The Anachronism Steampunk: Visit to Edo in NYC

Legendary NYC nightclub, Webster Hall (it used to host the original Surrealist balls with Salvador Dali) hosted the Anachronism’s Steampunk: Visit to Edo event. 

The event had a fashion show, several music acts, dance, art demonstrations and even a cosplay burlesque showcase.   Vendors offered handcrafted Steampunk jewelry and fashion. 

Thirsty?  The cocktail menu was appropriately themed, ranging from the "Tesla Coil" and "Clockwork Lotus" and an entire section devoted to Absinthe.

Of course, the ensembles were the real stars of the venue.  Outfits of guests ranged from courtly Renaissance, to studious spectacled gentlemen.  Corseted kimonos were popular, with many ensembles made by hand by artists and crafters themselves.  My favorite of the day had to belong to Genevieve of the Goth/Steampunk band, Psyche Corporation, who co-sponsored the event.  She had a fantastic outfit crafted from vintage spindles and spools. 

The cosplay burlesque show was truly original, though the performances were definitely uneven.  Acts were inspired by everything from Cowboy Bebop, Bioshock’s Little Sister, Dr. Van Helsing, and disturbingly (on many counts) Freddy Krueger and Hannibal Lecter.  The definite favorite was the woman who based her act on the famous Japanese painting, “Fisherman’s Daughter” and ended the show with a provocative entanglement with a giant octopus…(Hentai fans anyone?)

F.I.T.'s Tokyo Fashion Festa

 Earlier this month, amid the chaos that was NY Fashion Week, the Museum at FIT hosted the Lolitas, Cosplay and fantasy hair and makeup at the Tokyo Fashion Festa.

A fashion show was presented featuring manga, cosplay and Gothic fashion.  There were makeup and hair demonstrations to complete the fashion looks.  Following the style portion, there was a tea party reception for all the participants and fans. This festival was an extension to the current museum exhibit, Japan Fashion Now that has been extended until April 8, 2011.
Hair & Makeup photos by Lawrence Brenner.  Cosplay Photos by Philip Ng.

Japan Fashion Now Exhibit at the Museum at FIT

Inspiration from the East?  Avant-garde or Super-sweet?  Gothic? Anime?  What do you think of when you think of Japanese fashion?  The current exhibit at the Museum of FIT investigates the tipping point of Japan as a fashion heavyweight in the 1980's to current streetwear influences.  Edgy designers like Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto bridged philosophy and art with functional clothing.  

There is a gallery of a futuristic Tokyo and a range of styles representing subcultures of Forest Girl, Kawaii, Gothic Lolitas and Cosplay.

The exhibit runs until January 8, 2011 and is located at 27th street and 7th avenue in NYC.

There and Black Again: Aguri Sagimori from Tokyo Fashion Week

OK, we know fashionistas around the world (and especially Goth-loving fashionistas) love black as a wardrobe staple. Can you truly keep things beautiful, unique and creatively interesting for each and every outfit with only one color? Answering this question with a resounding YES during last month's Tokyo Fashion week was Aguri Sagimori.

Her looks for this season used the textures of black to cleverly reveal the body in different ways. The styling of the hair and models were reminscent of Daryl Hannah's character in Blade Runner.

The 24 year old designer was one the more highly anticipated shows of the event and won both the Prize for Excellence at the New Designer Fashion Grand Prix and the Nagoya Fashion Grand prix Contest in 2007.

Fur Fur's Shipwreck Goth Fashion show in Tokyo

Might this actually be a new genre of dark fashion aesthetic? Aya Furuhashi's collection for Fur Fur at Tokyo fashion week showed Victorian inspired pieces last week along a vintage clothing strewn runway. A dreamy live band played while models gave the impression of distressed damsels lost at sea. Bustles and bloomers met frayed edges, lace and rope trim.

Mikio Sakabe's Manga Themed Fashion Show

Japan Fashion Week designer Mikio Sakabe staged a manga-inspired fashion show on Friday in Tokyo's Akihabara district, as part of the Akihabara Entertainment Festival. Not exactly Goth, but the looks did put an edgy spin to Kawaii and maid-inspired looks with tulle, candyland colors, and animal ears as accessories. Models were courtesy of the area's famous themed "Maid" cafes. The adorable ladies walked the runway in a tribute to anime, manga and other modern Japanese entertainment forms.

Japanese Goth Fashion Icons - Kokusyoku Sumire

Kokusyoku Sumire is a music group that combines opera, rock, classical and electronica via its two musicians Yuka and Sachi. The talented pair are also gorgeous poster children for Japanese Goth and the Goth-Loli fashion style. They are also the models for Lolita-inspired "Angelic Pretty" collection. Their live shows and music show a multi-disciplinary range and are often cute and unsettling at the same time. Of course, each appearance and video is a beautiful showcase in elaborate Gothic and Lolita fashion

The Courtesan's Fashion Library: Japanese Goth

Japanese Goth
Hitting the bookshelves this week is a gorgeous book displaying a range of our favorite looks in Victorian, punk, anime, lace, and vampire-inspired lolitas. While the mainstreaming of Gothic fashion and culture keeps getting bigger and bigger, here is a book that presents it as the diverse artform it really is.

"Gothic culture in Japan doesn't mean listening to Bauhaus and wearing all black," says author Tiffany Godoy, a Tokyo-based fashion writer who co-created the book with Ivan Vartanian. "It explores core elements of Japanese culture like the supernatural, fantasy, folklore, religion, eroticism, gender, beauty, and performance, among others."

Not just a pretty tome, the author also continues into investigating the deeper inspirations, "There are so many elements that come into play: the island culture and mentality, isolationism, the shift of culture from pre– and post–World War II. I want to truly reflect the culture and ideas of the various scenes." Click here for a slideshow preview of what you will find inside.

Click to pre-order or buy: Japanese Goth