Day 3,4 & 5 of the 30 day challenge

Day 3 – 10 things you hate in lolita.

 

1- The stupid idea that handmade is less good than brand. A handmade dress is unique, fits perfectly and is made exactly to suit your own taste. A brand dress, however beautiful and limited-editioned, is still a mass product with standard sizes. A garment in which someone has put all their effort and love cannot be outshone by a machine-made dress that everyone knows already.

2- But, on that note... Badly made handmade items. Sewing takes a lot of practice, and you shouldn't wear or post your very first creations. They're probably not good. See it as a painter: you sell and show your masterpieces, but you need to make a lot of sketches before that. The first few dresses that you make should be seen as sketches; once you have a certain level of skill, you can start your 'masterpiece'.

3- Girls who think that owning a lot of expensive dresses automatically makes you a good lolita.

4- Bloomers. 

5- The impossibility to obtain items you want. Either it's too expensive, or it's out of stock, or the shop doesn't ship internationally... Etc.

6- Split-color wigs, or maybe wigs in general. Natural ones can look good, but these pastel-colored, pigtailed, enormous masses of curls really make lolita look like a costume. And why are wigs never on the outfit rundown? Is it to pretend that it's your own hair? No one's gonna believe that.

7- Shipping costs. 

8- People who think it's a fetish.

9- Gathering fabric is soooo much work! (But the full skirts and pretty ruffles make up for it ^^)

10- Some of the lolita shoes are just... well, not my cup of tea.

Day 4 – 10 different kinds of food you like.

(what does this have to do with lolita?)

1- ice cream

2- chocolate

3- summer fruit (watermelon, mango, strawberries, etc)

4- spaghetti bolognese

5- gyoza, a.k.a. jiaozi or dumplings

6- Chinese noodle dishes

7- typical Dutch meals, like 'hutspot': potatoes (or parsnip), carrot and onions all mashed together, and eaten with a big smoked sausage. It's great in autumn and winter ^^

8- caramel fudge

9- strawberry cheesecake~ <3

10- different kinds of pies and cakes

Day 5 – 10 items from your wishlist.

 (or; the AatP 2010 collection)

1- Alice and the Pirates- Midsummer Night's Dream, ivory 

2- Alice and the Pirates- Sleeping Beauty, ivory

3- Alice and the Pirates- St. Mephisto Cathédrale, ivory or black

4- Alice and the Pirates- Masquerade Theatre, red or ivory

5- Alice and the Pirates- Queen's Coach, any color

6- Alice and the Pirates- Stained Angel, ivory or black

7- Alice and the Pirates- Operetta Bouquet, ivory or green

Now that we've had AatP, let's move on to other brands...

8- Baby, the stars shine bright- Cinderella Jewelry

9- Baby, the stars shine bright- Marie Antoinette

10- Mary Magdalene- Antoinette, any color

 

Now, I won't be writing for a while, because I'm going to Finland! I'll meet Jousia there :) I can't wait!

Because everyone is doing it... another meme!

Firstly, I have a lot of good news and also some bad. First the bad: my camera broke, so I have to use my dad's one until I have a new one. Sadly, my dad's camera is not very good... But now the good news! My package from Taobao finally arrived (After more than 2 months! Ugh! -.-) and everything I ordered is just lovely. I'll be writing a review later.
Also, my brother and my best friend both passed their exams. I also passed all my tests, and I can continue towards the 2nd year smoothly. And lastly, I'm taking driving lessons again :)

So... it seems like very lolita blogger is doing this challenge, and because I think it's a fun and interesting one, I'll be doing it too! Not every day, but gradually. Maybe two or three at a time, if I feel like it!

Day 1 – 10 things about your lolita bubble.

Day 2 – 10 things you love in lolita.

Day 3 – 10 things you hate in lolita.

Day 4 – 10 different kinds of food you like.

Day 5 – 10 items from your wishlist.

Day 6 – 10 things you can’t live without in lolita.

Day 7 – 10 people who inspire your lolita style.

Day 8 – 10 songs that inspire you for lolita.

Day 9 – 10 things you will never do in lolita.

Day 10 – What’s in your bag?

Day 11 – One day in your lolita life in pictures.

Day 12 – A picture of yourself before lolita came in to your life.

Day 13 – A picture of your favorite sweets.

Day 14 – A picture of your dream item.

Day 15 – A picture of your last lolita purchase.

Day 16 – Your outfit for the day.

Day 17 – What do you want more then anything right now?

Day 18 – A picture of your favorite lolita style.

Day 19 – What’s in your make-up bag?

Day 20 – A picture of a lolita friend.

Day 21 – Your favorite fictional lolita.

Day 22 – A picture of your room.

Day 23 – A picture of your handwriting.

Day 24 – A picture of you from a meet.

Day 25 – Your favorite lolita themed artwork.

Day 26 – Your Facebook profile picture.

Day 27 – One song that fits your favorite lolita style.

Day 28 – A picture of the perfect lolita location.

Day 29 – A picture of a lolita you would love to meet for real.

Day 30 – A photo of yourself taken today and 3 good things that’s happened over the last 30

days.

My lolita bubble:
1- When I am sewing or drawing, wearing a pretty dress, drinking tea and listening to classical music, that's when I feel top-to-toe lolita.
2- I made my room a little more romantic, with a pink door, pretty pictures on the walls, fancy tea cups in the cupboard, and a bed that reminds me of a French balcony. Now it really feels like my home.
3- I make sketches of dresses eveywhere, even in my school books.
4- My friends ask me what's the matter when I'm not wearing fancy clothes.
5- My lolita bubble is a daydream of another world, an ideal, beautiful world.
6- My bubble doesn't include only lolita. I also love vintage clothes and mori-girl, because they give that same, other-worldly feeling.
7- I'm not really a full lifestyle lolita, but I think I'm a halfway there. I sing classical music, I sew, I like baking although I don't do it as often as I'd like, I like to go to concerts, opera or ballet performances, and most of the time I try to dress with care. But there are so many other aspects of my life that are not lolita at all! So I can't really call myself a lifestyler.
8- I love reading lolita weblogs and always search for new ones. Sometimes I'm afraid it's an addiction. I especially love the Finnish ones, and would love to know more German ones.
9- Ever since I've discovered lolita, I try to make everything in my life more beautiful. Why have boring, plain things if you could have pretty, interesting things?
10- I think this quote from Marilyn Monroe is very suitable for lolita: "It's better to be absolutely ridiculous than to be absolutely boring."

What I love in lolita:
1- Old ladies in the supermarket who exclaim: "Oh, you look so cute!"
2- I love beautiful tea cups, plates, and even cutlery. Anything fancy or romantic, with flowers or curls or golden edges will catch my eye. I'd love to wear a tea cup on my head and a spoon on a necklace. I believe Emily Temple Cute does that sort of thing.
3- I love all lolita styles, but my favourite is Classic. Victorian Maiden and Mary Magdalene are to me the epitome of that typical lolita look: cuteness and elegance combined.
4- What I love about (classic) lolita is the feeling of the aristocratic life that seems to have disappeared nowadays: To be an elegant young lady, living in a beautiful manor, going for walks in the countryside and balls in the evening... that's my ideal life. (I do realize that life really wasn't so ideal back then, and I truly appreciate the advantages of modern life. I wouldn't actually want to live in another era, but I love to daydream about it.)
5- When, after two weeks, someone comes up to you and says: "I really liked that dress you wore then-and-then."
6- The beautiful lace.
8- Pintucks, buttons, ribbons, box-pleats, ruffles, scallops, everything!
9- The fact that my boyfriend, parents, brother and friends all like it, and think it suits me.
10- Making my own clothes, exactly how I want them.

Meme

I noticed I was tagged by akumaxkami from Les Fleurs Noires to write 7 facts about myself. So I will! It's hard to think of good ones, though...

1. Despite my obviously 'weird' tastes in clothing and many other things, I still consider myself a normal person.
2. But I haven't always. When I was a child, I was convinced I was a fairy child exchanged for a human child, or a princess of a magical country who had to be kept safe from enemies, so was raised by unsuspicious, normal people. I was also convinced I was the smartest person on earth.
3. I have the terrible habit of waiting with homework until the last moment. Apparently I work best under heavy stress, but I don't like it!
4. I like my feet :3
5. I studied Chemical Engineering for half a year, but it wasn't a great success.
6. I bite my nails.
7. I dream of someday publishing my own book, graphic novel or manga.

Now, I have to get back to studying Modern History! Exams next week...

Animecon 2011

Some years ago I read a lot of manga, mostly Naruto and Bleach. I've grown out of that by now, but I still enjoy it from time to time.
With the manga-fandom came an interest in cosplay. A few friends of mine were interested as well, so we started sewing and went to Animecon in cosplay. That was in 2008.

Now I'm more interested in lolita than in cosplay, but lolita's are often seen at cons as well. Especially because this con is not only about manga/ anime, but about Japanese pop-culture in general. So when a friend suggested to go again this year, I said yes, and went in lolita.

Well... not really my usual style of lolita...
I thought: it's a convention, a special occasion. Everyone is wearing costumes. I want to wear something flashy as well.
I planned to wear the Sugary Carnival replica, but Dream of Lolita is so slow that it didn't arrive on time. So I took my most elaborate dress and made it as OTT as I could.

This was my 'test drive' for the outfit. I love this BABY dress, but it's too short so I wore a skirt underneath it. Unfortunately it's not exactly the same color, but it's as close as I could get. I'll make a white underskirt for it eventually.
The wig used to be a cheap Marilyn Monroe-costume wig, but I teased it 'till it was unrecognizable. I hope it looks somewhat rococo.
I attached a string of pearls to the headbow and a friend lent me the wristcuffs. I love them, I must get a pair myself!
Shoes are an*tai*na and socks are BABY.

I also wore false lashes for the first time!

Since I've never teased anything before, my wig wasn't as poofy as it could be. Luckily my friend had more experience, so she helped me ^^ At the con, I looked like this:

Poof!
I met some very nice lolita's at the con. My opinion of lolita's in my country is getting better and better, I'm happy about that!

I don't think I'll wear a wig very often. It's so hot! It got really itchy at some point, too, because the netting kept scratching my ears... But I did feel like Marie Antoinette, so it was worth it ^^

Elf Fantasy Fair 2011

Last weekend I went to the biggest annual fantasy-gothic-alternative event in my country, the Elf Fantasy Fair. It was the first time I went there, and I loved it. I went with a group of friends, some of them had already been numerous times. We had a lot of fun just by walking around, watching people and taking pictures. I won't post pictures of other people here, I want to respect their privacy.

One of my friends wanted to try whether lolita suited her. We had to improvise because she didn't have any lolita clothes herself, so she borrowed my navy skirt and one of my petticoats, wore a normal white blouse, black ballet flats and short white socks, and pearl and flower jewelry. It may not have been ~proper lolita~ but it certainly had the same aestethic. I thought she looked nice, but after wearing it all day she said she didn't feel comfortable in it. Too bad, but understandable. She isn't really girly in her usual way of dressing, more a sneakers-and-jeans kind of girl. But I was happy that she wanted to try :)


two Victorian maidens ^^

It was a lovely location to shoot pictures, because the Fair was held on the grounds of a castle. I saw a few other lolita's as well, and I was very happy to see that many of them looked really good! It's nice to know there are people with the same interest in my country. I think I'll investigate a bit more in the national community. But the amount of cat ears disappointed me a little... Well, if people enjoy to wear it, they should, and I'm not the one to judge them.


castle in the background

  

with a cute little princess

What I liked most about the Fair was that everyone was nice to each other. In the normal world, if you are dressed in gohtic, lolita, steampunk or any other alternative style, you'd be stared at and laughed at in a negative way. But here, people stare because they think you look awesome, or laugh because they enjoy your outfit. Everyone put a lot of effort in their clothes or costume, and everyone shared their enthusiasm. There were some great cosplayers too! We saw an amazing Altair from Assassin's Creed. (Some bad ones as well... but at least they had fun.)
A woman was dressed in a rococo dress, and my reaction was like this: "Well, I do think her skirt is a little too sho- SHE HAS A BOAT IN HER HAIR!!" Awesome :D

There were also a lot of people I hadn't expected, but who were treated equally nice. Little children running around with plastic swords or little dresses, really old people in the most exquisite costumes, people in steampunked wheelchairs, a mentally disabled woman in a pretty dress, and even a little person (that's the correct term, right?) who looked amazing! No one would stare at them because they were weird (everyone was weird there, it was normal to be weird), but they were admired because they looked pretty. I loved that atmosphere.
I'll definitely go again next year!

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!