Little Parlor-Games

If you've ever tried to meet fresh people in a group, whether at parties, meetups, or even in the doctor's waiting room, you know how difficult it can be! New Englanders are especially notorious for being cold, aloof, and un-touchy-feely. To get strangers to feel like they are friends is no small task. But nothing is worse than a disjointed meetup. If you want to warm up the room, try some of these simple ideas (most of which are made to play around a tea table).

Two Truths and a Lie

If you've ever lived in a dorm, you've probably played this game to meet your fellow housemates. This works just as well with a group of Lolitas. The object is that each person tells three statements about themselves, but only one of them can be false. The rest of the players decide which that is. Example might be: 'My first dress was Bodyline, my idol is Chikage, and I hate chocolate.' Then the rest of the group guesses. (see below for answers!)

Hide the Thimble

This can be played at a tea table or in a parlor, or outside. Everyone is sitting is a circle, passing a thimble between them. Someone is in the center of the circle or standing from the table and is 'it'. The circle keeps passing while 'it' either recites a poem, sings a song, or counts to twenty. At the end, she has to guess which Lolita has the thimble. If she guesses correctly, she can sit; if not, she has to go another round.

Chess and Checkers

Set up lots of small games of chess and checkers; then have the group pair off for games. If you have even more time, try for a tournament.

Snaps Cup

Everyone writes down a compliment about somebody else at the table, then folds it puts it into an unused teacup, teapot, or top hat a guest might willingly lend. Then they are read aloud and everyone snaps their fingers, or golf claps, if you prefer.

Fan Language

Using a list of fan language motions, stage a silent play. Using their fans and facial expressions only, two girls must make a story for the others to watch. At the end, everyone says what they thought the play was about - and tests their fan language knowledge!

Chinese Whispers

Also called telephone, this is a fun little gossip game (which is what Lolitas do, don't we?). One person whispers a phrase to the other, who whispers it to the next, and the next, until it reaches back around, at which points the first statement is compared with the last. This is craziest with the more people you have.

(answer: those are ALL lies! :P)

Labels: event, guide

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 12:42 PM 2 Comments

Style Tips

• Darn your socks! Save money and your favorite, irreplaceable prints by darning your socks. I always get holes in the toe of my socks. Use a corresponding thread and hand-stitch the hole closed; then satin stitch over the seam.
  
• If you're of age, consider learning about a few of the more classical alcohols, like wine or champagne. A few suitable ladies' drinks are White Zinfindel, which is a sweet rose, or a Chardonnay, which is a crisp white.
  
• If you're not interested in wines, experiment with cocoa, especially on cold winter nights. Cocoa is especially tasty with peppermint or raspberry liquor.
  
• Buy or make a few paper dolls for yourself. Historical dolls, like Marie Antoinette or Victorian era, are especially fun. Use them to stage plays, or give a few to your friends to play with. Store them in a pretty stationary envelope.
• Take inventory of your wardrobe and decide what needs to be replaced. If your petticoat has lost its poof or your favorite cutsew has pilled beyond recognition, make a mental note to start the new year fresh with a new one.
• Cut paper snowflakes and suspend them from thread or tape them to the window pane.
• Use some thin fabric and the Embroidery Handbook (a new favorite of mine) to make your own eyelet lace. I think it would especially be sweet to see it in pink or pale blue stitches instead of the usual white.
  

Labels: style tips

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 11:39 PM 2 Comments

Holiday Swap!

Labels: budget-loli, event, holiday

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 12:37 PM 0 Comments

My Little Pony + Lolita

Since there has recently been a rising interest in decololita, and this is related to that, I thought I would bring it up. McDonald's is currently giving away miniature My Little Pony toys with their Happy Meals, as I serendipitously found out when munching my McNuggets on Saturday. I got a Minty, (bottom left corner) which will match my Bloom OP perfectly!

First, some ways to use your McDonald's Ponies:

• Screw a hook into the back or head, and then thread with a chain for a necklace or keychain.
• Glue them to barrette backs for hair decorations.
• Glue pin backs to them for brooches on sweater, bags, or dresses.
• Use their accessories (little combs, tiny cakes) as rings, charms, or necklaces.

My Little Pony may seem like another Western Lolita tack-on, like the Disney Princesses or Rainbow Brite. Cute, but not originally Lolita? Not quite. Maki has confessed that all of her recent pony prints - the magical pony purse, the pony JSKs and coat, are all inspired by her childhood love of the franchise My Little Pony.

My Little Pony has a special place in my heart, too. As a child of the 80s, I grew up with the ponies - including the movies and the television show, and a giant box of the plastic equines. I was actually born in '89, so I hit the end of the decade and had to buy mine second-hand. I hit the jackpot at a tag sale and brought home about 30 of them in one sitting once. And then I carved the box into their 'mansion'.

So, what is the appeal behind My Little Pony that they have reached their 25th anniversary (the reason for the new McDonald's release)? Well, they have adorable candy colors, flowing manes with tons of loopy curls. They live in a delightful magical land full of flowers and butterflies. Somebody decided that it is totally possible to dress them up like princesses.

No wonder Lolitas love them. Sound familiar? In the 80s there was a sudden explosion of cartoons for girls, the like of which we haven't really seen again. Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake, Jem, The Stardreamerz (I think that's the name, I had a coloring book with them), Care Bears, Popples, She-Ra - these were all oriented specifically for girls. (They then realized that boys will not watch girls' cartoons, but girls will watch boys' cartoons, so the genre was mostly cut). But it was an atmosphere and genre that really appealed to the things girls seemed to like - ponies, princesses, the bright colors, songs, friendship, etc. I think the fact that they finally gave it a genre and marketing plan (most of these things were extended commercials, really) was a brief moment when they actually began to cater to girls, to recognize them as a separate market.

Lolita started in the late 80s/early 90s and now seems to have taken up speed recently. Most of the current participants of Lolita were kids in that age range, and are now old enough to dress Lolita. Is that a coincidence? I think not. I think it's just a reaction to remembering our childhoods and childhood influences, so why not add these things into Lolita?

So that's my miniature philosophy about My Little Pony meets Lolita. Are cute things the new feminism? Instead of old feminism, which was about challenging men on their own turf (boxy women's suits, short hair, bra-burnings), there could be cute feminism - women with what they like, for themselves - not part of men, or even built around men. Lolita is part of that, I think. Wear these sweet My Little Ponies as support for Cute Feminism!

And they're giving these away FOR FREE* so how can you resist?

*with purchase of any Happy Meal or you can buy the damn things without ingesting unknown filth for probably a low cost of a few dollars. LC is not actually paid for by McDonald's, more's the pity.

Labels: budget-loli, discussion, inspirational

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 6:17 PM 3 Comments

G&LB Vol. 4 Review

The new edition of the Gothic and Lolita Bible English edition (Volume 4) was available starting Monday (in America at least, not sure about other countries). I thought it was a particularly good volume. The things I want from the Bible are mostly teaching entities: hair and makeup tutorials, places to buy offbrand items, and of course the beloved patterns and projects to work on. Other things I like are reader snaps, short stories, and artistic photo shoots.

Things of Interest in Volume 4:

• A large collection of hair how-tos, featuring about three or four different looks per model/style. There is a sweet model, hime model, gothic model, classical model, etc. They also reviewed a few hair styling products. I personally would encourage them to include 'how to curl your hair' tutorials, not just 'what to do after you curl your hair'. (Because I'm personally a klutz with anything other than straightener).
  
• A lot of the models had natural nails! As a girl always teetering between falsies and the ones God gave me, it was nice to see an example of how to wear real nails. Answer? Shiny polish on medium length, rounded nails, in a matching color of your choice. Personally I'd still add rhinestones however! ;)
• The American photoshoot had some very original and interesting coordinates and location. It was definitely not your usual Lolita photoshoot, but I loved it. It's very retro meets brand.
  
• The patterns were particularly good in this edition. A lot of them are for knitting or crochet, and then they include knitting and crochet instructions in the back. Fun to do in winter (northern hemisphere) and a switch from the usual sewing instructions (fabulous for people like me, who lose fingers within five feet of a sewing machine). Even a few projects outside of the usual patterns were included - instructions for a batting tote and strawberry-chocolate earrings.
  
• No recipes, unfortunately. I was hoping for some Christmas recipes, like mint fudge or cute cupcakes... but nope. There was a piece on various great places to buy cupcakes, but seeing as I don't live in any major areas (welcome to the boondocks, people) this didn't help me to much. If you're ever in, say, New York or San Francisco, however, you've got it made.
• There is an Innocent World giveaway! Explain in 25 words or less what you love about Innocent World and you could win things ranging from jumperskirts to headbands.
• And a secret look at how 3D nails are really made in salons - very cool, though more than I'd want to spend, I think!

You might also note that LC finally has a webpage hits counter! Those apples at the bottom keep track of the number of visits to this page. Unfortunately it's a little late, this will be Article #51 (wow! yay!) but oh well, better late than never! :)

Labels: review

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 3:23 PM 2 Comments

Style Tips

Little ways to make yourself a better Lolita, inside and out! If people like it this might become a recurring feature.

• Use alcohol pads or cotton balls with rubbing alcohol to remove dark scuff marks from man-made material shoes or vinyl purses. I got marks and stickiness off my Angelic Pretty purse I thought would never go away!
• Use sock toppers or wristlets to lace up offbrand socks. I found pretty red/pink striped socks at Victoria's Secret and they looked great with the added lace!
• Trade pieces with your friends when you get tired of yours.
  
• Make your own Lolita accessories from patterns or instructions. Not only is it fun to do, but you can also learn a new skill and get a new item! I'm working on crochet and knitting right now.
• Choose an item or motif as your personal symbol and include it in every outfit. Bunnies? Crown? Cherries? Get creative with adding them in, and soon people will identify you with that.
  
• Save pictures of Lolita things or people you like. You can even print them into a scrapbook or onto a collage.
  
• Use a makeup book to discover the ins and outs of your face. I like 'Making Faces' which has lots of pictures and illustrations.
  

Labels: style tips

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 10:56 AM 3 Comments

Clove Orange Scents

Labels: budget-loli, holiday, tutorial

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 6:39 PM 1 Comments

When the Magic's Gone

It happens slowly, but the signs are there: you don't want to spend the day together anymore. Somehow, it doesn't seem to fit into your life - or like your friends. The little habits you used to overlook now annoy you to distraction. In a crowd, you look to others. And one day, you realize that you haven't seen each other in weeks.

It happens to everyone: the magic in your dress is gone.

When you first bought your dress, it was gorgeous. You took photos of it in the package. You wore it thousands of ways. You couldn't wait to put it on and show it off. You loved to look at the lace, the trim. It made you feel beautiful.

But eventually, you got bored with it. Or maybe your style changed. Or perhaps you don't work around those colors anymore.

But sometimes, it's the magic. If the dress doesn't make you feel beautiful anymore, if it doesn't excite you at the idea of putting it on, then it's time to go.

Turnover is a common thing in the Lolita community. It especially happens as the seasons change. There is a sudden rush of 'closet cleaning' which means anything that isn't wanted anymore gets sold. Sometimes, the sellers just sell whatever was in season, so they can now buy the new season's clothes. That's also a common practice, even in Japan: the Lolitas sell last season's items to the consignment shops, like Closet Child. Then the money from the item goes into next season's clothes. In this way, their closets are always fresh. But I think the transient nature of the trend-following wardrobe is a little impersonal.

But there are also people who don't want to sell their items at all. It's still useful, they say. It works. I shouldn't get rid of something based on a feeling. But that's like a loveless marriage, I think.

I get attached to my pieces. Each piece is like a relationship. You develop a repertoire with each one, and they all have a specific feel. Wearing my violet dress is different than, say, wearing the pink skirt. They almost start to take on personality traits.

Fortunately, the magic isn't gone from the items. The magic is waiting to be discovered by someone new, who will love and wear the item just as much as you did. They'll be fresh and fully charged out of the box when the new person gets them. Pass the love along.

This is a sort of unusual article, (which I wasn't sure of posting), more a musing after a friend of mine admitted that she was tired of her wardrobe. This is my view on resell and owning Lolita clothing... in a rather romantic point of view. What do you think? Do you get attached to your clothes, or are you unattached to them? Do you believe in turnover, and selling your clothes regularly, or are you more apt to keep them? Let us know!

Labels: inspirational

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 12:56 AM 1 Comments