°˖✧✝ Lolita Blog Carnival: What Are 5 Pieces/Trends You Can't Go Without✝✧˖°

◊ Black Lipstick

So, black lipstick isn't an item that is necessarily a part of Lolita fashion, but is is an item that I definitely can't go without when wearing Lolita (or pretty much anything else, hehehe~). It may just be because I'm biased toward wearing black lipstick, but I really think that it completes my outfits and the dark, ethereal, painted dolly look that I'm going for (there were so my adjectives in that description; my style is so silly).  

There was a small stint were I forcibly had to go without wearing black lipstick for awhile when I would wear Lolita, but only because I ran out of it. During that time, I was bogged down with a lot of work from my university, and would hardly have the time or energy to dress up, so when it did come a time when I would plan to go to a meetup, I would realize I didn't have any black lipstick to put on, and there wasn't any time to order any or go to a store to pick some up.     

Never again.
Without black lipstick, my face looks so pain and empty here,
like something is missing.

◊ Crucifixes 

Victorian Maiden Shantung Cross Long Skirt 

I already talked about crucifixes in a previous blog post, but that was apart of what I wanted to wear more of for my New Year's Resolutions. Still, though, I don't have much to say in this certain section, since I already talked about crucifixes the last time. All I really have to say is that I really like crucifixes. There's something about them that makes them appear very ornate and sumptuous. I think it's because when I think of crucifixes, I typically think of those beautifully adorned churches and cathedrals.

Alte Kapelle (Old Chapel) in Regensburg, Germany
(Source)

◊ Lace/Fishnet Tights

Lip Service Ripped Net Tights

I've been wearing lace patterned and fishnet tights since high school, and they were a bit of a staple for my outfits, so I'm glad I was able to transition these pieces from my old fashion style into my new one. Depending on the style, I like how wearing a pair of net tights gives my Lolita outfits a certain amount of Punk-ish or rebellious edge, that's slightly jarring against Lolita's elegant appearance. And of course, with lace tights, they boost the elegance of a Lolita outfit that's both delicate and refined. 

◊ Princess Sleeves

Antique BeasT OP and Collar

It wasn't until I started to like the brand Metamorphose temps de fille more did I began to admire princess sleeves. They have so many sets and blouses with this type of sleeve design that it would've been pretty hard to dislike, though, considering that I always say Metamorphose is my favorite brand. Because of Metamorphose, wearing a top with princess sleeves makes me feel heavily decorated and frilly. 

I'm thinking of making some engageantes (frilly, false sleeves that are attached
to the end of elbow-length sleeves), just like the woman in the painting above,
to feel even more embellished.

◊ (Nicely Tailored) Lace Monsters

I put "Nicely Tailored" before the title "Lace Monsters", because of all of the crude looking dresses scammer sites label as Lolita. Those type of dresses are always shoddily made with materials of low quality, and their designs are always a bit off, like having way too many bows, questionable design cuts, or just being plain frumpy. But with brand lace monsters, typically, it's the opposite. Somehow, the designers find a way to go over-the-top with their designs and materials, but still maintain a refined look. I also like how the majority of brand lace monsters have a bit of silliness to them. But when you make something so overdone and exaggerated, I would assume some sort of silliness would be automatically attached to it.

Make sure to check out Lolita Blog Carnival!

Lolita Blog Carnival is an online Lolita community of Lolita bloggers who come together to blog about certain topics each week to stimulate further ideas for great blog posts!

If you want to find out what peices or trends other Lolitas can't go without, take a look at these other Lolita blogs:

Pastel Peggy

°˖✧ 'Till next time

°˖✧✝ My First Ever Taobao Purchase ✝✧˖°

Really, this is a milestone for me. The first time I heard about Taobao was during the heydays of EGL on Live Journal, but anyone involved in the EGL community during that time could tell you how challenging it was to order something from Taobao. The idea of making spreadsheets still gives me a mini panic attack to this day because of all of the requirements and steps involved with ordering from Taobao in the past. But this is the future. And now it's so much easier to purchase items listed on Taobao!

There have been many things I've wanted to buy from Taobao over the years, but because I was so afraid of how inexperienced I was with ordering, I missed out on a lot of amazing items. I guess this time I got feed up with not being able to obtain all of the interesting accessories I would always see and gave into the idea of trying a Taobao shopping service one more time. However, this time, I went with the website SpreeNow. I didn't know very much about the website at the time, but one of my friends swore by it, saying that it was the easiest website for shopping on Taobao he has ever used. So, with some initial guidance from him, like how long I should wait for a response after I put my order in and how and when I was expected to pay, I decided that SpreeNow was reliable and easy enough for me to navigate through.

But before I went about picking which shopping service to use, I decided to get through the easy part first, which was knowing what I wanted to get! So what kind of item made me want to confront my fears and take another shot at using a Taobao shopping service? Well, because I'm such a loser Goth, what caught my eye may hardly comes as a surprise. It was a lovely coffin purse.  

Please excuse my ugly curtains in the background.

I only paid about $30 for this purse!

Unfortunately, the shop doesn't sell it anymore (which is why if you see something on Taobao, you shouldn't wait too long to get it), and since the listing is gone, I couldn't post some of the original product photos here on this blog post. But believe me, it's very well made and sturdy. It was sold as a purse, but its structure is more of a case or trunk. I have every intention of using this purse as a bag, but I do wish I would've had a chance to buy one or two more as carrying cases for my dolls. It's just that nice.

The cool thing about this purse is that I can wear it two ways. There's an adjustable shoulder strap that's detachable, so I can choose to wear it as a shoulder or hand purse. Oh, and the purse itself is so HUGE! It easily takes up the length of my thigh! 

Hey, look! A picture of me in "normal" clothes.

I ended up picking the cross feature for the front of the purse, but I kinda wish I hadn't. Besides the fact that I don't really like the color red or wear the color often, how the cross was applied makes the purse look a bit cheap. And, up close, you can see areas where the application is a little splotchy. But those are nitpicks, at best. I can always just turn the purse around to its backside where there isn't a cross.

After choosing to buy the coffin purse, I decided to see what else the seller had to offer, which led me to my second item, a beautiful black turtleneck with a heart cutout and spiderweb mesh panel. This item is still listed in the seller's store, and can be purchased here.

There's only one size, but the material of the turtleneck is stretchy and would be able to accommodate some larger sizes, to a degree. I only ended up paying about $10 for this turtleneck, but it's construction is very nice. Although stretchy, the material is soft and the turtleneck's assembly isn't shoddy. All of the seams are serged, there are no holes, and the position of the cutout is centered where it ought to be.

Too cute, right!

I purchased both of these items at the end of January, and they came just in time for me to wear my heart cutout turtleneck for Valentine's Day! (I know you're like, "Wow, you had this since February? What took you so long to write a blog post on this?" *sigh* I know, I know.)

Well, these were my first Taobao purchases. Hopefully, I will be able to find some more great items for me to buy. Though, I doubt that would be a hard task, hahaha~

°˖✧ 'Till next time

°˖✧✝ Lolita Blog Carnival: Create a Coord that Reflects Your Style of 2015 + Goth Day in NYC ✝✧˖°

Wow, it's already at the end of the year and I haven't had much of an update on this blog in the last month or so. I have a lot of posts that I've started and topics that I want to talk about, so that's not the problem. I just don't get a chance to finish a post in the time that I want. But as long as I get to at least post once a month, I won't feel too badly about not posting often. So, my post for this month, but hopefully not last, will be a topic from Blog Carnival, creating a coord that reflects my style of 2015.

And in an attempt to make up for the lack of updates on this blog, I'm going to merge two post into one and use an outfit from a previous outing, along with showing what I did for that day. But first, my outfit!

OP: Cornet
Apron: Metamorphose temps de file
Headdress: Handmade

Not only has this look become one of my favorites this year, but it's also the look that I really want to focus on more next year. I'm really into the eccentric and zany pieces in Lolita fashion, but the look I wish I could do more of is along the lines of the Old School Gothic dolly look. I absolutely love huge peter pan collars, obnoxious bell sleeves and lace upon lace, upon lace, upon lace... oh, and heart aprons. Looking back at this picture makes me see all of the things that interested me in Lolita fashion long ago. And above all, it inspires me to aim for a closer connection to that pastime.

Make sure to check out Lolita Blog Carnival!

Lolita Blog Carnival is an online Lolita community of Lolita bloggers who come together to blog about certain topics each week to stimulate further ideas for great blog posts!

I wore this outfit at the end of August for a "Goth Day" I had with a friend of mine. All of my other friends were at the Waku+Waku convention that day, but I really wanted to go to an oddities flea market instead. So my friend decided that we should have a jammed-packed day in New York City, going to all of the places we wanted to go to. But, she was really overzealous with the task! She had a long list of attractions and stops that went all around the city!! Thankfully, we got it down to a decent amount of stops, but we still didn't get to all of them. 

The first stop was to the Morbid Anatomy's Flea market. They had one earlier in the year, but I wasn't able to attend. When I told my friend about the upcoming one in August, she told me we had to go. So, we came early to assure we would be one of the first groups inside (and we had so much to do that we had to make time for everything).  

I'm not too keen on taxidermy, but look how cute this is!
Can't you see this being in a children's picture book?
(I think it's a weasel, maybe?)

Sister Weasel stands outside guiding the weasel children into the classroom.
Oh! What a busy day this will be!

The oddities flea market was basically what you would expect from an oddities event. There were a lot of bones, taxidermy and kitschy knickknacks. There were a fair share of dark accessories available for purchase too. I wanted quite a few religious items and some supernatural comic books, but I was on a tight budget for the day and couldn't get everything I wanted. I did end up getting something small, though.  

My bible and set of love fortune cards.

I picked theses cards from a huge sack that was separated by men and women.
Each one was different, and even though I wanted most of them,
I decided to get a pair that suited each other.  

But the coolest thing, was what I found inside of the bible I purchased!

Inside was a bookmark with an eerie cross stitched message, "Remember me," stitched in with purple thread.

There were also leaves placed in between various pages and a charted genealogy
of the Simpson family starting from the last page.

Unfortunately, by the end of the day, both of the front and back covers ripped off. I was really upset about want happened, but my friend tried cheering me up. She said I must have broken a curse or a seal that was on it. 

If you want to look at what was at the Morbid Anaomy Flea Market and some of its participants, you can go through pictures here at The Village Voice's website.

Even though the flea market was hosted by Morbid Anatomy, this August event was located at a different venue down the street from the museum to accommodate its size. So after we were done at the flea market, we thought our next stop should be at the museum to see what new exhibit they were showcasing. 

You're not allowed to take pictures upstairs in the exhibit,
so here's a picture of us in front of the bathrooms upstairs instead.  

After the museum, we decided to go get lunch at Eight Turn Crepe. My friend was really excited to go since it was her first time, mine too, and couldn't decide with crepe to get, a sweet or savory one. Feeling adventurous, she ended up getting both! I didn't want to feel left out or bested, so I decided to do the same. I thought it would be cute if we got the same crepes too.

Second crepe of the day and the last room in my stomach.

This is the look of defeat.
My sanity is gone. There are only crepes left.

The crepes were delicious, but after stuffing the last bit of the second one down, I had soon regretted it. I was left feeling bloated and sleepy for the remainder of the day. But there was no time to sleep it off, because we were off to our next stop, Sebastian Masuda's Hello Kitty Time Capsule event. For those of you who frequently read my blog, you may remember that I went to this same event earlier in the year. You can read about it in this post here. But because I was already going to be in the city, I decided to go again. And I wanted to get a picture with Yuka, the gorgeous and influential shop staff from Sebastian's 6%DOKIDOKI store, since I was too shy to ask last time.

All aboard the kawaii bus!

Source: Sebastian Masuda Official FB page

While the last time capsule event was affiliated with the Japan Society, this on was backed by Waku+Waku. It was with the same Hello Kitty time capsule and located at the same place, though. I guess you can say that the only difference was the bus that was rented to bring the Waku+Waku attendees to the time capsule and back to the convention, which I think was the coolest!

I think it was great that fans got to to be this close to an icon like Sebastian. Not only that, but it just shows how down-to-earth Sebastian is with everyone. He isn't a person who puts on airs and he continues to show how he's committed to bringing people together, regardless of their differences. Whenever Sebastian comes to New York City I always try to support him.

I decided to put in my My Melody mini Pez candy dispenser this time.

I still wanted to soak up the atmosphere of the event and take some time to relax, so my friend and I decided to stay at the time capsule for a while. But as the Goths that we are, we shuffled over to a nice shady corner next to a fountain to catch a breeze (I forgot to mention that is was really hot that day too). After siting around watching the Waku+Waku attendees be interviewed by some people from the television show Kawaii International, we went off to our next stop, a bakery called Dominique Ansel. 

Dominique Ansel has a really small front area, but must stay full
with costumers throughout the day. Even though we showed up pretty late in
the day, there was still a long line reaching down the hall! 

Everything looked so tasty at the bakery and were reasonably priced.

One of their specials were their cookie shots, as seen on display in the first picture.
The "shot glass" is a chocolate chip cookie molded into a cup shape and the "shot" is milk!

I regret not getting anything at the bakery, but I was still so full from the crepes earlier and thought it would be a waste to buy something. So I just watched my friend try out their frozen s'more specialty in agony. It look so good! It was a wad of ice cream on a wooden stick, wrapped in marshmallow and lighted torched over a flame!! I wish I took a picture before she ate it. Next time, I want to try one of their Cronuts, a pastry mixed between a croissant and doughnut. But apparently, you'll have to come in earlier if you want to get one before they sellout for the day.

After the bakery, we finally reached the last stop of the day, Bassanova Ramen! My friend heard great things about the restaurant and insisted that we go. And with all of the accolades it received, like being one of New York Times' Top Ten Ramen Destinations in New York, I  wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. Waku+Waku was done for the day and another one of my friends came along too. It was really late about time we got to the restaurant, but I glad we went, because it was the best ramen I've ever had! But it was also the smallest ramen bowl I've ever had. I really wished there was more of it.

Lemon Black Pepper Tondaku Ramen:
Berkshire pork, tonkotsu soup, with lemon and black pepper. Topped with
portion chashu, kikurage mushroom, fried ginger onion, crushed sesame, nori and scallion.

Wow, that was a long post wasn't it? Now do you see why I don't update as often as I do? I like long post, but just don't like writing them. Maybe committing to completing more of my post can be one of my New Year's resolution, though. It may seem hard at first, but completely doable. I'm definitely going to work on doing even more blogging on here. I can't wait!

°˖✧ 'Till next time

°˖✧✝ 2015 Summer ILD with KAMIJO & Friends ✝✧˖°

KAMIJO and his support band thanking their New York City concert attendees
one last time.

Source: KAMIJO U.S. Official Street Team L.A. and N.Y.C. 

If you couldn't tell from the picture above, I was one of the lucky people to attend a concert during KAMIJO's World Tour 2015, and on International Lolita Day (ILD) no less! I was not only an attendee, but also a VIP, which meant I was a part of a special meet and greet that allowed me to interact with KAMIJO personally! I was preparing for the day of the concert for months and could only considerate on meeting KAMIJO. It was for that exact reason why I was completely oblivious to the fact that the concert fell on the same day as this year's summer ILD. I even went as far as making different ILD plans with a friend of mine! It was my friend who notice the shared date and made me aware of my mistake. Going to the concert was my main priority, but celebrating with my friends was just as important. So what did I do? I made a compromise. I always have time for my friends!

In the end, we agreed on going to Laduree Soho, one of the U.S. store fronts of the luxurious Parisian bakery and restaurant, thanks to a friend's recommendation. We decided that going there would be our best option at such a short notice. I've never been to Laduree before, but always wanted to. For some reason, I thought the boutique was exclusive and would be hard to reserve. Though, I was pleasantly surprised when my friend booked seating for us easily. Thanks to her, I was able to fulfill another one of my dreams on an already special day.  

The first two pictures are of the entrance alone! Can you imagine picking out sweets in the presence of marble statues?

The third picture is of their Blue Room setting area. We were seated in the green room.

Laduree is extremely gorgeous, and I plan on returning one day so I can experience it without being on a tight schedule. Because this was last minute, we had to arrange a time before the concert. We thought two hours before would be enough, but we really should have went for three instead.  

We still made time for pictures, though!

The venue that was hosting KAMIJO's concert, the Highland Ballroom, had a selection of food for dinning, and I wanted to taste what they had to offer. So, not wanting to fill myself up at Laduree, I only ordered from their dessert menu. And with it being my first time at Laduree, I had to sample a few of their macrons, of course!

Rose ice cream with four frozen macrons.

After Laduree, I had to head straight to the concert venue for the meet and great. Though, I wasn't going to be alone. Two of my other friends who made it to Laduree were also going to the concert with me! 

There was a strict no camera policy during the concert, so this part will only show pictures of the venue before the show.

Of the two friends who were going go the concert, one of them bought a VIP ticket also, so we went to the venue earlier together. VIPs were brought up stairs to balcony where there was a small room each one of us would be lead into to meet KAMIJO. My friend and I couldn't help but giggle the entire time in line and practice what we were going to do and say when we meet him! I prepared three sentences to say to him in Japanese, but half way through the line I was too nervous and thought it would've been best not to try and get tongue-tied. 

VIP's claiming their spots after the meet and greet. Look how close we were to the stage!

There were quite a few Lolitas there at the concert too.
Can you spot one in this picture?

When I became the next one in line to enter the room with KAMIJO, I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. I knew I had to show some composer so I wouldn't come of as creepy fangirl, but it was extremely hard, especially when KAMIJO is standing in front of you smiling. As soon as the door was closed behind me, he extended his hand and greeted me with a "Bonjour~~." Honestly, that was enough, I could've turned around and walked out of the room at that exact moment and it would've been the highlight of my life.

I was going to wear gloves that day, but I so glad I didn't! I put my hand in his and he ushered me besides him for our picture. His hands are the softest! I kept holding onto his hand and turned to face the camera. But the cameraman was in a resting stance like he was waiting for something. Confused, I looked up at KAMIJO and he was looking down at me smiling. Apparently, we weren't supposed to be holding hands for the picture and he was waiting for me to let go! Embarrassed, I let go and started blushing. It look like he didn't want to, but he laughed slightly, which made me blush even more. Quickly regaining my composure, I turned with him towards the camera and posed.

My purse made me look frumpy, but I think it still looks good.
We look great together!

I'm pretty sure I stood the closest to him than any other VIP.
(Not purposely, though. I swear!)

After the photo, KAMIJO thanked me for coming and shook my hand. I was still in a daze about the experience and got swept into his eyes again (he looks RIGHT at you, I couldn't escape). Even after the security pointed for me to leave, I stood there still hold his hand swooning over him. Thank you, Kamijo, for being so patient with me!

My new friend, Annette.

With the meet and great over, I meet up with my friends to hung out before the concert. But of course I made sure to keep our spots in the crowd. I even made a new friend! There was someone who recognized me from online and came to talk to me also. I was seriously flattered. If there's anyone who sees me around, please, feel free to say hi!

I over heard someone in the VIP line say, "Is anyone as excited as me to see MASHASHI?"
I turned around, looked them straight in the eye, and gave a serious, "YES."

I'm also pretty sure I was screaming MASHASHI's name the loudest.
(This one was purposely.)

Source: KAMIJO Official Facebook

The concert was amazing and had its fair share of adorable moments. One of the cutest was when KAMIJO was singing one of Lareine songs (its been so long I forgot which one!), and an audience member pulled out a bouquet of blue roses for KAMIJO and he accepted them! He even performed with them for awhile. I was also lucky to be noticed in the audience by KAMIJO! I was sending him kisses from the crowd when he came to the edge of the stage. As he was walking away, he saw me, came back, and sent kisses back to me!!! I can't write everything that happened at the concert, but if you're curious about how it turned out, Maria Tolentino from My JHouse Rock Events Promotions Inc. wrote a great recap for the night. Please take time to read it!

After the concert with my friend, Ashley.

This is the closest thing I have as an outfit shot.
I was a bad Lolita an forgot to take a clear one. 

But I guess this closeup shot of me with fairly decent lighting
from my bathroom is a bit better.

Blouse: Algonquins

°˖✧ 'Till next time

°˖✧✝ Time After Time Capsule ~New York City~ ✝✧˖°

Source: Sebastian Masuda Official FB page

Even though I haven't been blogging much this month, I've been involved with some fantastic events. And I kicked this month off with a major one- finally meeting Sebastian Masuda! In addition to this friendly meet and greet, I was able to participate in a one of his landmark art projects, the Time After Time Time Capsule. 

Sebastian Masuda is a renowned art director, both within Japan and abroad. He is also the founder of the influential store 6%DOKIDOKI. The store itself is instantly recognizable and has created a strong following internationally, but Sebastian Masuda is most famously known for his visual work with Kyary Pamyu  Pamyu. Thanks to Japan Society, Sebastian has been to New York City may times before, from meet and greets to displaying art exhibits. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go to any in the past. So this opportunity turn out being extremely special for me. 

Source: Sebastian Masuda Official FB page

For this art project, Sebastian asked participants to bring an object that they thought was cute or meaningful to place in the Hello Kitty time capsule so we could "share our colorful future together!!" As a subtle acclamation, I decided I wanted to bring something Hello Kitty to complement the capsule's theme. I ended up bringing an old Hello Kitty lunchbox I had since I graduated high school.

While I choose to bring a item I already had, others went a step further and sought inspiration from Sebastian to create something special for the capsule. The handmade pieces people brought were no less than amazing, but the ones that stood out to me the most were the ones children created from their time at the Japan Society. Instead of keeping to himself on this trip to New York City, Sebastian volunteered some of his time at classes and workshops at Japan Society by working with children in a way to help express themselves through different art medias. On the day of the capsule ceremony, some of the children brought their art pieces to celebrate with us. How cute!       

Source: Sebastian Masuda Official FB page

Look how great this picture is! The world needs more people like Sebastian.

I came the the event when it was half way in, and was told that the crowd had died down a bit. However, a good amount of people who came at the start of the event were still there, and were persistent about staying the entire 4 hours! Though, no one would have been there as long as Sebastian would. But even so, you could see how dedicated he was with meeting everyone who came and how genuine he was. I admire his patience.
  

The only reason why I look so tall is because we're on a slope.
I promise!   

Here's a better shot of my complete outfit and a closeup of my accessories. I didn't blend in with the crowds of pastels and other bright colors, but I wanted to at least partake in the avant-garde atmosphere. This is the most ridiculous blouse I own and I absolutely love it! I hope to find the white colorway if it, because this blue with white pinstripe is hard to pair with anything.       

Blouse: Alice and the Pirates
JSK: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright
Backpack: Patchy
Accessories: Handmade or Thrifted

Here's an video one of my friends did for the event. The video is of her asking attendees what components and inspiration went into their outfits.

Sebastian's Time After Time is an on going art project that he plans on doing in ten cities around the world. I believe New York City was is second stop and last year in Los Angeles was his first. In 2020 at the Olympics in Tokyo, he plans on combining all ten time capsules into a tower (source)! So I'm apart of history... in the future!

After the event, my friends and I decided to go to the Japan Society and try out their purikura booth. The booth was there to promote an exhibit that month and only stayed for a limited time. I'm glad I got the chance to use it before it was gone.

This is just the lobby! It's seriously pretty in there.

I wish I lived closer to the Japan Society. They always have an event
I want to go to, but they end up being on a weekday or at night.  

Just hanging out with the #homies.

We had some trouble stuffing all four of us in the booth and posing, but we did our best! Afterwards, we headed out to find a restaurant (we never know were we're going!). We ended up at a restaurant/ramen bar called Lucky Cat, hence all of the maneki nekos in the following pictures.     

The interior was stylish, but playful at the same time (that maneki neko is as tall as me)!
It looked like they were going for chic otaku!

Yes, that's Ranma 1/2 playing over the bar.

Sukitama Don: Beef, Egg, Tofu, and Onions with Soy Sauce on Rice
Dessert: Black Sesame Seed Ice Cream (my favorite)

I ordered their special Lucky Cat Soda too. It it came in a cute glass bottle.
I think the flavor was honey! I still have the bottle as a memento.

Check out our receipt. The waiter handed it to us in a manga! Cute, right?

°˖✧ 'Till next time