Where the catwalk got its claws, all you fashion know-it-alls,
With your underground malls in the world of Harajuku,
Putting on a show, when you dress up in your clothes,
Wild hair color and cell phones,
Your accessories are dead on.
- Harajuku Girls by Gwen Stefani.
Being a guy who grew up through the 80’s, I honestly thought the world was going to be that way for years to come. Enter the 90’s, and suddenly everything changed: fashion, music, trends, lifestyle, hygiene. Everything. The colourful era of the 80’s – wild hair-dos, glam make-ups, outrageous oufits, leathers – disappeared, just like all the other eras before it.
Well, maybe not entirely.
Harajuku Night…
Wednesday night last week was Harajuku Night at Hyatt Hotel’s Shenanigan’s Fun Pub. Just in case any of you had a blank stare upon reading the word ‘Harajuku’, it’s actually a name of an area around Tokyo’s Harajuku Station in Tokyo, Japan. The area is famous for its extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles, and it’s regarded internationally as one of Japan’s defining pop culture identity. It’s like being in the 80’s, but better, wilder and with the world’s craziest fashion nation at the forefront. Shenanigan’s Fun Pub – Shani’s or Shan’s to the locals – brought a little bit of Japan to KK for one night last week during Ladies’ Nite (which is probably the main reason why my friends and I went there to check it out).
… at Shenanigan’s
Shenanigan’s Fun Pub is, without a doubt, one of the most popular night spots in KK. It set the standards for bars, pubs and clubs in KK since the early 90’s and it endures to this very night. It is KK’s longest running pub-slash-club, and famous for its nightly live band performances. It had changed very little over the past decade, yet the legendary club still attract loyal followers through its entrance almost every night, especially during Ladies Nite.
We were more than eager to see what will come out when you bring in Japan’s latest and most extreme teen fashion onto the floor of KK’s most classic and veteran of all clubs.
Welcome to Shenanigan’s, D-sama
It was raining that evening, but we were determined to see this Harajuku Night. At around 9:00PM, as the four of us made our way into the age-defying club, entering Shan’s was like seeing long-time friends and families; a live band performance was there as usual (a Filipino import called Passionista) playing a mix of old time hits and latest chart toppers, with the DJ spinning dance tunes in-between each play. Business as usual.
Earlier on, we counted only four ladies dressed in Harajuku stylee, one of which was a friend of ours. Then we caught sight of a group of wildly-dressed youngsters.
They were dressed in attires fit for a Japanese rock show or somewhat. Despite our (abysmally) limited lore in Japanese fashion, we were able to identify influences of punk, goth and Victorian maids which was, coincidentally, the same style as what one of our Harajuku lady friend was wearing. Regardless, their style of dress was striking.
“Harajuku Girls … You Got The Wicked Style!”
The events unravel as the night played on, and soon our group of four became six, then nine (three of which were dressed-up for the event). Those group of wildly-dressed youngsters that I mentioned just now were actually models from Fairuz Modeling Studios, and they got some wicked outfits in their line-up. It soon became apparent that Shan’s had planned a Harajuku fashion show for its visitors. Shan’s and the Harajuku models treated the audience with a barrage of Japanese attire, all colourful and wild.
They also invited those from the audience that don Harajuku-style wear to come up to the stage to show their stuff. Towards the end of the night, the host would give away prizes to those mentioned previously for being outrageous and wild in their J-Style fashion.
Old and New, J to KK
Shan’s is one of KK’s old time favourite night spot. So when they brought in an event as wild, young and extreme as the Harajuku culture, one would expect a night totally different from any other regular clubbing night. But that was not the case for Shenanigan’s Harajuku Night. Shan’s management was adamant in maintaining the club’s long-time image; despite the fact that they were having a Japanese-influenced event, they didn’t put on Japanese-pop (or J-pop) music when the models went on stage. The DJ played the hottest dance tunes and remixes, yet none of those tunes were Japanese clubbing music. Instead, all the music that were played that night was characteristically Shan’s – live band performance, playing a mix of old time hits and latest chart toppers, with the DJ spinning dance tunes in-between each play. Business as usual.
Good Night Tokyo, Good Night KK
We walked out of Shan’s with a few things: First, two of our friends in Harajuku outfits walked away with a prize each (one won Most Funky Hair, while our Victorian-Maid lady friend won the Most Funky Make-Up). Second, Shan’s is still the same old Shan’s. Third, KK is slow to pick-up new trends. That aside, my first local experience of Harajuku was less than stellar, but it’s good to know that KK isn’t rotting slowly in the fashion race. The future night of KK (and perhaps the whole of Borneo) lies in the hands of our trend-embracing youngsters, whether the world likes it or not.
Final Note: The Victorian Maid outfit our lady friend wore is called a Loli dress. It’s a rad-looking dress, more so if you’re a cute lass. Being a maid is not a pre-requisite. And check out LifeInBorneo.com on their post on Shenanigan’s Harajuku Night.
Anyone who has ever been to Blue Note for the past couple of years or so will know that the place hasn’t change much. The stage went through a lot of re-designs over the years (depending on the event in promotion) but the looks and the crowd have always been a familiar sight and sound: cozy, wood-brown, pub-ish, live-band and typical Sabahan patrons. That’s pretty much it, until my friends and I went there last April to check it out – after they had a complete makeover.