LA CARMINA TRAVEL TV HOSTING REEL. ORIGINS OF THE NAME: ARMY OF LOVERS LA CAMILLA, LA CARLOTTA, ITALIAN OCCULT FASHION ICON MARCHESA LUISA CASATI.
I often receive the question: where does the name La Carmina come from? Voila the tale of my name’s blood and glitter-splattered origins. (As for La Carmina’s real name? Age? Boyfriend? That’s a mystery…)
The name “La Carmina” was bestowed upon me in 2007 by Basil Farrow’s father. It’s a spin on La Camilla, the lead singer of Italo Disco Swedish glam camp band, Army of Lovers. When you watch the disco-Rococo Crucified music video, you’ll see why the name fits.
But there are other “La Ca___” in history, and they tend to be decadent diva types. You probably know of La Carlotta, the prima donna in Phantom of the Opera. She storms around the opera house in tiered dresses and too-tight corsets, shattering eardrums and slapping her minions with a giant feathered fan.
And then there’s La Casati (Marchesa Casati Stampa di Soncino), whose morbid eccentricity and spend-thrift ways scandalized Europe in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The Italian heiress lived in a Gothic Art Deco manor where peacocks and monkeys roamed freely. She threw opulent soirees that would put Queen’s Freddy Mercury to shame. Once, La Casati wore a dress of white feathers, streaked with fresh blood – yes! Another time, she draped live snakes around her neck and led two cheetahs on a leash, while being waited upon by male slaves wearing nothing but gold leaf – double yes!
Erte, Jean Cocteau, Picasso and Man Ray called the dark lady their muse. But she frittered away her inheritance and ended up living as a crazy bag lady in London. Rumor has it that La Casati would rummage through garbage bins to find feathers for her hair, and scraps of fabric for her moth-eaten coats.
I leave you with two quotes from Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary (HIGHLY recommended): “Lives full of drama, masked balls, orgiastic revels…” / “In the city, with the noises of the streets, the hum of the theaters, and the bright lights of the balls, they were leading lives where the heart had space to expand, the senses to blossom.“
Huge hug for 13-year-old Caitlyn Banfield, who sent me these adorable drawings. My Scottish Fold cat is dressed as a ghost and says “Wahh, mama is so kawaii!” I’m happy to feature your artwork / fanart on my site; just send me an email. I try to reply to as many comments as I can, so don’t be scared to leave one.
Finally, I compiled a reel of my travel TV hosting work, which you can see above and on YouTube. It includes CNN, Travel Channel Bizarre Foods, NHK, Today Show. I have more TV / hosting gigs in the works — very excited! If you’d like me to work with me in any capacity, shoot me an email.
Do you have a nickname? If so, how did the name affix itself to you?
Japanese Word of the Day: Ryoko = Travel
Song of the Day: I can’t stop listening to this New Beat / Industrial / EBM music stream. SO good, especially halfway through when the song goes “Lix! Erandeauch! Lungband!” You can hear more at Endurance club night, every second Saturday at London’s Club Alibi (more info here.)
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STEAMPUNK LADIES FASHION. VICTORIAN VEIL & BOWLER HAT. GOTHIC LOLITA, STEAMPUNK EVENTS IN VANCOUVER CANADA Carmen Wong.
My Twitter dilemma of the week was… what should I wear to a Steampunk event? One should always avoid the predictable uniform; brown tones and bronze clockwork, in this case. It’s more fun to put your own spin on things and stand out… (Photography by Carmen Wong, real birth name nickname La Carmina Blog)
Purple silk dress: People’s Market. The scowling flapper girl detail is glorious.
Black lace top: Moi-meme-Moitie, from Closet Child. I pinned a little gold heart over the chest.
Fishnet stockings: old ones with a large cross-hatch. I cut more holes into them.
Leather ankle boots with buckles: gifted from London Underground Shoes (buy them here).
Crucifix coffin purse: h.NAOTO, from Closet Child Ikebukuro.
Victorian tulip cameo bracelet: gifted from Yifat Aharoni.
I made a couple of items for this outfit…
Veiled Victorian bowler hat: I had the hat since I was about 15 years old. I pinned black net fabric above the brim, using concealed safety pins. On top, I pinned a purple flower decoration that came with a different dress. That’s it. I think the Queen Mother would be proud.
Gold bead bracelet: I found some gold beads at a dollar store and strung them together, using thick, stretchy thread. The beads come in two sizes; I arranged them irregularly for a disjointed effect.
Hair: This is my first attempt at a fishtail braid, also called a herringbone or fishbone braiding. I gathered my hair to one side and divided it in two. Take one small piece from one side and combine it with the other; keep doing this, using different strands each time. It’s not as hard as it sounds.
Eye makeup: I lined the inner corners of my eyes with lime green eyeliner, gifted from Annabelle Cosmetics. Filled in the eyebrows, and swept two shades of burnt rose / brown eyeshadow (gifted from Aromaleigh) up to the browline. With a Japanese liquid eyeliner, I lined the bottom lid and drew downward streaks. Finally, I applied small bottom false eyelashes and mis-matching ones on top: purple ones gifted from Cuberry and blue/black ones from a Japanese dollar store.
Lips: I drew the outline with purple eyeliner. (I wouldn’t worry about it being toxic; the eyes are more sensitive than the stomach, right?) I blended it with a vivid fuschia lipstick from a drugstore.
Rose wore a black and white Gothic Lolita dress, lace-up boots, and a lacy wristband with a silver skull. Her DIY headband got a lot of attention. Rose built it from a dead white mouse (who died of natural causes in a petstore), which she taxidermied on her own. Best of all, the rodent has glittered ears, red gems for eyes, and a crystal heart over his butt!
Rose washed the black dyed section of her hair over the blond, and it changed the color to Lady Gaga blue-grey. A happy accident, I’d say.
The mini-convention was organized by VSteam, a group for the Steampunks of Vancouver. We marveled at the hand-made feathered hats, brass clockwork jewelry, Penthouse high heels and leather corsets.
Rose coveted the hat; I wanted the sci-fi gun. (Does anyone recognize the bunny tattooed on her back?)
Neo-Victorians and Steampunks, young and old, gathered outside Barclay Manor. We watched Victorian swordfighting demo and listened to a singer/guitarist croon about robot love.
There were etiquette and leather-making lessons inside, and tea brewed in a brass kettle. We ended the day with a chu-hi from the Japanese convenience store on Robson Street, and browsed our favorite magazines (Kera, Gothic Lolita Bible, Shoxx, Cure) at Book Off. No need to be in England or Japan to enjoy your favorite neo-Victorian subcultures!
Have you ever attended a Steampunk event? What are your favorite aspects of the culture? (Too bad that there’s very little Steampunk in Japan, as reported by Kenny Creation.)
PS: Surf over to CNNGo to read my latest article, 20 products that could use an eco-friendly facelift. Individually-wrapped Asian pears and double-bottled water… ridiculous.
Japanese Word of the Day: Zoo = Elephant
Song of the Day: D – Hourglass (For those who asked, “PV” stands for “promotional video.” It’s the term used in Japan for music videos.)
LA CARMINA
