Harajuku Street Fashion Party
October 2010

Andrew and his wife Janene co-hosted a costume-demanding Harajuku Street Fashion Party from 8 p.m. to midnight October 16 at Hinterland; the refreshments to be served included sticky-sweet Ramune punch and Japanified cupcakes. Style Local: Andrew Novick

Andrew Novick is known in this town for many singular reasons -- a big one being his artfully out-of-control need to collect things, any things, nay, all things, and another his involvement with the legendary band the Warlock Pinchers -- but his spot-on fashion sense is probably not one of those reasons. On the other hand, Andrew is unique in his tastes, and that in itself makes for good, if quirky, fashion talk in a stylish world often straitjacketed by its own rules and exclusivity. You see, I don't think Andrew gives a hoot about rules or exclusivity. Andrew is Andrew, and this is what he does and wears.

With his wife Janene, Andrew imports Japanese pop-culture clothing and novelties. They used to have a store in Belmar, Gimme Gimme Pillow Toast, which closed, but they still sell their strange mix of cosplay wear, Harajuku style and kawaii online and at short-run popup ventures, making trips to Asia about once a year to restock. There, they make pilgrimages to Nakano Broadway in Tokyo, a Blade Runner-reminiscent mega-mall of vendor niches and shops catering to pop-culture-hungry otaku (the Japanese term for anime, manga and video game-obsessed über-fans) with floor upon floor of stuff and more stuff. "It's like a street fair in a mall," Andrew explains. Other destinations might include the Design Festa international art expo, also in Tokyo, or the Amerikamura district (or, in the local lingo, Ame-mura) in Osaka.

For more info please visit their website: Gimmi Gimmi Pillow Toast

by Susan Froyd Wed., Oct. 6 2010
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View photos from the Party in the Westword

read article by Susan Froyd about the party and the Harajuku Street Style