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 wasobsessedwith 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.
Hi bats! Today I'm sharing my outfit for BIPOC Vamp Day 2021. The event is in the same vein (ha) as Black Fae Day, which was an online event encouraging black people to dress up as fae and mythical creatures and share their looks on social media. I like vampires (and vampire hunters, of course!) a lot more than I like faeries, so I was pretty excited about this event!
I adored the Blade, Underworld, and Ultraviolet movies growing up, as well as Buffy and Forever Knight. I read almost all of the Anne Rice vampire novels, too. Like all budding weebs, I loved Hellsing, Vampire Hunter D, and Trinity Blood. I played through
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines a million times. I had a ridiculously
long vampire dynasty running in The Sims 2 for years. So yeah, I was
definitely into vampires...yet somehow I never had any interest in
Twilight even though I was the target demographic - angsty millennial
teen girl. Didn't want any romance to get in the way of all the leather
pants and brooding and ultraviolence, I guess.
To this day, I want to get permanent fangs installed so that I can look like Selene from Underworld.
One of my screennames comes from a silly Vampire: The Masquerade forum roleplay character I made up when I was around 12. I was starting to get interested in tabletop gaming at the time and I stumbled onto World of Darkness lore books on some random goth's Geocities homepage. I only did some forum RPs because of course I was way too young to play in-person. Being a tween, I just wanted to be a quirky-yet-insanely-powerful gothic vampire wizard, so of course I made my character an obscenely wealthy mad scientist Tremere. She was supposed to be a sort of silly, over the top, comedic character. In retrospect she was kind of an uninspired mashup of existing characters, but she evolved over the years into a much better character. I still have all of my old character sheets and illustrations! (´･ᴗ･ ` )
I decided to do a cute layered coordinate with lots of sheer pieces and different textures. I really like the look of the tulle skirt peeking out underneath the ruffled skirt, and I chose a mesh/tulle headdress to mimic the look of the the tulle skirt. I kept the layered ruffle theme going with the layered collar, the wristcuffs over the sleeves, and of course the frill along the corset.
Am I a vampire, or a vampire hunter trying to blend in? You be the judge...
Skirts: Sheglit Asymmetric Frill Skirtlayered over Sheglit Foliage Skirt
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!
Hello bats! I've just returned from the airport and I'm trapped in bed with an awful cold and a stomach bug, so I figure now is as good a time as any to write up my trip report. As many of you probably already know, my friends and I flew to Finland for Eternal Twilight (Hellocon 2018), an annual lolita event held in Helsinki.
I was hoping to attend the Moitié tea party and model at Sakuracon in Seattle earlier this year, but I wasn't able to make it...so I jumped at the chance to go to Eternal Twilight when it was announced that Moitié would be their special guest. I survived the ticket bloodbath and snagged a VIP ticket that would allow me to meet Mana, and I was also chosen to model for the Moitié fashion show and for Puvithel in the indie fashion show.
This was my first time attending a large, exclusively lolita event, and it was also my first time in Europe. Actually, it was my first time taking a major trip without a family member...I've gone on trips to other provinces or to the USA by myself, but never overseas. It was a bit stressful, but everything went pretty smoothly!
Opening Ceremony Mana Q&A
Instead of getting a paper ticket or plastic card pass, we got a cute Mana pinback button as a ticket. Different ticket tiers had different Mana portraits - I wish I could have grabbed the other ones! The blue pin was for VIP ticket holders. VIPs also got a tote bag with some stickers and flyers inside.
The bat clips are mine, and the Gothic Arch clear file is from another event.
They got his resting bitch face down pat.
The programming of the day began with a Q&A with Mana and his staff. The questions were not very spicy. A lot of it was kind of stuff we've heard many times before - "what inspires you?" "Why do you like blue?" etc. The highlight of the Q&A was actually a special surprise - since Mana doesn't speak, Kamijo was invited to recite Mana's answers instead! He kept making the Japanese equivalent of dad jokes and hearing him say "Kawaii!" was precious. Sadly, I had to take off halfway through the Mana Q&A to get ready for the fashion show.
Mana Q&A session. Mana is wearing Demonia Stacks, haha! Taken from the MMM official twitter.
Moi-même-Moitié Fashion Show
During the first model fitting on Friday, Mana himself showed up! He kept to himself in the corner, staying on his phone and talking to his staff quietly. He was wearing his "casual disguise" (hat and sunglasses) and was probably pretty tired and jet-lagged, like us. I was so surprised to hear his real voice! It didn't sound like I imagined it would - I always imagined it would be one of those super dramatic, resonating voices for some reason but it was actually more high-pitched and slightly nasal...so a very normal Japanese male voice, pretty much. It was very cute.
I remember one of the Wunderwelt staff telling me that normally they wouldn't put someone in a dress they already own, but they really wanted me to wear white, so I was chosen to wear the short version of the new Cross OP in white. I'm happy I got a light and comfy dress since it was very hot backstage...some of the poor girls were wearing long-sleeved blouses under OPs with wigs. Mana was present during the backstage preparations, which made us all a little bit nervous!
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos/videos during the Moitié fashion show (we were allowed to take photos from backstage and post them on Instagram, so check the #eternaltwilight tag!). We were pulled aside afterwards to take individual shots of the outfit with the event photographer, Sanni Siira, so I'm sure that they will release some more official photos/videos at some point.
For styling, I was asked to do my makeup in light gold with blue accents like a "messenger from God" (how fitting for a heathen like me!) and to put my natural hair in twintails. I used ABH Modern Renaissance eyeshadows, Nyx's Pinched blush, and Sephora's Lip Creme in Marvellous Mauve.
The accessories I got to wear were pretty awesome. Rose Cross Original Lace Headdress and the matching Rose Cross Original Lace Choker, both from 2007. I've been wanting this headdress for a long time but I've never seen it in person. As you can see, it's absolutely massive, even on my big head. I also wore the Holy Cross Lace Up OTKs in white, which I desperately want and will probably never touch again. Haha~
The runway was shaped like a cross and decorated with crosses and bats.
All of the models lined up on the blue cross stage, with Mana at the centre. Taken from the MMM official Twitter.
Posing in Paasitorni's stairway after the fashion show with Mana! Taken from the MMM official Twitter.
We got a sneak peek at 3 new releases during the fashion show. Firstly, we have two new colourways of Sleeping Garden, which will be available in a long and short version. The first colourway is a pinky-orange to purple gradient, and the second colourway is green. It has been officially confirmed by WW staff but no official photos have been released yet. It was really exciting to see them in person. The green blouse with the frilled collar/jabot worn by Mana is also a new item that will be available soon.
I also hope that because Silent Moon was included in the fashion show that they're hinting at a re-release, maybe? Possibly? I'm trying to collect every cut and colourway. Right now I only have black x gold and black x blue so I would basically die of happiness if this were the case!
Update: Apparently when someone asked if they could buy one of the Silent Moon dresses from the fashion show, staff indicated that a re-release of Silent Moon is in the works. My prayers have been answered!
Overall, the fashion show was exhausting but rewarding. I hope Mana was happy and proud to see all of the models looking beautiful in full Moitié. I was so excited to see that a lot of the models were girls that I follow on Instagram, and everyone made friends quite quickly after the initial shyness wore off. ❤
Indie Designer Fashion Show
After the Moitié fashion show I had about 20 minutes before I had to rush backstage again and change into my outfit for Puvithel. There were tons of designers in the indie show so everything was very last minute. Some of the designers present included I Do Declare, Cloudberry Lady, Lady Sloth, Miss Danger, Advent, and Li Paro.
Unfortunately I don't have clear photos of the fashion show, so I hope this video gives you guys a good idea - thanks to FreakyAngel for compiling the video! Click here or go to 11:43 to skip ahead to the fashion show. You can see how I completely fucked up the timing at the end of the Puvithel walk and turn around like an idiot. This was my first time modelling so I was a little bit (read: terribly) nervous as we didn't have much chance to practice.
I really like Puvithel's designs.She is really creative and I love how she pulls off decora, menhera, and lolita so well! I modelled her Slaughterhouse JSK in white. She also made the beautiful iridescent pink heart necklace and waist chain in my outfit!
Ending Ceremony and Mana Meet and Greet
At the end of the fashion I finally had a chance to rejoin my friends and sit to watch the tail end of the programming but I was totally exhausted since I hadn't eaten all day and my allergy meds were kicking in hard. I ended up drifting in and out of sleep during most of this part, basically only waking up to sneeze...damn Finnish trees!
The host announced that there were two coordinate contests. The first contest was for whoever's coordinate photo posted in front of the Wunderwelt backdrop got the most likes on Alice Holic app. and the second contest was for the best Moitié coordinate, as chosen by Mana himself. Some random person on Alice Holic who wasn't even at the event used the #hellocon #eternaltwilight tags in her photos...? It was pretty funny, so they gave the prize to the person with the second-most likes who was an actual attendee.
They then announed that they'd be choosing the winner for the Moitié coordinate contest shortly. A few moments later one of the organizers (I think it was the Swedish Kawaii Ambassador?) grabbed me by the hand, totally waking me out of my half-asleep state, and led me onto the stage to announce that I had won!
The face of internal panic.
My face was pretty stoic but in my mind I was like "aaaaaaAAAAAAAAA" while simultaneously trying not to sneeze/faint/die from excitement. I was kinda dazed at this point so I don't remember exactly they all said about my coordinate, but apparently Mana and the WW staff liked that I had coordinated some iconic Moitié looks together such as the black x blue, lace-up socks, Iron Gate, and curly twintails, and that my coord embodied the spirit of Moitié. It made my heart felt so warm ❤ The prize I won from the coordinate contest was pretty amazing! I won the Jewel Cross necklace in black, a phone strap with Moitie's signature silver cross and crystal beads, and a signed copy of the original catalogue.
Me with my prize from the coordinate contest! I was also carrying my black bat handbag, but it's not in this photo.
Headdress: Moi-même-Moitié and Antique Beast
Blouse: Moi-même-Moitié
JSK: Moi-même-Moitié
Corset: Sheglit
Socks: Moi-même-Moitié
Brooch: Custom Bara No Seidou brooch from Dream Cathedral
Jewellery: Moi-même-Moitié and offbrand
The highlight of this event was definitely getting to meet Mana in person! My friends and I all had VIP tickets so we got to go in ahead of the raffle ticket winners. We lined up outside of a small room and waited to be called in. Once it was my turn, the WW staff member gestured me inside and closed the door.
Mana was standing inside of the small room. Of course, he did not talk, but he took my hands very firmly in his and stared into my eyes very intensely. I was really anxious so I didn't have anything to say except "Thank you so much, Mana-sama!" like the awkward dork that I am. He the handed me a rose with a Moi-meme-Moitie ribbon tied around the stem (I immediately stabbed myself on the thorns because I'm dumb). His face was quite stoic the whole time, but he looked at me and gave me what I'd like to think was an approving nod, and he seemed to like my Bara No Seidou pin as well.
Everyone who had a VIP ticket or winning raffle ticket received a rose and a signed photo. You could bring other items for him to sign, so I asked for him to sign the cover of my Magnifique photo book. I had been debating between bringing a copy of GLB #1 or the book, but I was worried about the magazine getting squashed in my luggage, so Magnifique it was!
The spoils of war! My signed copy of Magnifique, signed catalogue, Jewel Cross pendant, phone strap, and rose.
I've never seen this phone strap before. Maybe it's a new item, or really old stock? They don't have a whole lot of them.
A few interesting pages from the catalogue. Pajamas, an apron, bloomers, and jewellery!
Shopping
I barely had time to browse the vendors because I was tied up with the 2 fashion shows back-to-back. Firstly, I picked up my preorder from Lady Sloth - the My Spooky Macarons OP in orange with the matching headbow. It's soft and lightweight, so not ideal for Halloween weather, but it's adorable and super comfy.
Lady Sloth My Spooky Macarons OP and matching headbow
Look at the cute ghost kitty necklace it came with!
Puvithel was kind enough to give me a goodie bag as a thank you for modelling!
Inside the zippered pouch were some cute pins, an iron-on patch, and these awesome syringe pens. I also bought the rose ring from her booth.
I also stopped by the Moitié booth and ended up grabbing the Alchemy phone case. Most of the items that they had for sale were things I already owned or didn't find too interesting, but I still wanted to get something from them.
The phone strap looks cute with the case! It juuuust barely fits my OnePlus.
Lastly, I grabbed a few small accessories: Metamorphose Fluttering Ribbon Lace OTKs, a black and gold headdress from Sweet Mildred, and a zippered pouch from Eat Me Ink Me.
I finally have a proper black x gold headdress after being in the fashion for...4 years now?
After the event wrapped up, people started heading out for the Kamijo concert and meet and greet planned for later that evening. I didn't get tickets because I'd already seen Versailles back home in Toronto pretty recently (I also ran into the band in a restaurant after the concert and got to talk to them a little bit, which was awesome!). In retrospect, I'm really glad I didn't go because I was so exhausted that I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it very much. Instead we got into comfy clothes and went to an Italian restaurant near our hotel, where we ran into Mana's entourage! He eats really slowly. It's precious.
That just about sums up my report on Day 1 of Eternal Twilight! I'll be back soon with a post about the Shakespearean Night tea party and the rest of my Finland escapades. Maybe after I recover...
How many times can I shoehorn this bonnet into a coordinate? Let's find out!
† † †
JSK:Écailles de Lune
Blouse:Atelier-Pierrot
Socks:Moi-même-Moitié
Bag:Moi-même-Moitié
Boots: Bodyline
Headpiece: Elpress L
Jewellery: Offbrand
Just felt like dressing up for no reason at all! This was my first coordinate with Shadow Garden. It's definitely one of my favourite pieces now.
† † †
JSK:Moi-même-Moitié
Blouse:Offbrand
Socks:Moi-même-Moitié
Boots: Antaina
Headpiece: Elpress L
I'm a doofus and I didn't even realize my pretty silver gate necklace was tucked into my OP the entire time. Welp. Anyway, I wore this to go stuff my face with fried chicken. So elegant rori desu ~
† † †
My first and last time wearing this dress. It's beautiful, comfortable, and the quality is quite solid for an inexpensive Taobao dress, but the cut is all wrong for me.High-waisted long JSKs just aren't made for shorties like me. I feel like I could have incorporated some more red into the coord, maybe with a red and gold brooch on the bonnet instead of the black brooch I used.
JSK:Foxs Feathers
Blouse:Moi-même-Moitié
Bonnet: Elpress L
Socks:Metamorphose
Shoes: Bodyline Bag: MuFish Jewellery: Offbrand
† † †
JSK:Sheglit
Blouse: Ista Mori Jabot: Marble Jacket: Atelier Boz
Hat: Offbrand
Socks:Alice and the Pirates
Boots: Bodyline Jewellery: Offbrand
Simple, comfy coord I wore to go sing karaoke with my friends. I really like wearing all black and then adding a few coloured touches with socks and accessories. I want to add a few more simple black pieces to my wardrobe for more casual outings.
† † †
Skirt: Moi-même-Moitié
Blouse:Ista Mori
Headdress: Bodyline
Socks:Moi-même-Moitié
Shoes: Bodyline
Bag:Moi-même-Moitié
Jewellery: Alchemy Gothic, offbrand
This day was beyond windy - I was trying to stop my skirt from blowing up by squishing my purse on top of it. I had also been crammed into the
backseat of a Fiat with 3 other people for 2 hours, so my clothes rumpled up pretty badly as you can see!
I wore this to my friend's Mr. Yan-themed oldschool lolita party. I was trying to go for that old-school street snap look, kind of casual/unpolished and simple but still cute. Don't think it quite worked, but I guess hot mess is still a valid aesthetic.
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.
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.
† † †
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.
† † †
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.
† † †
Jacket: AtelierBoz
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.
† † †
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.
† † †
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.
† † †
JSK:Moi-même-Moitié
Blouse: Moi-même-Moitié
Socks:Moi-même-Moitié
Boots: Bodyline
Headpiece: Offbrand
Another simple and comfortable coord for school!
† † †
That's it for 2015. Hopefully 2016 is filled with even more coordinates and opportunities to wear lolita!
