Review: Écailles de Lune "Shadow Garden" JSK

Today I’ll be reviewing Écailles de Lune’s latest offering: the Shadow Garden JSK, a lovely cage dress that could be styled in either gothic or classic. I purchased the black version, since the ivory sadly wasn't available for overseas customers...although I haven't actually seen any Chinese lolitas with the ivory version, so maybe they never released it at all. I paid 699 RMB/$144 CDN total.

Timeline:

•  November: Placed reservation through TaobaoFocus
• January 23: Dress shipped out by TaobaoFocus
• January 28: Dress arrived in Canada (!)

Don’t quote me on this, but I believe that Dark Box, Écailles de Lune, and Krad Lanrete are all sister brands. Given Krad Lanrete’s reputation for less-than-stellar customer service these days, I was a little bit concerned. Thankfully, everything went according to schedule and the turnaround time was very reasonable. So, onto the fun part of the review!

The dress comes in three separate pieces: JSK, underskirt, and cage. The JSK is made of lightweight polyester chiffon with a glittery ivory polyester lining and an asymmetric hemline. I was a little surprised at how delicate and sheer the dress is – actually, it’s a bit too sheer for my liking. The fabric has a slightly crinkled texture with a dark webbed pattern. 

 

 

It doesn’t photograph well, but I tried to show how the glitter in the lining sparkles through the sheer chiffon and allows the webbed pattern to show. It’s lovely and subtle in person. I can’t get over how gorgeous the fabric is. I love how it looks like shadowy tree limbs or veins. In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of gothic lolita is the use of texture, since everything is usually black. 

The cage attaches to the JSK with two buttons and ties in the back, and the actual cage portion only wraps around the front. It’s made of the same textured fabric, just without the glittery lining obviously. I wish the cage went all the way around, but the half-cage still looks pretty. There are decorative silver crosses and grosgrain ribbon bows on the cage.The underskirt has the same lining as the JSK, with tiered ruffles around the front and sides. The elastic waist is very comfortable.

Everything is sewn properly with straight seams, no loose threads, and no bobbin vomit. I didn’t take many photos of the inside of the dress because I didn’t find anything worth mentioning except for one slightly messy part inside the bodice – granted, you won’t ever see this part unless you’re separating the bodice from its lining, so it doesn’t  matter.

I’d also like to mention that the sizing is pretty accurate to the measurement given, and the JSK has no give to it – the only elastic part is in the underskirt.

Overall, I am extremely impressed with the quality of materials, solid construction, and attention to detail, given the low price point. My only gripe is that the material is a little bit on the sheer side for my tastes, but I think that was a conscious aesthetic choice. I would definitely recommend that you pick this dress up if you see it for sale!

Here is what the dress looks like in a full coordinate. The detachable pieces make it really versatile – you can take it from simple to OTT just by adding pieces. I’m wearing it with my Classical Puppets A-line petticoat, although it wold look nice with a slightly bell-shaped petticoat as well.

JSK: Écailles de Lune

Blouse: Atelier-Pierrot

Socks: Moi-même-Moitié

Bonnet: Elpress L

Boots: Bodyline

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié 

Thank you for reading, bats! If you think I left anything out of my review, please let me know and I'll add it in.

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!

My Lolita Resolutions for 2016

 

(Whoops…I thought I queued this to post but I guess I didn’t. Welp.)

Hello bats, long time no post! I wanted to share a few of my new year’s resolutions for 2016. I have a few item reviews in the works right now, so hopefully this blog won’t be so empty in the coming year.Anyway - on to the resolutions. They aren't very original or exciting, but they're mine!


1. Experiment more with coordinates, especially with accessories and hair.
I feel like in recent years most lolitas have strayed away from experimenting and plain having fun with the fashion. While lolita does have strict rules, it’s still an alternative fashion with plenty of room for experimentation.

I feel like people get too riled up over people who are just playing with the boundaries of the style. At this point I’d rather be called ita or be made fun of than stop myself from having fun with the fashion, so…here’s to that! I’m 100% open to constructive criticism and advice, but I feel like the nitpicking is getting absolutely ridiculous.

Most of my coordinates are pretty samey, especially since I only wear black. Lately I’ve been experimenting more by using my natural hair in different styles, and incorporating some more aristocrat and western gothic elements to my coords. I’m going to keep experimenting and having fun with new looks!


2. Post more in my blog and on LJ.
I first got interested in lolita around 2005ish, when the LJ community was really taking off and blogs were starting to pop up everywhere. Fast forward to 2016 and that aspect of the scene is 99% dead thanks to Instagram and Youtube.

I’m really happy about how new social media has allowed lolitas to connect in more ways than ever before, but the level of connection is…more shallow, I guess? A lot of it is almost purely image-based with very little discussion or authentic interaction. They also don’t have the staying power of blogs. Blogs are usually just abandoned rather than purged.

Blogs are a wonderful time capsule, especially when it comes to fashion. You get to see what real people actually wore in their daily lives. Even if I eventually stop posting, I hope that it can be a little snapshot of what gothic lolitas were like at the time. I also recently got an amazing camera, so I really have no excuse.

Sometimes on a quiet afternoon I like to go way back in the EGL entries and read the old posts – some of them make me feel all warm and fuzzy and nostalgic, and some are straight up hilariously outdated.


3. Wear lolita more often.
I usually wear lolita once a week, maybe less. I can’t wear it to work since it isn’t allowed, and it’s not practical to wear it to uni either. I want to find a comfortable style that I can wear more often so all this stuff in my closet doesn’t go to waste.  I guess this is one way to make good use of a sad, deflated petti – casual coords.

That's about it for me - I like to keep things simple, otherwise I can't stick to them. What are your resolutions for the new year?

Goth is Dead: The End of Moi-même-Moitié

Mana-sama bless this long-ass post.

I’d been planning on writing a blog entry about this for a while. This document had been sitting half-finished on my desktop for weeks until I had a conversation with some other nostalgic Moitié fans. Brace yourself, it’s a long one.

Gothic lolita isn’t dead yet, but it’s definitely on life support. The slow death of Moitié (and gothic lolita in general) reminds me of what’s currently happening in the goth scene.

As any real goth would tell you, goth is dead. The heyday of goth is long gone – most people have moved onto a new scene, leaving behind an ever-shrinking number of hardcore (and rapidly ageing) devotees. The younger newcomers to the scene are starting to redefine what it means to be a goth, causing splintering within the subculture. 

Admittedly, I don’t know jack about Japan, but I don’t think that Mana or Moitié (or gothic lolita/aristocrat/visual kei music and fashion) are as influential and popular anymore. There’s still a base of hardcore older fans but there’s not much new blood coming in.  

Plenty of Japanese gothic brands have disappeared or wound down – BPN is a good example (RIP). Outside of the usual suspects – Atelier Boz, Atelier Pierrot, Moitié, h. Naoto, and a few small Japanese indie brands – gothic is pretty much nonexistent.

People just aren’t really interested in goth anymore…even though old school is starting to come back, old school gothic is pretty much nonexistent on this side of the pond. I hear that in Europe, especially Germany and France, gothic lolita has maintained a strong presence. I’d probably attribute that to the fact that goth subculture and schwarze szhene in general are much bigger in Europe, since almost all of the big-name bands, stores, and festivals are based there. Wave Gotik Treffen, Whitby Goth Weekend, and M’era Luna are still on my bucket list.

Online, many of the coords I see that are described as gothic aren’t very gothic at all…they’re usually sweet with a gothic motif, or classic coords that capture the elegance/opulence of gothic but not the…well, gothic part. Or you’ll see coords that are kuro sweet marked as gothic just because they’re black. I guess people forgot that gothic lolita goes beyond wearing black (just like with proper goths!) and has more to do with cuts, fabrics, motifs, etc. 

Cute af.

I’m not trying to bash on that at all – for instance, the black Holy Lantern zippered JSK is one of my dream items. It’s a perfect example of sweet with a dash of gothic. I cried a little when I saw that the MTO release didn’t include this colourway, and my wallet sighed with relief. But overall, it seems like the original spirit of gothic is being lost and replaced with hybrids of sweet-gothic or classic-gothic. So, where does that leave Moitié?

For the past couple of years, Moitié seems to have been running out of steam. The indidivual brand stores have closed as far as I know, so they’re only sold online and in other retail shops or catalogs. A lot of people have expressed that they’re disappointed in the newer releases, and I almost never see any hype over them. It’s pretty rare to see someone wearing Moitié that’s not one of their old classical prints.

Back in the early 2000s when I was a fledgling babybat goth weeb, I was hooked on anything and everything Mana: Malice Mizer, Moi dix Mois, and Moitié. Mana inspired my interest in EGL/EGA.  To this day I’m still a huge fan – I buy the merch and I try to buy new whenever I can afford to. I even dyed my hair royal blue to match my coords! 

Moitié is probably being held up by the hardcore fans who buy everything they possibly can and go to every Moi dix Mois concert. Sometimes I buy stuff directly from them, but as much as I love Moitié I can’t always justify spending $300-500 on a single item when I have student loans and car payments, you know? 

The secondhand market is a mixed bag – the classic prints are still incredibly expensive despite their age, but a lot of non-print stuff is reasonably priced and I’ve found some great nonprint pieces for under 10k yen. Lacemarket has pages and pages of beautiful items sitting unsold. I remember seeing a black x blue Silent Moon OP for $150 on Lacemarket just sitting there unsold for weeks and weeks. Same story on Japanese sites – it’s just not selling the way it used to. So even though there are plenty of affordable older gothic pieces out there, people don’t want it.

On a side note, I feel like Iron Gate has become a status item rather than a piece that people buy out of love. Royal Gate is relatively inexpensive and in my opinion, it’s even more beautiful and luxurious than Iron Gate. The prints are extremely similar, but I think people just want to be able to say they own a rare, valuable dress. I dunno, maybe I’m just being a salty-chan because I still don’t have IG.

Écailles de Lune, kicking ass as usual.

On a more hopeful note…I think that the sudden explosion of lolita in China might revive gothic. Even if Japanese brands aren’t really interested in making gothic lolita and aristocrat stuff anymore, Taobao brands like Ista Mori and Écailles de Lune are absolutely killing it with new releases. These releases are more affordable than Japanese brands and have a wider range of sizing (a common complaint with older gothic pieces) so I hope that the Chinese brands can revive the true spirit of gothic once Moitié kicks the bucket for good.

Until then…

August Coordinates

Like I mentioned in another post, I didn't actually get a full coordinate together until July, but somehow between then and now I managed to get a sizeable collection of pieces (R.I.P. wallet). Now I can actually wear lolita or aristocrat reasonably often! I'm so excited. I'm looking forward to wearing it at least 2-3 times a week.

That said, I was not excited about it being August. As a goth, I'm already used to the suffering that is a Toronto summer, but not while wearing layers of frills. Granted, it hasn't been too unbearable this year, but still...

Anyway, onto the coordinates!

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JSK: Moi-même-Moitié (Frame Cross Lace-Up JSK II)

Blouse: Ista Mori

Socks: Metamorphose

Bag: Offbrand

Shoes: Antaina

Beret, Hairband, and Jewellery: Offbrand

This is my first-ever coordinate! I still feel like it could use some work, but for the most part I'm pretty happy with it even though I could use some more gold accessories on top - maybe I'll wear gold hairpins or something.

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Jacket: Atelier Boz

JSK: Sheglit (Gracious Flare Underbust JSK)

Blouse: Ista Mori 

Socks: Moi-même-Moitié

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Antaina

Jewellery: Offbrand

 

Just a simple, comfy outfit for walking around town. It was strangely cold even though it was the middle of August, hence the jacket. I feel like the jacket works best with long layers, but I like how it looks with a shorter skirt.

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Skirt: Moi-même-Moitié  (Gothic Arch)

Blouse: Offbrand

Socks: Moi-même-Moitié

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Bodyline 

Jabot: Marble

Fascinator and Jewellery: Offbrand

I had a lot of errands to do that day, so I put together a simple, comfy coordinate. Skirt coords are so underrated - a lot of people hate coordinating skirts because it's a little trickier than coordinating a JSK or OP, but they're also more versatile.Way more comfortable in summer, too. It was pretty hot out so I couldn't stand wearing a JSK.

Side note, I love it when my hair matches my outfit! As a sign of devotion to our lord and savior Mana, I've dyed it Moitié blue. Mostly because it was purple before and it kept clashing with my outfits.

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Bolero: BPN

OP: Moi-même-Moitié (Royal Gate)

Tights: Offbrand

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié

Shoes: Antaina

Hairband and Jewellery: Offbrand

Had an awesome meetup with my comm that day! We rented a photo studio and practiced posing and taking photos. I've never been very photogenic so while I definitely improved, I'll still never photograph well. Who knew it was so hard to pose? Jojo poses, while awesome, are not exactly the most elegant/humanly possible (or comfortable in 4 inch platforms).

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Thank you for reading~ and of course any constructive criticism is welcome! I'm still new to lolita. It's one thing to lurk comms and look at outfit photos, but putting together a coordinate on your own is something new entirely and I'm still not that good at it yet.