Paradise Kiss - A Cut Above the Rest

Paradise Kiss

An Anime Review - Bonus Content

Studio: Madhouse |  Released: 2005 |  Duration: 12 Episodes 

Hey Everyone!

Hope your peepers are ready for a smorgasbord of visual treats because coming down the runway is probably our most fashionable entry to date - That’s right, we’re talking about the anime series Paradise Kiss. 

Now if you found this page other than through our youtube channel and you want to learn more about the plot and creative process of Paradise Kiss, as well as queer representation in anime, be sure to click on our video linked below. 

But if you came here for the fashion..well… just like we promised in our video, we’ll be covering some of the fashion inspirations that can be found in the ParaKiss series, right here on our blog! 

So with that out of the way, let’s get this fashion show started!   

Now it’s IMPOSSIBLE not to equate the anime series Paradise Kiss with Fashion. Not only does it revolve around Fashion Design students and their upcoming school fashion showcase, but literally in almost every scene the audience gets to see amazing look after look. And it’s great! 

If a character’s not talking about fashion, they’re either creating it or wearing it. But don’t worry about getting in over your head. As our main character Yukari Hayasaka isn’t a fashion student, they keep the fashion jargon and exposition to a minimum. This isn’t one of those Dr. Stone-like shows where after a lengthy explanation you’ll now have acquired the new skill - Back-Stitch. Not saying I wouldn’t have enjoyed that, but it does make this show great for anyone, regardless of their level of fashion knowledge. It’s also just so aesthetically pleasing to look at.  

Of course, we should point out that the high-calibre fashion in Paradise Kiss isn’t really an anomaly when it comes to the manga author, Ai Yazawa’s, works.

No, way before ever watching Paradise Kiss, we first got into the manga NANA which is also by Ai Yazawa, and I can still remember thinking WOW these designs are on another level. And I don’t say that lightly, NANA’s fashion is so iconic that it’s even sparked a new trend over the last few years over on TIKTOK. 

So this wasn’t just a simple manga I was reading. I mean don’t get me wrong, NANA’s story is far far FAR from simple, but it was the first time I started looking forward to not only the story but also the characters’ fashion. So much so that the NANA series went on to become the first manga volumes I even purchased. It almost felt like I was collecting art books and not just comics. The hints of Vivienne Westwood or Jean Paul Gaultier were just so cool. It was all so edgy and full of attitude. And then when I saw Paradise Kiss, I was like just who is this Ai Yazawa? 

Growing up, Yazawa said she was heavily influenced by the magazine Ribon, which featured shoujo manga, which depicted very fashionable characters in a soft or cutesy style accompanied by lots of layering and accessories. Featuring the occasional cutesy punk looks and even soft decora, which is a style revolving around excessive accessories; propelling these styles into the more is MORE category. This style offers some extremely detailed outfits which is something that made it into Yazawa’s own art style, though as she got older she became more interested in the alternative punk styles rather than the more cutesy girly styles found in Ribon. 

And while digging further, we also weren’t surprised to find out that before becoming a mangaka, Ai Yazawa used to be a fashion student herself, attending a Fashion Design school before dropping out. It’s obvious while reading her other series that her love of fashion never left her. Often using it to help her further define her characters. Characters’ whose styles we’ll take a look at now: 

Yukari Hayasaka: Chic and Sophisticated

Yukari spends most of the series trying to figure out who she is and what she wants in life, and nothing expresses this journey better than her fashion. The first time we meet Yukari she’s wearing her prestigious high school uniform. This likely represents her straight-laced and conformist mental state, as she follows the path her parents have laid out for her. Which goes something like high school —> college —> good stable office job. 

This starts to change though as she becomes more and more integrated into the Paradise Kiss world. As a budding model, Miwako lends her a bunch of clothes from her sister’s clothing brand “Happy Berry” to help Yukari fit the part, and Jouji also not only gifts her several Paradise Kiss outfits but also opens up his whole collection for her to use freely. So now with these new threads and her freshly acquired Alexander McQueen a La Poupée bangs, Yukari starts her next chapter.  

And little by little, we see her becoming a more independent woman; who relishes whatever challenges life decides to fling her way. Wearing clothes that are reminiscent of old Hollywood starlets like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly. Like these women, Yukari’s style has evolved to become Chic and Sophisticated. We also see her wearing many outfits that are akin to Gucci and Ralph Lauren, still keeping within that elevated and polished style. There are also pieces that could have been inspired by Dior, or maybe even Gloria Sachs, who is known for delivering easy and low-key elegance in her looks, having built a brand specifically for the professional woman. Which is something that Yukari is working to become. 

Till the end though, we see her continuing to wear Paradise Kiss clothes, stating that they were made for her and so they fit her best. Now, whether done subconsciously or not, these clothes probably remind her of a time when she finally left her pupa shell, and had a metamorphosis-like transformation, similar to that of a butterfly. Which enabled her to receive the wings she so desperately needed in order to take her to new heights. 

Jouji "George" Koizumi: Glamorous and Debonair

Jouji is the flamboyantly bold lead designer of Paradise Kiss who just seems to ooze confidence from every pore. And though he tends to come off as an aloof character who plays by his own rules and simply pulls everyone along with him for the ride, he actually, genuinely does care for those around him. Often coming to their defence or offering encouragement when needed, especially, when it comes to the more vulnerable characters, such as Isabella or Miwako.  

This attitude of living his life proudly and freely without caring about the opinions of others is mirrored heavily in his fashion. His number 1 style icon is Brian Slade, a fictional character from the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Brian Slade is a blue-haired bisexual Glam Rock Star, whose fashion could have come right out of David Bowie’s closet. It’s androgynous, glamorous, and in your face. 

Taking those more fluid elements, Jouji then likes to mix them together with some structured pieces, such as tailored suit combos, well-fitted pants, or embroidered waistcoats. These looks are then always accompanied by some accessories like scarves, sunglasses, or hats. His most iconic accessory is his Cowboy hat. This hat immediately made us think of the American fashion designer, Anna Sui, whose romantic rock-and-roll style reinvigorated pop culture fashion in the 1990s. 

Continuing on with these more structured looks we get into what we like to call his “Rich Playboy” aesthetic. Here we see looks that could have been influenced by the menswear lines of brands such as Gucci, Armani, and Ralph Lauren. All very Glamorous and Debonair. Of course, as Jouji himself puts it he’s more of a Pseudo “Rich Playboy” since while having a very rich father, he himself is not very wealthy, and so he has to be… resourceful. And though Miwako repeatedly refers to him as a gentleman, Jouji might be more of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This could be hinted at by his love of a good pinstriped suit and fedora ensemble. Very Italian mafioso inspired - also can we just say on a side note that after accidentally putting Jouji in a side-by-side shot with Tony Montana from the 1983 Scarface movie, we can no longer unsee the outfit similarities, down to the gold chains and large lapels on the red shirt, it’s almost an exact replica.   

Miwako Sakurada: Cute and Sweet

Miwako is the pink-haired angel of the group, and can often be seen wearing “Happy Berry” clothes, a clothing brand by her older sister Mikako Kouda (FL from Neighborhood Story). Miwako is another character that struggles with her fashion identity. Having looked up to her older sister, who’s a successful fashion designer, for so long, she fears that her style lacks uniqueness and is a mere copy of her sister’s designs.

The “Happy Berry” clothing line is predominately a mix of 60s and 70s-inspired clothing, that seems to have been heavily influenced by the iconic British fashion designer Mary Quant. Quant wanted to create a high-class clothing line but wanted it to appeal to young people, so she focused on bright colours that no one else was doing at the time. She also takes credit for creating the miniskirt and hotpants. In doing so, she became a fashion revolutionary. And her fashion soon became prominently displayed throughout youth fashion movements.

Now, though the Happy Berry brand from Ai Yazawa’s manga Neighborhood Story was very 60-70s, the Happy Berry brand that we see in Paradise Kiss has grown to also include more goth-punk and baby-doll-inspired outfits. We can even see it branching into Victorian/western looks as well. These next-generation looks are the ones that Miwako seems to gravitate towards.    

Miwako is a character who seems to have a wide variety of styles, and who is happy to change things up and play around with fashion, and even hair and makeup. She’s also a character who tends to dress according to her mood. And like we mentioned earlier within the Happy Berry clothing line, Miwako tends to lean more towards the Sweet Lolita and Gyaru trends. Things that would be considered closer to Harajuku streetwear from the 90s. Matching her innocent, yet mature personality.  

At times we can even see Miwako wearing punk adjacent looks to try and match with her boyfriend Arashi, but they still always have a cute flair to them. Keeping it, Cute and Sweet. 

Arashi Nigase: Cool and Edgy

Arashi is Miwako’s blonde spiky-haired guitar-playing childhood friend-turned-boyfriend, who plays the straight man, in more ways than one, of the Paradise Kiss group. He also has one of the most consistent styles, which helps anchor him as one of the most grounded characters in Paradise Kiss. Often having to rein in those around him who have more whimsical and dreamer-like personalities. It’s great to dream, but when you have a deadline coming up, you also need to be practical and realistic.  

Arashi is also good at letting other characters know when they need to slow things down and really think about what it is they want to do. A character we regularly see this happen with is Yukari, who he fears may just be getting pulled around by Jouji’s pace. This could mainly be because Arashi’s the one who scouted her and therefore feels somewhat responsible for bringing her into Paradise Kiss. Still, this does make for a nice contrast to his Cool and Edgy look. 

It’s nice to know that despite Arashi’s rebellious looks, and his frequent complaints about Jouji’s willfulness, he’s still always there to put in the work and support his friends and their dreams. If anything, the tough-guy act is mainly to cover up his own insecurities, especially when it comes to his relationship with Miwako. Which, even towards the middle of the series is somewhat toxic on his part; due to his jealousy and fear that she might be taken away by someone else. Reminiscent of the relationships in Ai Yazawa’s other manga NANA.  

As previously stated Arashi is probably the character who is the most consistent with his aesthetic, sporting mainly British punk/rock style clothing, which consists of a lot of denim, leather, and Tartan. These looks can be seen to be inspired by Yazawa’s go-to punk-rock designer Vivienne Westwood. Again making him look like he could have walked right off the pages of Yazawa’s NANA series and into Paradise Kiss. Specifically, we can see Arashi wearing Vivienne Westwood’s Parachute Jacket from her Bondage collection.  

And in a rare instance, we can also see him wearing something from across the channel, namely a French Navy-Sailor punk look, that could have been inspired by French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who is both famous for his Sailor designs and his punk-rock collections. 

Also like his girlfriend, Arashi’s looks are also a great reflection of the Harajuku streetwear styles being worn in the 90s by the youth in Japan.      

Isabella Yamamoto: Elegant and Graceful

Isabella is the motherly figure of Paradise Kiss, who’s always ready to fix you a meal or a cup of tea and listen to your problems. She’s also extremely loyal to Jouji, as he’s the first person to have accepted her for who she truly is. Actually, some of Jouji’s first creations were for Isabella to wear when they were both children. This had such a profound effect on Isabella that after that she vowed to follow him wherever he goes and work alongside him as his pattern maker.  

Now being a transwoman who was born into a very wealthy family, she naturally adopted the style of a rich young Lady, donning mainly either British Victorian or Japanese traditional looks. Always exuding elegance and femininity. With even her modern looks expressing this, many look like they could have come out of Christian Dior’s Spring 1998 collection. Large-rimmed hats, cinched waist, long skirts, dainty shoes - the very picture of a genteel Lady. Both Elegant and Graceful. 

She can be seen wearing some pretty classy outfits that reminded us of Chanel. And also wears outfits very reminiscent of Oscar de la Renta’s Fall 1992 runway collection, like her black and white houndstooth full-length skirt and black cropped jacket. 

But aside from her clothes, the main thing that stands out about Isabella is her bold purple flower makeup, which instantly made us think of the Flower Power photo taken by Richard Avedon, featuring Twiggy with a purple flower similarly drawn over one eye. Not only that, but Isabella’s eyelashes also look pretty similar to Twiggy’s as well. Highlighting her peace-loving persona. 

Paradise Kiss - The Blue Dress:

Finally, the iconic Blue Rose Ball Gown. We really couldn’t end this analysis without taking a look at Paradise Kiss’ magnificent end-of-the-year fashion show entry, now could we? 

I mean, the whole series is basically about making this one dress, and though most of its production takes place in the background, the dress is still monumentally important, because it became the thing that not only brought all the characters together but also kept them tethered to each other until the end, so to speak. 

And for such a key item, it definitely got the reveal it deserved. Just look at it - it’s a bonafide Showstopping Masterpiece! 

Now looking at this fairytale of a dress, it was kinda hard to find anything that looked to be a direct influence, but just as we were about to give up hope we came across this amazing Violet-Blue Butterfly Formal Strapless Dress by the Japanese designer UNO Kanda, from the Japanese label, Scena D’uno. And I mean come on! We even loved how even though the motif might have been changed to flowers in the Yazawa design, the jewellery was still similar to the butterfly design on UNO’s dress. Scena D’uno also has another Blue Rose gown that also reminded us of the blue roses on the ParaKiss dress. Especially the rose headpiece.      

And speaking of headpieces, or should we say hairpieces, we couldn’t not include Maurizio Anzeri’s hair rope sculpture, or Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fall 2005 runway looks, whose hair designs were crafted by the amazing hairstylist Odile Gilbert. 

We also included Jean Paul Gaultier’s 2014 Blue Butterfly look modelled by Dita Von Teese, which we know does not look like the Yazawa dress and came out much too late, but if there was ever an outfit that screamed Paradise Kiss it would be this. Even the colour is spot on. We also liked how Jean Paul Gaultier's motto is, “Simple but Ambitious, Nothing is Impossible”. Now even though the word “Simple” is not in Jouji’s vocabulary, the overall essence of the statement reminded us of Jouji’s own outlook on creating his garments as well. Never compromising, be it in his dreams, his designs, or in his life, because nothing is unreachable. Reinforcing his strong dedication to living honestly and authentically, and challenging those around him to do the same.  

So that’s it, we hope you guys enjoyed this little fashion exploration. It was a time-consuming project, but a fun one. And if anyone has any further insights or just fashion knowledge they’d like to share, please do!

Till next time, 

~ Stay Obsessed