How to Host an At-Home Meet-up

An intimate Lolita Dinner meet my friend hosted at their home.

Most Lolitas will agree that Meet-ups are an important part of Lolita culture. Whether you're a lifestyle Lolita who dresses up every day, or someone who just enjoys it among other hobbies, all Lolitas like to dress up in their best coord to "meet up" with friends.

However, if you're part of an active comm, meet-ups can start to get expensive between museum trips, fancy tea or dinners, tickets to local events or fairs, or other miscellaneous outings. 

That's why I've been thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have a low-key meet-up at home once in a while?

The only thing about having meet-ups in your own home, is that not everyone is willing to open their home to the comm. Of course everyone will have varying viewpoints on that- perhaps they live in an apartment with limited space and parking, or with relatives, or on a college campus, and it's just not doable. 

If this is the case, you can always consider looking for the following cheap or free locations for a DIY meet-up:

• Community Center, sometimes found in neighbourhoods or apartment clusters
• A local park, with a covered seating area
• If you attend a church, perhaps they have a room that can be used for 'meetings'
• I even attended a potluck party in a karate dojo, which the owner let us use after hours!

So, do you have a location in mind, if not your own abode? Then without further ado, let's check out some pointers about hosting your own "at-home" meet-up.

1. Decide your theme, possible time frame, and menu. These are all necessary before inviting others over. Will it be potluck-style? Afternoon tea? Will it be an evening event, with alcohol? All of these things will effect the wording of your invitations, and preparations you will need to make.

2. Invitations. They do not have to be physical snail mail invitations, but if you have the time and inspiration, it wouldn't hurt! Of course, most comms are connected on Facebook these days, and creating a simple event page would do. I would think of a date in advance, and check with your local mods to make sure it doesn't conflict with an event they are planning. 

You can also ask your mods' help in creating the event page for you; they may be able to set it up so only members of your Facebook group can view the event. Doing this can ensure privacy, especially while holding a meet at your own home or nearby. 

You don't necessarily need to release your address on the event page. At a recent potluck meet, a mod required that you RSVP and state what you'd be bringing, in order to receive her address in a private message. 

3. Shopping. Once I have an idea for a meet in my head, I start casually shopping up to two months in advance. That way, if I see something cute and cheap for decorations or favours, I just pick it up! 

I'm currently planning an at-home meet myself; and now that Valentine's Day is around the corner, there's tons of cute cellophane bags, decorations, and little favours on sale for as little as $1 right now. And I am sure there will be plenty of cute things left over on clearance, after Valentine's Day! So what a better time to save these things, instead of scrambling when I need them?

While shopping for food, keep in mind any information garnered from your RSVPs. Does anyone have food allergies? If doing a pot-luck, what things have people already said they're bringing? 

Don't forget the essentials, if having people over at your house- paper towels, TP, hand soap, anything you would normally need to have! 

4. If you're doing a tea party, brush up on tea etiquette. This isn't necessarily a need-to-know thing, but it may inspire you for a trivia game (more on that later), give you ideas on how to set the table and what dishes you need, and even aid you in which kinds of foods should be served when.

5. Day-of Prepations. Be sure to do these things the morning of, or night before:

• Prep any food items you can, to help save time.
• Make a little extra room in the fridge, in case a guest brings something they must keep chilled.
• Be prepared to welcome people into your home. I like to pretend they will be there for the first time- make sure the space is tidy, clutter is put away, and the kitchen and bathrooms are stocked with all essentials.
• Make your home easy to get around- no large obstacles or things blocking the way. Try placing chairs against the wall instead of crowding them all around a table. Creating a "flow" through your home will also make the space seem larger, even if there's several people coming over. 
• If you have any valuables or personal items, such as jewelry, medications, or portable electronics, move them to your bedroom or private space. 
• Decorate, if necessary. Even a simple tablecloth can go a long way to dress up a table! 
• It may also be a good idea to prepare a side room or front closet for coats and bags, in case your guests need to set anything down. 
• Don't forget to check your event page in the hours before your event! People may be lost, running late, asking if you need anything, or cancel at the last minute. 

6. Once your guests start arriving...

• Have light music playing in the background. I recommend using Pandora to create a custom music station ahead of time. Some ideas for a Lolita station can be Classical and Malice Mizer; Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Hatsune Miku, and K-pop; or even Disney and other movie soundtracks, if that strikes your fancy.
• Have something for guests to do right away. Maybe have a finger food available for snacking and socializing, or a DIY photo booth. Stock a photo booth with a selfie stick or Polaroid camera, and any funny props you like!
• Be prepared to help people park if necessary; know your street and surrounding areas in case you need overflow parking. 

7. To keep parties from getting stale, or to break the ice, it might be good to have some games in mind. You can have board games available, a video game console set-up, or, prepare your own Lolita-themed game for when all of your guests arrive!

Some Lolitas have created their own versions of popular games, such as "Lolitas Against Humanity" (based on "Cards Against Humanity", of course.) It is pretty easy to get creative and come up with your own Lolita versions of popular games, such as, "Never Ever Have I Ever", Charades, Pictionary, or "Who am I?"

While trying to think of some games, I made up my own Lolita version of "Scattergories". I created a few, and decided to share with you for your own use! (If you think of more Scattergories, I would love to hear them in the comments!)

And this one may be a little more difficult, but I tried to make a Gothic-Specific one as well:

Scattergories is a great game for a bigger group, because people can play by teams as well as individually. Plus, it's a pretty off-the-top-of-your-head game, so people are bound to get laughing and having a good time with the responses!

Also, if you found some interesting information while researching tea etiquette, it might be fun to play Tea Trivia! Look up different tea practices from around the world, and interesting facts about different teas. 

Feel free to come up with your own games as well! Do you have a favourite you like to play at meets?

8. Before your guests leave, thank them for coming! Offer up left overs to anyone who would like to take them home. If you prepared party favours, make sure you don't forget them, and that everyone gets one on their way out. 

And of course, everything after that is easy! If you make sure to pick up trash throughout the meet as you see it, clean up should not be too difficult at all.

Have you ever hosted a meet-up in your home before? What did you do, and how did it go? I would love to hear all about it! 

How to Have a Lolita Wedding

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Every once in a blue moon, you'll see a post about a Lolita-styled wedding. It comes in all shapes and forms, from intimate backyard garden affairs, to grand convention ballrooms packed with friends and fans of Lolita fashion alike.

When I got married a year ago, I was planning to have a Lolita wedding. However, my family personally disagreed with it. "You'll have a wedding-themed wedding!" my parents protested; and I can see where they were coming from. A Lolita themed wedding could potentially alienate and put off respected family members, or maybe even look tacky a few years later.

Last month however, I flew to San Antonio, Texas to attend my brother in law's wedding; which was pretty heavily Lolita themed. The bride wore a Lolita wedding dress from Atelier Pierrot, the tables were decorated with just a  hint of EGA flair, the groomsmen wore swallow-tailed jackets, and Lolitas from their home comm of San Antonio were invited to join in on the festivities.

I helped style that arch!

Possibly the cutest cake I've ever seen.

The bride and groom during their first dance.

Attending this wedding got me thinking about all the stress I went through trying to plan my own wedding, trying to crowd please everyone while still keeping a bit of me and my husband's personality. Both my brother-in-law, as well as my husband (obviously) married Lolitas, yet our weddings were completely different!

I thought to help through the confusion for brides and husbands to be, it would be nice to write a guide for creating your own dream wedding, which you can do on any budget- whether your family is more accepting of Lolita or not.


Route A: The Ideal Scenario

For all intents and purposes, let's assume that you are lucky enough to throw a Lolita themed wedding fete. You can wear Lolita, guests can wear Lolita and J-fashion, and you have full creative reign with the decorations, festivities, etc.


Step One: Confirmation. If family members will be attending your wedding, it is important to talk to them and ask if they are comfortable with the theme- whether you are paying for your own wedding or not. Regardless of who is footing the bill, I feel weddings are more about relationships with your family and friends, old and new- and if they feel out of place or uncomfortable, it may be better to have a pre-wedding Mini Meet or Bridal Shower with your comm, instead.

 However, if your most respected attendees don't have a problem with it, then that's a definite green light to get creative! Remember, it may be important to double check with your significant other as well, if he/she is not a Lolita!


Step Two: Venue, venue, venue. Before you go crazy at the craft stores and ordering three white brand dresses to try, make sure your venue is booked! Sit down with your significant other and choose your three "ideal" dates. Keep in mind, Fridays and Saturdays are usually the busiest days for most venues, and may be booked well in advance- so if you're going for one of those days, be prepared to be flexible.

Catering goes hand in hand with this one as well, as the two are often booked together, if your reception and ceremony are at the same place. So while initially booking your big day, it may be good to have a list about Catering questions as well.

Some location ideas for full-on Lolita wedding:

• A botanical garden, with an outdoor ceremony and reception
• A winery
• A local historical site, with period-appropriate backdrops for photos
• A historical church, with a reception nearby at your favourite restaurant
• A hotel which offers afternoon tea service for the reception
• ... or somewhere else important to you. My brother in law (and new sister!) got married at the hotel where they first met!

Step Three: Pinning! For everything from wedding favours to decorations, Pinterest can be a cornucopia of inspiration. I created a board for my own wedding, where I pinned colour schemes I liked, dress cuts, DIY centrepiece ideas, and even infographics about wedding processions, wedding etiquette, and ideas for vow-writing. 

Some ideas for Lolita Decorating DIY:

Follow Erica's board Lolita Wedding DIY on Pinterest.

Step Four: Cake! A Lolita's favourite thing, right?

Cakes are probably the most fun for a Lolita wedding, because whether you are ordering one or making it yourself, you can't go wrong. Either you can talk to your cake maker and come up with a design together, or you can make the cake yourself at home, and decorate it with fresh roses. There is no wrong way to do cake!

Some things to keep in mind:

• Your reception venue may have an additional cost to bring in cake from the outside (or any other outside catering company). Be sure to ask if they do. 
• If using a Patisserie or Cake Maker, be sure to call ahead and schedule an appointment for cake tasting. There is normally a small fee for the cake, but it's quite insightful and valuable to speak with the person who will be designing your cake for you. 
• If using a Patisserie or Cake Maker, you might also want to look into mini-cupcakes or macarons as favours for your guests! 
• Remember, you don't have to go too big! This is your own special wedding, after all. Even if you are hosting a cute wedding in your backyard with a garden backdrop, handmade mug cakes in cute tea cups served with tea would be absolutely charming for your guests. 

Step Five: Flowers. Some Lolitas take an interest in the "language of flowers", and what their meanings are, so to speak. The Gothic Lolita Bible even devoted an issue to this topic, including floral recipes, Flower Fairies Illustrations, and more:

So if that strikes your interest, it might be a good time to be inspired by flowers and let that lead you in your choices. (It also seems like a lifestyle-friendly hobby.) 

Or, maybe you would just like to pick certain flowers because they look pretty, or the colours match the colour palette for your wedding. But aside from the obvious roses, what are some more creative choices?

You may want to to try:

• Peonies
• Snow Drop / Lily of the Valley
• Ranunculus
• Gebera Daisy
• Snap Dragon
• Calla Lily
• Delphimium
• Hydrangea 
• Tulip
• Dahlia 
• Iris
• Poppy
• Anemone 

And of course, each of these has its own prime season, and sometimes of the year it is "cheaper" than others. I had a smaller budget, and saved myself a bit of money by choosing cheaper flowers, such as vibrant Daisies, berries, roses and greens. I also bought and provided the florist with my own ribbons to cut further cost.

Since I made my own table runners, chair sashes, as well as centrepieces out of picture frames and glittered wine bottles, I decided not to get flowers for every table. I focused on my own bouquet, bouquets for my bridesmaids, and corsages for the family and groomsmen. I'll be honest and say not a single person asked why there were no flowers on the table; and it saved so much money!

Step Six: Shop! But it's not like I need to twist your arm to do that, right?

Now is a time to:

• Shop for craft supplies. Schedule a night with your wedding party to get together and work on decorations and such. Make it fun- make it a pot-luck, or a movie night!
• Shop around for your wedding dress. Since shopping for Lolita is, dare I say, easier than shopping for a wedding dress, you can start scouring the Internet for your dream piece. Be sure to allow enough time for shipping, and possibly alteration, if you plan to have that done. But the great thing about Lolita is, it's plenty extravagant for a wedding, and the measurements are usually straight-forward enough you'll know if it fits or not.
• Your bridesmaids can start shopping for outfits as well. If they are already Lolitas, then they may have a fancy dress they can wear already, or maybe they'd like to shop with you for your approval. Or if they've never worn Lolita before, it may be your chance to help them discover the style. Make sure you get started early so you can bargain hunt, since not all newbies will want to fully invest in the fashion.
• For grooms and groomsmen, Ouji, Aristocrat, and Dandy is usually acceptable. But if your groomsmen aren't ready to don "Pumpkin Pants", most tuxedo rental companies offer something EGA-able, such as swallow tailed tuxedo jackets. 
• Check out ideas for party favours, whether you can buy them in bulk, or make them yourself.

The rest of the wedding planning process can include whatever steps or formalities you like; you can have a Wedding Shower or Bachelorette Party, a rehearsal dinner, or even a laid-back Afternoon tea with your local comm to celebrate. 

Some extra thoughts for a Lolita-themed wedding:

• If you expect the guests to wear Lolita, provide a brief primer, or even a couple of places to shop. For my brother's wedding, they included a blurb about Lolita Fashion and where to shop for it on their Facebook Event Page.
• If you are on a tight budget, this is the perfect community to pull off a great event at a lower cost. There's many makeup artists, photographers, and videographers in the fashion. Maybe ask that instead of a gift, friends with such talents would like to donate their help instead. For my wedding, I didn't have to pay for a photographer, DJ, or videographer- my friends came forward and volunteered to help. Of course, you can always provide a hashtag for your wedding, and ask friends to share photos, too!
• Just like your favourite brand dresses, the beauty is in the details. Try to add a bit of you and your partner's style and personality into everything. For my brother's wedding, they included rabbits on the programs, menus, and even on their cake- in honour of their pet white Dwarf rabbit, who was also in attendance.

Of course, everyone plans events in their own logic and fashion, but that was the logical order I took when preparing from my own wedding. It helps me to categorize things and take it step-by-step, so I hope it helps create a map for you as well!

Now that we've covered the basics, I would like to add a few pointers for those who do not have the blessing for a Lolita wedding, but would like to incorporate their own flair anyway:

• Add little hints of your fashion sense everywhere, from details on the cake, in the decorations, and even your shoes. if you are wearing a more traditional long dress, no one will see your shoes anyway- so maybe wear a beautiful pair from your favourite brand, or go DIY and OTT them out! Paint something Loli on the sole or bling it out; or decorate the tops of your shoes with Hime-gyaru roses. 
• If you were asked to wear a traditional wedding dress or suit, ask if you could change into Lolita for the reception. If not, then pick something traditional, with the same romantic elements you love- lace, an a-line skirt with a fit and flare waist, maybe even a 50s style tea-length dress would be mutually agreeable. 
• Making decorations yourself allows more flexibility to add in your own taste. 
• Even if you cannot wear Lolita to your wedding, there are plenty of ways to have that atmosphere. Pick a romantic or aesthetically pleasing location. Include something Loli-esque as favours, such as macarons, a handmade item, etc. I gave away tumblers with a custom monogram, topped with a bow tied to the straw; my brother gave away little soaps with roses set inside. 
• Try not to stress. This is your day, and basically, a party! If it is not Lolita, it will not affect the rest of your life together with your new partner. What matters is celebrating with those closest to you. And trust me, considering all of the planning that I put into my wedding, it sure went by in the blink of an eye!

I feel like this is a very short guide, and could be made much more comprehensive and precise, but for now, those are the basic pointers that I have. There's so many ways you can make your wedding your own; there is no set cookie-cutter way to do it!

I hope that you enjoyed this little blurb, and as always, feel free to ask questions- about my own Kate Spade inspired wedding, my brother's Lolita wedding, or advice in general.

Good luck to you, and happy planning! 

Winter ILD 2015- Frills and Film Recap

Hello, Darlings!

As promised, I wanted to write about my first meet-up I attended in Maryland, for Winter International Lolita Day 2015.

As some of you may know, there are two ILD's held each year- one in Summer, and one in Winter. On International Lolita Day, the local communities usually come together for one big meet, doing something typically Lolita- for example, having high tea, visiting a museum, or even just getting together at a host's house. Even if someone is usually too busy to attend meets regularly, most Lolitas will make an extra effort to attend International Lolita Day- that is how important the day is to our culture.

In Summer 2015, I hosted the Hawaii Lolitas meetup at a local tea room, with a lot of help from some of my friends. It was Disney themed, and there were lots of really cute coords!

Me as Lolita Ursula, with Ariel and Bambi at my table.

But that was a different, and much smaller comm! In total, we had about 10 attendees.

So imagine going from a small comm, to almost one hundred Lolitas all in one place! That was Frills and Film, for me.

Frills and Film, I believe was hosted by the Charm City (Baltimore) Lolitas moderators. The group rented out a theatre near the airport, which was easily accessible by bus, train, and car. Lolitas from all over flocked to the theatre for an exclusive screening of our "cult classic", "Kamikaze Girls".

Kamikaze Girls, based on the novel by Novala Takemoto, tells the story of two unlikely teenage girls who become friends- one a hard core Lifestyle Lolita, and one a "bosuzoku" motor bike yanki who rides with a girl gang. The two are social outcasts in their own right, in their back-water, "chou-inaka" town of Shimotsuma. While these girls independently waltz/stomp around in frills/embroidered motorcycle jackets, the rest of the town lives in complacency with normal clothes from Jusco; a Japanese equivalent of Walmart. 

The movie caters to Lolitas, because of the heavy references to iconic Lolita brand Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. But aside from the frilly eye candy, it's a funny film with a warm message of friendship. 

And what a better movie to watch, for my first meet with my new comm?

To be honest, I was incredibly nervous and almost didn't go- but the $37 ticket, promise of raffle prizes and goodie bags tempted me otherwise.

There were several categories for the coordinate contest, for which I assembled a pretty humble holiday coord using my Charlotte Baniran Jsk. I also made myself a feathered headpiece, just to add more flair, and a holly brooch, to bring in a more holly-day (hah) feel.

 

The theatre was surprisingly quiet outside; but when I walked in, the theatre lobby was packed with petticoats! Being as shy as I am, I stayed off to the side, until a couple of girls complimented me on my headdress. I joined their cluster, and we ended up being friends and sitting together for the day.

There was a photo booth inside the theatre, with Kamikaze Girls themed props. After everyone trickled in, we all got in line for confections, including all kinds of candy, home made pink candied kettle corn, vegetables with dip, and more.

Waiting in line for snacks!

The line for the photo booth. 

After, it was time for the film to start rolling. It was amazing watching the movie with so many other Lolitas- everyone was laughing with me at the funny parts, and I had a feeling we cried together at the sad parts, too. It was far different from the first time I watched the movie, years ago in high school- alone, in my room on my laptop. It made me think how great it was, that the Lolita community has grown.

There was a raffle shortly after, in which I won a drawing from Kate Leopold Art! I can hardly wait to frame it, and hang it in my sewing room.

There were also goodie bags passed out, with business cards from local artisans, a pair of tights from We Love Colors, and an adorable handmade button, featuring the cabbage from Kamikaze Girls.

"This will be your friend, now."

I was also very surprised to win one of the categories for the outfit contest! Although I didn't win the "Elegant Holiday" category I was going for, I ended up winning Judge's Choice. I got an adorable gift box with a copy of the original Kamikaze Girls novel, and an embroidery loop, so I can be like the main Lolita character, Momoko. 

Not only did I leave the meet with a lot of swag, but I had a great time, and ended up making a great new friend too. Since this meet, I've hung out with new friends singing karaoke, playing games at their house, or meeting up at the mall and grabbing dinner. It was a great gateway into the new community!

I know it is only January, but I can hardly wait for Summer International Lolita Day 2016!

The next big meetup for the Charm City Community will probably be next month's Katsucon. They are hosting a Lolita Luncheon at one of the nearby restaurants. There will supposedly be Lolita-related panels as well, but at this time, I heard the panels had not been announced yet.

What are some of your favourite ILD memories? Did your comm do anything special for this past one? Feel free to leave me a comment, or a link to your blog post!

Community; 365 LLC- Favourite Lolita Haunts

Hello, Darlings!

One of the biggest changes of 2015 was leaving my home in Hawaii, and moving to the Baltimore area of Maryland with my husband. At least as a Navy brat, this was nothing new to me; I am used to transplanting myself every few years.

Though I'm a veteran when it comes to moving, this move was especially hard for me, and mainly because of how close I was to my Hawaii comm.

Though I started Lolita in 2007, I was living in Connecticut, still in high school, and never went to meets. I mainly stuck to handmade things sewn by me, In the Starlight, a cheap find or two from egl_comm_sales, or Bodyline. Most of my interaction with Lolitas was done online, either on Live Journal or Vivcore Forums (hello nostalgia!).

Fast-forward to 2009. I graduated high school, and moved back to my home state of Hawaii for university. With the freedom of public transportation, and some semblance of adult responsibility, it became easier to attend meets and get connected with the comm. At the time, they only had an LJ group, where they posted their next meet. (You kids who grew up with Facebook will never know the anxiety of attending your first meet, and you only know people by their LJ names, haha!)

From that point on, a lot happened. Over my next six years there (one spent abroad in Japan), I became so close to the ladies and gentlemen I met through this hobby. Some introduced me to other hobbies, like cosplay, photo shoots, makeup artistry, tea appreciation, wine tasting... before long, a lot of that group felt like my family. Some of the girls were even bridesmaids at my wedding!

I did have a going away party though, for one last hurrah with my closest friends.

At Kahua Cafe, in Namea Books- an amazing, locally sourced cafe owned by my friend.

And then, it was time to get on a plane and say good-bye.

I'm used to packing up my life and putting down new roots wherever I go. But I had some pretty deep roots in Hawaii that were difficult to pull up.

But luckily, the Lolita community has changed online. Many Lolita comms started making their own groups on Facebook, through which people can RSVP to events, discuss local topics, organize local sales, and so on. Thus, it was much easier to find and connect with my comm, this time around.

Being in a new comm is very exciting! My first meet in Maryland was Winter International Lolita Day 2015: Frills and Film. I have a post queued up on that later, but it was more Lolitas than I had ever seen in one place all my life! Everyone was quite nice and welcoming, and I have a very good feeling about this comm.

This comm is very active it seems, with at least one meet-up a month. Since I organized a few meets back in Hawaii, I have been scouring around on Yelp for new meet-up ideas, and bookmarking them each time I find something promising. After all, I think the most exciting part of moving somewhere new, is to discover your new favourite places!

So when I saw today's Lifestyle Lolita Challenge topic, I felt it was quite relevant:

I haven't checked all of these out yet, but here are some awesome places I discovered locally!

(I am addicted to Yelp, so any other Lolita Yelpers out there, please add me!)

Tea Rooms:

• Sweet Simplici-tea - Skyesville, MD
• Tea by Two - Bel Air, MD
• Tea on the Tiber - Ellicott City, MD

Cafes:

• Caffe Bene- Ellicott City, MD
• La Madeleine French Cuisine and Cafe- Columbia, MD. Apparently our comm has dinner meets here quite often, but I haven't made it to one yet!
• Matcha Time Cafe- Ellicott City, MD
• Snow Cafe- Ellicott City, MD. I just visited here yesterday, and they have the best Boba tea I've had since I left Hawaii! It really lifted a bit of my homesickness, especially since the milk-snow was pretty big in Hawaii. The interior has an adorable chalk-paint wall, a set-up like the outside of a French Cafe, and tons of tiny polaroids on the walls. I can see myself hanging out here with Lolita friends, while my husband plays cards at the card shop next door!
• Sweet Hearts Patisserie- Annapolis, MD. Rumoured to have amazing macarons and Petit-Fours!
• The White Rabbit- Odenton, MD. Though this place doesn't look that fancy, the pictures of playing-card shaped menus and the name intrigue me! The White Rabbit is my favourite character from Alice in Wonderland, so I must make it a point to go.

I hope to work through the list above, and maybe add to it slowly. Hopefully there will be lots of colorful meet-up posts to share with you all!

And BONUS: If you're still in Hawaii running amok in frilly glory, well you're in luck. I've been compiling a list of Lolita-friendly places in Hawaii since before I moved. Check it out here! 

Oh, what's that? It's a colorful meet-up post hot out of the oven and queued up for you! Stay tuned for a recap of ILD 2015!

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