First photo shows the fragrance collection ( I wear G, just so you know), then Gwen Stefani with the Harajuku Girls, the snowbunny purse (one of my favorites in my collection with the koosh ball), a close-up of the adorable make-up bags (also in my collection) and the Harajuku Lovers gift box with purse and box that sings when you open it. Too kawaii!

Gwen Stefani is my homie! She is my age and still keeps her outer child on the prowl. I respect that. I love all the Harajuku Lovers stuff she offers -wallets, watches, sneaks, jewelry, hair clippies, totes, purses, diaper bags and now fragrances too (when will there be cosmetics please oh please – just imagine the packaging).

While I admit that co-opting the Harajuku “look” which is distinctively Japanese and using it for her own marketing purposes may not reflect well ( a little “Ugly American” if you ask me)I still cannot help but love the results. For most Americans they don’t even know what the heck Harajuku means so it really doesn’t besmirch the Japanese. They probably think it is word Gwen made up.

We know the real story though: (from Wikipedia)

Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan. Every Sunday, young people dressed in a variety of styles including gothic lolita, visual kei, and decora, as well as cosplayers spend the day in Harajuku socializing. The fashion styles of these youths rarely conform to one particular style and are usually a mesh of many. Most young people gather on Jingu Bridge, which is a pedestrian bridge that connects Harajuku to the neighboring Meiji Shrine area. The term “Harajuku Girls” has been used by English-language media to describe teenagers dressed in any fashion style who are in the area of Harajuku. This fashion infuses multiple looks and styles to create a unique form of dress. One of these styles, Kawaii, came to fame in the 1990’s. Kawaii became a popular phrase that meant something was cute or pretty. Kawaii was a form of resistance in that the style and culture associated with it were not seen as attractive by an older generation.  This idea of Kawaii was a distinct youth culture separate from the traditional one in existence.

These are the real deal Harajuku Girls (who are not Gwen’s backup dancers) right on the bridge in Harajuku Station.

Although I am too old to dress like this (but don’t tell Gwen that – I guess she can because she is a pop star), I adore it. I had my time too with punk rock back in the ’80’s. We used to do cute things back then with Smurf’s, Hello Kitty, Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake. I’m not sure if the Olivia Newton-John headband from “Let’s Get Physical” could be considered kawaii but I will admit that I did have one and leg warmers that I used to wear with a pair of ripped-up jeans with a torn Flashdance sweatshirt and Chuck Taylor All-Stars.I wonder if these girls will one day look back at photos of themselves and think – oh my heavens – did I actually dress like that in public?

If you are looking for the newest Harajuku Lovers handbags you can find them at Trendy Stars and also at ebay (usually pretty good prices) and if you get lucky like I have, right at your local TJ Maxx for super cheapo prices.