Review: Paradiso 2022

Review 2: A Beautiful Symphony

Welcome back to Mukashi no Sewing! Last weekend I was away in Kansas City, Missouri attending Paradiso, a Japanese fashion convention. This was the fifth Paradiso (and the second that I’ve attended), but sadly it’s also the last one as pandemic pressures (both financial and logistical) led to the organizers to announce that they can no longer run the event. 😦 I was particularly glad, then, that I’d managed to win a Golden Ticket, and participate fully in all the activities this year, and I’m excited to share the fun with you here!

I arrived at 3:30pm Friday, and was picked up at the airport by the fabulous Celestial from the Discord server! She was so kind, and took me straight to my hotel so I could change and head over to the venue for the pre-event swap meet! I sold a couple of things, but mostly used the opportunity to hang out with my friends. Afterward there was a VIP party that I spent about an hour at – the macarons were really good! 😀

Saturday was Day 1, and as a Golden Ticket holder I (and the other 3 people with Golden Tickets) got priority access to shop. My #1 priority was Neant Glass, who does beautiful pressed flower stained glass jewelry (that always sells out immediately online). I was lucky enough to be the first to her booth, and got the two necklaces I wanted – as well as a ring for a friend! I also bought a hat and headdress from Triple Fortune, and a couple of prints.

Some of the looks were incredible, and it was only day 1!

The convention photographer happened to have my exact same camera and lens, and we ended up chatting about camera stuff when I went over to have my picture taken! He was kind enough to attach his flash setup to my camera body, and take a couple of pictures of me with my camera as well! 🙂

There was a break after the shopping, which I used to change and eat dinner, and then in the evening was the fashion show! I got to sit right at the end of the runway, and got some great photos!

Brilliant Kingdom also performed after the fashion show, and it was so much fun!

Sunday I got another Golden Ticket perk – brunch with Babi-san and Kaie-san of Triple Fortune!

I gave them a cute purse with a Sasquatch on it, and they had never heard of Sasquatch! When they asked what it was, I explained that it was a kind of “Seattle yokai.” (Yokai are Japanese cryptids/spirits, essentially.) I was pretty proud of that explanation! Afterwards, it was time for the tea party and pageant contest:

The tea party venue was not air conditioned, and it was over 100 degrees F that day. ROUGH. Especially with layers of blouses, dresses, and petticoats! But getting to see everyone’s gorgeous outfits was so delightful. And once everyone had served themselves, it was time for the Ouji (“Prince”) Pageant!

Each prince had a set amount of time to woo their royal consort, and the winner was the fantastic Prince Olivier! They did a tremendous song and dance routine to “Take On Me” that got the whole room joining in. It was truly a worthy end to a glittering weekend!

My flight home on Monday ended up getting pushed back to later in the afternoon, so as a treat a few of my friends and I went to the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. It was SO COOL!

It was such a delight to get to see so many friends, and to make some new ones as well. I’m truly sad that Paradiso has ended, but hopefully you’ve had fun seeing some of the photos! And I look forward to seeing you back here next week for more history, sewing, and fashion! ❤