PSYCHEDELIC REVIVAL
Colorful Designs Feature in Fashion and Video Games (March 16, 2005)
|
|
| Psychedelic shoes (DIANA) |
The psychedelic fashions that were all the rage in the United States from the late 1960s through the 1970s as young people engaged in various forms of social protest have made a comeback. Psychedelic designs feature bright multicolored patterns and distinctive curved lines. These designs, which dominated fashion and art in the sixties and seventies, are now showing up again, not only in people's closets but in some surprising new areas as well.
Back in Fashion
Italian design house Emilio Pucci has created a signature print that uses over 150 colors and serves as an expression of the brand's colorful and unique worldview. A design aesthetic that originated as an emblem of hippie culture has spread to the realm of luxury fashion. Pucci opened a boutique in Tokyo's Ginza district in November 2004 and is using the store to purvey its modern take on psychedelic fashion to Japanese customers. The store interior, which has a white motif, houses luxury bags, shoes, and other products with psychedelic designs that succeed in expressing Ginza's hallmark chic.
Meanwhile, in the streets of Tokyo districts like Koenji and Kichijoji, which are lined with secondhand clothes stores, clothing from the original psychedelic boom of the 1960s and 1970s is selling well. Most of those buying these vintage garments are young women aged around 20, who were not even born when psychedelic fashion first appeared. New clothes and accessories are also being designed and marketed to cater to this new generation of psychedelic fans. One difference with the 1960s and 1970s is that most of the products in the current boom are being sold online, showing that psychedelic fashion has truly entered the twenty-first century.
Psychedelic Gaming
The psychedelic revival extends beyond the realm of fashion. Among other places, psychedelic motifs are showing up in video games. A game called Kimi no tame nara shineru (I Would Die for You), created by Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. for Nintendo's new DS portable gaming console, has become a hot topic for its psychedelic visuals and music. The game's story line revolves around a male protagonist who has fallen in love with a woman at first sight and tries to woo her in various ways. The visual depiction of the characters - which makes heavy use of black silhouettes, curved lines, and vivid colors like red, orange, and blue - exemplifies the psychedelic aesthetic. Kimi no tame nara shineru has garnered popularity thanks to its combination of grown-up entertainment and fresh design.
While the psychedelic designs of the sixties and seventies were characterized by bold primary and secondary colors, the recent psychedelic revival has been marked by the slight toning down of those colors. This makes it easier for people to fit the psychedelic look into their wardrobes. In contrast to the original psychedelic craze of the sixties, which was associated with illicit drugs and anti-establishment sentiment, the focus of the current psychedelic revival is on the pure enjoyment of fun, dreamy designs.
 Page Top
Copyright (c) 2005 Web Japan. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.
|
 |
HOUNDSTOOTH CHECKS
(March 9, 2004) |
