Host Kei

First Published Appearance: 2003

Last Published Appearance: ~2014

Sources: Host Knuckle, Men's Knuckle, Men's Spider, Men's Yukai, Yukai+, Men's Egg

While hosts have always worn suits, I believe what we presently consider 'host kei' fahsion began to emerge around 2003-2004. We may be able to trace some origins back to v-boys (1996-1998) as the interview cited over there says: "(the term 'v-boy') was supposed to be the "V-zone"—an open, V-shaped neckline, creating a look similar to what we’d call a "host" today"..

It isn't restricted to gyaruo, but like many fashions there was incredible overlap between the two scenes. The style is defined by its slim silhouette and formal wear, which often plays with flashier fabrics like lame and mesh. The clothes are often so tight fitting even the slimmest host looks like he may burst out of them.

What is a host?

Hosts are what we call the staff at various nightlife establishments known as host clubs, boys bars and men's cabaret clubs. There's a lot of clubs around the sketchy area of Shinjuku, Kabukicho. Host clubs are the male version of hostess clubs, so host kei is naturally the handsome prince to the glamorous kyabajo/agejo princess. Many customers of host clubs are hostesses who are disillusioned with their love life due to their work and just want to be treated special for a few hours by a cute guy. But host clubs have a very predatory business model where clients can easily rack up a dangerous amount of debt. The hosts themselves are also pawns of the system, where lower ranking hosts are subject to drinking a lot of alcohol and purging between customers to stay sober. This is why a lot of hosts have bad teeth or veneers.

They don't always wear 'host kei' style. There are days where they are invited to dress casually and wear their own clothes, which are usually designer brands gifted to them from customers like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Vivienne Westwood. For events they also sometimes wear kimono, like the host in the photo here. His exposed neckline and front-facing obi indicate that he's dressed as a courtesan or high end prostitute. But it didn't just come from anywhere. Male prostitutes known as kagema would be passed off as kabuki theatre actors, and kabuki actors would engage in prostitution on the side. From a western lens, you can probably summarize hosts as 'modern day geisha', fulfilling the Disney princess dreams of their clients.

The host's job is to entertain customers, who buy extremely overpriced champagne in exchange for gushing compliments and attention. It's very common for sex work to be involved. Hosts are notoriously easy, especially when they want a chunk of your paycheck. There are websites where customers discuss and review various things like the host's beauty, social skills, how easy it is to get him in bed, and if he's any good at it. It's a dirty world of manipulation and power play that was lorded over by the yakuza, making it a great fit for the average gyaruo.

Fitting for their natural habitat in Kabukicho ('kabuki' being a type of theatre), hosts are called 'players' by customers and their names are typically stage names, varying from entirely normal Japanese names to outlandish jokes or samurai names. They are party animals who live their lives largely divorced from reality, and that's what their clients love the most about them. There's a vast amount I could write about host culture, but today we're here to dissect the fashion, not the melancholy life of pretty men who didn't make it to college. So here we go.

Brands

Buffalo Bobs, Wild Party, Tornado Mart, Civarize, Roen, Roar...

Timeline

1960s-1980s

1965 - The very first 'proto host club', Night Tokyo, opens.

1968 - Takeshi Aida becomes a host at club Royal.

1969 - He is then recruited by Night Miyamasu.

1971 - He then joins Night Tokyo, before going independent and opening Club Ai- the first and biggest modern day host club.

1999

This is officially the earliest host publication I can find. Boys Gigolo by Major Tune Press, published in August 1999. There seem to be 3 volumes.

That's likely because 1999 is when the 'host boom' phenomenon occurs. Host work had been considered bad taste and cheap until now, but suddenly their public image improves. Host clubs begin employing a strategy of advertising in men's adult magazines and recruiting sex workers. The number one host is referred to as the 'charisma host'. Hosts begin appearing in media, which along with the charisma hosts, improves their general image.

Apparently the kyaba-o Inoue makes his first appearance in the February issue of Men's Egg.

2000

Boys Gigolo Volume 2 and 3 are published in February and October.

"Cool host!" Vol 1, a mook published in April, also by Major Tune Press. There's another issue from September.

They really look like v-boys to me!

2001

From the Japanese wikipedia article: Men's cabaret clubs, which operate in a slightly different manner from host clubs, first began opening in 2001. There was a period when the male staff of these clubs were called " cabaret boys " to distinguish them from "hosts," implying they were the male equivalent of cabaret girls (this was due to the fact that " Men's Cabaret Taro, " which opened in Susukino, Hokkaido in 2001, called its male staff "cabaret boys"). However, the name "cabaret boys" did not catch on.

2002

The manga Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori begins serialization in Hakusensa's LaLa magazine. The characters don't wear what we presently consider 'host kei' in a gyaruo sense, but it's a cultural touchstone.

2003

The photobook ASIAN GIGOLO―新宿歌舞伎町カリスマホストヌード写真集) is released under Million Publishing by Yoshihiro Tatsuki. "At the time, this profession, which became visible along with the term "charismatic host," (カリスマホスト) was a symbol of the male image that created a persona and established itself as a character in a consumer society. In this book, Tachiki captures portraits of several individuals, including Romeo Hisaki, Ojiro Nagase, and Goro Hinata."

G-Style (Gigolo Style) Vol.1 is launched by editor in chief Norihito Kurashina, also under Million Publishing. It is the first magazine in the industry whose models are all hosts in Kabukicho. Kurashina became interested in hosts from the release of the book 'The imperial studies of charismatic hosts' and the photobook Asian Gigolo.

The tankobon for OHSHC begins publication. I haven't read the manga so I don't know if the covers are modernized, but it surprised me how similar the fashion is already to onii kei and v-host.

The first ever Host Grand Prix is held.

2004

In April, G Style magazine's name is changed to Men's Knuckle. Men's Knuckle continues to feature hosts as models.

2006

Between April and September, the Ouran High School Host Club anime adaption airs.

Host kei fashion features in the trailer for Final Fantasy XIII Versus. Noctis is a prince, which is a play on the "prince" host archetype- the most obvious clue is his footwear. The architecture and decoration is also very clearly inspired by host clubs of the time. The game was announced on May 8th, so we can conclude that development began around 2004-2005, which lines up precisely when host club culture took off. To add, when the game eventually released as Final Fantasy XV it featured the party wearing garments by the brand Roen.

2008

Host Knuckle begins publication in January. It lasts for just 12 issues.

2009

Johnny's boy group NEWS releases Koi no ABO in April 2009, cementing the gyaruo and host kei crossover in popular culture with a host club inspired track. In the PV they wear host kei brands like Diavlo. Member Tomohisa Yamashita (YamaP) is very popular with both gyaru and gyaruo.

Men's Spider Vol.2, January 2009

2011

"When the number of young hosts increased due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake , changes occurred in makeup and clothing. Suits, which were the mainstream attire , were replaced by casual items such as sneakers and hoodies , and the style of hosts changed, with the use of makeup , colored contact lenses , and not drinking alcohol."

2019

I saw a host dressed like this on my commute to Shinjuku, but he was definitely an anomaly and it made me do a double take at how outdated he looked. The other hosts I saw/dated and the host clubs/boys bars I went to were all decked out in kpop style at the time reflecting the Korean wave of groups like NCT 127 and BTS taking over popular media, so it's safe to say host kei was well and truly dead by this point- or at least considered very corny.