Candy Bottle Unboxing!

So, last Friday and today have been kind of special for me: I ordered a new dress from Metamorphose! Not only is this the first thing I've bought for my Lolita wardrobe in more than a year, but it's also the first new-straight-from-the-brand dress I've ever purchased! I can't say first order ever, because I once bought a parasol from Baby SF, but this felt different.

Remember how I said in this post that I was in love with the Candy Bottle print? Well, guess what's on sale?

I ordered it, the dress shipped out on Monday, and I can't tell you how pleasantly surprised I was to find that it arrived yesterday! I was expecting a far longer wait.

Meta sent me a bunch of little things along with the dress, too!

In addition to the obligatory shopping bag, there's also a nice little sticker, and fabric swatches from their Matryoshka Doll print!

There are also two spreads of the Cherry Berry Song series, and Crown Label's Bakery Cafe.

... and two sets of design sketches! One for the Dim Light series, and the other for Bakery Cafe! That bear is so cute.

Alright, of course, now for the main event:

The JSK! I went with off-white because it just seems like I can coordinate it with more things. It's a nice, soft cotton, and it's super girly, even though construction-wise, it's almost the same as my more Classic Wheel of Time JSK. The fabric almost has a pink hue to it!

I'm in love with these buttons down the front! No, they aren't functional, sadly!

The little, pink satin bows are a great addition, and the lace on the hem has the Meta Swan Logo!

Here's a shot of it from the back - and the only thing about this dress that's off are the waist ties. This is my second-shortest dress, yet it has the _longest_ waist ties I've ever seen. But it's not a big deal in the slightest.

Have any of you gotten anything in mail recently? Let me know or link me to more unboxing videos in the comments below!

Something That's Not My Style - But I Love It, Anyway!

Here's another topic from the Lolita 52 challenge from FYeahLolita -- I feel like everyone who follows this fashion sees a certain style and adores it, but wouldn't wear it. The one that I, personally, think of is something that I think a lot of people like but don't want to wear:

OTT Sweet Lolita

You know the kind I'm talking
about.

Giant petticoats, bigger hair, a dozen bows and clips of various sizes, rings on every finger, brooches, crazy prints, themed purses-- in other words, exactly what was going on when I first jumped into Lolita fashion (which was about a year after the rerelease of Sugary Carnival) . Coordinates that want to blend pastel-colored Hime-inspired wigs with Decora style and pour it onto a Lolita outfit take a lot of work, and a lot of accessories.

I really do love the style; it's so much fun. Being elegant or princessy is great, of course, but it's the difference between going to your favorite coffee shop and hanging out at a festival.

We still have OTT Sweet Lolita today, but it's definitely changed in the last few years. Far less about pastel vomit and candy-colored wigs, and more about maximum opulence. Every coordinate is a work of art that is painstakingly prepared like this Crystal Dream Carnival outfit that I just can't get enough of.

Seriously, click those links. This coord is
a masterpiece.

As you can see, today's OTT Sweet focuses less on having the biggest hair and the most accessories, and is instead about craftsmanship. This is being reflected by the brands most obviously by the fabric they're using. There's less straight-up cotton going around, and more organdy, shantung, jacquard, and lots of chiffon.

I keep thinking about trying to eventually pull together one or two OTT Sweet coords just to have in my closet for when I don't want to wear black or be so serious, but that's a long way off, at the moment. If I did, I might go with Angelic Pretty's Dream Sky or Marshmallow Bunny.

 

What is a style that you love, but probably wouldn't wear? Let me know in the comments below!

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!

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!