Harajuku

Man, remember visual kei? It was all the rage among anime fans in the late 90’s and 00’s, back when I first got into the hobby. Fans discussed bands like Malice Mizer and Dir en grey right alongside their favorite series despite them not having any obvious connection, and the cross-dressing singer Mana, a major influence in the Gothic Lolita fashion movement, was just as popular to cosplay as pretty much any given anime character. Although the movement seems to be largely in decline these days, at least among U.S. fans, Visual Prison is here to remind us of its glory days.

For those not up to speed, it can be hard to get a handle on just what visual kei is. If you were to ask a dozen different people to describe it in terms of western musical genres, you’d get a dozen different answers. Personally, I’d call it something like a cross between goth rock and metal in terms of sound. The band members’ appearances also are emphasized – hence the “visual” part of the name – and their ostentatious hair, makeup, and costume styles usually lie on a continuum between glam rock and, again, goth rock. Their lyrics tend toward florid expressions of angst, full of various metaphors for pain and heartbreak. It’s all about big expressions of big emotions, filtered through big hair and elaborate makeup and costuming.

So, you can see why it’s a perfect backdrop for what essentially boils down to an idol series featuring vampires.

Yes, I know that visual kei as a musical…

After a long week in the office, nothing beats the feeling of going out and exploring new places to eat. Mumbai, Delhi, Goa and other cities are bustling with new joints to eat, fresh menus to try and drinks to gossip over. If you have not picked a place already, here’s a curated list to help you out. 

If You Are In Mumbai

An All-Day Brunch Menu? Yes Please 

This Bandra eatery has been around for a whole year and they are celebrating this milestone with a special anniversary menu. Plus, they have an exquisite garden levitating from the ceiling and a private dining area that tick all the boxes and are likely to set your Instagram ablaze.

Where: G 4, Plot 70, Ground Floor, Capital Building, Block G, MMRDA BKC, Bandra Kurla Complex
When: Entire Month, All Day
Contact: +917710805999
Cost: ₹ 1,800 for two people

Indulge In A Vegan Meal

Comforting offerings that are nutritious and delicious in equal measure form the bedrock of the new menu at this vegan cafe. Don’t miss their truffle cheese chilli toast, green Thai curry bowl, harvest sandwich in sourdough, and truffle edamame fried rice. Need we say more?

Where: 30B, Vora House, Palimala Road, Pali Hill, Bandra West
Timings: 12 Noon – 10:30pm
Contact: +919653336089
Cost: ₹800 for two people

Keep It Sweet 

Rachelle Andrade (previously Mag Street Kitchen and Qualia) is all set to introduce you to the world of “no-bullsh*t baking” with Mumbai’s latest dessert…

Dopamine Dresser

Kristina Elle suffered from severe depression after moving to Austin, Texas, from Singapore in 2010. But then the now 26-year-old YouTuber, who goes by the handle @cybr.grl online, discovered fashion design. She started her Candy Trap label in 2018, specializing in outrageously colorful Japanese fashions, and two years later, she moved to Chandler. That same year, her “Harajuku Forever” design won ACDC Rag’s worldwide clothing design competition. Elle continues to collaborate with the Japan-based clothing site and sells her work at events like Mesa’s Market on Main Pride. Now married with a young son, she spoke with us about the power of color and finding herself at the end of
the rainbow.

What is it about rainbows that inspires you?

When I show pictures of my rainbow-filled room, people ask me online, “Doesn’t that give you a headache?” But I feel at home being surrounded by so much color. Rainbows have meant a lot to me, and I’m glad I finally realized it. There’s a lot of symbolism and inspiration behind them. I’m pansexual, so it’s a way to be outward about my sexuality. I’m married to a man, so a lot of people assume I’m straight, but for me, the rainbows help me get in touch with who I am on the inside. Rainbows feel very comforting to me.

I’ve read you’ve struggled with depression, so I assume that the brightness and the colors are also therapeutic in a way.

There is a phrase coined recently called “dopamine…

Known as a platform for showcasing artists, designers, architects, musicians, photographers, filmmakers, and other under-appreciated entities from Japan on a global scale, b.Eautiful is now gearing up for its latest release with CGI artist based in London/Berlin – Tokyo, Masako Hirano. The capsule collection celebrates GASBOOK‘s 25th anniversary and is part of the “ATYPICAL XXV” campaign. “ATYPICAL XXV” includes the launch of “by and by GASBOOK,” a website introducing creators associated with the company, and the opening of GASBON METABOLISM, a multipurpose facility with a site area of over 1,000 square meters in Hokuto, Yamanashi.

According to b.Eautiful, “GASBOOK, by Gas As Interface, began in 1996 as a project with aims to gather and proliferate new art and design ideas from around the world. Originally created in DVD format, the GASBOOK series took on various iterations before its current book form of which, to date, 36 issues have been published featuring creatives like Mike Mills, Jun Takahashi, Madsaki, Jonathan Zawada, and Yoshirotten. To celebrate GASBOOK’s 25th anniversary, by and by GASBOOK, an online archive and database of artists, will be launched later this year. GASBOOK, at its core, is a celebration of artists and their works, and continues its mission…

What is there to be said about NIGO that hasn’t been reiterated a million times before? The designer/director/collector/collaborator/pioneer can be described by so many adjectives that there’s almost no point in referring to him as anything other than, simply, NIGO. Though, you can now add “award winner” to his list of titles.

On September 19, NIGO scored perhaps Japan’s biggest prize in fashion, the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix Award. Presented by The Mainichi Shimbun (literally, “the daily newspaper”), which itself has been around for 100 years as of 2022, the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix is celebrating its 40th anniversary and what better way than to give a king his crown?

NIGO took home 2022’s Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix grand prize, a nod given to the designer, manager, or executive who’s “achieved the most outstanding results in… fashion” for the year, according to the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix’s Japanese website.

The award ceremony is technically part of Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, though that calendar officially ended on September 3, and has been distributed since 1983, when the grand prize was awarded to folks like COMME des GARÇONS founder Rei Kawakubo, the late Issey Miyake, and ZUCCa designer Akira Onozuka.

Anyways, NIGO was at 2022’s ceremony in-person to accept his prize, standing alongside fellow winners Fumie Tanaka, a womenswear designer who received the “newcomer” award; stylist Michiko Kitamura, whose resume includes stints with Kawakubo and films like…