Lace and Giverny!

There were recently a couple of easy-to-do challenges for the Lolita Lifestyle 365 page, so I decided to combine them into one post. First, we were supposed to photograph something with lace on it.

I have a vintage nightgown/dressing gown set that I found with really pretty lace detailing, so I thought it would be perfect for this!

Another challenge that I really liked was "Make a coordinate based off a city." Of course, I was very tempted to pick "Paris," but then I thought "You know, Paris wasn't my favorite city in France." So, I chose the village of Giverny.

What is Giverny, you might ask? Well...

Giverny is a small town in the north of France, and, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I can't explain why I love it so much, but the fact that this is where Monet lived and painted from 1883 until his death in 1926 certainly helps. In fact, this is where he painted his famous waterlilies!

You can see why I love it so much. It's just gorgeous, and there are few better fashions to capture that beauty than Lolita! I just hope I managed to pull it off:

I decided that a Mary Magdalene floral print would be best, and I centered everything around flowers! For the hair, I thought something princess-y or almost bridal would finish off the romanticized village lady, topped with a Victorian Maiden floral corsage or a delicate Moi-même-Moitié ribbon.

Dream Dress Aesthetic Collages

March 18th's 365 Lolita Lifestyle Challenge was "Create a collage of your favorite dress and beautiful images in the same color." I'm going to pick two of my longest-running dream dresses for this-- how do you pick just one?

First, we have Innocent World's Fairy Tale print. I already have this print in green and in the highwaisted JSK, but the black, square JSK has always been my favorite. One day, I'll own it.

Then, I made a collage for another original dream dress, Mary Magdalene's Fraise Cerise OP in red and white. I fell in love with this dress when I was first researching different substyles, and a magazine shoot of it was added onto the LoitaFashion.org Country Lolita page. The image immediately stole my heart. Mary Magdalene is one of those brands that I never think about getting, because I don't think I'll ever fit into it, but it rekindles my love for Lolita every time I see it, whether worn or on a mannequin.

For funsies, here's the photoshoot image that I was talking about!

Too beautiful, I melt every time!

Did you make any aesthetic collages for dream dresses? If you did, link them to me down in the comments, I'd love to see them!

How I Fell in Love With Lolita

I saw this on a list of blog topics posted by another Lolita in my comm, and it's a story that I like to share!

Mostly because I get to gush about French pop music lol

I was about 13 and in the 8th grade when I first heard the term "Lolita." Surprisingly, it was neither the fashion nor the book; it was the song "Moi... Lolita" by the French pop singer Alizée Jacotey.

I had to choose a famous French person to do a project on for my French language class, and because I was lazy, I picked the first female singer on the Wikipedia list. I don't regret my decision, though, I really enjoy her music! Anyway, "Moi... Lolita" was her first hit, and the song that made her famous, and I had no idea what the term "Lolita" meant. So, I typed it into the Wikipedia search bar, and a few things popped up.

Of course, the book was top of the list (and is what the song is referencing), but my eyes fell onto another article: Lolita Fashion. While this article is the last place I'd ever direct anyone to learn about the fashion, it's still the page that put the idea into my mind.

These were the first pictures of Lolita fashion that I'd ever seen, but I can't say that it was love at first sight, like so many others that I know! I liked it, sure, but this was the "costuming" I used in a chapter of one of my earlier National Novel Writing Month books. It took me six or seven years to finally decide to start wearing it.

While these Old School outfits were what first attracted me, the pieces that brands were putting out the year I started really researching were very different.

I know that Baby and AP weren't the only two brands doing anything in 2013, but these were the prints that I remember the most vividly from when I started.

I came in on the end of the OTT Sweet trend, right before the waistlines started rising and the hemlines started falling. Baby. the Stars Shine Bright quickly became my favorite, but Angelic Pretty influenced a lot of my decisions during my first year. I went on an Etsy bender and bought a dozen sweets-themed accessories (none of which I have anymore), and my first co-ord featured a cupcake-printed circle-skirt and a cake slice headband that I'd made out of felt.

Since then, my style has switched from Pastel Princess to more Old School Sweet/Classic. While I was making my wardrobe post for this year, I could hardly believe that a year before, my closet had been almost entirely pink! I actually rather miss the pink, but that's a problem for another time.

How did you fall in love with Lolita? What was the fashion like when you first started? Leave comments or links below and let me know!