Thank you again to each of the authors for your lovely craft tutorials! I’m very interested in featuring other creative blogs as well, there is so much talent on the web that shouldn’t be missed!
Now let’s get creating…
I recently overheard another journalist saying that this is the first generation that has no hope that the future will be brighter. It makes me instantly imagine the wreckage this is causing to the beautiful people in our world. It also makes me consider what one would do if they had no hope for the future.. I know by experience that drugs are the easiest ways to leave the scene and to botch up your life. Is that what future generations are doomed to obsess over? Isn’t that what all generations did when they were young?
Are we just doom and gloom because of the poor economy? Are we insisting to each other that things are horrible and that they are not going to improve? Is it hopeless?
So I decided to do a feature on one of my favorite Shows from the UK, skins. Since MTV had ripped it off for an americanized-version I have an idea we’ll be seeing a lot more skins on the screen. Cassie was always my favorite character and not only because my best friends claimed she was me slapped into the UK drama. I love her and her general unapologetic way of dressing cute and kitschy. She doesn’t match and she doesn’t care. That’s my favorite club. She makes me feel like I’m not alone.
I had to feature this NYLON photoshoot because it’s so Miseducated I can’t stand it. Rainbows, hearts, plastic jewelry, pigtails, rollerskates and vintage-inspired frocks. Did they raid my closet? Is NYLON following me? Just kidding of course.. but seriously this looks like it was inspired by us. Not like you needed anymore reasons to read NYLON though, huh?
Audrey is one of the sweetest girls I know. She’s always been able to fit in a brainstorm or girl chat into her busily-blogging lifestyle. She’s a cat lover, a fashion addict and a teenage icon. Lately, she has been putting a lot of time and energy into her new lines Tokyolux and Coco De Coeur (if you haven’t taken a peek yet get ready for an eye-candy overload).
If im inspired by something I dive into it without hesitation!
You’re a blogger and always have something new to say, how do you maintain your blog and all of your websites with so little free time?
Its something I love to do. I wake up and I’m thinking of fashion ideas, styles and shoots. I live it. I don’t mind having little free time because I enjoy what I’m doing so much. It’s not a chore by any means, when I’m out of town or away from a computer I crave it.
Ever since we became friends we’ve been totally connected.. is friendship something important to you with your lifestyle?
Of course, I’m just really careful who I let into my life. Living in Los Angeles people befriend you for the wrong reasons and it’s actually hard to find people who just want to order takeout and watch a movie. I have hundreds of acquaintances and a handful of friends.
How do you find new inspirations to blog about?
From everywhere and everything. I’m always watching movies, listening to music, researching, buying magazines. It’s an overload of inspiration everyday. I never have the problem of being uninspired, if anything im over inspired and it makes my head spin!
What’s inspiring you right now?
Marie Antoinette, the ocean, 60s, mods, punks, 90s vogue, japan street style, velvets, lace, tea partys, the germs, cat ladies … I just watched this documentary on cat ladies and it was out of this world. One lady was living with 123 cats! My inspirations are all over the place. Im never inspired by one idea, I take everything and mix it into something new.
Are you miseducated and why?
I’m miseducated because I do things my way. I’m a Leo; I was never a follower. If im inspired by something I dive into it without hesitation!
I’m miseducated because I do things my way. I’m a Leo; I was never a follower.
So I took a trip to the Barbie Fashion Experience which is a current exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
I brought my nephew along to the museum but he opted to skip the Barbie part. I reminded him that males are also designers but he was much more interested in the dinosaur exhibit. So interested that we had to see it twice. 😉
Not only did the exhibit feature Barbie displays (through the years) and one of a kind fashions crafted for her by designers such as Betsey Johnson and Nicole Miller, BUT it inspired children to create their own Barbie fashions.
Each station had miniature mannequins arranged in front of each chair for fashion designing in a flash. Children were everywhere, surrounded by their parents, as they created Barbie’s next new look.
Way to go, Mattel!
Your exhibit made my day because it inspired and excited so many little minds! 😉
I’m happy to show you a little glimpse of the amazing exhibition of Sweet Streets (a Harajuku Kawaii Experience!) in Los Angeles at Gallery Nucleus by my sweet friend, Caro. (Yes, I designed that shockingly bright logo.)
Sweet Streets features an array of magnificent artists inspired by Japanese street fashion. The event featured a fashion show with our favorite sensational shop, 6%DOKIDOKI.
Caro wants to bring the magic of Japan to the States and I’m absolutely thrilled about it. It’s one of my own missions in life and I’m so excited to join her in the inspiration melt-down.
I wish I could buy each and every Miseducated visitor a ticket to Tokyo so you could revel in the inspiration found in every corner and under every stone. Maybe someday? Thanks to Caro you can experience Japan and Harajuku style right here in the States!
All photos of Sweet Streets were taken by BigWhiteBazooka, Tadatime and LA Weekly. Do to my little pregnancy circumstance I could not tear myself away long enough to enjoy the exhibition but I’ll be better prepared next time.
The photos below are by LA Weekly.
Lookie who it is! — our good friend, Maria of Locketship donning unicorns as cutely as possible~
Some more cute friends you might recognize, the 6%DOKIDOKI shop girls!
Why would you want to know WHAT’S IN MY CIGAR BOX?
You know how many ladies magazines feature what’s in “their” handbag? I decided it was time to go through some goodies of mine from childhood and feature what might be hiding inside. As you can see, 80s toys, accessories (my necklace collection!), scented-erasers and rainbows. I also had a major obsession with Minnie Mouse and her cat Figaro.
Same song, different verse. As much as I’ve changed in some ways, I’m still the same in others.
See my collection of twist-up necklaces? My favorite one is missing, not sure where or if I can find it! I loved to switch these up with different colors and styles of dresses as a little girl. The one that’s missing had popsicles and beads.
Does anyone remember toting around ‘Pocket Pretties’ ?
I’m always excited to see what the 6%DOKIDOKI girls are up to as their shop is always one of my absolute favorite places to hang out in Harajuku. Their stage shows and events are always so colorful and delicious, it’s impossible not to want to jump right into the photos!
The girls had a fashion event in the Popple room and created the cutest outfits you could imagine, complete with large Popples surrounding their stomachs! Looks like a cute cushion when you’re not wearing it? Or rather a baby boppy? 😉
More great photos singing with color here and here, at TokyoFashion. Fashion and show photos thanks to the wonderful girls of 6%DOKIDOKI.
Emma Bell is a fashion designer that has what you need if you’re into kitschy decadence like I am. Now only are her creations adorable but she’s always been as sweet as can be, we met long ago online while I was living in Tokyo — she sent me the sweetest email ever and we’re still planning a collaboration.
So enjoy her delightfully kitschy cuteness that is sure to make your eyes drool for cake and fast food. Her look book radiates sweet rainbows making me want it all. Enjoy her color covered candy for your body! With collaborations with companies such as Irregular Choice you certainly have quite the amazing selection ahead of you! I cannot wait to see what she does next.
One of the reasons I love this style so much is because it looks exactly like my world as a little girl. I wish I could raid my closet and room from then so I could create my own little fairy-kei world again. I’ve realized this is exactly what I’m doing with Colette’s clothes and decor.. she’s getting all those adorable goodies I kept safe! Popples, Baby Brite, Avon character jewelry and more.
I guess I’m probably a big fan of decora too? Seems to be a bit of a difference in color hues with both styles of fashion. I’ve been a long-time lover of decora and that’s because it’s bright and tasty (think Barbie hot pink and an overload of rainbow accessories).
So let’s take a look at what makes fairy-kei special and what makes it different from decora…
Fairy-kei is a candy-coated, marshmallow rainbow-covered delicious arrival in Japanese fashion. As Miseducated and SPANK! often do, it features the cute characters and motifs of the 80s: My Little Pony, Care Bears, Popples, Barbie, etc. The palettes favored seem to be all soft, light hues of the 80s marshmallow rainbow. Fairy-kei uses as many as 6 colors in an outfit, but don’t be too hasty with color — make sure that each of the colors balance each other out. Colors you use should be used at least one other time in the outfit, usually, to add icing on the cake and to tie it all together. Think bows, beads, accessories and pompoms!
Made In Girl Magazine
Tokyo Fashion
Niles Perch
SPANK!
Pop-Kei Community
La Carmina
Asia’s Vintage Clothing Explosion
Hello Reimei
Fairy-Kei Community
Drop Dead Kawaii aka Petsugar
If you’re an 80s kid, ransack through any old stuff you kept or stored and see what treasures you can find! It’s like new but has more meaning attached. If you can’t find any try ebay, flea markets and thrift stores for marshmallow rainbow 80s goods.
Tutus! They’re easy to find these days and very easy to make. You can make your tutu as simple or as decadent as you like; they’re all sweet when paired with a tee.
Pompons, bows, tulle — all in the marshmallow rainbow of fairy-kei — think of making yarn into large pompons for hair and keychains, smaller ones for other accessories.
Found some cute 80s fabric but the item is shot? Patch it onto a tee, add some glitter. Don’t wait for your favorite new t-shirt, make it!
A big pastel sweater with an alternating color of hair bow. Think big and ridiculously cute! Keep it simple if you like with a black tutu and flats, you can be Fairy-kei inspired without going over the top.