One of my Barbie dolls gets kawaii...sort of

Talolili is more of the kawaii expert than I am, but I know enough to piece together an outfit that would fit the label.  For the uninitiated, kawaii is...well, it's actually a culture in Japan that has made its way to the west.  It celebrates all that is cutesy and childlike, stuff like Hello Kitty and various types of anime.  Pastels make a lot of appearances, as do personified inanimate objects like candies, rainbows, clouds, stars, and hearts.  Usually when Americans like myself dabble in kawaii it's in wearables or home decor; I personally like adding kawaii touches to my daily wear with earrings and the like, for example (these cotton candy earrings on Etsy are to die for).  But if you're a dolly lover (and if you're reading this, you probably are) it's also possible to have one or two or a whole slew of dolls that wear kawaii fashion or are a little kawaii themselves.  My little Pepper Parson is a good example, as she's cute and wears clothes that fit the aesthetic.  The clothes shown are the Kuu Kuu Harajuku clothes, which I reviewed here and here; that line is very, VERY kawaii!

Every so often I run into a doll that just screams "kawaii," but isn't dressed the part.  Such is the case with one of my Fashionistas, Suika.

Suika is Fashionistas #60 "Patchwork Denim," with a new head, an original body, and melon-colored hair.  Indeed, the name "Suika" is actually the Japanese word for "watermelon."  This doll's pink hair and soft makeup just begged for some cute little kawaii-style outfit, and while her dress itself does not fall into the style it can be gussied up with some accessories.  Suika's belt and bracelet, seen below, help spice up this outfit a bit, and the butterfly on the belt adds a touch of kawaii.  As a bonus, these accessories match Suika's hair almost perfectly.

I wasn't fully satisfied with that getup, so today when I went out (had to fetch cat food) I picked up a few more Hello Kitty separates, consisting of two tops and a skirt.  One top is a pink spaghetti-strap crop top with clothing items, milk jugs, and Hello Kitty (of course) printed on it, and the other is a less-fitted periwinkle blouse with the Little Twin Stars seated atop a rainbow.  

Both shirts coordinate with the pink skirt, but I don't like the way the periwinkle shirt fits Suika's body.  I think it may look better on a curvy or a tall doll, but of course I neglected to photograph that!  Dumb of me too, because I have two curvy dolls and three tall ones within arm's reach.

With Suika sufficiently kawaii-ized, I let her join Deb, Ami, and Melody for a group photo.

Not bad at all!  I can't tell y'all how tickled I am that Mattel started making these Hello Kitty clothes, and I hope that more will be made.  So far the only characters featured on these outfits have been Hello Kitty, My Melody, and the Little Twin Stars, and no sign of Chococat despite him being on the packaging.  But seeing the Little Twin Stars on one of these tops makes me hopeful that other characters will start making appearances.  I'm still hoping for Keroppi, since I love frogs and the color green, and Badtz Maru and Chococat would make superb Ken clothes, but only time will tell what crops up.

Much Love, 

RagingMoon1987