JAPANESE KODONA MALE FASHION: GOTH AND PUNK TIES.
I’ve received a request for more male fashion coverage, and for photos of guest critic Ronan dolled up in a top hat and lipstick. Despite much pleading, I can’t seem to deliver on the latter! But I can certainly do more posts on the male counterpart to Gothic Lolita style.
First, a refresher. Kodona, ouji, or dandy are the most commonly used English terms to describe the male-identified style associated with Gothic Lolita. An outfit might include knee-breeches, a page cap, suspenders, and ruffled blouse under a burgundy vest. Kodona recalls the Victorian boystyle of Oliver Twist, but may be worn by either sex.
Today’s post will celebrate what we frequently call a noose that screams “corporate drone.” The tie is a snore – but our favorite Japanese Lolita designers can make anything hardcore!
Putumayo splatters skulls, crucifixes, and playing card symbols onto bold backgrounds. Check out how they turned one of them into an asymmetrical bowtie.
Heart E’s ties are more traditional, but the tartan prints maintain a punk ethos. How typical of Japanese fashion: you’ll come across a punk in a mohawk and chains and cut-off sleeves, and then realize that his tie is decorated with an adorable panda bear!
My favorite interpretation is h.NAOTO’s. The ties in his Nois collection are pierced and slashed with silver chains, charms, safety pins, and punk patches. The lace edging mimics the look of a jabot.
Peace Now offers a striped tie with a subtle playing card print, and one that can double as torture equipment (center and left). HellCatPunks (right) stamps its skull logo on a skinny satin tie. If you’re in New York City, you can still find Algonquins and Peace Now ties at Kinokuniya Bookstore; I posted a few photos of them here.
Inspiring, right? I’m now eager to steal one of my dad’s old ties and give it a Goth/punk twist. How would your father or boy toy react if you gave him one of these ties? (Ronan: “First you put my cat in a BONNET, and now you want ME to??”)
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TOPSY TURVY DESIGN: VICTORIAN GOTH AND MARIE ANTOINETTE HATS.
A hat can be a killer-diller topper on a Gothic Lolita outfit, but it runs a high risk of putting you in the Committee’s no-no fashion category. My two biggest tsk-tsks: namby-pamby construction (cardboard should NOT be a material) and a hoity-toity effect. None of these are present in the millinery of Topsy Turvy Design (thank you Gillian for the link!).
Topsy Turvy is the brainchild of K. Brown-Dye, an artsy-craftsy Oakland costumier and milliner. Her designs are inspired by the Renaissance, Marie Antoinette, Victorian, Dickens, and Burlesque razzle-dazzle. No flim-flam, slip-shod work here. All of her hats are built from scratch using buckram and wire, which is then lined, covered, and trimmed with the finest materials: fluffy-ruffle, vintage satin ribbon, fuzzy-wuzzy velvet, gimp, and a hirdum-dirdum of ostrich plumes.
You can find Topsy Turvy’s super-duper, awesome-possum headgear on Esty; most are in the $150-200 range. Custom orders are accepted, and take 3-4 weeks to complete. Okey-doky, that’s enough wordplay for today, heh heh.
LA CARMINA
