>What: The Japanese art of cosplay has many spin-offs, and decora (short for 'decoration look') is an off-shoot of the trend. It may be the most accessible one, as all you need are cute hairclips, an assortment of colourful accessories and plush or plastic toys. Conceived as a kitsch statement in Japan's Urahara backstreets, decora caught on among accessory-crazed Harajuku youngsters in the late 1990s. Fashion magazines like Fruits and Kera popularised the look in the last decade. Decora ultimately is ultimately about celebrating one's childlike state and never growing up. And really, it's about being happy and as kawaii (cute) as you can be.
You may have seen: Girls like administrative clerk Akira Hasni, 18 (right), who dresses up with clothes and accessories emblazoned with cartoon characters like Honey Sempai's Usamomo or Hello Kitty.
Get the look: Invest in themed hairclips, bows, layered clothes (frilly, preferably pink), multiple pairs of colourful socks, cute accessories and glitter. Pictures of strawberries, rainbows and bunnies plastered on these items are acceptable. Pop into stores like Chameleon, Diva and Montip for such items. Put your hair up into pigtails and keep make-up to a minimum. For clothes, check out Haru, where a cutesy Japanese-styled top and bottom set costs $100.
