I love going to new places and discovering cool stores. It’s not every day you see a gasmasked, purple-wigged mannequin clad in hot pink PVC, clutching a fetish magazine and a whip, is it? No, me neither. But here it is, in the heart of Koenji – the store Nude n’ Rude.
A cursory look at the shop windows reveals a place that is definitely out of the norm.
(Click on the pics to see them bigger and in more detail)
The teal-haired, large bosomed mannequin in the window beckons you in…
Stepping inside, we see racks of brightly coloured dresses, shirts, boots and skirts, as well as studded collars and other jewellery.
My, how I wanted that Horrorpops t-shirt (as I’m a big fan) but I resisted.
Nude & Rude stocks a lot of western fetish & gothic magazines, along with fetish paraphernalia – collars, cuffs, boots, ballgags…
Your eyes are drawn inexorably to the graffitti’d wall..and to the chandelier above
before flitting from one colourful object to another: plates, furry claws (a la Sisen), rubber ducks, fancy dress items, to leopard dresses, bags and shoes once again.
It’s colourful chaos, and I love it.
The name brands are all here: Lip Service (the US gothic one, not the Shibuya gal label), Iron Fist, Demonia/Pleaser, Kreepsville 666, Sourpuss clothing, Leg Avenue, Rockin’ Bones…you name it!
If you are after the same brands we have in Australia/US/UK, and the same style of goth and punk gear, then this shop, Hellcatpunks and Sexpot Revenge are the stores for you. Funnily enough, they are my friends Akie and Utarou’s fave stores too.
There is, however, far more colour here than in their western counterparts. Eye-popping pinks and vivid greens sear your retinas as your synapses fire wildly and your brainmeats explode.
We chatted to the store manager Lilian and learned that Plastikhaar/Ukiyo 5 is now being stocked there! Furthermore, Sara Hochuli was coming to town in a few days and they were throwing her a party, hosted by Akie.
Some fuzzy pics from the party follow; the usual goth suspects attended. Below is Lilian in the pink & green hair, Akie and Sisen.
Sarah with the shopgirls, Sisen eating cake
John (Comte de Sang), Michael and G-sus
But back to the store and my first visit there. I can tell you I was pretty darned impressed. But we had to leave sometime, and as we do and I take a last look back from outside, I spy the Siouxsie t-shirt – damned cool.
Meanwhile Akie rebels against the fascists trying to keep her down, by smoking in a no smoking zone, hehe… My friends are awesome 🙂
(Not that I approve of smoking, mind. “It’s not big and it’s not clever”, as someone’s mum used to say. Not mine, as she was a chain-smoker from way back and put me off the things for life!…but I digress)
For even more pics, see the entry on Nude n’ Rude in Tokyo Shop Style, on the Style Arena website.
Nude n’ Rude
http://ameblo.jp/nude-n-rude/
1F 4-9-8 koenji-minami, suginami-ku, Tokyo
Map here
TEL:6314-1517
Business Hours:12:00 – 21:00
Thanks Leanne!!Fun fun fun☆☆☆Axoxoxox
what an honor 😀 thank you!
It was a fun day Aki – thanks again for hanging out.
Sara/Plastikhaar – it was lovely to meet you -you have GREAT products; I wish you every success 🙂