Category Archive for Fashion
Valley of Fire top Instagrammable photo spots! Halo.car electric car review: EV cars rentals from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Welcome to planet Mars! While in Las Vegas, I got a taste of the future of travel… by renting an electric vehicle from Halo.Car. We took the EV on a road trip to Valley of Fire, where we hiked the Fire Wave and shot photos in the most Instagram-worthy locations.
Read on for the (literally) red-hot adventure — and see my Instagram reel here for videos of our Halo.car journey to the Nevada state park!
At this stage in The Collapse, it’s nigh time that we move away from fossil fuels. If you’re in Las Vegas, booking a rental car from Halo.Car is the way to go for many reasons:
– It’s easy to use Halo’s app or site to book the EV, and select where you want it delivered. Halo Car has a fleet of Kia Niros and Chevy Bolts, which you can rent by the day or hour.
– The staff drops off the electric vehicle right to you in Vegas, and helps you get set up. Halo.car also has driverless delivery (domo arigato, Mr Roboto!)
– Charging an EV is simple, and costs far less than gas — yay for the environment and your wallet.
By having a Halo.car rental in Vegas, we were able to do day trips and explore outside the Strip. It only took about an hour to drive to Valley of Fire, the remarkable Jurassic-era state park located northeast of Sin City.
Outfit details: Protecting my eyes with DMY by DMY Billy sunglasses and a Lack of Color wave bucket hat. My purple dress with big bell sleeves is BlackMilk. Photos by Joey Wong, shot with a Nikon mirrorless camera.
Located in the Mojave Desert, Valley of Fire known for its brilliant red sandstone formations that date back 150 million years. The park covers 46,000 acres, so be prepared to spend a day here driving to the various natural attractions. (The entry costs $10 for Nevada vehicles, which is $5 less than the regular fee — we qualified, as we had a local Halo car!)
If you’re keen to take pictures at the most photogenic Valley of Fire locations, steer over to Mouse’s Tank Road. Chances are you have seen this scenic path on Instagram, framed by canyons and colorful rocks.
My purple dress is Blackmilk Clothing (Spectre Violet style). Find my DMY by DMY Billy sunglasses and Lack of Color wave bucket hat below.
You’ll need a car to access and explore Valley of Fire. Our Halo.Car had GPS and maps on its digital dashboard, making it easy for us to navigate. (It also had a USB plug so that we could blast Italo Disco MP3s!)
Joyful road trip vibes. Valley of Fire is a photographer’s dream — it’s full of Instagrammable spots like this one at Mouse Tank Road. (All images Joey Wong.)
Nature’s design is fascinating, isn’t it? Above are the Beehives, or layers of sandstone that developed grooved lines because of the different layers of silt deposits, which were affected by wind or water.
Valley of Fire is a bona fide Jurassic Park — the bright red sandstone dates back to this dinosaur period. Then, about 11,000 years ago, humans entered the scene and carved petroglyphs into the rocks.
Watch out for stinging scorpions… but say hello to the friendly desert wildlife, such as iguanas and lizards.
Needless to say, the Valley of Fire lives up to its name — temperatures are hot as hell! Come during the colder months of the year to avoid burning up, and wear tons of sun protection. (I only took off the hat for this quick photo.)
Bring lots of water and electrolytes, and make sure your electric car is charged up — there’s no cell or WiFi reception here. The high temperatures are no joke: we saw signs that said “Extreme heat warning, you might die.”
We got lucky, and came on a May day that had some breeze and clouds. Still, you can expect temperatures of close to 40 degrees Celsius.
The alien landscape is unlike anything I’ve seen. Check out the contrast of the gray, tan, and red Aztec limestone, as well as soft red sand.
The Nevada state park also contains ancient petrified trees, and tufts of heat-resistant bushes (primarily creosote, burro and brittlebush),
Find my fashion below:
Hiking the Valley of Fire feels like walking on another planet. The terrain ranges from hard red rock to soft sand with pebbles. We did half of the Fire Wave trail, which is a 1.5-mile loop (we went to the famous waves formations and back).
I changed to a more hike-appropriate outfit (tennis dress, kimono, backpack, and sneakers). The trail was moderately difficult, and it was hot out there…
… but we made it! Here is are the otherworldly striped sandstone peaks, which you can climb for cinematic photos. It’s named the Fire Wave because of the ocean-like ripples.
Keep in mind that the Fire Wave trail (and other parts of Valley of Fire) are closed during the hottest months of the year, so check for closure announcements before you go.
It can be difficult to stay on the trail, as the path isn’t paved or clearly demarcated. Look for piles of stones with a rod on top; these serve as markings to keep you going in the right direction.
I’m not usually an outdoors / nature person, but I’m trying to be more endured to the heat and tough conditions to better survive The Collapse… The Fire Wave hike was great practice for our Mad Max future.
We got “Vegased-out” after a few days in Sin City, so it was a joy to get out and do a road trip to Valley of Fire Park (an hour away).
We stopped to charge our electric Halo.Car at an Electrify America charging station. Charging the rental EV was simple: look up nearby stations on your dashboard map…
.. then plug it in, wait for the charge to get up to 80%, and pay with a credit card. We ate and did errands while we waited (I got collagen drinks, colloidal bandages and Mr Beast cookies), and the cost was far lower than if we had rented a gas-guzzler.
To see the Halo EV car charging in action, check out my reel on Instagram @lacarmina.
Dropping off the rental EV was a breeze: just park it anywhere in Vegas, let Halo Car know the drop-off point, and the staff will come pick it up! We left the EV on the top of the Aria parking lot.
Cheers to Halo.Car — their on-demand EV car-sharing service was a fabulous experience, and enabled us to have a road trip to remember!
Thanks to Halo’s short-term electric car rentals, we were able to do day trips from Vegas while going green and saving money on gas.
Keep Halo.Car in mind if you’re coming to Las Vegas, Nevada so that you can do a road trip like ours… Have you seen images of Valley of Fire before? Would you hike this Martian landscape?
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I wrote for The New York Times: Tiny Love Stories, Modern Love submission! Laforet Harajuku Goth kawaii shops.
Delighted to share a journalism / writing career milestone… I’m published in The New York Times “Tiny Love Stories!”
For NYT Styles – Modern Love, I wrote about how I met my best ghoul-friend, Yukiro, at Midnight Mess in Tokyo. The New York Times editor said she was moved by the submission and photos of our fabulous friendship!
In my debut essay for The New York Times, read how Yukiro and I went from partying in Japan to having adventures worldwide (above is a snap in LA from around 2012). We’ve traveled to Mexico, Lebanon, Germany, Egypt, India, Hong Kong, and many other countries so far (see our travel guides here).
Thank you for your support — it’s the reason I’m able to write meaningful, alternative stories for publications like the NY Times.
Above is a screenshot of our New York Times feature, published on NYT here. The photo is from our journey to India (vogueing in Jaipur, before we hung out with hijra or the third gender!). And here’s the text below:
“Why Not?” A night at a Tokyo goth club changed my life. I met Yukiro, a 6-foot-1 Swedish drag queen who dressed like the Bride of Frankenstein and cackled “O-ho-ho-ho!” After we tore up the dance floor, I asked Yukiro if he wanted to hang again. He answered with his catchphrase, “Why not?” A decade later, we’ve cackled and vogued at nightclubs in a dozen countries. Yukiro opened my eyes to countless others who share his fierce courage, from Lebanon’s trans artists to India’s hijra (third gender). When outsiders wonder why a drag queen is my best “ghoul-friend,” I reply, “Why not?”
— La Carmina (The New York Times Styles, Tiny Love Stories – Modern Love, 5/23/2023)
It was the Tokyo Goth subculture that brought us together… so I thought I’d give you a tour of Laforet Harajuku, the alt / youth culture department store. (Photos from my visit last fall.)
Since opening in 1978, LaForet shopping center has reigned as Harajuku’s hub of alternative fashion and art. I always come here to be inspired by the latest Jpop-influenced designs.
You’ll find all sorts of alt boutiques here, from Gothic Lolita to urban. Hangry and Angry recently revived their label, and invited me to visit them at LaForet.
Bubbles sneakers are currently the rage among Harajuku girls. These trainers feature a bubble sole.
The first floor of LaForet has collections from small, indie designers with edge.
Many of these handmade items are one-offs and can only be found in Japan.
LaForet also had vending machines of kawaii creatures.
Closeups on some of the charming handmade animals.
Everyone knows of Hello Kitty, but there are many other kawaii mascots to squeeze in Harajuku, like this minimalist bunny (reminds me a bit of Miffy).
Love the retro-altar aesthetic here.
How sweet are these plush bunnies?
LaForet is also home to the Sailor Moon Store, which is filled with character goods featuring the sailor scouts.
Usagi / Serena greets guests with gachapon machines.
You can pick up Sailor Moon keychains, candy drops, wands and more. (Remember when Yukiro and I visited the Sailor Moon Museum pop-up exhibit and cafe in Roppongi?)
LaForet Harajuku isn’t just about fashion — there’s plenty of pop culture art to discover here as well.
Anime, pastels, skulls and cute characters are the vibe here.
Laforet Harajuku has about 12 floors of fashion (some of them are “half” floors). If you have limited time, focus on the basement levels that are dedicated to Gothic, Lolita and Punk designers. (Above is a collab with Trolls dolls.)
Every type of “style tribe” is represented here. Nile Perch is all about pastels and fairy kei nostalgia.
This new boutique focused on romantic wedding dress / princess aesthetics.
A display of kimono-inspired outfits.
Love it when ancient Japanese garments meet modern streetstyle and anime.
Laforet has some food options as well, like this Milk sweets cafe that teamed up with Sanrio characters.
I couldn’t resist getting this Merry Jenny Miffy bag, in the large size!
I also got a plaid JSK dress with a cross and corset lacing, at Ank Rouge.
I was into the jirai kei (dark meets cute) styles at Ank Rouge, such as the plaid skirts and bat wing crop tops.
Lolita fashion isn’t as huge as it once was, but it still has a strong presence at Laforet Harajuku.
Although these youth styles change all the time, kawaii always dominates.
Rojita is another brand that’s all the rage right now. I see a lot of these jirai kei outfits worn around Tokyo by young women.
The platform heel patent shoes are a must (I got a pair here — the ones with the glitter heart on the side).
I was pleased to see a cyber – synthwave – vaporwave boutique as well.
The colors and prints of the 80s and 90s will never die.
As you can see, Laforet has many takes on Gothic styling.
These Lolita dresses have pentagram back straps and cross prints.
Here’s a devil bunny with horns and a pitchfork.
Amilige hails the Fallen Angel in a cute way.
A teddy bear with a Leviathan cross, horns, and bat wings… that’s Japanese Satanism for you!
I wanted everything in this store.
Pullip doll fans have a section for the big-eyed dolly.
Laforet also has a number of purikura booths (for taking photos and decorating them).
Be warned… You can spend hours and lots of yen in Laforet Harajuku…
HeiHei is a new independent brand with a distinct vibe. It was founded by Harajuku street style personalities.
The plaid and 1960s styles stood out.
The displays at Hei Hei were among the best.
The basement floors of Laforet contain multiple Goth Loli Punk boutiques.
Look for evil accessories like bat wing necklaces and eyeball bracelets.
Alice and the Pirates is a treasure chest of lacey Lolita designs, such as parasols and headdresses.
Oh my Goth. Laforet Harajuku remains Tokyo’s best spot for Gothic fashion — be sure to visit the department store you’re in the Japanese capital!
PS — I’ve been writing about Japanese alt culture for well over a decade now, and am honored to be recognized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. For the Correspondents’ Eye on Tokyo series, the Metro Government interviewed me about my blogging and journalism work, in an article called: “La Carmina Shares her Passion for Tokyo and the Sparks that Keep it Aflame.”
While at Laforet, I couldn’t resist getting this purple hannya ring with horns… It matches my new book, THE LITTLE BOOK OF SATANISM. Thanks for supporting my work; it enables me to keep writing books and for pubs like The New York Times!
You can find my new Satanic history / culture book in digital or paperback at — Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop or Simon & Schuster. Canadians can order it from Chapters/Indigo or Amazon Canada. Or Google the book title to find it near you — you can buy it worldwide! Thank you for the <3.
LA CARMINA
