Tragedy! Of the shoe variety

Tragedy has struck my beloved Rocking Horse shoes! I was out for a stroll recently, when my right shoe began to feel oddly loose. When I looked closer, this is what I discovered:

The back strap had broken! I made it home just fine, but the shoes are decidedly wobbly now, and I have to either have them repaired or look at ordering a new pair.

Black RHS (rocking horse shoes) are pretty much a staple of my lolita wardrobe. They go with almost every outfit, and they're surprisingly comfortable - at least, the foam soled ones are! This pair, which I picked up from an eBay seller about four years ago, have gone through huge amounts of abuse: tons of walking, club nights, being stuffed in suitcases and lugged all over the continent, and they're holding up pretty well. At least, until now. The foam soles have gotten a little compressed, and I've scuffed the toes horribly:

Poor babies! Although for four years and countless outings, they're in pretty good shape. Not as bad as my friend Karen, who managed to actually flatten her Montreal RHS to the point where the rest of the sole was even with the cut-out heel part! Impressive stuff.

I have a second pair of RHS, wooden-sole boots in white from Double Decker, which mostly gather dust in a corner, alas. I misjudged the size and they're a bit tight - the hazards of online shoe ordering - and I've never really worn them. Nor have I taken them to a cobbler to be stretched, as I've been promising for two years now. *sigh*  There's also my brown mary janes, which broke a strap last fall, which have been sitting forlornly on a shelf ever since.

Perhaps, with this newest tragedy, I will finally be motivated enough to drag my bag of shoes-in-need-of-help to the nearby shoe shop. A lady can dream!

Lack of Lolita

No daily snaps this week because I really haven't been wearing lolita much, aside from a few boring casual outfits. Between work and some movement (finally!) on my personal writing front, my schedule's gotten a bit crazy of late. I've also been feeling a bit glum, mostly panic and angst over how much I have on my plate, and I find it hard to put the effort into dressing up when I'm moody.

It's a bit strange: lolita fashion makes me very happy most of the time, but if I'm already in a bad mood, dressing up can actually make me feel worse! Partly because, when I'm in a pessimistic mood, it's easier to see the flaws in my outfit: those shoes don't quite match, this sweater's starting to look worn, why did I spend so much money on clothes that make me feel silly? Plus, the last thing I want to do when I'm down is attract attention to myself. Even positive comments can make me feel awkward, and I simply don't have the energy to fend off snarky remarks at all.

In general, my morning rule of thumb is to spend no more than 15 minutes picking out my coordinate. I may spend a bit longer tweaking my hair or accessories, but in general, if I've been pulling stuff out of my closet and shoving it back in for a quarter of an hour, it's time to settle for jeans and a t-shirt.

Luckily, I can't usually go more than a week or two before the aesthetic itch starts begging to be scratched, so my beloved clothing doesn't usually hang neglected in my closet for all that long. I've got a work-related event this weekend, which is going to demand some toned-down attire, but I think next week will be a good chance to start breaking out some almost-summer coordinates!~

h.naoto hitting the U.S. con circuit!

S-inc., the parent company for the range of h.naoto-related clothing brands, recently launched a U.S.A. event blog - and it looks like great news for American fans of the deconstructed-punk brand (plus us Canadian fans who get to attend some US cons, yay!).

From what I can figure out, S-inc. has partnered with Jhouse-Rock, who've been bringing J-rock and Visual Kei performers to US conventions for about six years now. They seem to be hitting mostly anime-heavy shows, which makes sense, and hitting a lot of them - not just the big events like Otakon, but also smaller shows in places like Nashville, TN, Raleigh, NC and Rosemont, IL. For some shows, they're bringing in Japanese guests, like Gashicon, the graphic designer behind the HANGRY&ANGRY characters; others seem to be focused on locally-driven fashion shows and a sales booth.

Hopefully this is a way for h.naoto to test the waters in terms of opening up more access for North American customers, either through international web sales or maybe even a physical store base. Not that my bank account is pleased about that idea! I'm utterly in love with the GRAMM line these days, and only the prospect of painful shopping service fees is keeping me from succumbing to the shopping temptation.

The blog has a list of upcoming events through early June, although I know there's a confirmation on a late July appearance at Otakon as well, which isn't listed yet. Naoto Hirooka will be in attendance at this event and yes, I'm already planning an appropriate outfit :)

The application process for the Otakon fashion show is now online; deadline to submit is May 11, 2010, and you must have your Otakon badge registered in order to submit.

Daily Snaps - April 18 -25

I'm hoping this will be a weekly post, but we'll see how it goes! Also, I am traveling for work this weekend, just got back from work-related travel, so posting will probably has definitely slacked off for a bit. My apologies!

April 18, 2010
Sunday! Kind of a lazy day - I wore this for the afternoon, including a trip to Future Shop.



JSK, OTK socks: Innocent World
Underskirt: self-made
Bag: Metamorphose
Hair clips, earrings: Claire's
Blouse: thrifted!

April 19, 2010
Sadly, this is probably the last outing for this particular JSK until next fall. I love the print - it reminds me of Emily Temple Cute - and it's very comfortable, but the heavy velvet and lining make it impractical to wear in the summer. Which is a shame, since this is pretty much my lolita fashion comfort food; it's comfortable, pretty without being too attention-grabbing, and always makes me feel lovely.

Also, I've broken the strap on my brown mary janes, and have been reduced to wearing slouchy boots with my classic lolita dresses until I get them fixed :(

The trunk was salvaged from a neighbor's garbage. I love using vintage suitcases and trunks for storing stuff in the basement - so much cuter than cardboard boxes!



JSK: self-made
Bag: Metamorphose
Turtleneck, boots: off-brand
Vintage suitcase: from the neighbor's curb!

April 20, 2010
Not exactly lolita, but I thought this was worth posting since a/ it incorporates some design elements from the fashion and b/ I'm pleased with how it turned out. The mix of the classic-style braid loops, straw mini-hat and Alice Auaa-inspired feather trim on the blazer make it feel like "me," but is still practical for a day of running errands.

And yes, I need black sneakers :)



Mini-hat: le Chateau
Jacket: thrifted & modified with feathers
Jeans: Old Navy
Shirt: screenprinted by me
Sneakers: Payless
Belt: ??
Bag: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Crown ring: Claire's

Nothing from this weekend, as I generally don't wear lolita for work events.

What's in the box?? **

My much-anticipated package arrived yesterday, but I was out, so the post office wound up holding it hostage until today. No customs fees, though - a lucky break! - and only a couple of funny comments about my mini-hat (idk, I was in the mood for a mini-hat today).



At last! This has been one of my dream prints for a few years. I always thought I wanted it in the black colorway, but my tastes are changing (once again) and I found myself drawn to this cream-and-brown version instead. I'm so glad I made that choice! The print is so delicate and lovely, and the fabric is super light-weight. It's going to be the perfect summer JSK.

Of course, buying second-hand has risks - most notably, that items will arrive with damage that was undisclosed in the listing! Can you spot the stain in the above picture? It's at the top of the skirt, just a bit on the side:



It's not *too* bad, all things considered. Hopefully I will be able to get it out! Although I may just take it to the dry cleaner right off - it's got a musty smell, too, and could probably use a good cleaning.

As a bonus, the JSK came with a lovely matching headpiece, too:



I know they're not very in-style right now, but I do love my headpieces, especially subtle ones like this. It's more like a wide headband than a giant lace *thing* and I think I'll get some nice use out of it as well.

Hooray! I promise to stop with the purely vanity-blogging soon. It just happens that starting this blog coincides with a minor shopping spree - I don't normally buy much, honest! I'm a bit worried, though; I used Japonica for this auction, and their service was so easy to use (and reasonably priced) that I'm going to have a hard time resisting in future!

** Yes, the title is a reference to a Vermilion Lies stage gag. I realize it's probably not nearly as funny if you haven't seen them perform. But it makes me laugh!

Outfit snaps: Sakura in High Park

Toronto is lucky to have a lovely collection of Sakura cherry trees in High Park, a gift from Japan in the 1950s, and I'd heard through the Twittervine that they were just about ready to bloom. Since the weather forecast for the weekend called for rain, I decided to steal a few hours from my freelance job on Thursday (made up on Saturday, alas!) to enjoy the blossoms before they were spoiled by weather or too many photographers.



As you can see, most of the park is still in winter mode. Also, I should really have taken a tripod - there were very few places to set up my little Gorillapod for taking self-portraits, especially around the cherry trees themselves. I do like the spontaneous quality of this shot, however!




A more boring shot showing the full outfit, with my precious Angelic Pretty schoolbag.




The dress under the coat! I love this shade of green, although this dress is a touch too large for me and fits awkwardly as a result. I'm thinking of adding shirring to the front panel to fix the problem.



And finally, the sakura in blossom! Only about a third of the trees were flowering on my visit. I'm hoping to get enough work done this week to steal away for another mid-day visit, but we'll see how it goes. Speaking of which, I'll probably have better luck with that plan if I get back to it already!






Outfit break-down:

Coat - Juliette et Justine
OP, necklace - handmade by me!
Socks - Metamorphose
Shoes - Montreal RHS
Bag - Angelic Pretty
Bracelet - Forever 21
Crown ring - Claire's

Lolita merry-go-round

Our local lolita group is planning our next meet-up (we've gotten much more active since switching to a private, friends-lock-only LJ community, oddly enough!), and someone in the comments linked to this video clip from a meet two years ago, which I'd never seen before:




So happy, this makes me! This was the second meet-up I'd ever planned, and I spent the first hour convinced it was going to be another disaster, but it all came together wonderfully. And then, riding around on this antique carousel with a dozen frilly ladies... it was the kind of moment I'd been dreaming of since I first stumbled across lolita style. I really was so ridiculously, giddy-happy that I thought I might just explode.