[J-Fashion] Amazingly Original & Creative Japanese Accessories!

FASHION
Jul. 31, 2015 01:51 PDT

Welcome back to our Japanese fashion blog! We've attended a whirlwind of exhibitions this summer, including several different shows focusing exclusively on accessories. And now we're gearing up to greatly increase our selection of cute and quirky Japanese jewelry and other accessories!

The first big accessories brand we've added is Lilou, which offers a line of necklaces, earrings, and rings with charming motifs such as eyeglasses, paper cranes, and silverware. Our absolute favorite item from them are these cat tail earrings--we love how the design is both cute and unexpectedly functional!

We also plan to start offering items from at least two other major jewelry and accessory-centric brands. Since we'e still working on preparing their product pages, we wanted to give you an advance look at the kinds of goodies we'll have ready for you! Below you'll find a selection of photos that we took at their recent exhibitions.

These pretzel-themed pieces are by gargle, a brand that is basically always 100% on point (as you'll see in later images as well!). Believe it or not, the pretzels are real! But that doesn't mean they're edible--they've been specially treated to preserve them for use in jewelry. And yet they still look good enough to eat!

The scissor brooches are a fabulous example of how a single small, unique piece of jewelry can be both pretty and edgy at the same time. But we were even more bowled over (no pun intended!) by the spoon necklaces. Cutlery is a recurring motif in certain realms of fashion, but gargle puts their own stamp on this theme by filling the spoons with tiny stars and pearls. The decorative carvings on the spoon handles are also a very nice touch.

You know how much we love alpacas here at TOM--and so we were absolutely tickled to discover gargle's adorable alpaca ring! Our new Lilou line-up also includes an alpaca necklace!

One of our staff here at TOM has been a gargle fan for a long time, and it was this line of mini-astronaut jewelry that originally won her over! The astronaut items continue to be among gargle's perennial best-sellers.

On a side note, the gargle event we went to was actually a joint exhibition with the bag company behind Osumashi Pooh-chan and FLAPPER. As a result, we've recently added a bunch of adorable new bags, backpacks, pouches, and wallets from both of these brands! You'll have to wait a little bit longer for gargle pieces to begin showing up on the TOM Premium Shop... but we promise it'll be worthwhile!

The remaining photos from here onward (including the one directly above) are from an exhibition by Osewaya, another accessories brand that we're excited to start working with later this summer! They have numerous different lines, including a new sub-brand that focuses on girly yet visually striking and sophisticated designs with a lot of flowers, lace, and pearls.

We weren't kidding about there being a lot of flowers! The headbands are gorgeous and beautifully constructed. The highlight of this trifecta, however, has to be the ear cuff & hairpin sets in the upper-left-hand corner of the image. They originally conceived of this design as a way to keep ear cuffs from falling off or shifting around too much as you wear them throughout the day. The delicate chain connecting the ear cuff to the hairpin helps both of them stay in place (in addition to looking incredibly cool!).

On top of that, you can remove the chain in order to wear the ear cuff and hairpin separately. It's like getting three awesome accessories in one very creative package!

Items were grouped in different rooms with a variety of different decorations. For example, many of those shown in this room were handcrafted, and featured nature-based imagery like animals, food, and constellations.

Osewaya had an astonishing assortment of hair accessories and other pieces made from artificial flowers. But this isn't just your standard line-up of cutesy flowers--the realistic-looking barrettes, clips, and earrings had a much more seasonal theme, with a healthy dose of fall-appropriate colors. Some even had artificial fruit attached! Do you see the miniature apples and berries on the lower shelf?

These necklaces really showcase the playful attitude and creative, artistic spirit behind Osewaya's designs. The window frame and night sky in the necklace on the left form a single complete image when they overlap--but they ultimately opted to attach the two components as separate pieces, for greater dynamism.

Do the long dangly earrings on the right remind you of anything? They represent all the planets in our solar system, lined up in order! It's so much fun to wear a piece of jewelry that both looks amazing and has an interesting story or concept behind it.

Speaking of which... there's a lot to love about all of these earrings, especially the scrumptious-looking sushi and donuts! But we particularly want to call your attention to the cats in the top row. Osewaya staff members took original photographs of their own real-life cats in order to generate images for these earrings. Every single one of them is someone's beloved pet right here in Japan!

Another fun part about going to brand exhibitions is that they display items meant to be released well into the future--such as this array of Halloween-themed goods. We couldn't help but giggle at the pumpkin-riding cat up top.

Yet more cute jewelry and hair clips--perfect for wearing with a Harajuku style or fairy-kei outfit. The great thing about these standout accessories is that you can wear one by itself as a statement piece, or make it serve as the finishing touch for a carefully coordinated outfit... but you can also throw a bunch of them together without stressing out over whether they match or not. Trust us--it'll look amazing!

We can't wait to add more J-fashion accessories over the next month or so! In the meantime, have fun browsing our current selection, and be sure to let us know if you have any requests or suggestions!

Thanks for reading, and see you again soon!

By Dreamy MIDORI & Sarappe