Birthday faux-hawk at the Foundry

A few weeks ago I celebrated my 48th birthday (I know – how absolutely horrifying!)

My friends and I headed to the dark alternative club downstairs at the Imperial, called the Foundry – you may remember I wore a gothic curly updo to the Foundry launch night in November last year.  Back then I used a curly hairpiece I bought in Tokyo at the Shinjuku Marui One store. This time I stuck with my own hair, but teased it up into a faux deathrock hawk – my theory is, the higher the hair, the slimmer the face looks 😉

This time around I moved away from cyber goth influences – no corset or PVC skirt here. I wore a combo I often do – many pieces from Japan (gothic and gal) mixed with aussie staples.

The outfit:

  • * black camisole
  • * h.Naoto Black Peace Now vest
  • * black & white striped Cue jacket from a few years ago (boy, you’ve gotta love their Winter ’12 pieces!)
  • * oversized cross from a gal store in Studio Alta, Shinjuku
  • * studded silver cuff from La Foret, Harajuku
  • * leopard bag from eBay
  • * (unseen) pvc pants from Bardot

The club was not quite as well attended as the previous few, but still a good night was had by all, and we’ll certainly be attending the next one.

The first few pics are from the beginning of the night, but from our personal camera. The last few are by the club’s photographer for the night , Christian McGuinness, and so are more professional, but we were drunker and siller!

For those interested in my beau’s groovy pinstripe shirt with the vinyl straps and silver snaps, it’s from US goth brand Lip Service, but purchased from Newtown’s Furr Hair. Go thee and get some cool gear!

That’s it really. Just wanted to throw an outfit post in amongst all of my recent travel posts. Have you dressed up recently for a birthday, dinner or club? What did you wear?

Gyaru brand haul from Tokyo New Year sales

So now we move on to the more gyaru purchases I’ve made lately…although this first item I bought, the fox tail, was bought in the gothic top floors of Marui One, as were the tights . The black fluffy faux-fur legwarmers were from Intesucre, a chain which has stores everywhere.

 

My faves are coming up, however.  I bought a funky long jumper wit a big skull on the front in sequins from Durer, which I wore all yesterday.

 

My absolute fave is this gorgeous leopard double-breasted trenchcoat from Cecil McBee. I also got a cute military style vest in a soft grey knit (only 1000 yen) from SwordFish, a brand I’m coming to like more.

 

On the accessories front, though I tried on those Russian style fur hats, they just swamped me, so I got this animal print spotted beret in soft angora….and these glorious boots o’ doom from R & E!

 

Whatcha think, y’all?? Sexy as hell, these…even tho I won’t be wearing them in Sydney until June/July!

Now, in my travels around the various gal stores, I’m becoming quite enamoured of some brands at the rock-chick end of the spectrum – Taboo wth its skulls & crosses and Twisty (acessories) being 2 that remind me of tutuHA. I really liked Emoda, but unfortunately the great abstract print peggings were not in my size.

I originally wanted the Lip Service leopard coat, but the only one I could find, in Lumine Est, was too small. At 109, no leopard ones were left. However, I ducked into Cecil Mcbee in the Shinjuku subnade and nabbed the last leopard coat on the rack – and glory be, it fitted!

I’ve realised that Studio Alta is almost as good as 109, despite lacking a tutuHA shop, and it’s less crowded. It’s here that I’ll return before I leave for any last minute purchases.

Where do you like to shop when you’re in Tokyo, or where would you like to? Which of these items do you heart best?

Lip Service Japan 2010

I was a little confused when I first heard of Japanese gal brand Lip Service, as the US has an alternative/goth/punk brand Lip Service with quite different clothing.  This is the brand with which I’m much better aquainted.
“There’s a Lip Service in Shibuya 109?” I asked myself, incredulously. Yes, there is. And many other places throughout Japan.
Here’s a pic I snapped in the metro/underground at Shinjuku – there’s masses of shops lining each side of the metro walkways from Shinjuku station.
I’d never been in a Lip Service store on my previous visits to Japan, and now knowing it was a gal style shop, decided to have a peek on my last trip. The new range has (as it says) a cool sexy vibe – and were I to wear it verbatim, it would be entirely age innapropriate for me. It is, after all, aiming at the 18-22 year old market. But the key is to select pieces from any range that you CAN wear.
There was a lot of black and white, which I love, and even stripes! I fell in love with this circular striped bag – it matches my fave Cue jacket perfectly 🙂 I bought it.
Here are a bunch of other cool things from them, which you can browse in the Lip Service web shop. Like these darling boots, which also come in black. But you know by now that I’m a sucker for black and white. No, I didn’t buy these!
Or this summer trench with big bow – it also came in white and nude.

and this rock chick striped tee – love the stripes and rock vibe, hate the smoking
Oh, and in breaking news, just open is a new Lip Service outlet shop in Odaiba – Odaiba Venus Fort 3F.  Sugoi!! Gotta love an outlet store – the bargains!
I realised that I’d been limiting myself as to what stores I’d visit in Tokyo and Osaka. I’d only go to gothic/punk stores, perhaps thinking that other shops would be too “vanilla” and “normal” for me. But I got over myself and learned that I can find stuff I love in many places.
After all, personal style is about wearing the things you love and which suit you, not just sticking to one narrow fashion tribe, non?