New hair

So yeah, I went to the hairdresser and got my hair dip-dyed pink. I guess that's all there is to it. I hope people will like it (judging from the speed with which I now recieve Facebook-comments, it definately triggers a reaction!)

Picture time! (you know, this blog is really an excuse for me to just dump a whole lot of pictures of myself XD)



 Does anyone else have those discussions with yourself when uploading pictures?

"On this one my face looks really good, but you can't actually see my hair..."

"Well it IS about the hair, so I'd better pick the other one, even if I don't look perfect on it.."

"But my nose looks so red, and I have a double chin on it! I can't post that to the internet!"

"Can't I photoshop that?"

Elf Fantasy Fair 2012

I've been 'out' for a while, due to various reasons... But I've come back to show you some pictures of my Rococo costume that I wore to the Elf Fantasy Fair a few weeks ago.

I made the dress all by myself, and the vest and coat for my partner as well. I also put feathers on her hat and caps on her boots. (And I almost died of stress because of it).

It was quite cold that day, so I sneakily wore a white cardigan underneath the bodice. The gloves and pearls are vintage, I got them from my grandmother. Next time I make a rococo dress, I will definately put boning in the bodice, because this one started wrinkling right away. But I simply did not have the time to figure out boning for this one.

Due to rain the grounds were very muddy and my skirt got dirty...

That's quite a nice castle... It's not Versailles, but it will do, for now.

My partner's cane is vintage as well, she borrowed it from her grandpa.

It was SO much work to get my hair up like that, but a friend helped me and thanks to her it turned out really well :) And I loooove my little boat <3

We participated in a costume contest, but we didn't win anything. Not suprising, because there were many truly amazing costumes. We were the very last ones to enter the stage... Just when it had begun to rain again :( So we (and our clothes) were a little worn out when at last we stood before the jury...

But I had a lot of fun! After all the stress about finishing the costumes on time, it was worth it.

test-drive rococo hair

"Si les paysans n'ont pas de pain, qu'ils mangent de la brioche."

If the peasants don't have bread, let them eat cake.

At the upcoming Elf Fantasy Fair, I will be wearing a Marie Antoinette-style dress (all handmade... so much work!). This was a test to see whether the boat would stay in my hair, and whether I could get it up in a bouffant using "donuts". This looks nothing like the final product though. At the Fair I will have 2 "donuts" underneath the bouffant (here I'm wearing 1) and my friend will help teasing and curling my hair (here it's straight and not teased at all). So I hope it will be EPIC.

Here's a sketch of my entire outfit:

The textiles I'm using are dark and light green with golden details, and a white underskirt. I'm so excited! Too bad the weather forecast is really bad. I would be sooo disappointed if it were to rain and my hair would die... And my dress get wet... And my make-up run... And all the pictures turn out dark and gloomy... And the picknick ruined... So keep praying to the weather gods!

Oh, and it's not meant to be completely historically accurate. I know some people take great pride in reproducing 100% correct historical dresses, but I just want something pretty.

If you happen to be at the EFF and see me (a green-clad rococo lady with a matching rococo gentleman, in a group of all other kinds of costumes and 'normals'), don't hesitate to say hi! :)

We're also planning to participate in a costume contest. There are unbelievably awesome costumes each year, so I'm pretty sure we won't win anything, but it will be fun!

Spring is getting closer...

With the sun coming out, I feel like wearing something simple but fancy, cheerful but elegant. This lead me to otome. I've never seriously considered this style, but it's such a lovely alternative for lolita now that I long for a simpler silhouette. On schooldays, or while traveling, or when I'm meeting people I don't know too well, I feel very comfortable in this cute, casual style. Of course, for 'normal' people, this style is anything but casual, and I got a lot of compliments on my clothes yesterday. It's within the range of acceptable for the 'normal' public, but still cute and elegant enough for my taste ^^

In short, I think I'll wear this style very often!

  

 Skirt: Shirley Temple

Lace collar: hand-crocheted by my mother

hair/hat clip: Paris Kids

everything else: offbrand

When wearing this, I was compared to a flamenco dancer, a geisha, and an English schoolgirl. And they were all meant as compliments :) People also seemed to excessively like my hat: one guy even said that seeing me walk in with that hat made him 'very happy'. Too bad he's kinda awkward...

Casual for college

Just a quick one for class. We had Classical Japanese which is maybe even harder than Calculus, so I figured I'd wear something cheerful. Plus, it's getting just a little bit warmer here which already put spring in my mind...I think I'm getting my love for lolita back a little, mostly thanks to these two lovely ladies: http://imperialfiddlesticks.tumblr.com/ and http://fannyrosie.tumblr.com/ They made me realize again how beautiful Classic Lolita really is.
Also, I can never not love Mary Magdalene. I still can't believe I actually own a Mary Magdalene dress, and fit it too! <3



Hmm, maybe I shouldn't try cutting my own fringe anymore...
I have a setting on my camera that's called Portrait and makes my skin look super smooth and perfect. See the difference between the two close-up photo's? I think it looks nice, but almost too fake. I don't want to seem like a girl who Photoshops everything...

And I dearly love that lace collar. My mom hand-crocheted it <3 She's teaching me, I can already make my own potholder XD

vintage without vintage

I love the style of the 1950's. It was elegant, modest and playful, but mostly: feminine. What I also like is that women of all sizes were considered beautiful. Audrey Hepburn was very skinny, Marilyn Monroe very curvy, and both were (and still are) seen as incredibly beautiful women.

from ohsophialoren.tumblr.com

from theniftyfifties.tumblr.com

I don't own a lot of vintage clothing (on the top of my head I can only think of one dress), but I do want to imitate the style. And luckily modern clothes can be used for that. It might be because Mad Men is so popular, but a lot of stores have clothing suitable for the vintage-look. The key elements are:
- skirts that sit at the natural waist, and hit below the knees
- heels
- tight-fitting bodices
- gloves and hats
- wavy hair, mostly short or in an updo

So, here's my try (though of course still with my own twist):

 

 

 Turtleneck: Promiss/ Skirt: H&M (with a small handmade petticoat underneath)/ Tights: V&D/ Shoes: Graceland/ Earrings: present from my mother, from Estonia/ Necklace: small shop in Singapore (though you can get them at Six and other jewelry stores as well, nowadays)

What I like about this outfit is that nearly everything was bought second-hand or in sales, or handmade. So, budget-vintage :D
A thing I'm a bit insecure about, is that skirts at the natural waist always sit very high on me, almost as if it were empire-waisted, which is of course a bit weird for a skirt. I have a short upper body and an ample bosom, so I'm often afraid that the skirt begins where my bust ends. Ah well, there's nothing I can do about it anyways.

Cologne

It's been a long time since my last post. I could make an excuse about being busy, or ill, both of which would not completely be a lie, but the truth is that lolita isn't that magical to me anymore. In the last 3 months I only wore lolita two or three times. Maybe it started when my grandfather died. I shortly thought about wearing black lolita to the funeral, but the idea seemed so ridiculous to me. Lolita didn't seem serious and mature enough, as if I was making a joke. I wore pants, and felt comfortable. With Christmas, New Year, and to my concert, occasions which I would otherwise use as an excuse for lolita, or at least a dress, I also wore pants. Doesn't mean I don't like skirts anymore, I definately do. But the lolita skirts and dresses are simply too much. Sure, I still like lolita, but I don't want to dress in it every day anymore. Of course I will not stop wearing it, but I think I will sell some of the dresses I hardly care about anymore, and focus on the few that I really do love. And I want to wear more 'regular' fashion as well. Vintage inspired, with little collars and skirts, lots of hats and gloves and shawls, floral patterns and polka dots, dandy, elegance... Not that different from the lolita aesthetic, but much more practical and less attention-grabbing.
I will keep this blog as my fashion blog, so not only lolita anymore. Expect some pants or not-poofy skirts soon ;)

But, to lessen the shock, here are some pictures of me in lolita, taken when my boyfriend and I went to Cologne for a short holiday. I fell in love with the city (and Germany in general). Definately going there again.

Dress: handmade by me

Blouse, hair flowers, collar: H&M

Tights, jewelry & shoes: offbrand

Spam spam spam, now I'm done :) I'm gonna adjust some of my dresses so they'll fit more sizes, and then try to sell them. Etsy perhaps? I might start a little business...

Oh, just one more picture, to show you how terrible the wind was! I had so much difficulty with keeping my skirt from flying up! Quite Marilyn Monroe-esque.

I'm gonna fly away! Bye bye~