Happy Halloween!

Awww of the week :)

Awww of the week belongs to Pokke , the sweetest & naughtiest kitty on Flickr

Gothic Lolita, Gothic style and Punk - Part I

Today is Halloween. A very well known holiday

most widely celebrated by Americans. Once a year,

everyone gets the excuse to live out their fantasies

and dress up as someone or something else.

In some countries like Japan, it is Halloween every

day. If you've never heard of the fashion movement

called Gothic Lolita, the picture above sums it up very

well. Think Gothic and frilly/girly together. Visions of rococo,

Victorian and old French styles can further give you an idea of

what Gothic style is like. It doesn't seem like any of these fashion

types would fit together but trust the Japanese to invent new

movements in fashion. It's actually a fascinating subculture and

it is commonto see people every day in Tokyo walking around

in costumes.

One may wonder why the Japanese are so creative in fashion,

animation and design. My theory is that their culture is so centered

around society rather than self, that there are few outlets for stress

and individual expression. And Voila! You see their expression in

outlandish fashion, outrageously beautiful packaging/design

and animation/stories that few can dream of.

Some of the Gothic fashion is related to punk fashion as you

see to the left hand side. I particularly love the juxtaposition of

the men's wear on this super cute little girl to the right.

The left side is a very classic definition of Gothic Lolita.

Gothic fashion is broad and often subdivided into more niche

trends such as Gory or Grotesque Lolita, White Lolita, Punk

Lolita, Elegant Lolita and more. Conversely you have such

male subdivisions such as Elegant Gothic Aristocrat. Funny

enough, all of the above genres look exactly as they sound.

I, myself actually prefer the men's gothic style rather

than women's gothic lolita style. I wouldn't be caught

wearing a lacy black poofy dress. However, I wouldn't

mind wearing some of these get ups above. They rather

look a bit fantastical or like a video game character in a way.

Here's an example of Gothic Lolita make up. The model

above is probably a man. They do like to cross dress in

Japan although they are not necessarily interested in the

same sex. It's simply the culture there - they view

androgynous looks as beauty. In the USA, a boy who is

beautiful would probably be termed a "pretty boy" and

it would not necessarily be a positive thing as it would

in Japan.

I once got it into my head that I wanted to streak my hair

blue like the model above. Of course I gave up when I

found out you first have to bleach black hair before you can

dye it what color you want. A bit inconvenient... I also don't

know how my hair would take it. I recently chopped my hair

and permed it. My hair is so straight that I had to have my

hair permed twice in a row for the perm to actually take.

Unbelievable!

Some Gothic Lolita fashions for a wedding ceremony.

When it comes to design in Japan, there are many companies

that specialize in niche styles. You can find almost any kind

of style or label there. The above is an advertisement for a

Gothic Lolita label.

This style is called "Dandy Gothic Style."

You can see on the left boy that he is wearing something like

a cravat. This is obviously inspired by eras past in England. I

quite covet the jacket on the left. I have a strange fascination

for skulls. I have a tendency to dress one of 4 ways...Casual,

Business, Very Girly, or what I call Bad Ass. Weird I know.

I think the jacket above appeals to my "Cool or Bad Ass"

sense of style.

The whole Gothic Lolita movement in Japan was started

and inspired but a genre called Visual Rock Bands in Japan.

Think alternative rock music but dolled up like this band

called "Versaille" above. If you can't tell, most of them are
men.

So you know how I said every day is Halloween in Japan?

Here's an example above of a teenager dressed up on a

weekend.

One may ask what one does dressed

this way. Having a picnic is a great idea.

Or you can have a lot of attention and get

your picture taken by strangers.

This is Carmen Yuen dressed in Gothic Lolita fashiong at

the famed San Diego Comic-con. If you're interested in

knowing more about Gothic Lolita, you must visit

Carmen Yuen's blog aka La Carmina. Her blog follows

all things Gothic Lolita and has a following of over 1 million

hits a month! It's astounding. She even has 2 book deals now

including one that will focus on themed restaurants in Tokyo.

What will you be doing this Halloween and

what will you or your children dress up as?

All photos from Carmen Yuen's La Carmina.

Soft Furnishing Modern Homes

Just found out about Pillow Modern site.. It gathers all the modern & fresh soft furnishings for your home
The rugs specially are exquisite :

Pillows:


& prints:

They have a wide range so click HERE to check it out.

Which Parisian are you?

Hippolyte Romain - artist, writer and set designer has an eye for detail and an uncanny knack of observation. His modern day water colours of Parisian life are a joy to behold and add yet another beautiful visual dimension to photographer Carla Coulson's book, Paris Tango.

Hippolyte has captured the multi cultural atmosphere and buzz outside Cafe de Flore on the Left Bank,

the Parisian 'fashionistas' enjoying a glam day out at the gallery.

and don't you just love his interpretation of walking the dog? 

Which 'Parisian' are you???

Please leave me a comment to enter the draw and win a copy of  Paris Tango - I will announce the winners at the beginning of next week.

Good Light

No matter how big or small, if a room has large windows, it will probably look great. Nothing beats LOTS of natural light. I'm not a huge fan of the color gray but the gray in the first picture is very pretty with all the light coming in the window.

The Traditional Chinese Dress - The Cheongsam or the Qipao

The Chinese traditional dress is what I consider to be one of the classics.

The modern day version of the dress is very sexy and feminine and can

be worn casually or formally depending on the length and the fabric used.

The mother above looks fabulous with her short and pink cotton cheongsam.

The terms of Qipao and Cheongsam mean the same thing in different dialects.

The original cheongsam was wide and loose, covering most of the woman's

body. The baggy nature of the clothing also served to conceal the figure of the

woman. With time, though, the qipao were tailored to become more form

fitting and revealing. The modern version, which is now recognized popularly

in China as the "standard" qipao, was first developed in Shanghai around

1900, after the Qing Dynasty fell. At that time, Chinese could freely wear

whatever they liked without the fear of penalty from the government (the

Qing government had strict control over their citizens' dress code down to the

way men wore their hair).

After World War I, prostitutes from overseas flocked to Shanghai,

wearing their exposing and body-hugging dresses. This brought

pressure to local prostitutes, whom were still wearing the original

baggy qipao. Thus, high-class brothels in Shanghai redesigned the

qipao to be body-hugging with side slits for their prostitutes. However,

only high-class prostitutes could wear these redesigned qipao at that

time. Slender and form-fitting with a high cut, it contrasted sharply

with the traditional qipao.

This girl looks very pretty and

demure in her modern Qipao.

A photo from the past of women hanging

out in short summer Chinese dresses.

The shortened collar represents a more

modern style of the Cheongsam.

Formal portraits were taken

in a Cheongsam as well.

Here's a vintage advertisement with a model in a short Qipao.

Many period Chinese films also make use of

the traditional garment. Maggie Cheung in

the well known film "In the Mood for Love."

The higher collar represents an earlier

time in the 20th century.

It is also a favorite of singers and performers.

And also the choice of many

Asian movie stars.

A modified version of the Cheongsam with a halter top.

It's a great example of the melding of Eastern and Western design.

Nicole Kidman looks fabulous in this

more traditional take on the dress.

And even popular dolls in Asia are garbed with it.

Here's Blythe in a Cheongsam.

Don't forget to get your submissions in for

the Material Girl's design contest sponsored

by Swank Lighting! The grand prize is a pair

of these gorgeous lamps above in any color!

This is one contest you really don't want to miss.

Either of the links above will give you information

about the contest. I will be serving as one of the guest

judges for Swank Lighting. The submission deadline is

this Saturday on November 1, 2008.

Good Luck!

All photos from Flickr, Swank Lighting

and history bits from Wikipedia.

Christie Chase Home Tour

I loved Christie Chase's home, so I had to share it here :) it shows a great personality & care for details >>
{Thanks to Design*Sponge}

Chic Digs: J.K. Place Hotel in Florence

The J.K. Place Hotel in Florence, Italy is a destination in and of itself. Set amid the backdrop of a medieval city steeped in tradition, the J.K. Place is an utterly chic and modern refuge located on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella. The upscale boutique hotel which consists of 20 rooms, was designed by the revered Italian architect and interior designer, Michele Bonan (pronounced mii-keh-leh), the creative genius behind the design of almost every Ferragamo-owned hotel.

Michele believes loves designing hotels and feels that each one should have "its own soul". "I try to avoid details that annoy me- such as colours that don't allow you to see whether a room is clean and cushions that are too hard," he says. "I also hate those tiny bottles of toiletries, which is why the bottles at J.K. Place are so huge." Bonan frequently mixes contemporary and traditional elements and favors the use of local materials (in this case, Tuscan stone and wild boar hide). Michele strives to create spaces where form meets function and makes sure to implement walk-in closets and bathrooms in which the W.C. is separate from the shower and sink.

The beautiful J.K. Place features ebony wenge floors, high-end lighting, all wrapped in shades of cream, brown, and grey. The result is warm and inviting, yet it manages to simultaneously give off a chic and sexy vibe. Aside from being an incredible design hotel, the J.K. Palace is renowned for its amiable and attentive service. Rooms range from 350 Euro per night for a Classic Room to 1,000 Euro per night for a Master Room.

The J.K. Lounge

The Hotel's Library

The gorgeous dining room where guests eat breakfast together sits beneath a glass-domed ceiling. The look of this room totally reminds me of this.

The Elegant Marble Staircase

An ultra-chic sitting area in one of the suites

The hotel is housed in a building from the 18th century. Many of its original details, such as the intricate ceiling in this room lend themselves beautifully to Bonan's design aesthetic.

Lovely chairs and sketches

A close-up look of the sitting area in the Master Room

The Master Room

The well-appointed bathroom features an incredible view of Florence

All images via J.K. Place Hotel