kool or kitsch?

...probably both!

On Kirai.NET we found the pictures above - they work well as proof that the Japanese love adorning eveything with Swarowski crystals! But this is a trend well extended all over the world.
You can find crystals in everything - did they make crystal-embellished toilet paper yet?!?!?!?
Thing is, this brings us to an old question: what is kitsch and what is cool? And can a kitsch object be cool? (Yeah, I know...I have too much time on my hands :)))
I think kitsch CAN BE COOL - when worn with irony and on purpose. But when taken seriously, it is kitschy and an indicator of bad taste. You know, for example, I like the Japanese sense of style - they do everything with a lot of irony and fun - they don't take themselves seriously. That's why they can wear black lace and pink fluffy fake fur and lots of other crazy things in a completely cool "mix and match" way. But when you see a poor girl wearing the same things and wanting to be sexy/elegant (with the black lace and the fluffy pink fur), the result is just eye-yuck!
Of course, the Japanese are not the only ones who can do that...but they are among the best!
This discussion can go on forever - but I'm pretty curious what you think about it. Plastic, crystals, different prints and fabrics, different decoration styles etc. - are these horrbile intrinsically, or does the wearer's/user's attitude towards them count? Can you make a kitschy object/notion/style cool or not?