Me & etsy

As I child, I was always fascinated by my mother’s wardrobe, which then still contained the dresses she wore as a young woman in the 70’s. Their number decreased at the end of the 80’s, as they got replaced by more casual sports wear, and it was not until I graduated from highschool and finally got rid of the mandatory uniform that I (re)discovered the world of Japanese vintage. This was in 2002, and my wardrobe soon started to overflow with the dresses I bought as soon as I found some time to escape to vintage shops – much to my mother’s despair, as she could not see the point of her daughter wearing such « oldfashioned » dresses while she tried to be as modern as possible.

Living in Tokyo, the temptation was almost at my doorstep, so I figured out that the only way to continue my vintage safaris was to open a shop. That’s when a friend told me about etsy – et voilà.

In 2010 I moved to France to continue my studies. This was an important step in my life as well as for my etsy shop, as I realized how much Japanese vintage dresses bore references to a Western (and often French) world that in the 60’s-70’s must have been a symbol of modernity and « exotic chic », but at the same time were unique with their color combination, patterns, details, buttons... The names that brands invented to make the dresses appealing to Japanese women continues to make me smile with their strange references to France : « Tokyo Lyonette », « Bel Château »…

Kamomeya

Kamomeya means the shop (ya) of the seagull (kamome). I chose this name because the seagull is a very iconic bird in a country surrounded by the sea like Japan. At the same time, the seagull travels constantly.
It was a big surprise when I got my first orders from Northern America, followed by Australia, Scandinavia, Italy, Hong Kong, Brazil… and Japan. So the dresses too travel around the world and cross oceans – as I do, asince I have a good reason to spend a few weeks a year hunting for vintage in Japan. I sell my finds on etsy, and during fashion fairs in France (a great way to see how they look on other people).

Style

Japanese vintage is not difficult to wear – on the contrary, as it was designed in a more « classical » way as were « young » Western clothes of the same period, it is comfortable and very easy to combine with contemporary accessories or clothes (jackets, knits, cardigans…).
When I select dresses, I always bear two ideas in mind : I choose dresses in a very good condition that I would want to wear, and would be able to wear and enjoy associating with my wardrobe.
Japanese vintage dresses are usually well made, with resistant, high quality fabrics (usually polyester with different textures) that show little signs of ageing, even after they have been cleaned.

Please contact me for any requests : I can make custom orders if you are looking for a specific type of dresses or send additional information & photos.