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Monday 21 January 2013

2013 Lolita Wardrobe Post.

January is apparently the time to post one's wardrobe to EGL, so post it I did - my little Bodyline, F+F and handmade wardrobe sneaking in amongst posts full of brand upon brand. I like my wardrobe this way. I've never been one to spend hundreds of dollars on a dress [shoes, now...that's a different story] so I like that there are budget lolita options.

I'm not going to cross-post the whole thing, but if you want to see my post on EGL you can find it here.

It was awesome to do this because it really let me take stock of my wardrobe. In 2013 I want to make a lot more of my own clothes [I'll let you in on a secret...I'm starting an indie brand soon!] and also support some of the awesome indie brands out there. I really need to get more accessories, especially tights and headwear, and I want to find some blouses that I love. I like the ones I have and they look good on me, but I really want to find a blouse I fall head over heels for.

But I love that I [with the help of my lovely man] was able to leap properly into this adorable fashion and get a complete wardrobe quickly. It's been a whole lot of fun so far and it's so cliché  I know, but wearing lolita makes me feel great!

Thursday 17 January 2013

Five super basic modelling tips.

Becoming a good model and learning how to look you best in front of the camera can be a long process for most of us. Coming up with a range of poses and facial expressions that come across well on camera takes time and practise, so I thought I'd pass on a few things I've learned from my time on both sides of the camera. These tips are mostly geared towards female models, because hey, I'm female myself, but some would be useful for the guys as well. In fact, they're all good for guys, just try to make them less effete.

So without further ado, here are some simple pointers and ideas you can use to look more at home in front of the camera.

Throw out your hip.
When written like that it sounds like something grandma did last year. But if you thrust one hip out to the side and thus shift your centre of balance, it gives a much more pleasing, curvaceous shape to you body. Obviously you need to do more to make a great pose, but throwing out the hip is a very good place to start.


Pay attention to your hands.
Often times a sign that betrays a newbie model in a photograph is awkward hand positions. Practise things to do with your hands, lots of things. Practise how to flare your fingers in a natural seeming way, how to hold your hand near your face and the most important one - learn how to hold your hand straight by your side without looking like a wooden soldier. I won't say that learning how to pose your hands well is easy, because for some people it isn't, but being able to make your hands look natural even in the most weirdly contorted positions can make a great difference to how a photo turns out.


That hand position, for the record, feel extremely odd. But it doesn't look it. Hand posing is one area where it's really important to have confidence in what your photographer is telling you to do, because if it feels weird we think it looks weird, but that really is not the case a lot of the time.

Tilt you head.
When moving your head around, don't just give the photographer your left side, right side, front on. Try tilting your chin down, turning your head to the left but then cocking your head back to the right. Tilting your head rather than simply turning it from side to side can give a whole range of different subtleties to a shot. With this tip, it's also important to remember not to tilt your head to an extreme angle, because that can look rather silly.  Practise in front of the mirror to find out what head tilts make you look cute, sexy, dark, high fashion, whatever.


Loosen it up a bit.
Relax. Really. It makes a big difference. One particular failing of mine as a model is that I tend to make my legs too rigid and in shots where my knees are bare that can make them look pretty ugly. How to fix that? Whenever I notice I'm tensing up and getting really locked into a pose I make myself relax. I bend my knees slightly and take a couple of big breaths. This is also really important to remember for facial expressions. Blink between shots, and drop whatever expression you are holding and resume it in time for the next shot. We all know how terrible a held smile can look, but holding any expression so long it goes wooden looks bad.

Know what you need.
Now this tip is a bit vaguer. Know what you need in a shoot to make you pose the best. Sometimes it may be handy to have some pose references on your phone to take a look at, maybe you like to check out the photos on the camera as you're shooting or perhaps getting very specific direction from a photographer helps you. Have a chat to your photographer before the shoot and explain that you need to check you phone poses, want to see the photos regularly, would like lots of direction, whatever.

So. There are five ways to easily improve your modelling skills. No go forth and model for awesome photographs!

Credits:
All photos in this post were taken by my lovely James man, and you can see more of both our work over on our facebook page. My make-up and hair in the top photo were by Amy.

Friday 4 January 2013

Review #7: FanPlusFriend

Recently we bought some new clothes from FanPlusFriend, some for the Soul Capture model wardrobe and some for me.

For the model wardrobe we got:


Victorian Rococo Lolita Jacquard Square Neckline Ball Dress


Elegant Gothic Aristocrat Under Bust Lacing Up JSK/Dress

I have no real comment on either of these at them moment, other than that the zip on the green jacket thing is a bit wonky and doesn't like zipping down. However, we're going to use them in shoots soon, which will show up on facebook first if you're really keen to see how they look on.

And now for the things for me!


Gothic Lolita Basic Short Puffy Sleeves Pintuck Blouse

Firstly, it has to be mentioned that the random detached collar looks as ridiculous [if not more so!] in real life as it does in the stock photo. I will not be wearing it, ever. However, it may be able to be turned into a bonnet. We shall see... 


Other than that, this blouse is adorable. I'm coming to realise that for me to look really good in lolita, I can't wear collared blouses most of the time. They're definitely cute for some things, but the most flattering on my body is a lower square neckline. There are a few loose threads, mostly around the buttonholes but that's no big deal. The fit is wonderful  and there is corset lacing at the back to make it even more perfect. I'm very happy with this blouse.

Classical Gothic Lolita: Short Sleeves Blouse & Embroidery Frilly Jabot 

One thing about this blouse I didn't notice in the product photos is that the lace on the collar is in the shape of flowers! So cute! The sleeves are also more poofy in real life than in the picture. It's a good fit on the bust but I think I'll take the waist in a little - I got it in a size where the bust fits but the waist is too big so that's only to be expected. The jabot is detachable but unlike jabots on Bodyline blouses, doesn't button up at the back, you have to tie this one in a bow. And I suck at bows. But given that the jabot is really only going to be used for photoshoots that's not a problem.

For some reason my phone didn't want to photograph this blouse and refused to focus. However, the stock photo is very accurate on design and colour.

Both blouses do have one issue that isn't really an issue but is noteworthy; due to the pale colours of the fabrics they are both a little see through. I tried them on with a black bra and you could tell. The cuffs on the sleeves are also a little tight, and I don't have particularly big arms for my size, so that may be something to look out for if you have larger than usual upper arms.

Exquisite Maiden Lolita Neat Jumper Skirt 

Ahhh the cuteness! I love this dress. I've always had a fascination with sailor lolita, but it always tends to look a bit costume-y so it was great to find a dress that has a distinctly sailor vibe without being too in your face about it. The size I bought is slightly to big around the bust, but that can easily be taken care of and I'd rather spend a few minutes taking something in rather than paying for custom sizing.


Neither the stock photo nor my picture show how pretty this dress really is. The ruffle at the bottom is something chiffon-y and over that, around the neckline and armholes is a really simple lace that's really nice. The length is wonderful as it just hits the bottom of my knees, which makes it a bit more mature than most of my just above the knee lolita gear. Again, I love this dress.

As far as speed of ordering and shipping goes, we ordered December 7th, our order was shipped December 29th  and it arrived January 2nd. Not the fastest making time but not too bad either, especially given what time of year it is, and that is very good shipping. So all in all, I am a very happy Roli.