Think back to when you were a kid and spend a few moments recalling all of the good memories that you had. Remember the games you played. Remember the mountains of stuffed animals that overflowed from your twin sized bed. Remember all of the imaginary friends that you pretended you had. Spend a moment reconnecting with the cartoons that you watched after long days spent coloring at school and all the amazing adventures you went on at the zoo.

Isn’t it sad, that as you’ve grown up, all of these elements that used to be the most important part of your day now seem so far gone? However, what if I told you that it doesn’t have to be this way?

With Decora, life can continue to stay fun and young no matter how old you become.

Decora, first introduced in 1997 by Fruit magazine, is an eye-catching explosive up-in-your-face burst of bright colors, wild hairstyles, and eccentric layers of accessories.

While Decora wildly popularized Harajuku in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it hasn’t really spread any further than the streets of Japan. That’s not to say that people outside of Japan don’t wear Decora, but it is unlikely that you will walk your neighborhood streets and find someone rocking this bold look.

As you probably guessed, Decora derived its name from the word decorate. And that’s exactly what Decoras do. They decorate their looks with excessive amounts of jewelry, pacifiers, big plastic rings, keychains, stuffed animals, colorful tees, tutus, skirts, layers of mismatched  socks, giant colorful shoes; basically anything that’s colorful and unique and gives off those nostalgic vibes is worn to express their true identities hidden deep inside.

Of  course, no Decora outfit is, according to Mookychick Hivemind, the writer of the online blog Mookychick, “complete without a virtual pet (think of a Nintendog or, if you’re on a tight budget, a Tamagotchi).” Hivemind describes virtual pets as being “golden” for a Decora outfit.

When asked if he feels like “Decora is a mask that he uses to hide behind,” Junnyan, one of the rare Decora boys,  responds by saying that “ fish breathe through their gills, right? They have scales, right? It’s like asking why they have them.”

Many Decoras don’t look at the fashion as a costume or a way to mask themselves. Instead, as Asha Lee, one of the hosts from “Style Out There,” discovered  “Decora is just an outward expression of something waiting to get out.”

“Decora is empowering,” Kenae, a longtime Decora Girl, tells the public via television show “Style Out There.”

Within Decora, there are three main sub-fashions: Pink Decora, Dark Decora, and Deco Lolita. In Pink Decora, you focus on wearing only pink. In Dark Decora, you focus on wearing only dark colors. It’s all pretty self-explanatory, but what happens when you mix the strict rules and guidelines of a Lolita with the laid-back and chill rules of a Decora? You end up with Deco Lolita.

Deco Lolita is not just taking the hairstyle of a Decora and coordinating it with a Lolita dress. In fact, Deco Lolitas tend to wear pastel-colored wigs in twin tails to get their hair looking extra volumized and over-the-top. They’ll dress up in Lolita OTP’s-dresses with sleeves- or JSK’s-Jumper Skirts-with bold prints that seem to take over the whole look. Socks can still be layered like they are in typical Decora, but shoes must be your typical Mary-Janes, not your colorful converses. Lastly, the Deco Lolitas paint their faces up with OTT (Over-the-Top) makeup.

“That means fake lashes, Circle Lenses and a popping lipstick color,” Miuko, an online Deco Lolita Blogger from Puppenschloss, informs us.

She continues by warning that “the makeup should still look pretty; don’t look like a clown.”

These styles allow people to be free and express their inner child, turning their bodies into living works of art. Perhaps you’ll decide to try out the fashion for yourself.

Make sure to read my last issue where I talk about the life of a Lolita, or stay tuned for next week when I take you through the glittering life of a Fairy Kei.