Opportunity knocking!

Hello darlings, and welcome to the end of Summer. Maybe some of you are Summer people, but personally I love Fall and everything about it. As I'm sure you know, my family is huge into Halloween and we've all ready begun preparations for our favourite holiday. Of course once again, I'll be away from home this Halloween, but it's fun to help my mom plan and stowe away decorations.

My mom got me a bunch of dahlias at the Farmer's Market in Poulsbo last weekend. I love dahlias, because they look like smiling faces to me. It made me think, I'd like to incorporate them into my next tattoo, which will either be on my arm and upper shoulder or maybe on my upper thigh. I haven't picked a place yet, but I want to add to my canvas... especially since in two days, I'll be home in Hawaii, and can visit my favourite studio in Waikiki.

I probably won't have time to get new ink for a while, because I have so much on my schedule! In addition to a five-course full-time college schedule, here are some other things I'm doing my first two months back at home.

August 30th- HPU Study Abroad Q&A Panel.

I'll be answering questions about HPU's Study Abroad program August 30th, at the downtown campus 11-11:45, UB 214. My friend Yasu will be there with me. So if there's any local students who would like to hear about HPU's Study Abroad Opportunities, come on down! I'd also love to answer any questions about Japan, the program, or just talk about my time in Nagoya at NUFS.

September-

1st and 2nd- Okinawan Festival, Honolulu. I'll be meeting up with a lot of my old friends there and hanging out in yukata. I can hardly wait to see everyone!

4th- First Day of classes at HPU!

22nd- This is a bit of a secret, but I'll be doing some Pin-Up modeling for a charity calendar. I'm very excited!

October 12th- Miss Vamp Hawaii at the Hawaii Theatre

This year I'll be running for Miss Vamp Hawaii, Hawaii's first and only Vampire Beauty Pageant. Held every year in October, this is the pageant's third year, growing bigger and better every year! There is a traditional pageant, Talent Competition, and "Moon Bathing" pageant. Normally that would be the swimwear segment, but since we vampires can't go out in the sunlight, we will be modeling our elegant lingerie.

Please come on out and support me! I'll be making all my own outfits and will try to bring something new and creative to the competition. You can buy tickets at the Historic Hawaii Theatre Box Office. There are still good seats left, but they are going fast! Please mention my name, Erica A. to support me in running for Miss Congeniality.

The Miss Vamp Hawaii pageant will be held on October 12th at 7 PM.

October 19th-21st- HEXXP
The following weekend, October 19th-21st, is HEXXP-con at the beautiful Aloha Tower Marketplace. This is the second year running for the convention, and I'll be volunteering at the maid cafe, Animaid Hawaii all weekend. My maid name, naturally, is Cherie. ;D You can add me on Facebook on my maid page, here. /end plug

On opening night there will be a party with a special theme, and all of us maids and hosts will be wearing special outfits. The rest of the weekend will include regular cafe service and high tea events.

Saturday the 20th at 12 PM, I'll be running the Japanese Street Fashion fashion show. More details to come.

Atelier Pierrot's designer will also be present with a fashion show!!

I don't have much information, but it also appears that a Japanese V-kei band called NSDP will also be performing.

And those are just a few of the exciting events at HEXXP! If you're on Oahu that weekend I highly recommend checking it out!

Of course, at the end of October is the best holiday of all, Halloween! I think I'll spend it with friends in Waikiki this year, since for some reason or another, I was never able to go before. I haven't decided yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll wear my cosplay of Ruki from the GazettE, from their "Taion" music video.

Which is finally finished!

Please look forward to future photo shoots, hopefully!

And well, I have to pull myself away from the computer for a while, to spend time with my mom and brother and finish packing. I just went shopping for some back-to-school things, inspired by my last Reita post.

Distressed jeans, a cool graphic tee with butterflies and skulls, a motorcycle jacket and a purse, all for under $100. And lord knows I have enough boots to outfit an army, so this outfit is d-o-n-e! The best part about these pieces is they can mix and match with so much. I'm glad I finally got some new casual clothes haha~

Till we meet again, darlings~ Next time I see you I should be home in Hawaii! So, Aloha!

xoxo, Cherie

Added as an after thought...

I think the point of this post, was not just to tell you about all the exciting and fun things we have in Hawaii, but to prove a point... my adventure, growth and opportunity did not end with my study abroad. Going to Japan was a dream come true and I will certainly return for work and travel some day. But I see so many young people saying "It's my dream to go to Japan!" As if that is the be-all end-all to their wants and wishes. I was there too. 

But I've learned that's not what it's about. Everything I learned while I was there has prepared me for where I am now, and made me even more able to take on challenges. For example, at HEXXP we are expecting over 200 guests from Japan, and I'll be one of the few maids/hosts in the cafe who can talk with them. Even now, friends and acquaintances are contacting me with opportunities in the future, in the field of Japanese fashion. It's all so exciting! Even with the Miss Vamp pageant, I remember my experience volunteering with teaching English, and helping at the local orphanage in Japan, and that help keeps me humble. 

It makes me thankful for all of these opportunities. I'm not scared to take chances. That makes a world of difference... literally. The world feels open to me after this study abroad. Before, it was just the great unknown. 

Steal the style: Reita, The GazettE

We all have fashion icons; some of them less conventional than others.

As a Jrock fan, I love the styles worn by members of my favourite bands, especially the GazettE. But as a girl with a curvier figure (as in, curvier than Japanese men, haha), I found it hard to pull off the slim cuts, layers and low necklines sported by the members. But after a bit of searching and experimenting, I've found some options.

My first subject and fashion muse, is Reita, bassist of the GazettE.

His look has more edge than the other members, which reflects his personality, hobbies and aggressive bass line. 

(Reita comes in at about 1:40.)

When thinking about Reita's rough-and-tumble style, I thought of a store at my local mall called Buckle. 

It's not a typically alternative or rock-and-roll store... they carry clothing with a vintage feel, but a modern edge. It's summer right now, so a lot of their women's apparel is more brightly coloured, but I found a lot of dark, neutral and metallic items to fit Reita's image.

Read more under the jump-cut!

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!

Oh My Oosu: A Quest

Today started with a simple game plan: Head to Sakae, check out the Novelty Fairs on the Lolita floor, come home in time for Fireworks at Nisshin's Yume Matsuri. Well one of my friends from my apartment building joined me too, and our plan became more and more intricate. Our day trip turned into an excursion into Nagoya's Ohsu district.

I will say this to start- I should have gone to Ohsu a long time ago. This was one of the best days I've had so far.

We arrived at Sakae around 11, finding an abundance of girls in head-to-toe AP and a lack of arousing deals. You couldn't even get to the accessories table at AP since ladies were crowded around it- not that I could blame them, there were new Wonder Cookie goodies up for grabs.

The deal at AP was, spend just shy of 16,000 yen and you score a free Tokimeki ribbon necklace in either pink or red. I browsed, caroused, and really tried to find something I wanted, but nothing was enough to bait me.

Though I fell hard for the Petit Patisserie Jsk in mint, once I saw it person...

... it was significantly more than I set out to spend today. Slightly disappointed, we left the Nova building- but not without checking out AATP's new Witch, Cat and Apple print. They had the OP on display with those gorgeous gold boots.

Read on after the cut for the rest of my quest!

Vulpes vulpes.

Today, my Honey Cake Jsk came in! I was worried it would be too 'print overload' with my cream and brown polkadot blouse, but it's not so bad...

Honestly, I haven't had such great experiences with Angelic Pretty. Normally their items dont fit me right, or the material is too thin for my liking, but this is a seriously nice dress.
I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on, for the most part. The print is adorable and full of details, without being overwhelming. The milk carton has the nutrition facts on the side, things like that.

I like how this print leans more towards Emily Temple cute's designs, which are a more 'demure' sort of cute to me. It's not radical/sugar high/in your face sweet, as AP tends to go.

AND I love bibbed Jsks. And it fits me well. So it passes. You win this time, AP. Now please direct me to that adorable matching Honey Bear jewelry...

Speaking of jewelry, here is another treasure I found, while wandering the local mall...

Fox earrings! I love foxes, but it's actually hard to find fox-themed things. In the spirit of rare fox items, I made an Etsy treasury celebrating my favorite member of the canine family.

Etsy is quite addictive. I never cared for it before, until I started adding people to my 'circle' and watching Treasuries. Then it became a treasure hunt for cool items.

Is anybody else on Etsy? I'm cherielavendre, I'll add you to my circle!

Velvet Vintage

I've scored a few finds as I traversed my way through cascades of consignment shops.

Flashback Waltz

Well... I'm not in Hawaii anymore. Nothing could be sadder, except maybe a taxidermy Iguana.

Which is one of the many treasures I unearthed (price tag: $250) while scouring Antique shops in Seattle.

This photodump post is primarily dedicated to Caro-chan, who I hope will revel in these delightful curiosities and dolly kei memoirs.

Sugarcane, Cafe Laufer

The Ala Moana area isn't the only place to find things to do, as many well know! Yesterday, I headed out to Kaimuki for a Mori Girl and Dolly Kei meetup. We went to Cafe Laufer for lunch first, then afterwards, we poked around Sugarcane, a nearby vintage boutique.

Mori in Hawaii: Genius Outfitters, Waikiki

Genius Outfitters: A Bohemian, or as Japanese fashion enthusiasts would dare to deem it, "Mori Girl" boutique tucked away in Waikiki.

The three story boutique has a vintage show room on the ground floor, filled with soft skirts, straw boater hats, crocheted scarves, handmade jewelry, shoes, candles, Japanese cosmetics... an enchanted forest of fashion. The shop stocks everything from Japanese brands to Free People.

The second floor is devoted to sales items, as well as a brilliant jewel toned fitting room. The spiral staircase up has tall frosted windows, vibrant blown glass lamps, and dressed up mannequins.

The prices are extremely reasonable, ranging from $6-$60 for most items.

Taking another que from Mori lifestyle, Genius Outfitters also stocks home decor items! My favorite items were cafe curtains made from cream crochet lace. There were also tea steepers with hats, bunny printed tupperware, tin candles and more. It's great for Honolulu fashionistas looking to decorate their dorm rooms and apartments!

The sales floor had tons of cute things! It would be easy to make a super cute coordinate for under $35. My favorite items were these boots, which were only $25!

Currently Genius Outfitters takes donations for Japan's Disaster Relief. If you donate at least $5, you get 5% off your entire purchase.

Next time you're in Waikiki (or on your way to Karaoke, like me), be sure to stop by! Genius Outfitters is a boutique that stands out from all the rest for their style, selection, displays and prices.

Not to mention, the staff are friendly... and have great fashion sense.

Genius Outfitters Official Website

346 Lewers St.

Honolulu, HI 96815

USA

TEL : 808-922-2822

10:30am - 10:30pm (Monday - Sunday)

Q-pot Choco-letters

I get spoiled living in Hawaii... Japanese publications, imports and media are everywhere.

One of the coolest things about living here is the Ala Moana Q-pot store. It opened in about August of last year. They hold all kinds of events, like Halloween Costume Contests, visits from the designer Tadaaki Wakamatsu, and the store is usually decorated to reflect the season. (Right now the shop is still decorated for Valentine's Day, so cute!)

The jewelry is kept in pastry cases. In the front, the lamps on the ceiling are shaped like milk pitchers. In the back show room, a chandelier made of forks and spoons sheds soft light on the chocolate brown walls, making the candied treasures glitter. The friendly staff is always eager to assist... I feel like a Princess when I visit them.

There are seasonal pieces, such as last year's Snow Globe necklace in winter, and this year's Valentines Day Melty Chocolate series.

I saw the Melty Chocolate stationery set online a few weeks ago, so went to the store to get it. Unfortunately, it wasn't even for sale yet when I got there! But the staff took my name and number, and gave me a call as soon as it was available.

I picked it up a few days ago (for a reasonable price of $17, including tax). 

The set comes with 5 envelopes, lots of adorable paper, and the same gold sticker seals they use on their shopping bags.

I hope my penpals have a sweet tooth!

PS- Do you like my Q-pot Macaron Ring?