My heart belongs to... {Lolita 52 Challenge}

Hello Hello! Took longer on this post, so sorry. I'm trying to be a better blogger!
Today's prompt is "Your favorite brand" and probably the easiest so far! I have always had a special place in my heart for one brand in particular, no matter how much I love other brands. I'm siding with Momoko on this one; Baby the Stars Shine Bright has my heart.

So, what makes Baby my top pick?

 

• BTSSB's creative leanings: Whether it's the old school style or the rococo and extravagant OPs they just seem to know me so well. They have really wonderful design ideas and tend to leave prints to Angelic Pretty most of the time
• Serious attention to detail: Every piece Baby puts out, almost without fail, has multiple types of lace, careful construction decisions and things you would just never notice without being up close. They pick great materials to start with and end with great designs to tie everything up!
• Kamikaze Girls: Seems nebulous? Kamikaze Girls was one of the most formative things for me as a Lolita getting into the fashion and is still one of my favorite movies. Fight Club and Kamikaze Girls...heh. And as anyone who has seen Kamikaze Girls can tell you, Baby The Stars Shine Bright is basically 1/3 of the plot! It's eternally tied and in turn I have attachment to it as well.

• Older style: Being more ornate and less decorated in comparison to AP I find it appealing. I really do love the more monarchical feeling. It's not all Hyper sweet but instead a more verbose sweet. If that makes any sense!
• Versatility: Maybe Baby is more demure and less kawaii, but that doesn't mean that's all it can be. The last thing I really love about Baby is that their clothes can be as stated but can also be hyper cute, or classic, and possibly, on a full moon, even gothic! So much opportunity is important for me since I have a very low closet turn over and its really something I pay attention to.
• Sentimental Value: Baby was where I bought my first JSK from, and my first brand piece. I took a trip to San Fran when I was younger during the beginning of my Lolita life and it left an indelible mark for certain.

So in conclusion, Baby has my heart forever and I don't care for a cure.
See you next time!
(All pictures taken from Baby's San Fran Blog)

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.

A Day at the Cinema {Lolita 52 Challenge}

Today's prompt from the 52 challenge is "5 movies for lolita" and wow, have I been waiting for this. I adore movies, from cinematography to plot line. Easy to say, I'm going to have fun with this.
*There will be no spoilers, since the point of this is to give recommendations.*

Lets kick this off with the obvious and ENTIRELY NECESSARY movie:
1. Kamikaze Girls: A movie about a lolita with emotional and committal problems who by accident becomes friends with a yanki girl gang member. Despite all that this movie has many comedic elements and is rooted in comedy. The overarching themes are friendship, believing in yourself, growing as a person and being a god damn bad ass. I have watched this movie 6 times and would recommend it highly. The original book is by Novala Takemoto.

2. Marie Antoinette: Let me say right now, this movie has the shittiest story telling. There is basically no REAL plot. That out of the way, holy Jesus the costume and set designing is BRILLIANT. I recommend this movie if for nothing else the beautiful eye candy. The soundtrack is rather surprising as well. Very contemporary. The movie is basically Marie Antoinette's life starting at her move to France to be the Dauphine till her imprisonment. Things to be on the look out for- Her affair, the lack of difference between grown women and kids in clothes, the door space v. skirt width.

3.Fight Club: Distinctly un-lolita but to be frank, I don't care. This is a movie everyone needs to see. I don't care if you're a scene kid, a lolita, gyaru, goth, whatever. Watch this movie. Everything about it is perfect. And I can't tell you anything because it'll ruin it. I believe in Tyler Durden.

4. Princess and The Frog: A relatively recent Disney movie from the 2000's, set in the 1920's jazz age New Orleans about a woman overcoming struggles and finding love. Except its way better than that. It's got a woman named Charlotte (Lottie for short) and she is the most magnificent creature. There's no dislike-able characters in this movie and the musical numbers are PHENOMENAL. It's about princesses, adventure, princes, magic, and music. You can't get any better than that!

5. Kurage Hime: This is actually an anime instead of a movie but I absolutely love it. Its about a nerdy girl with no confidence becoming a super confident girl who will make her dreams come true. Add in a boarding house of nerdy girls, a cross dresser who is so fabulous it hurts and an overarching theme of believing in yourself, this movie was made for lolitas. Watch it any time you need a little boost for yourself.

That's it! My recommendations for any lolita looking for a night in! Until next time!
<3

I swear by these on the Holy Gothic Lolita Bible {Lolita 52 challenge}

The first one on the list of challenges is " 5 pieces that every Lolita wardrobe should have, regardless of style". And in my own personal opinion; here they are, the five things I swear by for the successful lolita.

1. A supremely fancy dress
        This can't be just any dress. This has to be THE dress. The dress that is something a princess could wear to a ball, or alternatively, hold vampire court in. It doesn't have to be huge but it has to be significantly fancier than a normal lolita dress. I'm currently in pursuit of this myself. >~> Baby's new release is beautiful beyond all belief.

2. An Organza petticoat
       The magic to these petticoats is that they don't deflate. They're puff is derived from the sheer amount of material instead of the stiffness of the fabric, insuring minimal if any deflation. One supplies everyday poof for ever and two is enough to make any AP girl weep tears of envy. I'm looking for a second one right now.

3. Community
       So many lolitas are in the world today, and for that matter gathering places! There's local communities, the EGL friending meme, the EGL free for all, plenty of forums, Conventions. So many opportunities to meet the other girls who share your hobby and passion. And I think its very important to remember that they do exist. Even if we live on opposite sides of the world, we have something in common. It's a really brilliant and uplifting thing, even if we do fight. It always seems to turn out ok.

4. A pair of cute shoes that don't make your feet bleed tears of fiery death
      That pair of heels with the pearls is all fine and dandy at a tea party, but when you're at a picnic, or a mall meet, or some other thing where you are on your feet for more than five minutes, how cute those shoes are don't mean jack shit. Find a pair of nice shoes that DON'T feel like the Spanish inquisition. You'll thank me later. (I have a pair of pink flat oxfords from www.goldenponies.net and I LOVE them)

5. A good camera (or at least a decent one)
      Even if you don't post pictures to the internet, you should still record your outfits. One day you're going to want to look back at the years past, progress, changes, etc and if you never recorded anything you are you of luck. You wont be able to remember everything on your own, get a little help with memory making.

Lolita 52 challenge!

So one of my favorite blogs Fyeahlolita just posted about a new challenge for lolita blogs. It's 52 prompts of thigns to write about and I think they are very compelling.
It goes like this:

1.  5 pieces that every Lolita wardrobe should have, regardless of style
2.  5 movies for Lolitas
3.  What my own Lolita lifestyle is like 
4.  Favorite thing to put on my head
5.  My wardrobe turnover
6.  My favorite Lolita brand
7.  Why I wear Lolita?
8.  Why don't I wear Lolita more often?
9.  5 keywords that describe my personal Lolita style
10.  How I first found out about Lolita
11.  3 trends I wish would come back
12.  Combining other fashions with Lolita
13.  Lolitas I have met in real life
14.  Lolitas I would love to meet
15.  3 things I wish I was told when I was a new Lolita
16.  10 facts about my Lolita wardrobe
17.  My first meetup
18.  Trends I thought I would never get into, but I now love
19.  Trends I thought I loved, but now I'm not too keen on
20.  How satisfied I am with my current wardrobe
21.  Plan for a trip! A week's worth of Lolita outfits I can fit in a small suitcase
22.  How I accessorize
23.  What influences my Lolita style
24.  What's in my makeup bag
25.  Best places to wear Lolita
26.  How I get out of a wardrobe slump
27.  Purses that I love
28.  Bloomers or no bloomers?
29.  Lolitafying things in my everyday life
30.  How long it took me to build a complete wardrobe
31.  Impulse buys that were totally worth it
32.  My best deal
33.  Something that I made
34.  Wardrobe blunders! Things I bought that I ended up regretting!
35.  What I thought when I got my first real piece of Lolita
36.  Nails to match my favorite looks
37.  Something that's not my style, but I love anyways
38.  Favorite hair style
39.  Most versatile Lolita item I own
40.  5 inspirational fictional characters
41.  Fondest meetup memory
42.  The ways in which I fit the cliche
43.  The ways in which I do not fit the cliche
44.  How strangers react to my clothes, and how I react to their reactions
45.  Something that was a gift
46.  Parasols: Vital or frivolous?
47.  The item in my wardrobe that was the hardest to get
48.  My "signature" outfit
49.  My favorite Lolita print
50.  What's in my closet, but I haven't worn yet!
51.  Predict the next Lolita trend!
52.  How Lolita has changed me

So why not? I'll be doing one a week in the hopes my posts wont be so....distant from each other! I'll be back soon.