Monday, June 29, 2015

What I Thought When I Got my First Piece of Real Lolita (52 Lolita Challenge)

I feel like this question is a bit of a two-parter for me, personally. When I think about how I grew my Lolita collection, I remember buying a lot of offbrand at first, even considering owning only indie/offbrand for a while. But then I got my first piece of brand, and.... well. It's been a downward slope ever since.

So I want to split this up between my two "first pieces" of real lolita: my first brand item, and my first quality Lolita item. This post required me to go through my old Livejournal, and boy howdy was that a little embarrassing.

Item 1: First Indie Piece



My first true piece of Lolita (that is, something that wasn't ordered off of eBay) was from the now-closed indie brand English Charm--which, to this day, is one of my favorite brands. I ordered this relatively plain black jumperskirt (a custom job, given the original jumperskirt on their site was made with a Classic floral print), and a few blouses. And when they arrived, I absolutely fell head over heels all over again. I hadn't had a "Lolita" dress that was this nice before, despite the fact that I'd paid approximately the same price. And it solidified not only my adoration for the English Charm brand, but it really made me want to go out and seek other "indie brands" that catered to plus sized clients. And that kicked off most of Lolita purchases to date, honestly!

Even if the dress is "plain" by my standards now, I feel like it was a really good choice for me as a beginner, because it let me figure out how balancing out a Lolita coordinate actually worked without overloading my circuits right off the bat. I've since sold this jumperskirt, but I still think of it fondly, and hope the girl that I sold it to loves it as much as I do.

Item 2: First Brand Piece



My first piece of brand was a parasol from Metamorphose, all the way back in 2011 (Gosh, it doesn't feel like it was that long ago...). I'd always loved the idea of parasols, but never actually went and got one for myself. That is, of course, until I found out that Lolita brands put them out on a regular basis. Why wouldn't I take advantage of the fact that brands released an item I'd been secretly pining over for years? And so I put in an order, and waited.

And it was completely worth it. At the time, I was kind of shocked by how much the parasol had actually cost (though as far as brand parasols go, it was a positive steal). But I was also so excited to finally get my first piece of brand that I forgot any reservations rather quickly. Holding that first brand item in my hands was amazing. I'll admit that it felt something like a status symbol. Sure, I wore indie brand stuff because of my size; but here was proof that I could own stuff from a real Lolita brand, and that was just enormous for me. I was so excited! To this day, I feel like brand items hold a special place in my heart, even though I adore my indie brand items as well. I think it's just the amount of detail and quality that I really love, because any offbrand item with as much work as a brand item usually ends up on my "favorite pieces" list for a while, at the very least.

What about you? What was your experience getting your first piece of Lolita clothing? Were you nervous about something going wrong? Or excited? Did everything go without a hitch, or was it harder than you thought? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments below. Until next week!

The post above was a response to the Lolita 52 Week Challenge made by the ever so delightful Caro over at FYeahLolita.

Monday, June 22, 2015

My First Meetup (Lolita 52 Challenge)

My first meetup was something of an anomaly. I'd been involved with my local Comm via Facebook for quite a while at that point (and was actually made a mod only a few months later). We decided to have a swap meet, in order to get some new pieces for the new girls and to help do a bit of closet cleaning sans trips to the post office for some of the other girls.

And, in the end, the actual swapping part of the swap meet was a complete and utter flop! Less than half of the girls who had RSVPed ended up attending (mostly due to travel issues, since we held the meet outside the main city in our state), and it was simply a bit of a small get-together to really constitute a true swap meet (though my friend sheep-prince picked up some awesome wardrobe additions, and I really enjoy seeing them). Despite the less-than-stellar turnout, we decided to make lemonade out of lemons, and went out for a nice dinner afterwards to chat and have some fun.

In the end, I left with a couple purchases, snatched up a couple sewing projects for a friend, and got to know my Comm members in person for the first time--so even if it didn't turn out the way we planned, it was a whole lot of fun!


Though not my first meetup, this picture is from the second meetup I attended with my Comm--and the second that I helped to organize.

What about you? What did you do on your first meet? When did you first help organize a meet? Do you prefer to plan meetups in meticulous detail, or just provide a loose framework and have fun with it? Please share down in the comments. Until next week!

The post above was a response to the Lolita 52 Week Challenge made by the ever so delightful Caro over at FYeahLolita.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Wardrobe Blunders! Things I Bought that I Ended up Regretting (52 Lolita Challenge)

When it comes to "blunders" in my wardrobe, I find that I thankfully don't make them very often. I plan out everything I buy (more or less, with the occasional impulse buy, though they usually end up paying off). So I usually don't think there's much room for me to truly regret buying something.

Except, of course, on the rare occasional that a piece just doesn't fit right, and I can't get it to fit right. Case in point: my Abandoned Night skirt by the indie brand Baroque.


Gorgeous, isn't it? Yes, I adore this print, and the entire series behind it (I even went ahead and bought the matching blouse for the skirt, since I liked it so much). And with the photoshoot that promoted it, how could I not fall in love? This was when I was still building up my basic wardrobe, and at the time, it was probably the most expensive main item (skirt/jumperskirt/OP) that I owned. I just loved the print, and I wanted a stained glass print so badly that it practically hurt.

Baroque was offering custom sizing for this release, and I decided to jump at the chance to get it. Something about the print spoke to me (and still does). The vivid colors might be a bit much in others' opinions, but I just happened to really love it. And then, after months of waiting for the release (and multiple delays on the part of Baroque, though it wasn't exactly their fault and they even sent me a headdress with my order as an apology for the lateness), I finally had it in my hands.

And it was a bit too tight.

It isn't that the skirt is unwearable; when I wear a corset, I can just barely put it on. But it was disappointing in a major way for me. For a skirt that I waited so long for, and put so much hope into... The sizing, despite the elastic, isn't very flexible at all. I found that when I'd given them my measurements, rather than making my waist measurement comfortably in the middle, their tailors had made my 105 cm waist the absolute max for the skirt. And it was, to be honest, a little heartbreaking, because I loved this series so much, but I couldn't really afford to return the skirt in order to get a new one (since shipping was outrageous).

But I'm nothing if not stubborn, and the piece has stayed in my closet. I break it out on the occasions I can wear a corset for the day (which is sadly not very often), and I'm hoping that after I've safely lost some weight and gotten healthier that it'll fit me a bit better.

So I suppose that while I don't regret buying the piece, I do regret how it ended up fitting and turning out in the end... So hopefully I'll be able to give it the love it deserves soon.

What about you? Do you have any Lolita purchases you ended up regretting? Or do you find that your impulse buys tend to work out in the end? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

The post above was a response to the Lolita 52 Week Challenge made by the ever so delightful Caro over at FYeahLolita.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Three Ways in Which I Don't Fit the Cliche (52 Lolita Challenge)

Last week, I tackled three ways in which I totally fit the Lolita cliche. And this week, I'm going to go in the exact opposite direction--three ways in which I completely and utterly go against the grain of what is generally accepted as the Lolita cliche. While some of these aren't really all that uncommon (at least from what I can tell), they certainly do go against what's expected when you say "I wear frilly clothes for fun".

1. I swear. Like, a lot. F*** being a lady.



I don't know if it's just me, but I swear that I see a lot of posts on Tumblr discussing how ladylike Lolitas must be, if they dress in the clothes they do. I heartily laugh at this notion. While I am more than capable of acting the part--and often will, for the ease of things in public--I

2. I actually don't really like Novala Takemoto all that much.



I'm planning on doing an entire post about this topic at a later date about why I, personally, don't really care for him--but I just don't. I enjoy the Kamikaze Girls movie a hundred times more than I enjoyed the book, and even then, there are Lolita movies that I like much better. So even though Novala Takemoto has been called the "Lolita's Bard", I think I'll stick to other writers, for my part.

3. I do not wear sweet, and will never wear sweet. Not even for a themed meetup.



It isn't that I hate Sweet Lolita in general. It's that I hate it on me. I've only ever worn a Sweet Lolita dress once, and... Well. Let's just say it definitely isn't for me. I've always felt more comfortable in darker colors than in lighter ones. Even a Gothic coordinate with a white base is a bit "light" for me (not to mention I'd be too paranoid about staining it to actually enjoy wearing it). I'll admire sweet from afar, rather than going after it myself, and stick to what I know I enjoy!

What about you? Do you break out of the Lolita box in a certain way? Or do you find that you stick to the Lolita stereotype consistently? What are some of your favorite/least favorite Stereotypes, and do you follow them or go against them? I'd love to hear about them down in the comments. Until next week, stay frilly!

The post above was a response to the Lolita 52 Week Challenge made by the ever so delightful Caro over at FYeahLolita.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Three Ways in Which I Fit the Cliche (52 Lolita Challenge)

Lolita cliches are one of those things that, on some level, exist for a reason. Many Lolitas tend to have very similar interests, and many additionally seek to "Lolita-fy" many other aspects of their lives, or come up with "Lolita" suitable hobbies and pastimes. And while you certainly don't need to fit any Lolita cliche at all if you don't want to (it's just clothes, after all!), I think that most people are able to find at least one part of themselves that fits the Lolita cliche in one way or another.

1. My hobbies




Sewing? Check. Embroidery? Check. Knitting and crochet? Check. Running a J-Fashion blog? Check. Baking overly complicated sweets? Triple check. Reading copious amounts of old "classic" literature and fairy tales? Check. It seems that many of the hobbies I liked before I even started Lolita are "Lolita-suitable", or at least fit the Lolita cliche to a T. Despite that, I think that I have my hobbies because I enjoy them, rather than because they're "Lolita-suitable" or not.

2. My aesthetic



A room decor spread from the Gothic Lolita Bible (Volume 5)

I have a very distinct taste when it comes to room decor and my personal aesthetic, and that is room decor straight out of a Gothic Lolita Bible circa 2001. Cheesy bat shaped room rug? Love it! Velvet-draped book shelves? Would totally do it. Seriously--when I have a place of my own, I'm going to have so much fun doing the decor for it and making it into that slightly-old-school, elegant little palace I've always wanted to live in.

3. I enjoy anime



While you certainly don't need to like anime (or any other Japanese media, for that matter) in order to be Lolita, I find that it's definitely a Lolita cliche to enjoy anime. And while I know plenty of Lolitas who don't care for it at all, I think it's also something that's expected of you when you mention wearing Lolita fashion. As a subset, lots of my favorite series are the series that reflect a lot of "Lolita-esque" aesthetics, such as Rozen Maiden and Black Butler.

What about you? What are some Lolita cliches out there that you've found you fit? Do you think that the cliches exist for a reason, or are more arbitrary? Next week, I plan on doing a post on the ways that I don't fit the cliche--so please keep an eye out for that! Until then, still frilly.

The post above was a response to the Lolita 52 Week Challenge made by the ever so delightful Caro over at FYeahLolita.