Monday, August 31, 2015

Most Versatile Lolita Item I Own (52 Lolita Challenge)

When I saw the prompt for this one, I knew exactly which piece I was going to talk about. It's one of my favorite main pieces I've gathered, and--surprisingly--was also one of the cheapest! I purchased this jumperskirt from Bodyline, before their major site rehaul. Using the Yen Trick and a sale that was going on, I ended up only paying about $40 (including shipping) for the dress. Given the quality and detail in it, I'm quite happy with it!


Bodyline L348 in Black (Picture by Bodyline)

Lots of people have a love/hate relationship with Bodyline. Some people adore it for its cheap pricing and easy availability. Others dislike Bodyline's business practices (like its frequent Model Contests and its less-than-savory CEO, the infamous Mr. Yan), or make the argument that their rising prices don't match the quality of the actual product. Whatever your opinion on Bodyline is, I feel you have a valid reason to shop (or not) with them. And this jumperskirt is one of the reasons I hold out the hope that Bodyline will continue to be an option in the future.

I love this dress enough that I own it in two colorways--the all-black version, as pictured above, and the black and white version, for when I'm feeling like I'm in more of an old school mood. The quality was worth buying it twice, in my opinion. The fabric is soft and thick, the lace a surprisingly good quality, and the ruffled skirt is adorable. When I wore the dress to a meetup, more than one of the girls in my Comm couldn't even believe that it was Bodyline. One even thought it was possibly an old solid Baby design.

Which brings me to why this piece is my most "versatile" piece. The thing I love about this dress is that I can mix and match it a dozen different ways. It's super hot out? Just wear the dress, toss on a lace shrug, and I'm good. Need an opulent outfit? Toss on a princess-sleeve blouse and lace tights. Casual outfit for playing board games with friends? Wear a cute cutsew underneath and some knee socks.

This piece has enough detail in the ruffles and lace to be interesting on its own, providing all the texture and interest that a monochrome black outfit often needs; and all that detail can be dressed up with a more detailed blouse to end up with an outfit that looks a lot more expensive than it actually is. Thus why, in my opinion, this humble Bodyline Jumperskirt is probably the most Versatile item in my Lolita closet.

What about you? Do you have an item you can wear a thousand different ways? Or do your items seem to be more limited? I'd love to hear about some of your favorites down in the comments section 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, August 24, 2015

Fondest Meetup Memory (52 Lolita Challenge)

When it comes to Meetup Memories, I honestly don't know if I'm truly qualified to choose whether or not I have a "favorite" one. Simply put? I don't have many to choose from. As of this moment, I've only ever been to three meetups (technically two, though one was broken up into two separate meets on the same day). So I don't think I have enough experience to pick a "favorite".

But I'll try to, anyways, because that's the prompt, and I have to have something that makes me nostalgic for when I lived less than seven hours from any meetup... Right?

Right.

And the first thing that came to mind was my first meet-up, which--while very few people actually showed up despite RSVP-ing and voting on the location--was probably one of my favorite meets. For one, it let me ease into the idea of a local Lolita community. I was quite used to being a Lone Lolita with a couple online friends (and even quite content being so). But meeting up with people in real life with the same interests? It was a little daunting.

But I did know one of the attendees, and it's actually not so much the meetup itself as seeing her that was a lovely memory that I chose for this. The first meet required my poor friend sheep-prince ("Sheepie") to drive hours, and they were going to simply crash at my place that night. And... well, honestly, that was probably the funnest part for me.


The ever-lovely Sheepie (picture from her tumblr)

I really only get to see Sheepie during cons; so seeing them for a meetup was nice, even if the visit was short! I'd love to be able to see them more often, so hopefully meetups that fit both of our schedules (or more cons) are in our future!

Personally, I tend to prefer meets that are very small... And I tend to prefer just going somewhere with friends who just happen to wear Lolita, rather than traditional meets. Both are fun, of course, but I think I enjoy sharing things I love with people I care about more than expanding my social circle. the curse of being an introvert, I suppose!

I think my ultimate dream meet up would be going to a concert or play with a few Lolita friends; Sheepie included! What about you? What's been your favorite meetup memory? And do you think it's prompted a dream meet-up at all? I'd love to hear about it in the comment section down below!

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

Monday, August 17, 2015

How Lolita has Changed Me (52 Lolita Challenge)

This is one of those posts that I actually found kind of difficult--not because I don't agree that something like fashion can change a person, because it completely can. Instead, I think the most difficult part was separating the changes caused by Lolita, and the changes caused by the usual process of growing up and becoming an adult.

But I think the biggest change Lolita has had on me was in one simple, but very important, thing: it taught me how to dress myself, and dress myself well. Though I'd always liked the structured, Victorian-esque Gothic look, I never quite figured out how to properly achieve the look. (At times, I'm still not sure I'm quite satisfied with where I am--I want to greatly improve my makeup skills, for example.)

Lolita encouraged me to get outside of my jeans-with-a-T-shirt-and-no-makeup comfort zone. I had a lot to learn, given that I never really learned much about makeup and clothes as a teenager. I needed to learn how to do my makeup properly (and even picked up how to put on false eyelashes properly--something I never would have attempted for fear of it being "too hard" before). I had to experiment until I learned how to balance colors in an outfit properly. I had to figure out how to combine items into a working outfit, to mix and match things, and how to identify clothing that I'd be able to wear a variety of ways.

I had a lot of things to learn when I started Lolita, and lots of these skills on "how to put together a Lolita coordinate" have helped me to pull together office- and work-related outfits more cohesively, as well. Lolita was a way to motivate me to learn how to dress myself in "regular" fashion, as well, because it provided me with a fun goal (a Lolita coordinate) to encourage me to gain mundane, if somewhat tedious, skills.

Other things about me has changed since I started wearing Lolita, of course, and plenty of them have been instrumental in me wearing Lolita. My sewing has improved by milestones; I've started a project (my blog) and consistently provided it with content, rather than letting it die after a week or two like most of my previous blogs; I've gained amazing followers and met new friends; I've gained confidence and the ability to stand up for myself, despite what others might think of me. But I don't think I want to contribute these solely to wearing Lolita. I feel like these sorts of things probably would have happened anyways--but were just helped out by having Lolita as a hobby!

I apologize for how short this week's post is; it was honestly quite difficult for me to think of much else that felt relevant! What about you? Have you noticed Lolita making any changes for you? Or do you feel like it hasn't changed much at all? 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.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

A Timeline of Alice and the Pirates' Vampire Series

Ah, yes--Vampires. That theme that Goths can't seem to escape from. Something that seems to be almost universally adored by anyone with darker-leaning tastes (although the debate on who would win in a fight, a vampire or a werewolf, may remain a debate for eternity). It was only a matter of time before Baby the Stars Shine Bright used vampires as a theme in their darker sub-brand, Alice and the Pirates. And this was a decision that sparked some of their most famous items--and a Vampire Series that would carry on over 6 years.

Vampire Requiem (2009)



Vampire Requiem Limited OP, Long JSK, Corset Skirt, Short JSK

Colors: Black, Lavender, Cream, Red, Navy (2011 re-release only)

Vampire Requiem, the print that started it all. I don't think that Baby really knew how popular this series would end up being! Vampire Requiem has become one of Baby's most recognizable prints from their Alice and the Pirates line, and was the first entry in their Vampire-themed series.

The print itself takes a few cues from previous popular prints; the most striking detail is, of course, the border print of an iron gate, decorated with various vampire-themed illustrations such as coffins, bats, and even what we may surmise to be Dracula himself.

The series proved to be so popular that it was re-released in 2011 with a new colorway (navy) and a Limited version OP cut. Baby has released a host of other items featuring the print, as well, including tights, phone cases, and tote bags.

Vampire Forest (2010)



Vampire Forest Elizabeth OP, Prima Donna JSK, Bustle Skirt, and Carmilla JSK

Colors: Black, Navy, Purple, Red

Perhaps one of the more easily forgotten entries in their Vampire Series is Vampire Forest. Baby departed from the border print featured in Vampire Requiem in favor of an all-over print type when they released Vampire Forest the next year. The print features more of the motifs found in Vampire Requiem--bats, lanterns, roses, graveyards, and Dracula's castle all make an appearance.

If you are trying to get ahold of one of Alice and the Pirates' Vampire items on a budget, Vampire Forest may be a good choice for you; it tends to be one of the more cheaply priced items when purchased second hand, especially from Japanese sources.

Vampire Embroidery (2011)




Vampire Rose Embroidered Jacket, Vampire Embroidered Pants, Vampire Embroidered JSK

Colors: Black x Black (JSK only), Black x Gold (Jacket, Pants)

In 2011, Baby took a break from their Vampire prints, instead releasing a few items in a small Vampire Embroidery collection--a jacket, a pair of pants, and a JSK. The series was more simplistic in its design, but nevertheless made use of beautiful, high-quality embroidery to get across a vampire theme in a more subtle manner.

Vampire Prelude (2012)



Vampire Prelude JSK, Nosferatu OP, Corset Skirt, and OP

Colors: Black, Ivory, Purple, Red

Baby returned to the border print formula that had made Vampire Requiem so coveted when they released Vampire Prelude in 2012. Indeed, the styling of the print is quite reminiscent of Vampire Requiem, including an iron gate strewn with black and red roses, interspersed with small, detailed depictions of our vampire friends doing what they do best: living as Byronic lords, seducing women and generally being mysterious, romantic figures.

Even the cuts from the Vampire Prelude series seem to call back to earlier entries in the Vampire series; there is the obvious return of the corset skirt from Vampire Requiem, of course, but the cut of the OP is similar to a simplified version of the Elizabeth OP from Vampire Forest, minus the bustle. Vampire Prelude was beginning to solidify what made the series popular, and how to best market this much-adored Gothic theme.

Bonus: Vampire Rose items (2010-2015)



Vampire Rose Necklace, Vampire Rose OTKs, Vampire Rose Lace Blouse, Vampire Rose Comb, and Vampire Rose Round Headdress.

Colors: Varies by Item

Throughout the years, Alice and the Pirates has released several items listed under the title of "Vampire Rose"--Vampire-inspired items featuring, of course, roses as their main focus. While they aren't necessarily a part of any one set, I thought that, given their Vampiric inspiration, they also deserved a mention on this list.

With the first couple items being released in 2010 with Vampire Forest, the Vampire Rose items have been restocked and remade several times over the years, and include a variety of items--from headdresses to OTKs, and even a blouse. All of these items are subtly romantic and seductive, not unlike the Vampires that they take their name from--and are often created specifically to compliment any of the items released in Baby's Vampire Series.

Vampire Nocturne (2015)


 

Vampire Nocturne JSK I, JSK II, OP, and Skirt

Colors: Brown, Green, Red, Black

Despite the popularity of their previous Vampire Series entries, it would be three years before Alice and the Pirates would release another Vampire-themed print dress. Enter the latest entry: Vampire Nocturne, set to be released in September of 2015. Vampire Nocturne may hail from the illustrious background of Alice and the Pirates' Vampire Series, but it borrows more heavily from the newer trends than its roots. Despite keeping with its vampiric roots, Vampire Nocturne depicts its scene not unlike many of the painting prints that have become popular in Classic Lolita as of late. It also uses a more muted color palette than its predecessors.

The cuts, as well, are borrowing from the more mature trend that has been growing in Lolita as of late, with lower hem lines (good news for taller Lolitas!) and more mature lines. If your goal is to have a more subtle Vampire/Gothic coordinate, this series is right up your alley! You can find more information about the series (and pre-ordering!) on Baby's blog here.

Do you have a favorite item from Alice and the Pirates' Vampire series? Is Vampire Requiem your dream dress? I'd love to hear all your gushing about these prints down in the comments below. Until next week!

Monday, August 10, 2015

5 Movies for Lolitas (Lolita 52 Challenge)

I wanted to share films that feature Lolitas specifically, rather than just films that fit the aesthetic! This was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be; not because there aren't films featuring Lolitas out there--but because they often don't get much recognition in the West, which can make them difficult to track down. So, here we have it: a post containing my top five films featuring Lolitas!

Kamikaze Girls




Ah, yes--Kamikaze Girls (or, if you rather, Shimotsuma Monogatari). No "Lolita Movie" list is truly complete without this Novala Takemoto classic. And here's the thing: I'm actually not the greatest fan of Takemoto. I personally felt that the Kamikaze Girls novel was somewhat lacking, and never cared much for the writing style (or at least the translation). Despite this, the Kamikaze Girls film is one of my favorite Lolita-related films.

Why, you might ask? Because, unlike the novel (which seemed to try to take itself seriously despite the complete ludicrous nature of its protagonist), the film throws any sense of trying to seem like a realistic portrayal of lifeto the wind, and instead revels in what it is: a completely off-the-wall comedy about a Lolita and a Yankee becoming best friends. Momoko is a thousand times more likable in the film than she is in the novel, in my opinion. So even if you didn't enjoy Takemoto's novel--it's definitely worth giving the film a shot, given the fact that it presented itself in a vastly different light.

Bara no Konrei ~Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku~



This movie is the only "serious" film on the list. Trust me. Lolita aesthetics, for some reason, doesn't seem to lend to anything other than comedies, for some reason. Enter Bara no Konrei--a film recorded pre-hiatus by Malice Mizer, and featuring their last recorded album for a soundtrack. Bara no Konrei is a tribute to both vampire and silent films, and is honestly a rather impressive project for a Visual Kei band, if  you ask me.

Instead of a short film, which I would find more plausible, Mana-sama and Company decided that simply wasn't good enough, and instead chose to do a feature-length silent film. The plot, while nothing new, exactly (given it's more or less your standard retelling of Dracula with a few other tidbits tossed in), Bara no Konrei makes up for what it lacks in originality with style. The costuming, as expected, is gorgeous to look at, and the eye candy of the Malice Mizer members is enough to keep any fan satisfied. (I'm particularly fond of Klaha in this film, but that's just me.) If your tastes tend towards the Gothic side and you haven't checked this out yet, this is a travesty that must be corrected--go and check this out! (To make your life easier, it's even available on YouTube.)

Mister Rococo



Mister Rococo is a short film about a high school girl and her first love. And that's where any semblance to your typical cutesy-cute shoujo manga end. Mister Rococo is what I would consider, by and large, a comedy, built off of over-the-top weirdness that seems to be dominating most of this list. Your boyfriend breaks up with you because he likes strong women? What is a Lolita to do?

Apparently, become a lacey, frill-covered pro wrestler. With a soundtrack in part performed by Anna Tsuchiya (who also played our Yankee friend Ichigo in Kamikaze Girls), Mister Rococo is a quick, fun romp into Lolita-related films.

Nuigulumar Z




Like the next entry on the list, this is one of those movies that either is or isn't for you. It's something of a strange niche film--the kind of film that reinforces the stereotype of Japanese films being off-the-wall. How does a Sweet Lolita powering up with her teddy bear to fight zombies in a cat suit sound to you?

For a while, Baby was even carrying the movie's soundtrack in their stores! Definitely a walk outside of the typical, Nuigulumar Z might not be for everyone, but it could definitely be a movie to watch with some friends when you just want to laugh at something crazy.

Gothic & Lolita Psycho



And now, we have Gothic & Lolita Psycho -- Or, as its US refers to it, Psycho Gothic Lolita. If you asked me to describe just what this film is, I would have quite a bit of trouble doing it concisely--because the plot gets rather convoluted relatively quickly. Our main protagonist, a Gothic Lolita named Yuki, is essentially chasing down five assassins in order to get revenge for the death of her mother. Simple enough, right? Well... Kind of. At first.

It's quite a bit of fun to watch Yuki kick major ass while wearing Putumayo-esque clothes, and using her modified parasol as a weapon. She gains several different parasols over the course of the film--a parasol with a blade in the tip, and one with a machine gun, to name a couple. And it definitely has a very odd plot twist that I won't spoil here. If you like cheesy horror/action films, this might be right up your alley! Particularly when you have an awesome fight between a deco-den obsessed "genki girl", Lady Elle, and our Gothic Lolita "heroine", Yuki.

As a fair warning, the film can get a little gorey in places--though its very much the "ketchup and pasta" type gore where you can tell it's fake. But if that sort of thing bothers you, this movie probably isn't for you. I wouldn't recommend this film if you're looking for anything that's genuinely a great film, because it really isn't even a "good" film. But if you're like me and have a love for watching bad movies, this one will probably be great for a night in.

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

Monday, August 3, 2015

5 Inspirational Fictional Characters (52 Lolita Challenge)

When it comes to my inspiration for Lolita coordinates, I take more than my fair share of inspiration from fictional characters. I adore using non-Lolita inspiration to jog an idea for a Lolita coordinate! I find it to be the perfect blend of challenge and homage, and it's helped me to create some of my best coordinates to date (at least in my opinion). And there are certain characters that I find are more inspirational than others. So, without further ado--my top five characters for coordinate inspiration!

Jennet Humfrye - The Woman in Black




There's something about horror movies that just gets my heart pumping--and not always from fear. Horror movies, especially those in the "psychological" horror sector rather than the "slasher" sector, always have this beautifully creepy factor to them. And this is an aesthetic I love to try and recreate with my own wardrobe. Nothing fits this more than Jennet Humfrye from Susan Hill's novel The Woman in Black.

In particular, I find the costuming from the 2012 film starring Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps, and the lovely Liz White as the titular "woman in black". While most of the costuming in this film is the right balance of real-world practicality and historical eye candy, I find Jennet's mourning dress to be particularly inspiring--and something I definitely want to try and bring a little of to my own outfits.

Carmilla - Carmilla






I have a fondness for Gothic novels, and it all began with Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's novella, Carmilla. A vampire story that predates Dracula by 26 years, Carmilla is one of those works that was particularly scandalous in its time, and even holds some of that scandal today. A novel about a lesbian vampire preying on your average Gothic heroine? This is the stuff my dreams are made of, if I'm completely honest.

With Carmilla, I don't draw so much of a concrete image as I do an idea that I want to portray. An alluring yet unassuming beauty; a mask of benign innocence that hides a bloodthirsty predator.. There's nothing to Carmilla that doesn't scream of femme fatale to me, and I love the idea of taking that attitude into my outfits. Especially if it means working a little "vampiness" into it.

Raven Madison - Vampire Kisses



Vampire Kisses is one of those series that's a guilty pleasure for me. I know that they aren't really targeted towards me, and the series on a whole can be rather juvenile and simplistic at times. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy every stereotype-ridden, cheesy-as-hell moment of it. When I was younger, I felt that I could really relate to Raven Madison, who feels out of place and strange with her darker interests in her stereotypical "All-American" town. Most people involved in or interested in the Gothic subculture feel like that, at least during a part of their life.

So even though Raven's look is decidedly more Western Goth than my Gothic Lolita style, I do love to incorporate her enthusiasm and love of all things bat-themed and kitschy-Goth.

Emily/Victoria - The Corpse Bride




I love this movie. Handsdown, it is one of my absolute favorites (right up there with Nightmare Before Christmas, which has major points because of both Gothy points and an enormous nostalgia factor). And I found that I just couldn't choose one of the leading ladies over the other for my inspiration source in this movie!

Let's start with Victoria. Victoria is--literally--the representation of the "ideal" Victorian lady (obviously, even down to her name). Her clothes are modest to the point of being restricting (her high collar comes to mind--it looks very tight and rather uncomfortable). Her manner of holding herself is very serious, almost overly polite, and she does her best to never trouble anyone, even at the cost of her own happiness (overcoming this is, of course, her character arc).

I loved watching how Victoria's manner of carrying herself changed throughout the film. In the beginning, she is stiff and moves a little more unnaturally--and feels as if she's bound by her clothing (and, indeed, her life). By the end, her stiff clothing has instead altered to fit her; rather than being confined by her clothing, it instead reinforces her newfound backbone--upright, shoulders back, eyes looking up. Clothing that requires a corset often sounds like it would be confining; but, like Victoria, I actually manage to find a bit of a confidence boost while wearing these "confining" clothes.

Then, of course, we have Emily. Emily is another character I could go on for ages talking about in terms of her character arc, but I'll spare you that. Suffice to say, while my source of inspiration from Victoria is mainly in how I carry myself, my inspiration from Emily is more aesthetically driven. I love the use of light, airy fabrics in her design--and I love the idea of a Bridal coordinate based on her melancholy-yet-sweet color scheme of white and blue.

I adore both of these characters for different reasons, and it's all too easy for me to imagine Emily and Victoria in a shiro/kuro coordinate shoot together. I feel like they're an excellent representation of the duality that I find in my preferred Lolita aesthetic--the restrictiveness of the clothes, combined with the airy and ethereal appearance of it.. It's a delicate balance, but one that I find perfectly represented by these two.

Ciel Phantomhive - Black Butler




I couldn't not put Ciel here. Despite the fact that I've yet to branch into Boystyle (though not from lack of a desire to do so), I almost always find something about Ciel's outfits in Toboso's art that I want to reflect myself. Perhaps its my old Cosplay Enthusiast self coming out, but I just want every single one of his outfits! And that's really all there is to it. Ciel is cute. His clothes are cute. I want his outfits. End of story!

What characters do you find inspirational? Do you find them aesthetically pleasing, like I find Ciel? Or do you find their characteristics to be what draws you do them, like me and Victoria? I'd love to hear about your opinions down in the comment section! Until next week, dearies--stay frilly!

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