Gothic Lolita Soundtrack: Volume II

I decided to make this into a recurring topic since I can babble on and on about music for hours. Last time, you met Lacrimosa, Stillste Stunde, Cross Vein, GPKISM, The Birthday Massacre, Lacroix Despheres, Rose Noir, Kaya, and Elend.

As before, I’m going to avoid mentioning the most commonly suggested artists like Malice Mizer and Kanon Wakeshima – not because I don’t love them, but because everyone has heard of them already. Also, a lot of these artists are French – just a heads up!

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Rasputina

Rasputina is quirky and unique – definitely one of my favourite bands. The lyrics often have unusual or historical themes. Many lolitas enjoy their sound, since they even performed at Rufflecon!

Recommended Songs: Transylvanian Concubine, Stumpside, Girls’ School,  Antique High Heel Red Doll Shoes

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The Eden House

 Refreshingly modern gothic-rock/post punk band with a lovely female vocalist. Like a softer, dreamier Fields of the Nephilim.

Recommended Songs: Hunger, Trashed Treasure 

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Switchblade Symphony

While their sound is a bit dated now, Switchblade Symphony is a hallmark of 90s goth music. They bring together darkwave, ethereal wave, and trip-hop in a wonderfully creepy and dreamy mix. Their later albums are much more industrial/trip-hop influenced, but the first album is a cult classicthat  would definitely appeal to many gothic lolitas.

Recommended Songs: Bad Trash, Dollhouse, Wallflower, Clown

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Artésia

Artésia’s music is so relaxing. I like to go for long walks through the cemetery or woods while listening to them – it almost feels like walking through a movie scene (cliché, I know...). It’s instrumental dark, folky, ethereal music, sometimes with haunting female vocals. I would recommend Artésia to anyone who enjoys nature, faeries, or fantasy. You don’t need to understand French to enjoy their songs.

Recommended Songs:  Le Haut Bois, Lying on the Grey Foam, Eveil Et Deséspoir

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Emilie Autumn

Self-styled “Victoriandustrial” artist Emilie Autumn is adored by angsty teenage girls the world over for her asylum escapee persona and frilly costumes. Her music is an odd blend of industrial and neoclassical with dramatic fluttering vocals. She makes lots of references to Victorian-era literature and events, if you’re into that historical sort of flavour. Her discography up until Fight Like a Girl is pretty solid.Definitely a guilty pleasure. 

Recommended Songs: Castle Down, Misery Loves Company, Leech Jar, Rose Red

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Rule of Rose OST

Rule of Rose is a fairly disturbing survival horror game about creepy, psychotic little girls from an alternate world. Naturally, the music is melancholy, instrumental piano and violin music – not a cheerful soundtrack by any means. Sadly, most of the songs are pretty short.

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Cécile Corbel

Some more French music for you!I feel that Cécile Corbel’s music is appealing to all lolitas because her voice is so sweet and dreamy, but not overly saccharine and poppy. The string backing tracks are pleasant, too. 

 

Recommended Songs: Jardin Secret, Red Rose, Folia

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I hope you enjoy these recommendations! Until then, stay spooky and keep your eyes out for Round 3 of the series.

Review: MeLikesTea "Cotton Candy" Petticoat (PT06V)

Hello bats! Today I’m going to be reviewing the Me Likes Tea (MLT) Cotton Candy petticoat. I ordered the petticoat in black voile. It was part of a very large group order so it took several months to arrive, but I’m more than happy with Tai’s friendly service and patience!

I’ve never seen voile used to make petticoats before, so I was curious to try it out. Voile is a very soft, flowy, gauzy fabric similar to mosquito netting or chiffon, and it was used to make petticoats in the early 1900s. It has very little natural stiffness unlike tulle, so the volume of the petticoat comes from the layers of ruffles. Voile is usually cotton so it’s easy to clean, but this petti is made from polyester voile.

In my order I specified a waist of 60cm, a bit larger than my own waist because I can’t stop eating and there’s nothing worse than being strangled by your petticoat at a buffet. It is accurate and does fit a little loosely, as expected. The waist is elasticated with a drawstring, so it’s very comfortable and adjustable. The elastic does tend to slip down a bit when wearing a silky blouse. The petti is also 45 cm long with 5 layers of ruffled voile and a polyester lining, as advertised. It looks exactly like the stock photo, so I’m very pleased!

Now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for: poof pictures! I’m going to be comparing the MLT petticoat to the pettis I already have. Honestly, it’s not going to be much of a competition since the other contenders are pretty shite.

First up we have my flat, deflated Bunny House Medium petticoat, henceforth referred to as BH. This petti lasted all of 3 months before it completely collapsed – even starching can’t stiffen it. It works fine for lightweight chiffon dresses, or for casual outfits. Anything heavier than chiffon and it just looks like I'm not wearing a petti at all.

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Next we have the CP A-line petti. As you may already know, CP’s reputation is circling the drain with regards to quality control. My petti lasted about 5 wears before the top layer of ruffles literally tore in half. However, it’s still pretty poofy and stiff despite repeated wears. 

Lastly, I’ll be comparing it against the poofy, sweaty abomination that I’ve lovingly dubbed THE UBERPOOFER: layering the deflated BH bell on top with the CP A-line underneath.

I’m also going to include a photo of all 3 pettis stacked up, just because.

A CHALLENGER APPROACHES: Petticoat Army vs. Moi-même-Moitié Velveteen Scalloped Lace JSK

 

Click to enlarge!

This dress is an A-line cut, but I just wanted to see if the pettis were able to stand up to the weight of my heaviest dress.  As you can see, the poof of MLT petti is pretty much equal to THE UBERPOOFER which is quite impressive. It maintains a nice bell shape even under heavy velveteen. Under lightweight dresses, it creates a very exaggerated bell shape which would look wonderful in sweet coordinates. 

It also works well for layering if for some reason you want to wear multiple petticoats. I like the triple stack...it looks like I ate a sweet lolita and absorbed her powers.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this petticoat. The quality of materials, construction, and performance are top notch for the price paid (130 Brazilian reals)  and I would definitely recommend MLT to anyone looking for a new petti – just keep in mind that Tai is very backed up with orders so you might have to wait.

Shopping Experience: 5/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Score: 5/5