New York Comic-Con Style Report

New York Comic-Con was once called "Geek Prom" by a local news anchor.  I can't say I disagree.  The effort that enthusiastic fans have put into their looks is enough to rival any eager high school senior I can think of...

Here are your Lolitas:

 Your Goths:

 Your cosplay characters, anime, superheros and "undetermined"...

Photos by Adam Weinstein

Fort Tryon Medieval Festival

This past weekend Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival was hosted in Northern Manhattan. The beautiful park was filled with enthusiastic fans dressed in garb from different time periods.  A few were in cosplay, and some in darker, Gothic attire or steampunk.

One of the biggest annual events in this quiet part of Manhattan, it drew a lot of families.  While there were a lot of little girls dressed as princesses like previous years, this year I saw a large portion of them wielding weapons like crossbows and swords. Dressing like a pirate was quite popular among the young female set, and I think I have to thank the Hunger Games effect for the resurgence of archery.

There were performances of music, sword fighting, crafts, etc.  Lots of vendors if you need a handcrafted leather mask, hilt or viking hat...

Steamy Gentlemen at Prada Fall 2012

Gentlemen, I understand I don't cater to your stylish tastes enough.  Ladies, you could all use some eye candy. Prada's Fall 2012 menswear collection takes care of both.  Celebrities like Emile Hirsch, Gary Oldman, Willem Defoe strutted the runway with chiseled male models.

The most recent men's runway from the Italian designer had darker, dapper styling than we are used to.  Breast pockets were adorned with steampunk-friendly spectacles, burnished metal embellishments and other trinkets.

The clothes mixed vintage patterns with pinstripes with a color palette friendly to those with a Gothic aesthetic.

Guys? Could you rock this collection?
photos by Monica Feudi of feudiguenari.com

Creepy, (Not Halloween) Home Decor

The Offbeat Bride is one of my favorite blogs for non-traditional bridal style.  They had a great post in response to a reader question about how to create a Gothic Home Decor aesthetic for their home without making it look like it was decorated for Halloween.  They had a great roundup of home goods that fit the bill...

They had everything from  glass skull door knobs, bat wall stickers, skeletal lawn flamingos, voodoo doll toothpick holders (both which I already own)  anatomical plates...   Check out their post here.

Lady Gaga Fame Launch Party

Lady Gaga will never be a wallflower.  Her launch party for her fragrance FAME at the Guggenheim Museum last week was no exception.  She was coiffed like a regal gypsy, and napped in a giant perfume bottle, and got tattooed on the back of her head in front of her guests.

Fashion's elite came out in droves to celebrate the pop icon, like Marc Jacobs, Charlotte Ronson, Alexander Wang to name a few.  The fragrance project allowed her to work with some of her favorite creatives like Steven Klein and Nick Knight.  The tattoo on her head was of an angel that represented the recently departed mother of photographer Terry Richardson.

Check out this dark, Gothic, Phantom of the Opera inspired promo video:

 Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Betsey Johnson - 40 Years of Lolita Fashion

Fashion icon Betsey Johnson has been making Lolita-friendly, whimsical frocks for over 40 years.  Tuesday night at a Manhattan nightclub, there was a runway show/birthday party/concert in her honor.

I have to say it was one of my favorite fashion events that I have ever attended as my childhood pop icon, Cyndi Lauper opened the show performing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and True Colors.  She was dressed on a Gothic/punk Lolita outfit of black tulle skirt, swiss dot bustier and studded leather jacket.

Next, the models danced down the runway in outfits that spanned from Betsey Johnson's 1960's looks all the way through current seasons of 2012.  Pink champagne, pink popcorn and pink cupcakes were served to guests who danced the night away until the sun came up!

Paralympics Goes Steampunk

In case you missed it...The Olympics closing ceremonies showed us fantastic Gothic fashion with Annie Lennox and crew.  For the Paralympics, Rihanna and Coldplay wowed us with a brilliant display of Steampunk.

More in the sets than the fashion, the ornate metal contraptions, Edison bulbs, clockwork gears, vintage cars ruled the stadium. Check out the performance: