter allegedly both cleansed and bleached the skin while leaving the complexion with a luminous pallor. Today, geisha's makeup have evolved into other less organic alternatives, including makeup produced by large Japanese cosmetics manufacturers. Applied with a thick brush to the face, the white powder usually mixed with a tint of pink. The sides of the nose and eye sockets were filled in with pink shading while the throat and shoulders remained pure whi te to contrast more sharply with the woman's kimono. As a result, the upper body was completely colored in, with the exception of a v-shape exposure at the nape of the neck. Purposely and conspicuously left unpowdered, the back of the neck alluringly exposed the body, synonymous with the Western convention of a woman's cleavage.
Poul Havgaard Blacksmith, jewelry designer Denmark
A R G U M E N T The basis of the jewelry lies in organic forms. An essential principle of my design is the creation of tension.It is achieved by letting two interesting forms communicate with each other as well as their surroundings. A piece of jewelry can also be a part of the sign language of erotic, a tool in influencing the opposite sex. Adorning oneself for another person's sake is, in my view, one of the central factors which has influenced culture. Jewelry expresses desire.
Amber is the fossilized resin from ancient forests. Amber is not produced from tree sap, but rather from plant resin. We can find lots of Amber in Falsterbo, Scania, Sweden.
Blue Bottle Café in San Francisco’s new Mint Plaza, the first full café from Blue Bottle Coffee.The new Japanese siphon bar. With its brass-trimmed halogen heating elements, glass globes and bamboo paddles, the new contraption is making coffee. Japan has a big culture of siphon coffee, vacpot, vacuum brewed coffee, siphon coffee. Did you know...... Japan ranks number 3 in the world for coffee consumption. In Japan, coffee shops are called Kissaten. Iced coffee in a can has been popular in Japan since 1945. Scandinavia has the world's highest per capita annual coffee consumption, 26.4 pounds. - People with the Viking blood - Italy has an annual consumption per capita of only 10 pounds.
This combination of fine dark chocolate with exquisite chili pepper delivers an absolutely unique taste experience. When savoring this new creation, chocolate connoisseurs will experience how the initially mild, delicate flavor of cocoa gradually gives way to a full-bodied but harmoniously spicy touch. Seductively piquant!
In 1768 when Admiral Louis de Bougainvillea, France began his long journey to the Pacific Ocean and discovered the vine that now bears his name, it was a botanical highlight of the voyage. Through the ensuing years, this Brazilian beauty has assumed its rightful place as one of the most popular, spectacular and beautiful tropical plants
Rudolph Carl Gorman, a native American, was born in Chinle, Arizona. During his early years he lived in a hogan and had little experience with the world beyond the Navajo reservation. He was raised by his grandmother who ignited his ambition by recounting Navajo legends and by acquainting him with his artistic ancestors.
In 1838 and 1839, as part of Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy, the Cherokee nation was forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee people called this journey the "Trail of Tears," because of its devastating effects. The migrants faced hunger, disease, and exhaustion on the forced march. Over 4,000 out of 15,000 of the Cherokees died. Art Lee Bogle It is Spring. The leaves are on the trees. I am playing with my friends when white men in uniforms ride up to our home. My mother calls me. I can tell by her voice that something is wrong. Some of the men ride off. My mother tells me to gather my things, but the men don't allow us time to get anything. They enter our home and begin knocking over pottery and looking into everything. My mother and I are taken by several men to where their horses are and are held there at gun point. The men who rode off return with my father, Elijah. They have taken his rifle and he is walking toward us.
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