day 3 - 10 things you hate in lolita

from tumblr

★ I hate "casual lolita" if it's just a lolita skirt with no petticoat and a t-shirt.  I feel like you've got to put some accessories in there somewhere, and just wear a cutsew instead of a non-lolita t-shirt...they're not hard to find and some of them can be really cute!  I've found cute shirts (not t-shirts) at Forever21 that could be worked into a lolita coordinate but aren't expensive or over-the-top.  Otherwise, I do like casual lolita, and I wear it all the time.

☆ I hate how little I can wear lolita during the summer.  I really can't; right now, it's 94 degrees Fahrenheit with a heat index of around 105.  I can't wear lolita in that heat!  So I feel kind of bad that I have so many dresses and stuff that I can't really wear year-round.

★ I hate that I feel bad for dressing in what I like.  When I wear sweet lolita, I get tons of glares, nasty comments, and snickers, and sometimes I just can't handle that.  Even within the lolita community, I feel like I'm somewhat shunned because it seems that it's cool to hate Angelic Pretty and those wigs that are so popular now.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hate feeling like an outcast where ever I go!  (but that sounds dumb when I say it that way.)

☆ I hate that awkward first hour or so at a meet-up.  I don't really know my local lolitas very well (I was one of the starting members, but the others have kind of dropped away and newer people have come in, so I'm not well acquainted with them) and I'm very shy, so this gets a bit uncomfortable.  

★ I hate that people assume that because I like lolita (something from Japan) I must like every single other Japanese thing ever.  Sure, I like Japanese food and video games, but no, I don't like anime or manga.  Don't approach me and talk about anime just because I'm wearing a Japanese fashion.

☆ I hate that I'm usually one of the only people around who doesn't like J-pop/K-pop.  People have these long conversations about that music and become friends, and I'm sitting in the corner listening to my Andrew Jackson Jihad and Decemberists.  Yes, I am a hipster outside of lolita.

★ I hate when I feel bad for buying something from Bodyline.  I don't know why I do this, but I always do!  I think to myself, "Oh, people are going to look down on me, I won't feel pretty in this like I do in my other clothes," but then it arrives at my house, I try it on, and it looks good.  I don't know why I always get so freaked out about buying from them though.  I'm feeling that still because I just bought my first Dream of Lolita replica and I'm kind of apprehensive about receiving it.  (Oh well, it should get here it 2 months, maybe I'll have calmed down by then.)

☆ I hate how hard it is to find loliable things in my local area!  I am always searching for cute and elegant things, but I can only ever find tacky things.  (Especially when I'm searching for plugs; yes, I know that the market for stretched ears isn't the biggest where I live, but I would really like to find SOME nice ones.)

★ I hate when people mix print head bows!  This sounds really elitist to say . . .  However, I would rather see someone with a plain head bow than one of a completely different print.  (If the prints are similar, this is okay, but I have seen people wear completely different prints and they just don't . . . look good to me.)

☆ I hate when people post fairy-kei outfits on daily_lolita.  I like fairy-kei, but it's a totally different style!  There is a separate community for fairy-kei outfit posts!

Honestly, most of these are just pet peeves, not things I necessarily hate . . .  If I hated lolita, I wouldn't be in the fashion!

day 2 - 10 things you love about lolita

from tumblr

★ I love twinning!  I love sweet lolita twinning, gothic lolita, classic lolita (though honestly, I don't know if I've ever seen that!  It would be adorable though!) any kind!  But I only like it when it's done all out: the same dress, blouse, socks, shoes, hairstyle, hair accessories; otherwise, it just looks like you accidentally wore the same dress as someone else.
☆ I love the OTT trend that has been so popular recently.  I'm really sad that it's on the apparent decline!  I especially love the huge wigs, and I really wish I could wear them all the time without getting as many stares as I would . . .
★ I love sweet lolita.  In any form: OTT, casual, old-school (I especially like old-school because it's easy and comfortable to dress in.)
☆ I love prints.  Angelic Pretty prints are usually my favourite, but I also really like BABY, The Stars Shine Bright and metamorphose's prints!  And when people design their own prints, because they usually end up being amazing looking and are super creative.

★ I love browsing daily_lolita and seeing what people are doing differently.  Although I tend to follow the rules of lolita pretty strictly (just because that is easier for me) I love seeing people bending and breaking the rules and coming up with their own form of lolita.  I also like when people mix styles and look awesome while doing it.

☆ I love that there are so many nerdy lolitas!  It makes me feel awesome that I can talk to so many people about fashion and, in the same conversation, talk about Doctor Who and World of Warcraft.

★ I love the sheer variety of sub-styles within lolita.  I really want to try them all out someday and hopefully I can get a wardrobe that could accommodate all the different sub-styles.  And, for this reason, it's a lot of fun looking at street snaps or photo sharing websites, because even though everyone is wearing lolita, it all can look completely different.

☆ I love meet-ups and looking at meet-up photos!  I always have fun looking at people's meet-up photos when they post them on EGL because I love seeing lolitas in action!

★ I love the common motifs in lolita, like Alice in Wonderland, tea parties, cakes, macarons, cookies, bunnies, kittens, puppies, toys, etc.  Some people say that this gets repetitive, but I really like seeing how different pieces with the same motifs can look really different!

☆ I love the idea behind lolita.  I was always interested in Victorian attire when I was younger and finding lolita was one of the greatest things that I have discovered on the internet.

lolita meme - 10 things about my lolita bubble

Well, so I haven't posted in a very long time!  Sorry about that~ (though I'm not sure if anyone reads this, this is mainly for myself.)  So I'm going to try a 30 Day Lolita Meme!  I've done one of these before (although it was about The Legend of Zelda, not lolita) and it really helped me focus on blogging, so hopefully it'll help here as well.


Day 1 – 10 things about your lolita bubble.
Day 2 – 10 things you love in lolita.
Day 3 – 10 things you hate in lolita.
Day 4 – 10 different kinds of food you like.
Day 5 – 10 items from your wishlist.
Day 6 – 10 things you can’t live without in lolita.
Day 7 – 10 people who inspire your lolita style.
Day 8 – 10 songs that inspire you for lolita.
Day 9 – 10 things you will never do in lolita.
Day 10 – What’s in your bag?
Day 11 – One day in your lolita life in pictures.
Day 12 – A picture of yourself before lolita came in to your life.
Day 13 – A picture of your favorite sweets.
Day 14 – A picture of your dream item.
Day 15 – A picture of your last lolita purchase.
Day 16 – Your outfit for the day.
Day 17 – What do you want more then anything right now?
Day 18 – A picture of your favorite lolita style.
Day 19 – What’s in your make-up bag?
Day 20 – A picture of a lolita friend.
Day 21 – Your favorite fictional lolita.
Day 22 – A picture of your room.
Day 23 – A picture of your handwriting.
Day 24 – A picture of you from a meet.
Day 25 – Your favorite lolita themed artwork.
Day 26 – Your Facebook profile picture.
Day 27 – One song that fits your favorite lolita style.
Day 28 – A picture of the perfect lolita location.
Day 29 – A picture of a lolita you would love to meet for real.
Day 30 – A photo of yourself taken today and 3 good things that’s happened over the last 30 days.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

from tumblr

★ I was first introduced to lolita when I was 12 or 13 and I picked up a copy of the photo book, FRuITS.  I fell in love with the late 90's-early 2000's style that was represented in that book and I drew it all the time when I was younger.
☆ I got my first skirt the summer between 8th and 9th grade.  It was a gingham skirt with cherries on it, from the now defunct American brand, In The Starlight.  I wore that like crazy!  (I wish it still fit, I would still wear it.  I might try and redo the waistband to make it fit me again.)  My first brand dress also came from that summer; it was the navy version of metamorphose's Apple Print one piece.  I also wore that all the time, and I still do!  In fact, my mom says I wear it too often.
★ I went to my first meetup when I was in 9th grade.  It was in December, and also the first meetup of our very new community.  It was in Lexington, Kentucky, and I was lucky because I was already going to be there that weekend for a debate tournament with my school, so I just hopped over to the coffee shop after I was done!  I still think fondly of that day, even though there were only three girls and we were all hella shy.
☆ I tend to dress in sweet lolita, although my favourite colour is black, because it's the easiest for me to wear.  For that reason, I like "bittersweet lolita," although some people complain about that title.  I think it's a cute idea though, and I definitely like to dress in it.  I also really want to dress in proper gothic (I love looking at the gorgeous moitie dresses) but I won't until I get a job and are able to afford it.
★ My favourite brands are Angelic Pretty and BABY, The Stars Shine Bright.  I love AP's colourful explosion prints, and I love BABY's subdued sweet prints and elegant solid-coloured dresses.
☆ I've been to meetups in my home state, Kentucky, and in Canada.  Hopefully, I'll be going to more meetups all over the south/mid-west this year, as my local community is not very active at all.
★ I would LOVE to wear lolita every day, but I just don't feel comfortable in doing so.  I'm a very shy person and becoming a lolita has helped me a little bit with that, but I still have physical trouble dressing up sometimes.
☆ When I move out of my mom's house, I plan on becoming an every day lolita.  (That gives me a year to become more confidant in myself.)  I have these big plans for myself, like I'm going to wear pretty clothes every day and decorate my room and live a sugary-sweet-princess-cupcake life, and so I really hope I can do this!  I want to be a lifestyle lolita, and hopefully I can do that, despite how silly it sounds.
★ My lolita clothes are all in a little closet.  When I move out, I want to get a white wardrobe and paint pink details on it, and put my clothes in that.  I have these grand ideas about what I'm going to do when I move out, but I have no idea if I'm going to be able to do any of this . . .
☆ I don't really have any good lolita friends that I can just hang out with.  I make friends easily with boys but not so easily with girls, so this might be part of it.  I'm sort of like a lone lolita, even though there are a few others in my city.  We just don't hang out very often.

macarons!

In recent times, French macarons have risen in popularity, among sweet lolitas and the rest of the world.  I really like baking and I think that macarons are really fun to make because they're a bit of a challenge!  When my French class was having a food day, I decided to try a new recipe and it turned out really well!  Here's the recipe that I used and here are some pictures from my test run!

the finished product + massive photoshop!

the filling!  my mom said it tasted like scrambled eggs, but I thought it was pretty tasty.

finished!

As you can see, the color didn't turn out too well!  They were supposed to be purple but they turned out a kind of disgusting grey color.  The filling was mixed berry which is why I wanted them purple, but it's no big deal!  Even if they looked gross, I think they tasted good.  I think this was the best recipe I've found.

japan needs your help (as do other places)

interrupting my usual lolita ramblings to bring you something important~

I'm sure you've seen this everywhere you frequent and by now you probably know what's going on with Japan.  Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs, homes, and the death toll for the recent earthquake and following tsunami keeps rising every day.  There are many ways for everyone to help, mostly through donations; any amount of money can help.  This post on egl has many tips and resources for those wishing to help out with relief efforts in Japan.

However, during this disaster, you can't forget about the other atrocities happening in the world at this time.  Libya is in the midst of a serious civil war and thousands of men, women, and children are being raped, tortured, and slaughtered every day.  This New York Times article gives a good timeline of what's been going on in Libya currently; in fact, the newspaper is reporting issues a little too well, as four Times journalists have gone missing in Libya.  While there are definitely not as many opportunities to help those in need here, just being knowledgeable and spreading the word can help.

Everyone should know about the issues going on in their own country as well.  I live in the United States and there are many charities here that need help too.  Everyone has been hit by the global recession and charities are not excluded.  Approximately 3.5 million people in the United States experience homelessness every year, and 1.4 million of those people are under 18.  Homeless shelters and food banks are having serious problems keeping up with the growing demand of the increasing homeless population, and every single one of them would be grateful for any donations.

While the earthquake in Japan is definitely a big issue, you shouldn't forget about the other problems plaguing the world at the same time.  Definitely donate to Japanese relief charities if you are financially able to do so.  However, don't forget that other nations and even people in your own country are struggling and there are so many things that everybody can do to help.

bow from waist-ties tutorial!

Hey everybody!  Sorry again for not posting for a while, but my life has been really stressful as of late.  Today I was home sick so I caught up on a lot of stuff I needed to, like drawings that I've wanted to do and studying for the ACT, which I am taking soon!  Also today I wrote this tutorial for making a headbow from waist-ties!

One thing I really hate about lolita dresses is the waist-ties.  They are so pointless, and even if you can figure out how to tie them into a decent looking bow, they hurt your spine when you sit with your back against a chair!  Another thing I hate is how expensive matching headbows are; I can justify spending $300+ on a dress, maybe $30 for matching socks (although I feel that often times, the matching print socks are usually not worth it . . . ) but I absolutely cannot bring myself to shell out $40+ for a headbow when I know how easy they are to make. So I feel like it's a good thing that I hate wearing the waist-ties because I can just take them off and make a matching headbow from them!  Honestly, this was the first time that I've made a bow this way, but it was really easy so I'm definitely going to do it again.

You'll need a few things to start with:

• waist-ties
• a sewing machine
• a thread and needle
• a headband
• an iron

I'm going to be using my Merry Making Party JSK's waist-ties for this!

winter and lolita!

Sorry for not updating for a while!  I've been really busy with school work (my next post is going to be about that very subject) so I haven't been on the computer much.  I'm actually supposed to be studying for a test on the French Revolution, but I need a break!  So I'm just going to write a (relatively) short post today.

from the Angelic Pretty Sendai blog!

It's winter-time and I love winter!  I love wrapping up in tons of layers and wearing scarves and coats.  The only bad thing about winter is that I can't stand wearing lolita!  It's so hard for me to get out of bed 30 minutes (or more!) early just so I can wear lolita to school.  Don't get me wrong, I love wearing lolita more than anything, but it's gets increasingly difficult to wear in cold weather.  Where I live, it doesn't get too cold (usually around 15 - 30 degrees Fahrenheit on a particularly cold day) but still too cold for me to wear lolita.  I'm really envious of the people who can still wear it in the winter -- I think girls look adorable when they're wrapped up in poofy skirts and fluffy scarves and cardigans!

There are so many adorable winter wear items that I see on the store blogs, personal blogs, and in outfit shots, and it really inspires me to grab my petticoat and wear a bunch of layers!

I really love super casual coordinates like this one from the Angelic Pretty blog.  When I'm at school, I usually only wear casual coordinates, usually pairing a skirt with a cute t-shirt or cardigan!  So I love seeing casual coordinates from brands, because they give me inspiration on keeping my toned-down lolita style interesting to me.  This combination of the apron skirt (which kind of looks like their popular and casual salopettes) with the comfortable looking hoodie is just adorable!  Though I'm not too fond of the Candy Border socks with this, but I think everything else is cute, and I do like the idea of mixing printed socks with a different print dress.

from the BTSSB Shizuoka blog!

This outfit is from the BABY, The Stars Shine Bright Shizuoka blog.  Even though there aren't many components to this outfit, I still think it's really adorable!  I never really loved long-sleeved blouses, but I really like how this looks under this JSK/one piece.  I also love how, even though this dress isn't inherently winter-y (it is short-sleeved after all, and probably not made of any specifically winter fabric, like wool) the red and green tartan screams "this is a winter dress!" to me.  I love simple coordinates like these just as much as I like casual ones, like the above one.

Do the seasons ever affect what fashions/styles you wear?  What's your favourite winter lolita coordinate?