YOU'RE WELCOME

MEKAS just posted a Complete Guide to Japanese Street Snap Websites. YES! I know a lot of you are street snap junkies like me, and it can be hard to find good blogs/sites, so I had to share. I haven't had a chance to look at any of the links yet, so let me know if you find any super awesome ones.

MEKAS is a professional research/analysis website "examining how manufacturers, financiers, designers, stylists, the media, celebrities, and consumers all come together in the widespread pursuit of style in Japan." It's got fascinating articles and great interviews with important people in fashion-related fields. Sadly, a lot of the content is members-only. I would love a subscription but is it seriously more than $1000 for 12 months? WTF?

Here are some other good MEKAS pieces you can enjoy without a schmubscription:

2008: The Year in Trends
Great overview of the biggest fashion hits in Japan this last year.
Subcultural Crossover for Teenage Girls
...recently, there has been a lot of fluid interaction between three distinct youth female subcultures: the aforementioned artsy-cutie girls, the gyaru, and the goth-loli (gothic lolita).
O-nii-kei
Report on the latest evolution in gyaruo style. I'm obsessed with gyaru/gyaruo lately. In, you know, a scholarly way.
Tokyo Girls Collection
MEKAS is really into the relationship between "high fashion" and "street fashion" in Japan and how recently street fashion seems to be kicking high fashion's ass -- on the street.

You can also read the BLOG to your heart's content.

Oh, MEKAS. 1K a year? Really? I love you, can't you see that?

[Update: MEKAS is now open to non-subscribers so please note that my bitching is obsolete.]