Category Archive for Alternative Canada
Shinjuku Lumine & Ikebukuro Sunshine City: Joyrich, World Wide Love. VANCOUVER, party with me & be on TV!

How are you pirates doing today? For those in sore spirits, I hope this life-size Rilakkuma bear lifts your mood.
And here’s a treat for my fellow Vancouver-ites… I’m hosting a party, to be filmed for a German TV show, June 15! Please share the info below; I hope you can join me for Spooky Saturday.

La Carmina is hosting a German TV show, about underground culture and travel in Vancouver. With her friends DJ Pandemonium and Sin City, we’re throwing a dark alternative flash mob party for the climax scene of the episode — where she and the German host party hard, and reveal a fascinating body modification!
Come and meet La Carmina, and be part of the TV shoot. The crazier you dress (fetish, Goth, costume, bizarre), the more likely you will be featured on the show. It will air later this year on Pro Sieben Germany, to an audience of 4 million viewers. When it airs, the clip and photos will be available on my blog, so be sure to check back.
Details below, and on the Facebook invite. Anyone who RSVPs simply by clicking Join gets on the guest list, and receives half price admission for only $3.
WHERE: Waldorf Hotel Tiki Bar, 1489 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC.
WHEN: Saturday June 15, 9pm to 2am
AGE: 19+ with ID
DRESSCODE: Anything goes, but bizarre – fetish – club kid – Goth – carnival is encouraged.

Now, let’s continue our Tokyo shopping journey with trips to Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City and Shinjuku’s Lumine.
Long-time readers may recall that I have an Ikebukuro map and store photos in my Tokyo shopping guide. This district is not far from Shinjuku, and contains plenty of cute fashion boutiques.

From the subway, follow signs to Sunshine City. It’s a large complex and the stores sell some of the best kawaii goods, like these cat-ball plushies and polka dot bags.

On the first floor, World Wide Love is pastel ghoul paradise.

How amazing are these French-speaking ghosts?

The poppy-Goth fashion reminds me of Peace Now (the Japan Goth brand that closed down).

I can never resist funny-faced bags like these.

The prices are pretty good – around $30 for sweaters and tops. Naomi bought the lavender cardigan with ghostly accents.

Next door is Ne-Net, the label starring a shifty-eyed black cat. I’m not sure what’s going on with these shoes — are they supposed to be bird-faced?

My Melody is a popular character these days, and is the star of this Sanrio store window.

If you’re looking for Tokyo kawaii goods, definitely stop by Ikebukuro Sunshine Doori.

Now, here’s a mall I haven’t featured before: Lumine, located above the Shinjuku subway station.
There are multiple floors of Japanese and international boutiques, like Joyrich.

The designs are slightly more mature than the girly pop of Shibuya 109. However, you can likewise find romantic gyaru fashion here.

I bought these cut-out shoes with hearts and ribbons, in the nude color. How could I not?

Some of the stores in Lumine are quite high-end, such as this avantgarde shop.

Others are trendy but reasonably priced, like Emoda.

Jeffrey Campbell shoes are a favorite among the Japanese.

Cut-outs and bows, yes and yes.

There isn’t much subculture fashion in Lumine, but I enjoyed the Amavel store, which has elements of Country Lolita, Alice in Wonderland and schoolgirls. I got my white rabbit clockwork purse here.

Lumine’s selection is not as focused as Marui One (Goth Lolita Punk) and Shibuya 109 (gyaru pop). Among the mix, I found a 1980s-loving boutique.

I enjoy browsing Lumine because of the wide variety of fashions. You can pick and choose items to create your own look. These heart creepers, for example, could work for a Pastel Goth coordinate.

What do you think of the clothing and shoes in this post? Are you enjoying these store photos?

PS: I took a video of this dancing Rilakkuma bear, using the Vine app. Add me on Vine (search for “La Carmina”) to see this and more.
PPS: I hope to party with you, Vancouver! RSVP now and share the news with your friends.
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Off to the Maldives, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Montreal Kinetik Festival! United Arab Emirates & South Asia travels.

All right, here’s the big news. In May, I’ll be traveling to four international destinations: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the Maldives Islands, and Montreal for Kinetik Festival! What will I be doing, how, and why? Keep reading.
(Hair in the above photo by Kukukachoo, shot by Said Karlsson. More from this series here)

You know I’m all about being a Pirate, and I’ve daydreamed of visiting the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. Eco-friendly luxury resort Gili Lankanfushi is making this a reality… my filmmaking crew and I will be staying with them and sharing our “Treasure Island” adventure with you!

Can’t wait to explore this five star eco-resort, accessible only by speedboat. I’ll be staying in my own tropical villa, surrounded entirely by water, with a Mr Friday to assist me. Be sure to add my social networks (on the right sidebar) for a glimpse of the pirate life.

After the Maldives, my crew and I are jetting to Dubai, a destination that’s been on my bucket list for some time. We’ll be guests of The Fairmont Palm Jumeirah, located on the swank, man-made Palm Islands. This video and article coverage will be published on Huffington Post / AOL.

I’m fascinated by Dubai, a city of lavish imagination — home to the world’s largest mall and artificial island, 7-star hotel Burj Al Arab, and outrageous developments like a World-shaped archipelago. I hope I don’t fall off a camel when I ride it for the first time. (Above image from Wikipedia)

And then, we’ll be filming travel videos at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi, a classical Middle Eastern city home to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Funny enough, I first heard of the United Arab Emirates though Garfield’s Abu Dhabi song (where he threatens to mail Nermal away). Now, I’ll be seeing the UAE with my own eyes.

And that’s not the end. In late May, Montreal Tourism Board is sending me to Kinetik Festival, a four-day celebration of Electro-Industrial-Noise. I’m certain you’ll enjoy my video coverage, since performance artist Lauren (from Death Cookbook days) and Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection will be my co-hosts!

Super grateful to all of you for supporting my writing and presenting work, which makes these trips possible. My film team and I are going to work hard, and bring you the best possible coverage of these international destinations.
Do you have UAE, Maldives, and Montreal travel tips for us? Is there anything you’d like us to feature? Let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best. (I’ve never been to any of these places, except Montreal as a kid.)
PS: Thank you to Atlas Obscura for interviewing me about my “subculture nomad” life. You can also read my Adone street style and South China Morning Post features online (photo above from their Encounters travel magazine).
PPS: My June and July plans are already in motion… where do you think I’ll be? Hint, the continent is Asia…
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Tags: South Asia Travel 54 Comments
LA CARMINA


