Mary Mariee is a Japanese company that rents out women’s formal wear. But they’ve recently tapped into a rather new market – men who want to be princesses for a day. For only about $600, the company offers men a chance to dress up and be photographed in elegant wedding attire or ball gowns of their choice. The special package is in so much demand that the shop has dressed over 100 men so far.

The shop, located in Chubu, central Japan, boasts of an extensive collection of women’s outfits – ranging from kimonos to white wedding gowns. At first, they ran a special package for women who wanted fancy photographs of themselves. But soon, they started to receive several enquiries from men as well. The response was so overwhelming that they decided to create an exclusive package for men. “We concluded that men want to feel like princesses too,” said store manager Hitomi Iseki.

Photo: Mary Mariee

So the store identified about a hundred dresses that are explicitly set aside for their male clientele. These dresses can be altered to fit the male physique. The package includes grooming, make up, and dressing up, before they get to be photographed. They’ve partnered with a nearby barber shop to shave the men’s faces and shampoo their hair before the make-up session. Prep time is about two hours, followed by an extensive photo-shoot in the clients’ favorite gowns . The service costs 39,800 ($390) yen on weekdays and 59,800 ($580) yen on weekends and holidays, not including tax.

Photo: Mary Mariee

Mary Mariee seems to be quite happy to offer this service, and they aren’t being judgmental of the men who choose to use it. They also offer similar sessions to women who want to be photographed in men’s clothes. “We want to provide opportunities for people to enjoy showing their real selves, whether they are men or women,” said the manager.

via Bangkok Post