Update: DOLLS KILL apparently steals designs from artists for their original items but they are good at finding cute brands~ just use their website to find what you like and buy it somewhere else.
I’m feeling like a kitten lost in a carnival of catnip tea and door mice on parade so today I’d like to just enjoy gazing things that would appear to make my closet happier. If you’ve ever visited DOLLS KILL you know just what I mean.
I’ve been reminiscing a bit about one of my colorful past lives that make me a part of who I am today so I thought I’d do a little feature to take in the current and more recent rave culture in fashion. To read my old skool article about the actual culture not just related to the candy rave fashion click here. (Yes I still have a box of candy bracelets and someday I will think of a cute way to display them!)
Last night I had a dream that I lived in a speaker,
And the sky was the smoked filled room in Ibiza,
The sun was a crystal ball shining 24 hours a day,
My air was the winds of the woofers bouncing off the wall,
My soul was the spirit of all the children dancing,
My rain was the sweat that rolled of their faces,
My lightning was the strobe that filled the room like a tropical storm,
This is my world,
This is my planet,
On my planet bass was my day and kick was my night,
Rhythmatic interludes of percussion were my four seasons,
On my planet I could see constellations of children dancing,
On my planet House is the religion and God is a DJ,
On my planet there is peace,
On my planet there is love,
On my planet there are no wars or rumour of wars,
On my planet there are no drugs or politicians,
This is my world,
This is my planet,
And my planet rocks!
My first time in Harajuku I planned to find 6% DokiDoki and found it with ease, nestled away in it’s little nook of the district. I have always wanted to buy accessories from them due to the drool-worthiness insanity of their items!
I adore the shop and have been many times, it’s absolutely a trip in wonderland. When the antique music started I felt a very familiar feeling rush through me.. it happened that the song was a long, musical version of “A World of my Own – Disney’s Alice” It makes my heart jump talking about it, haha. It was truly a place for me and if it wasn’t always so damn hot and stuffy in there I would stay all day — haha. The perfection doesn’t stop with the decor, the staff wears their own token dokidoki style, sticking the sweet accessories anywhere into their hair or elsewhere. They looked like they fell into a glittery, rainbow, sprinkley, cotton candy ball! I wasn’t allowed to take photos in the store, so these will have to do! It’s rare to be allowed to shoot in a Japanese shop and this one was no exception.
{ Photos by Amber Renee }
When I was five years old, if you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have stated, very specifically, that I was going to be a pony rider in the circus. Apparently, riding horseback in a tutu with a tent full of people watching was my greatest aspiration. Nowadays, you’ll find me working odd jobs waiting tables, organizing office files, and ringing up sale items to pay my rent, but in my heart, I’m still a performer. True, my dreams have moved beyond the circus saddle to in front of a movie camera, but actresses love their audience too. There are those who find my aspirations foolish, childish, and unrealistic; naysayers who feel it’s time for me to grow up and settle for something more sensible. So far, I’ve refused.
Why is it that we are expected, even encouraged, to have ridiculous ambitions in childhood, but realistic goals as adults? Let’s find ways to keep the magic within us alive even as we grow older. To find out how, I set out to discover what we can learn from the dream jobs of our five-year old selves. Through discussions with friends and family, I’ve compiled a few themes within common childhood dreams and ways to never let go of them.
Creativity is important to us as children. We want to color. We want to create. We want to let our imaginations run wild. Perhaps that’s why the vast majority of the people I asked remembered wanting to do something artistic or entertaining when they grew up. If we’d all had our way, today’s world would be filled with ballerinas, writers, artists, movie stars, and even a few ‘In Living Color’ Fly Girls. Maybe it was the glamour that attracted some, but I think most of us just wanted to express ourselves. That instinct doesn’t have to die with age. Ballerinas and fly girls can take a dance class or volunteer to teach dance to children. Writers can still express themselves in blogs or webzines dedicated to their subject of choice. As for the movie stars, there’s actually a lot more local film opportunity than you might know, find your way in and you can ham it up on your weekends off.
As selfish as some children may seem, there are quite a few of us that still care about the rest of the world, even at a young age. A large majority of former five-year olds that I talked to wanted to be veterinarians. As children, we sense the importance of having furry friends in our lives and want nothing more than to help them. Oftentimes this dream falls to the wayside later in life when the reality of a long veterinary education sets in. But fret not; you can still have a taste of your Dr. Doolittle dreams by volunteering at local shelters or adopting your own menagerie of pets. After all, adults need furry friends too.
For every dream that’s set aside, there’s another dream fulfilled. While my research revealed that perhaps superheroes and cowboys are aspirations best left in childhood, there are still several inspirational stories of those who are making their dreams a reality: lawyers just graduating from law school, writers working nightly on their novels, and animal lovers plugging through pre-vet exams. Anything is possible, if it’s what your heart truly wants.
Be realistic about why you want what you want. Do you want the reality of your dream or the fantasy?
Don’t let television dictate what you think is real. Find out what the job is really like before deciding it’s your ideal.
Start small. No one makes a career happen overnight. Find ways to participate in your dream field, even if they’re not bringing in the big bucks.
Surround yourself with people that understand. You need support to follow your dreams. Nothing picks you up after failure like the voices of those who believe in you completely.
Never stop dreaming. Make a list of new and exciting dreams annually and don’t be afraid if your goals change, just always be honest about what you truly want. Follow your heart and you can do no wrong.
Most of us have seen button stud earrings, and maybe even the cluster button earrings. Either way, here’s a new twist on the popular trend. I call them Swivel Stacked Button Earrings. They are extremely easy to make, and can be done using all kinds of variations, colors, and different kinds of beads.
Flat Headpins (preferably the long ones)
Buttons in assorted colors and sizes (you could also experiment with different shapes for unique looks)
Various beads (small ones are used to keep buttons on headpin, while others can be used for decorative purposes)
French Hook Earrings
Wire Trimmers
Needle Nose Pliers
Since most buttons have too large of a whole, you’ll need to first put a small bead on the headpin to keep buttons from sliding off.
Take your buttons and put them on in any order you want. You can vary from size or colors depending on the look you want. At this point, you can also add various beads if you choose.
Once you’ve got your earrings looking the way you want, it’s time to attach the headpin to a French hook earring. Assuming you have quite a bit of length left on your headpin, this is where you can trim off any excess. Be sure to leave enough length to make a loop to attach your earring hook. Now you will use your needle nose pliers to loop the excess of the pin (like a jump ring) so the earring hook is attached. Make sure you close your loop tight enough so they don’t slip off your earrings.
If all went well, you should now have a funky pair of dangling earrings!
The mod youth culture of the early 1960s used the word rave to describe any wild party in general. People who were quite commonly seen in attendance to the parties were sometimes called ravers. However specifically speaking of the rave culture and how it started, the terms rave and rave party have been used since the late 1980s worldwide to describe dance parties. This subculture was inspired by the acid house movement. DJs and other performers play electronic music of a wide range including happy hardcore, trance and jungle at these parties.
The rave attendees go to dance, socialize, use drugs and have fun in an uninhibited way with like minded people. Attendees also commonly partake in the use, distribution or sale of club drugs such as MDMA, LSD, cocaine, amphetamines and, most recently, ketamine.
Candy ravers can primarily trace their style of fashion to the late 1980s culture and the “Summer of Love” in the United Kingdom. Fashion in clubs at the time were primarily day-glo colored attire, smiley face clothing, beads and whistles.
In the US this loud, colorful and inviting style was used to locate the drug dealer at rave parties. This cute attire however caught on and the candy ravers formed a community of Peace Love Unity and Respect. The lifestyle and mantra lives on throughout old skool and new ravers alike. The candy rave scene has died out a bit since it’s abundance in the mid 90s and early 00s but raves can still be found if you look around and the fashion has evolved and lives on. It has been said that the style is similar to the decora style of Harajuku in Tokyo, Japan. Each style has a completely different community and mantra; it’s kind of like saying hippies and beatniks are the same. Candy ravers continue to adore the color, fun and happiness and unity of an adoration for the cuter, more colorful things in life.
