It’s a dream come true… I’m hosting a coolhunting travel show for Huffington Post / AOL! And guess what I’m wearing in the intro to the first episode? Lip Service – Brocade Piracy dress.
In the first episode, I’m a fish out of water — a Goth girl in Wisconsin. I explore a kitschy theme hotel, complete with a bondage bed!
Will you kindly take a minute to check out my alternative travel show + Like/Share/Tweet it? This will enable me to keep the series going — and keep wearing Lippy on it. The link is: http://t.co/BRQAvIh
La Carmina‘s jetsetting adventures recently took me to Hong Kong, China — also known as shopping paradise. Naturally, I went on a treasure-hunt for Hong Kong’s best Gothic and Lolita shops.
I’ll warn you: there aren’t that many Gothic Lolita Punk shops in Hong Kong. But you can pick up terrific pieces from various Mongkok stalls, to build up a fashion-forward Gothic look. And the prices can’t be beat.
Spider is one of my favorites Gothloli clothing brands. Two sweet sisters run the small Mongkok shop. They design all the fashion, with close attention to detailing, and produce in small runs.
The clothes tend to be on the Gothic Punk side, which suits me perfectly. I love the corset lacing, punk plaids, and frills.
I bought these three items and the rose skirt, and wear them constantly (you’ve probably glimpsed them in my outfit posts). If you’re in Hong Kong and can only make it to one destination, I hope it’ll be Spider. Please say hi to owners Natalie and Queenie for me.
Spider is located at shop 130, King Wah Centre, 628 Nathan Road, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong (Map) Tel: (852) 2740 9366
Mongkok is my favorite Hong Kong district for shopping. (Take the subway there and explore the Nathan Road area). There are so many little malls that sell bright, alternative, trendy street style — at crazy low prices. Such as:
Argyle Centre Mall, 688 Nathan Road in Hong Kong (map).
This “Gothic Lolita & Punk” store is located at Shop 67, 1F in Argyle Centre. However, Mongkok stalls move around constantly; they’re open one week and closed the next. Instead of worrying about finding specific stores, I recommend exploring at random. You’ll undoubtedly come across alternative fashions.
Mongkok’s clothes aren’t the highest quality (comparable to, say, Forever 21). However, the styles are way ahead of the curve, and prices are incredible: you’ll rarely pay more than $5-15 US for any clothing item.
Hong Kong’s Goth scene is basically nonexistent (there are no club nights or gatherings). However, you can find Gothic/alternative items in the Mongkok mix — such as this jewelry, guarded by Edward Scissorhands.
I could have taken a million photos of Hong Kong shops. Rocking horse shoes; rose rings. (More shopping photos in this Mongkok post.)
Want to learn more about Hong Kong’s Gothloli and kawaii fashion? Check out La Carmina’s Hong Kong Gothic Lolita guide.
What do you think — is Hong Kong shopping heaven? Which items in this post would you most like to own?
Now I’m off to JAPAN, for a new TV hosting job with Food Network… you can see details and Tokyo fashion photos on my blog. Sayonara!
XXX LA CARMINA XXX