LBC: What Would You Change About Your Wardrobe?

Hello darlings! It's that time of the week (a little late this week, too), for the Lolita Blog Carnival!

This week, I would like to talk about the changes I want to make in my wardrobe.

I agreed with much of What Emily wrote on her blog, "It's Witchcraft". 2017 will be my eleventh year wearing Lolita, so my wardrobe is, for the most part, well-established and well-rounded.

Most of the changes I'd like to see have to do with cohesiveness, and building a stronger collection.

I would like to continue fleshing out my collection with blouses, socks, shoes and bags that compliment what I already have; and I'd like to cut back on what I call "stand alone" or "unitasker" pieces.

"Unitasker" is a phrase coined by one of my favourite television personalities, Alton Brown. He loves to loathe what he calls Kitchen "Unitaskers"- gadgets and gizmos that only complete one function in the kitchen. Though Lolita isn't exactly cooking, we definitely have unitaskers in our wardobe.

These are stand alone pieces, things we are all guilty of- for example, a single pastel jsk in a gothic wardrobe, that sticks out like a sore thumb and doesn't really coordinate with the rest of your closet. Or, a pair of pink shoes that you bought specifically to go with ONE dress, even though you have nothing else pink in your collection. UNITASKERS!

The worst part about stand-alone pieces is that it breeds more impulse buys. You find yourself compelled to buy more pastels, even if you don't like them, simply because you now feel obligated to include that in your wardrobe.

In case you haven't figured it out, this reluctant pastel hoarder is me, myself. Even though I HATE how I look in pink, and often find pastels look terrible on me, I come back to them again and again. I buy it, I try it on, and instantly resell it. It's a vicious cycle, and it results in left over pieces I will never use again- the one pink blouse I bought specifically for that one pink dress, or the singular lavender headbow I bought to match my only lavender jsk.

While there is nothing wrong with variety, if I've learned anything over the years, it's that I don't, and I won't wear pastels. The things I wear over and over again are often rich jewel tones, or dresses in black colorways. I'm especially fond of emerald green, navy blue and ruby red.

So why the hell did I buy pastel, mint green shoes?!

Or why do I follow the lemmings off the cliff, diving head-first into a new AP print release, when I know that I won't actually love it or wear it?

That is exactly my point.

So if I could change anything about my wardrobe, it would be to make it ship-shape, tight and efficient. I don't necessarily want a minimalist, capsule wardrobe, but I do want to borrow from that philosophy that everything has multiple purposes and can be combined with the other pieces.

My goal, in short, is to emphasize what I already have and like to wear... and find new ways to wear it, by adding in things that frame it beautifully.

A short list:

• More solid, lace-topped socks in staple colours like white, ivory, black
• More comfortable, multipurpose shoes 
• More boleros and cardigans
• Add in some Ouji pieces, that also match what I have
• Less impulse buys on main pieces, that don't fit with my collection

To see an example of my wardrobe and what I've curated, please see my recent 2016 Wardrobe post. Since posting it, I've already cleared out some pieces I never got to wear, or knew I wouldn't wear. 

It's always hard to part with things, but I think it's a step in the right direction; and it makes room for new things to come!

What do you think about stand-alone pieces? Is variety the spice of life, or do you prefer to keep a general theme or colour scheme in your closet?

Let's take a look at what other Lolitas had to say!

Xoxo,
Cherie

It's Witchcraft! 

LBC: Predict 5 Trends for 2016

Hello, Darlings! Here, you join me on another exciting installment of Lolita Blog Carnival!

In this exciting episode, we will review "Trend Predictions for 2016". Not to toot my own horn, but in the past when I've written about Prints I'd Like to See (again here), or Trends I'd like to See, I saw quite a few blip on the radar. I'm not saying I'm psychic or anything, but I like to believe my predictions are pretty well based!

So without further ado, here are the trends I see continuing or growing in 2016.

1. Old School Revival

Be it "maxipad" rectangular headdresses, solid black and white coords, chunky platforms and RHS, or repetitive, understated sweet prints, I think this trend is on it's way back in. In the past few months I have seen a lot more blogs dedicated to the "Oldschool" aesthetic, and have seen a number of coords popping up on Coordinate Communities as well.

It is true that recently, I've been drawn back to the Oldschool aesthetic myself; so it's hard to say if the trend has really increased or if I've just noticed it more. But either way, I enjoy the understated elegance of "traditional" Lolita looks, and wouldn't mind if it made a comeback.

If you think about it logically, religious themes were very big in 2015, and many "new" dresses drew inspiration from old ones, such as lace cross appliques. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to backpedal further into the trends that set the tone for the rest of the world over a decade ago.

2. Punk Lolita 

This goes hand-in-hand with the prediction above. At about the same time "Oldschool Lolita" was just Lolita, Punk Lolita had begun to get very popular through publications such as Kera. Musicians such as Nana Kitade and Moon Kana wore a lot of Punk Lolita, in music videos, to lives, and also modelling for Kera and the Gothic Lolita Bible.

Talking to some other Lolitas who have been in the fashion as long as me, I hear many say, "I love Punk Loli, but I feel like it's so hard to pull off!" Or, they couldn't afford the brand items "back then", or the brands who manufactured them were inaccessible.

Now that brands like Putumayo, Hellcat Punks and SexPot Revenge are well known and easy to buy, and the interest has survived, I think it'd be neat to see these Lolis act on their word and bring Punk Lolita back. I think the appeal is there, since the items are easy to wear, and the accessories are easy to buy in the US- but all we need are a few more individuals ready to face the dreaded "concrit" of CoF. Maybe in the future, I'll write a post about Punk Lolita, and some ideas to style it correctly.

3. Bonnets

2015 was the year of religiously-inspired veils and head circlets. But throughout all this, I saw an increasingly large fan base for one of my favourite designers, Triple Fortune; particularly their gorgeous bonnets.

This may be because of their convention circuits over the years, which has made their brand more accessible than ever before. Triple Fortune used to be a pain and a half to order from, but these days the brand has come to Lolitas all over the world. Where I used to see a lot of Lolitas scoff at bonnets, I'm happy to see an increasingly large group of people wearing them. I think it's well-earned, because so many hard brimmed bonnets are beautifully crafted with excruciating detail!

Other brands began producing more over-the-top bonnets as well, such as Innocent World's collaboration with Ali project vocalist, Arika Takarano. Could it be 2016 would be the year of the bonnet? I certainly hope so, as I am a die-hard fan!


4. Handmade and Indie Items

As a designer myself (albeit one just trying to get serious recently), I'm happy to report that the popularity and quality of handmade items has spiked in the West. There are many designers vying for notoriety, including accessory designers such as Voodoo Dolly, Moss Marchen and Moss Badger, to seamstresses such as I Do Declare (I have been a long-time fan!).

I believe this spike in popularity in recent years is largely accredited to Rufflecon, which has helped get Indie Lolita designer names out there, and put them on the same scale as visiting Eastern brands such as Haneuli.

The appeal of handmade items is that they are one of a kind; not just any Lolita has them. They are truly unique, and made with a labor of love. I foresee handmade and Indie brand items continuing to grow in 2016.


5. Unusual colours- such as Grey, Green, Light Brown, Tiffany Blue, Coral, etc.

Pantone has predicted that the on-trend colours for 2016 will be rather unusual, describing their forecast as "A Transporting and Transformative Canvas; Colors this season transcend cultural and gender norms. Vivid brights give way to excitement and optimism, though quiet stability prevails in this season’s palette." In other words, there are a lot of dusty rose-pinks, greys, and neutrals, along side unusual brights such as yellow, coral, green, and ultramarine.

I dare say that Lolita, like any fashion, is ready for a breath of fresh air come new season- and these colours are rather underplayed in the realm of Lolita products. A couple years ago, I wrote about some of these colours as "The Most Underrated Colours in Lolita". I would love to see these unusual colours rise up and give us something new to ogle in the fashion!

It is fascinating to study how fashions shift and change over the years, don't you think? I am sure that no matter what 2016 has in store, there will certainly be movers, shakers, and trend-setters who emerge from the wood work, and forge a new path for others to follow. I am enthralled to be a part of this fashion and watch it evolve, year after year.

Without further ado, let us go under the tent and examine other Lolita's predictions for 2016!

Gravelvet

LBC- One Main Piece, Four Seasons

Hello Darlings!

It's been many moons since I last participated in the Lolita circle project, "Lolita Blog Carnival". As I'm sure many of you are aware now, LBC is a webring project in which each week, a Lolita related prompt is given, and we have until Friday of that week to post our response. We also link to other Lolitas at the end of the post, so that we can check out eachother's blogs, and maybe discover new favourites!

This week's theme was "One Main Piece, Four Seasons". It sounded like an interesting challenge for me, since I just came from Hawaii, where there is ONE season, and moved to Maryland, where I have already experienced several seasons in full force- in the span of two months.

For this challenge, I decided to use my new favourite Jsk, "Charlotte Baniran" by BTSSB.

Simple though it may be, it took me forever to hunt down this beauty, especially in this rich red colourway. It quickly shot to the top of my list for this challenge, for it's versatility. It is not only versatile in cut, but the weight of the fabric is good for many seasons as well, and as I learned, it can adapt to many different colours!

Without further ado...

Spring 

Being a hopeless romantic, Valentine's Day is one of my favourite holidays, and that was the driving force behind this coord. I chose pieces with brisk Spring weather in mind, selecting thicker pink socks, and a rose-detailed bolero for extra warmth. 

Bonus points: Apparently here in the Maryland/DC area, there is a Cherry Blossom Festival each spring. Perhaps with a thicker pink jacket, this would be a great outfit to wear. 

Summer

Being from Hawaii, when I think "Summer" I think hot, humid, and sticky. That being said, I wanted to create a coord that I could survive in outside- just long enough to walk to an air conditioned tea room, library, or interesting museum, haha. 

I selected a light weight heart-detailed bolero, seasonally appropriate straw hat and purse, and short bloomers- since chances are, I wouldnt be wearing tall, thick socks or tights with this coord, but rather, shorter ankle socks. But Polyvore did not have a good sampling of ankle socks, so voila, you have standard white OTKs from Baby thrown in. Perhaps I'll slip them on upon arriving at my air conditioned paradise destination.

Autumn

Autumn is my favourite of all the seasons- not too hot, not too cold, a time for comfy sweaters and warm drinks, gorgeous colours painting the leaves outside... those colours and feelings were the inspiration behind this coord with plenty of chocolate brown. I would wear this to a cozy cafe with friends or for leaf... gazing (?) outside.

Winter

Not going to lie, I am not a huge fan of winter, and maybe that's why this set was difficult for me. It feels plainer than the others, but then again, it does have a touch of an oldschool sweet Lolita aesthetic with the demure accessories, knitted turtleneck and hime-inspired details. I would also try coording this with black boots, purses and longer jackets for winter.

Well, wasn't that fun! Do you all have a favourite season, for Lolita or otherwise? How would you style yourself for each season? Feel free to write me in the comments!

One reason I liked this challenge, is that it helped me plan for my Lolita wardrobe goal of this year, to flesh out my wardrobe staples (such as boleros, socks, shoes, and accessories) rather than just main pieces. Though I own about half of the "extras" I used in these sets, it was good to see a bunch of sample stock photos, and help plan what I'd actually like to save for this year! It was a good exercise in seeing all the things that could work with the pieces I have already, instead of always looking for the next new dress. 

All sets were created using Polyvore. For more sets please see my profile.

For more LBC Posts, please check out the blogs below!

Pastel Jelly Beans ♡ Pastel Peggy  ♡ Gravelvet ♡ The Bloody Tea Party ♡ Vanilla Bear

LBC: Animal Themed Lolita Coord

Hello again darlings, and welcome back to the ongoing Lolita Blog circle project, Lolita Blog Carnival! This week, the theme was "Pick an animal and create an outfit around it". 

I chose one of my favourite animals... or, I guess they are technically insects.

Butterflies, yaaay! 

I like butterflies because they're very fragile, delicate and beautiful. Those are all of the things that come to mind when I think of Lolita. 

Yet some butterflies, such as the Blue Morpho, have a darker side to them... for example, when the larva hatches from the egg it becomes survival of the fittest, since the mother abandons her eggs. Sometimes your brothers or sisters will eat you before you even hatch! Also, the Blue Morpho is known for living on the liquids of decomposing animals, as well as the nectar of fruits. In this stronger, almost sinister side of the fragile butterfly, I see the dark beauty of gothic lolita. 

And so, to me, butterflies are a good metaphor for the Lolita. Their complexity and range of species make them my favourite "animal". 

My theme was to go with something yellow, for Spring time, with daises and lilies tied in for Easter. However, all of my clothing is dark, so I ended up using tulle as a scarf over a white blouse, and focused on my makeup instead. My makeup was heavily influenced by the artist Minori. (I've been looking into a lot of angura kei and shironuri styles lately.) 

It came out very ethereal, and I felt like a fairy!

However, the theme for this week was to show off a complete coordinate, so I'd like to share an older outfit which was also centred around butterflies. For this outfit, I wore old school black and white lolita, with black and grey butterflies in my hair.

The following photos are courtesy of my friend Gina. 

They were taken at an old historic post office in Honolulu.

And well, as you can see from the contrast on outfits, butterflies are really complex creatures. They inspire me in Lolita fashion, so it felt natural for me to share these coordinates for this week's theme. Thank you for looking, and I hope that you enjoyed! 

Now, let's check out what other Lolitas used for their outfits this week! Click the links through to some of my fellow Lolita bloggers to see...

Hello Batty ☆ Hologram World ☆ Super Kawaii Dragon ☆ ABC Lolita ☆ Sweet and Simple ☆ Starry Eyed Lolita

LBC: Favourite Indie Lolita Brands

Come one, come all under the Lolita Carnival blog tent! I'm back on board this week, for a theme I not only looked forward to writing, but to reading. This week's theme is, "What is your Favourite Lolita Indies Brand?"

Let's start by answering, "What's an Indie brand?" It's a brand or clothing line that is independent from major labels. 

My first contender for favourite Indies brand was little hard to choose, because I wasn't even sure if it qualified as "Indies". But when I read the history of the brand, I thought it deserved its place here. If anything it shows the potential of Indies brands, and what they can grow into. 

MIHO MATSUDA

Though it is considered a major Gothic and Lolita brand today, it was not always that way. The designer, Miho Matsuda got her start as a designer for a Tokyo fashion company, then left to design shoes in Osaka. Her unique designs, such as chunky wooden soles were a huge hit (this was before thick wooden soled shoes were popular). From there, she started designing her own line of clothing, "Miho Matsuda". Her brand was fairly successful, opening shops in Nagoya and Shibuya Parco department stores. 

Unfortunately, her business went bankrupt in 1999, and she was forced to close her brand. In 2001, with the help of sponsor Kobayashi & Co., Ltd., the brand Miho Matsuda was resurrected, with three directly managed shops in  Shinjuku Marui One, Vivre Okayama, Vivre Osaka and others. 

That is where I became skeptical... if Matsuda took on an official sponsor for her brand, then it is no longer "Indies". However, in 2003 Matsuda created her own label, GOLD BRAND, and took her own business back. Ever since it has continued to be a huge success and pillar in the world of Gothic & Lolita fashion. It has even had collaborations with Capcom's Devil May Cry series.

Today it is one of my favourite brands, for the simple and clean uniform style, the colour palette and textile choices, and the tint of darkness over the elegance.

Baroque

Next on my list is Baroque, a truly independent designer from Korea who has been around since 2003. The brand has been successful with its adorable and unique prints in rare, hard-to-find colours, like orange, pale green and turquoise. In the fall I reserved a jumper skirt and hat set, from their line "Missing Rabbit, Key and Letters".

Their photography for this series looked like it could have been run in Kera, and the dresses reminded me of Emily Temple Cute with Metamorphose's colour palette. 

Ordering from Baroque was simple, and their customer service is wonderful. They are very kind and treat each customer with respect. If you follow them on Facebook, you can see the designers go to events and show their work. Since I love the idea of Lolita being an international phenomenon, I really like seeing pictures of Lolita conventions in Korea, and customers around the world submitting photos of their dresses. 

I look forward to seeing everything Baroque puts out in the future, and for my order to arrive. I have a feeling I'll definitely be ordering from them in the future!

Broken Label

This line was designed by Nagi Noda, a pop artist from Tokyo. She was well-known for her short films, including advertisements for the department store La Foret. (This is grossly underselling her work, so I recommend reading more about her if you have time.)

She created a line called "Broken Label", which featured this collaboration dress with painter Mark Ryden: 

It was shown in a spread of my first-ever Gothic and Lolita Bible. It has always stuck with me. Maybe it is because of my love for the grotesque, like guro art and manga, but I love the simple, girlish silhouette paired with a gruesome print. 

I was more than pleasantly surprised when this dress turned up on Tokyo Fashion early last year! If you click through that link you can see close-ups of the print.

Princess Doll

The last Indies brand I love is Princess Doll. They have the simplicity of Emily Temple Cute with a touch of classic elegance.

Since I first saw Misako Aoki modelling the "Le Couple" OP in my first GLB, the brand has established itself in the Lolita community.

The designer holds several tea parties a year, called "Twinkle Closet" in Nagoya and Tokyo... and though I didn't know it at the time, the Nagoya events are only a few minutes away from the train station I used to use all the time! That was a little upsetting. xD 

There, you have my favourite "Indies" lolita brands. Although Indies brands tend to be a little more expensive, I think it is worth the additional cost, because it is akin to "buying locally". Major lolita brands may be manufactured in China, whereas Indies brands are often made by hand or in limited stock. Also, Indies brands offer unique and exciting designs, because they are tailored for a specific taste or market, as opposed to major brands which try to appeal to a wider market. 

I didn't really mention Western Indies brands, but there are several worth looking into in order to support lolita designers abroad. Some I know of are Lusty n' Wonderland (France), The Snow Field (USA), Ergi by Piratessan (Sweden), Morrigan NYC (USA), and Lady Sloth (USA).

Of course, there are many, many other independent brands out there to discover! I am looking forward to discovering some too. Let's take a look under the Lolita Big Top this week...

Sparkling Girl ☆ Tangled Lace ☆ Geisha Baby ☆ Jessie Dress Up ☆ Pop Princess ☆ 

Sweet Lolita Doll ☆ Suns in Our Hands