Hyper Japan Fashion Show 26/02/12

Hello readers!

Yesterday I had a wonderful time at Hyper Japan 2012 Spring. I ate a lot, including delicious curry croquettes, and learnt more about Japanese cinema. And I got a smile from the very cute Beckii Cruel :) I even met a couple of people who read this blog or recognised me from Daily Lolita! I was very suprised and happy. Thank you so much for talking to me, you are all truly lovely and it was a pleasure to meet you <3

I walked in the Japanese Street Fashion show, which showcased Lolita, Otome, Mori Girl and Cult Party kei. 

Scarlett and Tania opened the show. Scarlett was wearing kodona, and Tania was wearing a new print from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright.

Emma, on the left, was wearing Innocent World's Lotta print in classic-sweet style. Katie was hime-sweet in Baby. They are both so frilly!

Annie-May in classic. I really love this colour combination! Her bonnet is handmade.

It's me, accompanied by my dear friend Mr Albert Bear. Predictably, I'm in classic. One day I'll shock you by wearing head-to-toe AP!

With this coordinate I went for a "British school girl" theme, hence the red and blue argyll socks and sturdy boots. My jumperskirt is from Emily Temple Cute, socks are Metamorphose, blouse is handmade and everything else is offbrand. Mr Bear's ribbon hand-tailored at Savile Row.

Jenni wore classic-gothic, a style which I'd like to try out for myself. Her BTSSB hair accessory is so elegant, as is the simple but rich-looking colour scheme.

Mel looked so gorgeous, as always! I think she's one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. I really loved her decadent, gothic outfit.

Like many lolitas, I really look up to Phoebe! She puts so much creativity into her outfits. Her coordinate today was wonderful, with a handmade bonnet adorned with tiny bird skulls.

Here's our little mori girl pair, Mya and Shani. They look like two baby deers! I loved Mya's straw heart-shaped bag and Shani's hairstyle.

Antonia's outfit started off as mori girl but ended up as Cult Party kei with the addition of colourful accessories. Her beautiful red hair helped things along too! I really like the way she pinned up the different layers of her outfit.

Aimi was also in Cult Party kei. Her handmade hair crucifix was very cool! 

Sam was next, in otome. She told me that she reads this blog- hello Sam! 

To close the show, Bunny was also wearing otome in lovely hues of dusky pink and honey brown. She managed to walk very gracefully despite wearing those famous Vivienne Westwood Hermes sandals, which give me the chills despite being a heel veteran.

For the finale we all lined the stage, then it was time for the interviews. This gave the audience a chance to learn more about our different styles.

You can see Jenni's Grimoire tights better here! 

Explaining my socks....

It was interesting to hear about Cult Party kei. I've seen enough pictures to recognise it (seems to be based around white fluffy layers with flashes of colour and rather wonderfully morbid accessories) but I'm by no means an expert. It's a very new fashion, which is exciting! It's great to know that things are constantly changing and evolving in the world of Japanese street fashion; I would feel so sad to think that it would ever turn stale.

I thought Sam's outfit was not only gorgeous but also a wonderful example of otome kei, with retro touches like her lace-up boots, the cuteness of the strawberries on her dress (I love this series from Emily Temple Cute!) and also the modern, relaxed style of her blazer. If you need a reference for the difference between lolita and otome, you can look at this picture!

Finally all the lolis in the audience were invited onto the stage for the prize-giving. Tania the organiser, Scarlett (Hyper Japan's Kawaii Star) and Megu-san, Baby's shop staff, picked their favourite outfits to award prizes to. The prizes were donated by Gothic Lolita Wigs, Roxie Sweetheart, Teja Tights, Keep-it-secret and Now, Voyager. Well done lucky lolis!

I hope you enjoyed all the pictures, and if you see your picture here of course feel free to take it, and do let me know if you would like anything taken down or changed.

See you next time! 

Sapphira

xxxx

Hyper Japan Spring 2012

Hello readers!

Today I'd like to tell you about a Japanese cultural event happening in London this month.

It's Hyper Japan!

I've attended both previous Hyper Japan events, the first in 2010 as an honourary KERA model, and the second last summer when I was again in a Lolita fashion show. This year once again I'll be walking the catwalk with other J-fashionistas, modelling Classic Lolita.

Hyper Japan 2010

(photo courtesy of Cross Media and Hyper Japan)

This year's catwalks (organised by the lovely pixie_late) will have a mix of street styles including Dolly Kei and Mori Girl as well as Sweet, Gothic and Classic Lolita. As well as that there will be prizes for the audience! Quite substantial prizes too- wigs from Gothic Lolita Wigs. Put on your best outfit and see if you'll be a winner! 

Elegant and Sophisticated Lolita Fashion Show at Hyper Japan 2011

As well as the fashion, I'm looking forward to the food! If all the foodie pictures from my recent posts have made you long for some Japanese cuisine, Hyper Japan will be the place to go. KOBE has some particularly delicious offerings including gyoza and yakitori! For a bit more sophistication, how about Feng Sushi? 

I'm also excited about the Japanese dance performance. We don't often have a chance to experience this sort of performance outside of Japan, and it's sure to be beautiful and hypnotic. I'm also quite interested to see Beckii Cruel! I think she's very cute, and I wonder what her live performance will be like. Will she sing? Or just dance? Well, we'll find out in a couple of weeks!

Hope to see you there! I'll be doing a write up with lots of pictures after the event.

HYPER JAPAN 2012 Spring will be held on Friday 24, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 February 2012 at Brompton Hall at Earls Court, London. 

Hyper Japan 2011-Final Day!

Hello readers! Today I'm making a post about the last day of Hyper Japan, including the tea party with Kanon Wakeshima.

After the fashion show, my friend and I took our seats for Kanon right away. We couldn't see much the day before, and we didn't want to miss our chance again! Since we were seated so early, we were able to watch the Square Enix cosplay contest, a very interesting experience! I haven't seen this sort of thing before, I didn't know that cosplayers do a little performance on stage. They were rather good I thought. My favourite was actually one of the judges:

Not a clue I'm afraid, but very very cool. I wanted to ask for her picture afterwards, but I was too shy.

The last photo is my friend! It was fun to see him in character. The second is another of the judges- his costume reminds me of Gackt! The fellow in the first photo had a very positive reaction from the crowd, though whether or not his bare chest had anything to do with it I really couldn't say.....

Next was the moment we'd been waiting for! A huge crowd gathered, I think even bigger than the day before. 

We had seats right by the cello! Today Kanon's performance was even better, and featured more cello-playing, which of course is the highlight!

She looked more herself today in the long brown wig, again with a nice 'midi' hat and the killer boots! The glittery underskirt made her look elegant.

At one point she was handed a Spanish flag from the crowd and waved it around! Well done Spain. I think the audience was more enthused today and it made her really happy.

As I recall, the set began with Kajitsu no Keikoku, followed by Lolitawork Libretto, and finished again with Princess Charleston. Thank you Kanon, for another beautiful performance!

What happened later?

The tea party!

This was held in Hyper Japan's maid cafe. I suppose there were about 15 Lolitas attending? We were each given a pretty cupcake and a raffle ticket and sat down in tables of four. 

Mae and Amy were at my table! Happy happy!

I'm afraid I didn't quite catch the name of the girl I was next to. I liked her yellow and blue outfit a lot- she even matched her eyeshadow!

Kanon came in, now sporting a dark blue outfit and her own hair, a pretty milk tea colour. She picked out the winners of the raffle- Amy was one of them! The prizes were some small goods from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright- phone straps, stickers, postcards, hair pins and so on.

Each table was allowed a little time with Kanon. We could ask her questions though the translator.

Everyone was a bit shy, including Kanon! She's a really charming girl though, she must have been very tired but she still gave long answers to our questions. I noticed that she has a brace- very cute! I asked which was her favourite ouftit that she's modelled for Baby, and she said a 'mizu iro' (light blue) jumperskirt. I can't quite think which one she means, but I love that colour too! Does anyone know? 

She also said that apart from Baby she likes Jane Marple. She has good taste! Kanon also talked about her musical influences, including classical composers and French artistes. French music seems to be very popular in Japan. We hardly hear about it in England, despite being so close by! 

When we had all had a chat with Kanon, and after taking photos, she left to go to the judging of the UK Kawaii Star of the Year contest. She certainly had a busy schedule! It really was so nice to meet her, and though the tea party was quite short it was very enjoyable. I feel very lucky to have had such an opportunity! Thank you to the organisers, and to Kanon herself. And thanks to you for reading!

PS: Kanon wrote about it in her blog here. I love her regimental stripe onepiece at the end of the post!

Elegant and Sophisticated Lolita Fashion Show at Hyper Japan!

Hello readers! I think the fashion show at Hyper Japan deserves a post all to itself, so here it is! Thanks again to my lovely Asako for her photos.

This photo courtesy of Saoirse Clohessy

All the models, minus Wing! I'll show you her beautiful coord a little later. Doesn't Amy (second from the right) look like she stepped out of a painting? She designed the dress and bonnet, and her mother made them. She also made a bag out of an antique book! I think her book bag beats Innocent World's and Alice and the Pirates', much as I love them both.

The show started off with an introduction from Tania (left) and Kyra (right). We're so lucky to have these lovely girls in our community, they organise so many wonderful events including those at Hyper Japan. And of course they are both very pretty! 

Tania's looks remind me of Arika-sama, so I really think these kind of aristocratic outfits look very good on her. The print of her Moitié skirt looks gold in this picture, but in fact it's silver and matches her shoes and the ribbon decorating her bonnet perfectly. I don't have a good picture of her by herself yet, but I'll add more photos later!

Oh, I don't think I've ever been so jealous of another girl's outfit in my life! This beautiful coat and dress set is from Juliette and Justine, and they remind me why this is one of my favourite brands. These items are not the only thing to be admired however- I loved Kyra's hairstyle too!

Dodo is so cool <3 I love her eclectic and exciting style, and her hair and make-up skills are amazing. I think the Vivienne Westwood sandals make this look, and she is someone who can really carry them off!

Pretty Chrissi again! It's a simple outfit, but beautifully put together and stunning on her.

Mae is so cute! She had an adorable character onstage (and off).

Wing seems to look more and more amazing each time I see her. The golds and browns of this outfit are a beautiful combination, and make for a really gorgeous and rich impression. I want to try to introduce more gold into my wardrobe! But I think I'll leave that until Autumn. Rebecca looks very cute in the background! She was wearing a strawberry print, with strawberry buttons and strawberry cake accessories. She even had a strawberry hairpin to fasten her headbow!

Finally, my outfit!

Onepiece, hair accessories- Handmade

Parasol and necklace- Innocent World

Everything else- Offbrand

I tried shiro-loli for the first time! I'm very proud of this coord, because I made the onepiece myself (it's the one I wore for graduation). Although I did enjoy making my final collection, I feel that this is the prettiest thing I have ever made, and now it has so many good memories associated with it. I want to make ever so many more clothes in the future, and I want to improve my skills in design and making. Lolita fashion has been around for many years now, and I hope someday I'll be one of those people who will help keep it going. Lolitas and Lolita designers have given me so much inspiration and happiness, so it's my dearest wish to be able to do the same for others in the future. 

All the Lolitas watching joined us on stage for the finale. One of the Baby staff picked out her favourite and awarded them a prize! The elegant girl wearing the black onepiece and floral garland was the well-deserved winner. Katie (the model in the red Metamorphose blouse) looks very aristocratic in this photo! I love to see blonde girls wearing Gothic, I think it's so striking.

My dear Amy, Rebecca, Katie and Tania, I'm sorry I don't have non-blurry individual photos of your beautiful outfits yet, but I will post them when I have them! Also, if anyone wishes to have their picture removed from this post, please let me know.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the fashion show! I certainly enjoyed being in it.

By the way, my livejournal is down at the moment, so I'm sorry for not replying to comments there. I feel very rude! Hopefully it will be sorted out soon.

Hyper Japan 2011- Saturday!

It's the first part of my little Hyper Japan write-up!

When I arrived at Kensington Olympia (late!) it seemed that this year's Hyper Japan was in a cheerier part of town, and the venue looked more impressive. There was a huge queue! It moved quite fast though, and when I got inside the venue was much bigger than before, with two floors, and more stalls. Also, there were so many Lolitas! I was so excited to see them all. 

Sadly thanks to my lateness and the queue, I missed Saturday's Lolita fashion show! Such a shame, I really wanted to see it and support the UK Lolis. Luckily I managed to take some pictures with fashionable Lolitas later on!

One of my favourite coords was Jess' Western-themed outfit! It suits the season and fits the theme without being forced. I love the combination of the different sizes of gingham! And of course it's blue <3 

I had a look at the JP books section, and flicked through some GLBs. It was a good opportunity, since they are usually in plastic at the Japan Centre and you can't sneak a look inside! I also went to see the Lolita bring and buy stall. I was quite tempted by an IW skirt and an Atelier Pierrot OP. There were plenty of things to look at and buy, most of them pink (!) but many different items and a variety of brands. There were many other stalls nearby selling accessories and some clothing, some very cute (such as sweets jewellery), some more antique style (cameos and so on) and some beautiful traditional Japanese items too. There were a lot of Lolitas looking around the stalls, and I saw lovely lovely Chrissi!

She made her Sweet dress look really modern by coordinating with grey. She's so nice to talk to, I hope to see her again soon.

My friend Satoko recommended that we watch the anime screening at the main stage. It was the first episode of Tiger and Bunny, which started airing in Japan this year. As I have found before with some anime, the first 15 minutes were a bit bewildering, but after that it became funny and quite charming! I'd really like to watch some more. 

Satoko was delighted to meet some Tiger and Bunny cosplayers! They made a very cute group together.

Don't you love her dress? It's vintage Laura Ashley! She's a very talented illustrator as well as being stylish and pretty, please check her blog here.

We sampled some of the lovely Japanese food available (and there was lots!) and then went to take our seats for Kanon Wakeshima's performance. We went half an hour early, thinking we'd be in good time, but all the seats were taken and the whole area was packed! Everyone was looking forward to seeing Kanon. 

Her songs were played over the speakers as we waited for her to arrive onstage. Staff set up the stage with a piano stool and brought out a red cello. Smoke began to billow onto the stage, somewhat alarmingly at first! I'm glad to say it was an intentional part of the performance....

Finally Kanon came to the stage! She was wearing a long white wig and a white outfit with blue rose accents. She carried a black parasol, and as Still Doll began to play she sang and danced with movements like a mechanical doll. 

I was a bit suprised by her appearance, having been expecting her usual long brown hair! I think it worked well for the Still Doll performance though. I'm quite keen on that hat too! I don't know if mini hats are a good idea for me though, as I have a rather mini head. Perhaps this one is more of an opera hat, or a dress hat? Hm.

I don't exactly remember the order of the songs she played, but I recall her singing LOLITAWORK LIBRETTO, Suna no Oshiro, and perhaps Marmalade Sky? She talked to the crowd a little in English, which was very brave of her. She seemed shy and very sweet! 

Her final song was Princess Charleston, which I think was a good ending! Thank you Kanon, for your lovely performance.

I bought her second album at the Wasabi Records stall, and I was able to get it signed! She was so pretty and lovely, and the staff were friendly and kind. 

I hope you enjoyed this post! Lots more coming in the next entry about Hyper Japan, including the second fashion show, another performance by Kanon, my first experience of watching a cosplay competition and the wonderful tea party. 

Thanks for reading, and see you again soon!