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?!

Now, I try to keep this blog very age-unspecific, because I know that lolitas span all age groups from middle schoolers to mothers. However, today we had the air conditioning at work cranked up to icicle-inducing levels, so despite the mid-70's-with-an-ocean-breeze that was celebrating summer outside, for eight hours all I could think of was fuzzy sweaters and my dorm bed's down comforter and quilts. I've been looking forward to going back to school since my summer class ended - coughNERDcough - but today was a reminder that we only have a few more weeks of summer to endure until I re-enter fall and college, and also that I'm way behind on getting ready to move back! No, I'm not talking about notebooks and flash drives and mechanical pencils - obviously, I got those forever ago - I mean my wardrobe!

Because of my new-found love of Etsy, I've selected as many items as I can from the website to build a perfect autumnal to-buy list that any lolita would be proud to pack for school. For this season, I've decided to find items that mix quirky vintage flair with a warm, mori-style coziness.

Fleur Mori Girl Keychain/Bag Charm

The Librarian Locket

Victorian-Style Colorful Cowl

Sterling Silver Acorn Pins

White Rabbit Field Bag

Baby Blue Lace Cuffs

Lace Ruffle Cuff

Golden Cat-Eye Frames

So, non-college-goers or those who aren't heading into autumn, what about the coming season are you squealing over? Tulle and spring florals? Maybe plaid woolen skirts -oh, Catholic school, how I... don't miss you at all. Or maybe the only difference you're looking forward to is thick scarves and microfiber tights inside your smart black pumps and corporate casual skirt suit. Tell me what's setting your heart a-patter with anticipation for whatever your upcoming season is!

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?

Oh, Tea Parties... I know most peoples' opinions are kind of a mixed bag- either you love them or you hate them. I've always sort of been on the neutral-positive side, myself; while I've always thought they were adorable and make the calves look shapely and cute, my heritage has cursed me with feet that will never fit into Angelic Pretty or even Secret Shop, so I've had to just sort of sigh longingly and admire from afar whenever I saw other people wearing them. And then came an*tai*na.

Now, I know people have mixed attitudes towards replicas, but in m experience, complaints of copyright infringement usually stop at clothes - of course, I've seen a few people who find it immoral to copy any original design and remake it cheaply, but that's not the discussion to get into here. I'm not one for replicas of clothing, because while lolita sizing is definitely expanding from pre-conceived notions of the standard Japanese body type to suit a more global size range, shoes are usually kind of an afterthought. Every so often BABY used to come out with a few designs that came in a ~gargantuan~ 25.5-26 cm LL and my closet cried out longingly for shoes that would actually fit, but even those were few and far between until, oh... last summer, maybe? So I've mostly been picking up shoes where I can find them from local stores or famously large-sized shoes such as rocking horses (which have come in a wide range of sizes for years) and those produced by Bodyline. Replica stores like Secret Shop have had sizes as limited as the brands have for as long as I can remember, so I was out of luck there, too.


Then I (and most of the rest of the lolita world) discovered a handful of Chinese brands like Miranda and an*tai*na, specializing in replicas and offering larger sizes. It was a joyous day, and I've been checking back on their offerings frequently ever since. In late May, Qutieland, a retailer of an assortment of Chinese lolita brands usually only found on sites like Tao Bao, released the an*tai*na Tea Party replicas to their site. After a few days of waffling, I decided that I had enough funds to allow myself a dream I'd never even considered seriously: owning Tea Parties.

Okay, okay, this is all far too dramatic for my tastes. I ordered my tea party shoes in size EU41 and paid on May 31st. I wasn't around when they actually arrived at my house, so I don't know the exact day that I received them, but it was not more than three weeks after paying, which is crazy fast, in my opinion. The box they came in had been slightly manhandled and beaten up, but the shoes themselves were in perfect condition. As far as fit goes, I wear a US 9.5 and any other standard of sizing is usually a mystery to me, so I just sort of guess which size I qualify as in European or Japanese sizes. While the length was fine, the shoes are, oddly, a little tight in the front, where the actual "fabric" of the shoe lays over the toes- I'm kind of expecting this to go away after they've been broken in a bit, though.


Aesthetically, they're *almost* perfect. The actual body of the shoe is exactly what I was hoping for; however, I'm not super-pleased with the sole and how the shoes are attached to it. The look is rather industrial, in my opinion; they remind me of my Doc Martens. Not very elegant-fairy-princessy. However, the pictures on the Qutieland site do show this detail; it's my fault for not picking up on it. It isn't really a dealbreaker either- I still like them and will definitely be wearing them once the cooler months roll around, as they aren't really broken in enough to wear them without socks.

The lighting is a little off in this picture- the shoes I got are black, not brown!

In conclusion, I'm definitely happy with my purchase. Will I buy more an*tai*na Tea Party shoes? Well, that depends on how well this pair breaks in. I'm leaning towards yes, though. They're so versatile and cute, and if they end up being comfortable too, then hell, why on Earth shouldn't I?!

To buy your own, click here! If the page doesn't load, try refreshing - Qutieland's website is notorious for moody links.

My boyfriend's birthday is this week! Since he took the whole week off, we've decided to have as many celebration days as we can. Sunday was the first one: I took him to one of my favorite places in the world, Mitsuwa Marketplace, for lunch and shopping. Unfortunately, I'm having some car trouble and didn't want to risk the almost-two-hour trek, so he ended up driving after all. I bought us treats when we got there, though!

Rundown:

• Blouse: Angelic Pretty (all washed out! :[ )
• Skirt: Bodyline (hard to tell from these photos, but it's actually black with teeny white polka dots)
  
• Socks: Angelic Pretty
• Shoes: an*tai*na
• Hat: H&M
• Underskirt: added after pictures were taken, black Metamorphose with lace trim

I always underestimate how short this skirt is! I threw on a black lace Meta skirt after the pictures were taken, but didn't have the heart to make Stefan take another set of pictures, so you'll just have to pretend!
The heat was horrific - 91 degrees Fahrenheit with a crapload of humidity. I find, though, that as far as going-out clothes go, lolita isn't any warmer or cooler than my other clothes are. I went to school with a relatively rigid dresscode that said we couldn't show our shoulders or wear anything shorter than two to four inches above the knee, which really rubbed off on me. Even today I'm not comfortable with baring those areas of my body, so I just sort of sigh longingly when I see other girls traipsing about in cool-looking tanktops and shorts. I figure, if I'm going to be covering myself this much anyway, I may as well do it with lolita!

Also, I just got my Tea Party knockoffs!! I bought them from Qutieland, and while I probably paid too much for them, it was worth it to be able to communicate directly with the company I was buying it from, as opposed to going through a shopping service and a site like TaoBao. They're a little tight on me because I am horrid at European sizing (note to self: 42, not 41 next time!) but even with that I can tell once I break them in a little I'll be abusing them like crazy. Review to come!


Heads up! My giveaway is closing on Monday! If you haven't entered yet, gogogo!!

Recently on the main community, someone asked if there was a point when one should be content with her wardrobe. She has the dresses, the skirts, the blouses, all of the accessories, and she doesn't feel the need to buy things anymore; she seemed confused as to whether this was normal. It reminded me of a comment my roommate made a few weeks ago; also a lolita, she was listing some things she had recently bought, and said something along the lines of, “I know it sounds like a lot, but I think I want a few more _______ and then I'll be done. My wardrobe will be complete.”

It surprised me; mentioning it to another lolita friend, she said “But... your closet is never done.” On the whole, I agree. As people, as fashion enthusiasts, I think that our style is never really “done.” Especially bloggers or readers of blogs; we're exposing ourselves to so much, so many different things, that it would be odd if we didn't absorb some of these things into ourselves and change our styles appropriately. Even just as people in our society; we're constantly being bombarded by advertisements, magazines, celebrity news, and it would be impossible for us not to absorb some of that and translate it into our ideals and mindsets. Some of this is on purpose; I recently subscribed to a beauty e-newsletter from a popular mainstream magazine so that I could stay in the know about make-up and other beauty news in the mainstream, because, as lolitas, we're often so pigeon-holed by our own media that we forget there's other stuff out there. Even if that other stuff isn't really catering to all of our interests, to expose ourselves to these things makes us more well-rounded people and, effectively, more well-rounded dressers.

At the same time, it's possible to develop and evolve your style without buying an entirely new wardrobe every few months. I still have the first brand dress I ever bought, years and years ago, and I think that, even though my style has changed a lot, it still has its place in my closet and hopefully always will. Therefore, I can draw the conclusion that most of the things I buy have the possibility of staying with me for many years while still feeling fresh and current to my style. So is it bad to stop shopping, to call it quits on checking the sales community?

In my opinion, I would say that the healthiest plan is a healthy mix; new lolitas will buy &buy &buy until they have their basics, but then it's time to put on the brakes. This is the “content” phase. Once you have everything you consider to be a basic (which I'm sure depends on the person; for some, a black blouse and a white one with a black skirt are the stepping stones, but for someone else it could be a cream blouse, a brown skirt, and a blue jumperskirt; I'm sure someone else would consider basics incomplete without at least one big-name brand – there seems to be another entry in this, tho!), you should be able to sit back and smile at your closet as-is. From there, I think the next step is casually browsing brand websites or the sales comm every so often, and buy a few things as “fluff”- this is where your accessories or new color combos come in. Then, once you've fleshed out your wardrobe so that you have a mix of colors and styles that appeal to you, it's time to stop; put it in park, if you will. You're not saying you'll never buy brand again, but maybe only hit the selling websites for a birthday present to yourself, or if you need a dress for a special occasion, or maybe if you want some retail therapy (caution – slippery slope!!).

It's also to note that even these three stages are still cyclical. For example, I'm currently around the second step, because when I was at the third stage about two years ago, I had some money problems, sold a lot of stuff, and didn't let myself buy anything for almost a year. Now that I'm back to the area I like to be, money-wise, I've started to casually buy again to get back the wardrobe-fluff I had to sell. Soon I'll probably go back to Wardrobe Enlightenment where I no longer have the earthly desire for more clothes, but for now I'm happy casually spending. :)

(image c/o tumblr.com)

Few of you know this, but lately, in addition to lolita I've been really interested in modern mainstream &high fashion. I've been watching the shows, reading the magazines, observing the trends every chance possible, &let me tell you I am loving it! This season is going to be amazing &I am adoring it. Part of my observing has been trying to see what current trends I can combine with lolita, &let me tell you, I'm brimming with ideas. Sure, the stiletto peep-toe booties I've been seeing around don't exactly fit the bill, but let me show you some that do:

Another trend I've noticed, more this fall than so far this winter, is bright, fearless red lips. I personally love the timeless look of red lipstick, but I think it's far too overpowering for me or, in my opinion, most forms of lolita (I have seen it done well, though, especially in gothic). Then I started thinking, what about if it's a Clara Bow? The Clara Bow was popular in the 20's, when tube lipstick was a new-fangled invention that allowed the girls more freedom with its application. It is applied by paling out the lips with primer and/or foundation and redrawing them in smaller &fuller- a good tutorial is here for anyone interested. The reason I think this works well with lolita is that the smaller lip is less overbearing, but is still full &cutely pouty &suits the doll-like look of classic or maybe even sweet... but don't get crazy. The Clara Bow can also be overpowering if it's accentuated too much, so keep it simple!

The last trend I want to address, &one of my personal favorites, plays with color palettes. Use a neutral like black, white, or gray, and pair it with a few pops of a bright color. I used black with pink for this example, but some others are brown with powder blue, grey with lavender, and white with sage green. Note that my examples are muted pastels, but you could potentially do something like red or hot pink if you have the right stuff. Caution - too bright colors can look kind of 80's revival. ~Fashion~ (who?) says that in order for a color to be incorporated into an outfit, you should have three+ pieces of that color as well as your base, so a "pop" would be only one or two small pieces or accessories- a hairbow, socks, or purse, for example. This is, as I said, my favorite current fashion trend &totally defines my non-lolita style - I am SUCH a sucker for neutrals this season! Last year I avoided them whenever possible, but this year I am relishing them - right now I'm wearing solely black &grey as we (type?) speak &it is delicious!

You know I will never tell you to dress like the rest of the world, readers. I adore your individuality &support sartorial experimentation in all its forms, but I also think it's important to look unexpected places for fashion inspiration, and you never know - that place could just be the latest issue of Vogue or Allure!

What are your favorite mainstream fashion trends right now? Do you incorporate them into lolita?

(also, apologies that I've been so sparse lately - I've had a lot of stuff on my plate, not least of which being my first legit University finals. Semester's almost over, though, so soon I will be out of excuses &will go back to updating twice a week or so!)

Thrift store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Thrift stores have long been praised by fashion mavens and broke college students alike, and our own little subculture has not been immune. For years, scrolling through outfits on both mainstream fashion blogs and daily_lolita alike, I wondered how they did it. A little bit of me died to see that the most amazing parts of an ensemble - a hairpiece here, a necklace there - being tagged, in rundowns, as "thrifted" or "vintage."

"How?!" I would cry, sifting through aisle after aisle at Goodwill. "How did you find these treasures?!"

Well, after a few years of trolling my own thrift stores and vintage or consignment shops, I'm proud to say I've picked up the knack. It's a simple combination of patience, creativity, and knowing where to look, which I'll share with all of my darling readers now!

At least, as much as I can. Part of the aforementioned patience is developing said knack, which takes a bit of time. First of all, research. Research is ALWAYS the first step! A quick Google search will tell you the more popular thrift & consignment shops in your area, and always keep an out for the littler ones around town. More about finding stores will come in the "knowing where to look" section. Another form of very important patience is: always remember that what you're looking for may not be there the first time. I've gone to some of my favorite thrift stores and seeing nothing but crap for weeks, to return and find the item of my dreams awaiting me! However, one time not to be patient is when you find said dream-item. Sometimes if it sits on the shelf for long enough, the management will lower its price or be more willing to haggle for it- but sometimes the next person to enter the store will be looking for the exact same thing! If you're unsure, grab it and carry it around with you while you're looking through the wares. Not only may you see its perfect accoutrement on your perusing, but it will give you time to think through your current wardrobe and decide if you have anything to wear it with, your likeliness of using it, etc.

Creativity is also key. Don't just look at the piece itself, look at fabric, ribbon, lace, or appliques on it. Or, instead of looking at the shape or that oversized T-shirt with the sweet print - look at the cute cutsew it could become! What you find may not be lolita in and of itself, but always go in with an open mind - obviously, it's also good to have a good knowledge & understanding of different styles, cuts, and trends within lolita you're looking to replicate in your own wardrobe. I recommend taking a look at your favorite brand's website before going, just to jog your imagination & stir your creativity. Don't buy it if you don't think you'll use it, though- sure, the fabric may be gorgeous, but you can't even thread a needle, how likely are you to turn it into the perfect ________?

Another big deal is knowing where to look. Like I mentioned earlier, a quick google search will show you the more popular stores in your area, but don't stop there! Explore your town or city and the surrounding ones, and ask around- my favorite thrift stores were both recommended to me by my grandmother. You may also be surprised at where you find these stores! If you live in a Christian-dominated area, many churches have little thrift shops attached or associated with them, whether it's an actual physical outbuilding or basement, or just a flea market in the summer months, so ask around. I also don't think it's weird to call some of the larger churches and ask - sometimes they will only be publicized or announced during services, and I've never been turned away for not being part of the parish! Note: I've never seen thrift stores at other religious organizations, but if you attend or live near a synagogue or mosque, I'm sure it wouldn't be rude to enquire! Also, I'm not frowning upon stand-alone consignment or thrift stores, however, in my experience the best, least-expensive goods come from church stores. I'm also not discouraging Goodwill or other chain thrift shops, I totally recommend them! Especially those with a purpose like Goodwill, where the money goes to a good cause. A tip: Go to the ones in richer areas. It may sound mean, but by going a few towns over from my own, I've seen authentic Coach, Kate Spade, and other big mainstream names - so I'm just sayin'.

Some good items for lolita to look for:

• HATS! I've had amazing luck with hats, mostly in vintage shops. Pillboxes, boaters, huge straw hats, I've seen some lovely ones and just this past holiday picked up some great ones myself, which will be probably be posted to my poupee account very soon!
• Jewelry, especially if you're nervous about germs (though I know most stores have all their good dry-cleaned before sale). Jewelry is good with lolita because too much vintage and it loses the lolita look, and a nice bracelet or necklace can add a bit of old-fashioned glamour to an otherwise overly sweet Angelic Pretty-style coordinate.
• Purses and bags are always good - you can find some cute, whimsical ones that add aforementioned glamour to an outfit.
• Skirts, tops, and dresses will usually need some help to be anything more than casual, but it's definitely doable, so don't let that stop you!

Thrift stores are treasure troves, to be certain, and they can lend the careful lolita's wardrobe many a gem. Remember that succeeding in any thrift store romp is really a matter of practice, so keep these tips in mind, but remember, you have to rely on your own instincts and ideas too! Thrifting really is a skill that comes with practice - so go on, get started! I can't wait to see the lovely vintage pieces you all come up with!

EDIT: New layout! I've been trying to find the right photo to make a custom header since before Miss Lumpy's debut, but the opportunity finally presented itself while visiting family this weekend! What do you guys think?