°˖✧✝Happy Birthday to Me✝✧˖°

After a semester of six classes, a teaching internship, tutoring, projects on top of projects, two twenty page papers, and, to top it off, a thirty page paper, I was dead tired. I just wanted to turn off all of the lights and go to sleep for a week or so (more like a month). So when my birthday came around in mid May, a day before my last class, I didn't really treat it more than a regular day, which is pretty sad, to say the least. But, luckily, my parents were there to help cheer me up and get me through some of my sadness. I didn't get a celebration or cake for my birthday, but I did get a generous amount of spending money from them (thanks to me making the Dean’s List again).

One thing that is worth knowing about my parents is that they are not as open to sub-styles, sub-cultures, or sub- anything for that matter. So when my interests diverge from the normality, they cringe at the idea and cope by making fun and downplaying them. If I had five dollars for every time I heard them say, “This is just a phase” I could finally purchase a Moi Meme Moitie OP straight from the company’s website, including tax and shipping! Therefore, having my parents agree to buy a Lolita dress for me means a lot to me. Well, really, I guess I would have to say that my mother’s actions house the most meaning. It was my mother who actually agreed to buy me something Lolita related and even helped me pick what to get. My father just gave me money and told me to go wild with it (not his actual words, heehee~). I just decided to use some of it for my Lolita wardrobe without him knowing. And I think that’s for the best. As I have seen before, older salary men types and Lolita don’t really match.   

Monma-san and my father are kindred spirits.

The first piece that I was able to snag, after a lot of misses from waiting for mother to give me the money (she REALLY didn't want to pay for a Lolita dress at first), was Innocent World’s Lace Crinoline Bustle JSK on Closet Child. What attracted me to the JSK at first, was its low price of $86. Oh, and that it was black. The site had multiple listing of the same dress which made me a bit weary to its value and construction. Usually, when there are multiple listings, I just look at the first one and not even bother with the others. But I noticed that one of the listing titles was longer than the others, though still bared the same price of $86. When I clicked on it, I saw that the JSK was a different version with a dotted tulle bustle on the back of the dress. From there, I knew that I was going to get it without any questions. The other version of the JSK was just far too plain in comparison.

I don’t know whether this is common for all Lolitas, but I imagine the next step for a Lolita after purchasing a used brand piece that is not as recognizable as Vampire Requiem is to search its origins. However, once I found the dress in question on Lolibrary, I began to feel concerned. The original stock photos made the accent color of the ribbon printed on the fabric look blue, while the pictures on Closet Child looked more purple like a periwinkle, if not lavender altogether. I thought, how the heck did blue turn to purple? And then, a horrible vision of a Lolita continuously dipping the dress into a bucket of hot water whilst evil music ensued clouded my mind. To make sure I wasn't getting some type of washing project gone wrong, I desperately went online to search for personal pictures with up-close detail shots taken from every angle possible. To my relief, all of the pictures showed the color to be bluish purple like the Closet Child photos suggested.

The next piece I was able to acquire is now one of my favorites in my wardrobe. It’s an old school Metamorphose set from the Rakuten second-hand shop, Tokyo Pirates. I’m glad that I found this. It has made me so incredibly happy, so much so that I let out a tiny shriek of glee when my payment was finalized.

Look  at it. It's dripping with such old school tackiness that I adore. If my father ever find out that I spent his money on something like this, he'd never forgive me, hahaha!

Just like with the Innocent World JSK, I went online to do my research on the set’s product information and photos. However, because of the set's age, I went straight to the archives of Old School Lolita's Tumblr page with the high hopes of finding a street snap or stock photo. I just knew that I saw pictures that vaguely resembled my set floating around in a post. After about fifteen minutes or so, I was lucky enough to stumbled across a post of the set's blouse that estimated the construction year to be 2001! A couple of more post into the blog, I was able to find a picture of a girl (model? sales clerk?) wearing the full set. I couldn't help scream out, "THAT'S MY SET!" I'm delighted that I was able to discover the set's different colorways, but, in a way, happier with the one that I bought. The black on black coloring is more pleasing to me and I adore the pink rose accents. The print is very familiar to the vintage dresses that I already have.  

As an added bonus, I found a drawing for my set by none other than the fabulous artist Mitsukazu Mihara! There's nothing new about this picture; it has been floating around the internet and the Lolita community for years. But I would have never noticed that my set severed as one of her references without me looking at every outfit with a peter pan collar, princess sleeves, lace and ribbons without such scrutiny. I nearly fainted when I realized.  

In the group of the three Lolitas, my Metamorphose set is the one on the right next to the tiny Mitsukazu icon at the bottom.

It's like Mitsukazu drawing ME, right? Well, a Lolita can dream. Excuse me while I Photoshop my face on this picture. 

 °˖✧'Till next time 

°˖✧✝Be My Valentine, Fringeless Lolita✝✧˖°

In my last post, I put up a picture of me with a new hairstyle. The picture showed a generic Lolita hairstyle that is very reminiscent to the hair seen in the fashion, hair pulled up into two high, curly ponytails. But there was one unique factor- no fringe. That’s right, I’m going fringeless. Someone call the Lolita police.

Okay, so the Lolita police don’t exist and the phrase is clearly a smart-alecky joke for Lolitas to express their disdain for the invisible, and yet omnipresent, Lolita ruler that makes soft guidelines into ridge, golden rules. But with the amount of Lolitas that are inclined to don the cut, whether they be professional models, regular people shown in a Japanese fashion magazine’s street snaps, Tumblr Lolitas, or the ones in your local community, the amount of fringed beauties can be both unbelievably daunting and phenomenally influential. It’s hard to not to be expected to be seen with the same cut when so many others have it. The fringe is the one thing that always seems to remain in style. Regardless of the changes in season or era, you’ll see that the fringe is one of the main elements that connect all Lolitas together. And now, decades into the fashion, the hair is still as much present as it was before. And no one really needs to tell you, you just know.

The Lolita Saints! Lolita memes in English on Facebook

But what about the fringeless Lolita? Do they even exist? Of course they do! They vary in between the abundances of fringed ones, but they are around, and have been around for longer that one would think.  When I was lurking around the Tumblr page of Old School Lolita admiring the older styles, I was taken aback when I saw an old advertisement showcasing a lovely Lolita. She had two darling ponytails that dangled effortlessly from the back of her head in soft curled spirals. Her forehead remained bare, which allowed for the shorter hair of her hairline to be swept backwards into light waves. The hair gave off a youthfulness that captured her natural beauty. I was in love! (In layman’s terms, she is undeniably cute.)  

Such a cutie! Doesn't she just give of an innocent aura? 

I don’t know her name and wish that I knew more of her modeling career. All I know is that she’s gorgeous and that her hairstyle heightens her beauty.  I’m smitten. It’s official; she’s my Valentine for today. Fringeless Lolita-chan, PLEASE BE MINE!

Okay, so on a serious note, the thought of not having a fringe or any type of bang was terrifying to me at first. I've been sporting a side bang for years and not having one now is still very new. I felt comfort being able to hide behind my bangs. But, without one, it’s as if I'm being completely trusted forward in a crowd (you see EVERYTHING). Even though I love my hairstyle, I still feel slightly insecure before I walk outside. I question the completeness of my makeup, judge my looks, and frown at the size of my forehead (as a child I was always made fun of for it). Nevertheless, I've come to believe that not having a fringe has given me the right kind of boost in self-esteem. When I wear my hairstyle, I’m forced to look at myself and reconcile with the insecurities that I have been fostering for years. I’m able to see all of me and smile when I do so. It’s not a big one, but I’m glad that it now shows up more than once and an awhile.       

°˖✧'Till next time  

°˖✧✝Long Time No See✝✧˖°

When I signed off my last blog post with my signature, “‘till next time,” I didn’t expect the next time to be next year! I guess the biggest question that needs to be asked is what I have been doing these past months. In short: NOTHING, or at least nothing that needed to be blogged about. Since the beginning of November, I’ve been more preoccupied with my studies and the projects and papers that follow them, so I haven’t been involved with anything within the fashion. Personally, I find November to be a bit of a bore anyway. My state’s Lolita group didn’t even have anything planned. It seems as if we all were waiting for something more festive than cranberry sauce and turkey legs.

             I was desperately looking forward to December, the time of merriment, so I could be a part of the activities. I even rallied for December meets in my states’ group. Unfortunately, I was buried so far in projects that my Lolita plans fell through. I even missed the event planed for International Lolita Day *tear*. Out of all of the meets planed, missing that one hurt the most (right in the heart). On the bright side, I guess my academic focus was worth it because I made Dean’s List at my college! Honestly, it has been a while since I’ve made Dean’s list, so I’m completely trilled. I had to treat myself for my accomplishment.

             So I went out to a little café called Petit Paris, or Le Petit Parisien, to commemorate my hard work. I live in a relatively small town with more houses than anything else, so I had to travel two towns over to get to the café. I didn’t mind though, seeing as it took no time to get there and I was recommended to go to the café from a couple of my classmates. I was actually asking about nice cafés in the area around our university with a friend but our classmates got involved and they all suggested Petite Paris! So I had to go check it out, if not for the proposal, then for the sake of not being left out of the loop, hehehe.

             The shop’s décor is least to be desired and borders on plain. Though, I did like the huge, black decorative mirror that hung on the wall and their menus typed in French. The French was a nice touch, but proved to be a hassle. I couldn’t pronounce the dishes to save my life, and I did in fact try. In the end, I shamefully pointed to the dish that I wanted when the waitress came over to take my order. Hearing her elegantly pronounce the French as if it was her first language assured me that saying nothing was for the best. 

I'm a little upset that I didn't get a drink with my order. Next time I'll have to get their cappuccino. I hear great reviews about its taste.  

I ended up getting a sandwich with chicken, bacon, boiled egg slices, tomatoes, and a lightly seasoned tangy mayonnaise. It even came with a side salad, a nice refreshing bonus! I only got trough half of the sandwich until I started to get full. The portions are very generous at Petit Paris! Afterwards, I went a bakery that I had pasted on the way and got a cupcake. It was chocolate on chocolate topped with brownie chunks. It looked so good that had to eat it right away! Hence, there is no picture, but it was oh so yummy.

I didn't actually wear any Lolita clothing this day due to the below freezing temperature and the recent snow fall. My poor little legs couldn't handle it. I decided to dress my hair up in the style instead. Hair Loli! 

BONUS: I changed my hair! Now I have cute ringlet pigtails to suit my old school Gothic Lolita passions. I really love pigtails and would wear my hair the style everyday if I could. I think I channel this love from childhood. Even though I wanted pigtails, my mother would never put my hair in them. But now that I’m an adult, I can put them in the style as much as a want (so mature)!

             My pigtails still get mixed review from the common folk that I pass in the course of a day. They either love it or hate it. But the ones that do love them always have such strange remarks! It’s as if the sight of abnormal hairstyles calls for a story or explanation to match. The “no, I just wear this because I like it” reply just doesn’t suffice. When I was out at Petit Paris, a woman asked if I was a hair model! The question was so weird and funny at the same time. The people that do have such jobs are like mythical creatures to me, I’ve never actually known anyone to be one or have friends who personally know one. The woman was so sure though! So, the woman has convinced me. In my next life I shall be a hair model… specifically for Gothic Lolita styles. Gothic Lolita Bible, hit me up!

°˖✧'Till next time