Saturday August 19 was the third Saturday of the month, so it was Harajuku Day. The day proved slightly chaotic because a friend was visiting from out of town, but I also was picking up group order items from a community member at HDLA, so I had to go to both!
I got to the Little Tokyo Galleria uncharacteristically early so I could do my item pick up and so I could hang out with my friend later in the day. As usual, there were a variety of vendors and secondhand sellers with all kinds of jfashion merch available. A community member was selling some of their classic pieces, but sadly none of them were quite my size, so I didn’t end up purchasing anything this time.
Keeping with the theme of DIY, HDLA had two interactive booths set up staffed by creepykitty and miss alphabet. For a small donation, attendees could make a necklace shaker and take a mini sewing lesson and walk away with an item they made. I thought these were great additions to the event, though I didn’t have time to enjoy them.
It also seemed to me that many people participated in the theme. Many of the people who I saw told me “Thanks, I made it!” when I complimented their outfits. For once, even I was on theme with the book OP that I made several years ago.
We grabbed lunch at Hana Ichimonme. While I enjoyed my coconut ramen tremendously, my friend’s curry was definitely the standout dish for both of us.
My friend graciously waited while I grabbed my requisite videos. She even took some videos and coordinate shoots for me, which I deeply appreciated.
Around 3, my friend and I grabbed a boba for the road and headed back to her hotel – the Millenium Biltmore in downtown LA. She was visiting because she was attending the Labyrinth of Jareth masquerade ball later that night, so we made use of their incredible lobby to take some very cool outfit shots. (Shout to the fountain for looking incredible and having absolutely terrible lighting.)
I was sorry that I didn’t get to spend as much time at HDLA as I normally did, especially because there were several people visiting who I didn’t get to chat as much as I would have liked. Luckily, I do have plans to attend the event through the end of the year, so hopefully I’ll have more chances to socialize next time!