LolitaWardrobe haul, Infanta and Neverland / Soufflesong

Remember a while back when I had a sponsored video with LolitaWardrobe? I mentioned how I wanted a vest from Infanta that they carry, and how I planned to purchase it from them. Well, I did! ^^ So this post is NOT sponsored, I payed everything with my own money, but wanted to give them a proper review since they are a trustworthy Taobao reseller. Here's the unboxing and review video if you want too see it, photos below!

So, the item which made me make the order: Infanta vest.

I really want more print vests for ouji, but brand vests tend to be too small :( So I buy indie brand for now! Lots of them offer custom sizing as well, but this was perfect in size XL.

The details and print are really pretty, and the fabric is nice and sturdy. The sizing is spot on, and you can adjust the fit with the back lacing. Absolutely recommend. 

The other item I spotted on the front page, and since it's a steampunk cat skirt, I had to have it...

I made myself promise that I wouldn't buy same themed / looking pieces. So even though I love every stained glass print I see, I already have one and thus don't need a second one. However cats seem to be my weakness... I already had two cat prints, a gothic one from Honey Honey and a classic one from Cherise Cherie. But they are really different dresses, and since this is a skirt (I had to leave the dresses out because like I said, I have two) with a steampunk vibe and a totally different colorway, I gave myself permission to buy it and I love it <3 

It's really versatile because you can have the cute sailor-type collar with cat ears, or you can take it out and have the steampunk-y straps / suspenders, or you can leave them out for more classic lolita.

The print and fabric are gorgeous <3

The skirt has partial back shirring so it fits like a glove. I think I'll use it mostly without straps or collar, but they're nice to have to spice up a coord!

Like before, the customer service from LolitaWardrobe was really quick, friendly and all questions were answered. ^^ I really do recommend them if you're wanting to get new items.

That was it for this year, I'll be back with more posts in January~ 

Why haven't I been wearing lolita more often?

Remember when I said I'd update my blog more often? Fun times. 
As for this week's video, I'm continuing with the Lolita 52 Challenge, question 8:

Why don't I wear lolita more often? 

There are times when I wear lolita multiple times a week, and then there are times when I don't wear it for three or four weeks at all. Usually the reasons for the lack of frills are the same, no matter what the time of year is. And those are:
- I'm working too much, and it's a hassle to wear lolita on a work day unless it's a special day
- I haven't been able to go to meetups (usually because of work)
- I haven't bought anything new recently (it's always fun to wear and coord new items, I can wear it on workdays for the novelty feeling)
- I've been inspired to do different things.

As for now, I've been in love with our winter! It's nicely frosty so that the snow stays, but it's now super cold; and because it's cold, we have lots of snow! I had to get my long winter boots out because the snow was getting into my ankle high boots :D Lots of Finns suffer from depression during fall and winter, but it's my favourite time of the year, so I'm spending time outside, marveling at the frosty landscape. Winter also means that Christmas is coming, so I've been making cards, crafts and presents. I work in retail so there's no way in hell I'm going shopping in December (I get enough of stressed angry people at work, thank you very much) so I have everything ready for Eve by the first of December. ... Which means less time for lolita.

I've started working on four tutorials (one of which is a skirt from scratch) but I haven't finished them yet... I also have a vest + skirt unboxing coming as soon as they arrive, so you'll have at least those videos to look forward to ~ I'll be taking December off from making videos (like I did last year), so some of them will have to wait till January, but I'll post videos on Wednesdays for November. ^^

Summer heat and lolita

Even though summer is looong gone here in Finland, I filmed this video a while ago and talk about different tips and tricks on how to deal with heat :'D

- Less clothing, more light weight jewelry
- Hoop petticoats keep the heat from your legs (consider light / short bloomers though)
- Go with an OP ot blouse + skirt combo, it's less layers on your torso tan a blouse + JSK combo
- I you want to wear a JSK anyway: a) go with very light materials (like schiffon) and colors b) pair it with a bolero, cardigan or a shawl (less layers and easily removable, unlike a blouse under the dress)
- For blouses, again light fabric, short sleeves or lace sleeves (there are lots of pretty offbrand lace blouses)
- Skip wig if possible and wear your hair up, out of your neck and shoulders
- Opt for lots of light jewelry instead of wristcuffs, chokers and heavy hair accessories
- Big hats protect you from sun stroke (but also mess up your hair)
- Leave cotton OTK's at home, go with lace ankle socks or mesh-type tights, there are a ton of lavey and floral ones in "normal" clothing stores
- Ditch ankle boots and opt for sandal-type shoes. There are also lots of adorable ballerina style shoes in "normal" stores, they have lacey fabric too, which breaths a LOT better than pleather
- If you live somewhere it's really hot for a long time, consider getting parasols and fans. They help a ton, but here summer is really short and I avoid going outside in super hot days, so I save my money for winter items :D

If you're interested in real outfit examples, I recently made a summer lookbook, here's the blogpost and the video.

I'll be making a winter version soon!

Ouji lookbook

I wear ouji every now and again, but every Fall I really get into the style. I hadn't made a lookbook for my boystyle yet, but here is the first one!

You may have seen these in my videos or on my instagram, but in the video I have full lists of what brand / where each item is. Mostly offbrand or DIY ^^ I want AatP vests in my collection, but a 95cm bust really limits my options :( I hope I'll find one that fits soon...

In stead of listisg brands I want to talk about what I like and don't like about each outfit. Otherwise I'm just repeating myself from the video and that's no fun.

I love the blouse, but I'm not too happy about the overall coord - especially my turquoise hair is NOT matching the outfit. I was in a hurry and this is what you get :'D Also derp pose.

Black and white outfits like these were the reason I fell in love with ouji. The feel of old school elegance is something I like to re-visit every now and then. Also the vest is one of my favorites, I'll have to decorate it a bit to stand out more.

I really don't know how to smile for photos, do I? Also excuse the blurriness, the timed photos sometimes tourn out like this and you can't really see it from the tiny screen.

I really want to try more white / light color coords, and I love these pants I did a while ago. Though all the white details are lost in this photo ^^' I'll have to change something when taking timed photos. Also maybe learn to photoshop or edit photos.

My outfit to Tracon! I made these corduroy pants and fucking love them. And I wore lots of gray and a top hat, so it was A+. And super comfy. What a fun day and I really like this coord,

Red and black is still my favorite combo no matter what I wear, so narutally this is my favorite look of them all. Boots, bat bag, stripes, baggy pants, jabot, bright lipstick... All things I love. I need to make more black and red ouji looks.

These are mostly early fall looks, but I'll try to make another lookbook for winter frost with warm jackets and show how I look when I'm knee-deep in snow :D

Wearing lolita for the first time!

Tracon happened a while ago, and I was supposed to make a group cosplay with my friends. We didn't have the time for the cosplay, so I suggested that I'd dress them with my lolita things :D And they agreed! Hilarity ensued. 

Like I said in my "What is lolita fashion" video, lolita is NOT  cosplay, but you can still try your friend's clothes on, just like with coctail dresses or other alternative fashions like gothic or punk. ^^ It was really fun to see Tiia, Heidi and Lussu in my dresses and suggest what would look good with other things. So much fun, such a mess to clean up after :'D

We made a quick video where I show all our coordinates and ask their opinion and experience of lolita fashion. It's quite short because it was drizzling outside and I didn't have my tripod with me, but it was still really fun, and I hope you enjoy our silliness! ^^

Since Tiia wanted to wear ouji, I though it would be fun if I wore it too, because then we had two lords and two ladies ~

Behind the scenes!

I'll make a separate post about Tracon later ~

Bloomers / pants video

I'm making a photo + text tutorial for these as well, but here's the video form ^^ 

Also, I was trying to decide which shoes I liked the best, feminine simple pumps or chunkier Bodyline shoes. Different feelings to the outfit. I went with chunky for now :D

10 facts about my lolita wardrobe

I haven't done one of the Lolita 52 Challenge questions is a long while! Today's post is about 10 facts about my lolita wardrobe, I'll put them here shortly and open them more in the video. :)

1. My first ever non-hand-made but bought coordinate was all Bodyline and white, and I've sold everything you can see in the photo except the shoes :D

Trip down the memory lane! Spring 2013

2. I've gone more to a classic feel with my new big purchases. I did not plan this, just noticed it a while ago. Accidental classic?

3. My most expensive dress is my Innocent World Blanche JSK, for which I payed 180€. Second hand, and that price includes shipping and tax since I had to pay them ^^'

First time wearing it, still love it <3

4. My first attained dream dress (and still my favourite dress is everything I own) is Juliette et Justine's Cartes du Lapin. It was $180, which I think was about 150€ or even 140€ since Euro was strong.

Couldn't easily find a good worn photo, here's this yellow one~

5. I have one organza petticoat, two tulle ones and two hoop petties.

6. I only have to OP's since my shoulders are s hard to fit in them...

7. I've only ever sold two dresses, two blouses, and one pair of shoes, which means that my "wardrobe turnover" (which is another question in the L52Ch) is quite small. :)

8. I don't have a single brand blouse!

9. I have a JSK with a broken zipper which will be a future tutorial

10. In my future purchases, I want to focus more on ouji. I feel that I have a nice range of dresses and skirt so I'll  try to avoid buying those, and instead get more printed vests <3

Speaking of wanting to wear more ouji, here's the coord of the video! It's a very classic ouji look, black and white gothic, and it's the sort of look that made me fall in love with boystyle. ^^

Excuse the blurryness of the left photo, timed photos don't always have the best focus... Damn

Sponsored dress from Lolita Wardrobe

Hello! This week's post is a new one (well, I've done unboxings before BUT), it is sponsored! 

(Btw here's the video version if you prefer videos over text)

The owner of Lolitawardrobe.com, Angela Cheung, sent me a message on Youtube. whether I would be interested in receiving a free dress in exchange for a review. I took a quick look at their site, and agreed! They carry over twenty indie brands from Taobao, and ship worldwide. Sites like these are a heaven sent for a person like me (you've seen me use re-sellers before) because I hate dealing with shopping services. Lolita Wardrobe is easy to use, and I recommend them based on my experience ^^ More on that below, here is the dress!

Magic Tea Party

Cross and Censer (fish bones corset JSK)

The dress is gorgeous <3 Fabric is nice thick cotton (with cotton lining, super warm winter dress) and the print is so pretty! Even the base fabric has intricate designs, and the hem print is really clear and crisp.

The lace is really beautiful and good quality, it's at the hem and neckline.

The bodice also had delicate rose lace at the seams.

So many details <3

The dress is fully lined, here you can see the tags. I chose XL even though I technically fit the L, because I'm a bit paranoid... You may have heard me complaining about gaining a bit of weight (which I'm otherwise cool with, BUT) thus crowing out of my couple non-shirred pieces... So I was worried that this might not fit if I get the large, and since it has a corset, I went ahead and got the bigger one. It's slightly roomy but perfect with the belt, so success!

The dress automatically comes with the corset belt, detachable rose bow and a lace collar. All are good quality, the corset has plastic bones so it's bendy but sturdy (and the fabric itself is pretty thick, so the belt is quite heavy duty). You can actually see me wear the choker / collar in my hair in the first photo :D I just tied at my neck and voilá! Small and cute.

Lolita Wardrobe was kind to also give me this accessory hat from the same line ^^ If you like the print, the dress comes in two colourways (purply pink and this blue) and the Cross and Censer series actually have three different JSK's, an OP and accompanying hat and blouse.

Communication with Angela was really fast (I always got an answer within hours), very friendly and informative. They allowed me choose my own dress freely, and it was really easy since I have lots of Taobao dream dresses <3 I originally chose this Surfcase Spell OP that I've had my eye on for a while, but when they said it takes 45 work days to make (which is clearly stated in the site, I was just too exited to notice) and I chose something else. What can I say, I hate waiting for expensive items...

Then I took a different approach; what if I chose a dress I though looked really pretty but what I might not buy myself? Since this is a rare free dress, I decided to go ham. I had ten candidates and my partner helped me trim them down to three: 

Infanta's Tangled JSK in beige, MTP Spring of Europa OP in yellow (and the MTP Cross and Censer JSK)

 I e-mailed them with these three links (because I couldn't decide) and tada, I got the Cross and Censer JSK!

The communication was very fast, smooth and friendly, the site is easy to use and they have a lot of into and photos. I will  be buying from them myself (I want more ouji items and I've eyed this Infanta vest for a long time, it shall be mine~) so it's safe to say that I recommend them ^^

Thank you for reading! Now that I have time in my hands, you can expect tutorials in the near future~

What is lolita?

A question we get time and time again: what is lolita? I (finally) made a video talking about what lolita is, and also what it is not. Some rules bend but this is a very generalized video, as these tend to be. :) Short point list!

Lolita fashion is:
- A FASHION. Use the wrd when looking for info and items, it'll save you a ton of trouble an K18 links.
- Started in Japan, but has spread across the globe
- Has it's roots in Victorian fashion as well as rococo
- Most iconic is the silhouette: skirts sit at the natural waist and poof out with petticoat(s)
(- A cute oufit without a petticoat isn't lolita)
- All about modesty! Cover you shoulders, cleavage (seriously, you'll never see boobs in lolita), skirts are close to knee-length and you cover your legs with tights or socks

Three main substyles of lolita:
- Gothic, where it all started from. Morose, elegant (almost vampiric) feel, heavy fabrics, dark colours, gothic prints. Petti is usually A-line but a cupcake shape is not uncommon
- Sweet. Cheerful, cute, usually quite OTT (over the top = extravagant) feel, pastel or bright colours, cute prints and lots of lace. Fullest cupcake pettis in the lolita world
- Classic. This is the most mature, elegant and timeless. Subtle prints, muted colors, less accessories. Pettis are usually A-line and skirts can be tea length or mid-calf.
- Looots of substyles: pirate, Alice, military, sailor, punk, shiro, kuro, guro, hime etc etc. I could make an entire post about substyles.
- You don't have to choose just one substyle, mix and match however you want! My wardrobe is mostly gothic but I have been adding classic pieces to it, and some of my dresses are between gothic and classic. Try what looks nice, don't mind the labels. :)

Lolita fashion is not:
- About the fucking book  :'D or the movie. Just no.
- Sexy or a fetish. It is, like we just discussed, the exact opposite: modest.
- Cosplay. There are lolita characters you can cosplay, but it's a cosplay of that character, not the fashion. You can wear lolita to conventions (I have), but it doesn't make lolita any more cosplay than wearing jeans and a t-shirt to a con.
- Maids. Two completely separate things.

Lolita isn't strictly to just girls either! There is a sister fashion (or substyle, categorize how you want) called kodona and ouji. They wear the same blouses and accessories, but in stead of wearing a skirt, you wear pants! The aim is to look princely or cute, a fitting counterpart to lolita. This style is also worn by girls (me included).

Lolita can also be worn by males. The term "brolita" (bro + lolita) is ften used, but I think that everyone wearing lolita is just a lolita, but it does make searhing information and tips easier. Brolitas are very well accepted within lolita fashion, though they sadly face some confusion and maybe even harassment from others. I don't want to touch that too much.

So, all in all, that is a very brief summary :D I have a bunch of beginner videos linked on this video (and as playlists on my channel) so I won't link them all here, you can check them on Youtube if you're interested. ^^

I want to make more text posts again, sorry for the silence! <3

Summer lookbook

It's been a while since I've done a proper text post, and I'll talk about that later. For now, here are some outfit shots of my recent coords! I made a video lookbook, but here are quick photos. :)

hair accessory: CiCi works
blouse: Dear Celine
skirt: Bodyline
bag: thrifted
tights: h&m
shoes: thrifted

(aaand this is why I hate taking timed photos; I can't see if it's focused or not in the small screen. Oh well.)

hair accessories: DIY & offbrand
blouse: KappAhl
skirt: Knight's night
bag: H&M
tights: offbrand
shoes: ebay

Dress: Sleipnir JSK <3
blouse: offbrand
tights: offbrand
shoes: DinSko

ft. kitty

It was a super hot day -__-

hat: vintage+ DIY
dress: Chérie Cerise
blouse: Infanta
tights: taobao
shoes: ebay

dress: Meta Swan lake OP
I really loves this dress and ought to wear it more often <3

Hellocon video

Here's a compiled video I took at Hellocon, again I'll write a proper post about it but if you want to see what was going on, have a look. :)

Link here

Tea party video

I'll again write a proper thingy about the tea party, but if anyone's interested, here's a video I took. 

Link

BTSSB & AatP fashion show

Aaand here's the Baby fashion show.

Linky link

Hellocon designer fashion show

Hi, Hellocon was fun and I'll write about it in a bit but I'm dying right now so in the mean time, here's a link to the designer fashion show! It was really pretty and I've never heard some of these brands before, but Mossbadger is Definitely on my radar with that gorgeous black and white dress! <3 Anyway, enjoy the show ~

- Link here -

PS my camera doesn't have automatic focus but I did the best I could ^^

Confidence and dealing with attention

I get asked about how to keep up self confidence while getting odd looks and mean comments while wearing lolita and other alternative fashion. The sad reality is that when we decide to wear something that makes us stand out from the crowd, people notice us. That's how it works. It can be hard to deal with attention (especially in the beginning), but I share some tips and experiences in this week's video. Here are some of them:

- Try to distract yourself from the attention you're getting. Take friends with you, even if they're wearing "normal" things they'll still help you have fun by planning where to go next etc. (Though if they're eye catching too, they divide the attention between all of you).
- If you're alone, try talking on the pone or listening to music or podcasts. Keep yourself occupied, especially if you're just sitting on the bus or waiting.
- Try to take quizzical looks as a good thing. The person looking at you probably haven't seen something like you before, and is just admiring your looks and bravery! They just can't communicate it well. Not all looks are evil / condescending glares.
- Try to ignore mean comments and try not to shoot back. They're probably just having a bad day, so the vehemence they're showing is not directed you but to something else they can't project it to. 
- It gets better with time and experience.

Though there is no magic trick to make it all perfect, it takes practice. And patience. And ability to ignore the trolls and concentrate on the positive (because there is a lot of positive attention too). So let's just keep at it! <3

DIY lace accessory

Help me come up with a sane name for this thing. Rosette? I don't know, it's a thingy for now :D

So yeah this week's video is about making this accessory, you can either attach an alligator clip to it and make it a hair accessory or you can pin it to your dress, bag or beret, or anything else really. These are very simple and versatile, and even though it's not a stand out piece, I think it's nice to have ^^ Here's a text and photo tutorial since they have been requested, I hope you can catch the key points of the tutorial, I know I'm not very good at these yet :'D

You will need:

- Twi different widths of your ribbon of choice. I have cotton lace but you can use any lace or grosgrain or satin ribbon. 

- Decorations. I have pearl beads but you can use pretty much anything really, a small fake flower would look really pretty too.

- Clip(s?) of your choice

- Needle, thread, scissors

Cut three (same length) strips of the wider lace. Fold the edges to the middle and sew them securely on to the middle.

Turn them into bows :) Make sure to really secure them with lots of tiny stitches and wrap the thread around the middle few times too. Bows are really easy to make but hard to describe, but I show it in the video if you're new to making bows. ^^

Time to unite. First sew two bows together from the middle, then add the third one in there too.

Wrap the narrower lace twice around the center to make it look pretty. Sew the lace on firmly. Then take the top bow and sew the edges to the middle, this way it stays more open and makes the accessory more round. Repeat to the bottom bow as well. Again, shown better in the video.

Lay out your decorations and decide where to put what...

And sew them on! I went with pearls and made two long ribbons out if the narrower lace. I just secured it to the back of the accessory. All you need now is to secure it with the clip of your choice and you're good to go! Again, really simple and fast. The hand sewing can be a bit tiresome but it'll look nice in the end, I promise.