THRILLED WITH FRILLS
Women Breeze into Summer with Light, Lacy Fashion (May 30, 2006)
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| Lace trim on blouses and skirts (Color & Design Research Room of Kyoritsu Women's Junior College) |
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The fresh breezes of early summer have brought with them a vogue for feminine styles. As part of this trend, clothes embellished with lace have become popular, not only among teenage girls but also among "OLs" (female office workers) in their twenties and thirties.
Natural White and Chic Black
As one might expect, some of the most popular garments are dresses and camisoles with lace trim at the bodice or hemline, as well as all-lace boleros and gathered skirts. But in a new twist, lace is also showing up on boyishly casual items that one might consider incompatible with its delicate texture, such as tailored jackets, jeans, cargo pants, and denim shorts. A glimpse into the fashionable shops of Tokyo suggests that the lace craze has reached such a fevered pitch that anyone shopping for non-lacy garments would be hard-pressed to find them.
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| (left) A lace-trimmed tank top ; (right) a cute, lace-trimmed skirt (Color & Design Research Room of Kyoritsu Women's Junior College) |
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Most of the lace showing up these days is white. The most popular look is a natural style achieved by coordinating pale-colored garments - for example, a white lace blouse with an off-white skirt. Blouses and dresses decked with frills and ribbons in addition to lace are favorite items. Although this extra detailing bumps the price up to a slightly higher bracket of ¥10,000 to ¥20,000 (about $90 to $180 at ¥111 to the dollar) compared to non-decorated items, these blouses and dresses are hit items because they allow the wearer to incorporate the lace trend into her wardrobe with just a single garment.
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| Spring-like lace trimming (Stylife Corporation) |
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Among women seeking a slightly more adult look, black lace is popular. Chic black lace boleros and camisoles are often paired with jeans for a dressed-down look.
Still Exclusively for Girls
The dress wave is also lapping at the ankles of working women, mainly those in their thirties. This demographic has latched onto A-line and high-waisted dresses made of soft fabrics with refined floral or paisley prints. The colors finding favor among the worker-bee crowd are muted tones like white, pink, and light beige.
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Copyright (c) 2006 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.
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SPRING FLOWERS
(April 28, 2006)
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