Vote for me! (to go to Tokyo!)

I recently joined in the fray over at the H&M website to compete for a chance to be a reporter representing H&M at their new Tokyo store opening in Ginza!

I think I've got quite a bit of journalistic experience under my belt, with almost all of it being Japan related, so I went over to my friend Lauran's house, got all fashionista-d up and out, and shot a :30 video!

Please take a gander at my entry here and VOTE for me!

The top 10 voted by "the internet" will then be judged by a panel of H&M reps to decide who will go to Tokyo!

Let's make this happen, people!! VOTE VOTE VOTE! =D

http://www.hm.com/us/?deeplink=tokyo;view;Tokyo-c48dce89-e5e9-4cd5-91bb-dcc6d07e3a22-95-1.mp4#tokyo08

Event Report: Lolita Tea Party at Royal/T

Recently, I attended the Royal/T X Japan LA Lolita Tea Party, and dressed up a storm, as they say.

What: Lolita Tea Party. High tea was served, a photo booth was set up by some artwork, paparazzi snapped photos, and girls got to socialize.
When: August 3, 2008
Where: Royal/T maid cafe in Culver City, (Los Angeles!) CA
Who: Thrown by Japan-goods store Japan LA
Why: To promote Japanese street style here in LA and get business rolling over at Royal/T.

Americajin.com has some more to say about our Japanese street style over on his site, as well. Can you spot me? It shouldn't be TOO hard...

I had loads of fun, and got to see some amazing coordinates. And, of course, it was a fabulous excuse to dress up.

My coordinate from the event.



My outfit breakdown:
Tricorn hat, shoes: BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT
Skirt: Angelic Pretty
Top/corset: Vivienne Westwood
Wristlets, ruffled tie-on collar: handmade by myself
Socks: Candy Stripper
Jabot: Algonquins


And of course, some of my best friends were on site for this event.
I adore the sweet look as well (as exhibited by the two beautiful blonds on the left and right (Jenny and Lauran, respectively), but I always feel myself compelled to go to the dark side. My friend Truemee (second from right) and I (duh, guess which one!) decided that black chic was more appropriate for this paparazzi filled event.

Glam Eyelashes from Kakuyasu Uchiide: Bat, Bat, Batter up.

I am in love with the ultra-glam look of these fluttery buddies. This kind of reckless abandon for all things practical is a large part of what I love about dressing up. The crazier, more over-the-top, and more impractical I make my fashion, the more I feel like an artist decorating a palette , rather than just a girl picking pre-selected popular fashions from the rack.

Ironically, my, and many other fashionable ladies', devil-may-care attitude about the glory that is dressing up was poo-pooed by the hypocritical designer of these lovely lashes. In Kakuyasu Uchiide's interview on PingMag.com , he annoyingly comments on Japanese youth culture's obsession with fashion:

"Being an extreme thing is not so good. I like young people who are trying to find their originality through fashion and make-up that is suitable for their income."

Uhm... am I taking crazy pills? His very industry hovers around making HIGH FASHION goods for a select clientèle of only those who can afford it. Extremes in fashion are something I'm always striving for, though I understand that others may not share my strange hobby. I live within my means, but I try to dress fabulous. And so should you.

Mr. Uchiide is head make-up artist for Shu Uemura's cosmetics line.

Don't worry, buddy. I still like your lashes.


Also, this just in:

Wait, wait, wait..... so... BAZAAR Magazine is trying to tell us that.. LUCY LIU IS ASIAN?!? or... or... AMERICAN? Or BOTH?! Haha... Her horrifying spread centered around Olympics and ACTUALLY draping herself in Chinese and US flags is featured in the August 2008 issue of BIZZAARO.

Shang,ri-LA Nails: Insanity at your fingertips

The reason I haven't posted lately is because of THESE:


Yes, These are, as we speak, attached to my fingers. Since last week. Hence.... no extraneous typing for a bit there.

3D nail art is very "in" in the Asia, as I call it, and each crazy shape on my nails was artfully sculpted on as we requested any cutesy sweet shape we could think of. This nail bling phenomenon i something a lot of Lolitas employ to make their crazier outfits even crazier: by taking away the use of their hands.

I was the hand model for a Gothic & Lolita article that we have slated for the December issue.

Hand model.

No, I'm not J.P. Prewitt. (If you haven't watched Zoolander and therefor have o idea what I'm talking about, please STOP READING IMMEDIATELY AND GO WATCH THAT MOVIE.)


Of note is the lovely layered cake the nail artist made (3rd photo). She sculpted a triangle base, then created each cake layer by adding another triangular piece of acrylic on top. She even had a row of CHERRIES.

After molding cupcakes, balloons, hearts, and bows onto each nails, she then proceeded to BEDAZZLE her creations with varying sizes of sequins. Bedazzle. On my fingers. I rather feel like a genie, wizard, Jubliee from te X-Men, or other mystical type of magical being who can produce sparkles from his or her fingertips.

This process of lovely-fying your nails is highly recommended, if very pricy. Save it for special occasions, mental health days, or a period of your life where you will not have to use your hands very much (this is what hand-maidens/boyfriends/buddies are for, I've found out)

Shang,ri-LA Nails (yes, that is how they place their commas and hyphens in their actual name)
Torrance, CA
They are absolute dolls, and if you can, request Kyoko.

BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT: Radical Pink, Balloon Plagiarism

A merry jaunt over to the BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT website brought the discovery that there's a new pink in town this summer. Ordinarily, this Sweet Lolita brand is awash with pale pastels to provide as innocent a character as possible, but the introduction of koi pink (deep pink) is a pleasant, if not painfully subtle, color change up from the normal usu pink (light pink). I commend BABY for this daring foray into the world of vibrancy . . . and yet . . .

I fear that BABY is taking their New Freedom a bit too far.
Behold: the koi pink monstrosity known as ギンガムチェックサリィワンピース (Gingham Check Sally One-Piece).
It's a good try, BABY.




The new crazily-named print released by BABY this summer is adorable, although not groundbreaking. They call it . . . "Mary in the sky with Candies." I cannot make this stuff up, folks.

It looks like BABY has decided to STOP CAPITALIZING EVERY LETTER IN THE ENGLISH THEY USE ON THEIR SITE, as evidenced by the new Mary line's lack of all caps, although they seem unsure as to which letters to keep lowercase now.

The same old themes of flowers, little girls, and ruffles can all be found here in the Mary print. But what's this . . .? YOU'VE ADDED BALLOONS? Surely the Lolita community shall rise up and accuse BABY of ripping off of Angelic Pretty (known for throwing balloons in their Magical Etoile print this past winter).

Or hell, while we're at it, Innocent World's Present Teddy Bear line.

Angelic Pretty: Eco friendly tulle and cardboard.

Angelic Pretty's latest Tokyo shop blog post proves that the Japanese aren't scared of recycling old ideas.

The latest photos posted on their blog shows the same dot tulle that we've seen season after season from our pals out East. The item in the photos here is their "latest announcement" in their line of cutsews. In reality, this same shirt, minus the choker, was on their racks last summer as well. In fact, I used to own it. I guess if it ain't broke...




Waste not, want not is definitely the Lolita brands' motto.
Observe their shop staff's clever use of cardboard. Is it just me, or has the Angelic Pretty blog becoming increasingly more hilarious?

Don't get me wrong.

I think it's brilliant.

Introducing Michelle Monster

Welcome to my little world. This is the place where I post about my passion for fashion. A lot of you may notice my preference for gossiping about the latest trends in a type of Japanese street fashion called "Lolita."

Of course, please do pick up my mook (magazine/book hybrid) Gothic & Lolita Bible for information on the latest on Lolita fashion in both the East and West. Oh yeah, and there's always this super informative interview with me on about.com explaining more about the mook.

If you're confused about what it is, make sure you check out this informative FAQ at one of the most prolific Lolita community sites.
Also, the Lolita Handbook is another great informative site to get your bearings on what Lolita is, how to get it, and why it is what it is.



About me:
Name: Michelle "Monster"
AKA: IamChubbyBunny
Occupation: Among other things, Editor at Large for English language version of Gothic & Lolita Bible (published by TOKYOPOP, Inc.), PR guru, spokes model.
Location: Formerly of Japan, now of Los Angeles, California
Other Websites: For well over 4 years, I've been blogging on Livejournal. You can find my antics here, although most entries have been retroactively locked.

And that's all you get for now.

Oh, and this photo of me. (I'm the tiny dwarf one)