Golds Infinity Diversified Agejo

As the decade ended and  the new one opens, I'm looking through various sales postings online, and a thought sadly still crosses my mind. As I scroll through pages and pages of brand name clothes I think to myself: “Damn, Golds Infinity got robbed.” What I mean by this is, Golds Infinity got robbed of the agejo gyaru crown.

Allow me to expand on what I mean by this: When someone thinks of agejo where does their mind immediately go to? Ma*rs of course! The brand is without a doubt, an agejo staple that has somehow managed to survive the gyaru brand purge that has occurred over the past ten years based on it being just that: an iconic brand. I actually have a theory as to why this is, but that is a blog post for another day. However, Golds Infinity wasn’t as lucky when it came to facing the brand name chopping block and that is a shame because they actually were more diversified than Ma*rs ever was.

Just like how people associate agejo with Ma*rs; the black and pink colorway is also something that avid fans also co-relate with the sub-style. Golds Infinity challenged this by always changing their brand image whether it was having items in multiple colorways outside of the typical blackxpink staple or by changing the overall style of what agejo looked like as whole. To this day, I get so thrilled when I find an agejo piece in teal, purple, or another really unique color that isn't blackxwhitexpink. It's something that I find refreshing, considering agejo has a couple of trademark things that make it what it is! Golds Infinity separated itself by always having items that grew. They were mainly known for the split swallowtail dresses/camisole tops with rhinestone brooches or buckles in the center breast piece. While Gold’s Infinity definitely had it’s share of “print” pieces that followed suit with booming agejo brands of the late 2000s, it also had pieces that would focus more on a woman’s silhouette or body shape.

There were pieces that had three-layered tiered skirts that were low at the hip or one-pieces that were loose at the middle but hugged at the breasts and thighs. They focused on using not only eye-catching “jewelry” pieces but also included different patterns or stripes or experimented with fabric textures such as lace or satins. A lot of thought was placed into each piece that was produced during this time and I am so lucky that I have a few pieces that I have tucked away as treasures in my wardrobe. Surprisingly in the resell market, detailed Golds pieces are becoming harder and harder to find. This is something that is unavoidable but certainly breaks my heart as someone who low-key likes to begrudgingly admit that I would choose Golds Infinity over Ma*rs any day of the week despite people associating me with the brand quite often.

So what converted me into being a Golds gal you ask? I was just as guilty at first thinking that Golds Infinity was lacking as a brand and was boring in comparison to Ma*rs. One day before I learned about the joys of using shopping services, I found that YesStyle was having a sale in order to clear out their remaining J-Fashion inventory. I found a Golds Infinity dress for super cheap and decided to buy it. I hadn’t bought a J-Fashion piece in forever and I wasn’t about to pass up an affordable gyaru brand. My teal lace dress came in the mail and as soon as I tried it on, I fell in love. The color was beautiful and eye-catching. You don’t see blues or teals (cool-toned colors) often in agejo so it was exciting trying on a piece that felt unique to the typical colorway. I also loved how it really showcased the color of my hair and really went with the make up I used to wear a lot at the time. I loved the intricacy of the piece I bought as well. There will little detailed I missed when I purchased the dress. There was a chain on the back that had a heart charm, there was the infamous jeweled brooch, the mid-sleeves were layered tiered lace that ruffled out nicely, the neckline was a square-princess cut, there were geometric jewels sewed into that neckline. Sometimes, stock photos don't do a clothing piece. Also as I realized with Golds Infinity by seeing them at Anime Expo one year and dismissing them before falling in love later; sometimes a piece of clothing looks way better on a body than it does on the clothing hanger on a rack. 

Suddenly, I had an immense appreciation for Golds Infinity. I had highly underestimated them as a brand. My first second-hand service haul immediately features a gorgeous Golds Infinity piece. This time I bought the typical blackxpink colorway. However, the piece I bought was beautiful. On me, it was a bit of a bodycon dress that included a stripe print with an asymmetric layer-just so that the stripes would go two different ways giving someone’s body a different illusion. It definitely highlighted my thigh area (to be fair that is what old-school agejo is supposed to be highlighting) and chest area because the dress clung to those places. I loved that this piece also included an infamous brooch, a V-shaped neckline with gold studs along it, and a dangling chain that went from the brooch to along the whole side of my body.

Suddenly, I didn’t just have an appreciation for them as a brand. I started wanting to be a Golds girl in every aspect. I was in love. That same year, I wore Golds Infinity to my birthday party. I had opted for a more modern/trendy onee-gyaru style dress that I will explain in a little bit. Ma*rs felt like a status symbol to flaunt in the gyaru community but Golds Infinity felt like the under-loved sister that made me feel confident in a different type of way. Anytime I have worn Golds Infinity, someone has asked where I got the piece from. People immediately recognize Ma*rs, but do not know Golds Infinity. Despite this, the Golds pieces I wear always get a lot of kind compliments and a lot of people wonder what gyaru brand it is.

Another concept of Golds that I love is that I can wear a piece up or down. Not that you couldn
’t do that with other Agejo brands, but I have certainly worn a variety of pieces from the brand out to class with a pair of leggings and flats. Sometimes I’ll remove the chains or brooches in order to not look as extra. It never detracts from the look and still makes me feel confident but in a more mature type of way.

Which brings me into my next topic, what the hell happened to Golds Infinity? They just disintegrated out of of the blue. There seemingly wasn't a goodbye announcement or anything from what my memory can recall.

 Golds unlike Ma*rs, went in a different direction eventually. They began to cater to an onee-gyaru market that was slowly growing but wasn’t exactly gaining the type of attention that agejo was considering the hype that comes with being in Ageha. Golds did have a sub-label called Albina which was short-lived that was a nod to their older agejo pieces but it surprisingly didn’t last long. This shocks me mainly because while Albina did certainly made cheaper, the clothes actually fit me better. It’s like the designers decided to cater to what would fit more body types. I’ve gained weight compared to when I was a skinny legend in my youth, but I somehow still fit Albina. The fact that this opens up possibilities to a wider audience with a different body type sadly didn’t save them.

With that being said, it would be a little while before Golds could carry their weight in onee-gyaru territory and honestly? It was extremely short-lived. On my 24^th birthday, I ended up buying my first onee-style Golds piece. It was a gorgeous black bodycon dress with opening at the shoulders and dangling pearls at the sleeves. The floral print was red and orange toned...and boy, did it cling onto me. However, I felt my age. I felt like a lady.

I

t was a totally different concept from the other Golds Infinity pieces I owned but still lived up to exactly what the brand focused on: accentuating the female form. That was what I loved about the brand as a whole. There was something about how the clothing fell on you or clung to all the right places that just felt special. Even without the embellishments of the previous collections, I didn’t feel like I was lacking or under-dressed. Ma*rs at the time relied on prints as a form of charisma and in a sense? For a while, I felt like they lost their brand concept or direction as they attempted to breach into the streetwear market without much success. They had abandoned the things that made Ma*rs’ brand a trademark for trend.

However, Golds at this point in time was not going any where in terms of them developing as a brand. Before their death, they released a mini-kyaba-collection of formal dresses and a couple of DaTuRa-esque pieces that was enough to be a nod to the shifting trends at the time but this metamorphosis was too little and too late. Gyaru as a whole has went through a very large style shift (I’ll make a blog about this too eventually because I have a bone to pick with people about it!) in the past couple of years and what made Golds Infinity stand out happened to also be what made it less cool. Brands were less about the female form and more about comfort-something that went against the whole craftsmanship of a Golds Infinity piece of clothing. Thus, they died and my heart was broken.

This under-loved agejo brand certainly still has a special place in my heart. Because they’re not as large as the flagships under the Saja/Lilimpark label, there are fewer pieces and a bigger market of people wanting any sort of old-style agejo they can get now. Thus, making extremely detailed Golds Infinity rather difficult to find. In general, I’ve noticed the gaudy gyaru brand market as a whole drying up (there’s only so many clothes for so many people you know?) and it has made me so thankful that I had the foresight to know this and dive into investing in things before they become borderline obsolete and a pain to find at a realistic price point. Nobody wants to pay 100+ for dated brand. There are many different Golds pieces on my wishlist and I always fondly fawn over the glory days of everyone being an extra bitch.I'm still longing for that rhinestone spilt camisole that Ai Tanaka infamously wore in an Egg ParaPara video. It's iconic and reflective of an era that has long passed but is one I still love to dote upon. 

/span>

With this being said, I have a question to my readers. Do you think agejo will ever make a come back? There’s recently been a comfort/not being sexy for the sake of comfort (or at least if it’s a sexy it’s an instagram baddie type of thing-street wear) that has even made Ma*rs have to entirely change their brand concept and what demographic they cater to in order to still stay alive. Koakuma Ageha died for a second time due to SakuRina leaving definitely, but also because the entire look of kyaba-girls wasn’t agejo anymore but was way more lady-like and is why AneAgeha still exists. Do you think that glamorous Barbie-like image will ever come around again during our time or do you think when it does, we’ll be envious of the young girls who get to flaunt that shit off because we’re too old to do it? If agejo made a comeback do you think deceased brands would rise from the grave or do you think newer brands would adjust to the market? If so, which ones do you think would have some agejo-style potential? Let me know in the comments!

*~Being a University Gal~*

To start off with the first written post of my blog's return, I've decided to share an article that was meant for Volume One of Papillon magazine. This article I suppose didn't seem fitting considering the August release got pushed back to October. However, I find that maybe this piece still has a lot of potential and I put a lot of love and care into it. I hope you all find it helpful if not just entertaining! 

lBeing a University Gall

Being a student in college and wanting to still be a gyaru can be tough occasionally! Between juggling classes, working a job in order to afford your eccentric lifestyle, budgeting (if your focus is only on academics), and setting aside time in the day for all-out glam-it can be a challenging task to feat. Here are a few tips on how to maintain your fabulous lifestyle while being in college!

• School comes first!
Obtaining your degree comes first! Keep your eye on the prize! You absolutely must be a student first. If you cannot juggle being a gyaru and a student at the same time, do know that you can always take a hiatus and come back to the fashion later on. Making time to study and being punctual is extremely important. Time management will never ever leave you in adulthood so it’s best to prioritize what is most important. 

• Bills and expenses also come first. 

With the transition from being a teenager into becoming an adult comes a new set of financial responsibilities. Rent, textbooks, supplies for class, food, electricity, hygiene products, and other necessary items must come first and be paid for before the fun begins! 


• Allow yourself to have fun or enjoy yourself on a special occasion. 

Give yourself an incentive system. Some devout followers of this fashion sometimes realize that being lifestyle gyaru isn’t a practical or obtainable course of action. Being a lifestyle gyaru isn’t for everyone and doesn’t make someone any less dedicated to the hobby that they love! Despite the seriousness that comes with adult responsibilities-there are always vacations, weekends, or special events where you can allow yourself to have fun. Did you do well on your last final exam? Did you work extra hours at your job? Let yourself go to karaoke on a night off! Hang out with your best gal pals. Buy yourself that brand item you were eyeing awhile back. If you work hard, you definitely deserve to treat yourself every now and then! 

• Hoard up your materials. 

For example, I was very privileged to live at home while I went to community college. I paid bills but they were at the minimum due to not having to worry about rent or heavy solo expenses. However, I knew I was moving out to a new city for university way back last year.  With that kept in mind, I began hoarding everything I needed for a semester such as hygiene products, skincare, and school supplies a year before my big move! Along with everyday materials, I also stocked up on eyelashes, circle lenses, makeup items, and brand name clothing. I reminded myself that I would have less room to splurge once I was living out on my own. I wanted to still be gyaru while in university and planned ahead to ensure that I would be able to do so. It’s good to have backups of your ride or die products. The key to make sure that you have a good amount of time before expiry dates! I realize that not everyone is lucky enough to have the same circumstances I did but it’s definitely something to keep in mind if you have the ability to do so! 

• Find brand items that can be mixed, matched, dressed up, and dressed down. 

I habitually love buying brand name one-piece dresses. Such things can be altered to look different depending on what it is. However, I challenged myself as of last fall to focus on purchasing skirt and top sets that could be paired with multiple things so my wardrobe would look much more expansive than it actually was. I also tried to find pieces that could be dressed up for big events but could also be toned down for when I went to class that way I got more use out of my purchases. Make your wardrobe versatile! Before purchasing an item think about how many other pieces can be coordinated with it. Do you have items in your closet that could work with this brand new piece entering into it? Are you buying pieces in your haul that could cohesively work with what you are adding to your cart? These are questions that any smart shopper should ask themselves to help combat impulsive buying practices (which saves money) and overall help restrict their closet to fun necessities rather than chaotic clutter! That’s the last thing you need when moving into a smaller space at a university! 

• If all else fails in terms of hoarding up gyaru materials-prioritize cosmetics!

Gyaru is a very makeup and hair based fashion. Clothes are nice and can help establish your style when it comes to choosing a sub-style. Though, keep in mind that you can also wear all brand and not look gyaru at all! When in doubt? It’s all about the eyes! If you’re truly living that “broke bitch” life-buy a good eyeliner, eyelash glue, an okay mascara, and a stable set of false lashes! You can’t go wrong with the basics! 

• Buy yourself a fashionable but sturdy bag. 

Neutral colors are the way to go so they match every outfit. You want a cute but practical bag! It is wise to have a nude bag and black bag in your arsenal that can fit both your laptop, phone, wallet, school supplies, and make up bag! You will thank me later. 

• Learn how to curl hair with a flatiron!

I swear by this technique. It’s harder to do with longer hair for some reason but I had to pick between bringing a flat iron, a set of hot rollers, or a curling iron? A flat iron would be my choice! This saves space and is multi-functional. 

• Make time in your day if you’re planning to dress/look gyaru. 

Gyaru fashion is the epitome of being extra. Sometimes being that extra bitch requires you to wake up much earlier than the average person to get ready. This might be especially challenging when you have an eight am lecture or a job that requires you to work opening shifts. If you love gyaru? Sacrifices must be made! In this case, it might be that extra hour of sleep. No worries though, I have a solution to your sacrifice! First off, evening showers will trump over morning showers in this case. This will save you so much time. Another way to combat a morning time constraint is to set out all the items you're going to be using the night before. This includes the makeup and contacts you might be using as well as your entire coordinated outfit! You might be able to spare yourself an extra thirty minutes of sleep prepping the night before. 

• Make time in your day if you’re planning to be gyaru and know when to cut corners

Punctuality is key! Most people might take thirty minutes to clean up and get out the door. For someone doing gyaru, on average, it can take an hour to an hour-and-thirty-minutes to get ready for the sake of aesthetics. Do not burden other people with your upkeep. Take time out of your own schedule to accommodate other people’s schedules. For instance, if your friends want to leave somewhere at 9:30 or you if have a 10 o’clock class, you may want to wake up at 6 am knowing that it will take you time to get ready. Have all of your items that you need packed in your bag way before you need to leave. Cutting corners might be setting your hair in sponge rollers before bed in order to have already flawless big hair in a matter of minutes. It also might mean using more neutral-colored eye shadow palettes knowing that colorful eye make up takes much more time. Whatever it is, find a good medium between what works for others and what works for you. I find this crucial in balancing gyaru fashion and everyday life.

 

• Extra Shoes and Bags

That good roomy handbag I talked about? This will come in handy because if you’re anything like me, you’re going to leave your dorm room in cute shoes and be limping back at the end of the day in flats. The beginning is all for the sake of aesthetics and Instagram. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this! You’re starting your day off strongly on the right foot quite literally! Once pictures and the day have progressed though, the less and less you’ll care about things for the sake of vanity. Invest in a good pair of nude and black flats that can go with any outfit. Inside your purse, carry a cute tote bag. I have one from Black Peace Now that is a little ghost/imp keychain. However, inside of him is an extra bag to carry excess things. In this case, it would be my extra shoes. You also use bags like these for extra items in your shopping. I have quite a couple from a variety of different brands. If a brand you like offers them for reasonable prices, I highly suggest investing. Even for your everyday shopping runs! They’re a lifesaver. 

• Always have a makeup bag on hand stocked with essentials. 

 This is generally a must whether you are in university or not. Gyaru is a high maintenance fashion. If you’re working or in class all day, you’re bound to have a makeup malfunction. Be sure to carry a compact mirror, eyelash glue, eyeliner, and a lip color for quick touch-ups! 

• Sponge Rollers 

This should probably go with the “night before” prep but I personally think it deserves its own section! Set your hair with sponge rollers the night before for extra voluminous hair. This will save you a large amount of time when it comes to styling your hair the morning of. You’ll be ensured to have big gyaru-worthy hair that will last throughout the day! I especially love doing this right before I go to a big event. These are also quite affordable versus a set of hot-rollers. You can find sets at the dollar store even or at a local discount store. 

• Sneak gyaru-able accessories into your everyday life

If you’re not capable of doing gyaru everyday, there are still ways to sneak the fashion into your everyday life. For instance, deco-den your notebooks or tech accessories in a cute gyaru style. Not only will they be personalized to your style (meaning nobody else but you will have them on campus) but such cute school accessories are bound to be a conversation starter! You might even be able to gain others’ interest in gyaru fashion just by sporting something that is practical and relatable to everyday people. 

• Everyday make up can be a form of gyaru-practice 

I usually do not do a full gyaru-beat on campus. It’s a waste of my resources when I’m already on a budget. I save my lashes for days when I feel extra good about myself or have somewhere to be after class! However, I do let myself experiment around with my make up. I’ll work on different eyeliner shapes or different color combinations that I can incorporate into a gyaru look that I'm planning later on. Sometimes, I’ll even do a “half-gyaru” look that includes circle lenses and a good eyeliner shape-but might not necessarily have lashes or an obvious contour that people would associate with gyaru. The more you sneak in practice with gyaru kept in mind, the more of a visual image you’ll have when you actually get to partake in doing the fashion! 

• Save money. Learn a skillset. 

Going to salons can be pricey. I personally cut my own hair and do my own nails. This can be time-consuming and at times, risky, or frustrating. However, I save a ton of money by doing things myself. Plus I end up semi-ly getting more so what I wanted versus leaving my vision in the hands of another person who might not have any idea what the hell I'm going for in terms of the look. Maintaining a nail fill, hair color, or a specific hairstyle can be expensive. One trick for me is to keep my nails painted and grow out my real nails. If I constantly keep them painted with a thick topcoat they will remain hard and are less apt to break. If I dye my hair, I opt for an ombre or streaks/highlights versus a full-on head full of color. This is so my grow out over time isn’t as gross looking. However, I am extremely lucky to have light hair and have only tried that option once but it incredibly helpful for me to keep this in mind when it came to knowing about hair maintenance and my budget for each month.  Cutting hair can be risky but I usually do my own so I can get the right layers that I want. Learning one of these skill sets will save you an abundance of money each month if this is something that you regularly do!

• Most importantly-more money equals more brand. 

Having a part-time job definitely helps enable the gyaru lifestyle. With a consistent paycheck, it’s much easier to place some of your earnings to the side to buy or do nice things. An on-campus job or part-time work can really contribute to living your best fashionable life. I’m always motivating myself even on the most exhausting of days by telling myself-more money equals more brand. Just be sure that you still have enough time in your day to study. I also find that there’s no point in my materialistic tendencies if my job cuts into my time for enjoyment. Be sure to find a path that caters to both necessities-work and play! This isn’t supposed to be an all-out “everything is leaning on this” career but a job to help make fun times less restrictive in terms of a budget!

At the end of the day, your university years should be the prime time to gyaru fashion. Without a fully restrictive dress code that might limit you in your career years and a good work-life balance to ensure ample time to have fun, you definitely can and should be done! With the right usage of time and budgeting gyaru can be attainable even on a college budget. It’s all about balance. I hope these tips are helpful! Be sure to have a productive and fun start to your new semester! 

Moar Gyaru Souzai with Translations

Something I love seeing on blogs that really brightens them up is the usage of Gyaru Souzai. What are gyaru souzai? They are little animated pixel gifs of gyaru that move and occasionally have messages next to them. 

One of my most popular posts is one I did years ago that featured ton of souzai that I had roughly translated with my limited Japanese knowledge. They're super cute and can really separate out a gyaru blog from other blogs. I'm pretty sure these looked exceptionally cute on mobile blogs. 

For awhile, I was using them and had stopped for some reason or another. I'd like to begin using them again. They were fun. Other things I use them for outside of my blogs (despite them not being able to move this way) is for pictures. If the souzai are transparent they can be used so many different ways. For awhile (when I was submitting them) I was using them for reactions to really cute pictures of other gaijin gyaru for Gyaru Valentine submissions! This became a bit popular because soon after, I saw a lot of other submissions consisting of them. So they can be used in a multitude of ways! 

Today I'm going to share a very large portion of my collection with you in hopes that these can be archived. A lot of gyaru media (stock images specifically) have gotten lost on the internet due to blogs closing down or through the lack of tumblr now. 

So without further ado, here are my cute collection of gyaru souzai: 

 "Goodnight"

"Good luck!!"

"I love you"

"Good night"

"Good work"

"mata asobu/let's play again?"

"ahhhhh!!!"

"Is it bad?"

"Bath time now?"

"goodnight"

"tch"

"chuu/kiss"

"it's cold!"

"congrats"

"isn't it cool?!"

"whyyy?!"

"I love you!"

"movie date"

"Good luck!"

"I want to eat yummy food"

"dokidoki"

 "dokidoki"

"good luck/do your best?!!"

"eheheh"

"kyaaa"

"hasukashiii" 'shy"

"good night"

"dead"

"good luck/do your best"

"good!!"

"hello!"

"hello"

 "hello"

"good luck okay?"

"good luck"

"good morning"

 "good morning"

"Good morning"

"Good morning"

 "good morning"

 "good morning"

 "good night"

 "good night"

 "good night"

"good night" (I think this is said more princessy?"

 "good night"

"good night"

 "goodnight"

"it's good weather!"

"good work/good job"

"yessss/okay!!" (maybe hello too wtf?)

 "happy new year!"

 good morning

 hm? nn?

 it's hot

I'm sorry

 I can't sleep!!

Can't sleep...

 ??

 I love you

I love you

I love you senpai!

 Like

I miss you/I wanna see you

I'm sorry

Welcome!

Not sure fully what this says-but the last part is a love confession? Someting about forever sorry-but I really do love you? 

Let's eat/idatakimasu

 I-It's hot..

It's hot...

 It's hot

 Itsumo aritgato-thank you always

What are you doing right now?

 ohohoho (the princess/oujosama laugh of triumph)

 I'm leaving/going out!

 Like/love

 Like/love

 sad

Love/rabu

Love

 hey/hey (like to get attention)

 Nice to meet you/please take care of me

Nice to meet you

Hey, pay attention to me!

Let's play together/let the two of us play together ;)

Really?!

saa

it's cold

 today's school

see you later/matta ne

 -coughing-

I have a cold

I'm sick

 It's snowing!!

 So cooooll!

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

 I'm sorry

I'm sorry

 I'm sorry

Stop it!!!

Wondering what to wish for during tanabata I'm assuming

Good morning

Hina Matsuri

Goodnight

dara?

??

That was delicious!

Nya/meow!

Good night

I'm so happy! Thank you!

Thank you

Much (?) thanks!

Thank you

Thank you

 Thank you always

Thank you

Thank you so much!

Thank you

Really, thank you

Fuu/being tired after hard work

I'm tired

Yay!

Good morning!

Asobo/play

No!!Iya

Kisses/chu

hahahaha

hehehehe

Forever together

It's cooolddd

It's cold

Kyaaaa 

tch

aaaa

 nee/hey... (to want to be paid attention to)

Happy birthday!

kyaaaa

Good evening!

Love

eeeeehh?

Bath (kore kara?)

Yadda mou (no/I don't want to?)

Good work

 Welcome back

 Good work!!

 

I woke up

What?  eh?

 I love you -kiss kiss-

Hey hey, pay attention to me

 drive/going for a drive

 A date 

 Welcome back

welcome back

 Welcome back

 What to eat?

What time do you think it is?!

 ?

Where to?

Where are we going?