Dream or nightmare...

A few nights ago I had a dream. In the dream, I went to Paris, to the Baby, the Stars Shine Bright shop. I was completely happy to be there, the shop was beautifully decorated, the window displays were pretty, there was lolita everywhere~ In the window there were two mannequins, one for Baby and one for Alice and the Pirates. I felt some of the fabric of the Pirates dress, and it consisted of layers of soft, floaty ciffon in a beautiful dark sea-green color. Perhaps a mermaid or sea inspired dress, there's pirates in their name after all.
Then, I went looking for a dress for myself. I wanted a dress from AatP with a print on it, so I sorted through the racks... but there was nothing suitable on there! There were many things, but they were all very normal. Black T-shirts, denim skirts, it seemed like a regular warehouse. There were, however, many amazing shoes and boots. But I wasn't looking for shoes, so I kept searching for dresses. I finally found 3 skirts with at least an AatP print on them, Vampire Forest, one black, one red and one ivory colored. I was happy to finally have found something AatP, even though it wasn't a print I like, but the skirts were short and straight, like normal mini-skirts... I was so disappointed that I woke up.

What I would have liked to find:


Dream in Midsummernight JSK

Queen's Coach JSK



Cinderelly Jewelry OP




The reason for this dream is that I'm considering going to Paris in april or may, as a romantic trip with my boyfriend. I've never seen Versailles, so I definitely want to go there, and we might spend a day in the Louvre... And just walk around the city, to feel the atmosphere. I hope the weather will be nice.
And, of course, I want to go to BABY! Although I'm not very fond of sweet, Baby is my favourite in that category. Their dresses have such an innocent and cute feel to them, they're not as overloaded and harsh as Angelic Pretty can be. Alice and the Pirates is my favourite brand, next to Victorian Maiden. But VM doesn't have a shop in Paris, and AatP has! I love their prints, especially the princess ones. Sleeping Beauty was my first dream dress, and now it's Dream in Midsummernight. I also love Cinderella Jewelry from Baby. 

I only hope they'll have dresses I like in stock... I don't want to buy more than 1 dress, and maybe an accesoire, and I only want to buy something I really, really love. (considering the price... I've never spend more than 100 euro on a dress, so 250 or 300 is a big step.)



My nightmare was (and is) that when I am there, they will have nothing I like... But, there is an Angelic Pretty store in Paris too, so who knows? If Baby doesn't have anything, I might change styles and come back with something OTT sweet XD

If I go to Paris at all, that is. It's only an idea now, but I would really like it! 

Daily outfits

The weather is slowly getting better, and this means it's easier to wear lolita. Although I did get caught in a downpour today... But that won't stop me from wearing pretty clothes!
I try to wear casual lolita to college as often as possible. My friends like it, and I think most people who study Japanese do. Sometimes I'm afraid that teachers won't take me serious, though. That they'll think I'm just another 'otaku'. But I tell myself that true professionals will look past my clothing, and only at the papers I write and the texts I translate. (And hey, almost everyone my age makes a statement trough their looks and clothing, so they should be used to it. My class is full of gothic, emo, scene and general "harajuku" styles, so I think they can handle one lolita.)

But, onto the clothes!
For this first outfit I wanted to have a more mori girl inspired look, down-to-earth and natural. Unfortunately, when I came home from college it was already dark, so I couldn't really take a good picture... This was the best I could get:

JSK- Bodyline
everything else- offbrand

I think that, if I want to make it more "mori", I need a vintage blouse or a long coat. I also should wear my hair down and slightly curled, with flowers or lace ribbons in it. And maybe woollen socks instead of these tights. But, this is lolita, not mori girl ;)

Also, meet my hair at its new lenght! It's lost 20 cm, and I've got some sort of long, sideswept fringe. It's called a lock in Dutch, but I have no idea what the English word is. It's pushed back in this picture, anyways.

I'll take better pictures of my new hair once the light is better.

The next outfit is about as elaborate as I'll go, for class. It's the 2nd lolita dress I ever bought (from Bodyline of course), and admittedly, not really my style anymore. Also, the bodice is a little short so it's more of a babydoll on me. But it's still cute, and I can create many different looks with it (from sweet to semi-gothic, depending on the coord).

JSK- Bodyline
everything else- offbrand

You can see my "lock" a little better in this picture. I think it makes my face less stern because not all my hair is pulled back, but I still don't really know what to do with it. I don't like the bald spot between the lock and the rest of my hair... I still have to find the right way of wearing it.

I also sewed a sailor onepiece in the past few weeks, but unfortunately, the hem is very uneven so I'll have to do that again. Still not finished... But I can show you a few pictures anyways~

pulling the skirt straight so you won't see the uneven hem...



I'm so proud of the sailor collar! It was my first time sewing one, and I think it came out really well :) I might sew myself a few cutsews with a collar like that. This onepiece was inspired by Metamorphose's many sailor pieces, though I didn't copy any specific design. I just wanted to use these cute buttons and trim!

But do you see how uneven the hem is? I'll have to get the trim off and do it again completely. T.T

When I finish it completely, I will post better pictures. And then I'll write about my sewing some more, and show more of my work as well. Hopefully the light will be better soon, and the weather warmer!

Love for local shops

We all know brand is expensive. Luckily, if you can't afford to buy directly from the big names, there are many alternatives. You can always buy second hand, from Bodyline or Taobao, or sew it yourself. That's what I mostly do. However, you shouldn't think that lolita clothes exist only in Asia or in your own imagination. Shops in your own city can carry items that are very useful for lolita. Of course they won't have everything, I haven't found a stunning onepiece or even a loliable skirt yet, but blouses, shoes cutsews and accesories can very easily be found in mainstream stores.
I needed a few cutsews, so I went shopping~ The jewelry I already bought earlier. The following items were all purchased in local warehouses. H&M has a lot of skirts and shirts that would be perfect for gyaru, or accesories for mori-girl. I see so many Japanese influences in their clothes! Six's jewelry collection is awesome and very cheap, and cute heels can be purchased at any shoestore.

Now onto the picture spam... First, the jewelry!

Mori or Dolly style earrings, bought at H&M

...and their matching rings!



Awesome earrings from Six

And now onto the cutsews~ I'm very happy with these, they're super cute! They're also quite short, so they look good above poofy skirts. The only downside is that they're meant for warmer weather, so I can't wear them yet...



from H&M. Pretty flowers, and puffy sleeves!




...also from H&M. I love the lace and the little pearls!

 Legwear:

floral tights from V&D



close-up of the flowers on the tights~



I also got an adorable black cardigan from H&M, with a scalloped neckline and little hearts woven in the fabric, but it is almost impossible to photograph. It only shows as a black blob. It's just too dark in my room, I suppose.

I hope I didn't bore you with all those pictures. I only wanted to show that there are many cute things to be found in local shops. The good thing about shopping locally is, besides the ease of access, that it's much cheaper. Especially when bought in a sale, like I did~ ^^
So, just keep your eyes open and your imagination active, and you'll find some treasures!