Monday 25 January 2016

What is Larme Kei?

So here I am, ranting and talking about larme kei, without even discussing what it is! A google search can sum it up pretty well, but for illogical reasons, I'll describe it.

"Larme", meaning "tears" in French (get my blog name? ;) ) is a popular Japanese magazine that features "sweet, girly" fashion, often with an elegant, mature, or sexy twist. The style was coined by the magazine, but it had existed in fragments in Japanese fashion for a long time.

The general aesthetic is soft, feminine, and dreamy. There is frequent use of silks, chiffon, tweed, and fluffy material. However, even in the issues of Larme magazine itself, there are plenty of examples of the style that don't adhere strictly to these guidelines.

A key point of larme kei is the makeup. As the name suggests, it resembles a "crying" look, with innocent-looking, dewy eyes and blushing cheeks.

As I discussed in my previous post, larme is a very flexible fashion that focuses more on general aesthetic and overall feeling than certain "rules", as other j-fashions might. Therefore, many things can qualify, and everyone's interpretation is a little bit different. Personally, I gravitate towards the more sweet, romantic side of larme!

I will attach some images of larme kei for your viewing pleasure! Hopefully everything will make a bit more sense.

If you don't want to scroll through this post, or have already seen everything google images has to offer, I will link you to my favorite lookbook that I always go to for inspiration! It's by the brand Katie.

http://www.katie.jp/lookbook.html

Also, here is a (quite long) video on larme and it's roots! And even a style lesson and makeup tutorial by Risa herself!


Iconic Larme model Risa Nakamura







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