Book-Inspired Coordinates

November 15, 2013November 17, 2013 / lolitaland / 2 Comments

I am so excited about this week’s LBC topic: “Book Inspired Coordinations!” Reading has always been a favorite hobby of mine, and I am still very pro-books! I know many people want to switch to e-Readers or reading things online instead of borrowing real books from the library or going book-shopping, but I still love the feeling of reading a book that is physically right in front of me. I like the feeling of turning each page, I like the smell of books (especially old books from those random yard sales or library book sales), and I love the personality of used books.

For this topic, I decided I want to post two coordinates. One that I wore last week (and was very much inspired by my love of books and reading) and one that I will come up with and post later (perhaps as a new post), that will be inspired by a specific book or book series.

First up: the book-themed coordinate!

I tried to achieve a classy and elegant look with this coordinate, inspired by my love of books, but more specifically, my love of classic literature. If classic literature could be personified into a Lolita, I hope she would wear something like this! It is hard to see in the photo, but I wearing a lovely vintage cameo necklace. It was such a great find at a thrift shop. ❤

I also love how long this JSK is on me; it reminds me of a high bookshelf, full of a variety of books spanning across time periods and genres. I like to imagine that every item on the skirt is a different book (but I know that there are repeats of the same book printed on the fabric… I can still dream though!).

Now when did I wear this book-inspired coord? For my friend Terry’s birthday party! Here are some photos from the event:

As you can see above, it was a windy (and chilly) day, but nothing could stop us from celebrating a friend’s birthday with lots of frills and fun! ^-^

The birthday girl even purikura’d this selca of us~! Isn’t she such a cutie? I hope she had a lovely time on her birthday!

But back to the book theme… I really love this JSK. ❤ The print even has metallic gold details! Just look at the detailing in the print: the spines of the books are so intricate. Wow, this blog post was truly all over the place. Sorry I haven’t been writing many blog posts! At least the Lolita Blog Carnival gives me a reason to remember to blog. It is difficult to find time for blogging when I’m bogged down with academic life. I will try my best to write posts more often!

I will write up some more about a coord inspired by a specific book or book series later!

~Be sure to read other blog posts on this topic for the Lolita Blog Carnival!

Elegant Poupee, Papillon de Nuit, A Little Bit of This… a Little Bit of That Too, Sweet Indeed, New Vogue Children, Lolita Cor-de-Rosa, FYeah Lolita, Päivänvarjon alla, Daily Fuckery, Snow Rose, Spider Sugar, The Bloody Tea Party, Doll Life

3 Trends I Could Never Get Into

October 5, 2013 / lolitaland / 3 Comments

This Week’s Prompt: 3 Trends You Could Never Get Into

I am not sure if all of these are considered Lolita trends, but here is a list of three things in Lolita fashion that I don’t think I could ever get into:

1) Rockinghorse Shoes

I know that many Lolitas love Rockinghorse Shoes, and I think they work well in some coordinates, but this is one trend that I would never be able to get into. I do not like how the bottoms of the shoes are shaped… They don’t look quite like platforms, and I don’t know if I would be able to wear them. If I trip while wearing heels or wedges, I would definitely be falling all over the place if I wore these Rockinghorse Shoes. They look like you could just rock forward by accident… and then BAM! You fall flat on your face. Also, I am not sure if the straps on the Rockinghorse Shoes (at least on the ones pictured above) would be able to stay up on my legs. I like the criss-cross strappy look, but I don’t know if it will work for me.

2) Stuffed Animal Bags

Stuffed animals are cute, and lots of Lolita bags and purses are cute, but I honestly do not like combining stuffed animals and bags for Lolita fashion. Many brands release stuffed animals with straps, pockets, etc. to be used as purses and small backpacks. I don’t know… but the idea of storing stuff inside a plush toy creeps me out a bit. Especially if there is a zippered pocket behind the animal’s head or in the back of the animal… It’s as if you were going to rip open the cute little creature’s skin and then stuff a wallet and some extra bobby pins and a camera into the thing’s flesh. Before I go into any more imagery… I’ll simply say that this is one trend that I will never get into. I do think stuffed animals can be cute accessories though! But not as purses.

3) The Christian Cross in Gothic Lolita

I love the Gothic Lolita style, and I would like to get more into this substyle of Lolita fashion in the future, but I honestly do not feel comfortable wearing Lolita items that feature the Christian cross. I know some people feel comfortable with it, but personally, I do not feel comfortable wearing an item with this religious symbol on it. I am not a Christian, so I would feel awkward if I was wearing a clothing item with the Christian cross or the Crucifix on it. I do not want to feel as though I am appropriating a religious symbol for fashion. I know some people who are not Christian love wearing the cross on their clothing or cross pendant necklaces as part of their fashion style, and that is okay if they feel comfortable with it and do not use the religious symbols in an offensive way. But for me, personally, I do not feel comfortable wearing the cross. I do think the cross motif on dresses is very pretty to look at, and I love seeing Gothic Lolita coordinates with or without the Christian cross. I love looking at those gorgeous Moi-Meme-Moitie dresses with crosses but I would never buy the dresses.

And those are the 3 Lolita trends that I could never get into! I hope no one is offended by this; these are all only my opinions. I have friends who love Rockinghorse Shoes, stuffed animal bags, and/or Christian cross motifs on their clothes, and it’s totally okay. Everyone has their own personal preferences for fashion, and that’s one reason why I love fashion so much! Everyone can express themselves through the clothes that they choose to wear.

What do you think? Are there any trends that you could never get into? Or perhaps are there trends that you would like to get into, but are afraid to?

~Be sure to read other blog posts on this topic for the Lolita Blog Carnival!

Lemontree11, Lace a la Mode, Her Lumpiness, Under the Parasol, Dollhouse Diaries, Lolita Glamour, Pretty Little Habits, Ice Age, A Sweet Lolita’s Disney Life

Wardrobe Challenge: Take One Staple Item and Make 5 Different Outfits

September 27, 2013 / lolitaland / 6 Comments

This Week’s Prompt: Take One Staple Item and Make 5 Different Outfits

Unfortunately, I’ve been extremely busy this past week, so I was unable to think about this week’s LBC prompt until today. So, I rushed to make 5 different outfits using one staple item. The staple item I chose to use is a JSK, since I know that most beginner Lolitas invest in a good petticoat and a JSK. (And 5 different outfits involving one petticoat as the staple item would be quite random, right?) A JSK is also one of the most distinct Lolita items; it is difficult to find a loliable dress that would work as a JSK in a typical department store or commercial shopping center.

The JSK I chose to coordinate for this wardrobe challenge is a BTSSB dress that I have not worn yet!

1) Keeping it Black

For this first coordinate, I decided to stick to the JSK’s base color: black. To keep it simple, I decided to use the matching headbow for this JSK, plain black tights, and offbrand shoes with cute bows on them. For a purse, I used a casual bag from Lesportsac. I love this types of bags because they are roomy (lots of pockets) and are really durable for excursions (they are water-resistant, from my experience!). I know that this bag is not a Lolita bag, but I do think some bags are loliable. (And if the bag does not match at all, then leave the bag out of coordinate photos~ … The bag I usually use does not match any of my outfits. xD And my school backpack does not match anything either… unless I’m wearing something red, perhaps.)

2) Something for the Summer

Here is a more summery coordinate! I paired this JSK with a breathable ivory blouse. Then, I swapped out tights for ivory ankle socks with cute lace, and I used comfortable black mary-jane shoes. The strap that goes across the top of the foot is an elastic band, and the soles of the shoes are very flexible as well. The molding of the shoe has a built-in arch support! This is definitely one of my favorite pairs of shoes because of how comfortable they are. They are really breathable, so they are fantastic for the summer. There’s good traction… so they are comfy on long walks!

3) Classy Coord

I apologize for the blurry photo! It looked clear from my camera’s preview screen… For this coordinate, I have a sheer black blouse under the JSK, and a black cardigan with macrame detailing over the JSK. I used black lace tights and high-heeled platform shoes for this coordinate to dress it up a bit. The purse I chose is a cute shiny purse with a fuzzy bow on the front. The headbow for this coordinate is an Angelic Pretty headbow with little white pearls. I would love to wear this outfit to a party or fancy dinner!

4) Getting Sweeter

I used the same sheer blouse from coordinate #3 because I wanted a black blouse to help the pink macaron necklace pop! I wanted to use a pastel pink vintage hairclip for this coordinate: it’s a really cute jumbo hairclip with two fabric roses and generous ruffles! I also have a pink heart-shaped ring as part of this coord (and I can add other rings to this coordinate as well… maybe some black and pink ones!). A heart-shaped pink bag sweetens up the look, and then I have pastel pink knee high socks and black shoes to finish off the coordinate.

5) Cute and Elegant

I tried to go for a look that was both cutesy and elegant. I chose a BTSSB pink cutsew to wear under the JSK, and then an elegant handmade bow-clip to wear in my hair (or perhaps in a wig). The pink macaron necklace adds to the cuteness, but I used a pair of beige vintage gloves with adorable rose detailing to pull the elegance into the coordinate. Beige knee high socks hopefully play off from the beige gloves, and then of course, I need my comfy mary-jane shoes in case I have to do lots of walking. I had fun playing with the clash between cute and elegant for this coord!

EXTRAS!

These black wrist cuffs from Bodyline would match any of the above coordinates! They are simple but pretty.

I modified the above faux fur hat by adding two little bow clips. If it is cold out, this hat would work with any of the above coordinates! It would keep my head nice and warm… and if it was really cold out, I would wear a wig first, and then wear this hat over my wig. Two layers of warmth!

I know these coordinates are not the best, so I hope I can re-do this challenge when I have more time. For now, I’m happy that I was able to make 5 coordinate in half an hour!