My favourite flowers are sunflowers,
but obviously that doesn't mesh well with gothic unless Mana decides
that he's going to start wearing yellow. Roses are a close second, so naturally I had to pull up
my favourite Moitie rose-print florals for this challenge! I find it very
difficult to work with florals in gothic coords, so this was tricky
but fun.
The challenge only calls for making a
single coordinate, but I decided to make two. This is because digging
through Lolibrary is infinitely more pleasant than revising for my
infectious disease control final.
† Antique China Roses †
Dress: Moi-meme-Moitie Rose
Printed Gathered Sundress (White x Navy)
Haha, get it?! Grey-ve? Grave? Because
it's grey, like a gravestone?...I'll see myself out.
Anyway, I really adore the Holy Cross
line that MMM put out a few years ago. The metallic silver trim on the lace
is quite bright and lovely in person. I thought it'd look very
striking against the greys in the Monochrome Rose JSK.
Please visit the other lovely bloggers who have written on this topic!
How many times can I shoehorn this bonnet into a coordinate? Let's find out!
† † †
JSK:รcailles de Lune
Blouse:Atelier-Pierrot
Socks:Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Bag:Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
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-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Blouse:Offbrand
Socks:Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
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-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
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-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Blouse:Ista Mori
Headdress: Bodyline
Socks:Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Shoes: Bodyline
Bag:Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
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.
Today I’ll be reviewing รcailles 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,
รcailles 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: รcailles de
Lune
Blouse:
Atelier-Pierrot
Socks:
Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Bonnet: Elpress L
Boots: Bodyline
Bag:
Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
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.
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-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Jacket: Atelier Boz
Blouse: Ista Mori
Socks: Metamorphose
Bag:Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
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-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
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-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Blouse:Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Socks:Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
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-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Boots: Demonia
Beret: Offbrand
Jewellery: Restyle
Just a comfy, simple coord I wore to school.
† † †
JSK:Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Blouse: Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
Socks:Moi-mรชme-Moitiรฉ
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!
(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?
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 Moitiรฉ 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 Moitiรฉ (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 Moitiรฉ (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, Moitiรฉ, 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 Moitiรฉ?
For the past couple of years, Moitiรฉ 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
Moitiรฉ 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
Moitiรฉ. 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!
Moitiรฉ 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 Moitiรฉ 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.
รcailles 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 รcailles 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 Moitiรฉ kicks the bucket for good.
