Visual Kei

[Serephurus]

Does anyone know much about their clothing or music? I know they are influenced by glam rock and goth and are a branch of J-Rock. I know that they wear androgynous aesthetics. I've found a few VK clothes on a site, but they're hard to find. I know the men usually look like women and everyone wears thick eye make up and dye their hair different colors. Also I've noticed long hair is very common in this scene.

[Serephurus]

http://www.fanplusfriend.com/servlet...ei-Punk/Detail

http://www.fanplusfriend.com/servlet...etached/Detail

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_kei

[Miss Cogs]

Yeah.
Fellow visual kie participants include Kyo from Dir En Grey, Mana from Malice Mizer and Mio Dix Mois, and many more.
Visual Kie music include Dir En Grey, Malice Mizer, Mio Dix Mios, Vidoll, D'espairsray, Candy Spooky Theater, and do a damn google search.
Trust me, wiki it and they'll give you loads of pictures, band names, and clothing websites.
Wiki will never fail you.

[Lolly PopMuzik]

http://tokyo.cool.ne.jp/scum00/batca.../contents.html

This will trump VK anytime.

[Serephurus]

I still can't find good VK sites other than http://www.fanplusfriend.com/

Any site that exclusively sells Visual Kei clothing? Also just about every VK hairstyle I've seen has been a Cloud Strife haircut from FFVII.

[viscus]

Originally Posted by Lolly PopMuzik

http://tokyo.cool.ne.jp/scum00/batca.../contents.html

This will trump VK anytime.

Will you marry me?

[Lolly PopMuzik]

Originally Posted by Serephurus

I still can't find good VK sites other than http://www.fanplusfriend.com/

Any site that exclusively sells Visual Kei clothing? Also just about every VK hairstyle I've seen has been a Cloud Strife haircut from FFVII.

It's not likely you will because the native shops and brands are exclusively Japanese and expensive enough to make your anus pucker up like a sorority girl at a kissing booth.

But...
(Minutes later thanks to Google which also gave me a facepalm inducing WikiHow guide to being a VK goth chick result)

https://www.loli(ta goes where?)-kis....php?cPath=207 (Not really guy/male friendly let alone tasteful since a majority of this can be sewn but will do in a pinch)

http://www.gloomth.com/
Last I recall the owner sometimes hangs round here advertising sales and the supply is usually under $50.

DIY. Seriously, I would think about Gloomth and DIY if I were you because with what you already spend on Victorian stuff as an indicator (which is pretty horrifying), you'll already end up paying way more on brand and considering how toast the dollar is...

Originally Posted by viscus in regards to the awesome earlier link

Will you marry me?

Flattering but I'm still young!

[Technowitch]

VK hasn't quite made the transition to the west the way loli has, so it's going to be a bit more difficult to find shops for it. DIY, as mentioned before, is going to be your best option. Pick up magazines with that cater to Japanese street fashion (such as Fruits, which has some VK kids mixed in with all the decora, ganguro, and lolis; CURE, a VK music magazine; Gothic and Loli Ta Bible, a fashion mag that covers VK as well as Japanese goth and the five million flavors of loli) and check out what kind of hair, make-up, and designs the models and bands wear. A lot of these mags are available in the States and can probably be found in other western countries, as well--VIZ has recently picked up the rights to translate and publish the GLB in English. Concentrate on altering some things in your own wardrobe or making things from scratch--you're far more likely to get a unique product with the desired fit that way.

The only thing I can think of where you'd need to spend a lot of money, actually, is if you wanted to get SFX contacts. A lot of VK artists wear unusual contacts, sometimes even of two different colors or designs.

Accessorization is...well, the weirder, the better. Vivienne Westwood accessories are popular, so take a look at some of her more unusual jewelry designs and see what you like, what you can make yourself, and what you can thriftstore-find (or eBay it).

[Serephurus]

I just bought Tokyo Rock Catwalk: Visual Kei Bands Big in Japan from Barnes and Noble today.

It shows different mainstream VK artists and shows a lot of the fashion, most of the fashion is for men. Very, very good.

[GothicChristian]

Originally Posted by Serephurus

http://www.fanplusfriend.com/servlet...ei-Punk/Detail

http://www.fanplusfriend.com/servlet...etached/Detail

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_kei

I'd wear that.
Actually, I already do.

[Anonymoose]

Visual Kei is gimmicky. Almost worse than HT. Actually... they're about on the level.

[Technowitch]

...Yeah, I can agree with the gimmicky part. At least VK looks more awesome than 99% of the stuff you can get at HT. The clothes are probably better quality, too. =/

[Murasaki eyeliner]

VK is the werbanana!!! i

iv been obsessed with it ever since i saw my first malice mizer vid. although it is rarther expensive so i geneary improvise with diy and rarther unearthly hair. i recon that one of the best things about vk is the androgenous aspect of it (because i love pretty boys) and the fact that it is allmost impossible to define and/or pin down.

[Serephurus]

Yeah. that's the problem with goths. they have a certain look that defines them, but vk doesn't have a specific style. each band has their own style as well.

[Technowitch]

...No, VK does have an aesthetic standard that's easy to spot. If you look at pictures of Japanese rock bands, you don't even have to listen to their musical to pick out which are more mainstream and which are VisKei, Oshare Kei, eroguro, et cetera.

...It has a lot of the same elements you'd find in goth and glam fashions, actually, though Oshare has some elements of decora thrown in.

[Serephurus]

I'm just curious. Is there a written standard somewhere? I've only noticed that a lot of them wear feminine futuristic clothing. Some might wear a shirt that has half of a skirt attached and is white or whatever. Doesn't VisKei have a lot of detached sleeves and detached leg warmers? If so, then that's something I've noticed. It's probably easier if I just bought some VisKei clothes off Ebay or FanPlusFriend or whatever. I'm terrible at making my own clothes... I mean I tried to make a DIY heavy gothic shirt, but I ended up with a shirt that looked like some sex-cowboy thing. lmao (Oh and if I wear a black fedora with it, I look like a pimp... )

[Serephurus]

http://asianfanatics.net/forum/lofiv...p/t329001.html

That explains the difference between VK and Oshare. Oshare is more upbeat and positive music, while VisKei is stereotyped as darker and gloomy. Visual Kei just has elaborate and dramatic costumes, right? Their hair is like manga style... and they wear SFX contacts and makeup that stands out and they even might dye their hair real bright colors, right? I think I'm starting to understand more about Visual style... That would explain why some of the Visual Kei bands in my book had lipstick smeared on their mouth and had pale makeup and white contacts... Definitely some gothic influence there. But some VisKei bands looked real upbeat and their songs maked me happy. Weird. Then again I don't understand Japanese. lol You know to think of it, their songs did have some emotion in them, and Dir en Grey and Maximum the Hormone were real dark sounding... So let me guess. Visual Kei gets their flamboyant look from glam rock, right?

[Asti]

Well, in my opinion, the only true god of VK is Miyavi. Just search on Youtube and you're going to get Visual Kei in it's purest form. In addition - other than many other bands and artists in that genre - Miyavi is actually a giftet musician. And when I look at his outfits... they often look like he just combined about everything he had left in his closet.

[KontanKarite]

Visual Kei.... sucks.

Nothing wrong with a call to celebration, mind you.

Visual Kei just strikes me as plain ol' nasty.

"I'm going to spend hundreds of dollars to look like an anime character all the time. Go Japan. I totally love buying into your bullshit."

There isn't anything progressive about it. From my understanding, no progressive or positive ideas behind it, no DIY, nothing.

The only thing that might work in a positive way is that there's tools out there willing to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on everyday wear costumes, effectively establishing the stance that it should be socially acceptable to look like a clown everyday, in which I support. Other than that, it's pretty much a disgusting hobby if you ask me.

[Serephurus]

Actually a lot of VK is DIY if you aren't in Japan. And looking like a clown just depends on the style you have if you're a VK kid. It can look punk, goth, or what you would call clownish. I'll admit it's one step below transvestite, but hey, that's what makes it fun. I'm going to order some visual kei outfits that are like 50 dollars for pants (decent price) and 50 dollars for the top. You can get a jacket for 50 dollars, which isn't too easy to get at a store like Hollister. The jacket even comes with a shirt. It just depends what you order from. If you buy off Ebay, it's gonna be an expensive mother fucker. If you buy from some site that's obscure and based in Japan and they accept international orders, then you might find something cheap. You can't do the special effects contacts though, and it would be hard as hell to do the hair yourself every day. Those are the only drawbacks I see though.

Pros:

Not very common in the States.
Colorful clothes, androgynous
Clothing works for both genders
Not too expensive if you look in the right places

Cons:
Hard to DIY
Can easily be mistaken for other subgroups
Style is kind of hard to imitate sometimes
Can be expensive
Hard to find
Get picked on for dressing androgynous.

Those are the pros and cons I could think of.

[Alyss]

I borrowed a copy of Fruits from my cousin's friend one time, and it was actually nice. Everyone else in the house didn't think so though.

Anyway, about the contacts, I've heard of Freshlook Wild Eyes contact lenses. I wonder if they'll do the trick. I also remember seeing a chinese or taiwanese website before selling contact lenses designed for anime eyes or something like that.

I agree with Serephurus. It's all about looking for it in the right places. I know someone who does Goth Loli and VK, and she more or less DIY's it. Just get the appropriate clothes then modify it a bit. That's what people over here do when it comes to Goth Loli and VK. It turns out more stunning that way because you can get to customize it the way you want I suppose, but that goes with all kinds of clothes too.

[KontanKarite]

Originally Posted by Serephurus

Actually a lot of VK is DIY if you aren't in Japan. And looking like a clown just depends on the style you have if you're a VK kid. It can look punk, goth, or what you would call clownish. I'll admit it's one step below transvestite, but hey, that's what makes it fun. I'm going to order some visual kei outfits that are like 50 dollars for pants (decent price) and 50 dollars for the top. You can get a jacket for 50 dollars, which isn't too easy to get at a store like Hollister. The jacket even comes with a shirt. It just depends what you order from. If you buy off Ebay, it's gonna be an expensive mother fucker. If you buy from some site that's obscure and based in Japan and they accept international orders, then you might find something cheap. You can't do the special effects contacts though, and it would be hard as hell to do the hair yourself every day. Those are the only drawbacks I see though.

What makes you think that I give a damn that visual kei rips and poses off of far more interesting and progressive subcultures such as goth and punk?

Pros:

Not very common in the States.

This does not matter. You don't see anime clowns trying to do something positive do you? Visual Kei... not only is it as vain as goth, but it's way more fucking commercialized and not in the least bit against the grain. The best it is, is "cute" and I do mean that in the most patronizing way I can mean it.

Colorful clothes, androgynous

That is not a fucking pro. That's just another flag for vanity. So far, it's vain. Own up to it.

Clothing works for both genders

A tee shirt and jeans works for both genders. This don't mean shit.

Not too expensive if you look in the right places

Thrift stores and DIY will ALWAYS trump this Visual Kei Japanese HT bullshit.

Cons:

Hard to DIY

Nothing is hard to make. All it takes is patience and effort.

Can easily be mistaken for other subgroups

You mean all the other kinds of subgroups that buy into someone selling them an identity such as goth, punk, emo, hipster, modder, and rocker?

Style is kind of hard to imitate sometimes

No, it's not. Go fucking spend 100s of dollars at some J-Rock Hot Topic.

Can be expensive

It should be expensive. What better way to make an awesome buck by selling bullshit to identity starved youths?

Hard to find

No it's not. Go to any anime convention. Shop in Japan or on japanese sites.

Get picked on for dressing androgynous.

Those are the pros and cons I could think of.

It's not because you're androgynous, it's because you imply a degree of homosexuality which is sadly, still hated for no good reason.

Ugh... it's so materialistic.

[Lolly PopMuzik]

Originally Posted by Serephurus

I'll admit it's one step below transvestite, but hey, that's what makes it fun.

Can be expensive

Those are the pros and cons I could think of.

This from someone who openly admitted to throwing down $700 bucks on a bootleg Victorian outfit that could have cost less than $100 with effort and having gender issues.

Seriously, that J-Batcave link. They obviously did the look a lot cheaper and without enough slickness to put Astroglide to shame. And here: http://www.deathrock.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=6847

http://images.*********************....icness_Two.jpg

[Serephurus]

I never bought the Victorian outfit.

[AngelikDemonik]

I think the look is nice, but the price tag is not.