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!

About the Author

 

To cut down on rambling, I am simply going to make a series of short statements. They will probably be pretty random, and may be a little obscure because I'm trying to keep them to a sentence or two. Otherwise...well, you'd never get out of here. ^_^ Here goes nothing!

I am 22 years old. I am an Elementary School substitute teacher. I am a Classic Lolita. I am a lady, hoping to become one in the classic sense of the word. I am deeply religious. I am an avid reader and film-maker. I live in the United States. I love to write with a dip pen and seal my letters with sealing wax. I wish I knew how to spin wool and weave. I like warm weather better than cold. I am the eldest of six children. I have never been outside the US, but someday hope to visit Poland, Ireland, Paraguay and Japan. I have a special place in my heart for Savannah, Georgia. I love to crochet and cross-stitch, although I'm not very good at it. I'm a decent cook with a recipe, but my favorite foods are instant. I'm accident-prone. I grew up in a very conservative family, and love them very much. I collect crystal, most of which is packed away. I have moderate anxiety and depression. I teach the four year old class at my church. I play the violin and the piano, neither very well. I love things that smell good, and soft things. I'm single. I love to learn new things, from furniture making to self defense. I like a lot of episodes of Star Trek, and I love shows about the paranormal. I can't sleep after watching aforementioned paranormal shows at night. XP

So. That's a little about me. I'll tell you about my history with Lolita in a later entry. I hope you liked getting to know a bit about me. Feel free to ask questions or comment!

An Introduction to the Blog

About the Title

After sifting through what felt like hundreds of names, I finally decided on my first idea: The Gilded Lily. Although it is a fairly commonplace name, I felt it was appropriate for this blog and I want to share with you why I chose such a "cliche" name (and if anyone knows how to do accents in blogger, let me know).

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/122752

The language of flowers was popular among Victorians. Using this "language"--which assigned a symbolic meaning to each individual flower-- ornamental bouquets became significant messages of love, betrayal, or admiration. The lily usually symbolized purity or honor, but eventually different types and colors of lily came to mean different things. Orange lilies could symbolize hatred, whereas white lilies meant virginity, purity and youth. A tiger lily represented wealth or pride, and a lily of the valley evoked sweetness and happiness. 

In general, the symbolism of the lily appeals to me. It's a lot that I want to be: pure, sweet, happy, full of honor. Gilding the Lily usually means unnecessarily adding beauty to something beautiful. Lolita fashion is a lot about adding a little beauty to your life and to the world. I am not vainly asserting that adding "gilding" to myself is unnecessary, nor is my life perfectly beautiful...But Lolita gilds my life, adding just a little more elegance to everything.

So there you have it: "Gilding the Lily."

About the Blog

Gilding the Lily is my outlet. Primarily for musings about Lolita fashion and related things, other entries may be included if I feel it gives you some insight into who I am or an important event in my life. I created this blog to share my love of Lolita and elegance with others and perhaps make some new friends. I don't pretend to be an authority on Lolita--or anything else for that matter! I may say things that are wrong or slightly misinformed, but I speak from personal opinion and experience and do my best to be knowledgeable about my subject matter. I hope you enjoy the blog!

About the Header

A short plug for the header photo creator because she makes really amazing things: it's a picture of a necklace made by Bitter Sweet. You can find her DeviantArt here, and you can find her jewelry for sale on her Etsy page. She has some elegant things, and some deliciously dark.