Inimitably eye-catching and undeniably adorable without being too cutesy about it, tokidoki handbags are one of the newer peaks of fashion that young ladies (and even some young men, though they won’t admit it) drool over. The tokidoki brand, which translates as ’sometimes’ in the Japanese language, was created by the Italian artist Simone Legno and his partners to express uniquely Asian themes in fashion and accompanying accessories.
Intensely hip and urban, the tokidoki handbag is sometimes found in relatively subdued, sleekly black designs, but is more often recognized by an almost bewildering array of colorful characters crowded onto the fabric together. The tokidoki line is accompanied by numerous unique and visually memorable mascots, many of whom share a home on the fabric real estate of any given tokidoki bag. The extremely flippant, half-cute half-cynical theming, very typical of Japanese styles, is particularly evident in one of the recurring images: a cutely rounded (or ‘chibi,’ as the style is known to fans of Japanese cartoons and comics) skull, which serves as a perky undead equivalent to the famous Hello Kitty character. If you have a daughter who’s fond of, for instance, the Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy cartoon (a show which features a laughable, tongue in cheek Grim Reaper parody character prominently), then such an impudent and morbid motif is incredibly appropriate addition to her wardrobe.
There are oven a dozen characters that serve to crowd the brand, showing off the creativity and liveliness of the products and making them very distinctive. There’s the ‘Moofia’ set of characters, the Cactus Friends, the mockingly grim Skeletrino and Skeletrina, and far more others. These characters often appear as independent toys, and many products even have the characters as small dangling figurines that are attached to the bags, or detached to dangle elsewhere.
While purses are the most common form of tokidoki bags, the line also caters to the opposite side of the gender divide to an extent. For those who can’t carry tokidoki purses without unwanted attention, there are also tokidoki messenger bags, serving approximately the same purpose with just as much style, only with less of a feminine tilt to it.
Average prices on these sorts of tokidoki items hover in the hundred dollar range, although you can find bags below that price area by keeping a sharp eye out for clearance sales and the like. No doubt about it, that’s a lot to pay for any purse or handbag, but in return you get an absolutely striking and memorable item that will send young girls squealing in delight when they spot it. Tokidoki is truly a brand without imitation, and worth every penny in sheer style. With the right sense of humor, even an adult ought to be able to appreciate the artistry of this line.