Lolita Charm

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Marie Outfit Post!

I went to the NYC Disney Tangled meetup this Saturday! The theme was to come in a Disney-inspired lolita coordinate, so I decided to go as Marie, the white kitten from the Aristocats :)

Mostly because I had the pochette and some cute white ears from Halloween...

Marie time!

I snagged a mirror shot at the new Times Square Disney store! This is in their Disney Princess section, which looks like Cinderella's Castle. I'm so pleased this picture came out, I was sure it wouldn't! I'm never good with mirror shots -_-;;

What I wore...

Jumperskirt: Angelic Pretty's blue Princess in Love JSK - I couldn't wait to wear my new dress! I had to have the zipper replaced. I am so tired of brands using invisible zippers that get stuck between the skirt and bodice, where there's a lot of fullness.
Strawberry Milk Doc Martens - sooo comfortable! I knew we'd be doing a lot of walking, and I think they add a unique pop to this otherwise princess-y outfit.
Marie Disney Pochette: Chinatown
Split Pink and Blonde Wig: MintyMix! See the review here.
Blouse: Angelic Pretty
Capelet: Innocent World
Bow: Angelic Pretty
Pink balloon purse: Fireworks
Fluffy heart clip: Chocomint

A few people asked about the Innocent World cape & coat set I purchased! They are lovely warm and soft. I saw that a few coats had cashmere this winter and I chose the Innocent World set purposely for its 40% cashmere. The cape I especially love, but the coat is a little classic for my wardrobe... I might end up selling it, though I don't think I'd be able to get a different one in time. If you have a very otome, classic, or Milk-type wardrobe, this would be a great coat for you. It's beautifully elegant with cute heart buttons, but still suitable if you want something to wear over your work clothes or daily clothing.

I hope all of you in America had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I had the drama of rescuing my pink glittery tweed Baby skirt (and blouse, and petticoat...) from an attack of a completely full glass of red wine! BUT I'm actually salvaging the skirt as we speak (the blouse, thankfully, is ok now)! More as this develops!

Labels: meetup, outfit post

Friday, April 30, 2010

Lolita Meetup Debriefing: For Your +1

So you've decided to attend a lolita meetup. Doesn't seem unusual, does it? You may have been to plenty and even hosted a few. But you've decided to throw in a monkey-wrench - bringing your boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, or newly interested pal. How do you prep them for meeting a big gang of lolitas for the first time? Just make sure to cover these topics:

+1, Please. Make sure to talk to your meetup coordinator/host before you bring your +1. Showing up with an unmentioned extra is rude, especially if there are reservations involved. And for the love of God, don't bring a crowd - especially an unannounced crowd. The meetup coordinator needs to know the final head count for things like reservations, group prices, pre-bought tickets, and just to make sure how many people are there. Usually one friend is enough to accompany you. If you really must, I would say two is the maximum - and again, be clear on that to the hostess.

What to wear? Is your friend going to need to be dressed up, down, or just smart casual? If you're introducing a new friend to the lolita scene, you might want to provide her with something to wear while she gets a feel for the fashion and as of yet has no wardrobe. If you're bringing your boyfriend/girlfriend and they're not looking to dress up, make sure they are smartly turned out - button-down shirts, slacks, and nice shoes for men; baby-shower worthy attire for females (simple dresses and skirts, nice slacks, etc). If you think you'll be dressing your signifigant other in future, ask other guests where they got their things or what they'd recommend. That way, you have a jumping off point for next time.

Hopefully I don't have to mention this but: hygiene. This is a nice event and many of these little ladies spent several hours getting ready. For guys, this means washed hair and shaved neckbeard. For girls, this means something more than an unstyled ponytail. And of course both genders should be using deodorant, etc.

What to say? Give your signifigant other a basic rundown of things that should/shouldn't be said to the other lolitas. Nice costume, however well-meant by your friend, won't go over well. If you haven't talked about lolita culture and etiquette with your friend, do it before you go! Don't find out the hard way that your boyfriend thinks Chii is a great example of a lolita. If you don't have a gang of local lolitas that your friend is already used to, try a smaller meetup or just having a lolita friend or two round to 'socialize' your friend with. They'll be quick to correct him on the typical mistakes of interacting with lolitas, like the costume comment, and he can ask questions and learn in a low-pressure environment. If your friend is already comfortable around other lolitas, just make sure to give him the rundown of people you know and what to expect.

Two is company... It's easy to pair off with your friend and go into your own relationship. Remember that you are at the meet to socialize, mingle, and meet other people - so don't limit yourself to each other. But also make sure not to drop your friend like a hot potato as soon as some frills prance into sight. It has to be an equal partnership between the two of you. Encourage your friend to stay close, but also mingle and chat with the other lolitas. If your +1 is polite, social, and interested, they will be happily invited back.

For the Lovebirds: If you're bringing your boyfriend/girlfriend with whom you are romantically involved, limit PDA to anything you wouldn't do in front of your grandma. Nobody wants to see you sloppily make out while everyone else is having tea. Acceptable are: kisses on the cheek, holding hands, hugs. Anything past that shouldn't be done at a public event, especially one where you may not know many or any people, and some may be signifigantly younger. Keep it PG please - if it wouldn't be suitable in a Disney movie, it's not suitable for a meetup.

Don't forget other meetup etiquette. Make sure to be on time as possible (I say as possible because time is a funny thing and I myself tend to be perpetually 10 minutes late;), and call your meetup host if you're going to be much later or are not showing all together. Don't skip out on the bill, behave well, and mingle - etc.

If you follow this checklist, you're sure to have another great meetup - this time, with your signifigant other by your side. Who knows? You may have even made a new initiate!

image by Welles Photo of Flickr.

Labels: boys, etiquette, meetup

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Ballet Fairytales in Central Park!

Last Sunday, the lovely lavender Crystal of Pretty Wonderland hosted the fourth annual storybook photoshoot meetup in New York City's own Central Park. This year's theme was ballet stories like Sleeping Beauty, Midsummer Night's Dream, The Nutcracker, and my favorite - Coppelia.

I read Coppelia growing up - it's one of my favorite Russian fairytales, even if it's a little bittersweet. So that's the character I chose to portray at the shoot. To sum, Coppelia is a lifelike doll who comes to life and dances - or so it seems! (Read the full story of Coppelia here!) Because of her marionette flavor, I chose to wear my Starry Night Theatre.

Skirt: Angelic Pretty

Blouse: Angelic Pretty

Bodice: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Socks: Angelic Pretty

Bonnet: Alice & The Pirates

Shoes: Montreal

This photo also shows my hair after having pincurled it! I'll be doing a tutorial soon on how to wake up with no-heat curls every morning - a real life-saver for time crunches or daily-curled hair.

For fun I made a 'music box' themed photomanipulation ♥ The background is an older creation by Angelic Pretty (I think?) that I had floating around on my hard drive, so it seemd to be just the right thing to use. My favorite part is the music notes in their signature style :)

It was so great meeting everyone who came and dressing all up to theme! I can't wait to meet up with the great lolitas of New York City again! And of course, thank you Crystal for organizing a beautiful lolita meetup :)

photography credits to Bob Nittoli Photography

Labels: meetup, outfit post

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Fuji TV Meets NYC

Today was a big day for me - meeting some of the wonderful New York City lolitas, some for the first time! The nature of our meet? Fuji TV, a Japanese television network, had discovered our presence and wanted to see some American frill in action! We spent a lovely day at Bryant Park, eating crepes and (in my case) attempting to ice skate.

If you're looking for something to do in the city, that is the place to go. Now that Christmas season has started, they've erected a miniature town of greenhouses full of cute things. My favorite shops are Stone Flower, very sweet and bordering on himegyaru; and Miss Hoe's, which has more classic and punky items like unicorn rocking horse necklaces and lacy mori-girl dresses. You can also ice-skate at the Pond. Bring your own skates and a combination lock (to use a locker) and your visit can be free! You can also rent skates and duffel bags for keeping your things, if you like.

It was amazing for me, being from Small-Town, CT, to see so many people interested in the fashion - my favorite being flamboyant older ladies and adorable little girls who say they want to play dress-up too :) We were also attacked by a gang of photography students from FIT - the professor's running commentary was hilarious: 'See, see, this like Bambi outfit, very 1990s, Hello Kitty, pink hair, note the feet, very important part of her character, accessories, look at the bow in her hair!' Plus a plethora of small dogs, typically in jackets! And I got to meet all of these lovely ladies, who were some of the sweetest girls I have had the pleasure of poofin' out with.

My outfit theme ended up being bunnies to match the Cherry Berry bunnies in the dress - with my SWIMMER bunny scarf, BABY bunny hoodie, My Melody Pochette, and giant bunny-ear buns. Here's a shot of my hair & makeup:

Here's the full outfit, taken inside Miss Hoe's shop :)

When the television segment airs, I'll make sure it gets it own spotlight on Lolita Charm!

Labels: meetup

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Beach in Winter

a picture of myself with Arianna of Baking Life Sweeter!

On Monday, the Connecticut Lolitas spent a little Valentine's time together! We began with photos as the beach, and then progressed to sharing delicious Indian desserts like rose-flavored ice cream and a special rice pudding called kheer. Then we rounded off the evening with Apples to Apples, a silly card game made sillier by Lolita players!

Unfortunately, there are no photos of my full outfit without my coat on, because the beach was very cold as the sun went down! We stayed until it was nearly dark, and used the floodlights of cars when the light went!

A headshot taken later that evening as we relaxed around the dining table and heart-shaped vegan cheesecakes and a box of Valentine's chocolates! My favorites, molasses and fruit chews!

What did you do to celebrate Valentine's Day?