New blog Trashtastika.com!

Hey all, it’s time I unveiled the new place I’ve been writing – Trashtastika.com.

I’m still working on the design (obvs!) but a lot of the same topics I’ve covered here will be there – alt & gothic designers, music, nightlife, travel etc – but with a little bit on theatre & creative endeavours sneaking in.

So of you want to follow me at my new home, please bookmark Trashtastika.com…and have a look at my latest post on Dystopian Designers!

Arigatou!

 

Koenji stores, part 3

A while back I posted about my visit to Koenji, where I dropped by the Kitakore Building as well as Nude n’ Rude.

Well, for the first time by myself I strolled around just enjoying the atmosphere (back in ’09 and ’10 I’d been led around by friends: see pics from my day out in Nakano & Koenji) .

It’s a funky little town with lots of cobbled streets in which to lose yourself, many pedestrian-only, so you don’t need to dodge traffic.  My japanese friends told me it has been home to punks for many years, and there is a plethora of vintage stores to rival Harajuku, so leave a few hours to dawdle and explore.  There is also a covered mall area near the railway station with a load of groovy stores, such as these:

Tatouage

This is an upmarket vintage fashion store, part of the Zool chain – see the Zool shoplist here for a complete rundown of what is becoming a massive empire – this store is called Tatouage by Zool (Purple).  A lot of late 60’s and 70’s stuff is here, along with more modern styles, and helpfully arranged in colour coded sections. Know you like blues? Head to that rack.

Tatouage by Zool, Vintage store Koenji

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Spooky Ghouls at Cobweb Club “Undead” Jan 25, 2013

A few posts ago I mentioned the upcoming Cobweb Club with the theme “Undead”. Well – I went…and so did a spooktacular bunch of other assorted monsters, demons and ghouls. Wanna see some fab pics? Read on…

For my inspiration, I went no further than the fabulous “Hush” episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – and those creepy silent hovering men, the Gentlemen. Anyone who has ever seen this episode remembers them – usually with a shudder!  I wasn’t going to slavishly copy them; I still wanted to go as a female, and keep my hair, but be Gentleman-inspired. (See my Gothic Pinterest board for my inspirations).

While I didn’t have time to make a custom prosthesis to cover my brows and make my face more skull-like, I did manage to customise a mask I had, and with the help of special effects make-up, transform myself.

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Abilletage Halloween Party at Trump Room

Remember my post about the gorgeous corset store and tea salon Abilletage? Well, I also attended the Abilletage Halloween Party – and what an event it was!

The event was held in Shibuya’s very decadent Trump Room – ooh la la! The ceilings there are decked out in multiple chandeliers – adorning the place like fine jewellery.

Trump Room Shibuya

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Cobweb Club 2013 – “UNDEAD!”

It is no secret that just about my fave aussie alternative club is the Cobweb Club, which plays goth, deathrock, punk, post-punk and wave.  OK so I may be a little biased, having DJ’d at a few, but it is one of those events I just can’t miss. And neither should you!!

This is a reminder that this Friday, January 25, is the next instalment of the Cobweb Club extravaganza. Theme? Undead. Whether vampires or zombies, mummies or ghosts, demons, skeletons, wraiths, ghouls, or any other party animal without a pulse, you’ll be sure to find some likeminded spirits in the Cobweb Club Catacombs!

So there is your license to go to town costume wise – and there are prizes, from Gallery Serpentine, Death Rattles and more. So hop to it!

I’m already very excited, and have spent many hours researching my costume/look. I’ve been reading up on theatrical make-up – not just cosmetics, but 3d effects like wounds, wrinkles and creating skin abnormalities with prosthetics. If it works out, I’ll do a tutorial. If not…well, I’ll post pics of my miserable attempt. For now, I’m envisioning something like a female version of the Gentlemen from Buffy the Vampire Slayer…but we’ll see 😉

But back to the club night itself. For a peek at what I and others have worn, here are some photos from previous Cobweb Clubs.

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