52 Weeks: Purses That I Love

This week's "52 Weeks" challenge is a very "chill" one, and though quite appropriate, as spring is approaching here in the northern hemisphere. To a lot of Lolitas, that means spring cleaning! Spring cleaning of their closets, that is. What better way to celebrate that than to browse the interwebs for new items for this years Lolita collections?

As the owner of a sad little collection of no more than 3 purses, this topic is one that I've been starving for.

Personally, I have a weakness for purses that do not look like purses, so that's what I'll be hunting for. I'm gonna put the links to the stuff I find throughout the post!

To me, it adds a lot to the feel of a coordinate, if the bag is like a prop to the story your outfit is telling. Giant candy or biscuit bags, like the one above from taobao, gives an "Alice in Wonderland" or "Strawberry Shortcake" feel. As if you were a tiny princess in a land of giant sweets!

The same goes for treasure chests, crowns, or bags camouflaged as books! They're not "just" a purse. 

One of the famous Alice and the Pirates book purses!
Someday you will be mine. Just wait.

The newest bag in my collection is a purse made from a book. It was made by NovelCreations on Etsy! She goes out and purchases old books, and turns them into purses. If you want, you can get the pages that she removed as well. I wanted the "Jane Eyre" purse that she listed in her shop, but you can also request to have a specific book turned into a purse for you!

Another cute find from Taobao!

I also have a bit of a weakness for bags that look like musical instruments. It adds a bunch of elegance to a classic or gothic coord, IMO. I already have a violin bag, but it only kind of looks like a violin, and it's really worn. It just doesn't look good anymore. I need a new one!

So many bags I need. So little money! Well, I guess it just needs to go on my "To-Buy" List. Whether we like it or not, a good bag completes a coord, even more than a nice parasol does.

I hope this post inspired you girls a little bit, when it comes to what your closet needs this coming spring!

LBC: Something in My Life that I've Lolitafied

I've been a bit back and forth on, whether or not I was gonna participate in this week's Lolita Blog Carnival theme, in which we have to talk about something in our lives that we've changed to fit the Lolita aesthetic, which is pretty much a different way to say the exact same thing as what the theme says.

The reason I've been unsure if I should participate in this theme, is because that at first, I was pretty sure I'd "Lolitafied" something. Of course, I must have, right?!
Yesterday it hit me, that no, actually I haven't. What I thought I'd Lolitafied was actually "Lolitafied" due to other interests of mine. That something happens to be "Lolita-appropriate" is not the same thing as a lolitafication, in my opinion.

I'm actually not a huge fan of Lolitafication, unless we're talking clothing items and accessories.
I can see how somebody would dress up, and then feel like it was just not "fitting" to be carrying a shiny steel iPhone around. In that case, I can see how someone would want to make a nicer looking cover for their phone. Maybe a little purse with bows and lace. 

But that is very different from what I think of, when I think of "lolitafying something in your life". What I think of, is people changing their life, in spite of their actual tastes, to suit the Lolita lifestyle. Wanting to be a "proper Lolita", in spite of who you actually are. 

Lolita becomes a sort of "masquerade" for that person.

Lolitafication in that sense, can be everything from changing your decor from what you actually feel at home in, to a lacy, frilly world inspired by the Lolita bibles or the infamous "Lolita Rooms"-posting spree on EGL, just to fit in with the "perfect Lolitas".

Or deciding to give up a sport that you like, because "It's not ladylike to play sports, anyway! That's what Momoko said, after all!"

Mind you, I'm not talking about people who discover a new world of things to love, through Lolita! I'm talking about people who change themselves to fit the Lolita aesthetic, and as a result, cages themselves in a life that they do not really thrive in.

So no, I've not "lolitafied" anything in my life. I actually haven't. My sense of decor, and my hobbies, just happens to fit the Lolita aesthetic, due to other interests I have. The same interests that got me into Lolita in the first place. Also, Lolita has added some interests to my own repertoire, like sewing, and it has given me the inspiration to pick up a couple of books that I otherwise wouldn't.

Let Lolita inspire you. Do not let it take over, and keep you from things that you enjoy.
Peace out!

Wanna know how other girls feel about this topic?
Check out the links below!

Breidholt

52 Weeks: The Ways in Which I Do Not Fit the Cliché

This week's 52 Weeks Lolita Challenge is one that I was looking forward to, as I thought that "this is gonna be fun and interesting!" but, well, I actually found it to be a lot tougher than I thought it was gonna be. Of course I fart and burp like any normal person- even if the ladies' in us want to deny it.

But these are a couple of things that I, specifically, do or enjoy, that are not very "Lolita"-like.

1. My taste in games
According to the Lolita stereotype, as I see it, a "proper" Lolita is supposed to enjoy games like "Animal Crossing" or various japanese romantic RPG's. The Classic and Gothic Lolita are not as such known to be gamers, but more the 'bookish types'
I, personally, like games where you get to go on an adventure, or shape the story by your decision. Some of my favorites include Assassins Creed, Skyrim and, as of recently, "The Walking Dead"! All of these are games with a lot of killing. A bit of blood. And for the last one, a LOT of guts. Literally.

2. Looking Picture Perfect. At All Times.

I do not. I really, really do not. At least half the week, I go sans make-up. My hair is messy, my clothes tend to be whatever I find to be closest to me when I open the closet. There is only one reason for this: I bike to school every other day to stay in shape, which means biking 18 kilometers each way. To be able to do this, I have to get up pretty early, and I need to be comfortable along the way. And I value my sleep too much to get up even earlier to have the time to fix myself up when I get there! I don't need to impress anyone, and I'm comfortable. Why should I?

3. Constant Closet Renewal.
The "Perfect Lolita" always has something in the mail, both going out, but especially coming home. It doesn't have to be directly from a brand store; It can be a GIANT Taobao order (The cheaper, the more stuff!) or a couple or 5 pieces from Closetchild, the comm sales or Yahoo JP. I find this to be one of the most innacurate aspects of the Lolita stereotype, and seriously also one of those that could make new Lolitas feel sub-par. As if they're not commited enough to the fashion! To some people, constant purchasing is just not an option, even if you work your frilly butt off. As a student with a job, and a Lolita on a budget, my wardrobe grows very, very slowly. On average I acquire about 2 or so new pieces a year, and usually, my order consists of 1 dress and maybe a matching accessory, like 2-3 pairs of socks and a matching bonnet. It's not that I do not want to buy stuff, you know? I just dislike being broke. There's nothing as scary as an empty wallet when you have to support yourself! 


The Lifestyle Lolita ideal can be very scary and limiting to a lot of new Lolitas. Many Lolitas strive to free themselves from the unattainable ideals of mainstream society, but truth be told, the ideals of Lolita world are just as limiting and fake as the ones we see in mainstream magazines.

A skinny girl, 1,5 m. tall with the perfect Juliette and Justine measurements and a "Day Dream Carnival" wallet heavy with yen, who lives in a pink world of limited edition "Sailor Moon" merch and french pastries with a cherry on top?
Thank you, but no thank you! If that is you, that's just fine, and I hope you appreciate your luck! But not everyone has that, and not everybody would be happy like that.

Some girls like guns, brains and look like a catfish when they wake up in the morning. 
That's life, and thank god for that!

Mismatched Teacups and Lolita Charades!

Last weekend I went to my local Lolita Circle's february meet, this time in one of our "main event organizer's" flat. For some reason, Sacha tends to be the one to arrange meet-ups with the girls. I don't know why.. I've set myself up to be the one to organize the next meet-up, the next time my turn is the chosen destination!

Sascha lives in a tiny student apartment, just like most of us girls, but we managed to set up a very stylish tea party! We all brought something along to contribute to the event. I was in charge of Chocolate-Marzipan Blondies and entertainment! One of the other girls brought her entire collection of antique teacups along. I just wanted to take them all home! Even if the differences in size meant that a bit of "ninja tactics" were brought into play to secure ourselves a larger cup when someone else wasn't looking, haha..

We had the best time, and I discovered that a surprising amount of girls in my local community was not up-to-date on works of genius, like the Secret Life of the Lolita videos or McMelody Doll! We had a good laugh at that together, and then put our brand-knowledge to a test with a nice game of "Print-Name Charades" that I had put together for the occassion! 

Some cheating occured, but well, I let that pass. Surprising twists came along, like one of the girls guessing "Midsummer Night's Dream", just because she was "cultured" enough to have read Shakespeare! She didn't even know the print!

We stayed inside all afternoon, chatting and gossipping, apart from a small trip out in the cold to take outfit photos. We lined up as the ladies we are, until we one by one sacrificed our bodies to the freezing cold for the sake of the arts. Oh well, cold never bothered me anyway..

In retrospect, I'd have picked a different pair of socks. I just wanted something with flowers.. But we learn as long as we coord, right?

LBC: Romantic Coordinate and Happy Valentines!

Happy Valentine's day, you guys!
I know not everyone celebrates it, but since a bunch of my readers do, I suppose I should recognize it a little bit. It seems Denmark is getting more and more into American holidays. It has been mentioned on the news on multiple channels, at least, and they've been talking about romance and stuff. Well, I have a small hope that my date will do a little bit just to create a bit of a fuzzy, romantic atmosphere..

And if I could, I would want to do it dressed in an outfit like the one below!
(smooth transition... Don't say anything! I rocked it!)

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival is, of course, all about da' romance! We had to come up with some romantic coordinate ideas, but I decided to just make one epic outfit!

I wanted to center it around Baby the Stars Shine Bright's "Soirée of the beginning of my memories" print, and to make it extra cheesy, I chose the pink colorway (also in part because I really like the darker pink and pale green accent colors)

This dress reminds me of the romantic courtship back in the day, because of the old-fashioned victorian ball depicted along the bottom. I don't know if it is inspired by a specific book or tale, but it immediately made me think of Pride and Prejudice, the greatest love story ever told
(Romeo and Juliet? Juliet whom? She was like, 12 and wanted to marry a guy she met the night before! Yes, I used my Elsa voice)

Bonnet picture is from Oregon Regency Society.

Because of my "Jane Austen" inspiration, I'd pair it with a regency poke bonnet, or take inspiration from Regency hairstyles. That means putting up your hair in light curls in the back, and curling the hair by your ears. For hair accessories I'd go for pearls, tiaras or pink feathers.

If you want to make your own bonnet to bring a bit of historical romance to your coordinate, I recommend this tutorial! I used it myself, and it's very simple, really. You don't even need to sew!

To keep the regency feel, I'd go for a bolero rather than a blouse. People on the street might not get the feel immediately, but it would be both a nod towards the spencers commonly worn back in the day, and to keep the low neckline of the dresses worn at the balls back then, but add the little round sleeves that were so common.

 I like to put themes in my coordinates, even if they're not immediately recognisable to other people.

For this coordinate, I wouldn't wear typical Lolita shoes, but rather pink kitten heels, as they do more closely resemble shoes worn during the regency. Heels were usually low, and the tips of she shoe could be either pointy or rounded.
For socks, I would use either lace-topped ankle socks, or sheer lace tights, depending on how cute or luxurious you wanna go.

A pair of lace gloves to finish off the coordinate!

For the rest of this coordinate, it depends on your choice of headwear! If one wanted to use the bonnet, I'd keep the jewellery simple. A pendant and light bracelets would be beautiful! If you choose to go with regency hairstyles and such, you can afford to go a bit more heavy.
Pearls and diamonds were popular choices during the regency.

This is my idea of a romantic coordinate! With a touch of period drama!

Want to get more inspiration for your date? Check out the links below!

Whimsical Adventures of Me

Beyond Kawaii
Sweet and Simple
Pretty Little Habits
New Vogue Children
Under the Parasol
Pink Lace + Glitter
Breidholt
Lolita Glamour
Daily Fuckery
Vanilla's Traumfabrik
Her Lumpiness
Hello Batty
LadyAtropa

52 Weeks: Bloomers or no Bloomers?

Let's pretend it's still Sunday, as I put up this week's Lolita Blog Challenge post, OK? Just play along, for my sake. Real life and all, ya know.. *cough*
This week's theme I just hadn't seen coming, so I really grinned when I read what was next to number 28 on my list of themes. 

But that also says a lot about how overlooked bloomers actually are, as a part of Lolita fashion!

Personally, I am a huge fan of bloomers, for multiple reasons. Many people prefer to wear bloomers, simply for practical reasons. In a fashion that is mainly based on skirts with a lot of.. open space underneath, that is kept in place by luxuriously flowy layers of light fabrics, you're bound to get into situations where the skirt will say "Shoosh!" and suddenly a gust of air turned your skirt upside down, so you look like a walking icecream cone instead of a cute little bell, and granted everybody the sight of your underwear. In such a situation, bloomers can save your dignity in a pinch.

The simple task of walking up a flight of stairs gets slightly uncomfortable as well, if you aren't at least wearing a pair of shorts underneath. 

And admittedly, bloomers are just about 20 times cuter.

I wear shorts for the reasons stated above, but even if shorts make a nice enough substitute, a pair of proper bloomers are somewhere near the top of my "To-Buy list". 

But why would I spend money on something that I really don't NEED? I have something that works in it's place, and bloomers are not really part of the RULES or anything. They're not even visible, most of the times!

Here's why!
I think bloomers are a very interesting aspect of Lolita fashion as, as far as I'm concerned, Lolita is the only subculture that has developed in such a way, that it even has appropriate and characteristic underwear! It's kind of symbolic, in a sense. Bloomers are not meant to be seen by anyone, except on accident. Well, some bloomers are made long on purpose so that you will be able to see just a little bit of the lace sticking out beneath the hem of your skirt. It adds a bit of extra charm. 

But most bloomers are made short enough today, that it's clear that they're really just meant to be known by you, and only you. 

It goes to show, that Lolita is something that you are. It's not just about what other people see. 

It's something that you identify as.

I just feel a lot more "Lolita" when I'm wearing bloomers. It makes me feel good, to be Lolita from the inside and out, if that makes sense. 

Bloomers are adorable, frilly, and just for you to enjoy! Also, they make the very best lounge wear!

LBC: Lolita Designer You'd Like to Meet

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival theme once again plays a little bit on our emotions regarding our Lolita life. This week, we're supposed to share which Lolita designer we'd like to meet, for whatever reason, be it wanting to share a cup of tea with someone who seems like fun, or experiencing how Mr. Yan would do on an actual date. 

(Is he even a designer? Or just the big-money creepo who owns the business?)

Me, myself and I have decided that we would like to spend an afternoon in the company of lovely Alice and the Pirates' designer, Mitsuba! This lady of style created the brand who pulled me straight into a pile of frills in the first place, so that is one reason.

Secondly, take a closer look at the picture above. She's the picture of dream-like elegance, with her soft waves and impeccable though unusual eye-makeup. And pardon me, but is that a total of 4-5 piercings in her ear?

I think that whereas Maki and Asuka are absolutely adorable, and Misako Aoki is sweet as a french pastry, Mitsuba has a very interesting edge. Just like Alice and the Pirates, she has got the perfect balance down, between the feather-light beauty of Baby the Stars Shine Bright, and the darker, punk-like elements, that remind me a little bit of Atelier Pierrot.

 The result is the image of a rebellious princess, or Alice, if she found out that she were the long lost daughter of Captain Hook and decided to embrace that. 

If I got to spend an afternoon with her, I'd love to ask her, what dream her style is supposed to bring to life. How does she see herself, and what does she hope to pass on to the girls, who fall for her prints?

How did she fall in love with Lolita?

 Did she have an ITA-phase? After all the designers are some of the ultimate trendsetters in Lolita. Becoming an accomplished Lolita takes hard work and dedication, and sometimes we need to be reminded of that. I would love to see, if the designers started out as newbies in lacemonster dresses, like most of us did!

(Hopefully we could have a good laugh at this. Maybe she would even pull out an old photoalbum covered in stickers? Haha!)

Last but not least, I would like to applaud her on pretty much creating a substyle of her own, within Lolita fashion. "Alice and the Pirates", her hard work, has without a doubt given Pirate Lolita a boost in popularity, at least as a classy "Con-Look", and revolutionized Classic Lolita as a substyle.

Without Alice and the Pirates, I think Classic Lolita would mostly consist of flowers, monochromes and cream colors. I love the image of the young victorian lady as well, but Alice and the Pirates added an element of adventure and vibrancy, without losing the mature look. 

What Mitsuba understood, I think, is what the story of "Alice" that Lolitas love so much, was really about.

Young girls do not just want to sit quietly in a corner and read a book, do embroidery and play the piano. While all of that is fine and dandy, we Lolitas seek the magic and wonder of this world. 

We want to explore and discover! Many of us are a part of Lolita because we dream about something exciting and grand, so we try to become the people this would happen to, through our clothing.

To me, Lolita would definetely not have been the same without Alice and the Pirates. I would probably still have been here, but my style would have been different. 

My entire "Lolita world-view" would probably have been different. 

More "Cinderella", less "Rapunzel", if you know what I'm getting at.

So, thank you, ms. Mitsuba! Thank you, for adding a bit of "curiosity" to our "cute"!

Check out the entries below to see who else deserves a big hug and a fruit basket.

Poppy Noir

Helado de Cereza

The Bloody Tea Party

Hello Batty

52 Weeks: How Long it Took Me to Build a Complete Wardrobe

This week's 52 Weeks Lolita Blog Challenge is to write a post about how long it took me to build a complete wardrobe. As this topic could really just be answered with a number, I'm gonna reflect upon my wardrobe's current state.

In short, I'd say that I do not, at all, have a complete Lolita wardrobe. What a "complete" Lolita wardrobe is to me, is a wardrobe that has reached it's "final size"- The Lolita feels like (s)he doesn't need to add any more pieces, but instead sells off a little to buy new pieces once in a while. It's more a matter of renewal than growth.
I haven't quite reached that point yet. I still feel like I need to add a bunch more stuff! I need more blouses, more shoes, more bags and accessories! And of course, more dresses, whenever I get the funds to add something in that department. 

I know that many Lolitas define a "complete" wardrobe in a different way than I do. They instead consider a wardrobe complete, when you have enough stuff that you can wear a new outfit every day for a week, or two weeks, or a month. I could, without trouble, wear a new outfit every day for a very long period of time. It took me about 2 years or so, to get to that point, and of course my wardrobe has been slowly growing just a little bit ever since. I would love to purchase a new dress every month or every 2 months, but as it is now, that is not an option. I'm very cheap, in the sense that even if I love to purchase new things, I hate to spend money. That means that I'm practically never broke, but also that I'm probably not gonna be a "MC Melody Doll" until I'm 30. 

Sewing is not cheap, either. I sew because I like it, not to save money. Fabric is pricey, even if it's not as expensive as brand. I feel a little less guilty when purchasing fabric because I can tell myself it's a hobby that'll help me better myself.

In short, I haven't yet! It's taken me years to get to where I am, but I still have a long road ahead of me! My wardrobe is all over the place, with Gothic, Sweet and Classic pieces, due to my slow transition through the hues, and my dream is to add to all of these genres (though I think I'm slowly drifting away from Gothic).

Be quiet, wallet! You and I are going on adventures, like it or not!