In which she shares a couple of outfits and explains an absence…

Tags

coordinates, daily outfit, lolita, lolita fashion

Goodness it has been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve been working quite a lot and also preparing for my trip to Europe! I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned it here, but I’m headed to London and Paris the first two weeks of May. I’m so excited I might explode! I’ve had a lot to get done before then (and still some more to do) so things have been busy. But hopefully I’ll be able to get a couple more posts done before I leave and then of course I’ll post some pictures when I get back! I’m planning on visiting Baby the Stars Shine Bright and Boddywood in Paris of course, it’ll be my first time visiting a brand store!

In the meantime, I have a couple outfits to share!

Daily Outfit: March 7, 2013

• JSK: Fan plus Friend
• Bag: Charming Charlie
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Bow: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

A Kiki-themed outfit! I went to a showing of Totoro and couldn’t figure out an outfit to go with, so I went with another Studio Ghibli character instead. Kiki’s Delivery Service is one of my favorite movies ever, it felt really nice to be able to pay homage to it in some small way.

Daily Outfit: March 11, 2013

 

• Skirt: Alice and the Pirates
• Blouse & Shoes: Bodyline
• Cardigan: Rugged Wearhouse
• Socks: Sock Dreams
• Bow: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Flower Clips: H&M

Channeling magical girls for this outfit! I really like this one, everything came together just right.

Daily Outfit: March 31, 2013

 

• OP: Emily Temple Cute
• Tights: Target
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Bow: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Just something simple for a day of running errands. This dress is the easiest thing to coordinate. It goes with everything, I swear. And it’s comfortable to boot!

Daily Outfit: April 2, 2013

 

• Cutsew: Goodwill
• Skirt: Angelic Pretty
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Bag: H&M
• Headband: Forever 21

A casual black x pink outfit for a craft night. I found this top at Goodwill a while ago, it’s got ruffle trim and awesome old school style bell sleeves! …also I need to remember not to take pictures in front of that railing when I’m wearing dark tights, my legs have blended in and now they look strange.

In which she shares quite a few outfits…

Tags

coordinates, daily outfit, lolita fashion, nerdy things

I’ve been wearing lolita quite a bit lately, so I have a bit of a backlog of outfits to share!

Daily Outfit: January 21, 2013

• JSK: Angelic Pretty
• Socks: Secret Shop
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Bag: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Cardigan: Forever 21
• Blouse: K-Mart
• Necklace: Metamorphose

I’m totally holding my bag backwards in this picture, good job self! I tried coordinating the bright bright neon pink that is French Cafe with a softer more standard pastel pink. I think it worked pretty well!

Daily Outfit: January 25, 2013

 

• OP: Emily Temple Cute
• Blouse: Vintage
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Flower clips: H&M

An outfit for a icy/snowy/winter mixy day! I braved the weather to go grocery shopping with my boyfriend, so I figured I might as well look pretty doing it.

 

And here I am actually bundled up and ready to face the elements!

Daily Outfit: January 28, 2013

 

• JSK: Metamorphose
• Tights: Sock Dreams
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Cardigan: Forever 21
• Collar: Handmade
• Beret: H&M

I really love this coordinate. Something about the cream and brown and furry collar and braids is really appealing to me.

Daily Outfit: Feburary 2, 2013

 

• T-shirt: One of those 24-hour t-shirt sites, can’t remember which
• Skirt: Metamorphose
• Headband: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Tights: Sock Dreams
• Bag & Belt: Charming Charlie

Some casual lolita for running errands (and buying sock yarn!) I’ve been wanting to wear this skirt and shirt together for a while, they match so well! I’m really pleased with how it looks all together.

Daily Outfit: February 9, 2013

• JSK, Bag, & Headband: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Tights: Target
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Blouse: K-Mart

My outfit for our local Valentines Day meetup! I always end up dressing to theme for this one haha, pink and red for the past three years! I hadn’t worn this dress in a while, it’s just a biiiiit too fancy to wear for every day, so I thought I’d wear it for a special occasion. I was thrilled to find these tights at Target, it’s so hard to match Baby’s wine red, and these are pretty damn close. I’m also really pleased with how my hair turned out! It had all collapsed by the end of the day but it looked nice for pictures anyway :D

Whew! Sorry for the big photo dump! I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway.

 

In which she discusses her ideas for a lolita themed cafe…

Tags

coordinates, lolita blog carnival, lolita fashion, polyvore

I just had to do this post. I’m currently working at a coffeehouse, so this post idea was perfect for me! I had a lot of ideas, Alice in Wonderland themed, super sweet candy shop style, etc. But I ended up settling on a library/classic theme, I liked the appeal of having shelves full of books for patrons to buy or read and a very cozy feel to a cafe.

So first things first, gotta have cute outfits for employees to wear right?

I wanted to go with both a lolita and boystyle outfit to match! I wanted to match with the theme so I went with kind of muted colors, greens and browns. I also went with a few things for ease and comfort. Pulling shots of espresso and using syrups is messy business, so an apron for the lolita outfit and a vest for the boystyle. Also, short sleeves for both! To avoid getting steamed milk on sleeves and to keep cool. Some little book/written word accessories to match and they’re all done!

Here’s some decor stuff I put together too! I really liked the weathered look, and of course lots of books and coffee!

For other ideas I really liked the thought of doing full tea services, and also maybe a similarly structured meal with coffee instead of tea. I like the idea of book themed pastries and small meals, maybe named after famous novels or authors? There would of course be a book club, and maybe a small area to sell local crafters wares? Particularly jewelry and hair accessories I think, just a nice display in a corner of the shop.

I hope this was interesting! It was certainly fun to day dream about. Check out the posts my fellow bloggers have done about this topic:

Under the Parasol ♥ Carnivale Salt ♥ A Life in Disguise ♥ Annie Old Fashioned ♥ Hello Batty ♥ Suns in Our Hands ♥ Beyond Kawaii ♥ Lace Jail ♥ Sweet and Simple ♥ Geisha Baby ♥ F Yeah Lolita ♥ Lace a la Mode

In which she shares a couple of coordinates…

Tags

coordinates, daily outfit, lady sloth, lolita fashion

Daily Outfit: January 2, 2013

•  JSK: Metamorphose
• Tights: Sock Dreams
• Sweater: Forever 21
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Bag: Charming Charlie

I totally forgot to post this outfit! I wore this to see Les Miserables with my boyfriend! We enjoyed it quite a bit. When I first put this outfit on I also wore my little brown fur collar and I think I liked it better with that than without. I took it off because I was concerned it would get to hot, and it probably would have, but I should have at least left it on for a picture :C

Daily Outfit: January 14, 2013

 

• Skirt: Lady Sloth
• Blouse: Innocent World
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Hair Flowers: H&M
• Earrings: Charming Charlie

I haven’t bought anything major in sooo long, my budget’s been really tight. But I had won an honorary mention in Lady Sloth’s coordinate competition a while ago and I saw this skirt on sale and I had to get it. It’s not my usual style (whatever that is haha) but I really love it. I went with a more classic black coordinate this time, I think it looks very elegant. I’m going to try it out with some color sometime soon though!

In which she shares a dress for all seasons…

Tags

coordinates, lolita blog carnival, lolita fashion

The Lolita Blog Carnival prompt this week was 1 Piece, 4 Seasons. Given that I had so much fun with the previous 1 Piece 5 Outfits challenge, I really wanted to do this one too! I chose my Popping Balloon JSK from Metamorphose, I really love this dress and it’s definitely one of my most versatile- there’s so many colors in the print! So here’s my four seasons:

• Tights & Blouse: Forever 21
• Headband: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Shoes: Bodyline

For springtime I went with lots of pastels! A little bit of minty and light pink goodness for such a pretty season. If I actually wore this in the spring I’d probably keep my pink cardigan on hand, depending on the day spring can be pretty chilly.

• Tights: Charming Charlie
• Cardigan: H&M
• Headband: Handmade
• Earrings: Tasty Peach Studios
• Shoes: Bodyline + Terrible Photoshop Job

I went with a bright pop of color for summertime! The tights and cardigan are both very lightweight, so perfect for warm weather. Also excuse the poorly photoshopped shoes haha. I totally lack white or cream shoes at the moment and it’s driving me a bit crazy.

• Tights: Sock Dreams
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Bow: Handmade
• Blouse: Metamorphose

Classic is my go-to look for fall so I thought I’d attempt incorporating a bit of that into this outfit. It actually doesn’t look half bad I don’t think, it seems like it would be a bit of a weird match for such a sweet dress, but the over the top details in the blouse and the sweet-ish shoes really help. I think I’d wear this with a brown belt as well, there is a bit of brown in the print but a belt would really help carry it throughout the outfit.

 

• Socks: Betsey Johnson
• Cardigan: JC Penny
• Collar: Stolen from my KidsYoYo coat
• Headdress: Heart-E

I think this one’s probably my favorite. I love the fuzzy details and how warm and cozy it looks :D I’ve had the headdress in my closet for a little while now, it was a gift from a friend who was leaving lolita and it’s just too darling. I haven’t had a lot of chance to wear it though, it’s a bit over the top for regular wear. I think it looks super cute with this outfit though! Also pretend my fuzzy socks are boots or something. Putting white shoes on top of my “Lolita Needs” list.

I hope you guys enjoyed! It was a lot of fun to do. Also check out the other blogs that did this post:

♥ Tangled Lace ♥ ロリタ の 世界 ♥ Lemon Tree 11 ♥ Minimalist Lolita ♥ Kira Kira Shoujo ♥ Fashion Fairytales and Sewing Secrets ♥

In which she wears some lolita to visit the TARDIS…

Tags

coordinates, daily outfit, lolita fashion

Daily Outfit: December 28, 2012

• Skirt: Alice and the Pirates
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Headband: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Everything Else: Offbrand

Just hangin’ out with the TARDIS, no big deal. I found some time to wear my currently limited ruffles out on Friday, and I’m pretty happy with this coordinate! I’ve found this skirt a bit difficult to wear in the past, but the little bit of black is a nice touch I think.

In which she shares some unpacking…

Tags

lolita fashion

Man, have I been busy. I just started a new job last month, which has involved a move so I’ve been really busy settling in at both work and the new apartment, plus holiday business! And I start up another grad school course in the next few weeks D: So much to do you guys!

Because of the move, I haven’t been wearing much lolita because I just brought stuff up for work and casual stuff! However after Christmas I was happy to lug back a big suitcase of stuff and get it settled in my new closet.

Suitcase full of stuff! And a ton of hangers haha. I brought just enough! I’ll have to grab some more next trip.

And here it is all hung up! My pettis are up top there, I hardly ever hang them up because I always seem to run out of skirt hangers. I tried to bring some versatile stuff so I’d be able to get more use out of it, but I don’t know how well that actually worked in practice. It still looks very sparse in there, but that’s only about…maybe half of my wardrobe? And most of the rest of it is dresses, so those take up a lot of space.

Anyway I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season! Hopefully I’ll be back to more regular posts now that everything has calmed down a little bit.

 

 

In which she shares a royal outfit…

Tags

daily outfit, lolita fashion

Daily Outfit: December 8, 2012

• Skirt & Blouse: Meta
• Cutsew: Offbrand
• Tights: Sock Dreams
• Shoes: Bodyline
• Crown & Flowers: Hobby Lobby
• Necklace: Charming Charlie

I went to a holiday meetup and swap meet on Saturday, and this is what I wore! My schedule’s been so hectic lately that I didn’t know I could go until a few days before hand, so I had to dive into my closet and assemble something pretty much the night before.

I’m super happy with how it turned out though! I went with a very fairy tale-vibe, which I absolutely love. The crown is an ornament from Hobby Lobby last year I believe, I just put it on some clear elastic and wore it like a hairband. The flowers beneath it are on a comb so that help keeps it up. I love the little pops of red in this outfit too, shoes, a little on Reginald the Lion’s crown and my lipstick (which is Russian Red from MAC, one of my very favorites.) Oh and my nails! But I managed to not pose with those showing, oops!

And one more shot! You can see the flowers better here :D

Lolita Blog Carnival: In which she shares some homemade gift ideas…

Tags

crafts, holidays, inspiration, lolita blog carnival, lolita fashion

As you guys are probably aware, I’m a biiiig crafter, and I love making things for people for holidays. It’s budget-friendly, fun, and it shows someone you really care.   It’s also a great idea for the gift swaps or secret santas that a lot of communities do this time of year! There’s a lot of ideas I have for the holiday season and it’s a pretty big range so I’m going to group them by hobby!

Baking/Cooking:

I’m a big proponent of making food for people for gifts. If you know their taste in food (and if they have any allergies, yipe!) it’s a gift they’ll definitely enjoy. No worry about whether or not they’ll get any use out of a gift! It’s also a great gift for any type of lolita. Cookies are of course a very easy choice, especially dressed up in a cute tin or in a sweet little box. I would recommend if you’re the kind of person who bakes for friends a lot to switch things up a bit and try something fancy or unusual. It’s also something you can suit to their style as a nice added touch! These button cookies are super cute for a sweet lolita, and so are these candy colored meringues! Maybe use some forest animal cookie cutters for a more mori-leaning classic lolita or something a little more elegant like these Raspberry Linzer Windowpanes. For those who lean in the gothic direction, there’s still quite a lot of craft stores, like Joanns, that have Halloween baking supplies on super sale, making it the perfect chance to scoop up some skull or bat cookie cutters, also maybe something dark and decadent, these double chocolate chip cookies fit the bill. …actually screw style preference, I’d bake anybody those double chocolate chip cookies! There’s also cupcakes, petit fours, brownies,  you know, all the favorites. But why not try something a bit out of the box like making jam? This tutorial looks pretty easy and super delicious! You’d also make enough for plenty of gifts to go around. You could even make sweet little gingham toppers and labels ala Angelic Pretty’s Sweet Jam if you were feeling ambitious!

Yarn Crafts

Aww yeeees, it’s knitting season for me. I’ve already cranked out a pair of socks and a hat and I’m considering another hat for myself and getting started on the handknit things for family and friends. I also do crochet a bit, and both are great warm cozy crafts this time of year! There are a ton of things you can make out of yarn, hats, scarves, gloves, etc. Some particular patterns that come to mind are this pretty crocheted collar, this elegant knit lace beret, and these lovely knit & crocheted mitts!

Sewing

Sewing for gifts is great, especially accessories! Hair accessories are probably your best bet as far as sewing goes. Headbows, bonnets, and even hats are great options. Perhaps a cute brooch, a bow clutch, or the sweetest little macaron coin purse?

Misc. Crafts

Jewelry making is a great idea, and easily customizable for style. If you’re particularly artistically inclined, why not a portrait of the recipient in their favorite dress? If you’ve got some fabric paint lying around, why not try freezer paper stenciling? A tote bag would be a nice idea, or maybe even a cute t-shirt! Shoe clips are really easily made, and are crazy adorable. Soap making is a cool option too! Plus molds come in all different lovely types like cameos, fancy floral hearts, or life like cupcakes! You could decorate some fake nails, a journal, or a phone case! I’ve also posted some tutorials on here myself, if you’d be interested! There’s some bookmarks, a pirate chest purse, a felt ornament, and a bow belt!

Whew! So many gift ideas, so little time! I hope at least one of these bazillion thoughts were helpful for you. Lets face it though, one could always use more crafty inspiration, so here are the other blogs who’ve done this post:

♥ Lemon Tree 11 ♥ Spider Sugar ♥ A Life in Disguise ♥ Let’s Go! ♥ Sweet And Simple ♥ Pop Princess ♥ Monochrome Sparkle ♥

In which she discusses the crazy skeletons in her closet…

Tags

lolita fashion

This post got me thinking today about how long I’ve actually known about lolita fashion, and thinking back to my first couple of attempts. My memories of all that sort of thing is kind of fuzzy. I didn’t particularly ponder keeping anything for posterity or keeping track of pictures or anything like that. That was partially because the community was very different back then. daily_lolita didn’t exist, and there were no lolita-based blogs. It was only really common to post pictures of daily outfits if you wanted to share something cool (you ordered brand from overseas! Gasp!) or you did a photoshoot or needed help. It’s also because I did the math and I’ve been into lolita for 8 or 9 years now, and I never expected my interest to last this long, so it wasn’t really a big deal to keep track of.

But I rummaged through and found some old, old, things to share. Essentially what I did was scour an old photobucket album haha. I found pictures of some of my earliest stuff, and from there I found my first post on egl. It’s stuff I’ve never shared with you guys,  not because I was embarrassed (although it is pretty ridiculous, but everyone goes through an ita phase, right?) but because I didn’t even remember it existed! So, for your viewing pleasure, my early attempts.

Aww yesss. This is pretty glorious. I’m pretty sure that capelet was in fact a skirt worn over my shoulders and tied with a ribbon in front. Also I have no idea what’s going on with the pickups in the skirt. I really don’t remember doing anything to it, but obviously I did.

Here’s a closeup on that ridiculous hat. If I remember right it was made of poster board and felt.

I think these are probably the worst of it though. Oh the bad lace. The random bow.

Oh yeah, there was a skirt to go with. It had a bustle! And pockets! It was mid-thigh length! There was cheap lace! And satin ribbon! You guys should definitely be proud of me for this beauty.

I think I’ve probably shared this with you guys before. But the gem of the thing is not necessarily the (not quite as awful) outfit, but the post that goes with. It’s especially strange to see how overly accommodating and nice people were!

At the time we were all pretty disorganized and not nearly as well informed. Back then there were no guide sites, though I do remember looking at Blue Period, Avant Gauche, and Poor Dolly (which is now gone, thanks to Geocities) so it was a bit harder to figure out what was lolita. The fashion itself was even not quite organized, street snaps ranged drastically from what I would just generally consider punk fashion to otome to aristocrat to what we now consider old school lolita, even lots of more fetish clothes, all under the same umbrella of “Gothic and Lolita.” But I digress! I hope you guys enjoyed this stroll down memory lane, regardless of my “walked to school in the snow uphill both ways” ramblings haha.

If you’re an old hat at lolita, what are your earliest memories of the fashion and the community? And for you whippersnappers, did you go through an ita phase? I feel like it’s becoming less and less the more information we spread around, so I’m curious if that still happens as much.