Lolita Charm: April 2011

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Welcome to the Tiny World of Sky/Violet

I finally received my second Angelic Pretty doll! This is the Sucre Byul model, made in a very modern sweet style and dressed in Angelic Pretty's famous Sugary Carnival print. I'm having a lot of fun taking photographs of their tiny dolls' world, made to resemble a surreal sweet lolita's Angelic Pretty paradise. Here she is in the box, discovered by her fellow Byul Violet (in Toy Parade, another print of Angelic Pretty's). Since Violet was named for her hair (original, I know) this new doll takes her name Sky from her minty highlights. Below, a shot of her enjoying a bit of a doll's tea party.

While I had the mind to plan out some sort of photo story, I admit that neither doll really wanted to cooperate. I've convinced them to be roommates at the vintage Barbie bed and breakfast Violet owns, but they're not happy about it. For some reason, like most lolitas, I think they're a little suspicious of each other! Here they are after the first night at the doll's house, still in their nighties and enjoying some strawberry waffle sandwiches.

The doll's house they share is only one room, but through various foldings and unfoldings, somehow manages to be an entire house. My favorite thing is their new kitchen island with blue tile, which used to be the Barbie bath. Using a little dollhouse linoleum from a 1/12 scale, I trimmed the plastic into the same organic shape as the bath tub and simply topped it off. I'm on the look out for pink appliances like mixers, blenders, and toasters! I know I have a pink popcorn maker somewhere in my attic... I think a cooking scene photoset is my next goal, so I'm looking for tiny cookie cutters and perhaps miniature bags of flour and sugar!

xoxo,

Labels: photopost

Monday, April 18, 2011

10 Things to Do with Faux Roses

I love doing DIY, but I also want to do it quick and easy - something I can complete in an afternoon is best! One of my favorite things to DIY is anything for my bedroom or living space, to amp up the cute. Nothing is better than waking up to a cute bedroom in the early morning.

Roses, a huge staple of the lolita and otherwise cute world (and my birth flower!) are popping up everywhere in craft stores now that spring is flitting into season. With that in mind, here are ten easy crafts you can whip up using faux roses. If you need a ton of flowers, consider bringing a coupon to your local craftstore. Retailmenot.com can keep you up-to-date on lots of deals and money-savers; I always check there first for any big purchase!

1. Buy a rose garland to drape over your bed, bureau, mirror, curtain rods... Anywhere, really! I've even seen a faux rose garland draped along the back window of a car if you want to a cute touch to your automobile.

2. Add a few delicate roses to shoe clips or anklets to dress up spring shoes. I got this idea from Liz Lisa shoes, but it'd be just as easy to make them and then wear them with any pair of shoes!

3. A few choice blossoms look wonderful on hairclips, bobby pins or hair combs. For a more classic touch, choose velvet or silk millinery roses. 32 Degrees North on etsy has a great supply of millinery flowers for sale.

4. Cover a lamp shade or even just the rim with roses and bows for an instant sugary touch. Here's my rose lamp from a while back!

5. Cover a lackluster headband with roses for a maiden look, or twine a delicate rose wire garland into a crown as shown in Baby's bridal coordinate. If you want more height, consider stitching the layers of rose wire garland together with clear thread.

6. Rose brooches look especially regal when pinned to ornate bows or perhaps to the side of a structured bonnet. For a more hime style, consider adding a string of pearls or gold chain.

7. Decorate a picnic basket or basket purse in a display of roses for the perfect spring and summer bag. Curvys is selling their designs for nearly $90, but you could also snap up your own basket purse (like this one) and your own roses for much cheaper! I love the interlaced hearts. For a more vintage look, go with paler flowers and hunt up an older basket purse in a thrift shop or on etsy.

8. Not only can you edge a full-length mirror with roses, a small picture frame or small table mirror can also look sweet with a filler of roses. Even a bulletin board can be smothered with roses for a very princess-y style! If you want more ideas on covering items with roses and lace for a hime look, check out Hearty&Hearty: this girl is a master at rose decor!

9. Make an easy cellphone deco by copying this idea from Curvys. All you need is a bit of double-sided tape, velcro, and some roses to create a few easily-switchable rose 'plates'. Not just for your phone - add them to a wallet, business card case, or even eyeglass case for an instant feminine touch.

10. For even more ideas inspired by rose DIY, check out the Ohanabatake (Flower Garden) series from Curvys. The whole category is fraught with rose decor! They have ideas for tricking out everything from earrings and small jewelry to fans, game cases, and even pimpin' your ride. The only rule of thumb for rose deco - if you can dream it & hot glue it, do it!

Labels: deco, guide

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Spring at Petit Trianon

In lolita fashion, plenty of historical and whimsical themes float to the surface, inspiring us to new concepts and ideas. My current favorite theme is what I've dubbed 'Spring at Petit Trianon', a country-lolita-meets-mori-girl fantasy inspired by white dresses, natural trailing curls, and unsurprisingly for those who've seen Angelic Pretty's newest print, sheep. My current thoughts look something like this...

{Aristocratic Maiden (check out her awesome blog if you're not already a fan!; Tess D'ubervilles screenshot; Marie Antoinette screenshot}

I admit I have a thing for sheep. Where I live, there is a small patch of scrubby earth, muddy and pebbled, with a mossy little brook, and in the spring, oodles of lambs are born there. There are small and scruffy and sometimes, just because it's forbidden, poke their heads through the wire fence to eat weeds on the other side. These sheep, belonging to a local man, do not have their tails docked, and therefore have long curly tails that look just a little ridiculous. I'm also a pretty country girl, and have spent many a time at our county fair in the petting zoo with the little things.

Whenever I think up a theme, I try to have a little 'checklist' to make the look work. For Spring at Petit Trianon, try some of these fashion ideas...

a bold, historically themed bonnet or arching straw hat, lavishly decorated with lace
or like the photo above, embroider a pretty kerchief to handle long hair
long white lace gloves - to protect your arms from the sun!
sleeping on pin-curls for bunchy, sheepy curls, or for long, loose waves without heat damage
ruffly, over-the-top parasols covered in layers of frills
straw baskets DIYed with lace and trailing ribbons
anything from Seraphim
adding a silk scarf as a sash to a pure white dress
white roses and daisies as hair corsages
white-on-white embroidery, especially on soft white bloomers

What's your theme for spring? Do you like to choose something seasonal, or something new every year? I can't wait for summer next - nauticals, sailor dresses, and mermaids, my favorite!

xoxo,

Labels: spring

Monday, April 11, 2011

Gothic Lolita Wigs Review: The Hime Edition!

In one of my recent articles I discussed the fashion substyle, hime-lolita (princess inspired lolita - check out my full-length guide here!) and quelle coincidence, the wonderful wig company Gothic Lolita Wigs shortly afterwards debuted a new line of hime wigs! I just had to give it a shot.

First of all, let me dish the terms of princesshood. Sometimes this style of wig is listed as a 'himegyaru' wig or a 'hime lolita' wig. These are separate fashions both inspired by princess themes, and may have some overlap depending on who you talk to. There has been a lot of talk about which term you prefer to use, and hime lolita and himegyaru discussing who's right. Here's the answer: this wig can be worn in any style you choose, depending on how you style it. Fashion is interpretive, and therefore, even with structure, is up to you to interpret. You can choose this wig to represent lolita style, himegyaru style, or to dress up as Cinderella if you want. What makes the difference is how you decide to style and wear it. Even something as lolita-worthy as a petticoat or a big bow can be worn with different styles or flavors. Nothing is really inherently 'lolita' on its own except for a full dress, perhaps. So please keep this in mind when bandying terms, or even more likely, pointing out how others bandy their terms. Fashion can be structured, but like a unicorn, you can't exactly pin it down into a medical drawing or a dictionary definition.

So here I am in the new wig! I purchased the diamond blonde, going for a very princess look (they also have it in medium brown, bordeaux red, golden blonde mix, light brown, and black - but light pink and white will be available in a few weeks!). The diamond blonde is a slightly yellowish, warmer blonde, less ashen or white than the blonde of my split Minty Mix wig. The texture is very soft, with long easily manipulated curls. I wanted more length, so I simply finger-combed and tugged at mine a little, and it lengthened easily. For massively long princess hair, you could easily attach a long curly blonde weft or a few blonde clip-in extensions from other wigs.

The height is amazing! I didn't have to do a thing to this wig to make it huge. It soars above my head in a way Dolly Parton would be proud of. The bangs, I was cautioned, are thin - this, unfortunately, is true. The bangs are a little thin and wispy, which I solved by brushing them to the side. Another buyer has discussed using hair from the crown to trim in more thickness to the bangs, but I'm not sure I'm up to such surgery personally. The other structural issue with this wig is the shortness of the bangs - the 'hime bump' leaves little room for large bows or large decoration. Thinning the volume could help here, or adding a weft or clip-on bangs. I made it work out of the box with a small tiara and comb, but my big chiffon bow was out. Still, I think the intense volume and height of this wig beckons for other decorations, such as faux roses or possibly a large sweet-styled bonnet.

I think this wig is a great style for upcoming spring events, like your local cherry blossom festival (you are going to your cherry blossom festival, right?!

) It's light enough to be worn in warmer weather, with plenty of oomph and swing as a backdrop to cheerful spring and summer coordinates. That being said, for all you girls in the southern hemisphere, it'd look lovely with a winter coat and some fuzzy pink earmuffs!

As usual, customer service with Gothic Lolita Wigs is excellent, and shipping and packaging are fast and high-quality. I received my wig in a matter of days after ordering - I think only three! If you're looking for fast, quality wigs, this is definitely your shop! As a special extra, their hime line has a great introductory price of only $46 - knocked down from the usual $52!

Check out their hime wig line here!

Outfit: Dress, Angelic Pretty; tiara, Chocomint; bow, Chocomint; gloves, made for me by Michelle/osea_chelleo; ring, Betsey Johnson

xoxo,

Labels: cosmetics, review, shopping

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

April Style Tips

(clockwise from top left: cherry blossoms, Misako Aoki and Midori modeling for BABY; Angelic Pretty's new spring hat; a spring coordinate from BABY San Francisco; and decorated eyelashes you can buy here!)

Plan a spring picnic with friends, perhaps somewhere in the flowering woods or under spring blossoms. Don't forget the strawberry lemonade!

Add spring flavor to one of your older bags by changing a keychain or cellphone charm on it from time to time. I routinely cycle a few cute keychains on my white heart quilted bag, it really adds an extra touch of interest to an outfit. Plus I finally have something to do with the cute trinkets I collect!

Tired of boring eyelashes? Add a cute sequin or very tiny cabochon to falsies before applying. A little eyelash glue could secure anything from miniature deco pearls, nail decals or puffy dessert-shaped stickers!

Cardigans are your friend for hot-and-cold spring weather. Make sure you have at least one simple, goes-with-anything cardigan to layer over short sleeved blouses, sleeveless shells, or even blouseless jumperskirts, in case the weather takes a shift. A solid or something with a cute applique is just the thing.

Is your full-length mirror looking a little drab in the bright morning light? Give it a good washing, and then edge it with faux roses or gerbera daisies for a bright floral touch. This will hide rough edges and give it new life, especially in the obligatory mirror shot!

Want easy spring waves fast? I'm in love with these natural-looking pre-curled extensions from Pinkage. A pretty bonnet or cluster of roses is just the thing for loose, polished hair. Don't worry about matching your color exactly - if they're a little darker or lighter, consider them highlights or low lights!

Decorate a spring hat or be on the look out for your favorite brand's hat releases. Not only are they perfect for the season, they'll product your face from the sun!

Update: Thank you for everyone who has inquired about my health! I have a long road ahead of me, but I am happily being discharged from the hospital today after a week (I miss my puffy puppy!). Please look forward to more updates and articles on Lolita Charm, and thank you again for your support and patience!

Labels: spring, style tips

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