Dolly Kei (a.k.a. TASSELS)

Because Lolita isn't really doing the magic anymore for me (except OTT classic, but try riding a bike with that...) I'm trying out other styles. Otome has already become a favourite, I'm totally in love with Emily Temple Cute and Shirley Temple and Jane Marple and brands like that. It's also closer to 'normal' clothes, so I feel a bit more confident in it.
I love the dreamy, fairytale-like look of Mori girl as well, but I don't like the loose and baggy style. I prefer a defined waist, because I end up looking like a bag of potatoes otherwise... -.-
So, that lead me to Dolly Kei. I'm not one for creepy accessories like doll's hands or heads on a necklace, and I must say sometimes it looks like the Grimoire girls are wearing Persian carpets, but there is one thing that really convinced me: TASSELS. As BELTS. Or, just as good, NECKLACES.
Yes, caps were totally neccessary for that.
I love tassels. I forgot the word for them for a while, which didn't really help, because searching for 'curtain-upholder-fringey-thing' doesn't deliver a lot of results. But now I at least remember the English word. Still don't know the Dutch one, though...

Anyways! One of my favourite things to do on a Saturday morning is strolling the textile market. And there I found them... TASSELS!
(maybe I'll continue writing that word in caps. Just to express my enthusiasm for them.)
For now I only bought one, to try it out. It's a light brown/ beige one. But they have many more colors: wine red, black, gold, brown... All very suitable colors for Dolly Kei ^^

So I went experimenting with it immediately. Of course going for a 'normal' or 'simple' look is a bit impossible if you're wearing a TASSEL as belt, but I still tried to keep a relatively simple style.

Oh, and after buying the TASSEL I also bought a rather fabulous hat. My father said his grandmother had one just like it, on a picture from the 1940's. I like that.
So I combined them.

And with one of my handmade dresses, that I've been neglecting for too long...

In Lolita, I would not have worn black tights with this dress, but beige or brown. But Dolly calls fior a somewhat harsher, stronger look, so I thought the black was okay. Otherwise it would've been too much brown... I'm also wearing golden leaf earrings and a golden leaf headband, but they're kinda invisible on the pictures :(

Dolly Kei also gives me an opporunity to wear scarves! I have this really pretty one from Claire's with a deer on it (not that you can see the deer when I'm wearing it...) and it fits right in ^^

Well, because this is an outfit-spam anyways, I'll also show you a Steampunk-inspired outfit I wore a few days ago.

That's all folks!