2021 Anti-Haul: What I Didn't Buy

I love anti-hauls, so I decided to do one of my own! Lolita is a hobby that revolves around conspicuous consumerism and brand loyalty as a form of self-expression, so it's only natural that FOMO and overspending are common problems for a lot of us. On the whole lolita is still a slow fashion that promotes using durable materials, buying secondhand, crafting and DIY, and so on...but that can't last forever. it's starting to adopt more and more practices from fast fashion. Microtrends, super limited releases, buying cheap throwaway items, hyper-specific items or themes that can't be reused easily... I think the rise of tiny fly-by-night brands and social media is helping to contribute to this, and I don't like it at all.

I'm certainly not immune to this myself. I didn't need to buy all 3 colourways of Iron Gate, but I did because I was worried I'd never get the opportunity again. I had the money set aside for it so it wasn't a financial hardship, but then what happens when the next coveted, limited release comes out in a few weeks? Will I get FOMO and buy that too? And then the next? Keeping up with new releases is like jumping on a treadmill that you can't get off.  I'm not frugal, but I'm not a spendthrift either. My income is pretty modest and I have a few big expenses like tuition and licensing fees, so I can't go too crazy...but it's very tempting, and that's the problem. How many people do you see "joking" about shopping addictions and eating ramen so that they can afford the latest release? Yeah. 

 

Oh, and I've since sold one of the Iron Gate OPs, so there you go.

 

One tip that helps me is putting an item in my cart and waiting for a week to see if I'm still in love. Of course this is hard because it can be a total crapshoot trying to find an item after it's already sold out. But a lot of the time, I realize that I liked the piece, but it wasn't necessarily a must-have...or that I was more interested in getting a good deal than I was in the piece itself.  Hell, I even took a few items out of this list as I was writing the post, because I'd already lost interest in them. It's a very useful exercise. I actually haven't purchased anything new in months.

 

Instead, I've been trying to focus more on playing around with items I already own and clearing my closet of things I haven't worn. Simply liking a piece isn't a good enough reason to keep it, in my opinion. So, onto the list of pieces that didn't make the cut for me this year!

Royal Princess Alice Butterfly Church JSK

 

 

I was obsessed with this dress when I saw it on RPA's Twitter a while back and basically checked every single day until they announced the release date. I love butterflies but there are so few gothic prints that feature them, so I get really excited when I can find butterfly-print anything. But I'm not sold on the white lace trim. It's weirdly distracting, especially on on the bodice. And it doesn't make sense to pay full retail price for something I'm not totally in love with, right?  Especially because RPA's quality is questionable at best.

Physical Drop Rose Romantica OP

 

I've been wanting a frilly, solid red main piece for a while now, and I (foolishly) passed on the red Nonette JSK that came out a few months ago. This one looks gorgeous and comfortable, and I've also wanted to try Physical Drop out...but I already know that this cut is going to look awful on me. Pass.

Sheglit Sleeping Forest Tulle Skirt

 

 

Sheglit has really been coming for my wallet over these past few months, especially with their purple releases. I've had to skip on so many gorgeous releases; Holy OP, Edelweiss OP...honestly, the only reason I didn't buy it at the time is that I had already reached my spending quota for the month, but in retrospect I'm glad -  I don't have enough purple accessories to match with it right now anyway. 

 

 

Sheglit Adelheid Cape JSK

 

 

I just desperately want to look like a vampire governess, and now that Atelier Boz is gone (RIP) Sheglit is the only brand that can really scratch that itch for me. However, I'm also aware that I'm short with linebacker shoulders so this would look ridiculous on me.

Sheglit Beatrice Blouse

 

 I really, really hate that dark purple has become a microtrend among Japanese gothic lolitas. Not because I hate purple (on the contrary, dark purple is my favourite colour) but because it is incredibly hard for me to resist the urge to add a new colour to my wardrobe. I think  I'll settle by buying purple blouses and accessories to wear with black solid main pieces. That being said, I need to pass on this one because it's a bit pricey for such a simple piece. Colour alone isn't a good reason to buy something.

 

 

Moi-même-Moitié M+Cross Rose Forest OP

 

Yet another dress where the cut just isn't going to work for me. I had the original Rose Forest Lace OP and it was so unflattering on me that I immediately sold it. I'm a little bit bummed because I really like simple nonprint OPs like this, and I adore the fabric. I hope they continue to use this lace in the future! It's beautiful and has such a nice texture.

Atelier Pierrot Noble Over Dress

Okay, this one hurts me because I actually 100% love the piece and don't have any nitpicks about the design or concerns about the fit. I just straight up don't need any more velveteen in my closet. It's beautiful, but it's hard to care for and can only be worn a few months out of the year...it's easily damaged, too. The idea of cleaning red velveteen is just...bleh.

So, that finishes up this year's round-up of things I didn't buy! I definitely want to do this again next year, so I'll try to keep careful track of all the releases I skipped on. It's kind of fun to go back and see what I still like and what I'm glad I passed on.

 

Thank you for reading!

 

[Current Music: PJ Harvey - A Perfect Day Elise]

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]

2018 Wardrobe Post

Hello bats, and welcome to my wardrobe post! This is my first time participating in this time-honoured EGL tradition. It's difficult to take photos indoors in winter where I live, so please excuse the questionable image quality. I'm finally at a place where I'm pretty happy with my current wardrobe and I'm eager to start diversifying what I have a little bit.
Click here to see the wardrobe!

Brand Spotlight: Atelier Pierrot

Hello bats! This is the first entry in a series of blog posts I wanted to write about some of my favourite lolita brands. Today we’ll be taking a detailed look at the mainstay gothic brand Atelier Pierrot. All of the featured images are from their Facebook page and social media (click to enlarge!).

✝ Brand Info  ✝

Atelier Pierrot (sometimes styled Atelier-Pierrot) is a small Japanese gothic brand headed by lead designer and CEO Yuko Ashizawa. Their pieces have been featured in the Gothic & Lolita Bible from the very earliest issues right up to the present. While the brand is known for their distinctive bustled corset dresses and ruffled blouses, they also design hosiery, jackets, corsets, petticoats, and headpieces.

Atelier Pierrot isn't afraid to experiment. Many pieces are available in a range of unusual fabrics and textures that aren’t seen frequently in lolita: iridescent organza, shiny satin, brocade, and crinkled polyester to name a few. Many of their pieces are in unusual colours like dark purple, ultramarine, or bright green, but their signature colours are simple black and white. The few prints that they do release are range from simple, single-colour designs to technicolour cats.  Their dresses vary in length from ero miniskirts to calf-length dresses better suited to EGA, making it a very versatile brand.

Even though gothic seems to be experiencing a decline in populartity, Atelier Pierrot has been going strong for 30-odd years and shows no signs of stopping. Furthermore, they support the growth of other indie designers by carrying their lines in their store and webshop. Even if gothic dies out completely someday, I have no doubt that they'll still be around because of the good quality and versatility of their pieces.

Of course, we can't discuss any brand without mentioning their staff. These ladies have amazing taste and coordination skills.

✝ Signature Style ✝

Atelier Pierrot’s designs are very recognizable – no other brand makes anything quite like they do. You can almost always tell one of their pieces by the oversized details, drapey bustles with ruffles, chiffon underskirts, and heavy layers of lacy ruffles on hems and sleeves. Big, frilly, and OTT is their trademark style. However, unlike other gothic brands, they aren’t known for their prints. Most of their pieces are solids or simply patterned (often with stripes or harlequin diamonds).

The most popular Atelier Pierrot piece is their bustled corset skirt design, which is released every season. The standard design includes a plastic-boned corset, front and back lacing, several adjustable bustles, and a ruffled chiffon underskirt. The variable details are usually ruffles, peplum flounces, and trains. The design is incredibly versatile as you can lift all of the bustles for a poofy OTT look, let them all down for a more classic look, or lift a single one and for an asymmetric look. It’s easy to see why these skirts have been re-released for years and years!

They’re also well-known for their luxurious princess-sleeve blouses, which are also released every season. They typically feature layers of ruffles and often rows of shirring up the sleeves for that old-school Michelin Man kind of look. A nice thing about their blouses is that they’re often shirred and loose-fitting with elasticated necklines, so they’ll fit both petite and plus-sized people.

✝ Shopping Info ✝

The Atelier Pierrot store in Laforet carries not only their own brand, but other smaller indie brands such as Sheglit, Enchantlic Enchantilly, Pina, and Abilletage. If you can’t get to Japan, the webshop has fantastic service - they waive taxes on purchases over 5k yen and offer free EMS shipping for purchases over 20k yen. They have English-speaking staff who have very kindly created a shopping guide to help you purchase through their store, and they are prompt and available by email if you need help. It’s wonderful to see a brand really making an effort to reach out to international fans!

Previously, AtePie was available through the Lorina Liddell webshop which unfortunately has been closed indefinitely. It’s a shame because Lorina Liddell also carried indie brands brands like Excentrique, and offered similar support for international buyers. Additionally, sometimes they had items that had already sold out on Atelier Pierrot’s webshop and vice versa. Hopefully we see them open again soon!

One of my favourite things about this brand is that if you miss out on buying one of their trademark items like a corset skirt or princess blouse, never fear – in a few months, they’ll release something very similar. These staple items are always going to be available.

Secondhand prices for most AtePie pieces are quite reasonable. Their signature corset skirts frequently auction for under 10k yen (I bought one for 5k yen) and corset OPs can easily be found under 15-20k yen, depending on the colour and cut. However, if you’re looking for a specific item they can be very difficult to find (especially prints) because they are such a small brand and they don’t manufacture many. If you do see a piece you like, you might as well jump on it because it may never pop up again.

✝✝✝

That concludes my writeup on Atelier Pierrot. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I’ll be back soon with another brand spotlight! Until then, stay spooky~

Spring 2016 Coordinates and Snapshots

I haven't had much time to wear lolita these days, but here are a couple of my most recent coordinates.

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Dress: Atelier-Pierrot

Blouse: Atelier-Pierrot

Bonnet: Elpress L

Socks: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Antaina

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié

Accessories: Moi-même-Moitié, Restyle, offbrand

Outfit I wore for a friend's high tea at the Royal York Fairmont. I had to wear two pettis to get maximum poof....the cut of this dress makes it look really sad and droopy unless you have an absolute monster of a petti. It was blazing hot and my hair basically came apart over the course of the day, too.

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Coat: Atelier-Pierrot
Dress: Moi-même-Moitié
Blouse: Moi-même-Moitié
Bonnet: Elpress L
Socks: Moi-même-Moitié
Shoes: Antaina
Bag: Moi-même-Moitié
Accessories: Alchemy Gothic, Restyle, offbrand

Decided to wear Sleeping Garden for an Easter party since it was the first day of spring, and nothing says springtime like dead trees with a bunch of tombstones. Also, not a single shade of blue in this coord matches. Thanks, Mana.

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Jacket: Atelier Boz
Dress: Atelier-Pierrot
Blouse: Ista Mori
Bonnet: Elpress L
Socks: Metamorphose
Shoes: Bodyline
Bag: Mu Fish
Accessories: Restyle, Marble, offbrand

Some comm members held a tea party at their house and were kind enough to bake an amazing spread of gorgeous macarons, pastries, cakes, and scones. I wish I could bake on that level, but I have enough trouble with simple cakes.

Also, I smashed my phone to bits and I couldn't recover all of the photos I took of my eye makeup, which I was very proud of. :(

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Dress: Moi-même-Moitié

Bonnet: Elpress L

Shoes: Antaina

Socks: Moi-même-Moitié

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié

Accessories: Moi-même-Moitié, Restyle, offbrand

My outfit for International Lolita Day meetup at the Toronto Botanical Gardens! It's beautiful, but the weather was nice that day and there were heaps of people in the garden. People kept coming up and pestering us for photos until our tour guide kindly told them off. I was pretty happy with how my hair cooperated despite the crazy wind, but I probably should have trimmed those side bangs off.

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That's all for now - my next post will actually be something more interesting than selfies, I promise!

Last Coords of 2015

Just wanted to share a few of my old coordinates from last year! It feels so weird to refer to 2015 as "last year". These are in no particular order...I just happened to be going through my phone and came upon all these pictures I forgot to post. It runs the gamut from casual to OTT.

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Dress: Atelier-Pierrot

Blouse: Atelier-Pierrot

Socks: Metamorphose

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Antaina

Headdress: Antique Beast, offbrand
Jewellery: Alchemy Gothic, Offbrand
Wristcuffs: Offbrand

My friend Stacy was kind enough to take some really nice photos of my coordinate! Right now my camera is my S3, which is my most of my coord photos look like they were shot with a potato. 

This was an absolutely wild day! We were pretty tired after a lovely tea party at the Royal York. They gave us SO much food...had to loosen the back of my corset a bit. Anyway, we were hanging around a park downtown, relaxing and taking photos. A big baseball game was going on, so it was really busy and many of the passerby were totally wasted even though it was pretty early. It was pretty much a constant barrage of harassment /creepshots/annoying people until we just gave up and hit the bar.

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JSK: Moi-même-Moitié 

Jacket: Atelier Boz 

Blouse: Ista Mori

Socks: Metamorphose

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Bodyline

Headdress: Antique Beast

Jewellery: Alchemy Gothic, Offbrand

It was absolutely freezing that day, but I wore Underarmour and frilly bloomers underneath my outfit. The Boz jackets look a lot warmer/thicker than they really are...on the subject of this jacket, I find a lot of people really dislike it when you wear a Roland with a print underneath since it blocks the print. I really like how it looks, though. I love all the metallic gold in this coordinate! Next time around, I want to pair it with a gold and black purse, and a big bonnet.

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Dress: Atelier-Pierrot

Blouse: Atelier-Pierrot

Tights: Abilletage

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Demonia

Collar: Antique Beast

Hat: Offbrand 

Wristcuffs: Offbrand

Jewellery: Restyle, handmade, offbrand

Halloween party coordinate! I basically recycled the outfit from the Royal York tea party and added a hat. I thought my poofy black and blue hair would be appropriately witchy, so I didn't bother with a wig.

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Jacket: Atelier Boz

Blouse: Ista Mori

Jabot: Marble 

Brooch: Offbrand

Boots: Bodyline

Pants: Offbrand

My first shot at masculine aristocrat, I guess? I would love to purchase some better-fitting pants and a proper hat. I felt very elegant in this coord! I honestly think men's styles suit me better than lolita - I have a muscular figure, broad shoulders, and no boobs whatsoever.

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OP: Moi-même-Moitié

Blouse: Moi-même-Moitié

Socks: Moi-même-Moitié 

Shoes: Antaina

Headbow: Handmade

Jewellery: Alchemy Gothic

 I tried to find the loosest, comfiest pieces in my wardrobe because this meetup was for the sole purpose of eating pancakes and ice cream. Maybe not my best coord, but it was nice to be able to eat without worrying about popping a seam. I did manage to totally crumple my petti, though.

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JSK: Sheglit

Blouse: Offbrand

Jabot: Marble

Socks: Moi-même-Moitié 

Boots: Demonia

Beret: Offbrand

Jewellery: Restyle

Just a comfy, simple coord I wore to school. 

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JSK: Moi-même-Moitié

Blouse: Moi-même-Moitié

Socks: Moi-même-Moitié 

Boots: Bodyline

Headpiece: Offbrand

Another simple and comfortable coord for school!

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That's it for 2015. Hopefully 2016 is filled with even more coordinates and opportunities to wear lolita!