Heading to 109 or any other gal hive such as OPA, ALTA, etc... can be intimidating. Here are some tips to keep you looking fabulous as you shop. This can also be useful for shopping for clothes anywhere in Japan.


109 (aka marukyuu) during last year's Christmas season 


Look your best: Imagine dressing up for a date. There's an argument that I really agree with that women dress for other women. If you follow this argument then you should be looking 100% when you head into 109.  Do a sound check on yourself, is your outfit, hair, nails, overall grooming at its top level? It absolutely should be at 109.


Best time to shop to actually shop: During the day in the middle of the week. Although this is often the time you see tourists there you can browse without having to shove through and shop staff have more time to spend on you. You might find yourself having good conversations with staff at this time.

Best time to people shop: Friday night and Saturday afternoon are the best time to see gals, although on Saturday you will also see a mix of jks and adults. (JK is Joushi Koukousei aka high school girls, see more trend words here) In the last year with the publication of I <3 MAMA by Ageha's publisher, the rise in yanmama (young mamas, used to be a term to describe mambas and such who got knocked up, but it's more acceptable now to use it simply on young mothers) is definitely rising so you might see a few gals with strollers, in heels -_-;;

Best way to approach 109: Take the elevator outside to the 8th floor. You don't have to fight the elevator inside to head up to the 2nd floor and you can get closer to brand goods.

Do not buy anything until you look at all shops, unless you have strong brand loyalty. There are only so many big trends circulating at once (see fall trends). Therefore repetition will happen between brands. You may see 7 union jack prints and 30 plaid shirts. You have choice. Use it.

However, sometimes brand loyalty trumps that. For example, although I didn't see all the Union Jack prints, I bought the one from One*Spo immediately because I know their look suits my style always. If you know a brand is more your style, don't hesistate to purchase that trend there.

Understand who are the tastemakers and who are simply followers. Brands like Egoist, Liz Lisa, One*Spo, Glad News, Gilfy make their own signature look on a trend. They are following their own look. Stores owned by Tokyu such as MitsuMaru Layla Rose and other Mitsu Maru brands, also Rose Fan Fan, Cryx, Shake Shake etc... do not set the style. They're often feeding off the trends leading brands produce. Often there is a quality and stylisticlly weak look in their work.

Not to say I've never shopped at those places and enjoyed the pieces I've bought. However, it's best to look to the scions of trends than to the reproducers.

Know your body's assets and flaws, use trends to work your assets. For example, I am apple shaped so while I like my legs and I have a large bust, I'd prefer to cover my stomach and upper arms. Lip Service low cut empire styles suit my body and One*Spo's leg revealing fluffy skirts are perfect for my shape.

This is not the end of it. Learn if you have narrow or broad shoulders. Do you have a short or long neck. Which colors look best on you? Most 109 looks in each store come in several colors so spend time finding the one best suited to your coloring and current look.

You can be of any size and be able to shop at 109. I think this is the biggest myth for people not used to shopping at gal stores in person.  However you have to change your mindset. I am sure many of you are not a size 0, which is fine. I'd rather everyone be at a healthy BMI than be skeletal. So it might be hard to find pants that are your size. Leggings are a big trend so switch to them with stretch instead. The balloon jackets that are 80s and very in right now fit any chest size. Many things are made with elastic so slide in. I am not advising people to muffin top, but you will find you have many options if you are an American size 16 or a size 2. Those closer to the 16 level just need to stay away from more fitted items.


Ask to try things on.
Learn and love this phrase: これを試着してもいいですか Kore wo shichaku shite mo ii desu ka? Can I try this on?
Or the alternative: このジャケットを試着できますか Kono Jacket wo shichaku dekimasu ka? Can I try on this jacket?
Just remember shichaku as the verb to try on. However, in Japan you will find the option of trying on shirts is severely limited and other items such as sweaters that stretch might be a no as well.

Actually trying things on. Take off your shoes when you enter a carpeted area of a dressing room (remember to have cute socks or a good pedicure). You might be handed a face cover, which is a thin veil to stop make-up from getting on their clothes (here's a pic of a woman demonstrating the right way). It looks foolish but it's best to follow the rules.

If you've decided against buying the item, you can simply defer and say Kore wo mada kangaemasu (コレをまだ考えます) I'm still thinking about it.

If not, enjoy your new hotness!

Get yourself heeled up at Flag-J, R&E or Esperanza. Use my shoe guide from earlier. These stores often make heels more customized to walking in Japan than foreign stores. I always joke that in America women have date heels. The impossibly tall ones that you teeter from the car to dinner and afterwards from the car to a movie and that's it. However heels in Japan are made for walking, tons and tons of walking. On average I walk 40 minutes a day in heels, and often have to stand for an hour a day during my commute. Trust Japanese shoe stores to be kind to this.

If you'll be in the area for a while, get to know your shop staff. Shop staff other than hanging up clothes and working the register are paid to be spokesmodels for their items. From nails, hair, and heels they are 100% representing their brand. Which means they notice hair, nails, etc.. If you're comfortable speaking Japanese, start a conversation. Ask their name, compliment if you see something worth noting.

Although shop staff can intimidating or downright snotty (Gilfy at 109 tends to be snotty while Gilfy at Shinjuku Lumine Est is less so), most will open up to you if you come back. In my experience I love my shopstaff and my girls are so sweet. Developing a relationship with your staff can lead to lots of good things. They'll hold pieces, bring out unreleased looks, give you freebies, advise your style and help you look your best. If you'll be in Japan for a while, this is a must.


Head back up to the 8th floor for a bubble milk tea at SBY  If you need a break, or your heels are killing you grab a refreshment at SBY. Although gals rarely eat at the 7th floor eating options, kogals love SBY and SBY has grown huge that it's now a chain and has a deal with Donki to sell it's hair and tiny goods out of their stores. Their milk tea is delicious and if you decide on a Saturday you can people watch all you want while sitting.
The trends for A/W 2009 are easy to see into three categories.


Mannish Feminine

This is a big trend affecting pretty much every store. Each store looks to this trend to draw upon it. 

Napoleon Jackets

Seen at: LDS, One*Spo, OneWay, Redark


Gilfy's new 0/6 brand decided to make it into a shirt


Plaid
Seen at: Everywhere! Egoist to JSG!


Fake plaid under dress by Real Mar*s


Incorporate plaid into your fall. The latest Blenda spoke even about wearing a plaid onepiece as a light outer to your t-shirt dresses. Mix and play around.


Menswear shirts
Seen at: Duras


Making a mannish item feminine


Preferably oversized, was done in the summer but the mannish trend carried this one along.


Trad jackets
Seen at: Lip Service, Duras, Egoist, Delyle
Oversized or cropped helps accentuate the look.


Vests
Seen at: Lip Service, Ji*maxx, Egoist, OneWay


Oversized by Lip Service


Menswear grey and black are very popular.


Motorcycle boots
Seen at: Esperanza, Egoist, Bonita
Best mixed with a trad jacket and leggings.


Ladies first


Leopard
Seen at: oh jesus everywhere


Leopard coats seen at Dazzlin, GN and Lip Service


Especially trending is the leopard beret. Looks very cute with a monotone look or a pink dress.


Chanelesque Jackets
Seen at: Honeys, Delyle, One*Spo

Tweed is especially popular. Great as overcoats to sweet dresses.


Berets
Seen at: You name it. Most at $10-$15


LDS Leopard one



Looks great with the feminine style and mannish dressing.


Flower print dresses
Seen at: OneWay, Love Boat, Shake Shake




Dazzlin sweet print



Done best with a black background and paired with a riders jacket.


Fur accents
Seen at: One*Spo, Lip Service, Egoist, Mars



Fun fur fluff by Duras 



Done best as a stole, or fake fur crop jacket.



Lace
Seen: EVERYWHERE




Lace leggings are currently rising, but lace dresses, lace tshirts, lace trim. It's all very popular right now.



Rock it out


Leggings! Leggings! Leggings!

Seen at: Your house in your room


Shagadelic front slash leggings


A mix with all the trends by Glad News



They're everywhere. They crop up as fake denim, they're ripped, they're skinned, their metallic

Thigh High boots
 Seen at: the corner


They're hot with jeans, fluffy skirts or jean shorts. Make sure to get some heel on yours or you'll be stumpy legged.


Union Jack
Seen at: One*Spo, Glad News, Cecil McBee


Gilfy's take on the trend



Oh heck even I love the flag. Great bold print on dresses.


Skulls
Seen at: JSG, Glad News, Tutuha


JSG's cute thick cardi


Most all shoe options really
The more buckles, studs, useless hardware a shoe has the better it is this season.



Other trends popping:
- Vertical striped leggings
- Kitson sparkle bags
- Leggings that match jacket material (such as both moko moko)


Now go shopping!
Image Change!

My hair change officially took 11 hours in total. I think pulling out my hair would have been quicker >_

I was tired of my hair, I loved the look and the color stayed well, but it felt really limiting style-wise sometimes. I enjoyed it while it lasted though :) I went back to Dude, but he told me I shouldn't bleach my hair so they instead did dark blonde with red highlights. But it looked simply black with a red sheen. I was looking gothy and I'm much too pale to pull of such a dark color and not look creepy.


Doing asianposes shoot in the face!
Goth-chan >_<

So I remembered a thread on ricoche recommending yuhouse and they have a good special right now on exte+color so I figured I might as well be happy with my color so I went there. Yuhouse is a nice salon and the team who did my hair took 6 hours in total to do it. They felt meticulous and one top of the long process it was to bleach, dye and blowdry and exte my hair.

I was able to catch up on magazines and they had a good selection of egg, Ageha, Blenda, Jelly, and even OL mags. A lolita wanting hairset for a live came in as well as a trio of kogals.

The exte were done by one person slowly braiding all 60 in and going back to color match. The guy seemed a bit of a perfectionist so it was slow but well done. The hair quality feels good, and they glue lock extensions so all you have to do is twist the glue to remove the exte. Fabulous for girls with long mori nails (me) whose man isn't always around to act like a monkey and cut them out. Yuhouse comes tentatively recommended but I want to see how their dye lasts and exte hold up before I give a proper thumbs up.

Dye + bleach + 60 exte was $211 approx and post exte trim, glue lock and blowout were free. Pretty awesome price for Tokyo ^_^v


 
The new brown red me, hurrah!
Lip Service white leopard scarf

Halloween

A belated Happy Halloween. Between hair, school, and trying to plan for spending time with two of my friends on their birthdays it's been busy. I also went to a host club, Joker, not recommended. I was already drunk so that's why it was alrightish. ^_^; My choice of the night isn't pictured. He was a sweet Chiba boy named Shuu who wants to go to UCLA Berkeley next fall and his English was brokenly cute.

I took Rina's advice and went to Sixi (I so need to write you a card for a free hair make since you referred me :)). Kabukicho places tend to be dark and old and cramped, but Sixi was the exact opposite. Even though it's in the basement it was well lit with nice spacing between stations.


During the process, and yes I was boobs out.
I was an army bitch in a sparkly camo OP for my costume.

I gave the stylist two pictures from the recent Ageha I took with my cellphone as inspiration, but she yells out for the recent ageha and POOF Ageha appeared! We were able to work out a style from it, and having the mag there made it much easier.


 
The final product! Hair explosion!


TDS!

The party was fun, but next night was Tokyo Disney Sea. Tokyo Disney Sea (TDS) was recommended by Egg readers as the best date spot to go in Tokyo. Instead of the screaming kids or pack of families that you might imagine when you think of Disney, there's tons of couples. Couples get pair t-shirts, pair phone charms, pair passcases, pair towels, pair every-goddamn-thing. It's a merchandising boom!




TDS is also the park in Tokyo doing a Halloween theme so there's all these cute Halloween related things. It's cute on top of cute! I went last month with my man after Fukuoka and did the couple-thing, but this time was for my friend's 20th bday. We went late and just had a fun time walking around.


The moutain that you shoot out of in Journey to the Center of the Earth ride.



My boys <3



TDS at night. So pretty!



Me n Sebastian luvin the Tower of Terror



OMG I wanted to take this home! But it was 6900 yen >_<;;


Okay that's enough @ me, next up surging winter trends!
Mai buumu

Everyone in Japan always has a current obsession they love. Known simply in Engrish as My boom マイブーム. It's a common survey question or something you say about yourself when asked. The Eggmgg old profiles asked it and Joy's boom was overseas dramas such as the popular 24 and Prison Break, Kaoru's was handmade items, Rumi's was looking at vacation pictures. Others when asked in fashion magazines say hats or sunglasses.

So readers, what's your boom?

Currently my boom is hairset. The idea of paying $20.00 or less and having perfect hair for 2 days is too much temptation. My man came from the states for a visit so of course I had to schedule a hairset appointment to have fabulous hair for when he arrived. Sadly most hairset places conscribe to hostess hours and I could only get it before 3:00 ^_^;;  I would have been out of luck if I didn't run into this wonderful but sparsely designed blog of hairset places and their times in Tokyo, Osaka and beyond.

Dears Princess Hairset

Dears Princess in Shibuya was the only one listed in the Shibuya area. The have KAT-TUN's live eternally blazing loud so it is a pain in the ass to make an appt over the phone >_<;; The store itself is girly and pink and set around all the other exte/este places in Shibuya (hot pepper site for them). I felt they did a cute and sweet job, not agejo but I liked the look. I also thought they did my bangs the best. However, the guy working on my hair was absolutely clueless on gaijin. He spoke to me in all English and I replied to him in Japanese but he still kept thinking white people can't know Japanese -_-; He did however do my hair how I liked and my braid headband lasted for 3 days <3 Recommended only if you're in a pinch!


Silly angle is silly. Sweet large curls matched with a hair-headband (カチューシャ)


 
I was happy to have a sweet hairstyle since my hair often heads to rock-kei

Osaka

So my man came and we immediately headed for Osaka. Sigh we both love Osaka. I'd like to get a job there in the future, but who knows. Osaka is also awesome because it's only 540yen and 30 minutes to either Nara or Kyoto. Our hotel was only 110 a night and we were on the 27th floor with another amazing view. People always talk about how Japan can be expensive, but you can have a really cheap time when you travel.

Osaka's bboy North Exit Namba station central, mainly had parapara girls on Friday night. I think Western  gals often think parapara is a huge thing in Japan, but it's really declining. Sure around 30 girls and guys will do it at Atom, but within gal that's not so big.

 

After we got settled we headed to our favorite Yakiniku place: Mitsuru



The sign  alone warns you you will be a piglet



Delicious Yakiniku <3



Dragon Ramen place that was not so delicious.
If you're looking for a ramen fix in Japan I suggest Kamukura ramen located in Centaagai, Kabukicho and Dotonbori (Osaka) for your tasty ramen needs.



Gals on a date probably wondering what to eat



A common pastime for gals: to read the magazines newly set out.  This is popular at conbini's too.



New hosts at the causeway waiting for girls to pass
-Namba is jokingly called Nampa (lit: to be shipwrecked, meaning: to be hit on) for a reason ;)


Nara

Nara is one of my favorite places in Japan. It's an easy day trip from Nagoya, Kyoto or Osaka and you will probably have tons of fun there. Tame deer roam there said to be divine beings. Their antlers are cut each year in a ceremony for their safety and they are kept well fed by everyone who visits. The temples are amazing too and unlike many places in Japan their souveniers are well-priced.



Eating delicious freshly made mochi-red bean cakes with peanut coating. It's a tourist attraction as they beat the mochi with wooden hammers in tandem.



Mostly deer just sweetly nibble the special deer senbei from your hands



You can get as close as you like to some and they're not afraid



They do tend to follow after feeding though :)



Heart-butted!



Mega buddha! Since the 700s



The weather was perfect and all the leaves were changing <3 Gorgeous!


Me and my man <3
We're doing our best deer impressions. Males in mating season (now) open their mouths and let out between a door creaking or a baby crying sound. It's pretty hilarious/pathetic to watch.

Me: Lip Service cardi + Gilfy bracelet
Him: Bape


next... to Kyoto!
Just like my spring/summer tips. These are my autumn/winter tips for having a blazing winter. 

I wrote these back in August when people were still in tank tops, but finally a cold front has moved into Japan so I feel justified talking about winter items now.


Let's get sexy chilly


Even if it's not cold where you live, thinking ahead and buying now to wear often keeps you cheap, trendy and ahead of the curve.


Pick a color theme

This is not as important in spring/summer where color is fun and playful. However it's important to consider colors in Fall/Winter when you must wear the same scarf/coat/boots more often than summer necessities.

Personally I think pops of color are very fun in clothing choices for fall if you keep everything black and grey. Pink and grey is gorgeous together so why not a pink beret and scarf? Purple is also gorgeous when finding the right shade for your skintone, and very popular this season. Consider purple boots.

White boots or a jacket make a strong statement and can look amazing with the right basics. However wearing too much white in the winter especially with tan skin kind of looks like a shaka shaka chicken and can be off-putting.

Tights

You have to tan less, no one sees your white legs, no cellulite, and depending on the thickness you can stay warm. Colored tights were too much of a trend in 2007, so it's best to go black or grey be it lacey/shiny/ripped etc... Stay away from looking too 2007. Lace tights are trending right now, and gal style is about being in the NOW so get your lace on.

Black boots

Find a pair that you can walk in even when it's icy. Last year I went through 4 pairs of black boots since Tokyo streets tear up shoes, but if you don't have to walk as much as good pair of boots can last you the winter.

Thigh high are especially booming, but short boots are popular as well. Consider a few to mix up. This tip goes 100x for the Japan ladies reading since continually walking on Japanese streets KILLS your shoes.

Get starter coats

Coats are the epicenter of your winter look. However, having a few light jackets is a wonderful idea to transition into winter and out to spring. Cardigans, unlined leather jackets, and traditional suit jackets are all great ideas. 

Then, invest in a signature coat. Big coats are expensive, so its best to get one and love it to death. It should state exactly how you want to look this winter. Go for one with bows if you want to feel girly, or fitted if you want sexy, short if you want cute, etc... You must absolutely love your coat, since you'll be in it most days (this goes for us Southern girls as well).


Do not buy tshirts

You bought these this summer, short tees are fine with a good coat. Besides with as much buttoning up is done through winter tees are barely seen. If you must, buy one of two if they come in a set, but stay away! If it's long sleeve I'll give you a pass, but your money should really be diverted into winter skirts or jeans, boots, and a coat.

Take a break from tanning or go less

We love it, I think it's wonderful when tanning smoothes your skin and you feel like you're always wearing caramel smooth hosiery, but tanning errodes your skin. In the winter most of it is covered up, so switch to sunless tanning or just stop and save the money for cute winter pieces!

Remember when to say when


A lot of people wish for winter items during Christmas, but you only have 1-3 months of wearing it more. Consider planning towards spring trends when in February, even if it's cold. Buy most of your winter selections BEFORE November. That way you'll get tons of use out of them.

Consider Extensions

During the summer you sweat, you head out to the beach and dip your head into the nasty sea, you work-out more often. It all leads to more washing, more itching and more dry and dirty extensions. Winter is the perfect time to get your first pair or head back to them. Nothing keeps the head warm like a noggin full of hair. If your roots start showing you are in winter hat season anyways.