La Carmina

Beautiful style blogger La Carmina shares with us her love of all things pumpkin, her NOH8 campaign and her tested tips for travelling in style.

1. Describe your style...
Rococo horror, pirate Lolita, Gothic nun, leopard punk, Italo Disco space princess.

2. Where do you find your fashion inspiration?
I am constantly inspired by my fellow creatures of the night, who congregate at alternative / underground parties (especially in Japan). I like to mix styles, so I draw inspiration from Goth, cyber, Lolita, steampunk and other alt fashion. Perhaps the thread that holds it together is curiosity and courage in my individual style, regardless of what others might think.

3. What's your favorite outfit you've ever worn?
Impossible to choose one, since my dress-ups change with my life and whims. I love my grey plaid Angelic Pretty Lolita dress from Harajuku, which has a bell skirt, frills and heart-shaped pockets. I paired it with shiny Alice and the Pirates ankle boots, and put flowers in my curled hair (see here).

4. Describe your perfect day.
It would involve a sense of accomplishment -- such as securing a new TV hosting job, or a paid travel gig. I need to feel I'm moving forward, and reaching a new goal in life. Throw in delicious food and snuggles from my round earless Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow, and I’m on top of the world.

5. Where is your favorite place in the whole world, and why?
I love Tokyo’s spooky scene. You’ll always find me and my friends at Shinjuku’s Club Marz, home to the city’s longest-running Goth Industrial party, Midnight Mess. I also spend too much time in the Japanese alt Lolita Punk second hand store, Closet Child.

6. What is your favorite food?
Around Halloween, you can find pumpkin-flavored anything in Japan. Ice cream, soup, you name it. My absolute favorite snack is kabocha (pumpkin) pizza from the Sunpierrot bakery in Shinjuku Station. Only 200 yen ($2) a slice!

7. You do a lot of travelling - what things are essential in your carry on?
I wrote a Huffington Post Travel article about maintaining good skin while travelling -- an essential, when your work involves on-camera hosting. Check out this post for my tried and true tips.

8. Tell us about the NOH8 campaign.
Ever since I was a pre-teen, I’ve been drawn to alt subcultures: Goth, Punk, Visual Kei. They represented a safe space where misfits (like me) could band together, and celebrate how we were different from the rest.

Today, as a TV host and writer, it’s my goal to present alt culture in a positive light. Many people dismiss Japan’s underground scene as “weird” or “extreme.” So I do my best to show we’re a family; that we’ve cultivated a vibrant environment where everyone can express themselves.

But having this support network is not enough. In everyday life, my friends and I are constantly denied rights and dignity because of our looks and lifestyle. Gay couples must leave Japan in order to get married. Goths continue to be targeted -- and in the a few recent cases, killed (RIP Per Nordqvist and Sophie Lancaster).

That’s why the NOH8 Campaign’s message means so much to me: Stop the Hate. It began as a protest against Prop 8, and now has a larger message of fighting inequality and discrimination.

9. Where is your favorite place to shop?
Harajuku is my favorite neighborhood in Tokyo for clothing and accessories. Here, you’ll find the most exciting Goth Lolita Punk / Visual Kei / Cyber Rave fashion in the world. While Harajuku has gotten more commercial lately, there are still independent little stores, such as the Yellow House boutique that has been run by an old lady for over 20 years. Or Takuya Angel’s little shop of Cyber Rave handmade fashion. The basement of Laforet Department Store has some of my favorite brands, including Alice & the Pirates, Atelier Pierrot, Putumayo and h.NAOTO.

Shinjuku’s Marui One department store is a mecca of Gothic Lolita clothing, especially the incredible alternative shoe selection on the fifth floor! Okadaya has glittery fabrics, feathers and eyelashes. If I could only visit one store, it would be Closet Child, which stocks Japanese alternative brand clothing — all secondhand and very well priced. There are locations in Shinjuku, Harajuku and Ikebukuro.

I have a Tokyo alternative shopping guide that highlights all my favorite stores, with maps and directions.

10. What do you love about Gothic Lolita Style?
Lolita fashion gradually came into my consciousness during my childhood travels around Asia. I saw frilly Victorian doll dresses in Harajuku and was captivated by the aristocratic dream-world they represented. The Alice in Wonderland aesthetics are so beautiful.