La Carmina

Today, we welcome La Carmina to our blog. Not only is this crazy J-Girl running a successful blog (lacarmina.com/blog) on Gothic Lolita Punk clothing, J-rock and Visual Kei, she is also a TV host, author of two books ("Cute Yummy Time" and "Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo"), journalist and she runs a consulting company (La Carmina & The Pirates).

Nous accueillons La Carmina dans notre blog aujourd'hui. Non seulement cette Japonaise excentrique tient un blog très suivi (lacarmina.com/blog) sur la mode Gothic Lolita Punk, le J-Rock et le Visual Kei, elle est aussi présentatrice télé, auteure de deux livres ("Cute Yummy Time" et "Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo"), journaliste et elle a une société de conseil (La Carmina & The Pirates).

In 2010, La Carmina co-hosted the Canal Plus documentary, "Toqué de Tokyo", with French TV host Antoine de Caunes, serving as a guide to Tokyo theme restaurants and crazy subcultures in the 90-minute TV special. La Carmina took Antoine to an ear cleaning parlor, theme cafes (babies, cats, maids), and two wild Goth cyber fetish clubs. Here is the link to the video.

En 2010, La Carmina a co-présenté un documentaire de 90 minutes pour Canal Plus, intitulé "Toqué de Tokyo" avec Antoine de Caunes. Elle lui a servi de guide à Tokyo et lui a fait découvrir les contre-cultures les plus décalées. La Carmina a emmené Antoine se faire nettoyer les oreilles, visiter des cafés à thèmes (à chats, soubrettes), et deux boîtes cyber Goth fétichistes délirantes. Voici le lien pour voir la vidéo.

La Carmina shares her favorite trendy clothing shops in Tokyo, Japan with us... "Harajuku is my favorite place in Tokyo to shop. Here, you'll find the most exciting Goth Lolita Punk / Visual Kei / Cyber Rave fashion in the world. While Harajuku has gotten more commercial lately, there are still independent little stores, such as the Yellow House boutique that has been run by an old lady for over 20 years. Or Takuya Angel's little shop of Cyber Rave handmade fashion. The basement of Laforet Department Store has some of my favorite brands, including Alice & the Pirates, Atelier Pierrot, Putumayo and h.NAOTO."

La Carmina nous fait partager ses boutiques préférées de Tokyo... "Harajuku est mon endroit préféré de Tokyo pour faire du shopping. On y trouve les fringues Goth Lolita Punk / Visual Kei / Cyber Rave les plus délires au monde. Bien que Harajuku soit devenu un peu plus commercial, il reste des petites boutiques indépendantes, comme Yellow House qui est tenue par une vieille dame depuis plus de 20 ans. Ou Takuya Angel's pour des tenues Cyber Rave faites à la main. Je trouve toutes mes marques préférées au sous-sol du grand magasin Laforet, comme Alice & the Pirates, Atelier Pierrot, Putumayo et h.NAOTO."

h.NAOTO

Putumayo

"Shinjuku's Marui One department store is a mecca of Gothic Lolita clothing, especially the incredible alternative shoe selection on the fifth floor! Okadaya has glittery fabrics, feathers and eyelashes. If I could only visit one store, it would be Closet Child, which stocks Japanese alternative brand clothing -- all secondhand and very well priced. There are locations in Shinjuku, Harajuku and Ikebukuro."

"Le grand magasin Shinjuku's Marui One est la Mecque de la mode Gothic Lolita, surtout pour son incroyable sélection de chaussures alternatives au cinquième étage ! Okadaya a des tissus scintillants, des plumes et des faux-cils. Si je ne pouvais visiter qu'un seul magasin, ce serait Closet Child, qui vend les marques alternatives japonaises -- d'occasion et pour un très bon prix. Ils ont des magasins à Shinjuku, Harajuku et Ikebukuro."

Takuya Angel

Closet Child

La Carmina books available on Amazon.com

Find more info on La Carmina's Blog:

Plus d'infos sur le blog de La Carmina :

• Gothic Lolita Tokyo Shopping Guide / Magasins Gothic Lolita de Tokyo
• Osaka shopping guide / Guide des magasins d'Osaka.
• Nightlife Guide / Guide des soirées 

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L'Antre d'Alice fête ses 6 ans

Pocket Full of Posiez

Faites la connaissance de Queenie, la créatrice de Pocket Full of Posiez, une collection de personnages craquants à mourir. Elle a commencé sa carrière en faisant des croquis de petites filles, et c'est là que les Posiez sont nées. Elle savait qu'un jour, elles en feraient des poupées. Lyllionia a été la première à voir le jour, suivie de Panzy, la petite pirate et Delilah, aux cheveux roses, naîtra au printemps. La peinture est venue plus tard pour Queenie, qui  désirait donner vie à ses dessins numériques. Depuis, ils ont été détournés sous différentes formes : badges, parapluies, sacs, entre autres, disponibles sur le site américain Etsy et bientôt à l'Antre d'Alice.

Meet Queenie, the creator of Pocket Full of Posiez, a collection of deadly cute characters. She started simple drawings of a group of girls and the posiez were born. She knew eventually they would become dollies. Lyllionia was the first dolly to be born, then Panzy the pirate and pink-haired Delilah will be available in the spring. Paintings came later when she wanted her "art to have more life than a digital cartoon". Now her art takes different shapes and forms on her Etsy store where she offers a whole array of goodies including and not limited to pins, stickers, purses and umbrellas.

Lylliona, Panzy, Delilah

Web: Pocketfullofposiez.com

   Facebook fan page

Chaise pieuvre / Octopus Chair

Il ne vous est jamais arrivé d'être en train de travailler et de surfer le web pour faire des recherches (ou les soldes, au choix), quand soudain, vous entendez votre page Facebook qui vous appelle et vous ne pouvez pas résister ? Eh bien, des fois, ça a du bon. C'est comme ça que j'ai découvert cette chaise pieuvre époustouflante de l'artiste Maximo Riera. C'est le premier essai de sa collection animale. On attend de voir le reste.

You know when you're in the middle of working and surfing the net in the name of research and somehow you get drawn towards Facebook instead of the CNN page you really meant to check? Well, sometimes, good things come out of it. Like discovering this amazing Octopus Chair by artist Maximo Riera. This is the first piece of his Animal Chair collection. We can't wait to see the rest.

Website: Maximo Riera

Des bijoux avec du mordant / Jewelry with a bite

En remplissant notre hotte de Noël, nous sommes tombés sur ces bijoux anatomiques.

While doing our Christmas shopping, we found this anatomic jewelry, perfect for stocking stuffers.

  

disponible chez/available from Spotted Moth

"

disponible chez/available from Suicidal Shop

The 2010 Shopper

As we live in a world of excess, mass-market retailers and global conglomerates are the leading figures of today's retail industry. However, as it is with any trend, there is always a backlash. And this past year, we have noticed a growing number of smaller, personalized boutique shops popping up all over major cities, creating intimate shopping experiences for those who want to purchase something that hasn't been replicated by the thousands.

photo via: J.Crew

It seems that as we live in such a globally-saturated, technology-driven society, consumers today want something different in their shopping experience. Rather than going to five floor department stores carrying every brand known to man, cosy settings with small, carefully selected products displayed with crafty art installations seem to be the preferred choice. And it is not just the local, underground shops, well-recognized stores like Anthropologie, the J. Crew Men's Liquor Store, and ABC Home have been much about keeping that intimate store atmosphere, despite the number of their chain stores.

As there are rapid expansions of chain store retailers all over the globe, there is a new, deeper value for things that are local, hand-made, limited, or one-of-a-kind. Although such products may be a bit more costly, consumers today are more careful about their purchases and want something that is special. Because there are so many options for practically everything nowadays, the infinite number of purchasing choices have created a more educated consumer; one who is more particular of what he or she buys, and willing to pay more if it deems worth. With the economic recession and the last several years of globalization and mass-consumption, there is less concern for buying the latest brand name and instead, a greater interest of things that carry a unique story behind it's exterior.

Guy Wolff pottery at Restoration Hardware 

Commercial brands such as J. Crew, Urban Outfitters, and Restoration Hardware, for example, have taken note and recently began collaborations with smaller designers and artists to bring in something unique to their collections. J. Crew just released it's small collection of chain necklaces made in collaboration with NYC-based Dana Lorenz, designer of FENTON and FALLON. Restoration Hardware is selling hand-thrown pottery designed by Connecticut-based artisan Guy Wolff. And Urban Outfitters works with a number of independent designers, with current exclusives from New York designer Ulla Johnson and the NY-LA boutique The Reformation. Although these retail stores still largely carry mass-market products, these small additions help them to stand out amongst the big name brands, while also offering competitive products against the local boutique shops.

And as online shopping is on the rise, there are several websites dedicated to providing hand-made or one-of-a-kind goods. Etsy, the social commerce site is all about building an economy that reconnects makers with buyers, taking advantage of the Internet to allow independent artists, designers, and craftsmen to sell their work in a global market. Culture Label is another, recognizing the importance of a cultural product, carrying handpicked items from artists all over the world. Offering what they call "products with soul", the founders behind Culture Label understand the need for purchases that are beyond mainstream and original in design, integrity, and authenticity.

So for those of us in New York needing to go on a shopping venture, there are a number of great, promising shops that are just walking distances away, and definitely worth checking out. Here we leave you with a short list of our favorites and recently new finds, and we'd love it if you can drop a note and give us your recommendations!

photo via: Albertine

Albertine, 13 Christopher Street

photo via: Refinery29

Maryam Nassir Zadeh, 123 Norfolk Street

photo via: Yatzer

Droog, 76 Greene Street

photo via: Refinery29

No. 6, 6 Centre Market Place

photo via: Refinery29

Kiosk, 95 Spring Street 

photo via: Refinery 29

Pixie Market, 100 Stanton Street

photo via: The Choosy Beggar
King of Greene St, 72 Greene St. 

Beijing: Where to shop

Going to Beijing, all the guidebooks urge visitors to shop at the markets, where stall after stall of vendors hawk camera batteries, fake designer bags, and gaudy cell phone accessories. To see the best of Chinese design, and find a few souvenirs actually worth carrying home, it's best to avoid those tourist traps.

The latest, brightest, and shiniest mall in Beijing is the Village at Sanlitun, which boasts an Apple Store, a Vero Moda, and a Uniqlo alongside Chinese brands such as b+ab, izzue, and G2000. Hidden in the basement, behind the cinema, is a sprawling design shop with housewares and T-shirts by local designers; while not named on the mall map, it's more than worth the trouble of finding it.

In the Gulou neighborhood, a pedestrian street called Nan Luo Gu Xiang has become a favorite of fashionable locals and expats alike, with its many bars and coffee shops, including the Pass By with its retro-Communist-style T-shirts. And don't forget the boutiques, with local brands such as NLGX and Plastered sandwiched between ironic, kitschy souvenir shops.

For Balenciaga and Alexander Wang, the place to go is Lane Crawford, which offers a concierge on every floor of their ultramodern department store, and plentiful shopgirls to assist in selecting items. They also stock Asian fashion designers such as Undercover, Commuun, and Toga whose wares are hard to find in the West.

News flash: Fashion, out on the town and around the world

Knitting lessons at Barneys? Rock shows at 3.1 Phillip Lim? Believe it – Fashion's Night Out, a special event from no lesser luminaries than New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and freshly-minted TV personality Anna Wintour, is arriving Sept. 10 in New York as well as as-yet-unnamed cities in Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Japan, China, Taiwan, Russia, Brazil and India. 

Without any real details posted, it's hard to tell whether the magnitude of this year's event is a mark of retail desperation, a sign of feisty can-do attitude, or some combination of the two. But in a nod to society's altruistic mood, the designers and retailers involved are not only saving themselves, but nobly collecting clothing in a drive that has yet to be explained on the event's website.

Seoul: Where to shop

Apgujeong:
Han_Style (at left)has an international selection of avant-garde designer clothes from Sharon Wauchob and Hussein Chalayan, among others.
10 Corso Como, the Milan concept store, recently opened a Korean outpost.
Daily Projects (center) offers up younger designers such as Belgium's Stephan Schneider and Sweden's Ann Sofie Back, and has its own showroom of emerging Korean designers.
SYK Small Friends (right) is a Korean mens- and womenswear label whose loose-fitting designs experiment with construction, layering and volume.

Shinsadong:
Understar, so named because it is located under the vintage-chic Star Café, features current Korean styles at a reasonable price point, with a variety of soft jersey tanks, tees, and cardigans complemented by day and evening dresses, blazers, and bottoms.
Flow sells experimental streetwear from Italy's Marios, France's April 77, and more. 

Myeongdong:
Åland is a multi-level concept store that allots one floor each to cheap Korean fashions, international designer clothes, stationery and housewares, and a "flea market" on the top level. They currently have a recycling collaboration with various Korean designers, which includes bags, clothes, and accessories made from discarded goods.

center photo via daily projects