°˖✧✝ YOSHIKI Overload pt. 1 ✝✧˖°

YOSHIKI doing the iconic "X" gesture, which was created
to symbolize his band, X Japan.

Source: wearexfilm.com

Whenever a visual kei artist or band comes overseas to my country, I try to support them, especially if whatever they're doing, a concert, a meet-and-greet, or so forth, is close to where I live. Unbelievably, YOSHIKI, the founder and leader of one of the biggest and most successful bands in Japan, X Japan, planned two major events for New York City: multiple movie showings for his music documentary about his band, X Japan, and two personal, classical concerts, featuring the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, at the illustrious Carnegie Hall.

I don't have too many friends who are visual kei fans like myself, but I do have one who is: my friend Ashley. And, while I'm not the biggest fan of YOSHIKI or X Japan, we both agreed that these events were going to play a pivotal role in YOSHIKI's overseas success, and create possibilities for other big named visual kei artists in the United States. So, we told each other we would get tickets to both events no matter what! And, in the end, did just that. 

Movie poster for X Japan's documentary, We Are X.

Source: YOSHIKI's Facebook

Months before the actual theater releases, YOSHIKI made tremendous efforts to support his band's documentary through all of his social media brackets and partnerships between well known Japanese and Western musical artists and multiple enterprises dealing with Western pop culture and music. If you were a fan of Japanese based music during this time of the film's promotion, it would've been hard not to see some sort of blurb or publication about its release. One of the most shared piece of YOSHIKI's promotional material was the finalized version of the We Are X official trailer.

From the trailer, you can see a few of the Western music artists who participated in giving their opinions and comments on X Japan and the differences between the musical environment in the United States (U.S.) versus Japan, which severed as a tremendous barrier for X Japan to translate their success over to the U.S.

Screenshot of Gene Simmons taken from the official We Are X documentary trailer

Screenshot of Marilyn Manson taken from the official We Are X documentary trailer

Because of the the large amount of promotional materials being release, there were a lot of different teasers and clips of the documentary being pasted around. One of them focused on comments from Japanese based bands, which included footage from the band Dir en grey (a visual kei band that received a prestigious opportunity to have YOSHIKI produce the majority of their first singles from their major debut, which lead to the success of their first major full length album back in 1999). And, in case you couldn't tell, I'm a major Dir en grey fan, hehehe~

I couldn't find this certain trailer on YouTube or from the original distributor, but it was re-uploaded by a visual kei enthusiast page on Facebook called Visual Loner. If you have a Facebook account, you can watch the clip here.

Screenshot of Karou, Dir en grey's lead guitarist, from a We Are X documentary teaser clip

  

Screenshot of Dir en grey from 1999 from a We Are X documentary teaser clip

Originally, there were only a couple of showings over the span of two days, Friday and Saturday, when the documentary first debuted at the Brooklyn Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in New York City (NYC) back at the beginning of November, last year. But, because the special Q&A Friday screening, with YOSHIKI and Stephen Kijak, the director of the documentary, sold out so quick, a second special Q&A screening was added for Friday. Unfortunately, my friend and I already had purchased tickets to an earlier screening when we found out the original special screening was sold out. If we would've waited another day or so to buy our tickets, we would've been able to go to the second special screening they added (we were so close!). 

There was also a collaboration with Tokyo Rebel, a NYC based clothing store that sells authorized items from Japanese street fashion  brands, with the documentary's NYC debut. If you purchased a ticket to the original Friday and Saturday special screenings and wore a visual kei inspired outfit, you would would be entered in contest to win a copy of an art poster drawn by the fabulous comic artist Becky Cloonan and signed by YOSHIKI.

Screenshot of post on Tokyo Rebel's Facebook page

Source: Tokyo Rebel's Facebook

Poster for Tokyo Rebel's collaboration with We Are X documentary

Source: Tokyo Rebel's Facebook

Print of Becky Cloonan's illustration for We Are X documentary

Source: Tokyo Rebel's Facebook

I'd never been to the Brooklyn Alamo Drafthouse Cinema before, but it turned out to be a charming theater. However, it's located in a huge retail center with single floors dedicated to a certain department store, like Century 21 and Target, so, at first, I didn't know what to expect. But, when I finally got to the theater on the fourth floor, it was such a contrast to the building and other modern, big name retail stores on the other levels. The overall appearance of the theater gave off vibes of an Edwardian styled interior mixed with a 1930s vintage feel.

"Ryan Matthew Cohn in the House of Wax bar, located in the lobby of the
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Downtown Brooklyn." -Cory Kilgannon for The New York Times
Photo by Joshua Bright for the The York Times

Source: The New York Times

"Wax heads are among the items on display. 'We literally
built this bar around the collection,' Mr. Cohn said." -Cory Kilgannon for The New York Times
Photo by Joshua Bright for the The York Times

Source: The New York Times

I didn't anticipate there being a bar located in the movie theater, so we didn't put going in and checking it out in our plans. From what I saw, it was pretty packed, so we decided to go somewhere else to eat and talk about how we felt about the documentary. But, before that, we wanted to get some nice pictures together in the theater. 

  

My selfie with Ashley

Ashley and I doing X Japan's "X" gesture

We look so silly crouching in front of the movie poster, but,
for some reason, it was really small. We couldn't really get
the full poster in the picture if we stood up.  

Afterwards, we went to the merchandise table that was stationed outside in the lobby for fans to purchase "We Are X" products. I forget everything that was being sold, though I know it wasn't much. I ended up purchasing a bandana with a customized "We Are X" graphic design on the front.

"We Are X" bandana I brought.

Detail shots of the bandana.

I bought the bandana because I wanted to buy at least something at the table to support X Japan, but I don't really know what to do with it. If I fold and tie it, like you're supposed to do with a regular bandana, no one will see the design on the front, which is the entire point of the item. I've thought about framing it, but I kinda would like to wear it, too. I might pin it to the back of a jacket, so it could be admired, like it was intended to. 

As we were leaving, I tired getting a cool picture of my outfit, or even a selfie, with the wax heads from the theater's bar as a background, but there wasn't enough light to capture my face or details in my outfit. The only decent lighting we could get was outside the theater on the floor's landing.

Blouse and Tie: Algonquins
Skirt Putumayo
Purse: Customized Case (I added a handle and
chain  as a strap to a hard case I found)

In honor of the documentary, Ashley and I wanted to wear visual kei inspired outfits, which proved to be harder than I expected. One of the major problems I had was styling an outfit that would fit the type of hairstyle I had at the time, which were Senegalese twist. I wanted to go for more of an early 1990s, drape-y, Goth rock look that visual kei bands were doing at the time, but thought my hairstyle wouldn't really fit. So, I went with a more cutesy, Punk-y look that was fashionable in the mid 2000s when oshare kei, a sub-genre of visual kei, became more prominent in the visual kei scene.

An Cafe, an oshare kei band, in 2004

For this promotional photo, An Cafe is wearing clothing from SEX POT ReVeNGe,
a popular Japanese clothing brand that sells original Punk clothing.

And while I'm at it, here's the music video where An Cafe wears the same Punk outfits they were wearing in the above promotional photo. 

*** For the sake of more clarification, I will like to say that my outfit IS NOT necessarily an oshare kei look, but more of an inspired one, based on different oshare kei elements. The promotional photo of An Cafe wearing clothing from SEX POT ReVeNGe is also necessarily NOT an oshare kei look; it's Punk. A more comprehensible example for what oshare kei is would be the black and white stage costumes in the above music video that An Cafe wears in the scenes where they are playing their instruments. 

These are not the same outfits from the above music video, but they are very 

similar to the ones I described.

While Punk and oshare kei are two different things, oshare kei artists incorporated many styles their fan base (young girls) were interested in into their stage costumes, which created (to me at least) this mishmash of a dark, DIY, Decora, Punk look.***

BONUS:

At the end of the night, Ashley, who's vegan, gave me a carrot. I don't know why, but I thought it was the funniest thing. It was like a vegan joke that happened in real life- my vegan friend just had raw carrots to pass out.

Well, that's all of for the first part of my YOSHIKI post (I didn't expect it to be so long)! I'll make sure to start the second part as soon as I scan the Carnegie Hall program with details about YOSHIKI and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

 °˖✧ 'Till next time

°˖✧✝ 2015 Summer ILD with KAMIJO & Friends ✝✧˖°

KAMIJO and his support band thanking their New York City concert attendees
one last time.

Source: KAMIJO U.S. Official Street Team L.A. and N.Y.C. 

If you couldn't tell from the picture above, I was one of the lucky people to attend a concert during KAMIJO's World Tour 2015, and on International Lolita Day (ILD) no less! I was not only an attendee, but also a VIP, which meant I was a part of a special meet and greet that allowed me to interact with KAMIJO personally! I was preparing for the day of the concert for months and could only considerate on meeting KAMIJO. It was for that exact reason why I was completely oblivious to the fact that the concert fell on the same day as this year's summer ILD. I even went as far as making different ILD plans with a friend of mine! It was my friend who notice the shared date and made me aware of my mistake. Going to the concert was my main priority, but celebrating with my friends was just as important. So what did I do? I made a compromise. I always have time for my friends!

In the end, we agreed on going to Laduree Soho, one of the U.S. store fronts of the luxurious Parisian bakery and restaurant, thanks to a friend's recommendation. We decided that going there would be our best option at such a short notice. I've never been to Laduree before, but always wanted to. For some reason, I thought the boutique was exclusive and would be hard to reserve. Though, I was pleasantly surprised when my friend booked seating for us easily. Thanks to her, I was able to fulfill another one of my dreams on an already special day.  

The first two pictures are of the entrance alone! Can you imagine picking out sweets in the presence of marble statues?

The third picture is of their Blue Room setting area. We were seated in the green room.

Laduree is extremely gorgeous, and I plan on returning one day so I can experience it without being on a tight schedule. Because this was last minute, we had to arrange a time before the concert. We thought two hours before would be enough, but we really should have went for three instead.  

We still made time for pictures, though!

The venue that was hosting KAMIJO's concert, the Highland Ballroom, had a selection of food for dinning, and I wanted to taste what they had to offer. So, not wanting to fill myself up at Laduree, I only ordered from their dessert menu. And with it being my first time at Laduree, I had to sample a few of their macrons, of course!

Rose ice cream with four frozen macrons.

After Laduree, I had to head straight to the concert venue for the meet and great. Though, I wasn't going to be alone. Two of my other friends who made it to Laduree were also going to the concert with me! 

There was a strict no camera policy during the concert, so this part will only show pictures of the venue before the show.

Of the two friends who were going go the concert, one of them bought a VIP ticket also, so we went to the venue earlier together. VIPs were brought up stairs to balcony where there was a small room each one of us would be lead into to meet KAMIJO. My friend and I couldn't help but giggle the entire time in line and practice what we were going to do and say when we meet him! I prepared three sentences to say to him in Japanese, but half way through the line I was too nervous and thought it would've been best not to try and get tongue-tied. 

VIP's claiming their spots after the meet and greet. Look how close we were to the stage!

There were quite a few Lolitas there at the concert too.
Can you spot one in this picture?

When I became the next one in line to enter the room with KAMIJO, I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. I knew I had to show some composer so I wouldn't come of as creepy fangirl, but it was extremely hard, especially when KAMIJO is standing in front of you smiling. As soon as the door was closed behind me, he extended his hand and greeted me with a "Bonjour~~." Honestly, that was enough, I could've turned around and walked out of the room at that exact moment and it would've been the highlight of my life.

I was going to wear gloves that day, but I so glad I didn't! I put my hand in his and he ushered me besides him for our picture. His hands are the softest! I kept holding onto his hand and turned to face the camera. But the cameraman was in a resting stance like he was waiting for something. Confused, I looked up at KAMIJO and he was looking down at me smiling. Apparently, we weren't supposed to be holding hands for the picture and he was waiting for me to let go! Embarrassed, I let go and started blushing. It look like he didn't want to, but he laughed slightly, which made me blush even more. Quickly regaining my composure, I turned with him towards the camera and posed.

My purse made me look frumpy, but I think it still looks good.
We look great together!

I'm pretty sure I stood the closest to him than any other VIP.
(Not purposely, though. I swear!)

After the photo, KAMIJO thanked me for coming and shook my hand. I was still in a daze about the experience and got swept into his eyes again (he looks RIGHT at you, I couldn't escape). Even after the security pointed for me to leave, I stood there still hold his hand swooning over him. Thank you, Kamijo, for being so patient with me!

My new friend, Annette.

With the meet and great over, I meet up with my friends to hung out before the concert. But of course I made sure to keep our spots in the crowd. I even made a new friend! There was someone who recognized me from online and came to talk to me also. I was seriously flattered. If there's anyone who sees me around, please, feel free to say hi!

I over heard someone in the VIP line say, "Is anyone as excited as me to see MASHASHI?"
I turned around, looked them straight in the eye, and gave a serious, "YES."

I'm also pretty sure I was screaming MASHASHI's name the loudest.
(This one was purposely.)

Source: KAMIJO Official Facebook

The concert was amazing and had its fair share of adorable moments. One of the cutest was when KAMIJO was singing one of Lareine songs (its been so long I forgot which one!), and an audience member pulled out a bouquet of blue roses for KAMIJO and he accepted them! He even performed with them for awhile. I was also lucky to be noticed in the audience by KAMIJO! I was sending him kisses from the crowd when he came to the edge of the stage. As he was walking away, he saw me, came back, and sent kisses back to me!!! I can't write everything that happened at the concert, but if you're curious about how it turned out, Maria Tolentino from My JHouse Rock Events Promotions Inc. wrote a great recap for the night. Please take time to read it!

After the concert with my friend, Ashley.

This is the closest thing I have as an outfit shot.
I was a bad Lolita an forgot to take a clear one. 

But I guess this closeup shot of me with fairly decent lighting
from my bathroom is a bit better.

Blouse: Algonquins

°˖✧ 'Till next time

°˖✧✝ Birthday Gifts from Myself ✝✧˖°

The crucifix wrapped in thorns is gorgeous,
but check out that custom lace!

I splurged a lot more this year for my birthday than last year. But I didn't end up spending a large amount of money like most would for their birthday. I wanted to try to get as many gifts as I could for the price of paying for one or two gifts. So, instead of dumping my money on a new BABY release, I hunted down five main pieces to add to my closet! And I consider at least two of them being rare items.   

◊ Metamorphose Set

Some of you may recall that I bought a Metamorphose set last year for my birthday too.
I guess this is becoming a tradition.

The first thing I bought was this amazing jacket and skirt set from Metamorphose. I've been eyeing this set for awhile online and watched it get lowered two times. When it was first posted, it was more than $100, and I didn't have the money for it. But when it was lowered to about $80, I knew that I had to get it. I felt as if the price was as good as it was going to get. I paid over $120 for my first Metamorphose set, so getting this one for $85 was a huge bargain for me. And this one is even more detailed than the first!

This is the only picture and information I could find of this set.
I pretty sure they're not from the same series, but their styles are the same.

Aside from the picture above, I've never seen this set before. And unlike the other older pieces in my wardrobe, I actually want to find out the name for it! So, if you may know any information pertaining to this set, please leave a comment!

◊ Algonquins Blouse

I wasn't planning on buying a blouse for my birthday, but after looking at the detail shots of this one, I couldn't think about purchasing anything else. I was going to overlook this piece at first because the blouse's color can come off looking blue, and blue isn't a color I think I can wear well, but the bat wing collar is what peeked my interest in the end. I'm such a sucker for bat wing collars! I'm also a sucker for good deals, so this $28 blouse was something I couldn't pass up.

This Algonquins blouse has easily become my favorite blouse in my wardrobe. And the reasons for that are the little details found throughout the blouse. The pieces I own typically have simpler designs, like this blouse, but I love when there is some type of unique tailoring or a whimsical decoration. And this blouse has both of those additions. Although there are many, the greatest adornment this blouse features is the pinned applique of a bat hanging upside down with the brand's name embroidered across it.

◊ Heart E OP

Okay, so this one is by far the biggest shocker on my list. In this current era of Lolita fashion, we're used to Heart E designs leaning more to a Sweet style. Though, even with their soft pink OPs and polka dot JSKs, the brand has dabbled with Gothic designs way back when (but let's be real, at the height of Gothic Lolita's popularity, every brand tried to partake in the style in some way). Be that as it may, this OP transcends all of my expectations of Heart E and the design looks like an early Moi-meme-Montie piece! That's a bold statement, I know. But look at it! I can easily see Mana wearing an OP like this.

I paid very little for this OP, but obtaining wasn't easy. The processes really took me on an emotional roller coaster ride. When the OP was first posted, the seller was trying to sell it for about $140, which was out of my price range at the time. Even though the dress is undeniably gorgeous, after three weeks and three price decreases, the OP was still up for sale! I took it as a sign, and planned on skipping the Metamorphose set so I could bid on the OP when it was about $100. But when I went to look for the post, it was gone! I was beyond devastated. I honestly felt as if I lost something crucial.

I couldn't get over losing such a dress, so I would check the auction site twice a week hoping that whoever bought it would put it back up for auction. That almost never happens, but I was in complete denial. After three weeks, I was able to accept my loss, and gave up looking. But, for some reason, I had the urge to look one more time during the fourth week. I nearly cried when I saw the listing. And here's the most unbelievable part, I only paid $52 for it! I guess the seller noticed how it wasn't selling and listed it at a lower price to get multiple people to bid on it. But I was the only bidder, so I won it easily at such a low price!


◊ Putumayo Skirts

I had my eye on these skirts on Closet Child for awhile, and honestly, just considered them as being pieces I could use to fill in my wardrobe. I'm in a short supply of skirts, so buying these skirts just seemed like a rational decision, while all of my other purchases were more impulsive. Albeit, my approach was reasonable, but my timing was less than sensible. Of course I would buy two velvet skirts in the summertime, that's so me! I didn't even realize what I had done until I confirmed my purchase. I presume I was focused more on only paying $18 for the first skirt, and $23 for the second.

Sure, I knew finding a time to wear these skirts in the summertime was going to be a hard task, but seeing them in person made me uncover another problem- they're extremely short! They didn't look as short on the mannequin in the stock photos, but on me, they're like mini skirts! I was deceived, by the stock photo, but really, it's my own fault for the misunderstanding. I forgot that even though Putumayo is Lolita friendly, the brand is made more for street wear and can be cut shorter than other Lolita brands. I consider myself lucky though, because of the generous amount of shirring on these skirts, I can get away with pulling them down further on my waist so they won't look as short as they actually are.

*The prices listed includes fees and have been rounded up. They don't include shipping.


I can't wait to wear all of the amazing items I've purchased! I already have a couple of outfits planned that I'm eager about. Expect an Ero outfit from me very soon!

°˖✧ 'Till next time