Forget Fashion Week: Valley of the Dolls Throws an Entirely Different Kind of Costume Party

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Between the Erin Wasson garage sale and all the COLA events this weekend, we missed one of the stranger LA retail events to take place on Sunday: The Alice in Wonderland tea party at Culver City's café Royal/T. All manner of costume-wearing subcultures—"anime addicts, Jrock and Jpop fans, doll collectors and Lolitas," as Style Council put it—came out for a dance party among displays of wide-eyed collectors' items from toyshop Valley of the Dolls, which sponsored the event.

While there might not be much overlap between the fashionistas at COLA and the Japanophiles at Valley of the Dolls, they do share an obsession with clothes. Here's how Style Council, which also has an amazing gallery of photos from the event, describes the scene: "And then there were the outfits, a mix of Japanese labels, thrift store finds, Etsy scores and homemade items thrown together to represent the whimsical characters of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. One girl even spent most of the night walking around with her own full-sized mirror." Which puts even the most dramatic Fashion Week looks into perspective.
· Above the Fray: Ravaged Rails Await at Erin Wasson's Garage Sale [Racked]
· All COLA Fashion Week Coverage [Racked]
· Remember What the Dormouse Said: Mad Tea Party at Royal/T [Style Council]