Yell it to the rafters: there’s a Gothic Lolita store in New York City — Tokyo Rebel! The lovely husband and wife team behind the new boutique invited my all-girl Visual Kei group to visit. (I believe This Maddening Shroud is our favorite of all the killer band names you suggested for us.)

Jeff (a web designer) and Masayo (a nurse) opened Tokyo Rebel “because we love Japanese street fashion and we wanted to bring it to America.” Tucked away in the Lower East Side, they’re the only retailer in NYC to stock Japanese brand-name Goth Lolita Punk clothing and accessories.

Kanae headed straight to the vintage rack in the back (the store will accept and sell your secondhand Lolita clothing.) I couldn’t resist putting on an old-school Algonquins dress (left). Atelier Pierrot (right) is one of the bestselling brands because it appeals to a broad range of shoppers; a girl looking for an alt prom dress fell in love with the one I’m holding.

The Sweet Lolita dresses from Angelic Pretty (left) are the same ones on the racks at Marui One Shinjuku. Masayo and Jeff source the clothes and accessories directly from the Japanese designers, which include Victorian Maiden, Innocent World, Putumayo and Maxicimam.

All new Lolita clothing is expensive ($150-300 range). But at Tokyo Rebel, the price tags aren’t — or are barely — marked up. Amazing, and well worth saving up for.

I tried on an Evil Tail Frill One-piece by SEX POT ReVeNGe. Regi couldn’t resist buying a two-piece jumper set by Algonquins. We were also tempted by the crucifix/cute accessories under the glass counter, and the display of Kera Magazine. (Need we say the selection is excellent, and ranges from casual rock/punk to lace and bows elegance?)

I ended up with a warm and fuzzy Sex Pot Revenge skull scarf. And if I may reach for a metaphor… that’s the feeling we got from visiting Tokyo Rebel! Masayo tells me she first fell in love with Gothic and Lolita fashion over a decade ago, in Tokyo. She wanted to create a haven where she could be around the elegant clothing and meet others who appreciate the fashion — and the boutique was born.

Jeff says the store aims to stock more items from the current brands, including shoes, and expand to include more lines. If you’re in NYC, even for an afternoon, you’ve got to stop by to say hi and try on a couple of coordinates. Happy face for those who live elsewhere: you can order from Tokyo Rebel’s website as well. (All photos by Shichi.)

Have any of you been to Tokyo Rebel? What are your thoughts on the atmosphere and selection?

Male flamboyance: a centuries-old tradition that has evolved but never gone out of fashion. Today’s ruffled riff-raff — think Japan’s Goth Aristocrats and New York’s Dances of Vice (above) — are but the modern incarnation of the European dandy. So let’s raise our bowler hats to our foppish forefathers who paved the road to Visual Kei and Harajuku boys.

The male peacock bared his tail-feathers in 18th and 19th century Europe. “Laconically witty clothes-horse” Beau Brummell and “Dandy King” Joachim Murat set the stage for the slightly eccentric but always stylish gentleman. Let’s not forget the infamous Oscar Wilde and Lord Byron. (Come on, fellow contemporary writers — live up to the decadence of your predecessors!)

In mid-18th century Britain and America, the ornate man “stuck a feather in his hat and called it maccaroni.” These caricatures capture the maccaroni’s outlandish tailed jackets and towering powdered wigs.

After suffering through the French Revolution and Reign of Terror, the bourgeoisie just wanted to have fun. The Incroyables and their female counterparts, the Merveilleuses, ornamented themselves in floppy collars and bows. Long hair on men has always been a mark of bad boy hedonism, hasn’t it?

Frilly shirts and powdered visages came back to life in the 1980s New Romantics. The Blitz Kids’ club fashion influenced some of my favorite 80s synth-poppers: Visage, Adam and the Ants, Ultravox, Duran Duran, Human League, Spandau Ballet.

Today, the male dandy lives on in Japanese Gothic Aristocrats, Visual Kei J-rockers, Steampunks and other Neo-Victorian/Goth sartorialists. As for their female counterparts: no matter what era you’re living in, there’s a place for long gloves and ostrich feathers. And ding-a-linging your young boytoy… well, that never gets old!

PS: DJ SiSEN in Malaysia? Nope, it’s a Harajuku Look-Alike contest!
You may also enjoy Funny money in Asia: my new gallery on CNNGo. Which one is the most Monopoly-like?

Song of the Day #279: 12012 – Heart (J-rock dandies carry the flame forward.)

Basil Farrow and I did an interview about responsible cat care for animal rights organization PETA2, which you can read below and here. (I left out the introduction, since you already know who I am, and included the answers that they omitted due to lack of space.) PS: I am not a member of PETA, but when they approached me to take part in an interview, I thought it would be a great platform for speaking about the animal issues that are important to me. Basil Farrow has to watch out for his furry friends!

How did you first get involved with helping animals? Did you have any animal companions growing up?
As a child, I cared so dearly for animals that I didn’t even distinguish between real and plush! I was horrified to see my friends throw around their stuffed animals; I always made sure mine were clean and standing upright. I even bought cans of real cat food for my Hello Kitties. Growing up, I shared my home with fish, turtles, budgies and lovebirds. Birds are incredibly intelligent and affectionate beings — if you socialize them right. I feel most people treat their birds like fancy decorations, and it breaks my heart.

Tell us about your cat, Basil Farrow.
Basil Farrow is a Scottish Fold cat, hence the tiny fold-ears. He was raised by activist/actress Mia Farrow and she loved him dearly — but her recent travels didn’t let her spend enough time with him. So he came to live with me. It was a tough decision, but she knew this was best for his well-being.
Basil isn’t a typical cat – he’s more like a sweet little kid or teddy bear! He loves to meet people; he’ll come when you call his name and lick your hand. Not many cats will demand tummy rubs and to be carried around. You can see in his videos and blog just how affectionate he is.

Can you give your fans some Basil-tested tips for keeping cats happy and healthy?
Keeping my Scottish Fold happy is my number one priority! Here is a video we made with tips on keeping cats cool in the summer; it applies to dogs and other animals as well. I did a blog post about the type of food and litter I provide: I refuse to feed Basil anything with fillers or byproducts. Every day, I set aside time for cuddles, playtime and/or grooming. Don’t forget to brush your cat’s fur and clean his ears, introduce new toys, and keep your house cat-friendly.

Why is spaying and neutering such an important part of responsible companion animal care?
Many people don’t realize that millions of unwanted animals are killed every year, simply because they are homeless. Pet births are a ticket to misery and death for the mother and litter – and they’re so easily preventable by spaying and neutering. So let’s do our part! Plus, a spayed or neutered pet is less aggressive and less prone to certain health problems. There is simply no excuse for not having this simple operation done as early as possible.

Tell us about your decision not to wear fur.
I never had any desire to wear fur. My parents’ generation oohed and ahhed over pelts, but mine has a very different attitude. As a child, whenever a relative proudly showed me her furs, I’d refuse to touch it and scold, “That comes from a cute bunny or fox!” Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I learned about the cruelty of wearing animals from my peers and the media. And I’m optimistic that the next generations will be even more anti-fur.

As a fashion blogger, do you find that people put pressure on you to wear fur? If so, how do you handle that?
It is the opposite – the bulk of my blog readers are animal lovers, and they make sure I’m doing all I can to help animal causes. I once posted a Ted Nugent song (not knowing about his hunting advocacy), and people were quick to educate me in the comments. I think if I did wear fur, there would be an outcry – as there should be.

Do you have any favorite vegetarian foods?
I surely do, as I mostly eat a vegetarian diet. In my new cookbook Cute Yummy Time, I have recipes that are both meat-free and adorable (everything is decorated to look like Japanese-style characters!) Such as an egg white quiche that resembles an owl wearing glasses. Strawberry and dark chocolate cupcakes that look like hobgoblins. And a mango coconut pannacotta, which is vegan if you use a gelatin substitute such as agar-agar.

What issue involving animals is dearest to your heart?
It upsets me when owners don’t take proper care of their pets, especially cats. Felines don’t show when they are in pain, and since they can be independent, owners don’t take them to the vet regularly. But cats can have serious health problems that only a vet can detect – such as tooth decay or internal troubles, which are best treated early on. I urge you to take your cats to the vet for (at the very least) a yearly check-up, and certainly when they show any sign of discomfort. It upsets me when people won’t put aside money for quality food and health care; I think this should be the priority. Instead of buying something frivolous, I spent all my birthday money on Basil’s vet bills.

You have a lot of fans out there, which gives you a powerful platform to reach people and make a difference. What is your message to them about having compassion and getting active to help animals?
Tiny, personal actions towards animal compassion will have a gigantic impact. My advice is to start in your own home and take proper care of your pets. Your attitude will spread to other parts of your life: I started Basil’s Scottish Fold blog because he is such a joy. Readers began sending me questions about cat care or pleas for adoption, and I’ve done my best to help out. I’ve also found that my friends help reinforce my attitude; we discuss animal issues, and make trips to the Tokyo Vegetarian Festival and Vegan Healing Café in Shibuya.

Hope you enjoyed the interview! You can see more of my Scottish Fold cat’s photos and stories on his blog. Do you have any other tips on how to make a difference? Which animal rights issues are most important to you? I’d love to hear from you.

So many of you have asked… what type of cat food does Basil Farrow eat? Today, I turn the blog over to my Scottish Fold cat!

“Mommy leaves out water and some wet and dry food for me all the time. She stirs the wet food or adds new amounts during the day, to keep it fresh. If the food’s running low, I wahhhh wahhhh! her!”

Mommy is a health nut — she only feeds me the best! There are no icky by-products in Natural Balance canned foods, and I love the occasional can of tuna. My dry food and treats are from the hypoallergenic single-protein-source brand Hill’s Prescription Diet. I also get Uri-Ease urinary-friendly treats and Greenies on occasion. Mommy says: “Read the cat food labels; if there are animal byproducts and filler grains in there, put it back down!”

Mommy puts the stainless steel bowls on a platform so I don’t need to bend too much. My food dishes are placed away from my litterbox (to avoid contamination). I have three bowls of water around the house — this encourages me to drink more.

Contrary to popular perception, I’m not overweight… Scottish Folds are supposed to be round, especially us boys!

I always have a fresh supply of catgrass. It gives me nutrients and helps with digestion.

And how about my kitty litter? It’s best to use dust-free, chemical-free products such as this one!

Last word of advice from Basil Farrow: “Feed your animal companions the best food possible — we deserve it! You can perceive the difference in our soft fur and happy W-mouths!”

What do you think of my baby’s diet? What do you feed your kitties? (You can click on any of the links above to buy the products directly from Amazon.)

For more Scottish Fold photos and cuteness, visit Basil’s blog.

Childhood photos from the 1980s! I found an album of my baby pics from 1986. At age two, I was already baboosh-ing down the path to kawaii-dom (and I still have that blue penguin toy).

And I always had a fondness for cute kitties. You can tell that my Hello Kitty toy is an older design. It took me over 20 years to graduate to a real cat!

My pastel heart jacket would fit in with today’s Fairy Kei street style. Check out the 1980s car in the background. Should I push my Scottish Fold Basil Farrow around in a stroller?

I won’t be caught dead in a Garfield and Odie jumpsuit today, but I still wear clothes with cute faces on them. (This dress is by Banana Fish.)

Cute food was a part of my life from the start. I celebrated my second birthday in Hong Kong with a kawaii elephant cake. Here’s my first attempt at cute cooking: putting my Cheerios cup in an inflatable turtle ring.

Did you carry around Hello Kitty when you were young? Have you recently looked at old albums and uncovered silly photos? I urge you to do so — it’s fun to see how you do (or don’t) change!

If this post put a smile on your face, please share it (you can click the social network buttons below).

Could that be? It is! You fangirls call him Man Heaven (eeee!); the rest of the web knows him as Jimi or Elec of Visual Kei band Chemical Pictures. Last fall, we went to Ninja Restaurant in Asakasa to eat ninja-food and to shoot photos for my Theme Restaurants book (out now). Here are some of the outtakes.

Ninja’s entrance is hidden – it took us fifteen minutes to find the opening in the wall. The journey to the restaurant itself was equally convoluted (you’ll read about it in the book). With a “HAI!”, our ninja waiter unscrolled the menu.

Elec and I felt like we were hiding in a hidden forest lair. The ninjas were full of tricks; they’d leap out and pull out his heart from his chest!

They’re talented cooks as well. An appetizer was shaped like ninja stars, another involved dynamite. Here, our ninja is cooking stone soup.

While we ate dessert, a ninja came to our table and mesmerized us with card tricks.

There’s more to this adventure – much more. You’re going to have to read Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants to get to the bottom of things! (Amazon lists it for an affordable $16.47)

The clock is ticking… get your contest entries in for the Gloomth petticoat-bloomer-pants and AllModern.com adorable sushi set!

Twitter has been leading to intriguing developments in my life as of late (you’re welcome to add me to stay in the loop)… but more on that later. The other day, I asked the Twitterverse for advice on what to serve with my brie cheese. I then found this Russian video about how to make cute bird-shaped bread rolls! It’s easy: hand-roll the dough into a 6 inch long strip and twist it into a knot. Pinch a beak, flatten and cut a tail, and add peppercorn eyes.

The baby birds baked beautifully and were delicious with melted brie. For the dough, I used my Pig Bread recipe from Cute Yummy Time, with oregano and pepper for a spicy kick. (You can see how I made healthy piggy-faced bread rolls in this video.)

If you are on my Twitter, you also know that I stumbled upon a Forever Friends plush bear in a Hallmark store. It looked so much like my Scottish Fold cat that I had to buy it. To my surprise, Basil Farrow loves this teddy bear (perhaps because it reminds him of his kind). He usually hates stuffed toys, especially Hello Kitty! (Video of Basil and his bear coming soon, along with Moi dix Mois, a cute cooking demo, and more.)

On Twitter, I asked if you still buy/sleep with stuffed animals, and the resounding answer was YES. How about you?

Oh dear, my infatuation with Sopor Aeternus doesn’t seem to end. I was driven to make a YouTube playlist and play it on repeat. Vulnerable and beautiful, melancholy and Medieval. Or as described by the Goddess creator, “music for dead children [and otherwise wounded souls], that is all.”

Wax the monkey, shave the bear
Jungle-creatures cannot come in here.
Trim the hedges and cut the trees
then you’ll know how affection feels.
-from Shave, if you Love Me

Anna-Varney Cantodea, aka The Goddess, is a kindred spirit to Visual Kei. Her aesthetics are heavily inspired by butoh, a Japanese performance art that I am also rather obsessed with. She says: “It offered me a visual outlet for the pain I was carrying inside of me… which, as I believed at the time, had not really been visible before. Butoh taught me the meaning of (true) beauty… and where it is to be found.” “It confronts us with the dark(er) side(s) of (human) nature… and if we only dare to take a look at it, it even reveals its hidden (as often denied) beauty.”

Some of my favorites tracks are “We Have a Dog to Exercise,” “Shave, if you Love Me,” and “In der Palästra.” There’s something about Sopor Aeternus’s music/lyrics/visuals that speak to me – what do you think? We’ll make Song of the Day #130 my Sopor Aeternus playlist and you can listen along with me!

Wahhh! The new project I’ve been teasing you about… has been unleashed! As of this moment, my cute Scottish Fold cat Basil Farrow has a daily blog! (http://lacarmina.com/basilfarrow)

First up: a new video of my foldy-eared son! Basil Farrow lies on his back for a tummy rub, pounces on a toy… and for the first time on video, you hear him meow (or rather, “WAHHH!)

Every day, I’ll be posting adorable photos of Basil in the style of a manga – just like Japan’s popular kitty blogs. So please: bookmark the new blog, subscribe, and spread the word.

More reason to celebrate: I’ve teamed up with J-pop merchant J-List to give away FOUR cat-themed prizes! You can win a Lucky Cat bento box, or one of three Maineki Neko solar powered toys.

From now til Monday, head over to J-List or J-Box and search for a photo of my Scottish Fold cat (he’s hidden somewhere on the site). Hint: Basil is attached to a product that I’ve reviewed in the past…

When you’ve found my baby, send an email to treasurehunt@jlist.com with a screenshot or the title of the product featuring the cat photo. J-List will randomly choose four winners.

How about a BONUS prize? If you share the news about the new blog (by emailing your friends, Twittering, blogging, or posting on a forum/social network) – Basil and I will personally send you an adorable present! Just leave a comment telling us how you spread the word, with a link (if applicable).

Ai-yah! I’m excited to give you a daily dose of Basil Farrow’s cuteness! Good luck with the J-List treasure hunt, and enjoy the new blog: http://lacarmina.com/basilfarrow !

What a lead-up to Tiffany Godoy and Ivan Vartanian’s new book, Japanese Goth! There was the Subculture & Style Symposium, the Colette release party… and as of today, you can find Japanese Goth in bookstores! What are you waiting for?

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy, and was left stunned and mesmerized. The whole spectrum of Japan’s “dark arts” is scratched by the authors’ quill: dolls from designers Mari Shimizu, Katan Amano, and Ryo Yoshida; Visual Kei performers such as Phantasmagoria, Kokushoku Sumire, and Moi dix Mois; art & photography from Yoh, Kira Imai, Mitsukazu Mihara, and Fuyuko Matsui; and, of course, Goth Loli fashion: Mukuro, Laforet Underground Collection, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, and h.Naoto.

Tiffany Godoy kindly took the time to answer questions about Japanese Goth. Naturally, I asked about Mana Sama and the future of gosurori. Read on…

(Photos from Japanese Goth: Angelic Pretty, Alice and the Pirates, h.NAOTO)

† What compelled you to write Japanese Goth? What were your and Ivan’s roles?

My dramatic Lolita a la Gothique, Carmina. What drives all of my work in Japan is an exploration of the unknown… it is a study in fashion and visual culture for me.

Japanese Goth was a continuation of sorts from Style Deficit Disorder. I learned so much about the many various cultures associated with Harajuku; the Goth-Loli-Visual-Kei culture and the early days of Harajuku in the 60’s and 70’s were the most foreign territories for me. I learned so much from my research, and from Mariko Suzuki – the editor in chief of Gothic and Lolita Bible. And after the book I developed a great interest in the art of Fuyuko Matsui. So it was an accumulation of experience, and curiosity. Both the fashion aspect and the art aspect of the book, while very different, had something that linked them. A mysterious, a darkness of sorts that is difficult for non-Japanese to understand… in the end it became an exploration of Japanese spirituality, aesthetics, and history through this mystery-tinged and very Japanese pop culture and art.

† Often, the most difficult aspect of editing is deciding what to leave out. What criteria guided your choices? Images of Japanese Gothic street fashion and nightlife are not represented; why?

We really wanted to try to capture this otherworldliness that seems to drive the work. This fantasy world that most of the artists seemed to communicate. We wanted it to be a visual odyssey. So, we decided to remove everything from its context. The fashion is seen on a runway, not on the street as it is usually documented. The Visual Kei band photos are seen without any of the graphics, and on a larger scale than normally represented on editorial pages – I think with an art book style layout, these images become a sort of work of art. We can see the musicians as characters in a theatrical context not unlike modern kabuki performers. Besides, street fashion and nightlife are on blogs daily; books have already been done. We wanted to bring a bit of our eyes into the book, and our experiences as editors in Japan for over a decade into the editorial process. If you read the text in the book you get a sense of the story we are trying to tell. Rather than just face value or accumulating images, we wanted to explore the why and the background of the imagery.

(Tiffany and BTSSB girls at Collette release party; designs by Mukuro.)

† Of course, it would be impossible to feature every designer associated with Gothic & Lolita. How did you arrive at your selection (Laforet, BTSSB, h.NAOTO, and especially Mukuro as he is a young, lesser-known designer)?

It was a question of balance within the book, and authentically representing the fashion scene which is very broad, and the quality of the images that were available. I preferred to work with images that existed rather than commission new ones because I wanted to preserve the aesthetic of each of the brands and artists. To remain pure.

† My readers will kick me unless I ask – did you meet/interview Mana? What was he like?

Yes! And oh my was I nervous to meet Mana-sama. Mana is a legend, I mean he created Gothic-Lolita. And the persona that he has created, he doesn’t even speak in public. It is so conceptual, and I think very fun since he really creates a fantasy world that doesn’t exist so much in fashion or music now. In the days of reality TV, everything is revealed. He is a true performer. And smart too. He made himself into a brand with his music-fashion-record label.

(Baby the Stars Shine Bright ads; Angelic Pretty illustrations by Imai Kira.)

† How did Fumiyo Isobe (co-designer of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright) help with the project? What insights did she share about the design process and her influences?

The Isobe clan has been incredibly supportive. They even loaned me two of their lovely shop staff to hang out at the Japanese Goth signing at Colette in Paris (thank you girls!). In our various talks since first meeting for Style Deficit Disorder, Fumiyo has shared the entire story of the brand and before they even started Baby, what the scene was like in Tokyo, how they found creative direction, their idols, etc. You can read about this in Style Deficit Disorder. Their brand has grown so much in the time I have met them – a boutique in Paris and one on the way in San Francisco. Baby, the stars do shine bright for them.

† I’m familiar with the designers and musicians you profiled, but most of the artwork was new to me. Do Nonami, Kojima, Kamei and the others associate their works with each other and the theme of Japanese Goth?

Japanese Goth, it is really difficult to define, I think you would agree – non? You need to add a hyphen to most things in Japan since there is so much fusion going on.

I think that a link between these artists would be the darkness, and mystery, hint of supernatural, Japanese mythology, Animism, which exists in varying degrees in their work, and in many of the other works in the book.

(Animal wigs by Nagi Noda and Kenneth Cappello; art by Yoh.)

† In writing this book, what did you learn? What surprised you?

It was amazing to reflect on the aspects of the work that related back to Japanese traditional culture such as the performance aspect of Visual Kei, the exploration of gender which is also present in Kabuki and in the unisex clothing (kimono), the link to the supernatural world and nature that stems from traditional Japanese spirituality and religion (Shintoism)…

† What direction do you think Gothic & Lolita fashion will take next? How about Tokyo street style / style tribes in general?

I don’t think that the actual fashion has changed much, do you? There have been recent fusions with Shibuya style but the core Goth-Lolita-Punk styles really haven’t changed much. I really love the couture stuff in h.NAOTO’s shop, I would love to see him explore a higher production value in his clothing. Sadly, even Visual Kei bands and the fans are toning things down. On the street wear front I would love to see more experimentation and creativity. Real clothes seem to be what everyone is pimping though. The same can be said for high fashion too, Isabella Blow is gone and we have only Anna Piaggi who is a living dream of eccentricity and history and genuinely knows about and loves clothes. When I speak at Bunka I am surprised to see that lack of knowledge of history of Japanese fashion and street wear. The upcoming designers must have knowledge of history if they intend to create clothes with any originality.

That being said, a brand that could be worth looking out for is Aguri Sagamori. She is just out of fashion school and showing at Japan Fashion Week, not typical Goth stuff you would see in the pages of Kera or GLB but a proposition worth your readers checking out.

† And you – what are your plans?

I have two new book projects in the works. I am going into the second year of hosting Tokyo Fashion Express on NHK World, a gig that I find absolutely fabulous, I would love to do more TV. Continuing to contribute to magazines like Encens in France, Spur and Spur Luxe in Japan, and writing my column in the Yomiuri newspaper, among quite a few others like the new magazine Libertine by Charlie Brown from Dune. Thinking of starting a new magazine project this year with the amazing art director Tomoyuki Yonezu, who I work with as the unit Erotyka. More consulting, more speaking engagements. More traveling and meeting amazing people. It has been an incredible year so far, I feel totally blessed.

If you enjoyed this interview, please comment and spread the word (below, you can email this post or post it to various social networks). And of course, look for Tiffany and Ivan’s new book, Japanese Goth (available on Amazon). I’m certain you’ll love it as much as I do.