Japan's Dollar Store

Japanese dollar store seduces North Texans with 70,000 adorable things

Dollar store Daiso Japan has much cuteness and pastels.

Photo courtesy of Daiso Japan

Japan's biggest and most popular dollar store chain has debuted in North Texas, with a store that opened in Carrollton on July 31. Called Daiso Japan, it's a more exotic version of a dollar store, with a lowest price of $1.50.

This is the first Daiso Japan in Texas, and it's located at Carrollton Town Center, at the southeast corner of the Bush Turnpike and Old Denton Road. The chain has 3,300 stores around the world, with 44 stores in the United States, most in California. It plans to open 20 stores throughout Texas, with Plano, Irving, Allen, Arlington, Fort Worth and Euless on the company's short list.

"NewQuest is honored to have Daiso in our development in Carrollton," says Heather Nguyen, of NewQuest Properties, which is developing the center, in a release. "Daiso has had great success in other states such as California, and we look forward to assisting them with their stores in Texas."

Daiso is a forager's dream, with 70,000 products, 99 percent of which are developed in house, with 500 new products created every month. Categories include kitchen, living, bath & toiletry, cosmetics, fashion, interior, toys & party goods, gardening, electrical accessories, foods, restaurant supplies, stationery and Japanese goods.

There's a garlic "peeler" made of a hollow tube into which you put the garlic clove to remove the peel. There are erasers that look like wee food items. Sponges made of melamine. Silicon funnels that collapse and flatten, so they don't take up space. Bars of stainless steel "soap" that remove strong odors from your hands.

There is much cuteness and pastels, from hair bows to polka-dotted boxes to rows and rows of stickers. The mantra repeated on its website is, "Creating surprising quality where consumers think, 'Can I really buy this product at this price?'"

While most items are priced at $1.50, some can cost up to $10.

unspecified

COUNTRY CACHET

Cirque du Soleil in Dallas boasts Western costumes by Beyonce stylist

Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

Songblazers will be in Houston through August 11.

Entertainment circus tour Cirque du Soleil has mounted a new US tour, one that represents its first foray into an unlikely milieu: country music. CalledSongblazers, it comes to Dallas during the State Fair of Texas with a celebrity behind the scenes: famed stylist Zerina Rosette Akers who created the costumes for the show.

This marks Akers' Cirque du Soleil debut, but she has years of experience in the fashion world. She was Beyonce's personal stylist for nearly a decade and has styled other big names in the entertainment industry, including Houston native Megan Thee Stallion, Chloe and Halle Bailey, and more.

Western influences have taken over mainstream fashion over the past few seasons. Icons in the fashion industry, including Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Dior, and Chloé, have created entire collections around Western style. With Songblazers, Akers had the opportunity to do the same.

"I was inspired by country fashion and country music past and present. I really dug into a ton of different musicians and artists, but also runway style and fashion and how it's incorporated to have the best of both worlds of fashion and music meet," Akers says.

Cirque de Soleil Akers added to Songblazers by telling the story of country songs and music through her designs. Sketch courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

Cirque costumes are famously flexible and versatile, allowing the performers to move freely during their performances. According to Akers, she worked with the commonly known aspects of country fashion, adding a Cirque du Soleil essence paired with modern Western-influenced fashion. And, of course, spandex. "Everything has to be spandex 'cause we gotta move," she says.

One of Akers' favorite creations for the show was the famed nudie suit. For those unfamiliar with nostalgic country fashion, a nudie suit is a highly embellished stage costume that became a status symbol of country music performers dating back to the 1950s.

Cirque de Soleil Western Akers designed her version of the famous country music nudie suit. Sketch courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

For many, it became a symbol of the American Dream. Akers created her own version for Songblazers.

"My favorite style piece of the country aesthetic is the nudie suit. It's so glam and rooted in culture and performance; it's just gorgeous," she says.

To complement the costumes, Vanessa Ashley, makeup specialist for Cirque du Soleil, says the color palette for the show is vibrant and happy. She pulled from the colors of the costumes to create a palette of blues, oranges, pinks, and purples. The makeup team teaches the artists how to do their makeup and hair by giving them lessons so they can complete their looks on their own weeks prior to the show.

Songblazers runs September 25-October 11 at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Tickets to the show include admission to the State Fair of Texas for the day of the show only, parking not included (does not include September 25-26).

Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

Songblazers will be in Houston through August 11.

beyonce celebrities concerts festivals design state-fair