Hey all, some of you may recognize me from my blog on Wordpress. I might be switching over here to Blogspot because I like the customization options, so I'm playing around with it. Right now my posts are the ones from my Wordpress archive that I still like &think still pertain. Let me know what you all think!

Continuing my Zodiac Loli series today with air signs! Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius lolis ahead:

Gemini v1 by herlumpiness featuring Tarina Tarantino jewelry

Gemini, the Twins: Gemini is, first and foremost, the eternal child. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the planet of information, intellect, and communication, which these days translates into, of course, the Internet. The Gemini lolita is tech-savvy, up on all the recent drama, checks the community twenty times a day, though they may or may not really be very active. Their childlike nature (“childlike,” remember, is a very different word than “childish.” Gemini is very mature, just with an eternal youthfulness) creates in them a creativity with their wardrobe, as well as a love of color &frivolousness – fairy-loli is where it's at for these ladies. The keywords here are eccentric, eye-catching, and experimental. If there is any possible way it can be neon or brightly-colored, it will be.

Libra v1 by herlumpiness featuring Juicy Couture jewelry

Libra, the Scales: Libra is noted as having an air of mellow relaxation. They are very elegant and refined, turning their noses up at the mundane. They're definitely the type to enjoy the luxury of brand names, but it's more important for them to enjoy the fit, quality, and style of each piece they own than just to be decked out head-to-toe. They're also ruled by Venus, like my beloved Taurus, so luxury &beauty is very important to them, as well as actualizing both qualities into their daily life. Librans love textures, from opulent ones like organza and fur to rustic straw hats and thick woolen socks. They're also very charmed by accessories, so they're likely to pile them on – remember, though, that Librans are the epitome of taste and elegance and will never look overdone or out of place. Colors associated with Libra-the-lolita are earthy but elegant, like brass, antique gold, and light brown.

Aquarius v1 by herlumpiness featuring Masquerade shoes

Aquarius, the Water Bearer: Aquarius means business. Aquarius knows exactly how it wants to look, what it wants to wear, and the exact image it gives off. The water-bearer does not fool around when it comes to fashion; they will bend over backwards for no magazine! They create their own rules – I remember an Aquarian lolita once telling me “I'm giving up socks. I'm not going to wear knee-socks or OTKs or any of it anymore. It's either tights or nothing. Socks are just not elegant enough.” And once an Aquarian decides something, it is decided. They have a pioneering edge that will not give up, will always be trying something new. Aquarius is, however, the water-bearer. She is very intimately close with water, which is ever-moving and ever-changing, so the Aquarian style is ever-evolving, always pushing the envelope, always trying to find a way to perfectly channel themselves. They're very given to historical inspiration; almost all of the Aquarian lolitas I've encountered are classic or at least have a great personal interest in history. Jen associates the Aquarian lolita with the colors dark brown, sky blue, white and maaaaybe light pink, depending on the person's individual style. But remember, Aquarius is not one to be defined, and could very well be absolutely nothing like this. The point with Aquarius is individuality.

Other signs:

Zodiac Loli: Earth Signs &Introduction

Some of you may not have picked up on this yet, but I'm a pretty big hippie. This is largely to blame on my ex-roommate and forever love Jen, who is a certified astrologer &introduced me to Tarot, pendant-divination, and chakra cleansing in the three months she lived with me, as well as the study of the Western zodiac. It's funny - once you're introduced to this stuff, you can't begin to imagine how people live without it. You start thinking in terms of Tarot cards, diagnosing ailments on behalf of blocked chakras, and, especially in my case, start blaming things on your astrology. In short, you look for connections. For the entire history of my blog, I've been meaning to do a write-up of Zodiac for Lolitas, so this weekend I sat down with Jen &her laptop, &brainstormed what attributes of which signs would come over into a lolita's manner of dressing. I'm going to be transcribing all of my quotes, as well as some quotes from Jen herself on the subject, into a four-part series organized by the element of each sign, starting with Earth (I'm biased).

(Please note that the following is really all in jest, and that there is a lot more to someone's astrological chart than their sun signs - if something in your sign seems totally unlike you, remember that these are stereotypes and that not everyone fits them! There is also much more to your astrological birth chart to consider - many of my lolita friends show their ascendant or rising sign more than their sun signs because we so often put up a front when we dress up.)

Taurus v1 by herlumpiness featuring Forever21 jewelry

Taurus, the Bull: The ruling planet of Taurus is Venus, the planet of love an beauty. Therefore, Taureans have a love of beauty that borders on obsession. Like their bovine namesakes, Cow-people have an easy, lazy air about them and a stubborn loyalty that you do not want to cross. Their top priorities are being pretty and being comfortable. Since they're very nostalgic, they'll forever relate colors and styles to things that have made them comfortable in the past, so the Taurean clothing style is very personal and unique to the individual – not always something you can define or pinpoint. The Earthly bull is very soothed by nature, so they will often include them into their wardrobes. It would have been easy to put my Taurus in brown, but really, many Taureans find brown too harsh and stark for their own wardrobes. They are more comfortable in lighter, soothing colors like sage green and lavender. This isn't true of all Taureans, of course- as I said above, their nostalgic nature means that the specifics will change, but the ideas of achievable, comfortable beauty is very high on their priorities.

Virgo v1 by herlumpiness on Polyvore.com

Virgo, the Virgin: Virgo, like all Earth signs, is very traditional. The guiding theory behind Virgo is what Jen calls “purity of purpose.” Virgos, when it comes to fashion, are the ones wearing the exquisitely-tailored suit that doesn't even need to be plastered with labels for you to know it's on par with Armani; the same goes for lolita. Virgo is the one decked head-to-toe in brand, and even without a name showing, you just know – not because of the status symbol, but because they know that brand names are synonymous with quality. The purity of high-quality items hold with the Virgoan motto of Purity of Purpose. Their presence is enough; they don't need to go Over The Top to be noticed. These are the Earth signs who will go for dark, deep brown, because they like elegance of it; the same is true of maroon. If they go for a light color, they'll prefer cream to pure white; they're too sensible to wear something so easily dirtied, though, so they usually will prefer colors. Virgos also like historically-inspired clothing, because of their love of tradition and the idea that if something has lasted this long, it must be good.

Capricorn v1 by herlumpiness on Polyvore.com

Capricorn, the Seagoat: First of all... what the hell is a Seagoat?! Anyway, Capricorn, like other Earth signs, is very traditional. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet of rules and laws, and therefore there is nothing they love more than following all of the established rules – this could be what drew them to lolita in the first place. Traditionally, most people would think of Capricorn as being a gothic lolita because of its connection to dark Saturn, but in fact, they would be too worried about what people would say about them to do so, and are more likely to go for old-school sweet or classic, if they go for lolita at all, really. It's all about established tradition. They're not ones to do much innovating; they prefer to accept rules as they are. Despite their dislike of negative attention, Capricorns have a secret longing for fame, and therefore they like that brand names are status symbols. In the end, though, they're too thrifty to spend hundreds of dollars on one dress, so they'll probably go for brand accessories and an off-brand dress of fantastic quality. They also put fashion over comfort - they're the type to wear a tightly-laced steel boned corset under their dresses all day, simply because, in their mind, it's "what you do." Colors that Capricorns are drawn to are either very classic colors like pale pink or blackxwhite coordinated looks, or the colors of their ruling planet Saturn: plum or light gray.

This evening I watched the 2006 HBO/BBC production of As You Like It. I've just finished reading the play in my Shakespeare class, and am about to write a critical analysis of it (maybe - or should I choose A Midsummer Night's Dream?! Decisions, decisions - the cruel fate of the English major!) and my teacher recommended seeing a production or movie-adaptation of the play we choose first. The text mentioned the Kenneth Branagh version as taking place in post-feudal Japan, so of course, my interest was peaked. I really recommend this version - the costumes are so beautiful, a necessity as even in Shakespeare's original the plot is incredibly lacking as compared to the characters. There doesn't really seem to be any point in setting it in Japan, but it does make for some very pretty costumes and settings. One character in particular strikes me, and that is Aliena. Cousin to the main character Rosalind, she was rather cast-aside in the original; this film version gives her a role as pastoral shepherdess and outfits her in florals, sage green, and hip-length blond hair woven with flowers.

She starts out the movie as a courtier named Celia, all curled-updo and satin corsetry:

Celia, in blue, before the exile

Rosalind is exiled, and Celia sneaks away with her, calling herself Aliena ("the estranged one," according to my textbook) to Rosalind's new pseudonym "Ganymede." However, after entering the forest of Arden, she finds herself exhausted and distressed, not having realized what she got herself into. She becomes tousled and unkempt, her appearance mirroring her fatigue:

Disheveled Aliena with Touchstone the fool

All she wants is a place to rest and food to eat! Once she gets these and becomes comfortable in her surroundings, she accepts the pastoral life Fortune has temporarily provided her with:

Aliena, mori-style

I can't even begin to explain how much I love this look. If I could drses like this everyday I think I could die happy!

Aliena by herlumpiness

Get that look:

• Use soft, dusty pastels like sage, rose, or cream
• Use a ruffled bolero to allude to her ruffled overdress
• Keep make-up and hair natural; a bit of just-kissed-pink gloss, cream shadow, and tousled hair
• Don't overdo accessories - use rose corsages or make yourself a flower crown out of fake flowers, or even real if they're blooming for you!
• In my mind, Aliena is barefoot, but as this isn't really too practical for her as a shepherdess or you in the modern world, break lolita convention and go for a pair of sturdy yet comfy gladiator sandals, as in my imagination all historical fashions favored.

For those of you who are into Shakespeare, I... don't recommend this movie or even the original play. However, for those of you who are interested in period drama and enjoy historical costume, beautiful imagery, and quotable characters, definitely check this version out. Anyone interested in boystyle? Check out Rosalind as Ganymede - hottie!

Bryce Dallas Howard as Ganymede/Rosalind, in brown

Though I must admit, Orlando is quite a looker himself. I... don't know who that other man is.

This weekend I got the opportunity to interview my good friend Kelsey, designer, production team, &general mastermind behind American lolita brand I Do Declare (also, she is officially custom-making my party dress for my birthday extravaganza - if that doesn't prove my trust in her skills what does?!)

Heraldry skirt and buckle-back lace blouse

Lumpy: Tell me a little about yourself. What's your name? Where are your from? What styles of lolita do you prefer to wear?

Kelsey: My name is Kelsey and i grew up in Florida... perhaps no the best state for lolita because of the climate. My favorite style is classic lolita... though for this coming spring I'm starting to want classic lolita cuts and styles in sweet colors!

Lumpy: How did you get into fashion design, &what made you want to start designing lolita clothing?

Kelsey: Well, I started sewing costumes for myself and friends in my freshman year of highschool and discovered that I had a talent for it! Ever since then I've been designing and sewing. I started making lolita clothes for a few reasons but the most prominent was that I couldn't afford to buy any! haha and now I still love to make lolita clothes because it's hard to find a flattering fit for westerners in japanese lolita clothing... and I think that above all else your clothes should flatter you!

Lumpy: What inspired the name and the initial behind your brand?

Kelsey: My roomate actually came up with the name I Do Declare. I wanted something that evoked royalty without being pretty pretty princess about it. And I think that applies to the clothes also. I prefer simple lines and flattering cuts in my designs but in higher quality fabric.

Lumpy: What are some themes that you like to draw upon in your designs? Are there any recurring motifs that crop up in your lines?

Kelsey: Like I said, I like simple lines in my clothing but I also adore the Rococo period. I like to incorperate some of that wonderful 18th century style. Also I like to incorporate some prints... Recently I've been obsessed with heraldic imagery so I've been incorporating that into my clothing with things like the Heraldry print and the Antique Unicorn print! I'm working on something with a Lion next. I've used a few prints in the past like the Welcome to Wonderland print and the Dinosaur Mode Girl. . . both of them are a little more humorous than what I'm working on now but that doesn't mean I'm abandoning that quirkiness.

Lumpy: If you could use three words to I Do Declare, what would they be?

Kelsey: Haha This kind of question is always so hard! Classical, quirky and historically inspired. Although I suppose the last one is two words...

Lumpy: Where do you get your inspiration from?

Kelsey: I have to say first and foremost from history. I'm a giant nerd for the 18th century! Also my friends... I get a lot of great feedback from them.

Lumpy: What are you working on right now?

Kelsey: Right now I'm working on a line of showpieces for the upcoming Dances of Vice in March. The theme for the event is Spring in Wonderland so I'm doing rococo interpretations of some of the characters. I'm really excited about the whole thing.

Lumpy: What can you tell me about your current line?

Kelsey: The line for winter is the Antique Unicorn line. It's a print in silver or gold available on skirts, bags and shirts. Every item is hand printed so each one is a little different!

Lumpy: I know you've been participating in some alternative fashion shows in and around New York City. Tell me about that – how did you get involved? What's it like planning your own fashion show?

Kelsey: For the past year I've been doing shows at conventions along the east coast, I'd like to think I got started doing shows because my reputation as a designer got out though really it seems to have been a series of fortunate accidents! Planning a show is really a lot of fun! I like to recruit all my models first then dress them in something that I think will flatter then specifically. I think the audience will enjoy it more if they can tell the models like the clothes they are wearing!

Lumpy: I've heard that your going to be participating in a Dances of Vice Etsy store. What are you going to be doing with them?

Kelsey: I am! I was really flattered to be asked to participate. I've done a custom print for them and right now it's available on tote bags. I think I may do a few custom outfits for them as well.

I Do Declare exclusive print for DoV

Lumpy: What are your future plans for expansion?

Kelsey: I'm hoping to get some items started in production. As it is right now I make ever item by hand. . and I'd like to have some items produced like my favorite skirt pattern (pleated at the waist with pockets). Then I'll be able to add whatever print I like by hand. I'm hoping to be able to get that started by the end of this year.

Thank you so much for talking to me, Kelsey, and best of luck on your plans for the future!

Miss Lumpy for I Do Declare

For more from Kelsey:

I Do Declare blog

I Do Declare on Etsy