Nothing exudes confidence like being covered in leopard print. 

The new year may be three months in already, but who says retailers have to stop selling lucky bags? No one, says ladies outfitter Naniwa Komachi, apparently. The self-proclaimed “holy land of leopard print” wants to make sure their customers, Osakan aunties (also known as oba-chans) who pride themselves on their animal print fashion, get the best bargains all throughout the year.

That’s why they’re selling a limited-time-only springtime lucky bag filled with a random assortment of animal-print clothes. Of course, our Japanese-language reporter and king of funky fashion Masanuki Sunakoma had to buy one. How else would he stand at the forefront of modern fashion?

The price of the bag was 10,000 yen (US$67), and according to the product page, “It’s sure to contain super flashy clothes that will make you look cute when you’re drunk.” How could anyone resist such a pitch? All the clothes are one-size-fits-all, and returns are generally not allowed, which might be daunting for newbies to leopard print, but Masanuki bears no such qualms.

Why? Because the legendary oba-chans of Osaka likely aren’t worried about size. What’s more important is design and impact, obviously.

Masanuki was super excited to open the flashy leopard-print bag that arrived at his door. And what was inside did not, by any stretch of the imagination, disappoint. The first thing he pulled out was candy featuring “Japan’s most in-your-business idol group”, Obachaaan.

Apparently this is something that comes with every Naniwa Komachi order of 10,000 yen or more. It was an excellent bonus.

What else was in the leopard-print bag? Let’s see…

A bottle koozie…

…a glittery owl keychain…

…a fuzzy leopard-print hat…

…a short leopard-print scarf…

…a roaring tiger T-shirt…

…and a fur-lined jacket.

What a selection! It was a quality lineup of items that hit the nail on the head in terms of Osaka oba-chan fashion. Anyone who could sport this ensemble would no doubt be considered king–or queen–of the concrete jungle.

And it packed a punch in terms of value too. With just the tiger T-shirt (3,900 yen) and the jacket (9,800 yen), Masanuki had already made up far more than the cost of the bag.

At a glance at the clothing’s tags, however, Masanuki finally became worried about size. The T-shirt and the jacket were clearly marked as recommended for people with a height of 154 to 162 centimeters (5 feet to 5 foot four inches), and Masanuki, who comes in at a whopping 180 centimeters (5 foot eleven inches), was dubious about whether he could squeeze into them.

However…

The fit was actually perfect.

It was like magic. The leopard-print hat and scarf, paired with the giant tiger-face shirt, perfectly amounted to the quintessential Osaka oba-chan outfit. The difference in Masanuki’s appearance was honestly shocking, like he’d used a leopard-print magic wand that transformed him into an auntie instead of a magical girl.

▼ Surprisingly, pairing the clothes with gangster jeans only managed to augment their impact, and the plastic sandals were a genius touch.

He certainly felt power and energy well up from inside him the minute he pulled the shirt over his head. After a moment’s contemplation, he realized this was the power of the Osaka oba-chan’s love. In any case, that was the source of the warmth that Masanuki felt even as he wore short sleeves in February (not embarrassment).

Clearly, this bag is the place to start if you dream of becoming an Osaka oba-chan yourself. For just 10,000 yen you, too, can exude the confidence and devil-may-care attitude of these feisty aunties. And no need to worry about having to be in Osaka to fit in; based on a popular mail-order retailer’s sales, Osaka isn’t even the top animal-print buying prefecture, so the style is obviously ubiquitous.

Once you have this starter kit, you only need to add an animal print of your choice to place your stamp of originality to the outfit. So what are you waiting for? Purchase your Naniwa Komachi lucky bag today!

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[ Read in Japanese ]