Month Archive for February 2010
AKINA SPOOKY FAIRYTALE BOOK GIVEAWAY! RIP PER NORDKVIST, SWEDISH GOTH STABBED & KILLED BY 5 TEENAGERS.
Hooray for a new giveaway! My friend Lang Leav of Akina is releasing a long-awaited “novel picture book Not for children” on March 5 — and we’re giving you the chance to win book #13 out of a limited run of 100.
Charlie’s Widow continues the story of Akina, who once crept into the pristine world of fairytales and nursery rhymes, leaving behind a devastating trail of destruction. After years of plotting and scheming, she is set to invade Charlie’s chocolate factory, turning sweet-as-cotton-candy girls into bloodthirsty, button-hungry villains- before setting them on a murderous rampage!
Charlie’s Widow features all new artworks and stories and is printed on linen paper, using archival inks and hand-bound with cloth, using an age-old accordion method. Incorporating a date stamped and hand embossed seal certificate, Charlie’s Widow is finished with her signature button closure, complete with rivet detailing and ornate metal corners.
None of you figured out the riddle to Yukiro’s standout hair — but if you’re able to decode this puzzler, you’re eligable to win!
Pressed to sweetness
Dark as night
Seeks a handful
Catches light
Your entry to
Such great delights
What do you think is the key to the riddle? Go on and email me the answer (gothiccarmina [at] gmail)
Please also subscribe to Akina’s mailing list and mine (on the top right of the sidebar, or above the Comments box). Good luck!
On a serious note… have you heard of the Sophie Lancaster murder, in which a UK Goth couple was attacked for the way they dressed? The sad story has repeated itself in Sweden: a Goth boy was brutally murdered by five teenagers. Last last Saturday night, Per Nordkvist was taking cash out of an ATM in Göteborg, when he was attacked by five boys between the ages of 15 and 18. Per managed to get away and jumped into a monorail, but he was stabbed badly with knives. Eight hours later, he died in the hospital.
Per didn’t know the teens who attacked him, nor did he provoke them. The Swedish media speculates that he was targeted because of his Gothic appearance. It’s frightening that such social intolerance and violence still exists towards alternative cultures; the victim could have been you or me…
You can see more about Per on a Facebook page in his memory. There are no news reports of this sad story in English, so please share this post to let others be aware.
La Carmina’s latest articles on CNNGo (see all eighteen pages of them here):
† Ancient designs get a modern makeover: samurai underwear? Yes please!
† Videos: Asia’s offbeat travel shows. Who are the Bourdains of Asia TV?
† Videos: UFOs and unexplained mysteries in Asia. Oooowweeeeoooooweee.
PS: I dig Charlie le Mindu’s autumn/winter 2010 collection. The mad wig-maker’s blue/black/crucifixes are very Mana-sama. See more photos on Dazed Digital.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain
Song of the Day #310: Enya – Orinoco Flow (suggested by Lemon)
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Akina contest ends midnight Pacific Time on Sunday, Feb 28, 2010. Maximum one (1) entry per person. Open internationally. To enter, follow the instructions above. You must include a valid email address (it will not be visible). Winners who provide the correct answer will be chosen with a random number generator; the order of entry determines your number. Winners will be contacted via email. The prize will be shipped by the manufacturer to the winner’s address; La Carmina is not responsible for lost or undelivered prizes. Contact Carmina if you have questions about the contest.
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HBO HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA LAUNCH PARTY. PRIVATE TV SHOW SCREENING AT LOFTSEVEN IN LOS ANGELES.
Look out Los Angeles — Yukiro Dravarious and La Carmina have landed! We kicked off the nightcrawling with HBO’s private launch party for a new TV show from the producers of Entourage: How to Make it in America.
StudioBooth took digital photos of the guests with a wireless remote, and then projected them on a large screen for everyone to see. (Don’t we look like bats?)
It was a pleasure to see old friend Rony of Rony’s Photobooth, who took the photos above and below.
Yukiro’s hair is newly died purple; I love the transitions between the dark and neon. He’s wearing homemade top and bottom eyelashes, and painted in his eyebrows thick for a Sunset Boulevard effect. How on Mars did Yukiro create the lift in his hair? It’s a secret… and we’re not telling!
Cheers to free champagne! I’m wearing a People’s Market dress (a London brand with boudoir and flapper influences), a NYC fabric market fringe around my neck, Daiso red rose hair clips, and my new Lip Service jacket. Black faux fur, spikes, vinyl… so over the top. I bought it because it reminds me of Gackt’s coat in the Vanilla PV.
The party was at LoftSeven, an airy white penthouse with a 360 degree view of downtown LA. We watched a preview of the HBO show, How to Make it in America, which “follows two enterprising Brooklyn twenty somethings as they hustle their way through New York City, determined to achieve the American Dream.” The artsy cast of characters strive to make it in fashion and energy drink entrepreneurship, with plenty of ups and downs and round-and-rounds.
No matter when or where, we’re dramatic. Rony came by and called us silly.
What did we think of the fashion at the party? In Yukiro’s words, “It was not top quality.” (Oh, I die!) The handful of grandmothers rocked, but everyone else wore generic upscale hipster… (You can see more pics on StudioBooth and Rony’s Photobooth).
And then we rushed back to meet the rest of the Undead Metal-Head Adventure Team. More LA coverage coming right up — and we’re off to Vegas tomorrow to promote the new clothing line at Magic Clothing Tradeshow! Will anyone be there? Come say hi to us at booth 21306!
Song of the Day #306: Gackt – Vanilla (in honor of my crazy jacket.)
LA CARMINA
