One of my first blog posts, way back in the day, was lolified versions of mainstream trends. At the time, I was getting much more interested in mainstream fashion due to my customer-facing job, and since I enjoyed writing it so much and have found myself in a similar place sartorially, I've decided to bring it back for Spring 2014! As I don't exist in a lolita-specific bubble, nor do the rest of us, it's become one of my pastimes to keep up with this season's trends for my work and general non-lolita wardrobe. I've never been a trend-chaser, but looking at mainstream fashion recently has actually proved to be quite inspirational for my lolita coordinates as well. While we obviously do have our own trends that crop up, I feel like they aren't as diverse or rapidly-changing as the mainstream world is, so even they can get boring at times.

For example, some huge trends right now is layered chiffon, longer hemlines, and more mature color schemes, but many of the American lolitas I know have been doing that for years already. I remember planning my spring/summer wardrobe for 2010 and waxing poetic about those exact same looks, and I have friends of five years whom I've never seen in a regular cotton blouse or with exposed knees. Trends in lolita take years to build up, whereas in main stream fashion they're gone and forgotten within months. While that's slightly intimidating, and certainly would be costly to keep up with religiously, I think that turning to mainstream fashion for lolita inspiration can not only keep the subculture interesting, but since we can expect our malls and department stores to carry these items, it can be a great way to expand a lolita wardrobe as well. 

Three Mainstream Fashion Trends for Lolitas, Spring 2014

Spring 2014 Trends, Lolita Versions - orchid, bold lips, fancy shades, flower crowns

The top 3 mainstream trends for lolita, in my mind, are bold lips (particularly in orchid), embellished sunglasses, and flower crowns. A bold lip can be a great way to tie a secondary color more profoundly into your coordinate, as with the shades of purple in the outfit above. Particularly fab for the spring and summer sun, embellished sunglasses are an unexpected accessory for lolitas - bonus points if they're star- or heart-shaped; here, the little 3-D roses mimic the flowers in the Lady Sloth skirt's print, while bringing some pastel life to the otherwise muted piece. And finally, flower crowns/headbands feel to me like something that mainstream fashion actually borrowed from lolita, instead of the other way around; they've been growing in popularity for the past few springs, but this is certain the heyday for lolita flower accessories.

Those are my top three mainstream trends for lolitas this spring/summer, but there are so many good ones, I couldn't only pick one coordinate's worth!

Bonus Extra Set!

Lolita coordinate with sheer accents

For this outfit, the only spring trend I went with was the previously-mentioned chiffon. While in lolita it's common for us to wear full pieces of chiffon, such as a blouse or ruffled underskirt, I've noticed that mainstream fashion is being drawn more to pieces with bits of chiffon mixed in with other fabrics, such as cottons, synthetics, and satin. When I saw this Angelic Pretty dress, I knew it was perfect for this trend, and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to design a coordinate around it!

So, readers, I'm curious: do you follow mainstream fashion trends?

And if so, which are your current favorites to mix with lolita?

 It's officially spring! This is a coordinate for an impromptu afternoon tea I held for my friend Carol and I. My boyfriend, who is the sweetest in the land, made us some lovely tea sandwiches, as well as water flavored with raspberries, lemon, and cucumber slices, and Carol baked cookies. I thought I'd have more time to make something than I actually did, so I just bought some macarons and lemon bars.

In honor of spring, I wanted to go for a pastoral, almost flower-child like vibe. This skirt, which was handmade by one of the NYC lolitas, is really perfect for that theme, as it depicts Victorian men and women playing croquet and promenading outside. I left my hair in its natural curls, though I contained them slightly in twin tails (which I haven't worn in forever! Since I stopped wearing sweet lolita, I believe?)

Rundown:

Cutsew: Angelic Pretty

Skirt: Dix Macabre

Flower crown: Wet Seal

Tights: Target

Boots: Funtasma

How do you like my boots? They were my anniversary present from boyfriend, and I'm fairly obsessed, to tell the truth! I've been meaning to buy a pair of Victorian-style boots for years and years, but when I found these I unfortunately didn't have much spending money. I was going to just wait until payday, but then Ryan offered to buy them for me as an anniversary present! It's a good thing, too, because I always do that end then either lose the link to whatever it is I wanted to buy, or talk myself out of it by the time I actually get the money. It's a terrible habit of mine!

Detail shots:

Are you as excited as I am for the change of seasons? I feel like spring is the perfect time of year for lolita fashion, but autumn can be so beautiful as well. I'm always drawn to lighter palettes when it starts getting warm, like this outfit, but I don't think I'll be able to leave my dark colors behind completely...

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

It couldn't truly be said that the girls were sisters; memories of their entangled lives reached back no further than The Final War, as is true with all the straggling handful of survivors. The biological warfare that ravaged the planet was the result of growing tension between governments who had sought to annihilate each other, and perhaps in some aspects they succeeded. Those who lived through the horrors they had witnessed were not survivors, not really; that word invokes the image of grizzled youths fighting for their lives against forces they were prepared to combat, and no one had been prepared for this. The devastation was not meant to be survived. Even the officials in their bunkers had been found dead within 48 hours. It was a genetic mutation that saved the remaining humans, and those who were left seemed to sort of wander around in a daze, waiting to starve to death or remembering, as if hallucinating, the lives they'd lost.

The girls had abandoned names when they found each other. They referred to each other as "sister," a barely-remembered word that was almost lost with the rest of their memories. They wandered, day in and day out, living in a realm between reality and fantasy. They knew no age, no status, yet they clung to bits of propriety that were remembered more as habits than necessities; the elder still laced her corset every morning, and the younger tied her bonnet's ribbons under her chin as if anyone were still there to care.

On the first sunny morning after the attack, a half-remembered word flitted through their minds. They couldn't quite grasp it, but it was there, whispering seductively around every stream of sunlight on their skin, demanding attention. The sisters followed it through the trees, half-catching it and losing it again with every step, until they came upon the field. Something sparked when they saw the picnic basket, but it was the hoop for which a name produced itself. The elder touched it with the reverence of an ancient artifact and breathed the word "Toy," the only name she could grasp onto of all those vague remembrances flashing behind her eyes. She could remember nothing: only the dance.

The scene was like one of their plaguing hallucinations: everything was laid out - the table, the basket, the food - as if the diners had just gotten up and left on a whim. There was something so haunting to the whole scene that the younger found herself entranced by it- it made her feel like that ghostly word was within her reach, and that there was somehow something to be gained if she could only catch it. It was like grabbing at smoke until she put her fingers around the handle of the basket.

As the sisters passed the abandoned basket between their fingers, they couldn't help feeling like something had fallen into place. There was something here, they could tell, some link to a past that was feeling more and more distant every day. Perhaps they somehow knew the truth, that this picnic had been set out for them in the days when they had someone who cared enough to give them pleasant things. As they passed the basket between them, the younger smiled up at her older sister and whispered that elusive word that had so often escaped them.

 

"Home."

Here's what I wore for a double-date picnic on Monday with Kayla and our boys! My boyfriend bought me the hairbow when we went to a festival on Mother's Day so I wanted to design an outfit that would match it ♥ I adore my overdress from IDD, and I've been trying to think of some other ways to coordinate it, so when I realized that it matched the bow perfectly, I threw it on over the blouse and jumperskirt I was already wearing. I think I'm going to wear this for my birthday party, too. I love the Wonderland feel to these pictures - the shed from my backyard reminds me of the Rabbit's house if Alice had grown big outside of it instead of inside!
Unfortunately my curls ended up falling by the time I got to my boyfriend's house, so I just ended up doing a flip instead.
Rundown:

• JSK: Bodyline
• Blouse: H&M
• Overdress: I Do Declare custom commission
• Socks: Secret Shop
• Shoes: Offbrand

We went to a lovely field surrounded by woodlands for the picnic and ate lunch in the shade of a long-deceased rich woman's summer cottage. She had donated the house and acres and acres of the surrounding property to the town, and now they do tours of it and have butterfly gardens and woodland trails through the rest of it.

Also, guess what? Today is my birthday! :)

Circus, ballet, mermaids... lolitas like themes. And while some prints become iconic, you have to admit that, as a group, we can be somewhat fickle when it comes to our obsessions. One season it's children's toys, the next it's sweets, the next everything is covered in bows-on-bows-on-bows. However, there is one symbol that has become eternal in our silly little fashion, appearing season after season: The rose.

Why is this? Versatility, methinks. The rose can be pinned onto any subcategory of lolita without being out of place: bubblegum pink for sweet, cream for classic, deep blood red for gothic, etc. - the only exception, I'd say, would be sailor, but I'm not dismissing even that completely. Whether it's attached to a headdress or woven into lace, the rose is a symbol that I think we, as a collective, are happily stuck with. With spring approaching, I personally am looking forward to incorporating the rose and other lovely flowers into my life in many ways, and of course this would include lolita.

But how, Lumpy? you ask. Flowers are expensive, and unlike a bouquet of buttons or a corsage of ribbons, fresh roses will wilt and die. Ahh, my children, you have much to learn. Namely about the wonders of the craft store.

Yes, of course I mean fake flowers. How else could you expect to coordinate them all season, and for many seasons to come? However, this doesn't solve the problem completely- now that I have my fake flowers, what I do wiff it? Well, that's what I'd like to talk about today.

First of all, a pin or brooch pin (you know- they have flat tops to attach to brooches, and some sort of fancy hook on the other side) would be very helpful, and mot of these ideas would be made much more difficult without hot glue, though those that are attached to fabric in some way could, I suppose, be sewn on, and I'm sure wire would work just as well or better than glue for some. However, I'm sticking to that which I know: A pin, hot glue, and your flower of choice, obviously in a shade that best matches your wardrobe or the outfit you want to coordinate with. Next, connect.

Tada! You're done!

Wait... what? That wasn't helpful at all! Okay, okay, so that was a cop-out. Sorry all. Here are some ideas I've found or come up with for your new rose-(or daisy-, or peony-)brooch.
Pin it to:

• The front of your blouse (over the top button) for a pop of color and theme to a plain top
• The middle section of your headbow, or any large bows you have along the hemline or neckline of your outfit
• The zipper of your purse, or where the handles connect to the main body of the bag
• The ends of your braided pigtails
• Your shoe straps, if applicable
• The top of a bustle- super-cute if attached to a bow at the top of the bustle!

If you're more interested in your coiffure than your ensemble, here are some ideas ganked from the big brands:

1. Rose hairband from Victorian Maiden
2. Rose headdress from Mary Magdalene
3. Simple rose hairpiece from Mary Magdalene
4. Beret with roses and ribbon from Mary Magdalene
5. Rose bow combs from BABY, The Stars Shine Bright
6. Rose and lace headband from BABY, The Stars Shine Bright

Don't limit yourself to just roses, of course- imagine those rose bow combs with daisies instead, or stick a white lily into your curls, or even just go to a local meadow (for a picnic, maybe?) and pick some widlflowers to braid into your hair or weave into crowns. Not so crafty? Buy a single long-stemmed rose in a color that matches your coordinate and tie a length of ribbon just under the bloom - voila! Instant, seasonally-appropriate scepter!