Darkly Darling at Kawaiikon 2015

Aloha, Darlings!

I apologize for the lack of updates since New Year, but life, as always, has been incredibly crazy.

I do want to post a quick update regarding this year's Kawaiikon, though!

First off, what is Kawaii Kon?

It is Oahu's original and so far, dominant anime convention. Other cons have come and gone, such as HEXXP and Oni-con, but Kawaiikon has reigned supreme and been around for over a decade.

You can read some more about Kawaiikon here, in a recent article called "Defend Kawaii". (It is a spoof on the popular local "Defend Hawaii" propaganda. The logo is usually displayed as a big window decal with an AK-47, on pick-up trucks with reggae flags flying off the back. Almost exclusively.)

As for this year's Kawaiikon, there are a few note worthy events local J-fashion enthusiasts should be aware of, some of which I am teaching or hosting myself!

First and foremost, is the Kawaiikon-hosted "An Afternoon with Akira". (For more information, see Kkon's page here.)

Akira is a female Japanese model I have adored for many years. She has an enchantingly androgynous look, and a rock-star style all her own. She is an accomplished model in the Japanese alternative style circuit and the talented vocalist of her own band, DISACODE.

Kawaiikon will be hosting a full catered tea party, including a meet-and-greet and photo with Akira. Each guest will also receive a special gift.

The gorgeous Akira, modelling Alice and the Pirates.

The growing J-fashion Hawaii community will also be hosting a panel on Saturday, titled "J-fashion Social". More details will be announced later.

It is the first event of its kind for J-fashion Hawaii, a locally-geared fashion community with a focus on Japanese street fashions and alternative styles. J-fashion Hawaii is currently the supporting force for the local Hawaii Harajuku Fashion Walk, which just celebrated its 9th meet-up at the Honolulu Festival last weekend (more on that later).

Later on Saturday Night, I am teaching a panel on Shironuri Fashion, titled "Shironuri Wonderland: A J-fashion Panel".

As a practitioner of Shironuri for about three years now, I thought it'd be nice to clear up some misconceptions and stigmas of the style, explaining its past and history, and showing the amazing directions it's gone in internationally.

Some topics I'll be covering include:
-Introduction to Shironuri
-History of Shironuri Fashion
-Shironuri around the world
-Shironuri Music, Manga, and other Pop Culture
-Makeup materials and application tutorial, possibly with a volunteer model.

Shironuri fans and Shironuri curious alike are welcome to attend.

Last but not least, on Sunday I am hosting my own fashion show.
(RSVP here, at Darkly Darling: A Very Important Date.)

I have been working tirelessly on my own original Lolita designs, since my first fashion show at the Hawaii Horror Ball last August, and RAW Honolulu last September. I decided it was about time I take my designs to an audience that understands them, and Kawaiikon seemed like the perfect place to do it.

The theme, of course is Lolita and Aristocratic fashions, with an Alice in Wonderland production theme.

There will be a Q&A afterward. You are welcome to come whether you dress in Lolita or not.

One of my models, wearing my designs. Photo by QPJ Photography.

Of course, to attend any of these panels you must purchase a Kawaiikon pass, either for the entire weekend or the day of the panel you wish to attend. Con badges can be purchased here, or at the door.

Kawaiikon takes place from Friday, March 27- Sunday, March 29 this year.

Well, that's certainly enough news to shake a stick at! But what have I been up to lately?

I'll make it short and sweet!

As I mentioned before, I attended the 9th Hawaii Harajuku Fashion Walk at the Honolulu Festival. There were only 4 J-fashion Hawaii members present besides myself, but it was still fun to enjoy the festival with friends.

HFW attendance has been on the decline lately! I hope we meet new fans at Kawaiikon this year or more of our older members can come back.

Anywhoo, I thought it was a great opportunity to try out my new Innocent World "Antique Tartan" Jsk.

JSK: Innocent World
Blouse, Shoes, Accessories: Offbrand
Jewellery: Kate Spade, Juicy Couture
Wig: GLW "Gamine"

I also dressed up for "Hina Matsuri / Girl's Day" earlier this month. Though it is not as widely celebrated in the mainland US, it is certainly observed here in Hawaii because of the large Japanese community.

OP: Handmade
Bonnet: Handmade
Blouse: Offbrand
Wig: GLW "Heartbreaker"

Other than that, I have been very busy working, haha. When I am not physically at work I am sewing my butt off at home! But I enjoy every minute of it... I suppose.

Well, until the next far-too-long-awaited blog post! Thank you to the supporters and new readers who stick around!

Xoxo,

Cherie

My Favourite Oahu Spots

Thank goodness and light off some sparklers because Fall semester is officially o-v-e-r. Stick a fork in it, it's done, time to tear the salvageable scribbles out of my notebook and toss the notes. 

The end of a semester means it's also Christmas, and time to fly home and visit my folks. I really think I should invest in a frequent flyer program, because how many miles have I racked up bouncing around the Pacific in the past four years? 

Though it's always a good thing to see family, it also means leaving some of my best friends behind for bit.

Here is me and my friend Yami. Recently we twinned AATP's "Unlock Pandora's Memories" jumper skirt and took Christmas Purikura. 

The location for Purikura, Funpix, is one of my favourite spots on the island. It has moved from it's original Kalakaua location to a roomier, air conditioned location in McCully shopping centre. It is still near Ala Moana mall though, and accessible by bus. 

Ever since I met my first lolita friend in Hawaii, we have been dressing up and going to FunPix. The owners and business have remained the same too, and even though I was gone for a year, I feel like they remember us. 

I have a fat album of memories thanks to this place, of dinners with friends, of conventions and holidays, of cosplays and birthdays... my purikura and photos are some of my most precious things, which is why, I love FunPix.

As I was thinking about FunPix, and the places I'll leave in Hawaii for a little while, I decided I wanted to tell you about them, in case you ever get to come to Oahu. 

One of my favourite places, recently discovered, is Bubbies Icecream. They don't just serve delicious ice-cream (I recommend "Macadamia Nut"), but they also have amazing ice-cream cakes, with some of the most creative names I've seen (check out the right side of the board):

Their signature mochi ice-creams are also popular with kids and adults. They come in all kinds of flavours, from Tiramisu to Guava.

Speaking of sweets, there is an amazing bakery right around the corner from my school, which specialises in hand-crafted cupcakes. The name of that bakery, with its bright pink door and smiling vendors, is Let Them Eat Cupcakes.

Their story is pretty inspiring. The owner used to be a journalist, who lost their job, most likely when the Honolulu Advertiser merged with the Star Bulletin in my sophomore year. It was then that they found their passion: making cupcakes! They started with tents, booths, and food trucks, and now have this lovely downtown location. 

One main reason I love them are their exciting flavours... when I first saw their menu, it was the first time I had ever heard of "Peanut Butter and Jelly" cupcakes. They also have Bailey's Irish Cream, Caramel Macchiato, Chocolate Malt, and Cookies & Cream, to name a few. But what I love most are their local flavours such as Li Hing Mango, Liliko'i, Guava, and Mochi.

A few weeks ago, I translated for a group of Japanese Exchange students visiting from Hiroshima. The girls seemed tired and stressed, so after a tour of the campus, I took them around the corner to Let Them Eat Cupcakes, and treated them. They seemed so happy! They also really enjoyed the creative sprinkle bar, where they could each decorate their own cupcake.

I could go on and on in true lolita fashion about great places to find sweets on the island, but instead I'd like to switch gears, and talk about one of my favourite local shops. 

Like Let Them Eat Cupcakes, they started small and have flourished over the past few years. It is a shop in Aiea called "Mini-Q", which sells rare and specialty anime figures from Japan, and imported blind-box figures. 

I remember when I first came back to Hawaii for college, and I found their tent at the Aloha Stadium swap meet. At that time they only sold imported cellphone straps and stickers. 

I am really happy to see they have grown to a physical location, and now carry so much stock! They are very good about updating their Facebook page, so I can stalk the new Tiger & Bunny releases. They also have a reward points program, so you can earn discounts and things like that. 

I am saving to eventually adopt all of their Nendoroids...

As with all places, I feel this doesn't even scratch the surface of cool spots in Hawaii. That is one of the reasons I keep this blog though, so I can tell you about interesting places everywhere I go, wherever my suitcase takes me. (Corny, but true.)

I may not be earning frequent flyer miles now, but through all this traveling and always finding new places- or revisiting the old ones I love- I think I've racked up plenty of frequent flyer smiles. 

To Favourite Spots and roads less traveled, 

Cherie

Golden Week in Tokyo

... or should I say, Golden four days in Tokyo. My university had class until Wednesday afternoon, with its fair share of quizzes and essays. By the time I boarded my 4 PM highway bus, I was ready for a vacation... and the semester has barely kicked off!

Months ago, my friend from Hawaii (Sam) said she wanted to visit Tokyo for Golden Week. I started planning accordingly, reserving early bus tickets and making spare space in my closet. Since she was coming with three other friends, all of us shared a rental house two train stops away from Harajuku. 

We had a blast, and I got to see a lot more of Tokyo on this trip!

This is a huge post with a lot of photos, so read on under the jump-cut!

Vampire Forest Jsk

On another note, a package came from Japan today! It arrived while I was on campus, so I had to pick it up at the post office...

It is so nice... the cut is flattering. The lace and materials are beautiful. The blue color is rich and blends well with purple roses and hints of silvery blue.

The fabric is much thicker than Sleeping Beauty was, I am so happy about that! I wonder if that's because Vampire Forest was released in late fall, and Sleeping Beauty was released in Spring...