My birthday!

So Tuesday was my birthday and I am now 17! Omg, young and old at the same time! It was a very casual night. My mother, sister, Kendall and I went out to a nice steakhouse in town and I opened all the presents I got from my aunts and mom and sister before we left and wow, what lovely presents. My mother basically bought me a princess kit, haha.

That would be: A Tiara, a porcelain ring holder, an adorable chiffon pink scrunchie with a bow, my favourite perfume- Coco Chanel's Mademoiselle, and rose scented bath salts. And not shown, I got a nice large clear side with white straps tote bag. I mean WOW, what an absolutely fantastic bunch of gifts. Thanks mom!
From my aunts I mostly got money, which I didn't mind a bit since I'm saving up money for Frill, but they were dear enough to send me a thing or two.

From one of my aunts was a really pretty box of macarons actually shipped from France!! (One is missing because I already ate it! ;x;) The flavors weren't listed but I tried one of each to figure them out and they were raspberry, pistachio, lemon, dark chocolate with raspberry, milk chocolate, and coffee!

 The other gift was a cute cake tester with a little tea pot shaped bead at the top. It's a long bit of metal you stick into the middle of the cake to see if the cake if done cooking. I love baking so it was a cute present.
-w-
I didn't get a picture of my outfit, unfortunately but I got a head shot of me wearing my tiara before I went to dinner.

It was a really nice birthday even if it was casual. I didn't get pictures of any of my other gifts but I received presents from my sister, my father, my grandparents, and some of my friends and they were all really really sweet presents and I love all of them.

Procrastination, Practicality, or Just Plain Poor {Lolita 52 Challenge}

Source

Hello Hello!! Before I get into today's prompt I just want to point out the updated layout for Monochrome Sparkle!I have moved my about me to its own page after basically destroying it for the sake of reducing side scrolling so go check that out! Learn all about my crazy life.
Anyway, today's prompt is "Why don't I wear lolita more often?", which is as good a question as any. Unfortunately there's not any big important reason. The fact of the matter is I just don't have a big enough closet to wear it any more than I do and even beyond that I just don't have the money to improve and maintain a larger closet for the most part.
I take close care of my pieces either hand washing or dry cleaning them, the latter of which is fairly expensive and while my parents DO help me quite frequently with the fees, almost always in fact, there is pacing to consider. I don't want to bleed my parents dry!
I have about seven jumperskirts and two skirts. That's it. And while I coordinate them very well and with a lot of different items there's not enough to really wear more often than I do, which is fairly often anyway! I dress four times a week at least, so it's not like I'm skipping out most of the time.
On top of that, I have to worry about wearing out my dresses. At which point I should tell the sad and short story of my first brand dress:
I once bought my first jumperskirt from San Francisco's BTSSB store and I loved that dress. Incidentally, it was my only jumperskirt for more than a year and I wore probably once a week! And I wore it into the *ground* by the time I retired it, it was covered in tiny stains, the lace was yellowed, and there were tiny rips along the seams.
The moral of that story is, if you wear a dress too often you basically slowly destroy it, and in an effort to avoid that myself with my current closet I have to take care to not wear my dresses to often.
So in essence, the reason I don't wear lolita more often is I'm not to the point where my closet can facilitate more than what I currently wear.
Till next time!

Why I wear Lolita? {Lolita 52 challenge}

It's just like the title says this time around, why do I wear lolita? I haven't done one of these in a while because I haven't posted in a while.  But that's the prompt, and boy what a loaded question. I've actually thought about this a lot ever since I read a questionnaire a couple years ago about lolita. As soon as I read it I really knew the answer-- so, what is the answer? This answer is a few parts.

Lolita is part of who I am. It represents part of me.

I started lolita at a very young age, around 14, back when I didn't really have an identity for myself. The existential question "Who am I" would have hit deep if I had considered it in between contrived stanzas of poetry and bad deviant art uploads. So, when I found lolita, along with some other things, I felt connected and grew around it and into it. Not so much artificially selecting myself for lolita traits but instead just growing in knowledge and experience relevant to the culture around lolita. Everyone grows up with cultural influences that shape them, people who participate in band, high academics, plantation society. Mine happened to be lolita.

I love the way it looks.

What more can I say? I don't know why, it's just part of me. I adore the look. The supreme girliness and unabashed self appreciation that goes into wearing lolita. I also like the fact that its technically an alt fashion and is really weird and out there.

The community is relatable and connecting.

While the lolita community has a lot of draw backs to it, the drama, the cattiness, it has a good side too. It brings together people from many walks of life and allows me to meet new people. And beyond that I feel like I belong. I fit in somewhere. It's hard to say that because everyone is encouraged to strike out on their own but honestly, people need support, people to relate to. That's what the lolita community does for me. I can ask advice, and talk to people, have things in common with people everywhere from Scandinavia to Japan.

So basically, lolita is just right to me. I didn't think about why when I did it, and now I only think why because I'm asked. It's ineffable and it's my fashion.

Oh geez guys, I AM BEYOND TARDY!

Ahhhhhh, I haven't written in like ever. ;-; I've been really caught up with trying to do ok in school (This princess is one nasty procrastinator) as well as just generally been busy with things. Last weekend I went to my first concert which was a big deal, and I've entered the running for senior class vice president. I try and keep up with my friends and all. Honestly, I haven't even spent enough time on myself! It's a travesty. BUT! But, but, but, next month is May, and that means A. last month of school before summer vacation B. THE MONTH OF MY BIRTHDAY C. the last month before this year's Frill Convention.
For those of you who don't know what Frill is (Or missed my gratuitously long picture post on it) Frill is the first American all lolita convention. Last year was the first one and this year is MUCH MUCH bigger. They've scaled it up to an actual hotel and have a huge amount of things planned compared to last year. I'm very excited to see how it'll grow as I've been following it since day one as best as I could.
This year Frill is June first and second, which means holy frick it is really really close. Heehooheehoo, deep breaths. I'll make a post later about my outfit plans for Frill if you are interested, this post is just a catch up.
Besides Frill, like I mentioned, is my birthday! I'll be 17 (ah, I'm so young) on May 7th. >u< I don't know what I'm doing for it this year; I can't do much because of what I'm planning next year. My mother and I talked about it before my LAST birthday and agreed that I could have a Masquerade ball for my 18th birthday so I'm trying to have really low key birthdays until then so I can spend more money on it! Haha.
I'm also thinking of making my Vice president campaign very....me. So up the glitter, pastels, and cute characters. I figure if I try and be very formal and political about it it wouldn't be an accurate representation of me. But who knows, things may change!
Anyway, this post was just to remind you all I am not, in fact, dead. I'll try to get better about posting. ;_; Boo.
To make this slightly more interesting, here's a couple outfits of mine from the past month or so!

Outfit Rundown:

Skirt- Made by a seamstress I can't remember the name of. :x

Shirt- Sweet loot from my concert attendance
Belt- Offbrand

(Not pictured: shoes and tights- off brand)

Cinnamoroll inspired outfit!

Jumperskirt- Glitter Trump from AP

Blouse- Antonio Milani 

Shoes- Golden Ponies

Tights- offbrand

Hair stuff: assorted lolita etsies

Apron- special commission

Anyway, Talk to you again soon guys!

Bringing back the Sunday Drive

Not a challenge prompt today! I know, shocking. But I have something I experienced that I need to share, and that is the Sunday Drive.
For those of you who don't know, the "Sunday drive" is a concept which was particularly popular in 1950's America in which, on a Sunday, you got into your car in some relatively presentable clothes and just drove through town or the country side. sounds kind of silly doesn't it? But last weekend I got a bad itch to move and see things and that is just what I did. Armed with a cardigan, my keys, and my phone only, I hopped into my car and set out into the roads around my father's house.

Assuming you don't make a point to know all the little details of my life (Even if it is fab) let me explain, my father's house is about 10 minutes out from anything resembling a suburb or town and 30 minutes on the interstate away from a respectably sized one. So, long story short, old houses, dirt roads, and trees abound. Everywhere.
I let my dad know I was going on this drive, to which he offered advice on what roads to take. And I should say, I've lived at this house my whole life, part time after age 6 and I knew the area pretty well but not well enough to be acquainted with all the little roads so I was quite open to his suggestions. After learning his directions, I set off, eager to go somewhere or do something other than surf tumblr.
I gotta say guys, I expected it to be pleasant but it was so much more than that. It was so many things I needed to have the time to do. Let me explain;

It was time to spend alone with my thoughts and with a clear head. Driving occupies your hands and enough of your brain to not be bored but little enough for you to still think naturally.
I turned the radio on scan, stopping it wherever I heard something that I thought interesting. It was a time to do things without any pressure or assurance. You just make decisions based on what you feel like.
I didn't have anywhere to be or anywhere to go. It was cathartic for me to be able to decompress and not rush anywhere or have to hurry around. I could go as slow or fast as I felt like without stressing.
I stopped whenever I saw something I was taken with because it was a back road and had little traffic. A few times I actually pulled over to the side of the road to pick flowers or rabbit's tobacco.
It was really just a time for me to breathe and think and move and not worry about the consequences of any of it. It was freedom for a while.

So what to do with this information?
Go on a Sunday drive yourself. Here are some tips:

• No distractions. If you can leave your phone at home and just take a camera all the better. This is time for you.
• Don't let guilt get you. If you want to pull over on the side of the road to pick some flowers, damn sure do it! Don't let the idea that you shouldn't or other drivers will think you're weird doing it stop you. What does that matter anyway, you're not breaking any laws.
• Don't have a return time. If you set a time to be back home then you'll constantly be concerned with getting back by then, detracting from the experience.
• Have a map or a GPS. This way, you wont be worried about getting lost or having to stay on main roads. Have a fall back on so when you go adventuring it wont matter, because that's an important part of this-- impulse. Follow whatever you feel like, just mind your blinkers.
• Have a way to document. A camera is good, or a camera phone. Don't get to caught up in recording everything though!
• Look for dirt roads and countryside. Driving around town is nice, but it can be a bit restricting. Stop lights, traffic, loud noises. Ditch that and find some back roads with trees and maybe some cows if you're feeling really frisky. No stop signs, little traffic. It's great.
• Dress for the weather. Yes, you're in a car, but don't think you're going to be the entire time. If you find something amazing, get the hell out of the car and investigate! These things are things you shouldn't be missing just because you're "supposed" to be on a drive. This is all about you uninhibited.
• If you want to scream, or beat a tree with a baseball bat, or do cartwheels, do it! This is your time, and no one is going to get you in trouble for doing what you want to (so long as it isn't private, watched property. Ie. You can get away with smashing a tree in a huge forest type area or the back of a field. Not so much in a suburb....well, if it's not your tree)

That's it. Go forth. Drive

Am I an Economist or a Lolita? {Lolita 52 Challenge}

Good day (And I mean it is a good day), and another prompt. Today's prompt is "my wardrobe turnover" which is...uh, I'm not quite sure? I think its supposed to mean how many clothes do I go through? Like the exchange of new clothes and old clothes. The throwing out and taking in? Sounds kind of like I'm talking tax returns and net sales income. Haha. BUT! It's a prompt so I'll guess what it is and roll with it.

The fact is I am 16. I'm 16 and I don't have a job. I get 25 dollars every other weekend as my allowance and money from presents for like Christmas and my birthday, etc. So all of my dresses have been saved for for a good long while in order to buy. Some only took a few months, others took a full year or more. With that in mind, I don't have much of ANY wardrobe turnover.

 I've been reduced by three items my entire duration. One was a gift I passed down to my friend who was getting into lolita- my first item to her first. The second was my first brand dress and I ended up....finishing with it (?) because I wore it into the ground. It was faded and yellowing and had quite a few stains on it and it was just done. The last was a skirt which was just too small for me and I tried to wear but couldn't do it comfortably, so I sold it to my friend. In conclusion, I have minimal if any turn over. Seriously. All my items are purchased because I LOVE them. Full on adore, choose them and think about it for months while I save up for them.

I also only take in like one or two dresses a year. Three if its like a blow away year. At the moment I own two skirts, and around 8 dresses. In five years of being in lolita. That breaks down to like two items a year. Of course I get other items too. Accessories, socks, bows, fabric, all that jazz. But big items? Two a year. 183 days and one item. 

I'm not complaining too much though. I love every piece in my wardrobe dearly.

That being said- I'm always looking to increase my quarterly intake. Winkwinknudgenudge.

Till next prompt guys!

Your Heart, Your Head, and Your Hat {Lolita 52 Challenge}

Hello lovelies! Today's prompt is "Favorite Thing to Put on My Head" and that is a damn good question! Do I say bows, like most lolitas? Do I say cake, because, come on, cake! Or do I say flowers?

Two Guesses?

How about none of these!

I'll be the first to tell you, I am a hat kind of girl. There's something so potent about wearing a really on your head hat. Hats can have historical significance. They can change the entire feel or aesthetic of an outfit. Just a switch from a top hat to a wide brim hat (A la Carmen Sandiego) can turn you from the mad hatter to Irene Adler!
Personally, I derive a lot of inspiration from historical fashion and hats are a great great way of really feeling that inspiration. I recently got a psuedo Bergere hat as a gift. I had been pining away for a while and someone was kind enough to get it for me, which was so sweet. I *LOVE* this hat. Aside from being springy and unusual, it also was very popular among the french aristocracy when they would visit the countryside. If you couldn't tell from my other posts, I am a rococo nut. I really love the aesthetics of it, so this was too perfect.

(My lovely hat)

I currently own two berets, the bergere hat, a british riding hat, a boater hat, a BTSSB bonnet, a mini tricorn, and a few others I honestly cant remember! I dont wear them nearly as much as I'd like to because mostly I got to school and they're pretty anti hat, plus bows are more versatile, but when I do it really just brings the outfit to a new level.

Well, that's about all I can ramble about hats for now, so until next prompt; Bye!

A day in the life {Lolita 52 Challenge}

Well, today's prompt is "What my own Lolita lifestyle is like" and I'll be honest with you; I had a hell of a time quantifying it. Lolita and the lolita lifestyle is such an integral part of who I am and what I do its not active decision making. Its just my tastes and my attentions. So with that in mind.....

(Unknown source)

My lolita lifestyle is striving to live in fairytale palace, a Versailles skyscraper, and a royal dinner party. My lifestyle is having a heart of diamonds and pearls, and having expensive taste and no regrets. My lifestyle is waking up in the morning and reaching for my petticoat without even thinking. It's being able to rattle of my outfits from the past 4 meetups and not being able to remember what I ate for dinner. It's walking down the street and feeling confident enough to look every person that passes in the eyes and smile at them. My lolita lifestyle is believing in my own personal aesthetics and appreciate my preferences. It's not buying into what I'm supposed to like and instead buying into what feels right to me.
I wear fake beauty marks because I feel like it. I own more tea cups than an old lady. I can identify the time period something takes place in by the fashion in it. I've walked into a Baby the Stars Shine Bright store before and almost cried. I've watched Kamikaze Girls over 7 times. And for that matter, I've written analysis' of Momoko's quotes and their philosophical impact before.
When it rains, I don't think "I should have worn pants today." I think "I really need to invest in a good lolita rain coat." Which is then quickly followed with remembering that one I saw on Baby's website last fall. Heading to school 3 out of 5 mornings at least dressed in lolita without a second thought. Getting a car and bringing a spool of ribbon to decorate it.
That's my lolita lifestyle, everyday. Its a LIFESTYLE. It's every day I am awake since I've gotten into the fashion. Because its me. Lolita is a punk, lolita is a lady, lolita is a rebel, lolita is angry, and happy, and excited, and outgoing, and lolita is how I feel.

On the Importance of Trying

Some nights I will stay up too late talking to friends or playing video games and I know that in the morning I'll feel extremely tired. Then, I'll go to sleep. I'll wake up in the morning and, lo, just like I predicted, I feel terrible. I'm tired. My limbs feel heavy. I can barely keep my eyes open. I'll tell myself that I just won't bother getting dressed that morning. I'll just throw on some random shirt, something on my legs and shoe myself with whatever I find. Then I reach for a pair of jeans and stop.

I can't wear those jeans.
I can't wear that old t-shirt.
I can't walk past my makeup table.
I can't give up.
I can't give up.

It's a one sentence confirmation of my worth. I get dressed in the mornings because I enjoy it, because I want to, and because I am denying apathy.

Self-Love is a buzz word for persons of the especially female persuasion existing in the modern world for a reason. (For those of you who don't know, Self-Love is the active love and appreciation of yourself as a sort of counter to the normal body hate and under appreciation of oneself) Loving yourself is important. It makes you more productive, happier, more confident, and a slew of other things. Tons of outspoken and successful women are speaking up for it. People like Gala Darling and Angelina have especially spoken up for it. It's certainly becoming increasingly important today.

But what does that really have to do with my inability to wear sweatpants?
Because putting effort into what I do is an affirmation that what I am doing and what I am are both worth it. This is my emotions, my sense of beauty, I'm putting out into the world, but not for anyone else. This is just for me.

And some mornings you may wake up tired, sad, exhausted, willing to just scream and say fuck it to trying. But you need to try. You need to say that you are worth it because you are. You are the person who understands you the most. The person who knows your favorite color. You are your own soul mate. And you should treat yourself well. You deserve it.
So maybe nobody notices when you paint your nails with that new color. It makes you smile, don't give it up.
So maybe your art isn't as well known as someone else's. It doesn't have as many comments. Do you like your art? Does it speak to you? You create, don't give up.
So maybe it's easier to wear that pair of ratty old flats than hunt down that new pair of heels that you love. It's early in the morning. It doesn't matter. But it does-- for you!
When you put effort into things, you are affirming that it has meaning and worth and power. And it does because you do. You are powerful and strong and worth the effort.
Don't ever, ever give up.

Urbanite Antoinette

I recently read an article by one of my favorite blogs called GalaDarling, run by Gala Darling (shocking!), that was all about her own unique style, and the name she chose for it-- Eccentric Pop. She referred to the name as her "style statement" after a book  she read which discussed the naming of one's personal style by a ratio of stylistic choices, etc.
While the specifics of it weren't my taste exactly, the idea of naming your style seemed like a brilliantly fun idea to me! I've always have an affinity for naming things: Creeks, big rocks, boats, cars, weapons....yeah. So this was right up my alley. And so I set out to make a name for my aesthetic choices. I wanted a name that would encompass all the things I wore, not just lolita, even if lolita is a huge part of what I wear. I wanted a name that would cover all of it.
After much brainstorming and with the help of a friend, I finally nailed down my style-

~Urbanite Antoinette~

Urbanite represents the moder look. The street style, the 90's, the 80's the 50's. It's street style. It's more sharp looks. It's the directly punk, the refined looks, the Audrey Hepburn and Vivien Westwood. It's the spirit of cities, the feeling of walking in a black skirt with a mocha chino in your hand up the stairs of Vogue's offices.
Urbanite represents: Berets, polka dots, heels, patterned tights, cats eye eyeliner. faux glasses, suspenders, plaid, sneakers, faux half shaved hair, leather, candy red lipstick, black, and buckles

It's no secret that I love rococo everything, but rococo wasn't quite right. That was too specific of a style, and a style that some of my outfits didn't touch upon. BUT, Antoinette hit it right on the head. Marie Antoinette was a rebel, she dressed unusually, thought outside the box (at this point in time, thinking outside the box was wearing cotton instead of silk! Point remains), was very fashion obsessed, and loved to have a good time and especially looking good while doing it.
Antoinette represents- Lace, pin tucks, ruffles, pastels, stripes, curls, pearls, ribbons, rhinestones, roses, flowers, kittens, beauty marks, petticoats, fans, organza, chemise, and tulle.

Imagine if Antoinette was in New York and you got the general idea.
And, occasionally my style strays more to one side or the other and sometimes I try aesthetics that aren't quite matched up with either (I mean, mori lolita is sorta something Marie would have worn, but the connection is tenuous) but around 89% of the time this sums it up really well.
So, what's the point? Well, it's fun, haha. And it also gives me a more defined idea, myself, for my style. I know what it is deep down but when I working with coordinates and clothes it's good to have a general idea of what I'm doing.
Urbanite Antoinette goes to wild parties smelling like roses and only riots if there's a good soundtrack. She lives on details and ideas. She's a bit of a gypsy spirit but has her plans under control. And she'll damn sure wear three petticoats if the mood strikes her.
Till next time!

A Bastille Day Weekend

This past Saturday was Bastille Day, the day during the french revolution when the revolutionaries stormed the Bastille, a military fort/prison. And, without even knowing it, I ended up having a very french weekend! On Saturday there was a farmers market downtown which happens every Saturday but this one was different. The French Society (I didn't even know that was a thing!) was overseeing it. All the french based shops from around came to sell their stuff and it was wonderful! One shop was there Called Au Peche Mignon which was a really real french bakery. They had everything and it was amazing. They even sold almond macarons! I have been looking for ages for a place that sold good macarons and this was most assuredly the place. They were PERFECT.

Then, on Sunday, one of the local high schools in collaboration with the rest of the county put on Le Miserables which was playing this past weekend and then also next weekend. It's been advertised in the paper and everywhere so it's a really big deal and since it was my high school putting it on I HAD to go see it. I had never seen it before so it was very new to me, though I do love musicals and plays, and OH MY DEAR SWEET BABY JESUS, Le Miserable is one of the most beautiful and heart wrenching plays I have ever watched. I cried watching it so many times I lost count! (It was definitely over 5) If any of you ever get a chance to see it, you have to go.
To celebrate the weekend (once I realized it) I put together a casual rococo inspired coordinate!

It was a lovely weekend.
With Love,
Delano

How about some random facts about me?

So, I got tagged by my dear friend Mana to do this little information-y type post. It's a silly little thing, but I was tagged and I would hate to disappoint. XP So here we are, a question tag post.

Question 1: Do you have any pets? 

I have 3 beagles at my dad’s house that are kind of a group ownership by my dad, my sister, and I. And I have a cat at my mom’s house named house named Apollo, and he’s mine. :3

Question 2: Name three things that are physically close to you: 

My cup of tea, A stack of drawings, and my sister.

Question 3: What's the weather like right now ? 

Right now? Ok, I guess. XD It’s not like it’s going to be ~beautiful magical awesome~ outside just by nature of Florida, but it’s nice.

Questions 4: Do you drive ? If so, have you crashed? 

I do drive, but I have never crashed, thank goodness.

Question 5: What time did you wake up this morning ?

I was supposed to wake up at 6:30, but I actually got up at 6:45. I’M SUCH A REBEL

Question 6: When was the last time you showered ? 

Last night…Weird question.

Question 7: What was the last movie that you saw ? 

Tarzan, for my Disney time line.

Question 8: What does you last text message say?

“Goodnight” Lol.

Question 9: What is your ring tone ? 

Harp Music

Question 10: Have you ever been to a different country? 

No, that would be really fun though as long as I was able to communicate. (Reason #5 that I don’t really want to leave the country that bad)

Question 11: Do you like sushi?

No, not now, not ever. .___.

Question 12: Where do you buy your groceries?

I get a lot from the normal grocery store around here, Publix, but I also do a lot of shopping at the organic food store Earth Fare

Question 13: Have you ever taken any medication to help you fall asleep faster? 

Nope, I have one gift, and that is the ability to sleep anytime, anywhere.

Question 14: How many siblings do you have ? 

1, my sister—Savannah

Question 15: Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop? 

Desktop.  >:C I hate this old computer, it’s derpy all the time.

Question 16: How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 

<-< >-> 16

Question 17: Do you wear contacts or glasses ? 

Neither! Good eyesight. :>

Question 18: Do you colour your hair ? 

Not a once, I got highlights in like….6^th grade.

Question 19: Tell me something you are planing to do today:

I’m having a friend over and we are going to go adventuring in the woods by my house.

Question 20: When was the last time you cried? 

Oh goodness….2, 3 weeks ago? It’s been a bit longer than usual.

Question 21: What is your perfect pizza topping?

Nothing, I am a horrifyingly picky eater. I only eat plain.

Question 22: Which do you prefer, hamburger or cheeseburger ? 

Hamburger.

Question 23: Have you ever had an all-nighter ? 

Nope! I do not do well without sleep.

Question 24: What is your eye colour ?

Blue. Very, very blue.

And here are some pictures from the past while:

 

Monochrome Sparkles, Neon Heels

Hello reader. This is the first post of my new blog Monochrome Sparkles. As I get older I find I am developing a specific style. This blog is to share my outfits, general ponderings, things that I feel I should contribute to the world, and so on.
A little about me. My name is Delano. I love to bake, embroider, shop, doodle, create stories for different music and CDs. I love Disney movies and feel good movies. I hate unhappy endings. I dance terribly. I love unicorns. I love tacky gigantic heels. I am a lolita and hope to be one on an almost daily basis in the future.
Thank you for stopping by, I hope to make many posts in the future.