Fairy-Tale Coordinate

Day nine of the 365 Lifestyle Lolita challenge is create a coordinate based on a fairy tale! I had meant to try to make one based on my own wardrobe (especially since I have a print that's literally named "Fairy Tale"), but I decided that I'd have more fun remaking an old Polyvore coordinate I mocked up a couple years ago.

Right here is the original that I made two years ago, just after I'd really got into Lolita fashion:

If you've never seen or read The Last Unicorn, here's the character upon which I based the coordinate, just for reference:

So, let's see what I came up with two years later:

I went with something simpler this time, though I used the same JSK. The blouse is more reminiscent of the film's time period, and the accessories are a mix of pearls and flowers-- pearls for the seaside castle in which Lady Amalthea resides during her time as a human, and flowers for her forest home. Instead of coordinating everything with purple, I went with white to match her unicorn-ness better.

All in all, I think I like this second one a lot better. How about you? What did you come up with for a fairy-tale themed coordinate? Leave your comments, ideas, or links below!

My Favorite Local Lolita Haunts

Hey, everyone! Time for another 365 Lifestyle Lolita post! Today's theme is "favorite places to go in frills!"

Since I haven't been living in Michigan long enough to have a favorite haunt, I'll share my Ohio stomping grounds with you, instead. As far as non-school locations go (and university is my primary destination for wearing it), there are really only two places I like to go to in Lolita that aren't just restaurants: the Maumee Antique Mall, and the Toledo Zoo.

~The Maumee Antique Mall~

The Antique Mall is absolutely massive, and if you want to see the whole thing, plan on making it a day trip. I've found some nice pieces, there, including a gorgeous rose-patterned tea cup! I'm planning on going back some time soon to try to find that bookshelf I've been wanting.

Or I could get a nice, new Victorian-styled sofa.

While you (obviously) won't find a lot of Lolita while antique shopping, you'll usually find great accessories. Hats, gloves, and jewelry are everywhere. I even found this great 1950s purse there about two years ago that I just adore.

They also have a nice selection of tea cups! This is one I picked
up the last time I went.

~The Toledo Zoo~

The Toledo Zoo is near and dear to my heart because I've been going since before I can remember. Spring is the best time to go while wearing frills due to the weather, but it's most popular in the winter because of their lights.

This corner of the zoo is literally abandoned most of the year.
Then the zoo lights happen.

Locals will overhype it and simultaneously decry how commercialized it's become in recent years, but it's still a nice zoo. Usually, they go overboard with their baby animals, but... they're baby animals. Everyone wants to see them, so no one cares about the extra advertising. My goal is to one day see the fabled Cat Library (which is exactly what it sounds like: a library that's home to tons of cats).

While the polar bear twins aren't at this zoo, anymore,
they were damn popular. I hope they have more in the future!

Where are your favorite places to go in Lolita? Share them in the comments below!

365 Lolita Lifestyle Challenge: Days 6-7

I'm so excited to finally be caught up! Day 7 was posted very late, but that's okay. Let's get to it!

Day 6: Change your alarm to something pleasant

If any of you own an iPhone of any kind (I have a 5 or 6, I can't remember), then you'll know that very few of the ringtones can be considered "pleasant." Usually, I try to make my alarm super annoying, that way I'll be persuaded to wake up and turn it off. But, with a new year should come a new change.

I ended up choosing a song I've never heard before! Iris (Hold Me Close) by U2. I never did figure out how iTunes works, but somehow the U2 album Songs of Innocence was available for me to use as an alarm. It has a musically gentle intro and gets stronger, so I think it'll be good to wake up to.

Listen to it here!

Day 7: Photograph little details from your favorite dress

As my favorite dress (that I own), I decided to take pictures of my new Sorcerer's Horoscope JSK from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright! Its details are one of the reasons why I adore it so much.

Here's the stock photo of the whole dress, just so you can see it.

The bodice has strips of gold, glittery lace and shimmery corset lacing.

These are some of my favorite details-- the center bow is gorgeous in the light, and the little star brooch off to the side is detachable! I'm worried it might make the top look a little unbalanced, though, if I take it off to use it for my hair or something.

I also really love this scalloped hem and the gold glitter tulle trim.

Tiny star buttons! I love non-round buttons!

And, finally, star-shaped lace running along the skirt!

What alarm do you prefer to wake up to? Loud and annoying, or soft and sweet? And what are some of your favorite dress details? Do you prefer super-detailed prints, or pieces that rely on construction for complexity? Let me know in the comments below!

My Favorite Brand

You should all be aware that I'm in love with blogging challenges, because I love writing prompts. It makes my writing life so simple ahaha...

Anyway, another fun one that I like is the Lolita 52 Challenge, where you get one topic a week, instead of one a day. You can read all of the prompts here, at FYeahLolita, if you haven't already seen them.

Lolita 52 Challenge Week One: My Favorite Brand

I thought that this topic would be a good one first week prompt. What better way to get to know a Lolita than to know their favorite brand?

Without further ado, my favorite brand is...

Because of course it is.

What can I say? There's something that's just timelessly Lolita about Baby, the Stars Shine Bright for me. I've owned several Baby items over the three years I've been doing this, and I always love the same things: the lace, the details, the cuts, and the fabrics. Right now, I own one of their OPs, one skirt, and two JSKs, as well as a novelty mug and an Usakumya pochette. Of course, I have tons more Baby on my wishlist, but for now, I'm absolutely in love with the items that I have.

Stock photo of my last BtSSB purchase;
Sorcerer's Horoscope JSK in black and
off-white-- just look at the gold accents!

I do still have a soft spot in my heart for the other big brands, like Metamorphose, Angelic Pretty, and Innocent World, but Baby's pieces are always the ones I find myself fawning over the hardest.

Now enjoy a bunch of photos of some of my favorite Baby pieces!

 

What's your favorite brand? Do you prefer indie brands, or even make your own? Let me know down in the comments!

365 Lolita Lifestyle Challenge: Days 4-5

Day 5 ended up being way longer than I'd meant it to be. Oops!

Day 4: Learn a new, easy hairstyle

The big, chunky Classic buns are my favorite
hairstyle.

Hair is one of my downfalls when it comes to making a polished coordinate. It's the last thing I think about when I'm planning a new outfit, and I often find myself scrambling to come up with something last-minute (especially when the elaborate curly 'do I'd wanted ends up thwarted by my non-curling hair). Normally, I end up doing pigtails, a side-braid, or simple and straight.

I always wanted to try to perfect a cute, simple style that can be found in the Gothic and Lolita Bibles. Because my hair is a little finicky when it comes to what it wants to do on any given day, I decided to choose the bottom left style on this page:

Gothic & Lolita Bible vol. 46 -- Winter 2012

I've been meaning to trim the fringe for months, and I haven't entirely figured out side-swept bangs, yet, but here's the best I could do!

Featuring Angelic Pretty's Twinkle Double
Star clip in blue.

This was a really fast, very simple style to do up! I love wearing my hair in braids, and all I had to do for this was pin them up and decorate them with a cute clip! I think this might be the hair I go with the next time I wear my Sweet Mildred Constellation JSK.

Day 5: Discover a new book to read

What I, personally, think every lady should do in her spare time,
from childhood to old age.

I am, and always have been, an avid bookworm. Choosing which books to bring with me during the move to my new apartment was a chore, and because the boxes are so heavy, most of them are still living in my car. I also had to downsize because my beautiful, beast of a bookshelf back home is way too large, heavy, and bulky to get up here without a large truck, or a U-Haul. Even if I can figure out a way to get it up here (and then up two flights of stairs), I don't actually know where I could even put it. So, I'll soon be looking for a new, smaller bookshelf!

Anyway, I did some digging on Thriftbooks (a great website for finding discount books) and found something that sounded like a fun read that I'll really enjoy: The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Historical fiction with a female lead is my favorite.

I hope I can find a copy with this cover!

During the 2013-2014 school year, I ended up purchasing and reading a lot of older children/young adult fiction because I had ample opportunity to leaf through it during work (I used to work in textbooks, and many of the English classes revolved around children's literature). Anything that was under $20 that I liked usually came home with me. What's nice is that the listing I found for this is less than $4! If I end up not liking it, I won't be out much money, and I can keep it back with my other children's books for if and when I have kids of my own. Or maybe I'll give it to my three-year-old cousin when she's older.

Either way it works out, it looks like it'll be a fun read! The reviews look mostly positive.

Need reading suggestions? Here are some of my favorite books!

Read it. Live it. Love it.

• The Wicked Years by Gregory Maquire: Includes Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. Wicked is without a doubt my favorite book in the entire world. The sequels, for me, fell a little flat, but I still ate them up. Gregory Maquire's writing is amazing: he's poetic without being lurid, and his characters are both complex and straightforward. They're very self-aware. This series is based off of the ever-popular Wizard of Oz, and tend to follow the books more than they do the Judy Garland film. Yes, there's a musical based on the novel, but they are worlds away from each other and it's not fair to compare one to the other. Out of Oz, adorably enough, has several little nods to the musical that you might not catch if you don't know the song lyrics very well.
• Literally Anything Else by Gregory Maguire: He really is my favorite author. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (similar to Wicked, in premise, but with Cinderella) was fantastic, Mirror, Mirror (a retelling of Snow White) was very enjoyable, and I look forward to reading Lost at some point.
• The Sight: Written by David Clement-Davies, it's a novel for young adults, and I really enjoyed it. His writing is very serious, but I think that's why I liked it when I first read this book in high school. It's about sentient wolves, I know, but give it a chance. If you want something a little lighter in mood, check out his other works Fire Bringer (which is about deer) or The Telling Pool (which is about a young boy in Great Britain during the reign of Richard the Lionheart, tangled in a war between Morgan le Faye and Merlin).
• The Joy Luck Club and The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan. The Joy Luck Club is, of course, a classic. I had to watch the film version once or twice in school, and I ended up reading the book, and loved both. Years later, while perusing the bargain books at the university bookstore, I found The Valley of Amazement and took it home. While the reviews were largely terrible, I feel like the critics were being grossly unfair to the story. It's sad and bittersweet, and can basically be summed up as "Nothing in life happens the way you plan." Amy Tan is such a great storyteller and creates great, complex characters. You have to read her work at least once in your life.

What are some of your favorite books? And what's your go-to, simple hairstyle for Lolita? Leave me your suggestions in the comments below! I could always use the excuse to visit the library.

365 Lolita Lifestyle Challenge: Days 1-3

So, I'm a few days behind on the new challenge, but I'm determined to catch up! If you don't know what this is, the 365 Lolita Lifestyle Challenge is a fun set of writing prompts that was created by a blogger I really enjoy: Shannie Bee from Lace a la Mode. You can find more information about what it is and how to follow along here, at her blog.

Meanwhile, let's get started!

Day 1: Set a Goal for Your Wardrobe

So, with it being January and all, wardrobes as a collection are a big topic in the community. If you aren't familiar with the EGL traditions, January is the month when Lolitas make long blog posts showcasing their wardrobes! I'll be posting mine sometime later this month. Be sure to check the EGL Community LiveJournal for more.

One day, my wardrobe will look as organized as this storefront.
But not this year, probably.

This prompt is important to me because I would really like this year to be the year when my Lolita wardrobe finally clicks together, so being made to think about a goal is good!

1. Wardrobe Cohesion: This is the most important goal on this list! I have a bad, bad habit of impulse buying, and I almost never buy anything that isn't a dress. I have very few full coordinates in my closet, and it looks like almost nothing goes together. Part of this reason was that at this time last year, almost all of my dresses were pink. Right now, only two items are pink, and they don't even match each other. Everything else is black or green, with one navy JSK and a red one. So, this year, I'm determined to make my wardrobe work!

2. Weight Loss: Ah, yes, everyone's go-to New Year's Resolution. However, I'm starting off 2016 in a way that's brand-new to me: I'm living "on my own" (okay, I'm with my SO, but it's still the first time living without my mother) in a new apartment, located in a new state, and I took this semester off from university. So, why not make my weight go a different route, too? Last year was bad, because I injured my back and gained a lot of weight. It never really healed properly, either, so going to the gym was a huge (literal) pain. Ultimately, I was unable to wear a lot of my Lolita, and I hadn't worn it hardly at all in 2015. I didn't like how the weight gain made me look in my pretty clothes. This year, that's all going to change!

3. Regular Blogging: Commitment and follow-through are huge issues for me. As in, they're impossible. I love writing, I really do, but I don't think I've finished a single project in years. I'd really like to make this blog a regular thing, if only to put me in the habit of writing every day.

4. Go to More Meetups!: Last year, I went to my very first meetup! I've been in the fashion for about three years, now, but my home comm is centered in a completely different part of the state, and meetups were usually 3-4 hours away. But I always go to Colossalcon every year, and last year they hosted their first Lolita Tea Party. I was ecstatic to go, and had a lot of fun! I can't wait to go again this year! That's when I was introduced to some ladies from the Michigan community, and upon hearing that I would be moving to their state soon, they invited me to join. I went to one of their fashion walks that summer, and although I was crazy-awkward, it was still fun. Then, for this past International Lolita Day, one of the mods from my home comm hosted a tea party just an hour away from my hometown, so I was able to go! This year, I'd really like to go to at least 5 meetups.

Day 2: Look Up a List of Museums in Your Area

Because I've literally just moved somewhere new, this was a perfect opportunity for me to get to know more about my new city! You have no idea how weird it was for me to type that. I still think of the cornfields of Ohio as "home." 

Back Home:

• Toledo Museum of Art: Of course I have to share the main art museum from my home town! I will say this for the place, we had a nice art museum, and I could dedicate an entire blog to it. I've gone to it a few different times throughout my life, as it was the hotspot field trip location for my school district. I went two or three times between elementary school and junior high, once again in high school, and then twice in college. You can see some of the pieces I got to experience here, at my Tumblr blog., but I highly recommend you go visit, if you ever get the chance!

One of my favorite TMA pieces: Woman With a Crow, by Pablo Picasso

Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor: 

• University of Michigan Museum of Art: Disclaimer, I've never visited any museums here in Michigan. I know this says it's a university museum, but unis usually have some very unique collections, and not just of art. Mine, for example, is known among the students for the Life Science collections (birds, mostly, but I won't spoil for you what's on the fourth floor). So I think I'd really like to see what this U of M museum has to offer!
• University of Michigan Museum of Natural History: There's a what twenty minutes away from my apartment?! I started out my educational career as a Biology major, and, in my heart, I never really stopped (I switched to Psychology at some point). Going through a list of their permanent exhibits just makes my heart race. "The Hall of Evolution," "The Anthropology Galleries," "The Michigan Wildlife Gallery," I need to go see this place! So bad! Plus, it'll give me an excuse to dress up ;D
• There are also a few super-specific museums around, like the Michigan Firehouse Museum, the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, and the Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry. I'm not particularly interested in going to these places, but I'm interested in why these exist. There has to be history behind it.
• There are many other museums that I found on Google that I'd probably go to, but only if I had a reason. For instance, if someone decided to host a meet-up at one of these places (there's an art museum on a train???), I wouldn't be opposed to attending. Coming from a boring Ohio suburb, I think I'm going to really enjoy exploring this new area.

Day 3: Memorize a Friend's Wishlist

I'll admit it, I don't really have any Lolita friends. There are Lolitas in my communities that I really admire, and there are Lolitas that I will immediately go talk to just because we chatted at another meetup somewhere (which is basically how my first MI meetup went...). But I don't know anyone well enough to know their wishlist.

Instead, maybe I'll make that a new goal for 2016? Make a Lolita friend? Sounds good enough to me!

So, tell me! What are your 2016 Lolita goals? Are there any interesting museums in your area? Post your answers in the comments below! Thanks for reading, everyone!

Bonjour et Bienvenue!

Hello, everyone! My name is Bri, and welcome to my blog! Lolita blogs have always been my favorite part of the subculture that flourished around the fashion, and I wanted to try my hand at one! Thank you very much for visiting. Most of what I'm going to start off with are prompts and topics from places like the Lolita Blog Carnival (which I hope I can one day join) or the new Lolita 365 Challenge. I know, I'm behind, but I'd like to give it a try, anyway!

Thanks again! Lots of love, Bri