>> June 23, 2008, 3:53 pm
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La Carmina
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Aie, I should never have gone back to surfing on eBay. I did a search for "naoto" and look what popped up!
Hello Kitty + h.NAOTO = absolutely darling. The two Japanese style icons teamed up for a series of consumer products, including stuffed toys and the cell phone charms that dangle from my mobile.
h.NAOTO's Punk/Goth Loli kitties are stamped on everything from face towels to purses.
Wouldn't you love to sip your morning cup of coffee in one of these? The fruits of Hello Kitty and h.NAOTO's collaboration are only sold in Japan... and on a certain auction site that is now sucking up my life. Curse/praise you, eBay!
>> June 16, 2008, 10:34 pm
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La Carmina
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Hello Kitty is an obvious icon for Loli-aficionados, being Japanese and totemo kawaii, or cute beyond words. It was only a matter of time before she added bloomers and bonnets to her wardrobe. And who better to outfit her than Novala Takemoto, author of Shimotsuma Monogatari, which was adapted into the film Kamikaze Girls?
In 2006, Takemoto collaborated with Baby, the Stars Shine Bright to create a "Pour Lolita" apparel and products line. He styled Hello Kitty in Punk, Gothic, and Sweet Lolita, and sent her out to the world of stuffed toys, stationery - and cell phone charms (such as the one I own). The catchphrase of his collection? "God Save The Lolita"!
Unfortunately, nobody could save Pour Lolita from being pulled after Takemoto was arrested for marijuana possession in September 2007. Baby, the Stars Shine Bright immediately dropped his collection from their stores and website. Despite negative publicity and a three-year suspended sentence, Takemoto hasn't suffered a loss in his fan base.
And there is no dearth of other Lolita-style Hello Kitty products: strawberry Pocky sticks,
purses and backpacks, cell phone dangles. BTSSB currently offers clothing and toys featuring Charmmy Kitty (Hello Kitty's pet cat) and Hello Kitty vs. Samipoo (pictured above). And LA-based Tarina Tarantino designs jewelry around Pink Head Gothic Lolita Hello Kitty. If the infamous cat needs a motto, it should be: "Long May She Reign!"
>> June 14, 2008, 11:24 am
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La Carmina
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I'm delighted that you (and your daughters) enjoyed the last post about Angelic Pretty's Sweet Lolita art! MySpace friend XnightmareXfaerieX brought the illustrator's name to my attention: Imai Kira. On the artist's blog, I found these absolutely charming renderings of Alice in Wonderland.
Yesterday's Lolitas were overwhelmingly sweet and pink, so here are some Gothic girls to balance them out. I love wearing mis-matched thigh high socks like in the middle photo - and I've got to get my hands on some diamond-print "joker/pierrot" stockings.
Dessert-licking, upskirts.... these voyeuristic poses are more in line with Nabokov's Lolita!
>> June 13, 2008, 12:14 pm
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La Carmina
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Every season, Angelic Pretty posts original artwork of Sweet Lolitas on its website. Here's a compilation of sugary graphics from the past few years. If visual consumption resulted in weight gain, we'll all be a hundred pounds heavier after viewing these!
Lolitas are often pictured cuddling with adorable animal companions. Bunnies, birds, and butterflies increase the kawaii quotient for these gals.
The middle drawing reminds me of Sanrio's Little Twin Stars. Heart the heart-shaped purse; my dad laughed when he saw Momoko cluching a black and white version in the Kamikaze Girls movie.
I've seen Japanese girls curl their hair in this larger-than-life style. Rococo overload, ne?
Lately, I've had gore on the brain. (The other day, I offered to gouge out Count D's eyes as a means of circumventing affirmative action... it's a long story.) Too bad I'm not living in the late 19th century, or I'd easily find catharsis through the Grand Guignol. The Parisian theater, which ran from 1897 to 1962, specialized in macabre plays that would put Alice Cooper to shame. No performance was complete without eye-poking, hand-chopping, flesh-tearing, or some other gory excuse to release a river of fake blood.
Although the Grand Guignol has fallen into obscurity since closing its doors, it has made a profound impact on horror films and modern special effects. Vestiges remain in the Dark Marchen's Victorian-meets-vaudeville act, a favorite of the Goth Loli Heaven club nights. San Francisco's Thrillpeddlers still perform plays in this tradition, and a troupe in Portland, Oregon stages a show every Halloween.
Above are some vintage posters for the original Grand Guignol. Pretty juicy, huh? (I think I need help...)
I woke up this morning, unsure what to write about... and lo and behold, there was a lone email in my inbox that held the answer! (If only life were always this easy.) Beth Robinson, a doll artist from New England, kindly sent me a link to her latest creations. Over the past few months, Beth has been working on Gothic Lolita dolls for an upcoming show. "Obviously the fashion aspect was of the most interest since I really wanted to take on the challenge of creating those clothes. But then, I wound up getting sucked in to everything else! I am a fan."
I previously wrote about the Pullip and ball-jointed dolls; it's fascinating to see the myriad ways an artist can convey Gothic Lolita. From the criss-cross lacing to the grey under-eye shadow, Beth has the sensibility down pat. Every feature is meticulously detailed - down to the lace-trimmed bloomers under the skirts!
Beth's Gothic Lolita dolls will be showcased at Vermont's Lazy Pear Gallery from June 5 to July 13 (opening reception: June 6, 4-8pm). Definitely check out her Strange Dolls blog for more dark and inspiring visuals.
Count D and La Carmina are often called "living cartoon characters," and we found ourselves in good company at the media-only preview of KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games. Art Spiegelman, best known for his Pulitzer-winning graphic novel Maus, co-curated the exhibit with cartoonist Seth, video game designer Will Wright, Antz director Tim Johnson, and other industry icons. We're huge fans of Art's work - so we jumped at the chance to scamper around the gallery with him as our guide.
With this ambitious, multimedia project, the Vancouver Art Gallery threw off its reputation as a repository for staid Emily Carrs. The space was set up like a video game; we passed through seven "levels," each defined by a different medium and environment: wall projections of anime (Akira, Ghost in the Shell), TV game clusters (Pong, Super Mario), a kinetic wall for displaying manga (Sakuran, Afro Samurai).
The most dazzling environment was the one dedicated to manga. Pages from Sakuran, Afro Samurai, and Pure Trance were blown up and framed.
The conference began with a catered lunch: Count D managed to stuff an entire mini-burger in his mouth, but I'll refrain from posting the unflattering photos. Art Spiegelman stepped up to the podium. I scribbled in my notebook, "He's wearing a black vest, just like his character in Maus!" Count D whispered, "How disappointing - I expected that he would have the head of a mouse."
Art is a riveting speaker and tour guide. Starting with panels from Krazy Kat, he spoke about the challenges of the art form and its cultural/aesthetic significance: "With the constant bombardment of visuals, making sense of it is a heroic effort." He stresses the connections between comics and historical art: "A history of manga should not begin in the 1980s, but with the woodblocks of Hiroshige and Hokusai."
After the tour, Art snuck outside for a smoke... and we ran after him! Count D broke the ice: “I know it’s a cardinal rule never to interrupt an artist on his cigarette break, but…” He pulled out In the Shadow of No Towers. Art was a total sweetheart; he shook our hands and signed the front page.
I took out my copy of Maus and quipped: “We carry around your complete works at all times.” Art asked, "What's your name again? I was so busy staring at you that I wasn't listening." He drew me a portrait of himself (as an adorable smoking mouse) with "For Carmen!" in a speech bubble. My companion did not get such special treatment.
I struck up a conversation with senior curator Bruce Grenville, who wrote an intriguing analysis of Cao Fei's 2004 video "Cosplayers." “Most cosplay events take place in the most banal public settings – city streets, convention centres – creating a wonderful incongruity between the fantastic costumes and the prosaic backdrops.” Cao Fei highlights this discrepancy by capturing cosplayers amidst the convulsive urban setting of Guangzhou.
Is the work a critique of capitalist fantasy and indolent youth culture? Bruce suggests it is an “act of resistance to the banal realities of everyday life" on the part of youths "who have the economic and political freedom to imagine another type of existence.”
Gothic Lolita differs from cosplay in many regards - but both reject the dominant culture that "devalues the imaginary, the game, and the masquerade." Bruce notes the intersections between fashion, manga, and anime; this may be a reason Japanese fashion and youth culture are more visual than ours.
Leather jacket: Bensoni
Dress: Vanessa Barrantes for Shumaq
Tights: from Hong Kong
Sandals: Rockport
Handcuff necklace: Bossoni
Wristbands: handmade
The rest of our day could have been a karaoke video montage: Mojitos on the patio followed by ice cream, strolling barefoot on Jericho Beach, hanging out Spidey-style at the playground, watching the sun set over the Coast Mountains and Pacific Ocean. Ah, summer... my favorite time of year, even though I try to preserve the Gothic pallor!
