Kei Con 2023 Recap

This past weekend I attended Kei Con with some of my friends. This was my very first large scale J Fashion event as well as my first time in Canada. I have a lot to say so this is going to be a long post, but I’m going to break it down into sections so you can skip to whatever you want to read.

But first, what is Kei Con? Kei Con is a J fashion convention held in Toronto, Canada. Started in 2019 by Spooky Sparkle Party owner, Rae; Kei Con has now held three in-person conventions featuring panels, vendors, fashion shows, tea parties, games, raffles, etc. The con is three days and brings in 150-200 attendees.

✧Background and planning✧

My friends and I decided months ago that we would attend this year’s Kei Con. I bought my tickets soon after they launched and planning began right away. Not just for my coords but the logistics of going to another country. After a lot of research I found out I wouldn’t be able to have phone service in Canada, as my carrier doesn’t offer an international plan, and my phone wasn’t eligible for a Canadian SIM or eSIM. G r e a t. Well before the con I printed maps and directions, and downloaded six different offline GPS apps before finding one that *mostly* worked. A lot of my time over the last several months went into preparing for this convention.

✧Friday✧

The plan was that I would leave at 11:30 am, drive to Buffalo to exchange cash, drive to the airport and pick up friends and then we would all ride to the hotel together. Friday morning came and I ended up running a little behind and left at noon instead. Things were smooth sailing to Buffalo, where I stopped to exchange USD for CAD, and then I headed for the border. The wait at the border was very short, which was lucky. Airplane mode went on – pre-saved GPS route active. Traffic was really crazy on the way to the airport so it took me almost twice the amount of time it should have to get there. Once I got to the airport, things got wild. My GPS route was insistent on sending me to the cargo area! Toronto Pearson International has their own highway system and there’s almost no signage on the regular road ways indicating where to go to find terminals, arrivals, or departures! I drove around the airport for an hour trying to figure out how to get to the actual airport and not drive around weird access roads around the edges. I was so stressed out because I was VERY late. My friends had landed a long time ago and I was worried they left already via Uber and once I finally got to the airport, they would be gone. Since I didn’t have service and had no way to contact them to let them know I was lost and running late. I also worried that they might have worried I was dead LOL. Finally however, I made it to the arrivals terminal and got everyone in my car at 6:15… I was supposed to arrive at 3:30 😦 Driving into the city also took a very long time as traffic was insane. It was like driving in Manhattan. We got into our hotel around 8pm. Finally, we ate dinner at Nene Chicken and it was delicious.

✧Saturday✧

I was attending the con with my friends Tiffany of Dandy Puppeteer, her partner, and Marina of Frill Talk. We got up bright and early (or should I say dark and early? cause the sun wasn’t even up yet) to get ready for our first day of the con. At check-in, we were given a badge to fill out with our pronouns, name, and anything else such as internet handle, as well as a bag with the Kei Con schedule, art prints, post cards, and stickers from participating brands, and the 2023 Kei Con enamel pin.

We made it in time to see part of the Quiplash panel, it was fun to see the responses people wrote, I played a round too but I am not very quippy so this game has never been one I was good at. Every panel handed out raffle tickets and raffled off items from one of the con sponsors; 42 Lolita. 42 Lolita gave SO much stuff to the con it was really amazing. Items such as Aurora & Ariel petticoats, socks, wrist cuffs, and Little Dipper boleros!

On Saturday, I wore this sugary carnival coord. I have wanted to wear SC for absolutely ages, and if you follow me you know alllllll about my lolita sins regarding this print, my purchasing the MTO, having it altered, and then still not being able to wear it. Finally I could wear this dress, and what better time than to such a special event! I also worked really hard on this makeup and I am happy to have received so many compliments on my makeup specifically. I am not very good at eyeshadow, and I only started teaching myself how to do winged liner about a two months ago, so I am really not skilled. I tried to be very careful and I am really happy with how it turned out.

JSK, Headbow, Tote: Angelic Pretty
Bolero: Little Dipper
Socks: Dandy Puppeteer
Shoes: Angelic Imprint
Bag: NanNanS
Accessories: Chocomint
Jewelry: Offbrand

As soon as the vendors opened I had to go in and check them out. I am really happy I managed to get one of the Beloved series enameled pins from Haenuli‘s table. I really wanted to get this for my boyfriend because I thought he would really like the artwork. I also grabbed for myself two pairs of wrist cuffs and a headbow from Belladonna, some prints from Seamii, and a brooch from Haenuli x Iris Garden. The vendors had a great variety of products in a variety of styles so there was something for everyone. I am glad I was able to control myself though and not spend too much money.

After the vendors I attended the Haenuli panel where Nunu and Iris showed off some upcoming designs and answered some questions. They were both so cute. I really enjoyed listening to them and hearing the story of their collaboration. I think they work so well together and I am happy to see Haenuli back in action like this. We then went to the Alternative Minorities panel hosted by Nat from Tooth Decay Accessories. She did such a good job presenting everything and making the panel educational and interesting. As a mod for my local comm, it’s really important to me that everyone feel safe and included so I think this kind of panel is really important and useful for the community. Afterwards, I had to break for lunch because I was starving so I missed the coord contest but I made it back in time for the fashion show. The fashion show was really fun, it was MC’d by Alexia of Ghost Girl Goods and she is always very fun and brings a good energy to whatever she is doing. The show featured many of the present brands, and several looks per brand.

I then attended the Lolibrary: Past, Present, and Future panel which was awesome because they announced their new project as well as other changes and QOL updates coming to Lolibrary. As someone who uses that site near daily, it was so exciting to hear these announcements.

Saturday I also met up with a friend of mine from the internet, Sam! It was our first time meeting in person after a couple years knowing each other through Twitter and playing FFXIV. It was SO nice to finally meet her and get to hang out a little bit.

✧Afterparty✧

After the Lolibrary panel, we met back up at the hotel to change and get ready for the afterparty being held downtown at Free Play Toronto. We stopped for dinner at Tokyo Kitchen, were I got katsudon. It was really delicious. We then headed to Free Play, arriving around 8:30. This event was listed as being from 7-10 and with performances from Natasha Nebula, Dollfille, and Monster Magicals. I was also under the impression that this was a private event, it was not. The venue was a barcade, very small and very crowded. The bouncer was very off-putting and rude. There were way more people there that weren’t related to the con or event than there were con people. We hung around until 9:30 before leaving and didn’t see any performances. After leaving to get boba, we were informed that performances were starting! Now, at 9:45, fifteen minutes before the event is scheduled to end. We went back and caught the performances of the Monster Magicals and Dollfille, both were very good but the space was extremely small and loud and needless to say I am a bit perplexed by the timing of it all, as performances went well beyond 10:00 pm. After the performances ended, we left and went back to the hotel. I’m sure I would have had a better time if the venue was more my scene, but these days I don’t really vibe with large crowds of drunk people crammed into a small, dark room. Especially since it was 90% non-con people.

I wore a decora-lite outfit for comfort, I didn’t get a proper outfit photo but I did get this picture in their Barbie box.

Top right from Fluffy Kawaii Jo’s Instagram story

T-shirt: Mezzogram
Socks: Dandy Puppeteer
Tote bag: La Velolita
Everything else: offbrand

✧Sunday✧

On Sunday we had to pack up for check out as well as get ready in the morning. I also was going to be driving us to the con instead of taking an Uber/Lyft. While arranging suitcases in the trunk of my very small Ford Fiesta, Tiffany removed her rings and set them on the roof of my car. I drove SEVERAL blocks including driving down a steep slope into a parking garage, and around many corners. When we parked and got out of the car we realized Tiffany had forgotten her rings on the roof!!!! Despite everything, only one was lost and the rest remained on the roof of my car. Absolutely no idea how those held on. I have a groove with a thin rubber strip on my roof where they had all collected.

We arrived at the tea party which was held in the same place as the fashion show was the day prior. At check-in, I was given a new name card, a schedule for the days events, a raffle ticket, a paper explaining a game we would play, an ice breaker bingo card, and a small slip with the name of a dress on it. The first half of the tea was for socializing. We were supposed to find the person who had the same dress name as we did. Mine was “Ball of Starlight” by Haenuli. I never found my match.
The night before the tea party I realized I had forgotten to pack a necklace extender for the choker I planned to wear. The closest store that might sell one was really out of the way, but luckily I posted in the con Discord server and someone offered to bring me some chain! She messaged me that morning at the tea party and was able to extend my choker for me! Kat, if you’re reading this somehow, thank you again!

We also played a bingo game, where you had to go around and find someone for each box. The boxes had things like “owns a pair of tea parties” or “has contributed to Lolibrary”. If you were able to fill your whole sheet, you could turn it in for a raffle entry. (Which I did)

For the tea party I wanted to wear something a little more elegant, and I really wanted to wear this blouse. I have been a fan of black and gold and star motifs for years so I have accumulated quite a bit of accessories in this theme. I am happy to have finally worn some of them. I also made this headdress myself using this tutorial from Instagram. It was really easy to do, but time consuming. I am immensely happy with how it turned out and I got a lot of compliments on it. My only regret about this coord is that I wish I did something more special with my makeup, like putting a star cutout in my eyeshadow or something.

JSK, Choker: Shimotsuki Sakuya
Blouse: Infanta
Socks: The Black Ribbon
Shoes: Sosic Shop
Bag: Loris
Headdress: Handmade be me
Accessories & Jewelry: Angelic Pretty, 6%DokiDoki, Little Ghost, Offbrand

The set up for the tea was not the traditional high tea. It was buffet style, and the seating was more separated. Which makes it nice that there were a lot of games to get you up and talking to people. They also had their own spooky cocktail for the event, however, had I known before it was too late that it was going to run me $30! I probably would have passed. It was tasty though. There was a coord contest, a makeup contest, and a franken-coord building game with winners.
The franken-coord game was fun, my team was comprised of myself, Marina, Jherrica (Saxonblues89), and Christina (KittaKaya.Kawaii). My assignment was shoes and outerwear. We did not win, but we sure made a coord.

The food included:
Mushroom eclairs
Deviled eggs
Scone with chantilly cream and berry jam
Fried polenta
Salmon pate
cold-cut sandwich on a black bun
Assorted spooky sweets

The macaron, mushroom eclairs and deviled eggs were my personal favorites. The only things I did NOT like were the salmon pate because it was severely under seasoned, and the chocolate eyeball because the filling was like… mint? but not at the same time. Someone else described it as cough syrup. We were given the chance to get seconds and given to-go boxes for leftovers.

The tea party also had a raffle. To be raffled were an absolute TON of things from 42Lolita, and several other items from the participating brands, including a dress from Haenuli, and the one-of-a-kind Lolibrary coord shown in the fashion show. There was so much to raffle off that the event went over by 35 minutes! Honestly, this con was giving away prizes like water. It was really great.

After the tea party ended, I ran into fellow BAK Bibliotheca blogger; Dearie Dawn! She had won a prize in the coord contest and looked so cute! It was nice to meet a fellow blogger~

✧Venue✧

The con was held at W Toronto, I didn’t love this venue honestly. It didn’t feel well suited for an event like this. The vendors and panels took place on the 6th floor, there wasn’t really any signage or indication on where to go once you walked in on the first floor. The rooms felt very small. Several panels I attended had people standing in the back because of lack of chairs. The vendors room was also a bit cramped. I think this con would benefit from a slightly larger space. The fashion show took place on the 9th floor and this really did not work. I had a pretty good seat, but many other areas were terrible for viewing. It was a weird set up for a fashion show. It was also very warm throughout the con, but especially at the tea party. With all of us in layers of polyester, it would have been nice to get some AC somewhere other than the elevator. The venue was directly attached to the subway though which was very convenient for many people.

✧Toronto✧

As I said, this was my first time visiting Canada. I like Toronto. There were many things I wish I had had the time to do/see/eat in the city. I would love to come back and explore more. The city was also clean and fairly comfortable. I didn’t feel like imminent danger when out at night. However, Canada is strange to experience as an American. Canada, at least in this area of Canada, is extremely similar to being in the USA, except everything is slightly off. From the road signage, to the construction cones, to the labels and logos of soda in the gas station, everything was just slightly off from what I am used to. Almost like being in an alternate dimension USA. Not enough difference to make you stressed out, but just enough that you’re slightly relieved to be back in NY LOL. I definitely want to go back though, I had so much good food while I was there! And the prices were not as bad as I would have expected. Hopefully next time I can get cellphone service. Before I left Canada, I was told by my sister that I better bring her ketchup chips or all hell would break loose. So you know what my final stop was on my way home.

✧Final Thoughts✧

Throughout the con, I got some little free things here and there, including a small sewing project, some Lolibrary pins, some chocolate charms, and a heart shaped fan. I also won the raffle at the Alternative Minorities panel! I won a pair of wrist cuffs donated by 42Lolita. 42Lolita also provided a discount code to the con goers so they could save some money on their site.

I had a great time at the con, I feel like my only complaint is with the venue, and the actual con was very well run and very organized. The staff put a lot of effort into making this happen and I am so grateful to them for the work they do. I know there will not be a Kei Con 2024, but hopefully they come back in 2025, and if so, I definitely want to attend! It was also so nice to see my friends in person again! And to meet so many new people at the con. The US is really big and most lolita and J-fashion events are quite far from me, despite being in another country, Kei Con is the closest J-fashion event for me so I hope they will continue to have the convention in the future and I hope to see you there!