Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Perfume Launch - September 2008

Harajuku is an area in Tokyo, Japan that is known throughout the world for it's youth style and fashion. "Harajuku Girls" are the teenaged girls who have become famous for hanging out there, dressed as manga, anime or cosplay (costume play) characters/ The main area of activity is Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street) and it's side streets, which are lined with trendy boutiques, crepe stands, and fast food outlets that cater to the teenaged palate, Takeshita Dori has been the birthplace of many of Japan's fashion trends.

Gwen Stefani's original inspiration for a Japanese-inspired line came from her first trip to Tokyo and Takeshita Street in 1996, where she was delighted by the self-expression and individual style of the Japanese teens. In 2004, Gwen Stefani hired four young Japanese girls, to be backup dancers for her band. The girls, known as Love, Angel, Music and Baby (Stefani's original fashion line L.A.M.B.) have appeared with Stefani in many music videos, dressed in the Harajuku costume style. In 2005, Gwen Stefani launched a second designer product line called Harajuku Lovers that offers tee-shirts, handbags, stationery and watches. Harajuki Lovers also has an entire kid's line that includes a full spectrum of items. Kid's clothing includes adorable and unique onsies and tees for babies, toddler tees and dresses such as the Harajuku Lovers Color Me Cute dress emblazoned with Gwen, Love, Angel, Music and Baby, and colorful, fun sneakers covered with everything from ladybugs, pretty Japanese girls and giant hearts.

Now for the exciting news. This September, 2008, Gwen, Love, Angel, Music and Baby are coming to the Macy's perfume counter. Harajuku Lovers, a collection of fruity and floral fragrances will soon be available for big girls and little girls alike. The adorable bottles designed in the likenesses of Gwen, Love, Angel, Music and Baby come in five fragrances. These bottles have the appearance of uber cute dolls with the added benefit of covering you in some of the yummiest sounding scents yet. I am looking forward to collecting the entire set:

G (Gwen) - a food lover's fragrance with mandarin, coconut, apple, freesia and sandalwood.

Love - a floral with notes of bergamot, pomelo (citrus, a little like grapefruit), peach, rose, jasmine, orchid and musk.

Angel - a fruity floral with with notes of different berries (raspberry, cranberry, blackberry), pineapple, rose and amber.

Music - a floral with notes of clementine, pear, jasmine, sweet pea, honeysuckle, vanilla and musk .

Baby - a powder musk with freesia, bergamot, rose, jasmine, musk, heliotrope, vanilla and violet .

Each fragrance will come in two different sizes - $45 for a 30-ml bottle and $25 for a 10-ml. Get in line early, I have a feeling these are going to be a huge hit!