Japanese Fashion Inspiration Pt. II: Dolly-Kei

Dolly-kei is a genre of Japanese street fashion that draws inspiration from European medieval times and fairy tales, but also has elements of decora and kawaii fashion here and these. Sometimes, it seems hard to distinguish between lolita and dolly-kei, as I imagine they draw inspiration from each other. It's so pretty! Japanese youth seem to have a lot of fun with their clothes. I am jealous!

Dolly-kei captures what I miss about being a little girl. I loved fairy tales, folklore, fantasy -- all of it. This look captures a sense of whimsy that reminds me of "the good old days" to be cliche and cheesy.

[caption id="attachment_566" align="aligncenter" width="490" caption="Photo credit: TokyoFashion.com"][/caption]

Grimoire Shibuya (pictured above) is a dolly-kei store in Tokyo -- elaborately decorated in whimsical leaves, forest critters, and old-world looking dolls. Truly looks like an amazing shopping experience. TokyoFashion.com has a nice article about it here.

I love the gold-leafed handbag and the corset. This girl captures a renaissance-y feel but somehow it doesn't look too costumey. At least not to me, but I have loose standards.

[caption id="attachment_570" align="aligncenter" width="467" caption="These girls look more costumey, but still cute. It looks like they are mixing elements of kawaii, decora, lolita, cosplay, and dolly-kei. Neat!"][/caption]



Human beings have been decorating their bodies for thousands of years -- and I see fashion as a part of that. If you have the means, why not have fun with what you clothe your body in? I see nothing wrong with it. Dressing up makings the dullness of my day-to-day life (especially now in my poor financial/career situation) just a little bit more exciting and fun. And if someone thinks it's stupid, then fine. I dress for ME, first and foremost, but it's always nice to connect with kindred spirits and share ideas! Blogs are the modern day "salons"! Okay, I am getting out of control. My cat is snoring next to me, and I keep mistaking it for someone talking outside my window -- scaryyyyy.

6 Different Ways to Wear a Silky Nightgown (outside of the bedroom!)

Right now sheer and chiffon fabrics are showing up on runways and all over street fashion blogs. Several designers featured semi-sheer leopard designs in their runway shows at Fashion Week. (In fact, the pants from the Betsey Johnson show appear to be in the same exact print or fabric as the nightgown I am using). My favorite item of clothing is this semi-sheer leopard nightgown. Here are a few ways in which I put it to use.

Hope this inspires you!

 

#1. Loose, as is.



The first, and most obvious, way to wear an item like this is loose and flowy, perhaps with leather leggings or skinny jeans. It can also function as a dress.

 

#2. Swimsuit cover-up.

[caption id="attachment_484" align="alignnone" width="490" caption="The sunglasses are designer lookalikes that I got at a 99cent store in Las Vegas."][/caption]

I've clipped it in the back to give a more formfitting silhouette. Just throw it on with a pair of sunglasses and sandals and you're ready to go from the beach to the boardwalk! I wore this as my cover-up at the beach in Rhode Island and in Maryland, and I actually got quite a few compliments and people asking me where I got it.

 

#3. Belted, as a dress or tunic.

[caption id="attachment_485" align="alignnone" width="490" caption="The belt was around $9 from Body Central."][/caption]

Throw a belt on it, and it's instantly awesome.

 

#4. Tied or tucked, as a blouse.



I like to tie a knot on the side, but you could also just tuck the shirt into your pants or skirt. Long necklaces pair well with loose fitting blouses, so I've placed one on the dressform.

 

#5. With a vest.

[caption id="attachment_488" align="alignnone" width="490" caption="This is a $3 velvet GAP vest I got from the Salvation Army on 50% off day."][/caption]

Buttoned, or...



Unbuttoned, for a more Janis Joplin kinda look.

 

#6. With a blazer.



Here, I've paired it with my red velvet blazer that I got at a bag sale ($2 for a big paper grocery ball full). Looks pretty classy!

 

So, there's (at least) 6 ways to wear one top! Maximize your functionality, and also maximize your money!

The nightgown I used was around $3 or $4, and is by New York & Co.

Be sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think!!!

Featured Fashion Icon: Vampira (Maila Nurmi)

My all time favorite band The Misfits dedicated a song to this mistress of the dark: "Two inch nails / Micro waist / With a pale white feline face / Inclination eyebrows to there." That snippet of the song's lyrics pretty much sums it up. Vampira was a character developed by the great Finnish beauty Maila Nurmi. Vampira was one of the great horror TV hosts (like Elvira), the first to be exact, making her TV debut in 1954. She starred in Ed Wood's disastrous (but oh-so-good) Plan 9 From Outerspace. Her tradmarks are her tiny cinched waist and her harshly arched eyebrows. She's iconic.

I may have already featured her, but this bears repeating. Her look has been an inpiration to the goth and horror-punk scenes.

Yesterday's Outfit: I have a cold.

I am wearing a few-years-old leopard cardi from H&M that I bought from the H&M store in New York ($16?), a thrifted Express button up collared shirt ($3, CVAS Thrift Store), and thrifted Converse jeans ($6, Goodwill).

 

I have had a pretty bad cold for the past few days. Definitely not looking forward to going to work tomorrow. I decided to leave the house for the first time in two days today (well, yesterday now) to venture out to a thrift store... and was delighted to discover that they were having a bag sale! Fill a bag with clothing for $5. Not bad, but they seemed to be pretty well picked over as far as cool stuff goes, so I shared the bag with my sister. I got a seventies track sweater, which is pretty awesome. I am in need of funds, so I am debating whether or not to sell it.

I can't wait until it gets nicer outside! I can't seem to get any good pictures indoors. I live in a small, crowded house with poor lighting. Also, I always make a weird face when cameras flash. I can't explain it. I just look better sans flash.

I am considering doing prodect reviews for the blog. So, with that in mind, I bought a "ball" of that nifty lip balm by EOS that I saw on Michelle Phan's YouTube, and after only hours of possessing this awesome lip balm, my dog found it and chewed it up. He really loves lip balm. (If you want to try it I found it for sale in the checkout lanes of Wal*Mart.) So, I will have to buy another, since it smelled so good and my lips are hurtin' for balm. I hate winter! I also feel it necessary to express my dire need for a camera tripod. Where can I get a cheap one? Been scouring eBay.

Today I am hooked on the song Heads Will Roll by the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.

New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2011 - Betsey Johnson Fall 2011 Collection

Click here for photo stills of each outfit in the ready-to-wear collection.

Despite having faced bankruptcy last year (the line was saved by Steve Madden), Betsey Johnson still delivers an amazing collection for Fall 2011. She has incorporated many of the current trends (like the use of silky and sheer fabrics for maxi skirts) but makes them her own (puce green leopard print) as always. I love the silky leopard pants. What are your favorites?

Street style round-up: Harajuku, Leopard print, Marie Antoinette, High-waisted shorts and more!

As always, I share with you some looks I thought were neat. Let's see why these looks work so we can try them ourselves!

From Lookbook.nu:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="563" caption="A lot of people make Japanese fashion trends look tacky, but this girl wears it well. I think it's a very cool idea to take a shirt-dress, like the pink and white plaid one she's wearing, and wear is as an open jacket. Especially good if you aren't quite ready to wear a tight fitting dress on its own."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="There are a lot of things I like going on in this photo: silky button up blouse, cardigan sweater, side braid, and simple make-up. This outfit looks effortless and not overdone, which is a feat, considering that leopard print jeans had their run of popularity and run the risk of looking tacky. I've had my eye on a pair for awhile, but never made the purchase. I have a pair of red and black ones (the ones from the Miley Cyrus/Max Azria collection) and have yet to let them see the sunlight. This look inspires me, though. The loose fit and Buddy Holly-ness of the cardigan balance balance out the leopard pants. Likewise, she's kept her hair and makeup simple."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="433" caption="So, this isn't an outfit you'd wear to the grocery store or to work, but it has some pretty cool elements. If only we could always dress so fun! This outfit is Marie Antoinette inspired, with a high piled updo and pastel colors. Again, we see a sweater over a button up blouse. The top half is simple, so she's chosen a more dramatic hosiery... Or maybe those hearts are just glued on? Either way, so good."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="I really love those tights."][/caption]

So, I am getting bored with Lookbook.nu. Creative looks are few and far between and mostly everyone must be rich to afford a zillion pairs of Jeffrey Cambell shoes. Those things can be like $500.

If you like this post, comment, digg it, tweet it, whatever floats your boat -- anything helps get the word out about my blog!

Street Fashion Round-up: Boyfriend jeans, Crust-punk pants, and Versace platform shoes.

I haven't been keeping up on posting at all lately! I am in the midst of the end of the semester here at college and I'm only a month away from graduation!!!! AHHHHH! So, that's why you'll be seeing large bursts of posts all at once and then periods of no posts. Please forgive me.

Decided it was time for another street style round-up, so I chose some cool outfits from LookBook.nu and Easy Fashion. Enjoy.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="320" caption="Cropped blazer, boyfriend jeans."][/caption]

I love this outfit. It's simple and casual enough that it's actually practical. I really want a pair of boyfriend jeans.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Garter stockings, shredded top."][/caption]

I think she's wearing pantyhose that are made to look as if she's wearing a garter belt and stockings as well. Very sexy but still edgy.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="320" caption="Leopard dress, denim vest, studded cuffs."][/caption]

Love, love, love, LOVE. Everything about it. I would wear this outfit, if the dress were a bit longer. I don't like to have to worry about my underwear or butt-cheeks showing. Just makes me wanna not wear a dress when it's so short that you can only really be standing. Nevertheless, this is a bomb outfit. I wanna stud my denim vest. Think I'll wear it tomorrow.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="512" caption="Killer boots and crust-punk pants."][/caption]

Despite how delicate those pants would be, it's a really cool take on the way crust-punks alter their pants. They will sew patches upon patches onto their pants until the pants are virtually gone. This person (I assume they made them, if they bought them that's sad) must have taken a lot of time to sew all these little sections of denim together. Very cool. I really like that they've used dental floss as thread too. Seems tacky, but floss doesn't break as easily. Hand sewing with thread makes the item delicate because the thread doesn't allow for stretching.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="512" caption="Gorgeous platform shoes."][/caption]

I think these are Versace shoes, if I am not mistaken. They are fabulous. So fabulous that I'm now angry.

Well, that's it for now. Please, please, please leave comments! Stay tuned for more madness.