Loli Spotlight #1

So after reading through some LJ posts and blog posts and just sort of sitting around pondering lolita in general, I think it would be awesome to start something called the "Lolita Spotlight." So many girls get posted to CGL or Loli Secret for no reason other than to be made fun of. SO I decided over the course of a week (or whenever I have time to look at daily lolita in general) I am going to collect a folder of pictures of lolitas from d_l posts that I find inspiring! I promise it's not going to be a slew of just "popular" lolitas! What I am focusing on here is the coordinate! Background and the quality of the photo are important too because even if an outfit is really amazing, if it was taken in poor light or if the photo itself is TINY then yeah..... going to be a pain to try and examine it.

**DISCLAIMER**
I have in no way shape or form contacted any of these girls about using their pics on my blog. SO that being said, if you're pic is on here, and you randomly surfed on, and you are NOT OK with your pic being used please just contact me or leave a comment and I will remove it ASAP! No questions asked! :) I know it's usually not a good idea to use peoples' pics without their permission first but people do it all the time on Tumblr so I don't see how a blog is any different. :/ I just figured it would be a positive way to spread lolita love and inspiration on the net. :D If you want to see more of a girl's coordinate, click her picture and it will link you to her daily lolita post. Then you can see her other outfits and maybe give her a comment? :)

So without further ado....click!



xsapphiradollx

Style: Classic Lolita
Why I like it: She has done a wonderful job of coordinating all those shades of brown together in a very simple yet elegant classic coordinate. Her choice of plain tights allows the print on the bottom hem of her dress to do the talking so to speak! This is the kind of outfit I would love to wear out to a cute bakery with my friends. :)



taeyen

Style: Gothic Lolita
Why I like it: It's very simple in the way of colors but she did a great job of combining lots of different textures into her outfit. The lace on the tights, the ruffles on her skirt, the sleeves of her blouse, her wavy/curly hair. It all just flows together marvelously not to mention it's deliciously gawthic and she chose a lovely spot to take photos. :) I would love to wear this out to a haunted mansion with some friends for a Halloween meet up!



okami_loli_chan

Style:Casualish Sweet/Classic Lolita
Why I like it:I couldn't decide if her outfit was more sweet or more classic. I am pretty sure the dress is from BtSSB which IS a sweet brand but she subdues some of the sweetness by covering the lacy and ribbony bodice up with a black cardigan. Plain black socks/tights and sweet shoes. OK so I guess it IS more sweet! But anyway, that's not too important! What matters is she skillfully combined a BRIGHT color with black and for that I give her props. Black, white, and red. Very classy! I'd love to wear this on a walk around the city with friends. :D



krikri_chan

Style: Sweet Lolita
Why I like it: OK so maybe I am a bit biased. When I saw this outfit I immediately knew I wanted to talk about it! Pink x Yellow is one of my favorite color combos in lolita! :D Yellow in general is a color that isn't often worn, at least outside of the AP realm. I forget if her dress is AP or handmade or offbrand....but it doesn't matter! I love the plainness of it. There's no busy-ass print on the dress, it's just all beautifully solid colors. :D It's like a lovely layer cake of yellow and pink, yellow and pink.... yellow headbow, pink blouse, yellow jsk with pink accents, yellow socks, pink shoes! You could even do a variation of this with pink socks and yellow tea party shoes. :D The silver teddy bear necklace stands out just enough to create a nice accent touch and not be overwelming to the rest of the coord. I'd love to wear this outfit to a carnival or theme park. :D



camelie_fiolere

Style: Classic Lolita
Why I like it: Simple yet cute and elegant classic lolita. The color of the dress is such a beautiful burgundy! There is no other burgundy in the outfit but that's OK because it only makes the dress stand out more as a focal point. Her bag is whimsical yet appropriate for the rest of the coord. It certainly makes things less serious but still maintains the elegance of classic lolita. Lace tights are elegant but not super busy, and make the blouse flow with the rest of the outfit since there is white surrounding the burgundy. Her accessories and shoes are simple along with a every so slightly curled hairstyle. This keeps it from being too extreme. I'd love to wear this outfit out on a date. :x



_lovegood

Style:Casual Sweet Lolita
Why I like it: I just love the sandwiching of red and black in this coordinate! The bright red bustier makes a statement but it is a solid color so it doesn't distract too much from the busy print on her skirt. The red boots on the bottom make the redness of the bustier balance out. She chose plain tights which allows the print to do the talking! The only thing I would love to see as an addition to this coordinate is maybe a simple silver or gold necklace with a cute motif like perhaps cherries since that is the motif on her skirt, or hell, even a RED cherry necklace short enough so that it's against the black of her blouse. :D I'd love to wear this outfit to an apple orchard in the fall for picking apples! (Assuming the boots had a low heel!) xD


Well that's all for now, folks! I really hope you enjoyed this installment of Lolita Spotlight! If you have any suggestions or tips for me or if you want your photo removed or something, just leave remarks in the comments below! :) If this seems like a good idea, I will try to do it every Friday, homework and such permitting. :D

Hope you all enjoy your Fridays! :D And have a good weekend!
xoxo

PS: Next week expect Halloween costume updates and LOTS of make-up haul posting! :D

Sorry for lack of Weekend Update :P

Nothing too much to report outfit-wise. My mannequin has a fairy kei-esque coordinate in progress on it, and today and tomorrow is fall break for SLU students. SO that means I am pretty much sitting on my butt. What better time for a blog update? I think this update will cover a lot of stuff!

I. - My latest purchases, woohoo.
II. - A short thing about jeggings.
III. - Loli and Gyaru Secrets: Differences, Drama.
IV. - Videogames (WHUT!)
V. - Misc. blabbing. :D

I hope this post is semi-informative for people who don't know anything about lolita secrets or gyaru secrets... and I guess, jeggings?

Click!



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I. Latest Purchases

Nothing too crazy...mostly just shoes and boots:

Forever 21 Cream Work Boots


Charlotte Russe Tan Riding Boots:

Fits SO well! So comfy too!

Charlotte Russe Black Satin Pumps:

(Bought for professional wear.)

Innocent World High Collar Blouse:

(Fits like a dream!)

New Necklaces:






The professional me. Don't I look happy? :P I got accepted into a mentor networking program and now I have to dress up all fancy-like. Fffffffffff. lol. The whole suit is from Express picked out via a friend of mine.

Without jacket:

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II. Jeggings: Just what the hell are they anyway?

Answer: Well they're basically a new(?) trend I've been seeing lately...although I did buy my first pair around May or so ...so maybe it's not exactly "new" but yeah... they look like JEANS at first glance but they fit like LEGGINGS. They're very soft and comfy!

So far I bought three pairs:



Left to right: Claire's brand jeggings, Hollister brand jeggings, and Blue Asphalt (Wet Seal) brand jeggings. :D

Claire's: Looks more like regular leggings only with a denim color to them and jean-like stitching. No pockets, no belt loops, no nothing. I'd recommend this style be worn with a skirt or dress over it.

Blue Asphalt/Wet Seal: Looks a lot like real jeans! I wear these as if they are jeans only they pockets don't actually work. The belt loops really work and you could even pair a belt with these to increase the "jeans" effect. But they really fit like leggings. They are so tight that I have to wear a thong or similar undergarments or else you can see my pantyline. That's the only con. :(

Hollister: Looks (and functions) the most like real pair of jeans. Pockets work, belt-loops are real....but they are very stretchy. Not as stretchy as the other two pairs I have but definitely more comfy than regular jeans!

All in all my fave are the Blue Asphalt jeggings because they are basically imitation jeans. And sooo comfy. Just kinda tight. @__@; but that was my fault for not getting the correct size...haha.

I hope that enlightened you gals about jeggings if you didn't already know about them. If you did, well, good for you! I hope you skipped over this section of my post. xD (Or at least looked at pics? xD)

Here's a pic, btw, of the Blue Asphalt jeggings worn:


Just like jeans only not! :D
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III. Secrets: What the heck?

So you are new to either lolita and/or gyaru communities. You hear talk of "secrets" communities for both or either. You wonder what the heck are people talking about? Well if you've ever heard of "Post Secret" it's kind of like that. Except specific to either lolita or gyaru. I will mention and talk about both because I have read (and still do read) both communities since I really admire and adore both styles.

Lolita Secrets consists of people posting their "secrets" relating to the fashion. What your favorite color(s) are in lolita, why you like a certain model, what you didn't like about X brand's latest collection. Except.... in my opinion it has sort of taken a turn for the worse. :(

I miss when secrets were stuff like: "I secretly admire this model because she reminds me of my sister" or "I really feel magical when I wear lolita in the forest!" But now it's mostly personal attacks on lolitas, complaining about so and so being too tiny or too big for brand clothes, or newbies crying that long time wearers of the fashion are "mean" or "elitist." Or just plain old trolling. Yeah. Boring.

Sometimes girls find themselves as a target for mockery or hate. What do you do if you are the center of someone's attack? Just ignore 'em. It's just the internet. Don't feed the trolls and give them the satisfaction of knowing they got to you! (So true!) Seriously. Same goes for gal secrets. In my opinion, gyaru secrets is even more scathing/hurtful than lolita secrets. The reason why is probably because gyaru is a fashion that is even more focused on beauty and looks than lolita. Lolita is about retaining innocence and beauty and all that good fluffy frilly stuff. But gyaru is more about following the latest trends, more emphasis on coordination skills, and definitely hair and makeup/styling abilities. So therefore girls are subjected moreso to hateful comments about their weight, face, make-up, hair, clothes, etc. Comments like "ugly!" or "eeew man-face!" or "gross, you're such a hooker!" paired with a photo of the poor girl getting attacked are very common on gyaru secrets. At least on lolita secrets, there are rules about using photos from fashion comms like daily lolita. (Like taking photos straight from someone's post on that comm.) But yeah....

If you see a girl with a cupcake skirt, it's often times safe to think that she might be a lolita. Especially if she's wearing cute shoes and a blouse and all the other stuff. But for gyaru, what defines a gyaru? Is it the make-up? Hair? Clothes? The attitude? See, that's the problem. All of those things I just mention can make someone gal or not gal. Even the hair or makeup can be make or break for a gyaru coordinate. Which is why I always say "gyaru INSPIRED" outfit when I post to my blog since I don't always have the time or energy to take pics.

If a girl is wearing a lolita brand dress with no petticoat, no blouse, no nothing...well can she still be considered a lolita? No. Not usually. Or not in that particular case. Same goes for gal. If you don't have the make-up and hair, you're just wearing trendy clothes. Same with the theoretical lolita I mentioned. If you don't take the time to coordinate and add the essentials (petti, blouse, socks, appropriate shoes, makeup and hair) you aren't really wearing the fashion in the traditional sense.

A lot of secrets focus on who is or isn't wearing X fashion. I mean, come on. If someone posts to her blog or live journal with her latest BtSSB purchase or latest MA*RS purchase and is excited to wear it, but she didn't have time to do her hair, then yeah, she's not really full-on gyaru or full on lolita at that moment. But she's just showing off her swagger. Do we really need 20 secrets a week about how so and so is or isn't wearing a fashion? Jesus. Same with the "so and so" is so ugly type secrets. Beauty is very subjective. For instance, I personally think most manbas are hella scary to look at even the ones who are "doing it right." (And usually there is a beautiful girl hiding underneath all that icky makeup that's caked on!!!)

Personally, I don't care if someone is doing manba "right" or not. It all looks bad to me. =/ I am NOT saying I disrespect them for all the hard work and effort they put into their clothes and makeup and hair...it's just NOT for me. It's my opinion, my 2cents, my soapbox.... I respect them but I'd never ever wear it myself. And I am sure a lot of lolitas feel that way too. Like sweet vs. gothic lolitas. There always seems to be secrets each week with "oh I hate sweet lolis they look like overgrown toddlers!" Or "ew goth lolis are so drab looking! They all look like clones!" Bawwwww.

*eyeroll*

So TL;DR, readers...secrets = a big joke. Sometimes there are some funny secrets or cute secrets and this is why I am still a fan of secrets communities. And sometimes I like to get stuff of my chest too like "I can't believe Innocent World picked this color scheme! Yeef!" or "I adore this model!" but I would never waste time to write a rude, catching secret about a girl I don't even know for no reason. Seriously. The more I read about teen suicides in the news because of online bullying, the more I wonder wtf is wrong with secrets comms but more so the idiots who post negative troll secrets every week. @___@; A good way to get rid of this would be to outlaw personal attacks altogether but then no one would read secrets anymore (well, a LOT less would) which is really really sad TBH. :(

*end rant* xD

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IV. Videogames

I FINALLY got a PSP and FFT: War of the Lions. I have been wanting this game for AGES now. Do any of you lovely followers enjoy videogames along with frilly/trendy clothes?



This was the first ever game I played for Playstation 1. (PSX.)
So to finally get a new, remade, updated storyline is AWESOME to me! :D So nostalgic! :) The PSP was borrowed from my guy-pal, Connor. :]


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V. Blah blah blah.

Nothing much else to report. Oh! Remember the mori girl outfit from my last post? Well I tweaked it a bit and added more layers! I am sad though that I can't wear it yet. The weather here (in St. Louis) is still too hot for mori! Wtf!



Added two skirts. One is borrowed from my roommate. :D
I still look at this coord and sigh to myself and think "it's still incomplete." I realllly want to add a gigantic, white, ruffled underskirt to this whole thing to flesh it out more. Right now it's "too short" in my opinion. I guess I always tend to get an idea of how I want a coord to look in my head and then I am never satisfied with it until it's complete. xD

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Hope you guys enjoyed this post. Feel free to add feedback in your comments. :)

Mori girl!!

Woo. Crazy week! Been busy with school projects, homework, and the like! I'm also working on my first ever mori girl outfit, so yay! :)



Sorry for poor lighting! D:

Crochet hat: F21
Dress: Wet Seal
Ruffle Sweater: The Buckle
(faux) Fur stole: H&M
Necklace: Claire's

And I snagged some cute jewelry from F21 and some boots....

More pix beneath the cut! Click the "Read More" button! :)



Mori girl jewelry a la Forever 21!


I've got a few more I forgot to snap pics of but yeah....mori girl seems to be very "in" these days....maybe it's just a fall trend? I guess woodland creatures are very autumn-esque. xD I just love it! :)

I've ordered some boots to go with my mori girl outfit.
Specifically these:



I will probably wear some kind of white tights with them too.

I also snagged some REAL fur stoles from eBay. For about $50 each which isn't bad for REAL fur. It's vintage fur from the 1930s. 80 year old fur, oh my! D: I normally don't like killing of animals just for their fur but these poor foxes/mink have been dead 80 yrs now. D: It's like owning ivory.... it's illegal to kill elephants for ivory now (though I am sure it still happens) but if you own an ivory chess set from the 1900's? Vintage/antiques are different, I would presume.... O.o;

I still feel a little weird owning real fur now. But I guess my Jesus Diamante boots have real rabbit fur on them O.o; I guess Japanese people don't mind killing animals for their fur. But if you think about it...people who live in harsher climates...like Alaska, Canada, Siberia...etc....probably use the other parts of the animal too. Nothing gets wasted!!

Anyhoo. Pix of the fur later...need to get them dry cleaned first. @___@;

Recent Coords...some gal some not.

Just thought I'd post some of my gal outfits and non gal outfits lately. :D Some of the not so gal ones have gal inspirations .... :)

Click below.












Lately I've been wanting to get more into Mori Gal or just plain ol' Mori.....so we shall see if I can dig up something to make an outfit with. xD

Welcome October: Lolita Romp in the Woods

I took some photos in Sunset Park yesterday with my friend / pseudo photographer, Michael. :D

I decided to twin with my Innocent World Pullip Tiphona who I named Evangeline. (Eva for short.)

Click Read More to See photos. :D


















And here is the rest of it.