Importing fashion goods from Japan can sometimes be very expensive (especially when you live in a country that charges horrendous custom fees like Germany... <.<) and take a long time.
Of course, owning a Gyaru/Lolita brand item that comes straight from Japan does have a very special feel to it - I won't deny that I really love this! xD But it's sometimes also very nice to spot some Gyaru-able and less pricey items in the stores...
This is what I found lately! =)
H&M
Emoda/Murua (?) style pants - 14,95€
I've seen similiar style leggins by Emoda or Murua, I can't be 100% sure anymore. x___X I guess it was Murua though, since they're sporting bold monochrome prints.
Hime earrings - 4,95€
Probably no big news for you, since those earrings are in stores since 1/2 a year already. ;) But still a cute find!
(Can you believe this is actually the only item I really BOUGHT from this listing? I've become so greedy... xD")
Liz Lisa style shoes - 39,95€
Not 100% the thing, but still a nice match I think! =)
Lace shorts - 24,95€
A nice basic piece for Gal wardrobe. =) (perfect as safety pants under too short dresses)
(unfortunately, they don't have an online store. =/ If you don't have a Tally Weijl store close to your place, you might want to check Ebay!)
JSG style Jacket - 25€
Even if it doesn't have nekomimi ears, it still gives off the JSG vibe for me! xD
Cecil McBee style bag - 20€
It somehow reminds me of a bag that I saw at Cecil McBee - just a little more golden bling bling, and it'll be perfect! x3
Hime style mules - 26€
A Himegyaru basic ♥ White is easy to combine with a lot of colors, very versatile!
Golds Infinity / Stella style dress - 30€
Once more, I'm not sure in which brand scheme this dress does fit the most... I guess Golds Infinity, since they're doing the lace-layering very often? Anyways, it'll be gorgeous for Agejo styles! ♥
Please share your offbrand finds, if you have some! =D
I'm sorry for the lack of entrys again. =/ A few very bad things happened the past weeks, so I was pretty much busy with keeping my life going it's usual way. Anyways, my life moral: After touching the ground, there's only one way left: UP. =)
I'm pretty okay again at this point, so up with some more reasonable entrys! ;D
The topic I've chosen this time is "Para Para"! ♥
Unbelievable
that I didn’t make an entry about Para Para yet – so here you go! =D
What is
Para Para?
“Para Para”
is the name of a japanese synchronized group dancing style, that does involve a
lot of hand and arm movements, while the legs mostly repeat one very simple
step. Since it’s hard to describe that dancing style with words, I’ll simply
show you this video. ;)
As you
might have already heard from that video, Para Para is tightly bond to techno
beats and synthesized pop. The music genre mostly tied to this dancing style is
“Eurobeat” – but Para Para literally works with every kind of upbeat electronic
music. There are substyles such as “AniPara” (remixed Anime Intro/Outro songs),
“TechPara” (Techno) and “TraPara” (Trance) for example.
The roots
of this dancing style cannot be dated exactly (probably super bad english here, sorry. lol). It’s rumored that Para Para was
invented in the late 70’s already. Anyways, it got mostly famous in the middle
of the 90’s, when Gyaru style was growing more and more popular, and adapted
“Para Para” dancing as part of Gal lifestyle.
Dancing
Para Para used to be a very common group activity in Gal circles, and was often
practised in public. There is no compulsory choreography for the songs, so every
Gal-Cir created their own way of dancing to the songs - soon, there were
competitions held between the different circles. This way, Para Para grew more
and more popular.
In no time,
even famous Gyaru models were sporting this kind of dancing style. Mostly
famous are the videos of egg models, just check this one out! =D
If you
search for “para para” on youtube, you’ll get to see a lot of great videos, so
I’m not going to spam you with random stuff now. =) I’ll introduce you variety
of pretty famous / simply gorgeous Para Para routines now. ;)
Hinoi Team
feat. Choshu Korikki – “Night of fire”
This video combines 3 mentionable names/titles related to "Para Para"!
”Hinoi Team” is probably the most famous Para Para dancing group, consisting of
4 female members. The girls are not exactly fitting into the definition of
“Gyaru”, but that’s no reason to not be a gorgeous Para Para dancer, right? ;)
They have a lot of amazing videos on – some of them do have quite simple
choreography and are perfect for beginners, so check them out if you’re interested!
;)
Choshu Korikki is a japanese comedian, that included
dancing Para Para to his running gags. However, he’s having unexpectedly much
of a talent for this kind of dance! He made it far enough to dance in the video
of Hinoi Team and other dance combos, and he used to be performing as a starter
on Para Para dance competitions! So come on… if he can do it, you can do so,
too! ;D ”Night of fire” is probably the most famous tune in Para Para. There do exist a
loooot of dance routines and remixes for this track, you can check it out on
youtube! ;D
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu – “Caramel Dansen”
Okay, a lot
of Gals might feel the urge to kill me now… xD” But for me, this video was one of my
first encounter with Para Para. (Yes, I am aware that this is not the original
song that was played along with the video, but just a remix).
Actually, a
lot of Anime feature Para Para scenes – one more example would be oh-so-famous
Sailor Moon! ;D
Mi->Na – “Moonlight Densetsu”
A remix of
the super famous Sailor Moon song! I totally LOVE that dance routine!
Hi-Cross –
“A love at first sis”
(I verdict a typo here. XD)
MY ALLTIME
FAVORITE!
Hi-Cross
dance group is my absolute favorite when it comes to dance routines, I love
their more aggressive and sexy way of moving! This is also a very good example
that Para Para is NOT only a girls dance. ;D (Even though Hi-Cross does also
have female members!) My favorites are Mituki and Reiya ♥
Aaaand…
especially for the german Gals…
Shanadoo –
“King Kong” Para Para routine instruction! XD
And the music video...
Shanadoo - "King Kong"
Explanation:
Shanadoo is a group of 4 japanese girls, that do perform covered songs spiced
up with Para Para dancemoves – Shanadoo was produced in Germany, they had a
one-hit-wonder in the summer of 2006, with their song “King Kong”. They had a
couple of more songs after that, but none of them was a hit…
Unfortunately, nowadays Para Para isn’t a big part
of Gyaru anymore – it’s rated beeing “outdated”, and put into the same drawer
as Manba styling. Kinda sad, I think – it used to be a signature Gal thing, so
I will cling to it. It also is a lot of fun to learn new dance routines (even
though I’m not a good dancer at all! xD), you should really try it! ;D *desperately
trying to spread some Para Para love xD*
What do you think of "Para Para", I wonder? What was your feeling about this dancing style, when you first saw it?
(I still remember how I found it super silly looking when I saw "Para Para" dancing the first time. xD)
Special thanks to my dear "Para Para expert" Mai-chan, that catered me with ton's of infos and video suggestions! You're the best ♥
