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Category Archive for Alternative Canada

Vancouver Anime Evolution convention with Seby: manga, cosplay, Jpop fans. New writing job: Business Insider!

purple ombre hair, red hair ombre, goth hairstyles

Victory sign for Anime Evolution! Seby and I were guests at this anime convention, held in my hometown of Vancouver, and had a splendid time.

Read on for cosplay cuteness, and to learn about my new journalism job at Business Insider.

men's leather jackets, danier leather jacket

This was our first Canadian anime con, and they treated us royally. (That’s my leather hooded jacket, by Danier…)

west coast suites, ubc hotel, vancouver

Seby and I enjoyed the beautiful UBC campus, where the annual event was held.

long white dress, liz lisa dress, mori girl

We met a squirrel along this nature pathway. I’m wearing a long, scalloped white dress and crochet jacket by Liz Lisa (Japanese gyaru brand), bought last month in Sogo Hong Kong.

anime evolution, vancouver anime con

We were guests of honor at the three-day convention, a celebration of anime, manga, gaming, and other Jpop fandom.

anime convention guest, jrock hair, final fantasy mog toy

Thank you to everyone who came to our panels (including this stuffed Mog from Final Fantasy).

anime convention panels, speech

Seby and I gave a panel about living and traveling in Japan, including tips about visas, staying in ryokans, best flights and season, ways to keep costs low, and how to use the subway. Hopefully you found our advice helpful; we encourage you to learn more and visit Japan!

cute cat drawings, cat sketches

We also did two autograph signing sessions. Seby drew his cat (Mara Maura) and mine (Basil Farrow). What do you think of the resemblance?

big cat stuffed toy, cat face pillow

In addition to convention booklets, we signed arms, tshirts, stuffed bears and staff badges.

blue purple hair, blue dyed hair, braids

Close-up on my blue-purple-red ombre hair, which I straightened and braided.

grey sheer dress, two percent hong kong

Wearing a long, sheer grey top/dress by TwoPercent Hong Kong. My fuzz-face purse looks like a Totoro dust sprite, but it’s actually the Hong Kong character Hyoma.

cosplayers, snow white costume, cosplay convention

Anime Evolution was celebrating its 10th anniversary, and had a number of special events like a cosplay contest, opening and closing ceremonies, and meet-and-greet dinner. Loved seeing how everyone dressed up.

kingdon hearts keyblade, sora

Seby tried with all his might to grab this Kingdom Hearts keyblade.

alpaca toys, llama stuffed animals, sailor moon art nouveau

So much to see in the Dealer’s Hall and Artist’s Alley. I particularly liked the stuffed pastel alpaca toys, and the Sailor Moon meets Art Nouveau work, inspired by Alphonse Mucha’s works.

vancouver comic con, anime convention fans

Thank you to Anime Evolution for inviting us, and to all the volunteers and attendees for their kindness. We hope to be back next year!

batman leggings, granville island vancouver

In our downtime, Seby and I went to Acadia Beach, and to Granville Island.

granville island ferry dock, marina

I guess someone wants to put me in his pocket…

bat printed leggings, goth stockings

My “happy bat” tights and black-white striped platform shoes are both from the Hong Kong Izzue store (more photos to come).

business insider, journalist, writer, contributor

Let’s end with some exciting news: I have a new writing position at Business Insider! I’ll be contributing articles about travel, pop culture and trends worldwide.

Enjoy my first article on Japan’s cat-crazy culture. Featuring Hello Kitty, Hangry & Angry, Doraemon and a cameo by my Scottish Fold cat. Thanks for reading!

Have you been to an anime convention? What was your experience like? And did you spot Basil Farrow in my kitty article?

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Montreal Goth alternative travel: Canadian art & magic! Grover artist studio, musical swings & pink balls.

Montreal fashion, gladnews, nu goth metal clothing

Can you believe — I haven’t traveled anywhere in Canada (except Vancouver) for almost ten years? Bad, bad. There’s so much to coolhunt in my home country, especially in dark and artsy Montreal.

I made up for this void with a press trip to cover Kinetik Festival and the Goth-alt-art scene in Montreal. For those who need a refresher in Canadian geography, this bilingual city is on the East side of Canada, in the French province of Quebec. I’ve only been here once, for a few days as a pre-teen, and don’t remember much of it.

nu goth fashion, modern gothic, clothing

Montreal and Canada Tourism make it possible for me to re-discover the city, and share my journey with you. They flew in performance artist Lauren, now located in NYC, to help with photos and videos. We stayed at the Hôtel de l’Institut downtown.

kyary pamyu pamyu hair, alien hairstyle

In recent years, Montreal has gained hip comparisons to Berlin and New York. The food’s great (as Anthony Bourdain professes), and there are many alternative events such as Pride or Fierté, coming up in mid-August.

studded biker boots, heavy metal dress, goth eyepatch

For our first day’s outing, I wore the bedazzled light-up eyepatch Cat Morley made for me, in her Crafter to the Stars series. She perfectly captured my Pirate-cute aesthetic!

Very Metal dress: GladNews, from Shibuya 109 (see photos of this Tokyo gyaru department store)
Studded black motorcycle boots: Yosuke, from Shibuya 109
Black sheer ruffle jacket: Ozz Croce, from Closet Child Tokyo

Montreal gothic church, hipsters, shops

The tourism board set us up with a guide, who browsed my blog and gave us “a walk on the dark side.” In addition to Montreal’s main attractions (the Market, the winding metal staircases), we drove down graffiti-covered streets and saw Goth churches converted to apartment buildings, complete with belltowers.

kill bill mural, avantgarde experimental theater

We passed Theatre du Creation, an experimental theater that has yet to open its doors.

magic store, charme et sortilege

“Whoops!” said our guide. He remembered a white magic shop that he once walked past, and thought it would be the perfect place to take us.

Montreal magick shop, goth shops

He was right. We were charmed by Charme & Sortilege, seller of all things “sorcellerie, wicca, ésotérisme.”

Montreal gothic fashion, jewelry, tarot

Lauren and I browsed the silver jewelry, candles, books and skulls. A wall held a rack of hooded robes.

witchcraft store, new age shops

Don’t I look like a character from The Craft?

white cat, witch magic store

You know you’re in a “magie blanche” boutique when there’s a white cat prowling around. Note the brooms in the back!

Immeubles Grover, montreal atelier

Next, our guide drove us to an art collective: Ateliers Grover on rue Parthenais. (The winding metal staircase in the background is a typical feature of Montreal houses, and a slip-hazard for mail carriers in the winter.)

cat murals, wall paintings

Follow the cats, painted on the walls, and you’ll arrive at the artists’ studios.

Montreal coffee shop, Ateliers au Grover, red ombre hair

A quick stop in the coffeeshop. Do you like my new hair? My stylist, Stephanie Hoy at Avant Garde Studio Vancouver, gave me a dark purple to red ombre color. The “alien antenna” hairstyle is inspired by Jpop star, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

rib cage art, hipster mirrors

The locals are generally bilingual, so you won’t have any trouble ordering in either English or French. (As some of you know, I’m fluent in French — a fact officially certified by the tourism board!)

Montreal artist studio, gallery

We visited several artists working in their Grover studios. Two big, woofing dogs welcomed us into this ceramic-worker’s space.

edward scissorhands doll, gothic figurines

An epic arrangement featuring Edward Scissorhands and teeth. We filmed a travel video about our adventures, so stay tuned for the footage.

velvet moustache, kawaii stuffed pillows

When we walked into the Velvet Moustache workspace, we knew we were in the right place.

alien toys, monkey plush animal

These handmade, stuffed animal pillows are as cute as anything you’ll find in Japan. You can find their toys, charms and sleep masks online, and they’ll be selling crafts in Vancouver this November.

montreal pink balls, claude cormier, boules Roses

Montreal is wonderfully supportive of public art projects. Without telling us what to expect, our guide took us to Sainte-Catherine Street East, aka the Gay Village. What a delight to see 170,000 pink balls (Boules Roses by Claude Cormier) strung in rows above the road.

Montreal swings, 21 Balançoires

We also swung by “Les 21 Balançoires,” a large-scale art installation featuring seven sets of swings outside the Quartier des Spectacles.

21 swings public art, musical swing set, Quartier des Spectacles in

As you sway back and forth, sounds play to match the movement. The notes change, depending on your height, speed and position. (Here’s a Vine video of my friend in action.)

Montreal clothing stores, fashion bloggers, shopping

On the way back, we stopped by Morisset, an indie-rocky clothing store. My purse is by Hyoma from Izzue Hong Kong, and I want this mirror because it makes me look six feet tall.

More Montreal on the way, including vintage stores, bagel tastings and the Goth-Industrial festival Kinetik. I created a new Alternative Canada category; I’m determined to write more about my home and native land!

pastel goth nail art, kuromi nails

I leave you with my pastel Goth Kuromi nail art by Glam Nail Studio. You can see more cuteness on my Instagram and Tumblr.

Have you ever visited Montreal? What do you think of my Kyary alien hairstyle, and did you miss my red color?

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