We're moving...

After much consideration I have decided to move the d.Kei blog to a new host.

The new blog will be here. I'm almost done setting it up, and it will look awesome, as well as be a lot easier to use. :) I'll still keep the old one up here, unless I can find a way to move the old posts to Wordpress. :)

Weekly Visual Kei Picks - October 1, 2012

Weekly Visual Kei Picks - October 1, 2012 by dkei featuring fishnet gloves

Fishnet glove / Olympic 2012 Retro Vintage union Jack Blazer Jacket by NadiaPini, $120 / Vampire Dress Sleeveless gothic crow raven noir by RolandMode, $34 / vintage Rocker or Goth fitted flared mini skirt by VintageHomage / Red green tartan punk visual kei style wrist cuff by shamankailona, $9.72 / Vintage Slip On Goth Beetle Boot with Buckle by cemeterywaltz / SALE Gothic Lolita / Vampire Leather Collar and Cuff by DangerDres

Polyvore!

So...I've discovered Polyvore, and I'm having a blast with it. 

With Polyvore you can make your own collections and articles, and then publish them through the many social media outlets that are on the internet. :) 

I will be using it for future articles and features. It's so much fun to put the collages together. 

Now that I've been playing with it for awhile, I'm curious...do any of you out there use Polyvore? If so, what do you think of it? What's your favorite/least favorite thing about it? Comment at the bottom of the post and let me know! :) 

Weekly Visual Kei Picks - September 9, 2012

Sorry this is a bit late. With Saboten and everything my blogging schedule got a bit cattywhompus. xD (Saboten writeup coming, I promise!)

Vintage Ring, $45 USD, Buzzards Nest. Purchase here.

Cameo Necklace, $19.75 USD, black persimmons. Purchase here.

Hat, $15 USD, Kat's Hat Rack. Purchase here.

Skirt, $30 USD, Fashion Victim. Purchase here.

SKULL PUNK Flap Cutsew Shirt, $105 USD, Sex Pot Revenge. Available online at TokyoRebel.com.

New Arrivals - September 3, 2012

Here's the weekly rundown of our newest items! Click the image to go to the corresponding Etsy listing. :)

New Grommeted Earrings, now in white! 5 designs are currently available.
$15 USD Each. 

New lightning bolt earrings! These are super light and easy to wear, and they pack a powerful colorful punch to a visual or fairy kei wardrobe. :) Available in the six colors shown above.


Upcoming:
-More grommeted earrings
-Vintage button rings in new colors and shapes
-New spiked stretch bracelets
-New necklace designs

Weekly Visual Kei Picks - September 3, 2012: Fall 2012 Edition

This week we're on a gold kick. It's a major color this Fall, and gold paired with black has been especially popular. 

Here are this week's Visual Kei picks, laden with gold!

T-Shirt, £20 GBP(Approx. $33 USD), ENGlorious. Purchase here.

Rings, $10 USD, Xuanqi. Purchase here.

T-Shirt, $22 USD, Paulina Clothing. Purchase here.

Studded Shorts, $66 USD, theSTEELage. Purchase here.

Daring Digits Nail Polish in Batman, $7.75 USD. Purchase here.

Bracelet, $16 USD, zipluxe. Purchase here.

New Arrivals/Coming Soon - August 22, 2012

What's new in the Etsy store this week: 

Here's a rundown of the newest listings in the shop! I finished these last week, but I haven't gotten a chance to post until now. 

Visual Kei Kyo Bracelet, $18. Etsy listing.

This was a collaboration with a client. Inspired by Kyo from Fruits Basket, this is a visual kei interpretation of his black and white bracelet.

I had enough supplies left over to make one more, and she gave me her blessing to do so. :) 

These rings are only $5 each. These are made from vintage buttons that have been upcycled into adjustable rings. The shanks of the rings are gold-plated over brass. One size fits most. 

Etsy listing for round rings

Etsy listing for square rings

Necklace, $39.99 USD. Etsy listing.

This is actually the first netted necklace I made, but I didn't get decent pictures of it until recently, so it stayed out of the Etsy store. This is longer than the rest, about 28 inches. It can be worn long for a dramatic effect, doubled up as a nice choker, or wrapped around the wrist as a bracelet(my favorite variation). 

Coming Soon: 

• Two new cross netted bracelets(one with bling!)
• White grommet tape earrings
• New necklace designs
• Glass pearl and spike earrings

That sums it up for this week! I post new pieces in the store on a weekly basis, so stay tuned! 

Weekly Visual Kei Finds - August 19, 2012

Here's the week's Visual Kei finds! This week I took a look at makeup as well. :) Have fun! 

Necklace, $19 USD. G.A.T.U.M.I. Get it here.

Arm Warmers, $13 USD, RolandMode. Etsy listing.

Sunglasses, $45 USD, &devour. Etsy listing.

Brooch, $66 USD, UpBrass. Etsy listing.

Nail Polish by KB Shimmer in Ice Queen, $8.50 USD. KBShimmer on Etsy.

Eyeshadow by Eccentric Cosmetics in Futuristic Engineering, $5 AUD($5.35 USD). Etsy Listing.

Eyeliner, $7.99 USD, D&E. Etsy listing.

Previous Weeks:

August 5 - August 11

Weekly Visual Kei Picks - August 11, 2012

Away we go into this week's visual kei picks! 

Punky Gray Velcro Pouch, $13.50 USD, DxDCloset. Etsy listing.

I love this piece. I love it because it's edgy and sophisticated, and because it's made from repurposed fabric, so it's eco-friendly. 10% of the profits gets donated to earthquake reconstruction in Japan. 

Black Kimi Jacket, $55, Ichigo Black. Etsy listing.

This Ichigo Black jacket is fabulous. It's fierce, it's simple, and it's versatile. It makes a great foundation piece for any visual kei wardrobe. I highly recommend checking out the rest of the Etsy shop. They carry a variety of amazing visual kei pieces, and they are all of exceptional quality.

Coffin Rings, $10.20 USD, Alice, Dear. Etsy listing.

I adore these rings. I want one. Badly. xD A key motif is available in addition to the cross motif. These are adjustable, and nickel-free, always a plus if you have metal sensitivities.

Cuff, £6 GBP(approx. $9.66 USD), Shaman Kailona. Etsy listing.

This cuff is badass, and the skulls and plaid are classic visual kei. I love the serged detail along the top and bottom of the cuff, and colors of the bracelet are vivid and edgy, a nice change from the typical red and black color scheme.

Tie, $20 USD, Sweet Rose Haven. Etsy listing.

This tie is a great accent to any visual kei shirt, and would look gorgeous paired with a nice black VK jacket. It transitions from day to night beautifully.

Top, $32 USD, Avant Garden. Etsy listing.

Cutsew tops were first made popular by Sex Pot Revenge, and they have since become a staple of visual kei  fashion. This gorgeous top is an altered t-shirt, which means it's comfy and easy to wear. 

As always, I'll be looking for more awesome visual kei finds to post next week!

Weekly Visual Kei Finds - August 5, 2012

It's time for another weekly round of Visual Kei picks!

This week I'm featuring a lot more pieces. :) This week they all came from Etsy, since I spend so much time on Etsy working on my shop and promoting other Etsians' work.

Bracelet, $23 USD, ZIPPERjewelry. Etsy listing. 

I'm starting off this week with a men's bracelet by ZIPPERjewelry. As their name implies, they make a variety of amazing pieces with zippers, everything from this simple bracelet to beautiful, elaborate arm pieces. This pieces is from their 2013 collection. 

Necklace, $22 USD, London Particulars. Etsy listing. 

This Gothic Fleur de Lis necklace by London Particulars caught my eye almost immediately. This beautiful stamped piece is a wonderful accent to a visual kei suit. Based out of Seattle, their main specialty is steampunk jewelry. However, many of their pieces would also work with a more VK/darker wardrobe. 

Brooch, £3 GBP, Little Mizz Kitty. Etsy listing. 

Sideways crosses are the IT jewelry of the summer. Celebrities everywhere are sporting them, including Jennifer Lopez, Kourtney Kardashian, and TV host Kelly Rippa. This brooch from Little Mizz Kitty is a great piece that is not only Visual Kei but keeps you right on trend, and for just £3 it's too good to pass up! 

Pants, $75 USD, Beast Wares. Etsy listing. 

Visual Kei isn't just limited to black. These turquoise striped pants by Beast Wares are simply fabulous! They'll look good with a T-shirt and work beautifully with a jacket, making them a great transitional piece. Please not the Etsy listing is for Extra Large, but they are available in other sizes. :) 

Necklace, $23 USD, Skully and Fang. Etsy listing. 

If you're looking for a statement piece consider this necklace by Skully and Fang. This is a very new shop, having only opened July 30th, but this shop already is building a nice inventory of gothic and visual kei pieces. 

Bag, $144, Rogue City Killers. Etsy listing. 

And last but certainly not least, let's go in a more punk-inspired direction for the last pick. :) I ADORE this studded bag by Rogue City Killers. It has a beautiful red lining and tons of studs and buckles, but what I like most about this bag is that it is made from recycled leather jackets, so it's eco-freindly. :) 

I hope you enjoyed this picks as much as I did! These designers have many more amazing items in their Etsy shops so be sure to check them out! 

Non-Spiked Inventory!

This week's challenge: make Visual Kei pieces that do NOT contain spikes, for my customers that want something a little more understated and less in-your-face.

I was rooting around through my vintage stash and came across a 3-strand vintage chain necklace I'd made awhile back. I decided it was doing nothing for me as is, and set about looking for something that might match it that wasn't acrylic spikes...and found nothing.

So I dug a little deeper and dusted off a box of random jewelry stuff I never got around to unpacking and found some really awesome hematite pendants, and decided that because the chain was so elaborate that's all they really needed.

The result:

Simple, but edgy and elegant and rather versatile. :) They can be Visual Kei or they can go on a more simple wardrobe. I like that the pendants have taken a little bit of a beating, it just makes them look edgier. :) 

These are up for sale in the Etsy shop! They are $15 each. One of each shape is available: 

• Cross
• Open Heart
• Hollow Heart

I also found some really awesome vintage buttons at the thrift store this week that had a dark, gothy look. Because they stood out so well on their own, I decided rings would be the best way to showcase them. 

These are also up in the Etsy shop, $5 each. They sit on silvertone adjustable ring bands, that are a size 6 unadjusted. They're quite comfy. I wear one on my index finger, adjusted to a size 9. Again, one of each is avalable: 

• Fancy Filigree Ring
• Black Hexagon Ring

More non-spiked creations are coming. Stay tuned!