[J-Fashion] Swankiss Winter 2015 Collection: Merry Memory Go-Round

FASHION
Aug. 21, 2015 02:54 PDT

Welcome back to our Japanese fashion blog! Just a few days ago, we toured the newest collection of styles from Swankiss, one of the top brands available here on Tokyo Otaku Mode! The last time we saw a Swankiss exhibition was back in May, and many of the pieces we admired then are now available for purchase from our official Swankiss brand page.

Likewise, the items shown in the following photographs will start to appear on TOM later this year. We can't wait!

The always-lovely Saaya Hayashida, official producer of Swankiss, is showing off one of her favorite dresses in this pic! We were so excited to meet her again. By the way, her amazing shoes are from the previous Swankiss collection, and they became very recently became available for purchase on TOM!

The winter 2015 collection is titled Merry Memory Go-Round. It's a direct continuation of the storyline that inspired the previous collection, Dream Story Land. Just to recap, Dream Story Land follows the life of a young girl: earlier pieces have ultra-sweet and innocent motifs, while later pieces incorporate design elements related to growing up, becoming a student, and falling in love.

The final designs from Dream Story Land included a lot of hearts, love letters, and other details reminiscent of young romance. Merry Memory Go-Round picks up right where Dream Story Land left off, with a wide variety of date-ready outfits.

The previous collection derived inspiration from the idea of a trip to a bright carnival full of childlike wonder. This time around, instead of showing the daytime carnival through the eyes of a small child, the designs give us a hint of what it might be like to go to the carnival at night. As always, the exhibition decorations were right on point.

It's hard to see in the photo, but the black dress and skirt are adorned with an intricate pattern of glittery constellations! Saaya mentioned to us that the white sweater shown at left is likely to end up being the brand's most popular winter item. The extra long and roomy sleeves give it a cute and comfy oversized look.

These delightful dresses are timed to come out right around Halloween.

This dress, on the other hand, will be released toward the end of the year. It's perfect for all your favorite winter holidays!

This trio of dresses caught our eye the very instant we walked into the exhibition. Their elaborate patterns and rich texture makes them look and feel supremely special and luxurious.

In order from left to right, the fabric used features teddy bears, playing cards, and deep red roses. There's definitely a lolita influence at work here, but it's difficult to slap these dresses with a single specific style or genre label. That's a big part of what we love about Swankiss!

Does this look familiar? You may have spotted the same sequined teddy bear adorning a jacket in the Dream Story Land collection.

We're always thrilled to see more Swankiss jewelry and accessories. They're an ideal way for new fans to start experiencing the Swankiss world. We look forward to adding these choker necklaces to our Swankiss line-up!

Rabbit-related pieces continue to be extremely popular!

We were also delighted to see a lot more swan-themed clothing than in the previous collection! This sweater comes in light blue, light pink, and black.

This swan-shaped shirt collar struck us as being particularly attractive, unique, and creative. If you scroll back up to the top of the article, you'll see that Saaya is wearing a white version of this blouse in the very first picture!

Even the back of the blouse is graced with wing-like detailing, making it memorable and attention-catching from every angle.

This design (a fairytale castle inside a gauzy rainbow heart) adorns the front of a top made from sweatshirt material. The sequins and confetti visible behind the semitransparent fabric can move around freely--it's like a wearable toy!

And once again, Swankiss dazzled us with incredible shoes! They immediately reminded us of the elegant structure of classic, old-fashioned, dressy ice skates.

These shoes will be available in pale pink (as shown in the previous pic), white, and black.

Displayed directly below the shoes was this lavish jumper dress. We can't get enough of the adorable heart cut-outs! Look closely at our other photos throughout this article, and you'll see that a lot of pieces have similarly lovely shoulder details. The delicate white lace blouse is available separately and also comes in multiple colors.

These easy-to-wear high-waisted shorts are another example of a garment with heart cut-outs: a little cute, a little sexy, and all-around perfect.

Like the shorts above, this skirt comes with rose decorations.

The high-quality and meticulous embroidery uses multiple shades to create an artistic, tapestry-like effect.

When Saaya showed us the leopard print beneath the skirt's gauze overlay, we were amazed to realize that it's actually composed entirely of subtle heart shapes! Since Swankiss fans tend to gravitate toward sweet, kawaii, pretty designs, it can be difficult for them to find animal prints that match their sense of style. This skirt is a beautiful and non-jarring way for Swankiss lovers to explore a timeless style motif that might not have previously made many appearances in their wardrobe.

While earlier pieces in the collection have a romantic theme, many other items are centered around the concept of sisters growing up and experiencing life together. You don't have to be especially interested in romance to appreciate the Swankiss worldview--there's a place here for everyone!

These super-cute backpacks are a renewed version of an ultra-popular design from winter 2014. The 2014 version was completely transparent, but this time, only the front heart pocket is clear. So you get a little extra privacy while still being able to show off any items you choose to place in the clear pocket! Saaya mentioned to us that many anime and game fans bought the previous iteration of this design. It's because it gave them an opportunity to demonstrate their fandom by filling the clear pocket with decorative pins and badges of their favorite characters.

We'd love to live in a room like this...!

The dress seen here is deliberately designed to be a little on the short side--long enough that you can still comfortably wear it as a dress on its own, but short enough that it also works as a top or tunic. Multiple ways to coordinate one garment means more fun for everyone who owns it!

Last, but definitely not least, let's take a look at some fluffy Swankiss winter coats!

The hood is decorated with delicate rosettes--and it even comes with a bunny tail!

Even if you hate cold weather, it might be worth it for a chance to wear this downright gorgeous shearling coat. Actually, you could say that about all of the winter Swankiss items! Swankiss will ensure that you find a way to survive the cold without compromising on style.

If you're a Swankiss fan, keep an eye on our Swankiss brand page for all the latest releases. We'll be adding new designs every month! And of course, you can be assured that later in 2015, we'll offer a vast range of pieces from our photographs in this article, as well as the rest of the Merry Memory Go-Round Collection.

Thanks for reading, and see you again soon!

By Dreamy MIDORI & Sarappe