Lolita Blogpost Roundup: September 2017

Another month and another round of blog posts to share. Oddly enough, September was actually a quiet month on the blogging front. Still have some cool posts to link you to but yeah, there was not as much going on in the loltia blogging world this month as there often is.

A Lolita Reads Lolita from Luna Rain
Exactly what the title says! I read Lolita in high school to keep up with some of my highly intelligent and super literary girlfriends. I did not, and still don’t, like it both from a moral perspective and simply because I didn’t enjoy reading it. However, being part of a fashion subculture that shares the name I am glad that I have so I can at least say “no, it’s not a paedophile thing” and actually know what I’m talking about.

Dream Masquerade Carnival 🎠 Part 1: A Dream Come True from Teacake Time Machine
I always enjoy reading about events, but this one stood out for two reasons. One, it was from the perspective of a vendor and designer, which was cool. And second, look at how cute all the pictures are! Everything is so bright and colourful and wonderful and just makes me feel all happy and fluffy and excited about lolita. And I really freaking love posts that make me feel like that.

As a note, there were a bunch of other posts about DMC but to avoid being repetitive I'm not going to share any more of them.

Barcelona ’17, Day 3 – Omnia Vanitas Main Event from Lolita Wonderland
And another event report! This one is a pretty late in coming, but it’s from my number one favourite lolita blogger, so I couldn’t not share!

SWIMMER vs FLAPPER: Biscuit Bag Battle from Milk Circus
Comparison reviews are super helpful, and this one is no exception. Though now I have a hankering to buy more bags...

Angelic Pretty Lovely Shopping Cutsew OP from Ruban Rose
I love seeing lolitas happily wearing new pieces! This blogger shared her purchase of this dress in one post (with some great close-ups, it's worth checking out) and then followed it up with this outfit post and that honestly just makes me so happy to see.

Classic Lolita from Silver Afternoon
I really don't need to reiterate how much I love seeing people do lolita photoshoots, so I'll just drop the link and tell you to go have a look at all the pretty pictures!

Pop-up store: Laforet HARAJUKU in Paris from Deer Alice
I don't always mean to sound jealous but oh my goodness I really get envious about shopping opportunities like this! Oh, to be able to browse all the wonderful things in person...

Did you read anything awesome online that you don't see on this list? Link me! I'm always looking for new lolita blogs to follow.

Lolita 52: My "signature" outfit

You know, when I got up to this topic I really couldn't figure out what my signature outfit was. To be honest, I didn't think I had one, especially because I don't actually wear lolita too often. Flat-lays don't count for this! And besides, what I like and what I wear tend to be different animals. In the end, I went through my lolita outfit album and I found that there were actually two repeated outfits (or at least, item combos) that I have worn three times each over the years.

The first combo was not at all surprising; my Chocoberry skirt, a black top, red beret and red shoes. I think I wore all of these for uni! I do love red and black and berries and to be honest this is an outfit I'm probably going to continue wearing variations on.

Middle photo by The Enthusiast.

The second one was also not surprising when I thought about it; my Lyris Design underbust JSK with an offbrand blouse and a brown beret. I just love this blouse with the JSK and what can I say, berets are awesome! I wore this outfit for a better range of scenarios: probably uni, a photoshoot, and a local convention (awkwardly cropping out my friend Nat)!

Honestly I was kind of surprised to see that I did have this much repetition and could identify two "signature" outfits. To be fair, these coords are all from 2016 and earlier, so my wardrobe was smaller and I was also wearing simpler outfits with some regularity for university. It will be interesting to review my outfit timeline again in a few years and see if any other patterns emerge, or whether I still will gravitate towards certain coordinations.

Do you have a lolita outfit you keep coming back to? Or even a particular item, like me and berets?

Flowers and candlelight; Dim Light outfits

I am totally, utterly head over heels for Dim Light. To finally own it after admiring right from when I was first getting into this fashion is such a  great feeling.

I love the print, I love the cut, I love the fabric, I love everything about it! So of course, I have some flat lay coordinates to share.

This first outfit is what initially came to my head when thinking how I might coordinate it. What I love is that it’s fairly straightforward, but still detailed and a little bit extravagant. However, this is also an outfit I feel would look heaps better on as then you’d get the full effect of the billowy sleeves; and in flat lay I had trouble making the blouse lay correctly, as it has a neckline ruffle which in this outfit I’d just tuck under the JSK straps and neckline.

To be honest, I only had that single idea leap into mind as a coordinate, so for my next outfit I ran with a trusty classic brown combination. And I actually really, really like it. You can’t really tone down this JSK but this to look to me takes it in a bit more of a simply elegant direction, rather than the in-your-face drama that you can do with this cut!

For the third and final outfit I was literally putting the dress against different blouses in my wardrobe and found that this one matched the colours in the print really well. And I thought to myself; it’s such a sweet blouse, with such a dramatic classic dress, it won’t work. But I decided I’d give it a shot and came up with my favourite coordination of Dim Light so far! Call me out in the comments if you don’t think it works, but I do! Honestly, when you hide the chest ruffles of this blouse it’s not too overtly sweet, so there’s no style contrast there. And this is just such a pretty outfit!

As a final note – I love the detachable pieces. For outfit one, both the cape and chest bow were attached; for outfit two, just the bow; and for outfit three anything I could remove I did. And I enjoyed that versatility!

Review #47: Pastel Skies

Recently the indie accessory brand Pastel Skies put out a call looking for bloggers to receive two items in exchange for a detailed review. I thought their stuff was pretty cute so I volunteered and was chosen! Cue excitement!

I have been thinking about making some gradual improvements to my jewellery collection so this came at the perfect time for me. I chose the Pastel Pearl Shower Chiffon Ribbon Heart Bracelet and the Biscuit Heart Bow Ring in Brown. They also had some cute hairclips, a range of multi-coloured bracelets and even some things like scarves but I wanted to choose things I would actually get some good wear out of.

The items were listed on Lolita Desu and shipped via them. As per the last time I got something from Lolita Desu the shipping was fine. The two items came packed in a little tupperware container and I got a free cute gift as well! So ten out of ten there. However, this review isn't about shipping it's about the accessories so here we go.

To put the TL;DR at the top – both items are aesthetically pleasing and good quality. I’m super happy with them ^__^

First of all, the ring. As soon as I saw the ring my immediate thought was "I want that". The ring is set on an adjustable base and is securely constructed. I gave it a few experimental tugs to see how well it was attached and it didn’t budge (not that I was trying to break it, of course, but just seeing how it stood up to normal bumps and stuff). 

The ribbons are nice and soft and the biscuit charm is very cute – and matches the biscuit hairclips I got off eBay recently, which is a total win. I’m really happy with this ring; it’s cute, relatively simple, and just the right size for me.

I was told the bracelet was a production sample and thus had some flaws. I didn’t care, because I thought it was pretty, would fit my wardrobe and once again wasn’t something I already had. Then, on receiving it my first thought was “flaws? What flaws?” Because really, the only thing that may be considered a flaw is that the knot of the ribbon to the bracelet itself is a bit large and feels a bit rough when you really poke around at it (it appears to be tied and then glued for security, though I certainly could be wrong). Along with that, the two sides of the bow are of different sizes.

However, it’s comfortable to wear and fits great on the wrist as well as looking really cute so I think it’s fine! Like the ring, this feels really good and sturdy, and is super pretty.

All in all I'm very happy with these new accessories for Pastel Skies, and if I'm ordering from Lolita Desu in the future I'll certainly add a few more things to my cart from them if there's something to my liking!

The little black skirt: Victorian Maiden skirt outfits

Time for some outfits with the third main piece from my July auctions haul! You may recall I had previously mentioned a desire for a black skirt with a fully shirred waist and I’m really happy that I found such a beautiful one.

I haven’t been able to ID this piece but I’m actually pretty sure it is technically an underskirt, since Victorian Maiden has sold underdresses which have identical detailing in the skirt portion. But regardless of what its original intention was it makes a beautiful skirt on its own and if I can also layer it with other main pieces for a bit of extra length then that’s just an added bonus. It has gorgeous details and isn’t sheer or anything, so I feel it can work either way.

Before I go onto the outfits I wanted to apologise for the picture quality! On the day I took these I only had my phone to use, and black is always a challenge to shoot indoors. I hope you like the outfits even if the photos aren’t too great.

For my first outfit with the skirt I really want to try combining it with my new Innocent World cutsew from my other recent haul and it worked out just a well as I imagined. I was aiming for something super simple, maybe a bit…not quite old school, but mid-2000s, I think? I’m not quite sure what inspired this look but I really like it! Ten out of ten, will wear. It’s very me – the pieces and coordination are quite basic, but combined there’s enough detail going on that it’s not boring at all.

Then for the second outfit I really wanted to try it with my red blouse from The Floral Notebook and thought the IW bustier was a good idea too. The socks I’m not totally sold on, in the end, but I think I have the bones of a very cool outfit here and I have a hunch it’s one of those things that would look way better on than laying flat.

Lastly I wanted to go totally sweet and I feel it worked out okay; it would probably look cute worn but it’s a bit dull as it is here. I think this skirt also leans too far classic to be used in fully sweet looks, which is a pity, but I’ll see if I can make it work!

You may notice I didn’t do any 100% black looks and that’s entirely due to the fact that they would just turn into black blobs in the photos. All black is honestly the way I would be most likely to wear this skirt so I don’t actually mind that the only flat lay here I’m head over heels for is the first one. I think I’m still going to get plenty of wear out of this skirt!

Review #46: Metamorphose Dim Light & Egg Art

You know how I said literally three posts ago that I wasn't gonna buy more lolita? What can I say...it didn't last! Because what good are good intentions when your favourite brand announces that if you buy a dress (that you've loved since it was first released in 2012) that you will get a $1 special set as well (which you also liked and contemplated buying)?

So I have a few new wardrobe additions from Metamorphose temps de fille - the Dim Light Peplum JSK in Bordeaux, the Egg Art Puff Sleeve Dress set, and also a pair of Fluttering Ribbon Lace-up OTKS in lavender x white. I have to say, even though a little part of me was disappointed in myself for making such a big purchase so soon after deciding to put a halt on my purchasing, but the rest of me was just so excited that I know I made the right choice.

Last Saturday I went to the post office with James to pick up the branded Metamorphose box, came home, and was utterly gleeful over everything. First off, of course, I took out Dim Light.

James convinced me to get the fancy peplum cut, which is one quarter shirred rather then full back shirred, so for now fitting into it is not possible, unfortunately. But it's a great goal pieces because it's just. so. damn. gorgeous! Though at first I though the plainer cut would be more wearable, being honest with myself, this is not an everyday print for me, so why get it in an everyday cut? And besides, this exact dress is what I fell in love with back in 2012 so it felt right.

I love the print - it's so straightforward yet complex. And the fabric has this beautiful rough texture to it. The chiffon of the ruffles and peplum and cape sleeve is the nicest I've ever felt.  This is one print that I adore in every colourway, but the wine is what I'm most likely to wear. Also, as a note my pictures came out a little brighter and redder than it is in real life, it has a bit of a purple-y tinge to it IRL which is really beautiful.

I also love the beautiful cameo bow! The great thing about that is it's detachable, like the cape sleeve. Gotta love that versatility! Not that you can really tone down this dress, but being able to remove those two bits does let you restrain the look a little bit.

Getting the OP cut of the Egg Art set hardly counts as a decision - it's just adorable! I found the JSK a little dull but this to me just has the right amount of detail. With full back shirring it fits me fine. The socks are your standard Meta (which is to say, fabulous) and the headbow is wired and cute as. What I actually love is that both he socks and heabdow will be useful for me to coordinate with other pieces as well...I'll probably get more use from them than I will out of the OP itself!

I actually love this print way more than I thought I would, it's just beautiful and detailed! It's sort of straddling the line between sweet and classic lolita; the dress cut is very sweet, the harlequin pattern could go either way, but the actual print is very classic.

As for the OTKS, you all know how big I am on lolita legwear so I thought I'd take a browse and see what they had. From the stock photo these seemed to be a muted lavender which felt like a perfect match for Jurassic Party and they are! They are the best lavender match I've found for that print. Not much more to say on these, but I'm very glad I bought them.

And, as usual, Meta included a few little extras in the box - a black and white plastic shopping bag, a pink sticker, and a bit of promotional material in the form of a colour flyer for the Cherry Berry Song series, a design page for Marching Toy Soldier and Teddy Bear Baker, and fabric samples for Teddy Bear Baker and Matryoshka Doll. I've never received samples before, so this was super cute. And I have to say if Teddy Bear Baker pops up at a good price I may have to buy it!

I'm over the moon with these new purchases. It's great to finally get my hands on Dim Light, and the Egg Art dress is just so easy to wear it will be a great wardrobe addition. And of course I love socks ^__^

Did anyone else take advantage of this deal?

Strawberries and cherries: Berry Stripe outfits

The longer I own this gorgeous onepiece the more I love it! I've already worn it casually to work and it's definitely one of the most comfortable pieces I own.

And just look at that print! Both kinds of berries! I love how simple yet detailed this is, when you think about it it seems really straightforward but in reality it's quite intricate without being overblown.

For my first outfit I wanted to use my grey bolero to match the stripes in the print. The rest of the outfit then came together in a less matchy-matchy way than usual, and I ended up with a slightly quirky and definitely casual look that I really love and would totally wear!

The second outfit looks really simple in a flat-lay, and it is really simple, but I think the simplicity is what makes it super pretty! It really lets you appreciate the details in the print and the headdress as well, and I think it would be great to wear in summer.

For the third and final coordinate (don't judge the wonky photo) I wanted to go a little bit oldschool; since this print is from 2006 it seemed appropriate! Though in retrospect I feel like I should have run with white shoes I still really like this. I especially feel that the strawberry bow clips work quite well with the white blouse.

What made me super chuffed about putting these outfits together is that there were still more coordination options; a red and white cutsew underneath, a black bolero on top, my offbrand cherry cardigan, perhaps even working in a pink blouse! This dress is just so cute and comfortable and easy to wear that is has immediately become one of my favourites and I’m really keen to wear it more!