Am I severely behind the times?! I guess this might be what I get for not following communities anymore. Whether I'm just late to the party or not, these adorable classic pieces by ChocoMint are to die for. In my mind, ChocoMint is not exactly a brand- carried in Closet Child and usually known for doing cheaper replicas of brands like 6%DOKIDOKI, I supposed I had sort of relegated this shop to the likes of Bodyline. However, I stumbled across their Rakuten website earlier today and was shocked to see an entire section on their front page labeled "Classic," as well as a button link to their Alice in Wonderland line! In a style similar to the jewelry Innocent World has come out with the past few years, in the classic line there's a lot of deep, antique bronze with fairytale and woodland themes, and in true ChocoMint fashion, the prices are killer. Here are a few of my favorites:

 

(Text: There's a rocking horse motif attached to the chain!)

And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, they're even having a sale on some adorable pieces, too! The only improvement I can see would be a brick-and-mortar store in Tokyo that I could visit in March... anyone have any clue?

ChocoMint, I'm sorry I under-appreciated you so in the past! Can you ever forgive me?!

This summer, to celebrate the fact that I've successfully conned myself into another semester of college, I decided to do something I haven't done in what seems like months. I bought things for myself. I know, I know - just for myself, not for me to make into things or to give to other people. As should be no surprise, I turned to the wealth of wallet-guzzling talents known as Etsy. I purchased a beautiful hairband from The Elegant Elle and a messenger bag for school from The Bold Banana.



First up: Elizabeth Feather and Flower Headband by The Elegant Elle
The lovely packaging offered me a sweet, hand-written thank-you note with two business cards and promises of a discount on my next purchase. The package was wrapped in green tissue paper and was adorned with a black and green feather and a black ribbon.

This is really such a beautiful piece. It reminds me of the headbands that are popular right now in stores like Icing, but so much nicer quality and with much more soul.

Being worn:

Secondly, my White Rabbit Messenger Bag by The Bold Banana. I can't even tell you how excited I am to use this at school! I have a messenger bag from Mother Garden that I've been using as a laptop bag, but it just is not working for me - the strap is too skinny, so anything heavier than a pound or two and it cuts into your shoulder, and it's a very thin material and not protective at all. It's also bright pink and covered in strawberries. In case you haven't noticed, that's... not exactly my style anymore. So I invested in this lovely canvas messenger bag as a bookbag and laptop carrier. It has a great, understated classicness, and who doesn't love the original Tenniel illustrations from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?




Yeah, but it can't fit that much, can it? Prepare to be as shocked as I was!

Three notebooks, two mooks, two textbooks, and a laptop, with room to spare! But I'm sure it looks all bumpy and weird when it's closed, right? Well...
I personally barely notice a difference; if anything, the extra bulk makes it look less sad and starved to me. The bag actually had room to spare, too, and could probably fit a few standard-sized textbooks and notebooks with enough room not to crush your snacks (I can't be the only one who enters class equipped with an arsenal of munchies to chose from!) There are also side pockets that snap shut, as well as a few inner pockets as well. I'll have to get back to you after a few weeks of use, but first impression dictates that this is really a great bag for any lolita going back to school or who needs to carry a bunch of stuff on the train or bus to work. The understated screenprint is lolita without being covered in rhinestones and glitter and bows, so it's great for slowly easing your classmates into your style while still preserving a very classic air.

Last Sunday I was lucky enough to participate in a photoshoot for Amaranth Opulent with Carolyn of Ophanim Gothique and Lindsay of Lolita Nouveau/Lolitas-N-Cream. At Carolyn's suggestion, we settled on the mind-blowingly stunning Harkness Park as our location; even though we had to trek it across the state, as soon as I saw pictures I knew it would be the perfect showcase for all three designers. Our model line-up changed a few times due to time constraints, long car rides, and sudden illness, but we still ended up with four amazingly talented ladies: Crystal, Jesi, and two non-lolita friends, Cate and (another!) Lindsay. It was such a wonderful day; everything went spectacularly, so much better than I had every hoped for.

Crystal

Doing a spot of modeling myself for Ophanim:

I had given my petticoat to one of the models, so that's why I'm so deflated!

Fellow designer Lindsay offered her modeling services to Carolyn as well:

Jesi

Cate

Lindsay

The lovely Lolita Nouveau girls:

The Aftermath - well, no, just a picnic:

It was such an amazing day, spent around so many talented people. I hope we can do this again someday soon - a winter line, maybe?

Amaranth Opulent is a line of eco-friendly, one-of-a-kind jewelry by Miss Lumpy. Drawing inspiration from a slew of alternative fashions such as lolita, mori-girl, and steampunk, Amaranth Opulent is inspired to taking organic, sustainably-harvested materials and combining them with findings purchased from independent businesses to create jewelry of beauty and luxury. Every flower and leaf used in this jewelry has been hand-picked and hand-pressed by Aly herself in a sustainable manner, meaning that the entire plant is not picked so that it can continue to live as an important part of its local ecosystem. Jewelry findings such as bases and chain are purchased solely from either local craft stores or Etsy shops because it is important to us that we support small businesses.Amaranth Opulent is devoted to the idea that the corruption of the world humans have created for ourselves can be purified by combining man-made materials with natural components taken straight from the Earth. The society I've found myself is not one I'm particularly fond of, and I can't be alone; call it escapism, but I've realized that I need to contribute something to the world that reflects the old-worldly, the otherworldly, that anything-but-here. If you like getting lost in the woods, if you notice the flower growing between the sidewalk cracks, if your heart wrenches at the beauty of abandoned buildings covered with vines, Amaranth Opulent was made with you in mind.

Amaranth Opulent on Etsy
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Amaranth Opulent on Facebook

This story beings in the ancient way: Once upon a time, there was a young woman who lived on the outskirts of town, near where civilization ends and the Wild begins. She went about her business every single day; she did her spinning and mending, haggled with farmers at the market, and spent the mornings in her herb garden. She went to the well to gossip with the other town girls and braided her long curls in the style popular among them; she smiled at the local boys and farm hands like she knew she was supposed to; she imagined that someday she would be married off to one of them and bear him children, and her young life would fade as quickly as the beauty it took with it. This was the life of all the town girls, and no one had ever complained about it, that she knew of; how painful could it be?
But somehow something felt wrong. The maiden would sometime pause from her embroidery, look out the window, and be caught up in the beauty of the chicory or the sweet pea flowers growing along the dirt road. Somehow, something felt just slightly off: there was something about lowering her eyes from the sunbright window to the dark rows of tiny stitches she was slaving over that just felt horrifically unnatural.
One day when she rose from her bed, she noticed something different in the air, a kind of magical anticipation that stung her eyes and ran fingers of static through her hair. The girl walked to the door of her cottage, still barefoot and nightgowned, and her eyes were drawn to the edge of the wood. There, standing among the yellow toadflax and daisy fleabane, was an elegant doe, her rump speckled with dew and glistening in the early morning sunshine. Their eyes met, and somehow without the young woman's command, her feet started to move towards the animal. Together they fled into the forest; running side by side, the thumping beats of their footfalls were the rhythm of freedom to which they marched.
The young woman fled to the forest, and this is where she remains to this very day. Sometimes the town-dwellers and farmers caught glimpses of her, long blond curls unruly and tangled around twigs and flowers. Her eyes are beyond wild; they are elated, overjoyed, full of life and purity and freedom. Abandoning herself to the forest, she elevated her mind beyond the horrid confines of society and truly become what she was destined to be: The Wild Woman of the Wood.

Psst, remember that project I've been coyly mentioning all summer? The unrelated eye candy, are from a photoshoot for it with Ophanim Gothique and Lolita Nouveau. The lovely models here are my wonderful friends Crystal and Cate. Please stay tuned this Friday, 8/13/10 when I'm going to officially announce this project!


photos care of Sean Walsh