IW Update!

Yes, I'm sort of trying to make up for my long absence. XD

Anyway, IW has come out with a few reservations/new releases. Let's take a look!

Rose Panel 2-Way JSK. Granted, this is not all that new, but I have a love-hate thing going on with this (or rather, a love-dislike thing). I think the rose print is ADORABLE and the colors are so nice! The fit is okay, and I love the scallops at the bottom. The only thing that keeps me from JSK-drool is the panel-lines across the skirt, etc. It looks almost like someone didn't understand what crop-marks meant (ie: "cut here") and sewed panels together in an odd way. I could probably get over it, though, for the beautiful roses. Like factor: 4.75/5

Theresia Rose JSK. This is so lovely! Roses seem to be a theme for IW right now, and I think it's great. For some reason, I'm partial to halter-top necklines, and the whole dress looks beautiful. Like factor: 5/5

Liliane JSK. This military-style JSK has lovely collar and bodice detailing! In my opinion, it looks better in the long version than the short, but I love the caramel-chocolate colorway. The neckline is a halter (again) and the back seems to have some shirring and corseting. So nice! Like factor: 5/5

Lastly, the Gretel Short Boots. These seem very military to me, and I am a sucker for boots! They have a bow in the back (a la the Victorica Boots) and even come in a Navy colorway! LOVE them! Like factor: 5.5/5 ;-)

Well, that's it for today! For more IW stuff, don't forget to check out their Reservation page!

To the reader: Has IW (or your favorite brand) released anything you're super-excited about? Share with me!

I'm on youtube!

I haven't updated lately because I've been at DISNEYLAND! Sadly, I couldn't wear Lolita there, but I had lots of fun nonetheless.

A friend recently contacted me and told me I made it into shelbycloud's lolita compilation vid! Take a look:

To my chagrin, she used one of my oldest (and derpiest XP) pictures, but I'm happy I was able to take part in it!

What else do I watch on youtube?

I love to see kawaiigirljapan (Japan's "kawaii ambassador" channel, sort of) and all of the people/things they put on there. I admire how sweet Misako-san seems to be (yes, I added -san, I took Japanese and don't quite feel right not adding an honorific) and love all the groups they showcase.

I also watch a channel called meetzoe or "The Wonderful World of Zoe." This Austrailian girl is so funny, and is great to her fans.

The last few of my fave channels are Michelle Phan and her sisters' channels (michellephan and ricebunny for Michelle and dope211 for Promise). They have such great advice and looks! Her sister, Promise, is AMAZING at transforming the face with makeup!

I hope this has given you just a little fun peek into what I like, and thusly into my personality. XP

To the reader: What are YOUR fave youtube channels? Do you like/dislike one of the channels I watch?

Lolita: Good for More than "Feeling Pretty"

Me with some of the members of my community.

That's right--Lolita has more benefits than being able to feel beautiful. Despite the sweet "little girl" aesthetic, Lolita has actually helped me grow up.


I freely admit it--I'm a momma's girl. And although my close relationship with my mother brings me more happiness than I could ever part with, it brought me one other thing: dependency.

Without going into too much detail, let's just say I was severely handicapped when it came to the social department due to a psychological disorder. Stores, parties, restaurants...all were terrifying places for me. I couldn't order at McDonalds on my own without having a veritable panic attack! In short: I couldn't do things for myself that some people do almost daily. My parents did everything they could to help me, but I stayed this way into my early 20s, when a breakdown finally caused them to put me into therapy.

By this time, I had been into Lolita for about a year. My parents were unsupportive of my hobby, probably because they saw it as trying to return to childhood--something that would not help me with my social predicament. I was starting to see some benefits of Lolita in my life: When I put on Lolita, I knew I was pretty. When people stared at me in the mall, I didn't have to wonder if there was some smudge in a horrible place; instead, I simply attributed it to the clothing and smiled. When I was in Lolita, I didn't care what anyone else thought of me...a refreshing change from my daily self-critisism. I knew I loved Lolita for these things, but the bulk of my "Lolita therapy" had yet to come.

Recently, I found myself the head of my local community. I certainly didn't seek this; it happened mostly because I wanted to see more of my friends and started planning meetups. Pretty soon I found myself creating and modding a new community (the old one got spammed and the owner was MIA) and dealing with a whole new set of pressures. I had to make sure the community stayed a fun and safe place for everyone. I had to set down and enforce community rules. I had to plan the meetups, and then make sure everybody got there and back okay. Not to mention making sure everybody had fun (yes, call me over-performing, I know I can't FORCE people to have fun)! Suddenly there was no time to cower in the corner wondering if the ticket-taker would think I was an idiot. Not attending meetups was not an option. I had to go grow up.

As far as I know, none of my community members knows the number of obstacles I conquer at a simple meetup. And that's a good thing; it means I can act like a regular adult! To save face with my community, I make myself do things I normally wouldn't with an attitude I generally don't possess. I actually order for myself! I take charge, making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. I decide things! Recently, I've found myself looking forward to my Lolita meetups not only because I can dress up and see friends, but as an opportunity to force myself to be an adult. I've already seen some of these behaviors becoming easier for me in everyday life, and hope eventually to become as independent as I want to be.

That's right--Lolita is helping me grow up. And I love it! I'm even giving a panel at an upcoming convention...and I'm in charge. I'm looking forward to it!

To the reader: What unexpected benefits have come to you through Lolita fashion?

A Little Rainy Day Shopping

My mother and I went shopping for Easter fixings today! She's a little ill at ease with Lolita, so I wore a toned-down Classic outfit. This is one of my favorite dresses, the Angel Land JSK from Innocent World! Sorry for the blurry photos, I guess when I was picnicking with little cousins one of them got pb&j on the lens! D-:

Outfit rundown:
Bows: IW
Blouse: IW
Cardigan: BTSSB
Gloves: Etsy
Parasol: Ebay
Socks: IW
Shoes: Bodyline (and I LOVE them!)

On a side note: I can't stop watching this comedy sketch by a group called Divine Comedy! I found it on YouTube, and it's supposedly two sides of the same date end. You have to watch them in order to know what's going on, but I think it's SO funny! ^_^ Enjoy!

Part 1:


Part 2:

New Gloves!

Hi, all! This isn't exactly a review, but I wanted to show you some new gloves I got! I've been eyeing these gloves for a while from IW:

They're lovely, but the problem is they're about $60 without shipping. Gah, break the bank! So it was like a miracle when I found these on Etsy:

They look a lot the same, right? They were also $30. So I went ahead and got them. They arrived beautifully wrapped in a free handkerchief:

They are great quality! They have a few stains on them, but I'll try to get those out by gently cleaning with Oxyclean.

Here's a shot of the gloves on my hands! They make my hands feel so pretty, and they fit nicely. ^_^

My Lolita Style

This post is going to be a bit of info about Lolita styles, and then a little bit about my own unique style. This is still developing, and my info and pictures about Lolita styles is going to be taken from the Lolita Handbook on livejournal. This is an amazing resource, and if you want more info about Lolita Styles (or lolita in general) I encourage you to go there. They also have real-life pictures of the styles!

Main Lolita Styles (experiences Lolitas will probably want to skip this):

Gothic Lolita

Traditional Gothic Lolita have a black-and-white color scheme, but not all Gothic Lolita is black and white. This style incorporates the darker colors and themes (like cross motifs and veils) from Western Goth into the more adorable Lolita style to produce a very unique style that takes a lot of practice to perfect. Most Lolitas start off with this style because it much easier to find gothic items locally and the color scheme is very easy to coordinate. Gothic Lolita isn't a substyle of Goth fashion, though it incorporates some of its elements.

This style may also be commonly called 'loli-goth', 'goth-loli', 'Elegant Gothic Lolita' or 'EGL', but these terms are somewhat misleading. Some people also consider Gothic Lolita a general term for Lolita fashion, probably because of the Gothic and Lolita Bibles, but this is also misleading because many Lolita styles possess no gothic elements.

Sweet Lolita

Now the most common Lolita style and definitely one of the cutest and most colorful. It has all the traditional Lolita elements but with a more wider choice of colors: light pinks, baby blues, and whites are the most common colors. Sometimes colors like lavender, canary yellow and mint green are also used. This is also where you'll find the most fluff and frill. Lolita brands that sell Sweet Lolita clothing might often have themes, such as fairy tales, sweets, pastries, fruits, baby animals and fragrances.





Classic Lolita

Classic Lolita is slightly more mature than most Lolita Styles. It's not quite Aristo because the shorter Lolita silhouette is still present. Generally classic pieces are decorated with a few ruffles or some ribbons, but you won't find yourself swimming in lace and large bows. Classic Lolis tend to wear darker or more muted colors (e.g. rose as opposed to bright pink) and floral prints are common as well. This style is harder to distinguish because it is right between Sweet and Gothic Lolita - the dark reds and blues and even blacks can be confused for Gothic style while the light florals make it look like Sweet. The difference from both is that it relies on an elegant cut or print instead of a lot of trim. Classic Lolita is the perfect style for those who love Lolita but who want a more subdued look.



Boystyle

Boystyle is just as varied as Lolita--ranging from the cute little-boy style of kodonas to the more sophisticated dandy or aristocrat. "Kodonas" might wear knickers (short pants) with a proper blouse and a vest, while aristocrats would wear a whole suit similar to those worn in the Victorian Era.







All of this information is from the lolita handbook. The handbook also contains much more information on other styles and substyles such as Punk, Shiro, Kuro, Aristocrat, etc.

And Now...

My Lolita Style

I believe my Lolita style is a mixture of Sweet and Classic Lolita. I prefer ruffles to lace, although I still like lace moderately on my dresses. I usually don't prefer dark colors, favoring lighter subdued colors or jewel tones. Recently I've decided to try and coordinate my wardrobe to make coordinating outfits easier, and have decided on some "theme" colors of sage, rose, cream and brown (possibly burgundy, too). I definitely prefer dresses reminiscent of the Victorian era, and require longer skirts to fit my definition of modesty. I would never wear a JSK without a blouse and also prefer over-the-knee socks. I'm a very modest person! ;-) I like my petticoats full and puffy, which sometimes is a hassle as the Classic Lolita sillhouette is a bit more A-line. But I enjoy a challenge! I usually wear my hear simple, either in pinned braids or curled. I like hats and bonnets, although bonnets have fallen out of favor with some Lolitas I think it helps retain the Victorian feeling of an outfit.

I hope this helps you understand what I "go for" in a Lolita outfit, and therefore a little bit about me! :3 What's YOUR Lolita Style?

Wow! I did it!

One of the things I've noticed is very popular among Lolitas is false eyelashes. The doll-eye look is very sought after in Lolita, and--truth be told-- false eyelashes make your eyes look bigger. But I've NEVER been able to get them on! Seriously! I've spent hours in front of the mirror, used every method I came across, only to come away with sticky eyelids and mangled eyelashes that mock me like little black spiders. XP

Finally, in another urge to have lovely doll-like eyes, I googled "Can't get the hang of false eyelashes." I didn't hold much hope, but to my surprise I found this post which tells of a "fool proof" way to apply false eyelashes! Basically, you put on the glue like an eyeliner, wait for it to get tacky and then place the lashes. I found a youtube video that actually shows how to do it, and nervously...I tried it. Good news: IT WORKED! ^_^ I'm not sure exactly how I feel about them. What do you think?

On another note, at a craft store yesterday they were having a sale on sewing baskets. I found a LOVELY basket to use for my calligraphy supplies. I like to write letters with an old-fashioned dip pen and ink. I just needed a place to store it all! Here's the basket:

I love the color scheme: cream, brown, rose and sage are my favorite colors! The closure is magnetic and it has a nice wicker border and handle. Inside:

There's my pen, nibs, inks, stamps for envelopes, and sealing wax.

Review: Bodyline Shoes

A while back, I ordered my first "official" Lolita shoes directly from Bodyline! I took pictures intending to do a review...and I finally got around to it! Yay!

I was a little wary of ordering shoes from Bodyline, although they're reportedly some of their best products. People have had trouble figuring out their sizing, but I was lucky. I had bought a pair of Bodyline shoes secondhand (the seller had the US size there) and they fit so I was reasonably sure of my Bodyline size. For your information, I wear about a US size 6.5 and the Bodyline 23.5 fit me very well.

I ordered the shoes and was amazed at how fast the shipping was! It only took about 2 weeks for the package to get to me!

The package was just an envelope, but it was well sealed:

The shoes were wrapped in tissue paper and had tissue and plastic shoe supports inside.

I was a little disappointed at this lackluster job of packaging, but it didn't seem to damage the shoes too badly. The pink shoe bows had a tiny scuff, but it didn't even photograph.

The shoes without the packaging. They were absolutely LOVELY! I wasn't sure about the pink shoes on the site but bought them because they were some of the few pink in my size. But in person I LOVE them!

 

I couldn't wait to try the shoes on...so I put them on with my pants! XP And guess what? They fit PERFECTLY! They are so comfortable, I can see walking in these for a while and still being just fine. The pearls on the white shoes are detachable.

Ratings:

Overall experience: 4.9/5

Price: 5/5 (VERY cheap for Lolita shoes)

Shipping: 4.5/5 (very fast shipping, half point off for lackluster packaging)

Quality: 5/5 LOVELY!

My Lolita History

How did I find out about Lolita?

While searching for some victorian-inspired anime makeup on youtube, I can across this video of Austrian Lolitas. At the time, my predominant thought was, "Weird." Since I couldn't understand the words (the version I found didn't have subtitles) I decided to look up "What is Lolita" on Google. As most Lolitas will tell you, a lot of what you find through Googling Lolita is very misleading. ^_^ But I was pretty lucky to be able to find a Wikipedia article and lolitafashion first. When I read these sites, my "Weird," changed to "Wow!" I've always loved old-fashioned clothing. My favorite dress as a child was a victorian-inspired frilly monster that I wore until it became indecently short. Finding that there were actually a bunch of people who wore this on a regular basis and companies that make clothes like this...it was like a miracle! From what I found there, I put together my first "Lolita outfit." Warning: first-try ita* ahead!

January 2009

Oh, the HORROR! Needless to say, I didn't really know what Lolita was supposed to look like. After a few more attempts like this, I found the egl community on LiveJournal. From there, I found egl_comm_sales (the secondhand sales community) and daily_lolita for inspiration. Finally, a few months later, I made my first Lolita purchase of a petticoat and dress!

March 2009

Sorry for the bad quality; it's the only picture I have. I was doing a presentation for an elementary school; pretty much the last time I wore Lolita to a school. XD

After more research I finally met a local--more experienced--Lolita. We met up to discuss a panel at an upcoming convention in October 2009.

I continued to develop my love of Classic Lolita, buying more things as money became available (not that often). Between my career and a home that's not conducive to Lolita, I don't wear Lolita as much as I used to. I still love it and wear it when I can (weekends and stuff) and keep developing my style. A few more recent pictures:

Anyway, so I've been into Lolita for about 2 years now...it sure doesn't seem like that long! ^_^ My style is constantly evolving, and I'm always finding new inspiration. It's a fun journey, and I love helping new Lolitas make their discoveries as well!

*"Ita" is a term used generally in the Lolita community, usually as a term of derision or sarcasm. Basically the equivalent of "Lolita? You're doin' it wrong." Which I was. XD

A Day for Me!

Friday, I took the advice from the latest post of The Weekend Lolita and took a day just for me. It actually ended up being more of a half day, because I had some things I wanted to do, but it was great! I definitely recommend doing this.

I wore Lolita (of course), one of my favorite dresses. I was also able to try out some new Bodyline shoes and my new Cyperous wig. I'm still not sure if it suits me, it's more of a big hime-style and I'm not used to big hair. This outfit is more Sweet Lolita than I usually go, but...what do you think?

Sorry for the yellowish pictures. My camera decided to hide at the last moment and my family was coming home (they don't like to see me in lolita, long story) so I had to take pictures and change fast. The dress is Antonio Maria by Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. It was my first brand-name piece and is still one of my favorites. Somehow I feel like my face gets lost in that mass of curls...but it could be I'm just not used to it. XD

As one of my goals for the day, I decided I would finally organize my lolita closet. I don't have a "closet" per say (saving up for a lovely armoire) so my lolita stuff was just crammed into spaces around my normal clothes. The shoes were in piles on the floor, and my wigs were in random places in my room. NOT the best way to treat these special (and fairly expensive clothes)! ;-) So my first stop "out and about" was Wal-Mart to pick up some closet organizing boxes. Going out alone in Lolita is always sort of awkward for me, because I'm never sure if I should acknowledge the looks or pretend to be blissfully unaware. I usually end up doing a little of both. Anyway, I got the boxes (they ended up being relatively cheap; only about $6.50 a box) and headed to my next stop: the farmer's market. I needed sweet potatoes for a casserole I was making (recipe and pictures for this sweet treat will follow in a later entry) and I love to browse all the fresh fruits and veggies. I got several comments on how cute I looked, which is always flattering. I got tired of explaining the fashion a while ago, so when someone asked I simply said I was going to be in a fashion show later. They accepted that very well, so I think I may use that "explanation" again. XD

Last stop was the mall. I wanted to go window shopping and stop at the Disney store to see what Tinkerbell stuff they have. My little sister's birthday is coming up, and she LOVES Tinkerbell! Sadly, they didn't have that much; everything is Tangled right now. Not that I mind, Tangled is my new favorite movie. If you haven't seen it yet: GO. Right now. It's a really nice blend of humor, suspense, and schmultz that's uniquely Disney. All over the mall there were kids in suits and dresses that made me think they'd just come from a choir competition or something. Perhaps they were on tour; a lot of them brought cameras and I don't know that you do that in your "home town." Anyway, I got asked all over for pictures with people, that always made me blush and grin. Also, there were a bunch of about early-twenties ladies in 80s attire who passed me and then called to others to look at me, saying "She looks just like a DOLL!" That was very gratifying because that's the look I usually go for: an old-fashioned doll. The window shopping was definitely a success in terms of ego-boosting! ^_^

Coming home, I quickly took some pictures, changed and set about organizing my closet. It ended up being a project of a few hours, but I finally ended up with this:

I share the room with my little sister; that's why there's a stroller in the closet. ;-) The boxes are filled with petticoats, hats, bows, and socks. I definitely recommend these for anyone who is looking to cut down on closet clutter. They're collapsible and really easy to put together. You can find them at Wal-Mart and they're by Canopy. There were a couple of cheaper options, but these looked so much better and had lids. I'm so happy now every time I look in my closet!