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Gwen’s Inspiration

Gwen Stefani Harajuku Lovers Fragrance.jpgGwen Stefani just revealed her latest fragrance venture with Coty, and it’s pretty deja vu.

The singer’s been obsessed with the Japanese street style known as Harajuku for years now, and her main source of inspiration shows no signs of letting up.

Her fragrance, a collection of four perfumes called Harajuku Lovers, comes in the shape of four little Harajuku girl dolls, and each scent is a bit different from the others. They’re named after her backup dancers, Love, Angel, Music and Baby.

We have to admit, the little doll bottles would be a pretty adorable gift, or just another decoration to add to the dressing table, but we think we’ve pegged Gwen’s other inspiration -

The first of the ads, at left, are a little Louis Vuitton SS ‘07/United Colors ‘now, no?

Comments

1

posted by hardliquorsoftholes

Apr 04, 2008 9:15AM

it's awesome when a white person takes up the cause of something other people have been doing for years because that's when i know it's cool! i


i also loved when you invented chola style.

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2

posted by guest

Apr 04, 2008 10:01AM

nothing like white models playing japanese dress-up. because there are absolutely no asian models working today.

3

posted by lentil

Apr 04, 2008 10:04AM

it's too bad they couldn't get bring themselves to actually cast an asian for the ad...

4

posted by Nikki

Apr 04, 2008 10:27AM

I'm glad my comment's going to fit in with this thread.

It's annoyed me for years that Gwen has picked up harajuku style and portrayed it as akin to Pokemon. She completely ignores the gothic influences just so she can justify working with Akon. And I'm not even going to start on Love.Angel.Music.Baby, her mute imaginary backup dancers. Sigh.

5

posted by Jac

Apr 04, 2008 11:08AM

i am not as offended about this as everyone else seems to be.

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6

posted by guest

Apr 04, 2008 11:17AM

i love it and can't wait to smell all the different scents. i love gwen--it's not so much that she's demeaning japanese culture, like you are all suggesting, as much as she's simply obsessed with all things cute.

also, there's five scents, not four. one for each of the harajuku girls and then a fifth one, G, for gwen.

7

posted by the heartorialist

Apr 04, 2008 11:24AM

here's a question: would it have been more offensive if she had used an asian model?

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8

posted by guest

Apr 04, 2008 12:03PM

i'm surprised gwen herself didn't model for the G fragrance being that it's HER. also, i'm hoping that she gets her original harajuku girls to represent their own fragrances. it's only right..even their faces are plastered all over her designs..i hope she gave them credit where it's deserved!

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9

posted by disneyrollergirl

Apr 04, 2008 1:14PM

It's cute, I like it!

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10

posted by guest

Apr 04, 2008 1:58PM

I think it's great. The United States has no clue what "Cute" means and it's nice for her to use her celebrity-dom and bring some over from Asia. We can do "HOT" really well here but Cute?.. Finally, represent!!!

11

posted by Fassion

Apr 04, 2008 2:51PM

I don't think Gwen knows if she wants, to be White, Asian or Jamaican. She always looked mixed to me with that nose of hers. Whatever, she's cool with me though.

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12

posted by guest

Apr 04, 2008 3:11PM

Actually this totally reminds me of the ads lily cole did for Moschino's fragrance "I love love". Here are the links to these pictures. Lily cole looks amazing in these pictures and these ads will always remain an icon to me. - Michelle Park

http://supermodels.nl/ModelPics/lilycole/189.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g237/irenistiQ/Moschino5.jpg

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13

posted by guest

Apr 04, 2008 4:15PM

I'm betting the ad is based on a get-up that Gwen wore herself several years ago. It was a white dress and some giant red flowers on her head. I believe she was not praised by critics for her flowery headdress, but the ads look better.

Here is a photo of Ms. Stefani:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39851863@N00/71953198/

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14

posted by guest

Apr 05, 2008 1:36AM

this ad also kind of reminds me of those i love love/moschino ads with lily cole..
also, "harajuku" isn't the name of how they dress. its a district of tokyo

15

posted by chowmeng

Apr 05, 2008 2:34AM

It's adorable. But I don't think Gwen designed the dolls which makes me kind of sad. Since we all know celebrities "design" everything.

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16

posted by guest

Apr 05, 2008 6:31AM

I thought it was also a bit Lily for Moschino cheap and chic love love, bit softer. anyone else think that, or just me? awesome ad though, gwen.

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17

posted by guest

Apr 05, 2008 11:56AM

ok whateveeer! spring is spring! those colours dont belong to LV! flowers and pink have long been the staple of spring and femanimity!


oh and gwen didnt invent "chola style"!
she dressed like that for like one video and i certainly didnt see "chola style" gracing the pages of any magazine other than "Lowrider"!!..ugh

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18

posted by guest

Apr 05, 2008 3:10PM

I think the thing that bothers me is that the "backing dancers" are morejust mute accessories than anything else. It's incredibly patronising.

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19

posted by guest

Apr 20, 2008 1:02AM

guest 11:56, i think the first commenter was being sarcastic
then again that could be wishful thinking

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