Fashion Photo Contest WINNERS!
Ladies and gentlemen, the winners of our first fashion photo contest! (Maybe next year we'll come up with a catchier name!)
First, if you haven't already, see our finalists along with some information on how they were picked. Then read on for the winners!
As for how the winners were chosen? When Misako and Akira submitted their finalists, they also ranked their top picks. That counted as a vote. We (the two owners of Tokyo Rebel) also each got a vote. We tallied the votes from among the finalists and picked the winners that way. Simple. In both categories, the winner also happened to be Misako's and Akira's top pick.
Rock and punk category
WINNER:
Photographer: Laura London
Outfit: Hat, rings, skirt all offbrand; cutsew from Algonquins; jacket, leggings, necklace & pins from SEX POT ReVeNGe; boots from Dr. Martens.
Why: Very New York. Nice pose, monotone coordinate works with the grey background. She looks tough. The coordinate is very current. Japanese street fashion has moved beyond visual kei and this photo shows it. Akira's favorite.
AKIRA SAYS: アー写みたい!って思いました。 帽子から足下までのコーデがカジュアル
RUNNERS UP:
Model: Nahye
Photographer: Lee Miller
Outfit: red T-shirt, red belt, gloves & skirt from Search & Destroy; black t-shirt & belt from Sexy Dynamite London; bracelet from Alice Auaa & Patricia Fields; goggles from Reminisce; hip pouch from Rituals; boots from Dr. Martens.
Why: This photo is also very much a representation of Japanese punk fashion in New York (though unfortunately taken in another store's entryway!). Still, really nice rich color, and nice natural pose.
AKIRA SAYS: すごいオシャレさんだと思う。小物使いが上手いな~と思いました。
In English: She's very fashionable, all the way down to the way she uses accessories.
Model: Tara Wood
Photographer: Judith Stephens
Outfit: parka and tank top from SEX POT ReVeNGe; side skirt from Putumayo; pants from Tripp NYC; boots from Dr. Martens.
Why: We like how loud this photo is. It's all up in your face. Kinda scary! But in a good way.
AKIRA SAYS: 個人的に派手なのが好きなのでがちゃがちゃとした柄を上下に使ってるの に上手く着こなしてるなと思いました。
In English: I like the showy atmosphere. The design of the clothes is very noisy, but she coordinates very nicely.
Lolita (and related) category
WINNER:
Model: Claudia
Photographer: Nuckel_Teddy
Outfit: dress & bonnet by Angelic Pretty; self-made headbow; necklace by Jesus Diamante; self-made rings; bracelets by Bijou Brigitte
Why: The epitome of sweet Lolita. She makes sweet look completely natural, which is not easy. Excellent technical quality; composition, color and depth of field. Also Misako's favorite. While we may not always have this reputation, we do sell a lot of sweet Lolita, so we're very happy to have a winner that so perfectly captures what sweet is all about.
MISAKO SAYS: 薔薇のお花とボンネットを被ったお姫様がクラシカルなロリータを演出していて可愛かったです。お花のいい香りが写真から伝わってきました。ロリータとお花の愛称バッチリです。
In English: The princess who was wearing roses and a bonnet gave the picture a very classic Lolita atmosphere, and made her look very cute. I even felt the smell of flowers. Lolita and the flowers matched very well.
RUNNERS UP:
Model: Charlotte Skurzak
Photographer: Philemon Belhomme
Outfit: Stained Glass one-piece & socks from Alice & the Pirates; halfwig from Prisila; offbrand white roses & shawl; shoes from Bodyline.
Why: Like Misako, we love the moss-covered background, and her mature-looking dark coordinate.
MISAKO SAYS: 黒を貴重にしたロリータファッションとロングの金色の髪がお人形のようでとっても素敵でした。緑いっぱいのレトロ感たっぷりの階段と黒ロリータが大人っぽさと涼しげな印象でした。
Model: Stephanie Mi Stoehr
Photographer: Sophie Kawalek
Outfit: Red Riding Hood one-piece with sleeves and capelet by Baby, the Stars Shine Bright.
Why: We like the fish-out-of-water idea. We also like the fact that she looks like a tourist in New York from some faraway Lolita-land.
MISAKO SAYS: NYの街に赤ずきんちゃんがいたらこんな感じかなーと思わせてくれる写真です。パニエの着方もしっかりしていてスカートが綺麗に見えることで柄がはっきり見えてロリータ上級者スタイルです。
In English: If there was Red Riding Hood in New York, she would look like this. She wears her petticoat very well to show the design of the skirt, which looks very beautiful. This is advanced level Lolita style.
The two winners will receive either a $250 gift certificates or a $250 online coupon, and we may also use their photo to represent our store on flyers, posters and more! The four runners-up will each receive a $25 gift certificate or online coupon. Winners can also expect to see themselves on Misako's and Akira's blogs.
While there are only two winners and four runners-up, we loved all the finalists. And we've got some honorable mentions too, which we'll run through in another blog post in a day or two. (You can see some of them right now in our photo gallery, but we want to say a bit about some of them, individually and in groups, as well.) The nature of any contest is that there's only gonna be one or two people who win and a whole lot of people who don't - you may be disappointed, but that doesn't mean your entry wasn't good. As we've said before, we were surprised by both the quantity and quality we got for our first contest, so you should all be proud.
TO THE WINNERS AND RUNNERS UP: We'll be contacting you in the next day or so. It's a little too late tonight :) Read more...