Lolita Charm

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

Thursday, February 24, 2011

MIG: New World of the Girls

I ran across this Japanese webzine recently and had to share! (Hopefully I'm not just a dork behind on the times, but...) MIG, short an acronym for Made in Girl, is a Japanese fashion zine created, as their slogan says, by girls, for girls! In fact their slogan is 'New World of the Girls, Created By the Girls, For the Girls'. How powerful is that?! The feminine street fashions of Japan really do seem to be women taking back fashion from the realm of 'what will men think is hot?' to, 'what do I think is cute?' Fashion as self-expression and a personal aesthetic instead of just 'fitting in', fashion as an individual journal entry and not as a showpiece for the rest of the world. I'm in love with that concept. This fashion zine, as well as being online, can also be found for free in random places around Tokyo, according to rumor. It's a grand composite of all your favorite Japanese girl street fashions, from Angelic Pretty and the classiest cake hats around to dolly-kei's Grimoire and the ever-popular fairy-kei mecca SPANK!

A model for syrup

While issue #1 is mostly photographs detailing various girly street styles, very much giving a feel of 'street style girls are REAL girls too', in issue #2 they have a feature called 'GIRLS' STORY' - photography and brief articles on unique street style girls. From interviews with Angelic Pretty's Maki and Asuka, they also have articles on the La Pafait girls (himegyaru), various female artists and designers, and even just simple street fashion loving girls. It is so wonderful to see girls celebrating the work of those like-minded, showing that while they may be different, they are really all part of the same movement. I love seeing some of the freedom expressed in Japan's recent interpretation of street styles. I am a lolita, mostly a sweet lolita, through and through; but I am so fascinated watching the girls I see in street snaps work within the broad spectrum of feminine street style rather than just in their niche: mori girl with classic lolita, sweet lolitas adopting natural-kei, fairy-lolitas, and the oodles of himegyaru inspecting Angelic Pretty boutiques for accessories. In the west, it seems we are still standing on the shores of street fashion, bedecked in the trappings of lolita but unwilling to wade in. Forget about the words 'that's not lolita'; replace them with the Blythe doll-like motto, 'feels like so'. Don't worry about being perfect or following a blueprint. Follow your own sense of style and beauty, and mix the colors in your paintbox until you find the perfect shade of fashion. Live in the new world of girls.

MIG official webpage (Japanese)

MIG Webshop

xoxo,

Labels: feminism, inspirational, photopost

Friday, February 11, 2011

Milk Tea Pink

Today I got up super early and had my hair done a new color! I haven't been satisfied with my pink for a while (upkeep, damage, dye brand, you name it) and I wanted a softer look than the bright fluorescence I usually got from the bottle. I'd been playing with the idea of softer blonds and browns, with pink highlights. This was my 'idea collage' of different hair colors and highlight placement...

My natural color is a dark ash blonde, a very cool/neutral tone, so I thought something similar would keep me from visiting (or worse yet, not visiting) the hair salon every month. But unnatural hair dye is a 'stain', only bleach will really take it out. Rather than subject my hair to more damage, my hairdresser decided to simply go over it with highlights and covering my regrowth. The ash blonde over the pink was very unique. The results!

Hairbow: The Stone Flower (NYC)

Somehow I got the best of both worlds - the undertone of rose and silver shimmer of the pink hair, with the cooler, softer matte tones of the ash blonde. In direct light, it looks very pale pink. In the shade, it appears to be a very soft fawn color. I think it goes much better with classic or natural-kei styles while still retaining a sweet, pop-kei image - plus I'm not 'matching' clothes to my bright pink hair anymore! I'm also really excited to wear it with 'Bambi' fur items, I think the effect will be very sweet! It's odd, the color actually reminds me of this magazine scan...

Afterwards, a few friends and I went out to lunch to celebrate. Point? Check out this bread pudding dessert! The ice cream and raspberry cream sauce look just like a sweets deco!

I hope you have a great Valentine's Day weekend! I'll be MIA until Monday, when I have a little Valentine's Day update!

Until then!

xoxo,

Labels: photopost

Friday, February 4, 2011

Strawberry Pop & Shiroi Stars

Still snowed in here in the tristate area... So naturally I used my time to get dressed up & consume more Alice Deco than is reasonably healthy. The results...

Wednesday: Strawberry Pop!

I wanted an outfit that was a strawberry theme (I am fascinated with strawberries lately) but with a lot of poppish Alice Deco feel. Cleaning out my closet I found this skirt I made a long time ago - and decided it would make an adorable over layer to pop up an outfit, and give it a more maidenish apron style. A few outlandish accessories later...

(I replaced the background so you wouldn't have to see the siding of my house...in the snow was the only place with any light!)

Outfit Rundown:

Hat: 6% Doki Doki

Mokomoko bow: Chocomint

Strawberries: Craft store (thinking about dipping them in German glass glitter for a sugared look?)

Tiny bows: Chocomint

Cutsew: Baby's Longest Name Cutsew

Bustier: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Overskirt: Handmade by me

Underskirt: Metamorphose

Socks: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Boots: Grace Gift

Wig: MintyMix, no falls

We just had our bathroom redone... and completely changed the lights from the ancient, awful yellow ones to clear, white swirly bulbs. The lighting change is AMAZING. I took these photos in my bathroom. Between the blank grey wall and the light, it looks like I used someone's studio! Needless to say: more makeup shots ahead. Maybe even tutorials?

I discovered that you can use BB cream to camouflage lip color! That saves me a chunk of change instead of buying lip concealer. With a sheer gloss on top you really get that frosted, sugary look. I wanted to keep this look light but really color-saturated, so I blended my blush across my nose and tip of chin a little as well for a flushed spring look. No falsies, no eyeliner, and no circle lenses - just mascara. The attention should be on the cheeks and skin tone. I even highlighted my nose with a touch of vanilla eyeshadow. I considered putting in fake freckles and then decide that was a little too far ;)

Friday: Shiroi Stars

I've been wanting to experiment with two concepts: 'old school' and shiro-lolita. My only white dress is my starry MILK dress, so I decided to give it a go... the result was very much a marriage of Alice Deco modern and old-school traditional. I was planning on wearing this to U-Con, but unfortunately Misu got sick and blew my night :( I decided since I was still dressed up I might as well take some photos...

I wanted to wear this white bonnet I unearthed in my closet, and it all went from there. I bought this ages ago, maybe in 2007? - and I never wore it. The sounds like a crime, paying money for something and then not using it. It's handmade (not by me, I bought it from another lolita) and covered in a variety of gorgeous laces, with lacy bows and clear crystal hearts. I always thought it was too floppy, but it looks much better now for some reason... Then I added the white wrist cuffs to give it a more old-school feel, a very opulent and rich look with cluny lace. I wanted it to have a very dolly feel, with a neutral hair color, so I added the 'extensions' to the wig. If you clip the ponytails underneath the layer of hair, clips facing in, you essentially double the length and volume of the wig. Rather than socks, the tights winterize the outfit and create an overall look of clean white.

The silver shoes pick up the silver trim in the dress's waist :) I know many people dislike shiro with anything but white shoes, but I thought the metallic was a good neutral.

The makeup was about my lower lashes - I'm wearing falsies on the bottom, but not on top, again trying for a super innocent style. I'm still working on how I want to apply makeup to my lower lashline without looking raccoon-ish...

I'm really pleased with how it came out, since it's very different than my usual style!

Outfit Rundown:

Bonnet: handmade

Bow clip: Innocent World

Blouse: Angelic Pretty

Dress: MILK

Wrist-cuffs: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Shoes: Grace Gift

Stockings: Offbrand, probably Marshall's - they are warmmmm

Wig: Cosplay Wigs USA

xoxo,

Labels: outfit post, photopost

Thursday, January 20, 2011

She's a ManiaQ

When the post man came I dropped everything and got all dolled up! I was so excited to receive my two new packages: my ManiaQ hoodie & my MintyMix fade wig! I honestly haven't been this excited to dress up in a while!

This wig is honestly the silkiest wig I have ever worn. I feel like a scalped a My Little Pony

(good thing? In this case, yes!) The blended fade is beautiful, and this wig is really easy to wear. Unlike a lot of other lolita wigs, which are super heavy, this wig is fairly light-weight. While it doesn't have a lot of volume, the quality and despite the colors, believability is very high. In some of these photos it looks more like I left the hair salon than got a new wig!

I decided to go lighter on the eyes and play up the lips and cheek color... It makes it look very fresh-faced I think. (...and I need new eyeliner...)

On the hood is a big pink bow! And there are bows on the working pockets. Lolita + pockets = yes please!

New earrings I got in Soho last weekend! They look so Jem!

What I wore:

Wig: MintyMix
Hoodie: ManiaQ (if you love popkei or fairy-lolita and don't know ManiaQ, you haven't lived yet.)
Cutsew: Angelic Pretty
Necklace: Rement/Little Twin Stars/modified by me
Boots: Grace Gift
Socks: Angelic Pretty
Skirt: Angelic Pretty
Headband: Claire's
Blue Furry Star Bow: Kawaiigoods.com!
Star clip: Chocomint
Earrings: SoGood

omake: got a little stamp-happy with my new sparkles brush!

with glitter-sticky kisses,

Labels: outfit post, photopost

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Package from Fairy-Angel!

In my recent post, 5 Style-Icon-Worthy Places You're Not Shopping, I mentioned finding unique items secondhand. And... I might have said I found Fairy-Angel a little overpriced. But then I fell in love with this dress and ordered from them anyway. I plead the fifth.

This is my first-ever dress from MILK! I love MILK's cute, retro style, and it seems super wearable either as lolita or as a more casual otome style. It's made of a soft satin and printed with this beautiful print - black stars, subtle grey stars, a nautical rope, silver piping, and their 'initials' MK. It reminds me of constellations and the zodiac, but with a cute spin. In case it's not obvious, I'm completely in love.

Even better, they sent me a free Baby the Stars Shine Bright calendar as a gift! (I felt a little dumb when I realized they sent me a 2009 calendar... is that kind of lame?)

It's so cute though that I don't mind, I'll just decorate with them! Actually 2009 prints make me super nostalgic, since it's the year I 'debuted' onto the lolita scene you could say, I started going to meets and avidly building my wardrobe! I remember a local friend who wore the Longest Name JSK (where these puppies are from - its real name is the 'Most Adorable Dog in the World with the Most Delicious Desserts in the World' or something like that), and I even had the cutsew!

So I have fond memories of this print, and the Alice Fairgrounds print as well (shown in black). Having them as artwork makes up for not having the Alice print any more... it's super cute but doesn't fit my style now :(

For those of you interested in ordering from Fairy-Angel, here's the skinny: they have changed their shopping method! Previously you emailed them what you wanted, much like older Closet Child, and they eventually confirmed you, etc. Now however:

1. There are TWO websites: Fairy-angel.com, and Fairy-angel.net. If you are not located in Japan, you want Fairy-angel.net. This is their 'Worldwide' website, aka the one that ships internationally. This website has almost all the same products as the Japanese one, except for this one 4-pack I wanted and is not on the international one; I'm not sure if it's a glitch or what. Also, you must be a member to see prices on Fairy-angel.net. I found this inconvenient, but it's because they want you to...

2. Sign up for an account. You'll need to sign up for an account; the usual information. They DO TAKE PAYPAL; the site will redirect you to Paypal when it's time to pay (if you choose that option; there's also a credit card option). After signing up for an account, you ca add items to the cart just like a regular shopping website.

3. Points system! Just for signing up, I got 500 points. I decided to use mine and see what would happen - it took 500 yen off of my final price, or about $4. Not a huge amount, but if you save yours, you could end up with a decent discount. Or just use yours to save a bit on shipping, which is the typical steep 3,000 yen. But on the bright side, EMS shipping is fast & reliable and you'll receive your items in no time!

I hope you have a great time shopping with Fairy-Angel! They have everything from Angelic Pretty to MILK, Shirley Temple and Jesus Diamante. I can't wait to coordinate my new MILK dress! I'll be sure to post outfit photos soon!

xoxo,

Labels: guide, photopost, shopping

Sunday, December 26, 2010

All Dolled Up

I got the Christmas present I was really hoping for this year - my first doll! I was so happy to see her lace-patterned box... yes, she's Angelic Pretty's first Byul! I haven't a doll since I was little, but I used to get one every Christmas... so it doesn't feel like Christmas without dolls! It made me really nostalgic...

She's wearing a very tiny model of a pink Toy Parade OP, with matching bag and hairbow. Her socks, shoes, bloomers and pannier are all Angelic Pretty, and the inside of her dress even has an Angelic Pretty tag sewn in! She's fully articulated with ball joints, and blue eyes that look from side to side. I have these delusions of twinning with her - the lilac sausage curls would be easy to find as a wig, but Toy Parade is a fairly rare print - too expensive for me!

As soon as I got her out of the box (no mean feat... I hate packaging so difficult it seems like it's teasing you!) I was already thinking about making her a one-room dollhouse for photographs. My mom rummaged around in the attic and brought down my old Barbie dollhouse.... a perfect match! It's a super pink, collapsible house with a fold-up canopy bed, pink sofa, bath, vanity, and striped wallpaper. She's right at home! I'm so lucky I still had it. I used some scrapbook paper for a pink toile floor. And because the house unfolds (it's meant to be carry-along) I can move the walls to get different angles and the right shots. I may re-purpose it a little, as I don't think I'll ever need the bath tub... but as I've also pre-ordered Angelic Pretty's second Byul model, I might turn the tub into a loft bed so the house sleeps two! For the curious, here's the promo photos of Byul Sucre:

Besides having pink and blue split hair, she's also wearing a lilac colorway of Sugary Carnival, complete with pony bag. Together they'll be identical twins. But don't expect to see her on Lolita Charm until her release date, March 2011!

Delving further into my old Barbie accessories, I found her a plethora of toys to play with! A few mint hairclips (just her size), a little white dog, and a low table for breakfast or crafting.

Here she is working on a sewing project with her mint sewing machine. It winds up and 'sews'! I think it was a vintage wind-up from the 50s or 60s, something my mother played with as a little girl.

She also has a Re-ment tea set!

I had a ton of fun taking the photos - setting up scenes, messing with the lighting and macro functions. She's the perfect model, she never moves! ;) I love that she has her own little lolita world, where all she has to do is sip tea and play with her sewing machine or little dog. The other reason I love her is for posterity. I'll always have the photos of lolita fashion - both the magazines or ads and my own photos in lolita - but it's not the same as the real thing. She's a timeless, ageless model of a perfect lolita (and of Angelic Pretty's lolita vision, with her stylized eyes and colored ringlets). Someday I can show her to my children and grandchildren as an example of the girls we used to emulate, the style we followed. So in that way, she's something I'll always treasure ♥

I only have one problem - I'm not sure what to name her! She comes with the name 'Cocotte', but I don't really like it. Do you have any suggestions?

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! It's snowing, I'm still working my way through a package of Belgian chocolate cookies (blush)... so we had a wonderful holiday here!

All of these photos were taken by me and are property of Lolita Charm. If you want to post them elsewhere, please include a link back. Thanks!

Labels: photopost

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Lolita Charm

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Welcome to the Tiny World of Sky/Violet

Thursday, February 24, 2011

MIG: New World of the Girls

Friday, February 11, 2011

Milk Tea Pink

Friday, February 4, 2011

Strawberry Pop & Shiroi Stars

Thursday, January 20, 2011

She's a ManiaQ

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Package from Fairy-Angel!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

All Dolled Up

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