And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted---nevermore!

If you don't already know that I'm a huge literature nerd, this must be your first time here. So a few months ago, when I first saw Escapist Fashion's Nevermore Raven Cameo tee, I knew I had to have one. The design is just so classy, so elegant, and so pretty that it perfectly suits the evocative poem by Edgar Allen Poe that serves as its inspiration. I messaged Megan and she was sweet enough to send me one to review for all of you!

The package was shipped a few days after our conversation, and I received it in perfect condition a few days after that. The shirt was packed in a plastic shopping bag, and then in a bubble mailer which was then duct taped closed.

The shirt itself immediately became one of my favorites. It's so soft and comfortable and fits me perfectly. There's an Escapist Fashion tag sewn over the manufacturer's tag on the back of the shirt, but it's soft and doesn't feel prickly or itchy at all, as tags sometimes can. Megan also included an adorable playing hard hairbow as a surprise! So sweet~

As you can see, the print is a little smudged, and it makes the words a little hard to read. However, I don't think it takes away from the general appearance of the shirt or makes it any less striking. In fact, I think the fact that it takes a little more effort to read it adds to the shirt- at first you'd just think it's a cameo of a bird, but then, if you take the time to read the "Nevermore" you realize it's actually a reference to Poe's "The Raven." I also really like the stippled effect of the ink. I've had screenprinted shirts that had ink so thick it cracked on the first wear, so it seems like this one's more durable. Speaking of durability, I've also machine-washed and dried this once or twice already and had no problems with it, which is great with lolita clothing!

Another angle of the screenprint:

Coordinated:

Rundown:

Shirt: Escapist fashion

Skirt and boots: Bodyline

Underskirt: Metamorphose

Brooch: Alice and the Pirates

Socks: Offbrand

Hair accessories: Various- BABY, H&M, and offbrand from Japan

Conclusion:

I'd give this shirt a 4 out of 5. The screenprinting it a little blurry in some places, but for the most part, it's an excellent addition to my wardrobe. It's great for a casual gothic look or with a mini skirt or jeans to wear to class. I definitely recommend Escapist Fashion- Megan was wonderful to work with and the quality of her work is really quite lovely. I definitely recommend Escapist Fashion, and would definitely buy from her again! ♥


Escapist Fashion blog
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Also known as the pinkest post you're likely to ever see here at Her Lumpiness!

This year I was finally able to make it to the Sakura Matsuri lolita meetup at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens! It was so amazing, totally worth the trip and making myself ill with exhaustion- the flowers were all beautifully in bloom and gave life a rosier tint than usual, and it was lovely to see all the girls I hadn't seen in ages, as well as meeting a few new friends! Unfortunately, as mentioned, I did make myself very ill from the past week's school stress on top of a minimal (to put it lightly) sleep schedule, so the latter half of the day was not the most enjoyable experience. However, it included bubble tea, sushi, and my friends taking care of me on the train home, so I suppose there are worse ways to spend evenings ♥

I didn't get many pictures, but here are the few I did manage to snap:

Being goobers on the train: Bonnet mustaches! My ribbon was chafing my chin, so I scootched it up to under my lips.... and then it just went downhill from there.

 Savannah:

Tina:

 

Some much less goober-y ladies at the picnic:

Andrea of Weekend Lolita

Bianca- it was so nice to finally meet you!

 Andrea's fab IW socks, which all of us were lusting over

 Skirts (Nancy's and mine- I kind of had an obsession with detail shots that day...)

My bento! I made these for myself, Savannah, and Tina (though Tina's was sans meatballs). We had macaroni and cheese, chickpea salad, sweet barbecued tofu, green beans, edamame, and Asian turkey meatballs. I also made us onigiri for breakfast/snacking- we went pretty Asian in honor of the festival, haha!

A shot of the cherry blossoms

And now, to what I wore! Jeez, I look so dour in this photo...

Rundown:

• Blouse: IW
• Skirt: Lolita Nouveau
• Bonnet: Handmade
• Tights: Sock Dreams
• Boots, sweater: Offbrand

Savannah and I were photographed for Mighty Harajuku! I was so proud- I've wanted to be since I heard about the project, so I'm so happy that I finally was! Stay genki Japan♥

Ugh, those bonnets... what a wreck! It was 2 AM the night before and I was still cooking when Savannah realized we hadn't even started them yet, so she started doing the cutting and gluing, and as soon as the bento food was done I finished mine up and helped her with hers. We finished everything around 4:15, and it was 5 before I was asleep, then up at 8:30 to start getting ready... that's why, as soon as we got home that night, I promptly went to sleep for 17 hours. I feel so much better! I should get a full week's sleep in one night more often! I've made a vow with myself to never subject myself to less than 6 hours of sleep again, which with finals breathing down my neck is probably wishful thinking...

It's officially spring! What are you doing to celebrate it?

Ooh, we have a "location" option on blogger now! Nifty! Wonder what it does... 

I did it- I gave Anime Boston another chance. This time, I tried my hand at vending in the Artist's Alley, where I shared a table with Carolyn of Ophanim Gothique. I had help from the lovely Miss Marrisa (check out her blog here!), who manned my table while I meandered about the con and let me nap on her when I got back. While I'll hopefully have a few more photos to show later in the week, here are some outfit shots of what we wore!

♥Rundown♥:

Bonnet: Ophanim

OP: Angelic Pretty

Cardigan (purchased at the con from Kathryn!): Emily Temple Cute

Socks: Angelic Pretty

Shoes: Bodyline

Corset (shown below): Lolita Nouveau





 Shame the only picture I have of the corset in this outfit is such a shoddy one... in which I was sorting through my drugs... (Don't worry, they're just tylenol and ibuprofen!)

 ♥Rundown♥:

Bonnet: Ophanim

Cardigan and top: Offrand

Skirt: Candy Violet

Socks: Fan + Friend
Shoes: Bodyline

Jewelry: Offbrand & Ophanim

Amaranth Opulent did a pretty good business that day! I sold more than half of what I brought and definitely met expectations, profit-wise. And it was so nice to see everyone again, or meet you all for the first time! I've been saying that my experience at this Anime Boston would be what determines if I continue going to cons, and despite an absolutely wretched beginning of the day (missing our bus and forgetting my wallet and umbrella at our friends' house, after fifteen minutes of sleep all night), my experience this Saturday really was a great one. It was really nice to just chill with Caro, her boyfriend Justin, and Marrisa, and seeing everyone was really great too. If the opportunity comes up to vend at another convention, I might jump on it, but as far as general attendance goes I think this'll probably be my last time. I'm just too old for this crap! I started going to anime cons when I was 12- that's almost a decade of cosplayers, otaku, and all the other things that come with conventions, and I'm really not sure if I'm up for the money- and energy-drain anymore!

Readers: Do you go to anime conventions? Do you like it?

Bonus: What I wore at AB last year!

Easter seems like the ultimate lolita holiday. Technicolor marshmallows in the shapes of chicks, milk chocolate bunnies, jelly beans in every color imaginable- and need I mention pastels? Even as someone who doesn't celebrate the holiday, I can't help but feel like we're finally approaching those few weeks of absolutely perfect lolita-wearing weather - not too hot that you're sweating in your petticoats, but not too cold that you need to bundle up in your winter coats. What with prints like Happy Garden and Sheep Garden, it's clear that the big brands are finally picking up on the attraction, which means that anyone who owns the above or any other prints that have been released this season or last is pretty much set. But what about for the rest of us? Here are a few ways to celebrate the sweetness of spring without breaking the bank on a one-season-only print:

♥Make a straw bonnet! My friend Savannah and I are going to make these as soon as we get a chance, inspired by this post on Ophanim. It seems easy, not too pricey, and the end result is too cute! Cover it with ribbons, fake flowers, and bows and you have a new staple accessory for spring.  Imagine this with a country lolita outfit- spring perfection that would carry into summer, too!

♥Make yourself an Easter basket! Buy armfuls of way-too-bright candy and trinkets, and display them in anything you have on hand- a basket, bowl, or even a purse you aren't using right now. Alternatively, splurge and buy yourself a nice box of gourmet chocolates. My favorite chocolatier has lavender, violet, and rose truffles that are perfect for this time of year.

♥If you're not into candy (who are you?!), bake something nice for yourself and your loved ones. Cupcakes decorated with icing roses or chocolate chip cookies with pastel M&Ms are exactly what this season calls for.

♥Decorating eggs is by far my favorite childhood memory of Easter, right up there with scouring the house for our hidden Easter baskets. There are so many fun tips and tricks for fancy eggs that I could share, but instead, I'll give you a new one that blows my mind with its beauty: herb-stenciled eggs. What an amazing way to class up an Easter standby- imagine these in pastels! Not able to dye eggs? Try this adorable paint chip garland instead.

♥Go for a super-spring makeup look. I just got an amazing lavender eyeshadow that is so perfect for spring, I can't even handle it. Other shades to try are pastel blue, baby pink, or a bright, shimmery white. Adorn it with a rhinestone, if that's your thing (I'm thinking of using flatback pearls in a makeup look sometime for a classier version of this sweet staple) or draw on a coquettish beauty mark in the shape of a heart.

♥Go out for a walk in the fresh spring air and watch for new growth; channel Mary Lennox and walk the perimeter of your garden, breathing fresh, green air and observing the world as she wakes from hibernation.

♥Alternatively, if you've been having the same weather we have here in New England, sit in the window with a cup of tea, a good book, and a lace shawl as you watch the grass drink the spring rain.

Readers: What's your favorite way to welcome spring?

by Pretty Disease on Tumblr

I'm sure you guys remember my post from last week, Picnic at World's End, which is a short photo-story inspired by a photo shoot I had with my friend Savannah that weekend. Well, there were quite a few pictures that we liked that didn't fit with the theme, so here are a handful of them!

Look, I'm smiling again! Weird! I think I'm getting into the habit of it.

My favorite thing about this shot is that my camera focused not on Savannah's face, but on the flowers in her hair and the edge of her bonnet.

Savvy also just started a blog, so if you're interested in art, crafts, and lolita you should totally check it out here! She's so talented~ She's actually the artist I'm working with to turn the short story from the last post into a comic, which has been giving me great joy in the past week or two. I love having creative projects to work on , it's so cathartic.

Speaking of creative projects, heads up! I'm going to be at Anime Boston this year on Saturday, April 23rd only. I'll be in the Artist's Alley sharing a table with Ophanim and I'll have lots of limited edition not-sold-online goods. Please come check us out! ♥