LLC: Dresses Released When I Started Lolita

Hello Darlings, and Happy Hump Day!

Today I wish to discuss the topic of "Time Travel". 

For my first act of time travel, I will turn back the clock and journey into the distant past- by completing a Lolita Lifestyle topic on the wrong day!

Yes, this is out of order, but I wanted to complete it very badly!

And how appropriate, that the topic shall be "Time Travel" in it's own sense. I feel it is important to look back at the roots of your fashion, to see how it evolved and consequently, how you evolved with it.

This was an odd topic for me, actually! For the past couple of years, I was fairly certain I started Lolita in 2007. I wasn't sure how or why I knew that, it just seemed like a good guesstimate to me.

So in preparation for the prompt, I started browsing Lolibrary for Jumperskirts released in 2007.

Indeed, Metamorphose was in its heyday! I remembered the release of Gingham Cherry quite well, and have ever since pined for the navy blue jumperskirt with matching boater hat. I even owned the embroidery pocket jsk on the far right, at some point! 

But as I was browsing the dresses of 2007, I thought, these were all released when I was already in to Lolita fashion. I remembered seeing the updates on websites and on EGL, so surely I was already decently "in" to the fashion? I couldn't have just been a beginner!

So... did I start Lolita in 2006?? 

I plugged the year "2006" into Lolibrary, and low and behold, I saw it- the first dress I ever bought from Metamorphose.

 "Back in the day", Metamorphose was one of the few easily accessible Japanese web shops for Lolita that shipped worldwide. So in my first humble beginnings in the quest to acquire a Lolita dress, Metamorphose was where I directed my mouse to.

I didn't have this dress for long, and I'm not sure I even wore it- but I can never forget that Music Note Print, the tulle collar and trim, and the gathered tulle bustle back of this dress.

A quick browse through the archives sent me down memory lane, with a number of other dresses I used to own:

 

Looks like I always fancied the unusual colors!

And of course, I had a Candy Violet by Vivcore Classic Set in blue.

It was quite fun and nostalgic, browsing the archives of dresses released when I started Lolita fashion. The fashion has certainly changed a lot in ten years!

But also, I am kind of sad I didn't realize it's been 10 years! This year marks 10 years in Lolita fashion for me and I didn't even know it! At least I noticed it early on in the year, and I can still celebrate, and make this the best year so far.

Xoxo,

Cherie 

LLC: Lolita Fragrances

Some of my favourite things on my vanity.

Lace a la Mode's 365 Day Lolita Lifestyle Challenge is sometimes a challenge to blog about- it may prompt an activity, such as reading a Lolita related text, rather than producing blog content.

Today, Day 40, was one of those such days, but I decided to turn it into a blog post, anyway!

Simple enough, yet the act of wearing a fragrance can be the heart of your outfit. It can effect your worldview, causing you to see the world through rose-tinted glasses. Though invisible, I feel that fragrance is as important to an outfit as accessories and makeup. 

Before continuing on, I recommend reading The Osaka Koneko's translation of Novala Takemoto's "Let's Talk About Perfume". Novala's light-hearted article, translated into English there explains the different types on perfumes he likes, and also provides some practical knowledge on the ranking of perfumes. (The Osaka Koneko also has some great perfume recommendations herself, at the end of her post.) 

As Novala states in the essay, "While the note of a perfume (the scent of a perfume is called the “note”) changes slightly from person to person when worn, much like clothing, we don’t want to wear the same thing as everyone else. Because of this, whenever I’m asked to recommend a perfume, I always hesitate. I can only give advice to choose it yourself." 

That being said, I would like very much to share my personal favourite fragrances below, and why I think they are a good match for my Lolita style. 

While I enjoy them enough that I could implore you to try them yourself, I would follow Novala's advice and select a fragrance that speaks to you- and brings out the "note" of your own character.

I'll begin with my personal favourite fragrance, "Live Colorfully" by Kate Spade.

With a keynote of gardenia, and undertones of mandarin, tahitian vanilla, tiare flower and coconut water, this perfume is complex and sparkling. It works both as an energetic day fragrance I can even wear to work, or as a playful scent for going out.

The bottle is dazzling with a kaleidoscope of golds, corals and soft pinks. The bow-shaped topper is the perfect girly accent to top it all off. 

I believe this perfume captures the playful, explorative, creative essence of Lolita fashion. It is also refined, sweet and classy. 

Next on my list is "Miss Dior Cherie". Described as "Pure, Precious, Elegant", this is another fragrance that encapsulates the essence of Lolita, to me. 

This fragrance has a heart of jasmine, with notes of mandarin and patchouli. The result is a sweet, innocent fragrance that is not too bold; much like delicate lace.

With the pale champagne complexion and dazzling silver ribbon topper, this would also look elegant on any Lolita's vanity.

My next selection is "Babydoll" by Yves Saint Laurent.

I first tried this perfume because of the musician Miyavi, who once stated in his profile that his perfumes of choice were "Dior Addict" and "YSL Babydoll". Novala also mentioned Babydoll in his article, "Let's Talk About Perfume". 

With it's elegant, fresh, and youthful charm, it is not surprising that Babydoll is so popular. A flirty mixture of grapefruit, red currant and rose, with base notes of grenadine, cedar and peach, this perfume is complex and dynamic. 

The sparkling bottle is made to resemble a spinning top, much like the ever-changing scents in the fragrance. 

I feel this perfume captures my more adventurous side in Lolita- the side that wants to wear bold, unique colours, paint my nails in a new style, or try a new makeup trend. This perfume is stylish and elegant, yes, but also a little punky to me- as if made for a fashion trail blazer. 

And with that, we round out my top three fragrances. As you can see, perfume cannot only encapsulate who you are as a person, but it can also be the perfect pick-me-up, or the cherry on top of your clothing. Whether you are an expert in the field of perfume or more new to it, like me, I encourage you to play with the scents next time you are at a Sephora or Department store. Close your eyes, and see which one speaks to you!

Xoxo,

Cherie

LLC: Plan a Valentine's Meet

Good morning from the snowy East Coast, darlings!

I haven't been doing a spectacular job of keeping up with Lace a la Mode's Lolita Lifestyle Challenge, but seeing as today is officially the first of February, today's topic seemed appropriate:

I've actually never attended a Valentines Day Meet, but I would love to attend or host one! Although Valentines Day is considered annoying and garish by many, it has always been one of my favourite holidays, as I'm a true sap and hopeless romantic at heart. I don't even mind the eyeball-searing colour scheme of pink and red (I actually rather fancy those colours together).

If I were to host a Valentines Day meet, I would do it in a number of different ways:

• Sweet and Simple: a Red, Pink and White meet
• Match Made in Heaven! A Twinning meet
• Simply Meant to Be: A Fairy Tale meet
• I Want Candy: A Sweets themed meet
• Roses are Red: A Floral themed meet

Aren't you already daydreaming of coords for the above? 

For locations, I would consider somewhere with ample space for both socialising and a potluck:

• A Tea Room
• Your Home
• A Park or Garden (if it's not too cold where you live) 
• Your comm's favourite local cafe or restaurant

Any of these locations would be ideal, as I foresee a meet with Valentines themed festivities, games, and recipes. Of course if you are going to a restaurant or cafe instead of members contributing to a potluck, I would try and pick a location that served Valentines-esque food: for example, a shop with both savory and sweet crepes, a place for brunch, an ice cream parlour, or a local cafe/patisserie.

I would let myself get carried away with the decor! After all, what other holiday allows me to purchase the most loliable party decorations ever? Patterned Paper Straws, heart shaped plates, pink, red or white everything- it would be so much fun! Even if you are going to a restaurant, tea room or cafe, most establishments are okay with you bringing your own table embellishments.

One idea I have for a Valentine's Meet is "Secret Valentine". Like Secret Santa, I would ask the attendees to draw a random name of another guest for the meet. For that guest, they would be asked to make a handmade Valentine, and a gift of $5 or less- it could be a handmade accessory that goes with their style, handmade cookies or desserts, a custom drawing of them, etc. That way, everyone who comes will have a Valentine.

Another cute game could be "Who Am I?" (I played this version with my J-fashion Community in Hawaii last year.) 

You will need one or two sheets of adhesive name-tags, blank. On each square, write a Lolita identity- it can be designer names, model names, brand names, or even genres such as Sweet or Gothic Lolita! Throw in other elements of J-fashion if you like, such as Mori Girl, Dolly Kei, Visual kei, etc.

One game leader will distribute the labels to guests, who must not see their own "name". Stick it somewhere like on the person's back where they will not be able to look. Guests can break up into groups of three participants each, if you are dealing with a big group. Each guest will have to ask a question to try and figure out who they are, and the other people in their group will answer to help them guess. 

It's a lot of fun, especially if you get something way out of your element! It's quite entertaining seeing a Gothic Lolita find out she is "Maki" or "Asuka", or a Classic Lolita finding out she is "Visual Kei". 

If you'd like a more challenging game, you can reverse the roles and play charades! It might be quite entertaining watching guests act out some unique personalities and styles, but may be more difficult as guests cannot talk. 

Of course there are many other Valentines-specific games you can find online; a few I found were Bingo with candy hearts as markers, or relay races to see how many candy hearts you can pick up with chopsticks in a minute. There's plenty you can do to keep your guests entertained!

If you're hosting a potluck type meet, there are plenty of adorable things you can prepare for your guests, from simple heart shaped fruit kebabs, for beginners...

... To apple or potato rosettes, for the more seasoned cook.

It may also be a good idea to get a small chocolate fondue pot, with strawberries, gharam crackers and marshmallows. It seems like a fun activity for guests to enjoy together- although it might be dangerous for Lolitas, with that drippy chocolate!

Of course, as the meet is winding down, it is always fun to have a coordinate contest. The themes can be Valentines-tailored as well, including "Cutest Couple" (two coords that match well, intentionally or unintentionally), "Best Chocolate Coord", "Best Sweets Coord", "Best Floral Coord", etc. I think coordinate contests are a great way to encourage healthy competition, and to encourage everyone to put their best coord forward for meets. 

I hope that these ideas help inspire you to have your own Valentines Meet in your comm! I am a little sad I won't be able to host one this year, as it falls on Katsucon anyways. But perhaps next year, I can! And in the meantime, many of these ideas can be recycled for a regular Lolita meet, anyways.

Any more ideas for a Valentines Meet, or stories from one you attended? I would love to hear about it, as I am always looking for new meet ideas!

For more tips on how to host an at-home meet-up, and for the Lolita game "Lolita Scattergories", please click here!

Xoxo,

Cherie