Happy October!! 🎃

Hello bats! I'm sharing a coordinate from a few weeks ago, since this is the last time I ended up wearing this dress. I haven't been able to wear lolita recently anyway since I just got a big tattoo on my back, so I'm stuck wearing loose cotton tops only until it heals (´;︵;`) Once it looks a bit less angry, I'll post some pictures.

Katrina OP is one of my favourite designs, but I think I've exhausted everything I want to do with it for now. Katrina is such a gorgeous dress and I'm really happy that I had the chance to own and wear it. It's comfortable and easy to coordinate so I ended up wearing it really frequently...but it's hard for me to work with because I like to layer and wear corsets or jackets. The shape of this dress doesn't mesh well with the layering pieces that I own, and it's too heavy to wear year-round. I've gotten lots of pretty coordinates out of this piece, so I think it's time to let it go for someone else to enjoy. 

Dress: Angelic Pretty Katrina OP

Bonnet: Kuroneko Majo Atelier Vampire Rose Bonnet
Socks: Estrellas Oath Garden OTKs

Accessories: Néant Glass, Luna Borgia

Shoes: Na+H Strap Shoes

 

I always wear lolita a lot in October - early autumn provides the ideal lolita weather. It's not rainy or cold, and it's not hot either. Plus, the leaves and Halloween decor make for pretty backdrops! It feels weird not wearing lolita at all, but hopefully I can dress up before the month is over. In the meantime, I have lots of time to do some closet cleaning. In addition to selling pieces I'm not using, I've also been doing some closet maintenance. I have so many old shoes that need repainting and minor repairs, like these two. The straps are broken and the soles are peeling off, so they need some TLC. I bought both of these pairs of shoes back in 2014, and they're showing their age. 

 

 

Actually...I'm pretty sure I wore the pair on the left for my first full coordinate ever! I did buy a few lolita pieces well before 2014, but I just incorporated them into regular casual outfits because I was way too chicken to wear a full coordinate in public. Does anyone else remember getting outfit inspiration from the Daily Alamode LiveJournal community? (´͈  ᵕ `͈ ）Such good memories!

Even though I'm trying to clear space in my closet and throw away unsalvageable stuff, I ended up getting lucky on Lace Market! I adore the Alice and the Pirates vampire series and have owned lots of them over the years. I just sold my Vampire Requiem Long JSK, and I sold my Vampire Forest JSK a long time ago - the prints are gorgeous, but the cuts just don't suit me. I'd prefer to have them as skirts. But the pieces I always regretted selling was my Vampire Prelude skirt and JSK in black. I have no idea what possessed me to sell them, but I did. Anyway, the ivory JSK popped up a few days ago and I immediately bought it. A few of my friends own this dress, and I can't wait to twin with them!

Lastly, to get into the Halloween spirit, so I treated myself to another nail set at a different salon. They're much shorter and easier to manage now! I loved the dramatic long coffin shape I had before because it made me feel kind of like an Instagram baddie, but I work with my hands and they were just constantly getting in the way. The short almond shape is still cute but much more practical. The nail technician also did a very good job repairing the damage done at the salon I went to at the beginning of September - I had to go back two weeks after that first nail set for maintenance and they rushed the job. The nail art was a bit messy which is forgivable, but they also burned the hell out of my nailbeds with the curing lamp and gouged deep into my natural nails. Have to wait for the damage to grow out now...

 

That's it for now! I hope you're all having a wonderful start to the spooky season!! ( ´ ▽ ` )

 

[Current Music: Музыка для грузовых лифтов - Любовь]

BIPOC Vamp Day 2021 🦇🩸

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 Skirt layered over Sheglit Foliage Skirt

Blouse: Moi-même-Moitié Cross Arch Flare Sleeve Cutsew

Corset: Na+H Halter Frill Corset

Headdress: Moi-même-Moitié x Krad Lanrete Nocturnal Romance Headdress

Choker: Moi-même-Moitié Coffin Lace Choker
Tights: Moi-même-Moitié Iron Gate OTKs

Jewellery: Trickery, Etah Love, Néant Glass, Restyle

Shoes: Na+H Strap Shoes

I'm looking forward to seeing what other vamps are wearing today!

[Current Music: Snake River Conspiracy - Vulcan]

Hosting My First Panel with Bay Area Kei! Gothic Lolita Symposium

 

Today I hosted my very first panel alongside Cursed Kaiser and Vudu Juju, and I'm very excited to share it with you all! Our panel is titled Gothic Lolita: A Symposium.

Bay Area Kei is a group that has been hosting online j-fashion events throughout the pandemic in an effort to keep the community connected. It's been a lot of fun tuning in when I can. For Halloween, they hosted a spooky-themed online event called Gramarye. and I were asked to do a panel about gothic lolita fashion, and we came up with the idea of doing a deep dive into the history of the entire gothic substyle. I think that the western lolita community tends to focus a lot on the kawaii, pastel, and sweet side of lolita fashion - gothic is really an afterthought to a lot of people. It was really nice to have this opportunity to share our favourite things about the gothic substyle. It's a lot more complicated than just crosses and black!

You can watch a recording of the stream here. The recording doesn't show the live chat, but we were chatting with the viewers throughout the stream. I think we hit about 150 live viewers at one point, which was pretty awesome (and nerve-wracking)!

Thanks for watching! I'd love to hear your thoughts on our panel in the comments.

[Current Music: False Figure - Morningstar]

My Favourite Gothic Lolita Fragrances

Whenever I wear lolita, even casually, I like to put on makeup and perfume that suits my coordinate. It's an important part of my daily ritual. I also just like things that smell pretty because they make me feel like less of a goblin. I find that my tastes in perfume have changed a lot over the years, from uber-girly candy scents (think anything from Victoria's Secret) to darker and more mature scents. I put together a list of scents that I really like to wear when wearing lolita.

Gothic lolita is such a broad substyle that it would be easy to pick a thousand different perfumes that suit the fashion. Gothic lolita is dark but sweet at the same time, so I think that slightly sweet floral or fruity scents with a hint of darkness embody the fashion perfectly.

So, some notes about my taste. I usually like rather gothic perfumes, especially with a dark and fruity flavour. Patchouli, incense, smoke, wood, and rose are common notes in gothic perfumes - fruits are less common, but you may find berry notes as well. Basically, anything that invokes images of an old church, graveyards, vampires, a garden of thorny roses, dusty books...you get the picture. If that doesn't sound appealing to you, then you probably won't like my picks very much. This topic has been covered in the Gothic Lolita Bible a few times and in the EGL Livejournal community, so I'd recommend checking those out instead.

†

Smelly Yeti Perfumery † Queen of the Damned
"Drusilla, Spike’s sometimes-paramour, wanderer of graveyards, makes for an enchanting and unconventional floral scent. Among the more traditional bouquet of roses is a mélange of darker, cooler notes of cabbage, cedarwood, tuberose moss, dewy grass, and damp earth. The overall effect is one of flowers in a graveyard. Feminine."

The first perfume on this list is from Smelly Yeti Perfumery, a tiny perfume oil shop that appears to be on temporary hiatus. They've released many collections based on pop culture, from TV shows to comic books to anime series. I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I bought a bunch of scents from the Buffy collection. Queen of the Damned is based on Drusilla, a deranged clairvoyant vampire with a ridiculous accent. I love her.

One of my favourite Drusilla costumes. This looks like an I Do Declare dress!

This perfume is truly unique. It gives me the impression of a funeral in a rainy rose garden. You can actually smell the wet earth and grass underlying the rose scent on top. It's not just a plain rose, either - it's smokey and incense-y. It's a gorgeous scent, perfect for an elegant witch or vampire aristocrat. It's only available in an oil form, so be mindful of this if you don't want to get any on your sleeves. It would be a good candidate for a perfume oil locket.

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Chanel † Gabrielle
"It is a pure floral composed around four flowers: exotic and intense jasmine, radiant and fruity ylang-ylang, fresh and sparkling orange blossom, and creamy, highly feminine Grasse tuberose."

I'm not a fan of most Chanel fragrances. I recognize that they're objectively nice fragrances (they're enduring classics for a reason, after all) but they just don't really suit me or my style. That being said, I love flowers, and you can't go wrong with a pure floral like this one. It's soft, delicate, and girly without being sugary-sweet or overpowering. I feel like the slight citrus and wood notes help tone it down a bit. It's also not overly powdery - some people find powdery floral scents a bit too "mature" (I hate when people call perfumes old-ladyish!) but this one is fresh and sweet enough to give off more of a cute vibe. it's the perfect springtime scent, perfect for a walk in the park or a picnic on a sunny afternoon.

†

Smelly Yeti Perfumery † Ouran
"Roses. Bulgarian roses. English roses. Rosehip jasmine, pikake flower, and yuzu. Basically, FLOWERS. Plus, a hint of the tropical flavor that signifies the mark of a true silly anime - the token beach episode. The perfect way to be noticed by senpai- or rather, for senpai to be noticed. Feminine!"

I cracked up as soon as I saw the name of this perfume. A running gag in the anime series Ouran Highschool Host Club was a character saying something ridiculously dramatic while surrounded by rose petals, poking fun at that old shoujo anime cliche. It's a very fitting name because it's just over-the-top roses and flowers with the sliiiightest hint of yuzu and fruit. It's also slightly fresh and powdery, which prevents it from smelling too sweet. Don't let the goofy description fool you - it's actually a rather sophisticated and elegant scent. It's definitely one of the prettiest and girliest scents in my collection so I like to wear it when I'm wearing something extravagant, like my Atelier Pierrot bustle dress. I feel like someone like Arika Takarano would enjoy this perfume!

Arika Takarano of ALI PROJECT.

Yves St. Laurent † Nuit de l'Homme
"Bright, masculine freshness combines with sophistication and nonchalance to create a fresh, yet deep and mysterious scent with notes of cardamom, cedar, and coumarin—a structure of contrasting forces."

Even though this is marketed as a masculine scent, I feel that it works well as a unisex scent as it is quite a bit sweeter than most men's fragances. I bought a bottle for my boyfriend on a whim, and it smells great on him, but I ended up liking it for myself as well. This is a go-to perfume for me when I'm wearing EGA since it's very much like how I imagine a beautiful vampire would smell. It's a little bit like the scent of Djarum Black clove cigarettes, but less tobacco-y and more warm and spicy. Overall, it's a mature and elegant scent with just a little bit of sweetness, and it's perfect if you want a scent that's lightly sweet without being overly girly.

†

Bath and Body Works † Dark Kiss Eau de Parfum

"Dark Kiss is a daring and seductive scent of berries, flowers and tempting night musk. It is a modern tale of forbidden love that will loose your hidden fantasies and primal passions.
Top notes: bergamot, incense, Mirabelle plum and blackberry. Heart: amber, Burgundy rose, geranium and peony. Base: dark vanilla, labdanum, vetiver, balsams and musks."

This is one of my favourite everyday scents, and it's super affordable! It's a "retired" scent, meaning that it's available for purchase online but is only available in physical stores at certain times of year. It starts off as a very dark berry scent with a bit of incense that tapers off to a softer floral scent with a hint of vanilla. Even though it's fruity, it's not too "young" or candy-like like many fruit scents can be. Despite the edgy name and marketing, I don't find it particularly sexy or primal at all...it's just dark, sweet, and feminine. In other words, perfect for a gothic lolita!

I miss Bath and Body Works' old packaging style...the label was way cuter.

Yves Saint Laurent † Black Opium Floral Shock
"The iconic coffee and vanilla accord is now combined with new floral notes of gardenia and orange blossom that add the instant cool feeling of a sea breeze—it’s Black Opium on ice."

Black Opium Floral Shock is my favourite everyday perfume. I like gourmand perfumes (who wouldn't want to smell like a yummy bakery?) but I find that a lot of them can be overwhelmingly sweet and cloying, and it just brings back memories of the cheap cinnamon bun body spray I used in high school.  For me, this perfume has just the right amount of sweetness without being overpowering. The scent is a mixture of sweet coffee and white flowers, with a slight citrus fruity note...actually, it smells kind of like a Tim Horton's Iced Capp, but better. I don't really get any of the "sea breeze" notes from the description, though. When I hear sea breeze I think of bright and fresh beachy scents, not floral vanilla coffee - and I wouldn't recommend a sea breeze scent for a gothic girl anyway!

 †

Tom Ford † Noir de Noir
"Rich feminine florals and the masculine earthiness of black truffle, vanilla, patchouli, oud wood, and tree moss add a warm sensuality to this dark chypre oriental."

The last scent I wanted to discuss is a bit of an odd one in my collection. It's another unisex scent marketed towards men, but with a slightly feminine feel. It's an earthy, smoky, woody rose scent with a hint of vanilla and dark chocolate. Those things don't sound like they'd go together at all, right? But somehow it all works. I would describe it as a dark and romantic scent, perfect for a gothic aristocrat or a vampire princess!

†

I hope you guys enjoyed my recommendations! Please let me know what if you think if you decide to go out and try them. Do you have a favourite perfume to wear when wearing lolita?

[Current Music: The Mission - Severina]

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]

Review: Écailles de Lune "Forest of Pipe Organ" Special Anniversary OP (2017 version)

Hello bats!  I've had this review sitting in draft mode since September 2018 (oops) and I finally got around to finishing it off.

Today I'll be reviewing a dress from Écailles de Lune, my absolute favourite Chinese indie brand! I've owned nearly every one of their releases and have been consistently happy with the quality, price point, and unique designs. I've always wanted this dress, but I never managed to find it in my size secondhand, so I was thrilled to see that in addition to the original JSK and OP designs, Écailles de Lune designed a special edition OP with a collar accessory to celebrate the anniversary of the print series! I'm still sad that the black x grey 2014 colourway hasn't popped up again, but I'll get my hands on it someday...

I love her so much! She has such a regal face.

I splurged a little bit and bought the OP ($182 CDN) and matching collar ($32 CDN), both in the black colourway. I placed the order with my shopping service on October 31st, 2017. The order arrived to me in June after several delays - first the dress was slated to arrive in late March, which was pushed back to late April, and then to May. They finally shipped the dress to my SS at the beginning of June so by the time I actually received the dress on June 11th I was pretty annoyed, given that I paid on the very first day that reservations opened yet saw many people on social media received their dresses several months before I did. I don't usually reserve dresses on Taobao...is this a normal thing?

Whatever, let's talk about the dress.

The construction is tidy, and the fit of the dress is very good. The bodice fits me perfectly with no wrinkly or baggy spots.  It's super comfortable to wear and has no awkward gapping in the back even when pulled to its tightest. There's a lot of room for a petticoat.

The upper part of the dress features a simple gathered bodice and ruffled lace detailing, with a crucifix sewn to the neckline. The back of the bodice is a little bit bare for my tastes - I think it would have looked nice if they'd used some of the same scalloped lace from the front to trim the back side. There's no shirring or stretchy material, but here's a generous amount of corset lacing in the back, tied with a soft satin ribbon.

The cap sleeves are formed by 2 layers of different types of raschel lace. I wish they had stuck to using the ruffled chiffon sleeves they used in the normal OP, or puff sleeves, or, given the high price point, long sheer chiffon sleeves. Or literally anything else. I love raschel lace, but I'm annoyed that it doesn't match the lace that's on the bodice.

The skirt portion consists of bustled, asymmetric layers of chiffon, rachel lace, and mesh, with a dot tulle overlay over a printed skirt. Unlike many of their previous releases, the overskirt portion is not removable, although the fabric can be pinned up via 2 buttons along the waistline. The printed skirt has a neatly serged hem, and is lined with polyester hemmed with ruffles of dot tulle. The ruffles are even with no lopsided spots unlike some of the other dresses I have purchased from this brand in the past.

The print is beautiful and crisp, and lines up perfectly along the seams. It's unfortunate that there's no way to pull away or detach some of the tulle overskirt so that the gorgeous print could be on full display, although I really love the shadowy effect created by the overskirt. I think that if the bustles could be adjusted with ties like the Atelier Pierrot corset skirts are, or if the overskirt could be removed, it would add some more interesting style options.

The one thing that annoys the hell out of me is the detachable collar. It just seems a lot fuller and darker in the stock photos. I wasn't really expecting to get 2 pieces of lace on a lace tie for $32. It's pretty, but...really?

Overall, I'm happy with the dress, but there are some weird design decisions that stop me from totally loving it. It is well-constructed and uses beautiful materials.

Update: I did end up eventually selling this piece, as I just prefer the look of the original OP and JSK after seeing them all in person. Now if I could find the 2014 black version of the JSK, I'd be one happy goth!

Shopping Experience: 1/5
3 extra months isn't a long time to wait, but the brand's communication of the delays was pretty poor, and I was one of the last people to receive my dress even though I was among the first to reserve it.

Quality: 4/5
Great construction and thoughtful design, but some details could be improved.

Overall Score: 3.5/5

Thank you for reading!

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!

Rescuing a Cursed Blouse

Hi bats! Today I'll be restoring possibly the most heinous, disgusting blouse I've ever had the misfortune of seeing. The tragic backstory is that my best friend bought a Moitié blouse from someone on Facebook in supposedly "good condition" and received...well, this smelly yellowed nightmare. The pictures speak for themselves. It's too gross to put on my fluffy blanket for photos, so on the floor it goes. Beware: cursed images ahead.

This blouse needs an exorcism, stat!

It looks like they tried to button the blouse while their hands were covered in poo and then smeared it all on the collar for good measure.

ONLY THE DEAD CAN KNOW PEACE FROM THIS EVIL!

As you can see, this blouse is in a terrible state. Firstly, it's absolutely filthy. It's straight up greyish yellow when it should be white, and all of the lace is completely yellowed. There are YELLOW pit stains (I'm praying that it's just old deodorant and this person doesn't actually have yellow sweat); makeup in varying shades of brown, black, and red all over the sleeves; a couple of mysterious black stains; and a lovely brown ring around the neck. All of the buttonholes are also stained brown for some reason. Surprisingly, it doesn't smell (much).

Aside from the filth, it's damaged. Every single seam was stretched to bursting on both the front and back, so the blouse has lost its shape and has some small holes. All of the buttons are on the verge of falling off, and the buttonholes are misshapen because whoever was wearing strained them to the max. The elastics on the sleeves are on the way out, too.

The first thing I did was soak it in Resolve in-wash stain remover for about 3 hours in a bucket of hot water. I know you're supposed to mix detergent with it, but I was just too lazy to go all the way to the laundry room in the basement, and I was also curious to see what would happen. Actually, it worked pretty well. The whole blouse is a few shades whiter and many of the darkest stains are gone or significantly faded. The pit stains and makeup are mostly gone, but the lace is still somewhat yellowed.

Already looking a LOT better!

The next thing I did was soak it in hot water, Sunlight laundry detergent, and the same Resolve in-wash stain remover for about an hour before handwashing it in the mixture. Me being me I splashed myself with it and got a lovely red rash on my arm, so this had better be worth it. I tossed it in the washing machine on gentle for good measure.

Aaaaand...success! The blouse is so clean and pretty now, with not even a hint of staining. Smells way better too. All I need to do is reattach all the buttons and possibly replace the elastics. The evil has been defeated.
Chelsea
[Current Music: Siouxsie and the Banshees - Hang Me High]

Review: St. Peter's Cross Lace OTKs (Re-release Version) and M+CROIX Lace Hair Clip

Hello bats! Today I'm going to be reviewing a few of the new products available from Moi-même-Moitié: a re-release of the St. Peter's Cross Lace OTKs (4536 yen/$54 CDN) from and the new M+CROIX Lace Hair Clip (5940 yen/$71 CDN). People have been waiting for Moitié to release new lace-topped OTKs for several years now, so this was a very highly anticipated release. I actually woke up early to grab them right at the release (2AM local time, oof) only to realize that they must have had a huge amount of stock because not a single colourway sold out. I purchased 4 of the 5 colourways: black x black, black x white, black x navy, and white x white. There was a bloodbath for the headdresses, though. I planned on buying all of the colourways, but everything sold out within seconds, so I only managed to get the white one.

St. Peter's Cross Lace OTKs

M+CROIX Lace Hair Clip

I'm a bit late to the game with my review because there was a postal strike, so I didn't receive my order until last weekend. I did see a few unboxings and reviews on Instagram so I knew what to expect - unfortunately, people's initial impressions ranged from mixed to negative, and sadly I'll have to echo that sentiment. I say sadly, but I'm actually pretty annoyed, so read on...

I purchased the items from Tenso via Wunderwelt. As usual, Wunderwelt provided a very good purchasing experience and my items arrived very quickly to my Tenso warehouse. No complaints about their service. Not much else to say here, so let's move along.

Thank you for your valuable contribution, Z.

St. Peter's Cross Lace OTKs

I didn't pick up the white x blue colourway.

White x White

Black x Blue

Black x Black

Black x White

Upon first impression the socks don't differ significantly from the original release from 2006: lace-topped OTKs with an unfinished tulle edge and a satin ribbon decoration on the side. The sock material is the same stretchy, sturdy fabric that they've used previously for their lace-topped OTKs. These ones feel pretty tight and the elastic is very snappy, but I'm not sure if that's because they're brand new or because they're actually smaller. Either way, they will definitely feel tight on someone with bigger calves. They fit me very snugly.

The socks are trimmed with the new run of the St. Peter's Cross lace design. Many people were disappointed with the quality of the lace compared to previous releases, and I have to agree. It looks really good from a distance, but it isn't quite on par with the custom lace on other Moitié socks and accessories. Unfortunately I don't have any older pieces with the St. Peter's Cross lace design to give a direct comparison, but when I looked at my older pieces with different designs (Cross Arch, Scalloped Rose, Holy Cross) the difference in quality is apparent. The embroidery thread on the new lace isn't as thick, and the netting is a little bit stiffer. There are a lot of small gaps and inconsistencies in the embroidery that are especially obvious in the more contrasting colourways. They aren't terrible by any means, but these socks cost a bit more than their predecessors and yet have worse lace, so...hmm.

I'm not terrible bothered - nobody is going around feeling up socks to see how soft and thick the lace is, and the little messy parts aren't visible unless you're examining them closely. But given the price of the socks and the quality of my other Moitié socks, I was expecting the lace to be better. I heard that Moitié has finally found a new lace manufacturer (they were looking for a factory to produce custom lace for a long time, and seemed to be surviving off of old scraps and samples they had left over) and maybe they're still working out the issues...? If you're really particular about the lace, the black x black and white x white colourways have the least amount of contrast and look the best at all distances.

I also noticed was that they're shorter than the other Moitié OTKs that I have. Most of them come up a few cm over the top of my knees whereas these ones land right at the top of my knees without any room to spare. I have pretty long legs for my height, but I'm still only 155 cm tall (5'1") so these socks might be more like knee socks on a taller person. This doesn't bother me because I really like the look of lace tights or fishnets underneath my socks, and this allows them to show below the hem of my skirt.

The elastic lands right along the top of my kneecaps, so they want to roll down a bit.

Overall, I'm more-or-less happy with these even though I think they're a little bit lower quality than I would expect from the brand.

M+CROIX Lace Hair Clip

AAAAAA he's beautiful!!

Look at all that soft, fluffy lace!! The roses are silky, but stiff enough that they hold their shape well.

The M+CROIX Lace Hair Clip features a bundle of roses on a canotier made of layered Cross Arch and Holy Cross lace. The back has a pin as well as a hair clip so it could be worn as a giant brooch, since it's about as large as my outstretched hand. The roses are attached on wires sewn into the lace, so they can be moved around a little bit. There's also a tiny gold cross peeking out from underneath the roses, which is beautifully detailed and heavy. The lace is soft and thick, on par with my older pieces that have the same lace designs, so they must have used old leftovers to make these headdresses. The item page says that they were handmade by the brand staff, which made me oddly happy and gave me a cute mental image of a bunch of gothic lolitas meticulously sewing in a candelit room together.

I'd been looking for a white Moitie canotier for a long time, so I was excited to get my hands on this. Key word being was. Last night I was at a concert - Ghost was playing at the Sony Centre, which was an absolutely amazing experience! - and while I was filming it my MMM phone case broke apart and I nearly dropped my phone onto the concrete floor. This is the phone case I bought in September at Eternal Twilight, so it's not even 3 months old at this point. The glue that holds the phone in the case is dried up in places and the sliding clip is messed up and won't slide properly anymore. I have to be careful or it launches the phone right out of the case. I barely used the slide feature at all, so I have no idea how it even broke.

Anyway, I was telling this story to a friend the next day while showing her the M+CROIX hair clip as I was getting ready to leave, and she joked that the hair clip was going to be the next thing to break. Lo and behold, the hair clip broke off 2 hours later, upon my very first time wearing the damn thing.

Welp.

The clip is just hot glued straight onto the lace. I'm afraid to pull the glob of glue off because I have no idea if the gathers in the lace are held together by the glue or if they're actually stitched together. I'm just glad I was indoors so it fell into my lap instead of onto the dirty street. I can easily fix it myself, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. Am I being dramatic about such a small flaw? Maybe a little bit, but this is just poorly designed. A headdress this big should be secured by something sturdier! Even a small piece of fabric or felt to stitch a clip or comb to could have worked well.

Moitié's quality has historically been a cut above other brands. Some of my pieces are between 10 and 15 years old and still look great despite hard wear - I'm far from the first owner for most of my stuff, and I wear my dresses to  nightclubs, metal concerts, punk shows, work, and all sorts of places that are pretty hard on your clothes. I know that they know how to make stuff that lasts.

I think WW needs to slow their roll a bit and concentrate on maintaining Moitié's reputation for high quality and attention to detail. They've been pumping out items at a faster and faster rate, but if this is any indication of what their quality is going to be like in the future, I'm not sure that I'd feel comfortable purchasing anything else. And as a devoted Moitié fan, that breaks my heart. If I couldn't wear Moitié, I don't know if I'd even want to be a lolita anymore. I'm going to write to WW to let them know that myself and many other people have been having issues with their new items and that we're deeply concerned for the reputation and future of Moitié.

I usually score my reviews out of 5, but I'm just...I dunno. I'm at a loss for words for once in my life, haha.

Stay spooky,
Chelsea

[Current Music: Ghost - Spirit]

Eternal Twilight (Hellocon 2018) Trip Report: Day 1

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.

Photo by Sanni Siira.

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...