Finished my dress! (and a little meme)

Last weekend I was able to finish my IW-style dress. It's sugary-sweet and very pink, but I love it. It turned out exactly the way I wanted. I think it's fitting for spring, because there are pink and white blossoms on the trees everywhere, and now also on my clothes ^^
The long skirt is not very practical on the bicycle, though... And I suffer from hayfever, so please excuse my dull and less-than-charming face on the pictures. I wasn't feeling very well.

And this dress was a lucky find from H&M. Their new spring collection is very flowery, girly and cute: a lot of gyaru, a little bit of lolita influence, and they have some pieces suitable for mori girl as well. I thought this dress was very cute. It's comparable to Bodyline in price and quality, but I like the design much better!



sorry for the blocked out face, but I looked very sleepy -.-

I found this meme on Elegant Poupee, and I filled it out myself, too:

~Lolita Meme~

1.      Best Lolita fashion advice you've ever received?

Dress for yourself, in clothes you think are beautiful. Who cares what other people think?

2.      Style icons?

Zeruda, Sapphira, Ellinor, The pink fairies Audrey Hepburn, Victorian Maiden models, the girls from Une Cortile de Roses (actually, the entire Finnish & Swedish communities…)

3.      Describe your personal style.

Simple, elegant and cute. Classic and romantic.

4.      Favorite designers/brands?

Victorian Maiden, Mary Magdalene, Alice and the Pirates, Innocent World.

5.      Most cherished items?

My handmade dresses. And my one and only BABY dress.

6.      I feel best wearing?

Jumperskirt with a cutsew or turtleneck, tights and pretty heels.

7.      Most used item?

White and black tights. I own about 3 pairs of each.

8.      The first thing I look for in another Lolita's outfit...

Whether the clothes fit them, both size and style-wise.

9.      Lolita Fashion rule you never break?

No bare legs! If your shoulders show, it’s not lolita! (It can still be pretty though, but it’s not ~lolita~).

10.  Never caught wearing?

Bloomers. They’re ridiculous. I always wear tights anyway, but if my skirt flew up and everyone could see what I was wearing underneath it, I’d rather let them see my panties than those ugly, old-fashioned long underpants.

11.  Dress to impress who?

Myself, my friends, and a random lolita who could walk past me and think: hey, she looks good!

12.  Your next "must have" purchase?

Sugary Carnival replica skirt. I usually don’t like AP and I certainly don’t like their price, but SC has grown on me. It’s OTT sweet, but also easy to tone down.

13.  Favorite type of head accessory?

Flower clips, or a pretty headband.

14.  Favorite cut of clothing (shirring, high waist, princess seams etc)?

I adore princess seams, they’re the most flattering cut ever. All the dresses I make have them.

15.  Current obsession?

Mori girl, natural earthy colors and long dresses.

16. Best Lolita fashion advice you can give to anyone:

The length of your skirt is not as important as many make it seem. It shouldn’t be mini, but I think shorter skirts can look cute and attractive, and I adore the elegance of longer skirts.



Shopping

Innocent World made the Charity Packs available yesterday. I considered buying one, because I would love to own something from IW, and because they'd donate a part of the money to Japan (even though it was only a small amount). But… It would be 150 euros for a blouse or bolero and a jumperskirt, which I wouldn’t even be able to choose. I know it’s less than you’d usually pay for IW, but I still think it’s a lot of money for only 2 items. (I also can't believe some people pay 300 or 400 euros for dresses. I know they're pretty, but I really couldn't pay that much for only a dress!)



               unattainable Dream Dresses...

 On the other hand, I could buy 10 items from Taobao for less than that, and donate the rest of my shopping money to the Red Cross. In that way, I’d have more things for less money, and I’d be able to give even more support to Japan! My decision was made, and I just submitted my order on TaobaoNow ^^
Let's see: 3 pair of socks, 1 headdress, 1 necklace, 2 cutsews, 2 skirts and 1 blouse. 10 items for the price of 2~ Of lesser quality of course, but I do think it's not a bad deal. (Though I sound like a terrible scrooge now...)

This is the original. I'm a little sad I won't get that awesome lace, but my wallet is happy.

I’ll be getting a lot of lovely things, including the Sugary Carnival replica skirt from Dream of Lolita. It’ll be the sweetest thing in my closet by far! I don't really like replica's (unless they're handmade by an admirer), so I was hesitant about it at first. But when Angelic Pretty re-released SC and it sold out in less than a day, I thought they wouldn’t be hurt very much if I bought the replica...

It'll take a while before my order will arive, but I'll post a review once I have it!

Sewing, plans and results

I'm still worried about Japan, especially the nuclear reactors. I prayed today, even though I don't believe. I had watched the news and just folded my hands and begged ~insert divinity~ to let it be alright. In this case I could pray to Einstein, I guess. I really hope the sacrifices of those brave scientist and engineers won't be in vain.
All the stress about Japan resulted in breaking my fasting. When I feel bad, chocolate always cheers me up. But alas, my fasting plan failed. I still try to be moderate and sober with my food, but I'm not a very big eater so it's not that unusual.

Next week are the mid-terms. I have 2 exams (Cultural studies and Modern history) and 1 paper to write (Folklore). It's not very much, but I do have to spend a lot of time on it... And this weekend I want to sew, too! I've had a dress in my head for a few weeks, and it's urging me to get made.

I already have all the materials, and the design:



sloppy sketch, I'm sorry...

It's heavily inspired by Innocent World's maxi-dresses, for example the Alphabet Rose: http://hellolace.net/wardrobe/innocent-world/type/jsk/item/101/ and their Rococo dresses, like this one: http://hellolace.net/wardrobe/innocent-world/type/jsk/item/33/

I can't wait to sit behind the sewing machine again~ My fingers are itching to gather, pin and lace up.

I always have so many plans for future dresses, but I already have a small wardrobe filled with finished dresses. The light is slowly getting better, so I was able to take somewhat decent pictures.

Yes, those light spots on my skirt, that's... sunlight!

 

   

Mary Magdalene's 'Rote Rose' was my first Dream Dress, so it was one of the first lolita dresses I copied. It's not an exact replica, but it has the same aesthetic. I love the color, the gathered upper part, the ribbon on the empire waist, and also the length. It feels so luxurious.

This is the sailor OP I already posted a while ago, except now with an even hem. It was the first time I used this pattern, and I'm not happy with the skirt. It doesn't fit very well, it only allows a small petticoat, and the seams bulge in weird ways. But with some ironing, I hope no one will notice...I do think it's super cute, with the collar and the buttons and the boats on the ribbon~

And my beautiful Baroque Orchestra dress! I fell in love with this print the moment I saw it, and it's such a soft, fine corduroy too. I love everything about it. It's also very easy to dress up or down, and it's suitable for mori-girl inspired outfits!

I think my house would be filled to the roof with dresses if I had unlimited time and money. Sewing is a lot of work and sometimes I get really frustrated, but the results are definitely worth it :)

More news about Japan

I got a phone call from my friends in Japan today. They and their family are all safe and healthy. I was so happy to hear their voices again, I had been so worried! But I feel very relieved now.
They send me a picture from one of their children to cheer me up ^^ "A cute smile for you."

He's so sweet <3
The only thing that still scares them (and me) is the problem with the nuclear reactor. There's a lot of nonsense about it going around on the internet, but it really is dangerous. I hope they will be able to keep it under control.

I have entered the shortlist for a summer school in Nagasaki. There's only place for 10 people, so it's a competition. I'm pretty sure I will make it, my marks and motivation are very good (even if I say so myself...) My friends live in that area too, so I hope I can visit them! When the school is finished I want to go to Tokyo for a few days, and if it's possible, also to Kyoto and Nara (culture & history~ ^^)
This is all wishful thinking of course. If the reactor explodes, Japan might vanish from the earth, and I might study a dead language! Let's hope it won't get to that ;)

Japan's disaster

It's so, so terrible. 10,000 people have died and many are still missing. There's an entire town missing! And even if people survived the tsunami, they have lost everything. You can't even find the spot your house used to stand! And I can't shake the mental image of a wall of water coming at me. You have nowhere to run.
And the problem with the nuclear reactor is very dangerous, too. I really hope that will be alright.

My chest feels tight when I think about all the people in danger. I already donated to the Red Cross, and I'm looking for other things I can do.
I have friends living in Japan whom I haven't heard of yet, and although they live in a completely different area, I'm still very worried.

I can't stand reading lolita blogs now. People only seem to care about problems with the shipping of their items, or if they do care about people, only about the famous ones (Aoki Misako etc.)
And some people even seem happy that the yen will probably lose value! They want to take advantage of other people's misery, how low!

I can't enjoy pretty dresses or other luxuries now, without feeling very guilty.

Fasting

I wonder how many people that are celebrating carnival now, will fast for 40 days afterwards?

My mom told me about the catholic tradition of fasting from carnival till Easter. Her family would eat bread with only margarine, no meat, no alcohol and no candy. I thought it would be a good exercise in gratefulness, keeping measure, and perseverance. It might also make me lose weight (not that that's really neccesary, but still it would be nice). So I’m going to try it.
I won’t eat candy and meat until Easter, and I will drink only water. Avoiding chocolate is gonna be hard, because Easter eggs are already in store everywhere… I also won’t buy any new clothes or shoes. Sewing doesn’t count, that’s eco-friendly ;)
My mother also told me that her parents would quit smoking during the fasting… and that she prayed it would be over soon, not because she wanted candy, but because she wanted her parents to start smoking again. They became so easily irritated!

leaning towards darker styles; Pirate-y outfit

From the browns and dark reds of autumn, my interest has moved to darker styles in winter. I've begun to develop a fancy for gothic styles, and also, surprisinly, for ouji and aristocrat.
My sudden love for gothic and aristo is probably because of Sena Jun, the actress who plays Death in Takarazuka's musical Elisabeth: 

Who could resist that?

I know, however, that gothic doesn't suit my face. I have a bit of a childish face, with round cheeks. I think gothic works better with high cheekbones, the typical 'vampire' face. Of course, it's all about how you carry yourself, so face doesn't have to matter much, but still I think gothic doesn't really suit me.

(There's also been a quite embarassing period in my life in which I tried very hard to become friends with the 'cool goths', and I was, well... a terrible wannabe. So I'm not eager to try it again.)

Also Akira, the model for the G&LB, made me love aristo and ouji. She has the same coolness around her as Sena Jun, the same nonchalant sexyness combined with elegance.

Strangely, I can only find 1 picture of her: 

I'm still not very fond of Mana, though. I know he's a very important figure in the lolita subculture, but I just don't like him very much. Although Moitie does have some beautiful clothes...

Gothic has such elegance, and its darkness fits the winter perfectly!

This picture shows the beauty of aristo and gothic lolita perfectly: it's romantic, elegant, dark and mysterious...



from http://newvoguechildren.blogspot.com/ I believe...

Since I'm not confident enough of my gothic-skills yet, I'll stick with darker classic. And, following Akira: pirate!



Skirt: handmade (copy of a Victorian Maiden skirt)
blouse & watch-on-a-chain: shops in Singapore
Everything else: offbrand



It's my first try at anything remotely pirate-y, so I hope it looks good. I definitely need a hat. I only have cute or ladylike hats, no pirate ones. My father has a Mexican sombrero, though, I bet that would look awesome! XD

I wore this to college with black corduroy pants instead of the skirt, and it looked quite dandy to me, but I wasn't able to take good pictures. It's just too dark in my room. Hopefully the sun will break through soon, then I'll take more pictures.
I really want to try out more gothic and ouji! But I'm afraid that once spring really arrives, my mind will be filled with pastel colors, long flowing dresses, air and sunlight, and not with the dark elegance of gothic...

Hesitance to join the local community

As I've said before, I would love to be part of a lolita community. Sometimes I wish Singapore was closer, their community is so lovely and I've met so many sweet girls there. When I look at the German, Finnish or Swedish community I get the feeling all of the girls there are nice, talented, and dress great. The same can't be said about the community in Holland, unfortunately.
It's true that I've never met any of the girls in the community, so I might've gotten the wrong impression, but from what I've seen on their forum, youtube and various other sites, I've formed a very negative image of them.
There is a shop in Holland that sells lolita brand clothing (for twice the original price... -.-) and it's seen as the centre of the community. I get the feeling that the girl who runs the shop sees herself as the Queen of Dutch lolita, and that all the other girls are like her ladies-in-waiting. I don't like that.
Besides that, I've only seen two Dutch lolita's who dress themselves well (chokelate and ludivine).
The rest wears JSK's with nothing underneath it, skirts that are way too short, bare legs, or do nothing with their hair... In short, I think they look sloppy. Of course, there might be very well-dressed lolita's that just aren't active on the internet. But it's logical that I haven't found them yet, then.
There's a forum for Dutch lolita's, but I'm not a member there. I know it would be a good way to get to know the local lolita's better, but I have many objections against it. First, I don't like the site. It doesn't look good, and there's a lot of bad grammar and badly spelled words. Somehow that's a huge turn-off for me.
Furthermore, you have to send in some sort of application first, with a lot of personal information and a picture, and the shop owner (who also runs the forum... like I said: Queen Bee) has to approve of you before you're allowed to join. They say it's to prevent creeps from joining the forum, but I see it as a way of selecting 'ladies-in-waiting'.

I don't like all of this. I wish there were nice girls in pretty dresses, with whom I could go to conventions, have high tea, have a photoshoot at a park, etc. Girls with the same fascination for beautiful clothes as I have.
But I guess I won't find girls like that in my country. And even if there are nice lolita's, I might have offended them gravely by this post...