>> July 2, 2008, 3:31 pm
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La Carmina
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Holy moly. This men's sweater from Black Peace Now is an deconstructed Goth eye-catcher - but it costs 12390 yen ($120) and isn't available from MaruiOne.jp (the only site that ships BPN overseas).
If that is so... then how am I modelling this very item? Easy: I made one of my own from a school-marmy black turtleneck!
I cut off the turtleneck and split the shirt asymmetrically down the front (pinning the collar with a World Wildlife Fund panda pin). I pinched the fabric together and cut out semi-circles for holes of varying sizes. The grey striped shirt and skewed skirt with a silver chain have been sitting in my closet for years.
This is what my old clothes looked like before I pounced on them with scissors! The pants and white Nordica ski shirt were featured in the Punk/Visual Kei DIY project. The black sweaters (on the bottom row) became h.NAOTO-inspired "skull" and "bones" ripped tops. The awkward schoolteacher (top center) acquired black eyeliner and a mohawk for this salute to Black Peace Now.
Some of you mentioned that you're going to turn your timid old clothes into punk/Goth wildcats. How did the projects go?
>> June 30, 2008, 1:20 pm
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La Carmina
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I've got a bone to pick. This Anarchy torn skull shirt (above) is punk-cute beyond words, but it has two major shortcomings. h.NAOTO's online English store lists the tee at $123 and stamps it with the scarlet letters: SOLD OUT.
Remember that ditty: "the head bone's connected to the... shoulder bone"? Surely I remember enough from AP Biology to make a DIY version!
You'll recall that I've embarked on a major spring cleaning. I found a ratty long-sleeve black sweater that was a cast-off from my older cousin. As with my Punk Loli project, I cut off the sleeves and made two rows of giant holes down the front. Appropriately, I slipped my "ribcage" over a Roca t-shirt that announces "I Will Not Lose." (I picked up the shirt for free at the Magic tradeshow in Vegas.)
I bloodied the outfit with unmatched red and white striped socks, and Lolita-fied it with a Betsey Johnson vintage skirt ($10) puffed out by a petticoat. The miniature hat with lace and ribbon tendrils is by Spider.
I safety-pinned my Hell Kitty VooDoo Baby to my sleeve (the red matches my lips and knee socks). A plastic children's necklace forms a bracelet. The fraying sweater material works well with this look, don't you think? My mom said I looked like I was dead - and I took that as the ultimate compliment!
h.NAOTO Anarchy also offers this cheerfully morbid shirt, described in "Engrish" as: "Skull ripped open to say hi!" Dig the extra-long sleeves, which you can push up or leave dangling.
I cackled in the face of the shirt's $110 price tag and Sold Out status. I dragged a ribbed black sweater from the depths of my closet (it's so old that the label has vanished). Tore out a skull face. Slit the arms from the elbows downward. I kept the outfit simple with an H&M skirt, Victorian ankle boots, and polka-dot leggings from the streets of Hong Kong.
Now I've got literal skeletons in my closet to keep the figurative ones company. ( Just ribbing. Hur hur hur! )
My neon t-shirt (worn under the sweater) is - believe it or not - HYOMA. He's the kawaii mascot of Masahiro Nakagawa's infamous Tokyo shop and avantgarde brand, 20471120 (as seen in Fruits). The t-shirt is from a Hong Kong boutique; it's one of my proudest finds.
I have one more money-saving DIY project up my (ripped) sleeves... next time, we're taking on Black Peace Now!
>> June 29, 2008, 11:58 am
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La Carmina
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I did a massive spring cleaning and fought the urge to bury my head in the sand when I came across some of my old clothes. Three words: Club Monaco sweatshirt. Or how about six: pastel blue Old Navy tank top. These 90s fiascos are on the way to the Salvation Army - but before yelling sayonara, I had to heed the call of two irresistable words: "Fashion Challenge." With only a pair of scissors, could I turn my lame clothes into something worthy of Kera Magazine?
I immediately recalled a ripped-up Mar Jour t-shirt (above) that I saw on Refuse to be Usual (the eBay store that sells Gothic Lolita/Punk/Visual Kei wear). The cutsew looks like it's falling to pieces - and it's listed at a whopping $100. The Punk Lolita response? DIY!
I started with a white, longsleeve Nordic turtleneck that I wore to ski lessons years ago. I chopped off the neck and the sleeves at the elbow, and giant horizontal chunks out of the sleeves and front. I slipped the Swiss cheese remnents over a black/red/white Sex Pistols t-shirt, securing it with safety pins over Johnny Rotten's eyes.
To accessorize, I added Vertigo and Batman buttons, a Warrior Princess-style leather corset bracelet, black mask, and mis-matched red striped/skull-printed knee highs. A Gloomy Bear plushie is safety-pinned to my Lolita petticoat-poof from Spider. Not a bad replica - and it didn't cost me a cent.
My next look was inspired by the I-got-stuck-in-a-car-door-and-dragged-fifty-feet jeans often worn by Harajuku punk boys. Think Sex Pot Revenge, Sexy Dynamite London, or HellCatPunks.
I gleefully tore strips out of old Club Monaco dress pants, leaving the pieces to hang from the sides. I picked up the disembodied sleeves from my white Nordic turtleneck and gave them the same treatment. Voila - punk armbands!
I wrapped one leg of leopard-print leggings around my left leg, and one leg of cherry-red tights around the right. My dad's white tie is twisted into skinny scarf/noose. The "ninja top" is from Kunpado, a stall in London's Camden Market. What do you think?
Coming up next: I turn rejected sweaters into deconstructed masterpieces inspired by h.NAOTO's latest collection!
>> June 25, 2008, 9:39 pm
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VooDoo Babies are the cutest little undead serial killers you'll ever meet. And boy, are these charmers versatile: my five Goth-lings have hung out on my keychain, my big white purse, the brim of my ridiculous black Kentucky Derby hat... the sky's the limit!
For yesterday's nightcrawl (which went on until 7AM), I turned three of my wee minions into an eye-catching, morbid-adorable necklace. I tied a thin black leather belt around my neck; using safety pins, I strung Freddy Krueger, Voodoo Me, and Hell Kitty at different lengths. The red accents match my lip color and create a popping contrast to the black corset.
Above are some of my favorite VooDoo Babies, most of which are from the "Halloween series." (Don't you want to pinch Count Dracula's cheeks and tug on his lip rings? ) Each retails for about $10-18.
Can you think of other imaginative ways to turn these creatures of the night into alt-fashion statements?
>> June 3, 2008, 6:49 pm
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La Carmina
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There comes a time in every Goth Loli's life when the aesthetic benefits of wearing rocking horse shoes are obscured by the pain of multiple blisters. I listened to my feet and picked up a cheap pair of Bravo Browns sandals for everyday wear. They're black platforms with silver stud accents, but otherwise not very interesting. Most disconcertingly, they barely qualify as Gothic.
All it took to recify this problem were a few cell phone charms from Daiso, the Japanese 100-yen discount retailer (and another of my favorite places for DIY fashion inspiration). I sewed a silver crucifix and a fleur-de-lis to the side of one shoe. Safety pins and two crucifix dogtags mark the other. The HEAVEN marking on the tags might fool a casual observer into thinking these were customized by h.NAOTO!
Demonia, a UK line of alternative footwear, sells platform flip flops that are all Goth-ed up and ready to wear. Demonia's latest sandal offerings are marked with skulls and crossbones. (Perfect for a Pirate Lolita who's forced to sweep the deck.) On the company's website, you'll find combat boots, Mary Janes, irregular straps, giant skull buckles... everything but the blister that too frequently accompanies the bound-and-laced look.
>> June 2, 2008, 3:56 pm
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La Carmina
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The Home Depot:
Bright orange signs and gruff clientele
Does it not sound like Goth Loli hell?
Not so, not so! The home improvement retailer is, believe it or not, one of my top five places for DIY fashion inspiration. Every big box is teeming with strange and wonderful doodads meant for home repair. But in the hands of a DIY dresser, these materials can be transformed into fanciful (yet inexpensive) cyber/Gothic fashion statements.
I found the spray paint and marked my turf on the testing ground. (I admit I'm no Banksy.) Satisfied, I explored each aisle and took pictures of items that might be tweaked into accessories. Metal tubing can be worn as a belt, silver hose clamps are potential rings, strands of silver chain can be sewn onto clothing for Punk/Goth flair...
I decided to make a spiky armband from $5 worth of black wire and silver chain. I cut a few pieces of the wire and twisted them around the longest segment for a barbed wire effect (above). I wound the wire and chain unevenly around my lower arm and secured the ends. Voila - the perfect accessory for a kodona (boystyle Lolita) look!
Hairband: a blue cloth belt
Corset top: Spider (from Hong Kong)
Striped pants: Maggie
Sandals: Bravo Browns
Here's a closeup of my hair, which I swept to the side and tied. The crown pendant is actually a keychain, which I strung with black ribbon.
Dress: Viola Per Donna
Crown necklace: made from a Bossini key chain
What other Goth/Punk/Loli accessories can be constructed from home repair materials?
>> April 28, 2008, 9:31 pm
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La Carmina
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Last week, my law professor sent me a frantic email - and nooo, it didn't have to do with my thesis or certain extracurricular activities at comic conventions. The fiasco had to do with fashion: her 12-year-old daughter wants to be a princess for the Medieval Faire, but instead must dress as Suleiman the Magnificent! Alas, her Hime Lolita dreams were dashed by a scruffy-chinned Ottoman ruler with a mutant onion on top of his head. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
I couldn’t put her in a ballgown and pass her off as a Sultan. But must she resign herself to unfabulous cross-dressing? Hayir! The joke amongst my friends is that I can take the manliness out of anything or anyone. So, I applied my special powers to this project.
I went to New York’s garment district and spent about $50 on fabric and trims. I don’t have a sewing machine right now, so the outfit took about twelve hours to construct. Basil added much-needed kawaii to the endeavor.
The concept: green and yellow are traditional Turkish colors, and nothing says Magnificent like peacock plumes, emerald, and gold. Suleiman’s turban is adorned with a half-moon and tasseled star, in reference to modern Turkey's flag.
A gold sash is dotted with a flower motif often seen in Turkish rugs and pottery. The dress zips up in the back, and can be worn over a puff-sleeved shirt and tights.
I made the turban by draping and sewing fabric over a cloth hat. The sheer gold piece can be worn as a cape or shawl.
Methinks I’ve taken the “man” out of Suleiman. My prof’s daughter agrees – and thinks her costume will be the prettier than any Guinevere’s!
