adventures in fashion, travel & nightlife
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.
Since it’s Halloween season, I’m very pleased to confirm that gothic motifs are everywhere in Tokyo – even the jewellery! Yup, a mini-trend I’ve spotted is spooky gothic earrings – not just in gothic lolita stores (see Marui One below), but in gyaru and general accessories places!
There are a lot of spider earrings, some with skull faces (see below). There are also a lot of bats and skeleton hands adorning the jewellery, as well as punk motifs like zippers and tattoo-derived serpents. The trend I especially love is that of the ear cuff attached by chains. So put it all together and you have an earring that has a bat, a cross and a spider with a skull body, attached to an ear cuff. Fierce!
I missed it by one week, but on October 7 this lil blog turned 3! I decided to re-post my very first blog post (originally on the blogger platform). It was titled “The Tokyo Obsession”.
I have a confession to make. I know I’m not the only one to fall in love with Japan. But when I first visited last year, it was on a whim.
On my last day in Osaka I did a big walking tour from OPA to America Mura and the surrounds, checking out and snapping the various fashion stores there. Below are some of the alternative ones (ie gothic or too wacky for gyaru or mainstream fashion). If you take the street that runs next to OPA, and walk towards America Mura (with its well known triangle park), a lot of these stores are on the road or just around the corner.
Naoto is further away…I discovered it on my way to see Benny at Chopstick Tattoo (although he is now located at Big Step, so much more central).
h.Naoto
1-9-1 Minami-Horie Nishi-ku Osaka
Walking from the south back towards the central area of triangle park & americamura there is a greater concentration of alt shops. Right opposite the traingle park, there is Qutie Frash, and a few doors down from it, Cheer.
As you can see by looking at them Qutie Frash has an asian cyber feel, while Cheer is much like Super Lovers in its bold use of colour and nu-rave approach.
Just up from these is the Loncourt Building, which houses many of the alt labels you know and love – Dangerous Nude (Kikirara Shoten), Sexpot Revenge, Super Lovers, ..
The shop at the front of it all is “Gross” – yes, I kid you not! It’s a great store though, with Iron Fist shoes and Lip Service USA clothing. Next to it is the arcade entrance – that is, Loncourt is to the left, and Gross is to the right as you face them.
Here’s a map just to help you get your bearings:
I headed straight upstairs to check out Dangerous Nude:
and then Sexpot Revenge:
On the main ground floor is Regulus, Super Lovers, Toxic Star, Deorart etc..great fun to have a wander through.
Further up the road, walking towards OPA, I discovered this great store ‘Speech’, that was obviously very funky & hip & I think frequented by Osaka stylists for styling shoots:
A little further, on the next corner was the amazing Alice Auaa store (same building as the music bar RockRock)
Alice Auaa
Atrium Bldg 1-8-1,Nishishinsaibashi,Cyuo-ku, Osaka
Of course I went in to check out the Alice Auaa store with its amazing interiors and fashion. However, I didn’t get back at night to see what Rock Rock was like in action. But it’s on the list for next time!
I couldn’t forget Algonquins:
Arriving back at OPA, in the basement there is Peace Now/Black Peace Now and Super Lovers!
And that brings me to the end of the tour for today.
Suffice to say, you won’t run out of things to look at when you’re in Osaka, although you may run out of cash!
There are so many exciting events coming up shortly in the gothic fashion and music stakes, which I’ll be posting about in the next week. Some of them are in Tokyo and I’m getting VERY excited now, as I leave for o/s again on the 14th – a week Monday!! After 3 days in Seoul, South Korea, I head once again to Tokyo, which leads me back to the topic at hand.
Today I want to focus on fave Japanese gothic designer, Hirooka Naoto.
March 19 – h.NAOTO Frill Collection 2011
To display his latest “Sweet Frills” range, Naoto is throwing a Lolita Sweets Party! (And it’s when I’m there, muahahaha…) Gothic Lolita celebrity Aoki Misako (world ambassador for “Cute”) will be there, having returned from her jaunts round the world (read more at her website):
Naoto Creative Designer Hiroshi Oka will also be there, as well as other guests, photo sessions, and from what I can make out, a Best Co-ordinate Competition. Oh, and of course, delicious sweet cakes and tea, all in a genteel atmosphere. So Tokyo lolitas have a wonderful excuse to dress up and come along! I think I *might* just get to this for the photo opportunities, even though I myself am not at all into the sweet side of things.
March 26 – T. KUNITOMO & gouk FASHION SHOW & PARTY
Fashion show of brand new collections, set in a party atmosphere with food and drinks
There are soo many upcoming Naoto events – check this page for what’s happening in the next few months. One I definitely want to check out is the exhibition in Marui One from March 24-30:
ANARCHY will present a punk rock and “ARMY” theme. Expect wild and powerful camouflage fabrics in military designs.
This is a pop-up store in Marui One, on the 2nd floor from 5 – 23 March, featuring the popular Sixh offshoot brand, “MINT Cats” . To commemorate this, the character “Sakurako” T-shirt has been designed, and the first 50 people who spend over 5,250 yen, will win a “Sakurako” badge. See the t-shirt and badge below.
Naoto has also released new items on the website for March 2011 from h.ANARCHY, Blood, and H.JELLY, Gramm, Frill,Sixh, Hangry & Angry, and Gouk.
Just last week on Feb 26th, the Sixh 2011 Summer Collection was unveiled at Naoto HQ in Harajuku. This time there was definitely a rock and quirky/indie vibe happening, and far from being all-black, there was blue and purple in the designs, and even plaid!
Of course you want to check out the runway show, I’m sure:
Fans will recognise IBI, Mint and Gashicon from Sixh the band – who will all be attending the Anime Matsuri convention March 18-20 in Texas, along with La Carmina! See her post on Anime Matsuri here for more details. And…the band itself will be playing only a day later, back in Tokyo, on the 21st of March!
Sixh. Night Vol 3 in Ikebukuro BlackHole
Of course it will be an event fusing fashion and music. Sixh is joined by God Circus Dog
Sixh. Live sponsored project
That’s another one to try to get to…but there’s so much else on!
So that’s a whole lotta Naoto love for now; hope you enjoyed 🙂 Other posts you might like: Naoto at Japan Fashion Week, Naoto fukubukuro day and h.Naoto gothic lolita fashion designer extraordinaire.
I love to explore alternative subcultures and scenes, in Australia and around the world.
I love bright coloured hair, big circle lenses, fake lashes and Japanese gothic and rock gyaru fashion. Stay a while if you love these things too! [More …]
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