Quarantine Coordinates

Ok, so I'm not actually in quarantine, but that title sounds better. I'm in self-isolation right now and it's been a pretty strange experience. Toronto is pretty much in shutdown mode right now for the forseeable future. It's been very surreal seeing so many closed storefronts, empty streets, and quiet highways. I enjoyed commuting on the the empty subway - up until I got laid off, anyway.

I don't really get too deep into my personal stuff on this blog (which is odd, since it's a lifestyle blog), but it reminds me a lot of the summer 2003 SARS outbreak - my dad was in the ICU at the time for unrelated reasons and I wasn't allowed to visit the hospital due to the infection risk, so I spent almost 2 weeks mostly alone in our family apartment. Even when I ventured outside, it was much quieter than normal. I remember being creeped out by the emptiness in certain places...but I had also been playing a lot of Silent Hill at the time, which didn't help!

Not a great game to play alone while your dad is in the hospital.

But, to keep it brief, I have an anxiety/panic disorder and a lot of my issues revolve around health. I also have some chronic health issues that make me frequently congested or short of breath...so to say I've been feeling anxious is the understatement of the century.

I was planning to either go back to school or enroll in a tech bootcamp next year so I'm really hoping that I won't have to dig too far into my savings. I'd set aside a bit of money because me and a big group of friends were also planning to meet up and rent a house together in April for Tekko (in Pittsburgh, PA) - there was going to be a Moitié fashion show and tea party. Obviously, we had to postpone our plans. Being upset about that seems really shallow compared to the other heavy stuff going on right now, but it's just one more disappointment.

Still, I'm an optimistic person, so I'm trying to find the positives in this situation. I've had time to relax at home and do a few things I've been meaning to do, like clean out my closet and practice coding. I have a lot of games and books that I've never had a chance to finish, too. I can also film and edit videos. I've been video chatting with friends all over the world. I'm also extremely solitary, so I like spending time alone and unbothered. And...I can wear lolita whenever I want while I'm at home! I wear very toned-down and casual lolita to work sometimes, which means some of my fancier dresses and blouses don't see much use.

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Day 1: I almost never feel inclined to wear this dress, which I talked about in this blog post. I'm trying to use some of my lesser-worn pieces more often so that I can feel a bit more justified about purchasing them...I'll probably end up selling this dress, though. Anyway, I didn't do much that day aside from household chores and cooking, so I didn't bother with doing my hair or makeup.

I love layering blouses under short-sleeved OPs. OPs can feel a little bit stylistically limited, so adding a blouse underneath can help to spice them up a little bit. I distinctly remember when people used to go on and on about how wearing a blouse under an OP, or an OP under a JSK was automatically ita, but I prefer the layered look. Besides, it's still too cold out to wear a chiffon OP on its own.

OP:  Moi-même-Moitié

Blouse: Dark Box

OTKs: Moi-même-Moitié

Headbow: Moi-même-Moitié

Purse: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Offbrand

Accessories: Néant Glass, Restyle, Moi-même-Moitié

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Day 2:  I filmed a video earlier in the day, so I actually put on makeup and attempted to do my hair. In the evening one of my comm members was kind enough to organize an online Kamikaze Girls watch party and tea party! Of course, by the time evening rolled around, I'd switched to a cozy cutsew so that I could get comfy with my tea and snacks. I love to wear a cutsew and skirt when I'm just hanging out at home. It just makes me feel a little cuter and more put-together.

This skirt is my first piece from Enchantlic Enchantilly. I've admired their pieces for a long time, but I'd never bought anything for myself up until recently. I really like the fairytale inspiration they use in their prints - even their gothic prints are still dreamy and cute. I'm extremely pleased with the quality of this skirt. It's fully shirred and soft, so it's perfect for lounging around in.

Skirt: Enchantlic Enchantilly

Blouse: Sentaro

Corset Vest: Sheglit

OTKs: Enchantlic Enchantilly

Headdress: Antique Beast

Purse: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Yosuke

Accessories: Necrosarium, Luna Borgia

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Day 3: I actually didn't feel like wearing lolita on the actual Day 3, so this is technically Day 4. Anyway, me and my Tekko trip friends had a virtual Moitié meetup on video chat! I tried to recreate a hilarious classic Mana photo. Maybe wanting to look like a clone of someone else is derivative and boring, but I love cloning/twinning because it makes me feel like I'm in a cult or something. We used to joke that we were dressed to worship at the Church of Mana, and the name stuck around. We're only half-kidding at this point.

I'm really loving these Prisila clip-on ponytails. They're very voluminous, so they actually completely hide my hair underneath, unlike most clip-ons. Most importantly, they're not at all heavy! I have a pretty tender scalp so any weight or tension from wigs or extensions is migraine city for me, but I can wear these comfortably all day. I have no idea how I survived wearing box braids.

Same cryptid energy.

JSK: Moi-même-Moitié

Blouse: Atelier Pierrot

OTKs: Moi-même-Moitié

Headdress: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Metamorphose Temps de Fille

Accessories: Moi-même-Moitié, Atelier Pierrot

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Day 4: Today I filmed a video about goth music, so I went for a comfortable layered look in mostly black.  I like wearing contrasting socks in my all-black coordinates, even if the colours aren't balanced out elsewhere. I had a virtual tea party with a small group of friends in the evening, but again I wanted to be comfy so I ditched the blouse and lounged around in the OP. This is probably the most comfortable OP I own! It feels like a fancy nightgown.

OP: Moi-même-Moitié

Blouse: Angelic Pretty

OTKs: Atelier 17

Headdress: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Offbrand

Accessories: Néant Glass, Antique Beast, offbrand

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Day 5:  I've always liked the combination of a white JSK with black blouse and socks - it's so striking! For some reason, a black JSK with white blouse and socks just isn't as visually punchy. And I will defend wearing white shoes with black socks until the day I die.

I bought this JSK from a friend a few weeks ago, but hadn't worn it until now. She removed the plastic boning and replaced it with steel boning, so it fits very snugly, but I don't think it suits my body shape. She's much taller than me, whereas I'm pretty short with a short torso. I have to hike it up a bit for it to sit in the right spot on my waist, but then the shape just isn't quiiiiite right...still, I like the print a lot, so I'll keep the dress. I might have to try coordinating it with a jacket or something on top.

JSK: Moi-même-Moitié

Blouse: Moi-même-Moitié

OTKs: Moi-même-Moitié

Headdress: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Metamorphose Temps de Fille

Accessories: Offbrand

And that's it for my first round of quarantine coords! Stay safe and healthy out there, everyone. Check on your friends and loved ones and do your best to help the people around you while minimizing contact - we're all stuck here together, after all!

[Current Music: No Problem - Talking to Myself]

A Dream Dress That Doesn't Exist

Do you have a dream dress that doesn't exist?

Allow me to explain...

Moi-même-Moitié's Sleeping Garden OP in Black x Blue

Moi-même-Moitié's Sleeping Garden OP is one of the first dresses I ever bought, and I definitely considered it a dream dress at the time. Now that I've had it for a few years, I don't find myself reaching for it very often. It's pretty telling that I've had this dress for maybe 5 or 6 years and yet I hardly have any photos of myself wearing it. I still think it's objectively very beautiful - the print is detailed and pretty, and it has lovely arch-shaped lace trim along the hem and neckline. I love seeing other people wear it. For some reason it just doesn't spark much joy for me anymore...but I just can't bring myself to part with it, either. Perhaps it's the terrible exchange rate?

Now that I own more dresses and have a better idea of what I like and what flatters my body shape, I've come to the realization that this cut just doesn't look good on me at all. The gathered bodice makes my very-flat bust look puffy, and the sleeves don't suit my broad shoulders. I also prefer the classic intense Moitié blue to the softer, desaturated blue of Sleeping Garden. I guess I just like the idea of Sleeping Garden rather than the reality. But I really want to like it again.

So what would make me really want to wear it? If I were a master seamstress, I'd just modify it myself. But I'm not, so I have Photoshop instead.

One gripe I've already mentioned is the colour. The re-release features a much more intense blue and a more vibrant ombre effect than the new dress, but it isn't as bright as I'd like. I also think it's kind of funny that for the re-release they went for a purple-and-orange ombre of all colours...but not plain old red. I think this print would be so pretty in bordeaux...blood moon and all.

I would love to see this print on a long-sleeved dress with a slightly different bodice. Moitié uses this type of gathered bodice a lot, so it needs something to differentiate itself a little bit. I do like the lace trim that they used, but it's not very visually exciting. A strip of ladder lace with a ribbon in a contrasting colour, or a lacy ruffle like the one on the Neo Gothic Arch JSK would spruce it up a little bit. I would also sub out the waist ties for a pretty satin ribbon instead.

The Neo Gothic Arch JSK has such beautiful lace and tulle trim.

There are so many ways you could play with long sleeves, too. They'd look great in a more translucent chiffon to contrast with the rest of the dress. The dress is already very light and floaty, so translucent fabric would add to that delicate, airy look. I also love the look of puffy Michelin Man/sausage sleeves like on their Pleats OP - it looks definitely looks old-school so I think it would be really cool to mix that look with a very modern print. I have a few blouses that have ribbons along the shirring in the sleeves to either adjust the poof or just as pretty trim.

Moi-même-Moitié's Holy Cross Blouse is one of the prettiest blouses they've ever made!

Here I've (badly) cobbled together an illustration of one possible way I'd revamp the dress. This is Neo Sleeping Garden OP! I've changed the colour to bordeaux, added the bodice and sleeves from the Harpsichord Trio OP, changed the waist ribbon to black, and added some Holy Cross lace as trim on the sleeves and hemline. Isn't that pretty?

Neo Sleeping Garden in Bordeaux

Putting this together was a lot of fun! I would love to have my own lolita brand someday, but realistically it's never going to happen. I'm a novice at sewing and I don't know the first thing about dressmaking or patterning or...anything, so it would take me years to get to the point of being able to have my own atelier...but I can draw, so I'll just draw the dresses in my head instead!

So, how would you change a dress that you want to like, but don't? I'd love to hear about your dream dresses that don't exist!

[Current Music: Beck - Uneventful Days]