Baby: Midsummer Night's Dream

Ack! Sorry for the lack of posting - summer is the busiest time of year for my work, and I've been hacking away pretty steady for the last month or so. Plus, a local heat wave has made me less than inclined to dress up, so I've been a bit boring lately in the fashion department. I did attend a fun meet-up the weekend before last, which I'll post about as soon as I've uploaded the pics from my camera.

But! I did need to post about the latest Alice and the Pirates print, Midsummer Night's Dream:

Le sigh! Isn't it a dream? I know a lot of people don't love the dropped-waist effect, but I think it looks rather elegant and mature, especially with the ribbon binding around the center. Sadly, it is a tiiiiiiny bit too small for me - and that's only if Baby's measurements are correct, instead of being a little too generous (as they so often are). The other JSK style would fit me nicely, but I'll be honest, I'm not loving it nearly as much:

It's a more traditional lolita silhouette, it's true, but I suspect it would look just too childish on me. That leaves me torn, especially since I'm fairly sure the skirt will be too small to fit: I do love the print so very much, especially the navy colorway, but I don't know if I love it enough to risk not having it fit after spending all that money! Although the colorful scrollwork on the fabric background is almost enough to sway me:

So pretty! It reminds me a little of Meta's Ornament print, or the Moitie logo room dress from a few years ago. I guess I only have a few days to make up my mind!

Daily Snap Post (mid-June version)

June 1, 2010
A simple, casual coordinate with my new Metamorphose JSK.

JSK, Socks, bloomers: Metamorphose
Shoes: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Parasol: Alice and the Pirates
Bag: Aldo
T-shirt: no idea

I wanted something simple, since I've been working a lot lately and don't really have time to fuss with clothing and accessories. This worked okay, I think, although it's not something I'd wear to a meet-up or anything fancy.

June 5, 2010
























JSK, Blouse, bloomers: Metamorphose
Bag, necklace, ring: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Shoes: Montreal
Socks: Alice and the Pirates
Bracelet: Forever21

This was day two of A-Kon, hence the exhausted look on my face! I don't usually pack lolita with me for cons - it's not practical for working in, and it takes up so much room - but it was international lolita day, and I realized this coordinate worked okay without a petticoat (my biggest packing hassle).

June 10, 2010

Blouse: Innocent World
Skirt: Bodyline
Bag: Angelic Pretty
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Parasol: Alice and the Pirates

I don't wear skirt and blouse coordinates very often; in fact, I only have a handful of skirts in my closet! The black-and-white scheme was a little dull for my mood that day, so I added the bright tights for some punch. I was supposed to be meeting some local ladies for a birthday tea, but work piled up and I didn't wind up making it after all :(

Adventures at Closet Child

As I mentioned a few weeks back, my fiance J recently visited Tokyo (without me, sigh) and was quite determined to buy "something lolita" for me during his trip - partly, I suspect, to ease his guilt about not having me come along! I was holding out, but the night before he left, we discovered his hotel was a 10-minute walk from the Shibuyu Closet Child. I drafted up a page for him with my measurements, favorite brands and photos of a few desired items, along with warnings about size concerns.

Boy, did he have stories for me when he returned! Here's what I've learned about sending someone else to do your lolita shopping in Japan:

1. Don't send a man to do a ladies job: J went to the Shibuyu shop with a Japanese-speaking friend, also male, and promptly got hustled out by the staff! Even with a translator explaining they wanted to buy a dress for J's bride-to-be, the shopclerk would not look them in the eye. Instead, she stared at the ground, alternating between begging them to leave and insisting there was nothing in the shop for them!

This isn't true of every shop, of course. J had no problem at the other two Closet Child locations he tried, but the experience was quite upsetting for him. If you are sending a gentleman on your behalf, be sure to warn him in advance that he may get a rude reaction from some shopclerks.

2. Fudge your measurements: Japanese lolitas, at least the ones working at Closet Child, don't seem to view shirring in quite the same way Western lolitas do. I'd written down my measurements in cm, with Japanese tags, but listed them a little higher (2 cm) than they really are - and the shopclerks were adamant that nothing in the store would fit me, even though J's photos show fully shirred items in the window displays!  In retrospect, I should have given my exact measurements, and told J to watch out for items with elastic panels.

On an amusing side note, the shopclerks were apparently amazed & impressed by my bust measurements, and couldn't stop teasing Jim about how well-endowed I was :)

3. Provide lots of photos of print options: I'd only give J photos of three different prints I liked, because I didn't want to seem greedy. In hindsight, I should have given him way more. As a second-hand shop, Closet Child's stock changes from day to day. Having more options to choose from would have given J a better chance to finding something just right for me.

4. Suggest accessories and handbags as alternates to clothing: I'm not sure why, but the Closet Child staff never thought to recommend non-clothing items to J. Hangbags, headbows and jewelry fit all sizes!

5. Be prepared to love whatever you get: In lucky pack fashion, asking someone else to shop for you may leave you with an item you'd never have picked out on your own. In the end, J brought me back a lovely dress, made all the more special because of the effort and thought he put into choosing it for me.

So what did I get?

This lovely Metamorphose JSK! The fabric has tiny white polka dots, with loads of frills and pintucks. The skirt is huge, and it's super-comfortable to wear. A bit more sweet than my usual style, but I love the length and the way it feels when I twirl around.

Also, I freaked J out by declaring the brand as soon as he pulled it out of his suitcase, by the fabric alone. Since it's not even a distinct print, and he hadn't checked the brand tag when he bought it, my capacity for brand-spotting really wigged him out :) This may not be the fanciest dress in my closet, but I think it will always be my favorite, because I know how much J went through to get it for me, and what that represents.

The view from my weekend

I just got back from a rather exhausting work trip, so it's going to take me a day or two to catch up on things, but I just had to share the view I found myself staring at all weekend:

Why yes, that is a booth full of lush, lovely h.naoto clothing! Lucky for me, their boutique was very focused on HANGRY & ANGRY, which helped keep temptation at bay. They did have a couple of amazing h.naoto GRAMM pieces, and I'd promised myself one if the show went well.

Alas and alack, it was not to be. They will be showing again at Otakon, however, which gives me until late July to save!

I did manage to attend the h.naoto panel, so I'll post up a report on that in the next few days!

Anime North 2010

Last weekend was Anime North, which gave me a rare chance to actually attend some con events, as opposed to my usual "carry heavy boxes and then stand behind this booth for ten hours" con experience. I mostly just wandered the floor on Saturday, and impulse-bought a black BABY school cardigan from a lovely booth selling a nice mix of second-hand brand and new Bodyline items. It wasn't exactly an impulse buy, since I've been wanting a nice cardigan for a while, and it was really reasonably priced. Even so, I'm not supposed to be buying *anything* right now! Oh well, as Oscar Wilde once noted, I can resist anything but temptation.

Sunday was the tea party, which was waaaay more popular than anticipated! My friends Queenie, Val and Karen were organizing the event, and had to scramble at the last minute when almost double the room capacity showed up. They quickly changed to a two-shift plan, letting in the first seating for an hour and then swapping over to the rest of us, who'd been (somewhat!) patiently waiting in the meantime. It was definitely worth the wait, and standing in line gave me a chance to meet a few lovely new people as well.

I didn't take as many photos as I thought - the room's windows were very cheerful, but made for terrible back-lighting on my shots! The full set is here, but I just have to share a few of my favorites here:

Lolita paparazzi! I tend to enjoy behind-the-scenes, documentary style photos. I figure someone with a better camera than my little point-and-shoot is going to get nice group and outfit shots, so I like to try & capture the little details that, years from now, will remind me of the event itself: how people interacted, little details of the setting, that sort of thing. That said, I tried to get a few portrait shots this time, some of which turned out really well:

Queenie & Karen, both of whom are far more lovely than they seem to realize. I love the elegance of Queenie's pose - she'd be right at home in a posh Victorian parlour! - and Karen is just crazy photogenic. She is also ridiculously good at getting rid of skeevy guys, which she sadly had to do towards the end of the tea party :(

I had to run off after the party for dinner with some friends, which meant I missed out on their Takura Angel adventures. I have a terrible habit of not planning enough time to hang out for meet-ups, which I really need to fix - we always have such a good time that things always carry on much longer than originally planned!

Quick Daily Snap Post

I'm so far behind in my blogging! I haven't written anything yet about Jim's adventures in Japan (and what he brought home for me!), or about my recent purchases (which really need to stop, honest) or a bunch of other little things floating around in my brain. 

BUT today I am brain-fried from wandering around the Anime North con floor this morning, so it's a picture post for you instead!

May 21, 2010

JSK, headpiece: Innocent World
Bag, blouse: Metamorphose
Socks, shoes: off-brand

Yay for trains! There are tracks near our house, and I keep wanting to do a shoot with them, but I'll need an actual tripod to pull it off. These were just spur-of-the-moment - the train was there when I was walking past, and I couldn't resist!

Short socks because it was crazy-hot this day.

May 21, 2010

This isn't really lolita (in fact, I'm wearing jeans underneath the cut!) but I liked the crazy pile of accessories, and it does include a mini-hat and a few Baby pieces, so you know.... For some reason, I really enjoy this mix of stripes and plaid.

Bookshelf: Wildwood Dancing

Five sisters alone in a Transylvania castle during a long, dark winter; five sisters with a secret portal in their shared bedroom, leading them to a fairy court; five sisters whose lives begin to fall apart as their childhood dreams begin to clash with the outside world. Can a book really get much more lolita-esque than that?

Wildwood Dancing is a charming book for anyone with a love of fairy tales, especially the more obscure ones: there's bits from the Twelve Dancing Princesses here, along with the Princess and the Frog, and snippets from so many others, blended up with a gothic dollop of Romanian folklore. The author, Juliet Marillier, clearly knows her lore, and weaves old ideas and new interpretations throughout the story. She uses the Romanian setting not only as a creepy, beautiful backdrop, but also as a key point in the story: many of the challenges the sisters face come from local custom and culture, rather than the paranormal. 

In summary: Jena and her four sisters have been sneaking off every full moon for years, through the magic gateway in their room and into the court of the fairy queen, where they dance the night away. When their merchant father falls ill and must spend the harsh winter recovering in a warmer climate, they are left alone to handle the castle - and the predatory encroachment of their cousin, who does not believe women can handle business, or even managing their own house, without the protection of a man. At the same time, the mysterious arrival of the Night People to the fairy court throws the supernatural balance out of whack, leading to a confrontation between the fairy court and the human realm.

The only caveat I had about this book: the writing is lush and dense, much more so than most contemporary young adult novels. That makes it a slow read, great for those who enjoy spending loads of time exploring a novel, and possibly frustrating to those who (like me) are anxious to find out what happens in the end! And for those who do want more, there's apparently a semi-sequel available, called Cybele's Secret.