Polyvore: Or, Electronic Window-shopping

Are you the kind of Lolita who loves to peruse brand pages for hours, doodle in your notebooks long lists of dresses, sighs 'if only...' into your pillow cases? Do you love to dream up fanciful coordinates, are you absolutely sure that six kinds of faux fur is the only way to dress this winter?

Then you might get a fun kick out of using Polyvore!

Polyvore is a website made just for those things. Surf around for items by color, category, or brand to make photograph coordinates. If you add the 'clip to Polyvore' feature, then you can add things from other websites, or any other images you might come across that you love. Start your own collection of items, or see what other people have put together! Here's two of mine:

Labels: shopping

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 2:15 PM 0 Comments

50 Easy Halloween Costumes for Lolita-chan

Halloween: for everyone in America, or any other countries that have taken up hob-'gobling' with this American holiday, is just around the corner. It's only four days away! I hope you have your costume for the eve all set, for some great activities like trick-or-treating, partying, or carving pumpkins!

What? You mean you don't have a costume yet? Oh no, what are you going to do??

Never fear, here are a bunch of easy costumes* you can make with your own Lolita wardrobe!

1. Alice in Wonderland. The most obvious first! Any version of Alice you want to cook up, pink or blue or black. Mostly requires an apron to set off the look, but anything is possibly given there are some many Alice pieces in Lolita fashion.
2. The White Rabbit. Pocket-watch or watch pendant, possibly a vest. Could swing either way to kodona or Lolita, whichever you prefer. Large, crazy bunny ears are a must!
3. The Queen of Hearts, or any Queen of playing card. Red and blacks with the suit of your choice and a little queenly dignity.
4. The Mad Hatter. A miniature or full-size hat with the requisite fraction card 'This Style 9/10'. Note that the above also look particularly cute together as a group.
   
5. Cat/Kitty. Be careful with this, you don't want to look like a weeaboo off to the races. Wear some long velvet gloves to match (complete with Audrey Hepburn rhinestone and pearl bracelets), a set of kitty ears, and a velvet choker with a bell and bow. Outfit should match your 'color' cat - black for black cats, white for white. Velvet and fur look fuzzy soft. Don't just slap ears on any old outfit.
6. Bunny. This is similar to above, only worked towards the rabbit. Try theming your bunny with carrots or a different color besides white, like pink or black or even brown or spotted.
7. Fairy. A lot of glitter, flower accessories, and a pair of matching wings to your outfit.
   
8. Bride. Shiro. Need I say more? Add a veil and posy for extra cuteness, or a huge fake diamond ring (like at novelty or party shops).
9. Fairytale Princess (generic or of your choosing). An easy hime-style, or try to copy a favorite of yours. Cinderella can be pulled off with plexiglass or plastic shoes, Snow White needs an apple. You can even try to copy the Disney color themes if you're interested.
   
10. Angel. For traditional, go shiro - with a halo and white wings. For a dark angel, go kuro - with a spangly black halo, or a 'dented' one made from coat hanger. Even better, a halo of coat hanger wire made to look like barbed wire. Brave your local Hot Topic for black wings.
11. Marie Antoinette. Easy enough. Go a little guro with a red wound on your neck, or just add a red ribbon - a nod to the fashion popular in Napoleon's day.
12. Goldilocks. A blonde curly wig, sweetly simply dress, and a stuffed bear or two.
13. Vampire. Gothic with teeth and the appropriate makeup.
14. Witch. A miniature witch hat, easily made from felt and attached to a headband can spookify any suitable outfit. Try pointy boots if you have any, or even break a rule or two and use striped stockings.
15. Baker. A paper chef's hat, apron, the mountain of sweets jewelry you probably have, and a few felt cake slices for jewelry or headware.
16. Balloon Seller. Especially cute for Magical Etoile! A cluster of pretty helium balloons, and a cutesy sign around your neck on ribbon that says, 'Ballons 5¢'. You could add a mini paper 'butcher' hat if you like.
17. Mad Scientist. Shiro or medical vintage Lolita, with the usual 'shocked' hair (good to put things in! - maybe mice, heart-shaped sunglasses for goggles, or anything else kooky), and a set of rubber medical gloves. Even a lab coat could be fun.
18. Young Frankenstein. Gothic with the usual bolts and scars. Add artistic eyebrows in with liner to replace Frank's deadpan wooly bears.
19. Ita. Nothing scarier! If you have old clothes from your early days, give them an old whirl! Or inappropriately mix genres, like emo and Lolita. You could add a sign around your neck that says, 'IS DIS RORI?' Try to make it over-the-top obvious and humorous, or else you might be mistaken for a real ita!
20. Mermaid. If you have any mermaid-themed clothes, now is the time to use them! Add shell jewelry, plenty of pearls, and shimmery tights for a 'tail' (other option: use a commercial mermaid tail for a Halloween shop under your skirt). A fascinator of fishnet and shells spray painted gold or silver would look beautiful in your hair.
21. Pirate. Need I say any more? A water gun spray-painted can arm you to the teeth.
22. Gangsta. Put on your best brand, wrap a pink and rhinestone bandana around your forehead. Deck yourself out in your biggest bling, and maybe a fake grill from a Halloween shop, and pack some (fake) heat. Time to roll.
23. Geisha. If you have Wa-Loli, add the signature makeup and some geta for that mystery-of-the-East look. Paper parasol allowed!
    
24. 50s Sock Hop Girl. Perfect for anything poodleish you have - you might even have a real poodle skirt! The side ponytail, saddle shoes, and bobby socks make it.
25. Minnie Mouse. A bright red-and-white dot print with white gloves, Minnie ears, and big black Mary Janes makes an easy Minnie.
26. Corpse Bride. A little blue facepaint, shiro dress, and a blue floral wreath and veil around the hair.
27. Obama. Use the Lolita for Obama logo on a blue (Democratic!) outfit and a plastic Obama face from your local discount store.
28. Palin. A red outfit with her usual glasses, a beehive, and a 'second-place Miss Alaska' sash. Or just be Tina Fey, either.
29. Harry Potter. A great kodona look - needs the black glasses.
30. Hello Kitty [Fanatic]. Wear white kitty ears with her signature red bow and a red and white outfit. Or for the fanatic look, just wear as much Hello Kitty merchandise as possible. (Oh wait, that's every day...).
31. Diabetes. Wear all of your sweets jewelry and sweets clothes. Scare small diabetic children.
32. Droid or A.I. Wear some false bionics on your skin, either with paint or watch parts attached with spirit glue. Add a necklace with a 'read out' feed - a marquee-like bar on the front of a chain or rope of pearls. Go Chii-like with EARS - Electronic Audio Relay Systems.
33. Dorothy. Blue gingham, a false Toto in your basic, and red shoes.
34. Teddy Bear. Bear ears, some soft paw-shaped mittens, and an overwhelming urge to hug. Go get 'em.
35. Gloomy Bear. If you have tons of Gloomy Bear or love Gloomy Bear, wear a little pink with fake blood (the kind you can get out, preferably) and pink bear ears.
36. Nurse. Especially good if you have nurse-styled Lolita or vintage medical. Or just shiro with a nurse's hat and a medical mask can go a long way.
37. Pippi Longstocking. False red braids [stand them out with wire], mismatched socks, and freckles. ETC put out Pippi things too if you have any.
38. Clown. A fun fro full of flowers and toys and brightly-colored outfit with foam red nose. Add hearts to your cheeks.
39. Peacock. A Venetian mask can be easily made with a mask base and some peacock feathers from the craft store. Wear green, purple or black with iridescent beads.
40. Unicorn. Shiro or super sparkly pink with a clay unicorn's horn - easy to make with a little glitter and a headband.
41. Grim Reaper. Kuro with a scythe and a veil of black netting.
42. 80s Dancer. If you have any of the 80s inspired Lolita clothing, add a side pony tail and neon-colored tights. Facial glitter and wild stripes are a must.
43. Jem (from Jem & the Holograms). Wear plenty of pink and silver, with a pink wig and her signature makeup. Star earrings are especially cute.
44. Lumberjack. Anything plaid with a knitted cap and an ax. Wear with big boots and thick, sweatery socks.
45. Stepford Wife. Use all your retrolita and pearls with a set of high heels and over-the-top lipstick. Act creepily servile.
46. Batgirl. Kuro with a bat facial mask made from stretchy black material. Add black sequins for extra fun.
47. Swan. Shiro with a white-feather mask and feathered white wings. Add a small gold crown for Swan Lake.
48. Gardener. Anything floral with a floppy straw hat with a bevy of false flowers. Carry a watering can, and wear cute rubber boots. Try a simple apron with a trowel in the pocket.
49. Devil/Demon. Wear black and red with glittery red devil horns, and add a pitchfork.
50. The Solar System/Galaxy. Wear black or dark blue or anything star patterned; pin felt planets to your outfit. Add scientific labels if you like.
    

Hope you had fun reading this list and got a lot of cute ideas for a great Halloween! This week has a lot more special Halloween fun coming up, so see you then!

Want more Halloween ideas? Here is 2009's list of 50 More Halloween Costumes for Lolitas!

Labels: holiday

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 9:27 AM 5 Comments

Lolitas & Libraries

Since October is coming to a close (where did autumn go!?), I thought I would bring up a great activity for November. If the very word 'November' makes your prick up your eyes and makes your fingers tingle, then you know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the internet phenomenon, NaNoWriMo.

Nanowrimo is the acronym for National Novel Writing Month, which operates through this website. The object of the contest is to write 50,000 words between November 1st to November 30th, on absolutely any topic or genre that you want. It doesn't have to be God's gift to the literate, it doesn't have to be perfect or even good. It just has to fill the amount of words in the time provided. The purpose is not to create a fabulous, publishable piece. The purpose is to prove you can do it - and if you do, you win! How many people have, on their list somewhere, 'write a novel' but never get around to it? This is your chance.

So, what does this have to do with Lolita? That's easy! Writing a Lolita novel is one of the best ways to let your romantic imagination run wild. lolita literature, short stories, and poems are all treasured by the Western Lolita community, as both writers and readers. Plenty of Lolitas choose to participate in the contest, abounding with stories of gentleman in tall dark tophats, ladies i graveyards, yards of pink glittery tulle petticoats, and murders in cake factories.
Or perhaps you'd prefer to pen a story about the average Lolita who skips through the city, orders from Japan, and finds drama on the Internet? The choices are endless - because inside Lolita's head is a limitless, secret garden of imagination.

I myself have participated in two Nanowrimo contests, both of which included Lolita styles or characters. The first was a fairy-tale; the second was magic realism. I hope to write a fresh Lolita character for this year, and make her different from the others as possible. A new twist is always fun!

Remember, half the fun of Nanowrimo is in the excitement, the deadline, and following the rules on the honor system, so please make sure you peruse the website thoroughly! It also has quite a few laughs and a good scoop of sardonic humor from the staff.

Labels: event

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 1:24 PM 2 Comments

Embroidery Basics

I've always loved to embroider since I was little. My grandmother loved to embroider first, so she taught me. My earliest memories are of sitting with her after family dinners, made clumsy hot pink French knots (because as a four-year-old, I believed SUPER PINK was the only acceptable color). Somewhere there is still a small scrap of fabric with a sloppy daisy and a few scattered knots on it.

She was unable to finish teaching me herself, as she died when I was five. However, the interest in the craft stayed with me. On and off I'll find myself hunting through the materials and starting projects again. She left me cases and tins full of thread and needles and sewing hoops.

As you may know, I've been dealing with an extended illness lately, so I admit to being slightly stir-crazy. So - I've started embroidering again.

Embroidery is well-known to be 'Lolita-ish' from the film Kamikaze Girls (Shimotsuma Monogatari), as Momoko and her hobby feature in the plot. However, it seems like despite its talk-up, few Western Lolitas actually do it. I sincerely recommend you give it a try. It has a handful of useful lessons to teach, a reason it was probably popular for young girls to learn back in the day. For example:

• Concentration. It's very meditative and quiet. You would think that it would make your mind wander, or if you were upset, give you 'too much time to think.' But when embroidering, you're so focused on the miniscule details that you're not thinking about the things that bother you. In that way, it's both a training tool for discipline and escapist.
• Something to do with your hands. If you're the kind of person that fidgets - or snacks - this could be a great assent. I especially like to do it while listening to television. My hands are busy, and as said, if they are, you're not snacking. I'm just the kind of person who gets fidgety, myself, but if you're looking to lose weight, this could help.
  
• Attention to detail! A very valuable Lolita lesson that I preach quite often. You will definitely learn attention to detail from embroidery. A stitch out of place will end up bothering you; placing the needle in just the right place is essential. Even the smallest stitch can make or break a whole piece, just like an outfit's accessory.
  
• Color training. You generally get to choose your own colors, so you'll learn interesting color schemes and patterns. A shock of red, baby blue and bright green flowers looks horrible - but a collection of different tones of pinks, much better.
  
• An added bonus - you can, if you become proficient enough, decorate your own Lolita clothes. A plain skirt can be embellished with embroidery, or perhaps the breast of a sweater. Even a handkerchief can make a great statement.

So, what sort of embroidery should you do? Here are my top three favorites!

Cross-stitch: A method done on squares of Aida cloth or evenweave (cloth marked out in squares) where you mass the crosses into blocks of color. Consider them like pixels, and you have the idea.

Cross-stitch links: Cross Stitch Supplies, Learn Cross Stitch in Five Minutes, Cross Stitch Instructions

Freestyle Embroidery: Done on evenweave or other fabric, freestyle is done with a variety of stitches, such as the chain stitch, fly stitch, running stitch, etc.

Freestyle links: Sublime Stitching, Sharon's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches, Stitch Diagrams (with cool folksy names, like the Point de Sable, or the Witch Stitch)

Silk Ribbon Embroidery: The most elegant and princess-like embroidery is done with soft, silk ribbons. It's similar to freestyle, but obviously done with ribbons and therefore rather thicker. Flower designs are popular.

Ribbon Embroidery links: Beginner's Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Ribbon Embroidery patterns and projects, Ribbonwork: The Complete Guide (this was mentioned in the English Bible!)

Labels: lifestyle

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 9:00 PM 4 Comments

NYAF: Baby the Stars Shine Bright Fashion Show

Sunday was the Baby the Stars Shine Bright fashion show at NYAF (New York Anime Festival) - and I was one of the models! It was quite a trip, and I thought you, my dear readers, would be interested in the behind-the-scenes world of (admittedly amateur) Lolita modeling!

I woke up at 5:00 AM, and drove into NYC for 8:30. We had some initial problems with security - and then finally made it downstairs (even at 8:30, we were considered late!) to the room. It was a mass of clothes, makeup, Lolitas, wigs, and bagels! BABY had sent three representatives. They were the picture of perfect Lolitas! Their headdresses defied gravity, they sparkled when the light hit, their hair was perfectly shaped. In short, they looked like magazine photos. They are absolutely my inspiration to be the best Lolita I can be! They should be what we all aspire to - what Lolita really is. They were practically not of this earth, in my opinion. Only one of them spoke English. A portion of the models, however, did speak Japanese. What little Japanese I had studied lay dead in the water, gasping out air bubbles of pointless pleasantries and cognates.

Hair had to be finished by 9, and then clothes were passed out. At this point, I was informed that I had had my first outfit dropped from the schedule - and for a moment it looked like I wouldn't be modeling at all. I was offered tickets to the BABY tea party as compensation, which due to time constraints I couldn't attend. I walked back to the room, unsure of what to do, when...

They ran back into the room, saying they wanted me after all! I ended up modeled for Alice and the Pirates, a brand I had never worn before. It was a coordinate I never would have picked out myself, but I loved it - a chiffon blouse, chiffon dress, and veiled feather-and-rose round headdress. The blouse especially captured my heart - when your wrists turn, it spirals into unicorn-horn shaped soft twirls. It's absolutely beautiful!

We then had to run from the staging room to the runway, which was down the hall. Unfortunately, by that time, patrons had begun lining up. BABY, not wanting to reveal the clothes, swathed us all in black sheets and had us sprint to the runway. As I scuttled down the hallway, being stared at by cosplayers and con-goers, with a feathered round on my head, I was suddenly struck by how ridiculous it was! My thoughts were: 'I cannot believe this!'

Once in the runway room we were not allowed to leave or let anyone in, not even to use the bathroom. (After four hours this got to be a problem - plenty of the models were worried about wetting themselves on the runway!) Other technical difficulties had to be worked out, too - one model's shoes were too large, so they were stuffed with tissue paper. Another's were too small, so she kept them off as long as possible. Girls swapped outfits, pinned in headdresses, and stood as still as deer while their bows and collars were fixed.

After a crash course in posing and using the runway, we clambered backstage. The audience started rolling in. After a question and answer session from the panelists, the models began lining up. With a surge of music (the first and best song in my opinion, being the French version of the Little Mermaid's 'Part of Your World'), the models went on into the spotlight. The audience loved the designs for this year - each new model brought collective gasps.

Just before the Pirates line went on, we were told to organize. We had been lined up previously, and I remember being so glad that I wasn't first. I was slightly horrified when the sweet Baby representative points at me and says, 'Ichiban!' As I scrambled to the front, one of the assistants says quickly, 'Wait a minute for the music, let it got for a second, and then go on!'

I stood in the wings, the light filtering through the blackout curtains, and heard the music start - something in English I didn't recognize. After a pause, I stepped out in the spotlight.

It had all come down to this. For all the hours and the struggle and the trying on and the nerve-racking, it was suddenly just me, in the light, with the cameras flashing. The glare blocked out the audience, but I could hear the music and feel the chiffon on my skin. Confidently forward, spread out the skirt, pose once in the center, turn for the back. The lyrics said something about being a 'headstrong woman'.

For that magical moment, it was all worth it.

Labels: event

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 11:36 PM 0 Comments