Cosplay contest at Maid Cafe NY: Japanese maids & anime costumes!
New York, I love you! Thanks to everyone who came to see me at the Japanese maid cafe, and for participating in the cosplay contest. I was mega-impressed by the intricate costumes, which you can see in the photos below…
But first, here are some snaps from my home at the Paper Factory Hotel. This is, without doubt, the coolest place to stay in NY.
The hotel is located in Long Island City, right across the water from Manhattan (it only takes 15 min by subway to reach Times Square). The Paper Factory’s design pays tribute to its industrial past, and the vintage child cars in the lobby encourage guests to play.
I’m wearing a sports-Goth crop top c/o Teale Coco — brilliant, mixing sporty fabric with dark edge. The skeleton leggings are Hyoma (from Izzue Hong Kong) and the tank top is World Wide Love.
It’s obvious I loved staying at the Paper Factory Hotel — their creative, design-oriented approach is just my speed. I encourage you to check them out, especially when the restaurant Mundo opens up later this summer.
In June, my team and I filmed at Maid Cafe NY, located in New York’s Chinatown (150 Centre Street, NYC, 10013). It’s modeled after the Japanese maid cafes you’ll find in Tokyo, especially the Akihabara district.
I’ve been to maid cafes all over Japan (such as Angel & Demons, Cos Cha and more). This one may be located in NY, but the spirit is 100% Tokyo.
The girls dressed me up in one of their pink French maid outfits. For the show, I learned how to greet customers (by yelling “Welcome home, master!”) and how to be as anime-like as possible.
At Maid Cafe NY, it’s all innocent fun: the staff interacts with the customers in cute ways, and makes them smile by drawing on their drink cups.
The cafe serves Japanese food and sweets, like omelet rice with ketchup drawings. I helped the maids prepare sweets with cute faces on them. Cris digs into a matcha cheesecake, decorated with my Scottish Fold cat’s face in chocolate sauce.
Customers can pose with the maids for cheki, or souvenir Polaroid photos that we decorate (in kawaii ways, of course).
Maid Cafe NY was packed with customers. They’re doing an incredible job at bringing Jpop fans together. Many of them are young and dress up in Japanese street fashion.
My friend Jenny (a talented illustrator) dons a long turquoise wig, in a tip of the hat to Hatsune Miku.
Inside the cafe is Cosplay Shopper, a store that sells anime/manga costumes and accessories like cat ear headbands, or Sailor Moon outfits. These goods are also available through their online site.
Camila invited me to be a judge in their cosplay contest. I know New York has a big community of cosplayers, and that the turnout would be impressive.
Even so, the event was beyond expectations! Over a hundred contestants and spectators lined up in front of the cafe, dressed to the nines. We barely managed to pack everyone in, and it was standing room only.
How cool are these handmade cosplay designs? Can you recognize the characters they are representing?
We assigned the contestants a number, and they went inside to put on the finishing touches. Wigs teased up, and circle contacts in.
Some of these intricate costumes took months to complete, all by hand.
Everyone gathered in front of the stage, packed like sardines. Jenny and Hiten cooled off with bubble tea.
The winners would get passes to New York Comic Con and gift certificates for Cosplay Shopper. One by one, they went on stage and showed off their outfits with flair. We asked them questions, such as why they chose to be this character, or how they made the various pieces.
Camila announces the next contestant. What a parade of creativity: we saw armor constructed from cardboard, weapons from duct tape…
Many of the cosplayers were still in high school, and made these colorful DIY costumes in their spare time.
The contest brought together J-culture lovers, and celebrated their creativity — I say that’s a success! Thanks to everyone who showed up despite the rain; I always love meeting readers in person.
Maid Cafe NY and Cosplay Shopper have more special events coming up, which you can find on their sites. Hopefully you’ll get the opportunity to swing by the cafe for a cat-faced cappuccino sometime.
Have you ever tried cosplaying? Which character would you dress as?
Also check out my photoshoot at the Paper Factory, to see more of this art-hotel. One more NYC post to come… and with luck, I’ll be back here soon.
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Modeling Nanette Lepore in Humble House Taipei, a newly-opened design hotel.
My stay in Taipei was a joy — because I got to experience this modern boutique hotel, Humble House. The design reflects the mix of busy city life and lush nature that is unique to Taiwan.
What better place to debut this mint-colored lace dress, sent to me by Nanette Lepore? Let’s give it a twirl!
Humble House opened last December, making it one of Taiwan’s newest hotels. The design has a sleek grey aesthetic, but without feeling stark or robotic. Quite the opposite: it puts the focus on organic forms and green spaces, like this sky garden.
The outdoor pool has a perfect view of Taipei 101, formerly the world’s tallest building. This district, Xinyi, is the center of government and business. I recommend staying around this area, since it’s central and near some of the hippest bars (which I’ll show you soon).
Inside, the choice of contemporary art is inspired by the Tagore quote, “Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers.” These works ponder the relationship between nature and civilization, expressing them through modern mediums.
My first impression of Humble House was this ground floor installation, custom-created by Paul Cocksedge. Suspended from the high ceiling, these electroluminescent sheets twirl in the wind, as if I threw them in the air.
Outfit details: NY-based designer Nanette Lepore sent me this Beach Breeze dress from her summer collection. I love the lace overlay and elegant high neckline, and this mint color is my current favorite.
My shoes are Camper Allegra sandals.
In most hotels, you hardly remember the art on the walls. That’s not the case at Humble House, which has thought-provoking works like these by Yang Yongliang. They seem to be photos of flowers, but if you look closely, the parts are made up of skyscrapers, highways and other city life.
Climbing the stairway to heaven. The angles turn it into an M. C. Escher vision.
This trippy LED piece, by Polish artist Piotr Uklanski, makes it seem like you’re staring down into a black hole. In fact, it’s an optical illusion and the work is only a few inches tall.
Much of the art has a sense of fun, like Paola Pivi’s “Crazy Ball,” made from miniatures of famous chair designs.
Taipei is known for its food, and some of my favorite meals were at their Italian restaurant, La Farfalla.
We wanted to join in the fun: so photographer Ken “hacked” the breakfast buffet! He gathered ingredients — honeycomb, ice cream, beets, Asian fruits — and concocted this dessert plate. He even made his own eggs Benedict and Hollandaise sauce, from items found in the buffet.
Lunch at Farfalla is a semi-buffet, meaning that you order a main, but build your own appetizer plate from the generous spread…
… which includes seafood, cheeses, salads and of course desserts.
As for the mains, the photos speak for themselves. This is steak with a potato block and basil oil drip.
I died over the pan-seared Hokkaido scallop with sea urchin risotto. Oh, creamy glory.
A healthier option: Dover sole with caper basil and cherry tomato.
And braised Australian beef cheek, with mashed potato. All photos by Ken Yuen and Jacqueline Kwok (noircorner).
On the terrace, I danced next to the butterfly statue by Zadok Ben-David. Called “Natural Tower”, the corten steel changes color as the temperature changes and time passes — making the butterflies seem alive, and in harmony with their environment.
“Peony,” by naturalist Sugiura Yasuyoshi, lets guests to get closer to nature, while staying in a cosmopolitan city.
Nanette’s dress is made for twirling in the lobby. You may be wondering: why is this fabulous place called Humble House? Asia has a culture of modesty, and the hotel focuses on unobtrusive service. Every need is taken care of, without fuss.
I loved staying at Humble House, a high-tech hotel full of soul. You must at least come up to the terrace for a cocktail, to take in this view.
Did you realize Taipei was so modern and design-oriented? I hope my travel posts continue to surprise you.
Coming up: I’ll show you the pop culture side of Taiwan, from Hello Kitty exhibits to apothecary bars…
LA CARMINA
