Prayer to the Six Fashionistas
I found this video on my Facebook feed and instantly felt like sharing it with my readers. For every fashion forward girl who has received the withering glance and the “concerned” question, “Are you really going to do this when you’re 30?”, here is the resounding cry.
Let this be us. When we are old and lolita and fairy-kei and gyaru and mori-girl are words written in books by rabbits, when we are a very small paragraph in a fashion history book or confusing street snaps that people take into pawn shops, let this be us. When we are wrinkled and mussed and our skin is pleated velvety and our eyes faded in color or creased from countless makeup applications and years worth of circle lenses, let this be us. Let us be old ladies in nothing but pink, old ladies with fabulous wigs that drown our faces in crinkled curls, in plastic star jewelry that clatters and our descendants think is not good enough as inheritance. Let us be ladies who refuse to give up quietly, who rfuse to accept the racks of Alfred Dunner of the polar fleece embroidered jackets our neices and granddaughters give us at Christmas with knowing receipts. Let us be old ladies who treasure our dolls dressed in perfect style, old ladies who still hunt for brocade at the thrift shops, old ladies who still know a good pair of Doc Martens when we see them. Let this be us.
Forget Facebook, Get Lacebook
There is a hot new buzz going on in the lolita world. While lolita has always thrived on social media platforms, from the Jurassic-period Livejournal to the more hip Tumblr, mainstream Facebook, and fast-paced Twitter, there has never been a website geared just to lolita social networking. Traveling through word of mouth over the weekend, the new social media platform Lacebook has exploded in membership.
Not to be left without trying the new trend, I got myself a Lacebook a few days ago. It’s still pretty exclusive to keep out random creepers, so you need, as we say in the tristate, to “know a guy who knows a guy”. To join up, you first need an invite code and you’ll have to tell your friend with the code what your name and username will be. The perks of exclusivity? No weird old guys taking the word lolita the wrong way, and the site has the added ability of being “unGooglable” (send me royalties if this word catches on, okay?) The downside is that I’m sure there’s lots of awesome lolitas who haven’t gotten their invite code yet, so there is a moderation to how the community grows. Time will tell if, like the real Facebook, exclusivity will pass or stay in place.
When you get into the site, you’ll see it’s a slimmed-down version of Facebook, with a dash of Lookbook and a touch of good old forum. There’s a large wall of lolita snaps to peruse, which you can comment on and rate on a scale of one to five scales. There’s a collection of lolita resource videos, events going on, and different groups to join based on substyle or brand.
Also like Facebook, you get to customize your own profile page with photo albums, a brief bio and interests, and even a cute cover photo (I chose My Melody, but some of my friends chose graveyards scenes and I’m sure Angelic Pretty prints will be popular.)
Is it a total replacement for all your other social media platforms? No, you’ll still find yourself turning to Tumblr, Twitter, and others to connect with your lolita friends or just post pictures of your lunch. However, it definitely lends a more lolita air to showing off your outfit shots, talking to other lolitas, and checking out what’s new in the community. I even added a mini Cocoppa button to my iPad so I can access the site easily.
If you’re already on Lacebook, check out my profile – I’m AngelCake, the same name as my Tumblr URL! Are you liking Lacebook so far?
Pinkly Ever After Lucky Pack and the Happy & Cute Virus!
Last week I received my Pinkly Ever After lucky pack – you may have caught the sneak peak on my Instagram, @victoriasuzanne! Pinkly Ever After is one of my favorite up-and-coming indie fashion labels. Although they began in Canada, they have now relocated to their home country of South Korea, back in the land of cute! I’ve loved their designs since they first began and fangirl over their brief musical career as Pinku Project on a regular basis still, ahem.
I went to the post office on a rainy day and feverishly ripped open all the pink bubble wrap in my car like a crazy glitter-induced drug addict (<~<) (the things we do for fashion, huh?) Inside was a mountain of sparkly goodies! Below, you can see the complete set! I ordered two and they came all in the same package, so it was like a cute explosion!
My favorite piece is the unicorn badge, I’ll probably pin it to my jacket for the upcoming meetup this weekend!
I also received, as I mentioned in my last post, a long letter from Pinkly Ever After’s designer Robin and her right-hand magical girl Baby. It really touched my heart and made me want to start blogging again! She also gave me details on our next big Pinkly Project coming out! I can share this information now that it’s been posted on the official site.
This is the first sickness I’ve been happy to have, haha. Pinkly Ever After chose me to represent America and infect them with cute clothes, fashion, and girls’ bravery! I’m looking for a girl in the tristate area to give a Cinderella-like magical girl or lolita makeover to! If you or someone you know wants to get into cute fashion but doesn’t know where to start, and lives in the tristate or New York City area, please message the Parfait Doll Facebook page! Maybe you could be that special girl! We’ll be filming a transformation sequence with the help of Dalin of Magic A La Mode! I’ll release more information as I receive it from PEA, so please follow my Twitter @victoriasuzanne for updates as well! (o^-^o)
Just Where Have I Been?!
It’s time for me to start blogging again. It’s hard to believe I’ve been gone from my blog since June! I’m sorry if I worried you, readers! I did receive a few notes from readers asking if I was okay. I have been a little sick recently, but really I’ve just been busy! (Fingers crossed that I’ll stay healthy through the winter!) Since this June I traveled to Baltimore for Otakon, saw my family in Seattle, and got new kittens with my boyfriend. I’ve started learning how to cook a little more, became the fashion show manager for Rufflecon 2014, modeled at Connecticon, and hung out with Takamasa Sakurai and Sebastian Masuda. And of course started a new semester as university, complete with the recent shooting scare on campus.
In all that, I haven’t been blogging.
Blogging has weighed heavy on my mind. I’m a perfectionist, particularly when it comes to visual things. My laptop isn’t working as well as it should be these days. My camera isn’t as a fancy as I’d like. In short, I guilted myself out of blogging and into procrastinating. I convinced myself people weren’t reading much these days anyway – would I be missed if I skipped a few posts? A week turned into a month, and now it’s November. I’ve got that blogging guilt, girls. I’ve always liked writing and blogging has been a great creative outlet for me. I’ve changed a lot since I began this blog in 2008 – almost six years ago! My style is different now, my view of the lolita world and fashion is different too, but I’m not ready to give up on this blog. (Why I’ve been shelling out for the hosting every six months to keep the site “on air”… ahem.)
Really, I was inspired to keep going by my ever-inspiration Robin-unni of Pinkly Ever After (see, Robin, unni! (^o~). When I made a recent purchase from her label, I received more than a pink package from South Korea full of glittery pastel goodies (review next post!). Most precious, she sent me an adorably pink five-page letter covered in stickers and drawings of magical girls. She said I had always inspired her and my blog had jump-started her label many moons ago. She reminded me that my desire to wear what I want and my desire to share that bravery with other girls is more important than labeling my style, and that it’s not my outfit posts people need – it’s the spirit in this blog. I’m not going to let my own insecurities defeat me from doing what I love and working on this site for the girls out there who have loved it in the past and might need it in the future.
Look forward to the regular Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule starting this week! See you then! (*^-^*)
Anime Next: What I Wore
Last weekend I was at Anime Next, a New Jersey anime convention, both as a happy spectator and as a model for the Japanese lolita fashion house, Baby the Stars Shine Bright. While I’m not sure I’d go back – it took me about five hours to get there via public transportation! – I had a fun time hanging with my girls, walking the runway, shopping at the Baby booth. Since I can’t sum up my weekend in as long a post as I’d like (endless photographs!) I thought I’d hit the highlights and showcase my coordinates for that weekend!
Friday
Fittings were Thursday night, so I had all of Friday to relax and enjoy the convention. I had planned this coordinate for a meetup I had to skip, so I thought I’d give it due justice and wear it to the convention. The main features are my pink and lavender tutu and magical schoolgirl necktie from fairy-kei and mahou-kei Canadian brand Pinkly Ever After. Also, check the pastel planet tights – Ophanim’s new sweet-styled creation for her line Deer Cutie!
Sneakers: Wet Seal; cutsew, Angelic Pretty; Hoodie, DreamV; Salopette, Angelic Pretty; Yen ring, MC Melody Doll’s jewelry collection; Parasol, hairbow: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
I also bought enough at the BABY booth to score one of the only 10 tickets for the tea party! Below: my adorable friend Lexie working the booth as BABY shopgirl; myself crying for my wallet; and my ticket! Later on that weekend, I got my tea party ticket autographed by the designers and the CEO, Isobe.
{center photo via Lolita and the City}
Saturday
Saturday was the day of the fashion show! I was rooming with three other models for Baby (shout out to my roomies, you all looked great!) so getting up early for the 8 a.m. hair and makeup call wasn’t too painful. We spent the morning getting airbrushed (! a first for me. The foundation and blush tastes like colors…), getting the requisite giant falsies, and having our wigs styled. I love you Baby, but this pimp hat they decked me out in was pretty hazardous! I kept worrying it would fall off my head!
My roommate Markie and I were paired up as a twins in JUICY Baby Love Love Berries, a new strawberry themed print for summer. We got all matching accessories, except I was in mint and she was in pink. Originally they said they liked my pink hair for the look, and at the last minute went with a brunette wig. Most of the models had unnaturally colored hair, but you’d never know it from these photos!
{photo via Knightmare6 Photography}
For great Anime Next street snaps, as always, check out my friend Petrina’s blog, Lolita and the City. She’s always diligent about tracking down cute lolitas at events!
Sunday
Sunday was the BABY tea party and the day to head home. I wore my new dress, Twinkle Constellation. Not my favorite coordinate, since I had to improvise a matching headbow – but I still love this dress. It’s printed with glitter! My friend Lexie and I accidentally twinned on this last day.
Anime Next was a great time and I really enjoyed modeling and working for Baby the Stars Shine Bright again. I’m studying Japanese harder now that it’s becoming more useful in my life (like my Mezamashi TV spot, for example) and it was really interesting to listen to the designers and interpreters speak as I recognize more and more of what they’re saying. I’m also happy to report I friended a lot of the other models after the show – more lolitas I know around the world! A lot of girls also told me they enjoyed my blog. I’ll work hard to keep making blog content for you all :)
You can see me model next at Connecticon, Connecticut’s anime convention, July 12th (in my home state)! I’ve been given free reign to style myself and the organizers told me they expect “fireworks. And wigs larger than your head.” So needless to say, it sounds like it will be a great show! Come see me if you’ll be in the area that weekend, and say hello!
Anime Con Survival: Beauty Edition
I just got back from a weekend at Anime Next – a crazy few days of public transit, hotel rooms with strangers and way too much eye-makeup. I had a great time at the con – my weekend was centered around the presence of lolita brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright. I modeled for their fashion show, attended their customer-loyalty tea party, and got an autographed poster from Isobe! I’ll be covering all of that in my next post.
Today, girly girls and beauty lovers of the world and anime conventions – cute cosplayers, lolitas, and the occasional himegyaru, I’m looking at you! – let’s talk about beauty survival. How are you going to look your best at anime conventions, particularly if you know you’ve got photo-takers headed your way? Better yet, how are you going to make sure you don’t get a hefty con hangover within the first twenty-four hours?
Face care. Especially if you’re not flying into a con and the TSA is limiting your liquids, go to the trouble of hauling your face products. Your good cleansers are important, especially if you’re caking on special event makeup or loads of lashes. If you can’t spare the space (everything I bring on public transit, like buses or trains, I have to carry myself!) go for portables. My facial tools last weekend: sample sleep packs from my last Korean makeup order, heavy-duty Japanese liquid eye makeup remover, my good foamy cleanser, and sample-sized make up from Sephora. Another great product to bring is a self-contained face mask, like these. I just got a resealable pack of them from Hong Kong courtesy of my girl Petrina of Lolita and the City (this pack from Holika Holika in VitaC). They may make you look like a lucha wrestler but it’s worth it. Bonus – if you don’t have a face mask, use your hotel coffee maker to brew hot water and round up tea bags from your concierge or continental breakfast. You can put them on your eyes in a pinch, especially if you’re short on sleep.
Take off your makeup at the end of the day. Makeup towelettes are good if you’re super busy or tight on space. Throw them in your purse for touch-ups as well, or eyeliner oops if you don’t want to drag a big bottle of liquid remover. But there is no excuse to crash in your false lashes or body paint or special effects makeup. And when you wake up, your skin will be upset with you. I’m a repeat offender for this when I travel and couch-surf and makeup wipes have helped me break the habit. Currently I like these Maybelline ones, but they may dry you out a little if you’re prone to that.
Drink water, especially if you’re partying. Nothing wrong with a little hotel room after party! If you’re consuming alcohol, really go for that water before bed. But you should also be drinking one through out the day. If you can, have a bottle of water with you. If you can’t, take every advantage of those bubblers and those free water stations.
Sleep is still important. Often it’s hard to sleep at conventions, on airplanes, or away from home. Finagle that you get something besides the floor. If that’s definitely not happening, consider bringing an egg crate (toss it in the car or line the bottom of your suitcase with it) or an air mattress. And get to bed at a reasonable hour! This weekend, all my roommates were models who had the same early hair and makeup call, which helped. To assist you in your quest for sleep: a dollar store eye mask and some ear plugs, and possibly some Tylenol PM if you’re in uncomfortable sleeping situations.
Sunblock. Most anime conventions are summer affairs. If you’re spending any time outside or in direct light, grab some airbrush sun screen. Need a reason why you should always use sunblock? Check out this dude’s face. Enough said.
If you’re going to an anime convention for the first time, there’s also plenty of basic, every day con-survival tips you should read before you hit pre-reg. Make sure you check out this master poster for all the classic street smarts!
Out of Lolita? My Secret Style Crushes
I’m a little late for this week’s Lolita Blog Carnival – I’ll conveniently blame the jet-lag from my recent family trip to Seattle – but I was really feeling the topic, so I decided it would hold over until Monday!
This week’s theme is to talk about your favorite non-lolita fashion styles. And yes, I harbor a few style crushes that I like for daily wear. Anything pastels or fluffy is a given, but this summer for me is all about the Japanese style “himekaji”.
Himekaji is the Japanese portmanteau of the two words hime, meaning princess, and kaji, which is short for casual. Some gyaru have told me they don’t consider himekaji a real subset of gal, and others definitely lump it together with its fancier sister himegyaru. Himekaji loves lace, pastels, some touches of neutrals, and plenty of rose prints. In the past it has occasionally played with a very girly cowgirl/prairie look, and still isn’t above pastel pink cowboy boots.
Soft stone-washed denim in blue, white, and pastels even makes an appearance if you want to throw on jeans once in a while. Makeup is very girly and pink-flushed, but can be lighter than other heavy gyaru eyes. I usually swap out big himegyaru lenses and lashes for a simpler more Korean-fashion inspired eye for daily wear. Straight hair is okay, but fluffy French braids and airy curls are most common for this style.
While Liz Lisa is the big provider of himekaji clothes and accessories, you can definitely find cute things on sites like Dreamv, Taobao, or even the occasional find on Forever21 or Wet Seal. I actually get my few authentic Liz Lisa items from eBay or inside promotional magazines. I just got my new Liz Lisa x My Melody chain pochette and I haven’t taken it off since! Here’s the Instagram of it, along with a lot of Daiso goodies I picked up on my trip:
If you’re looking for cute places to get your hands on some himekaji items besides Japan, check out my Wanelo – I’ve been stockpiling pink sundresses, rose-pattern anything and floral hairbands!
My Playlist: Milk Tea
Although my iPod packs a lot of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and other j-pop music, I’m really turning to a new genre lately – kpop. I officially own more kpop songs than jpop, even though Japanese culture and language is usually my preference. Along with the usual big players like BIG BANG, 2NE1, and Girls’ Generation, I just found this cute couple’s duets. Milk Tea is my new rainy June soundtrack.
Unsungbyul, a kpop blog, has this to say about the band:
Milk Tea is a co-ed ballad/indie/pop duo signed under Juice Media who released their first album “Delicious Time” in 2010. They followed this up with a single and now more recently, a second album called “Love Traveller”. A lovely little duo needless to say and definitely worth checking out!
Their style is soft and acoustic reminding me of Mindy Gledhill or maybe Tegan and Sara, with enough of a pop edge to keep it from sounding too sad. Ji Wooyong is on guitar and production, and Remi is the vocalist. Their single Shy Love Song (warning – spoilers in this link for Love Rain!) was also featured in episode 13 of the adorably retro (think 1970s South Korea) romantic kdrama “Love Rain“.
This is the song I first fell in love with – about cute love, and my favorite food, um, ramen. If people would write more songs about other foods I like, such as pink donuts, rocky road ice cream or omurice, actually, that would be fantastic. It doesn’t hurt that there is this adorable video.
Are there any other soft and sweet kpoppers you’d recommend?
Sakura Matsuri Weekend
Over the weekend I spent another packed two days in New York City with my favorite Petrina of Lolita and the City. Saturday we joined lots of other springtime and Japanese culture enthusiasts at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for the annual cherry blossom festival, and Sunday I modeled in a romantic outdoor fashion show at The Old Stone House. I’ve been commuting to the city from my home in upstate Connecticut so often lately I have a go-bag of all my creature comforts! Talk about busy!
The weather for Sakura Matsuri was beautiful – not too hot, and not too cold. Some of the flowers had peaked, but most were in full bloom. Families, couples, friends, and photographers were everywhere, and everyone was taking selfies with the blossoms. Petrina got these cute photos for me!
I was really excited to try traditional Japanese sweets like “hanami dango” – flower-viewing balls – but these weren’t very flavorful sadly. They were really cute though!
A few other snapshots I got with my iPhone, including a snap of some local lolitas from the New York site, Asian in New York. Looking cute girls! Lots of lolitas came out, mostly in sweet style, to enjoy the flowers. The Japanese garden is my favorite.
My coordinate for the festival! Everything in this outfit is Angelic Pretty or offbrand. I’m giving the wigs a rest lately and styling my real hair now that I’m happy with the color. I did these curls with my straightener that morning and hair-sprayed them into submission, after following a Kera tutorial. It was a fun change and a lot more comfortable on a warm day.
I’m going to save the fashion show coverage for another post, but we had a great time! Thanks again to I Do Declare for making me her go-to model, it’s always a pleasure! :)
Mezamashi TV – Time to Wake Up!
Last weekend was a big one for me – I saw Kyary Pamyu Pamyu live in concert (my first concert! Hey, it’s hard to get out when you’re from Connecticut) and wound up on a couple different Japanese TV shows. I was so tired when it was all done, but it was worth it – definitely something I’m happy I got to experience!
Mezamashi TV is a popular Japanese TV show similar to the Today Show or Good Morning America. The word ‘mezamashi’ literally translates to ‘wake up!’ and it’s shown between 5:25 am and 8:00 am.
I’ve been on other TV shows and taping before, but this was my first time getting a close-up and an interview. It’s also the first time I get to see more than just one or two screenshots of the finished product! (And I’m going to get sent a DVD of the final product!) They took us out to a popular East Village teahouse called “Podunk”, which had amazing scones and hot chocolate. Here’s the Instagram collage I put together for the day – my BFF Dalin of Magic a La Mode & the rest of the girls featured!
It was fun to showcase what the crew called ‘colorful Harajuku coordinate’ rather than just lolita style. I had planned on wearing Sugar Hearts with pearls, but when the director specified that they really wanted to see something with 6%DokiDoki flavor, I reversed my coordinate and came up with this instead. I drew the accent yellow and sky blues from my vintage Adidas with the sleeves of my 6%DokiDoki jacket, the pattern of my tights, and the puffy heart hair clip.
Here’s my finished TV screenshot! Below my closeup, it says my name is katakana, my age, and my occupation (student). Next to me is a picture of myself in ‘daily wear’ or mainstream fashion.
I didn’t want to overload this post, so look forward to the next one where I talk about going to the Kyary concert! In the meantime, check out Lolita and the City’s on line street snaps of crazy concert-goers’ fashion!
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