[links/discussion] Black fashion influences and lolita wardrobe tracker

Another post for Black History Month! I want to share links to my personal fashion icons and inspirations who are black and whom you should be following if you haven't yet and care about J-fashion in any way. Be sure to check out their recommendation posts as well, support them financially if that's possible, and pass on the information to others if not applicable to you.

First off is Cursed Kaiser whom I mentioned in my previous coord post. I recently found their instagram again and watched their panels at the latest J-fashion virtual events. Their unique sense of gothic fashion and artistry is awe-inspiring and memorable, highly recommended even if you're not into lolita!

https://www.instagram.com/cursed.kaiser/

Next, a plus-sized sweet lolita, Callista Marie of MagicalGirlMe. They have a fairly active blog, plus fun youtube videos as well as an adorable etsy shop with resin jewelry. So glad to have found this artist through recommendations.  

http://www.magicalgirlme.com/lolita-fashion-blog

Kimbuucha at Youtube is a new discovery for me, recommended by MagicalGirlMe. She is also a sweet/classic lolita and started a Youtube account this year, posting lots of solid short videos with a variety of helpful, applicable content.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Kimbuucha/featured

And for local friends, check out these cosplayers and overall fashionable people I have the honor of seeing in real life (in the before times of course lol)!

https://www.instagram.com/konpeitostars/

https://www.instagram.com/afroprincex/

Also see my previous post this month with Black-owned businesses to treat yourself with good stuff! 

https://starsbegantofall.blogspot.com/2021/02/shopping-links-supporting-black-owned.html

Finally here is the current value of my wardrobe, using the wardrobe tracker (Google Sheets format) from Kimbuucha in this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhkE0yQeMmg&t=1877s

That's... wow, I spent a lot of money on lolita clothing. Note, this does not include all the lolita items I've sold, which would add about another $2,600 USD to the total spent. So that's $13,000 that has moved out of my paypal/credit card just for "official" lolita brands. I did not add off-brands, including whatever the worth of my handmade pieces would be, or Western brands or Japanese brands that cater to otome/kawaii/gyaru fashion like Axes Femme or Liz Lisa. I don't even want to think about that number. Yikes!

I made some different charts just for fun, you can look at a more detailed breakdown of my wardrobe here without me having to photograph everything like in previous wardrobe posts. Almost a quarter of my wardrobe from Metamorphose sounds about right lol.

Because I have a large walk-in closet plus another 2 closets, I don't feel the urge for a capsule wardrobe or to purge items I've only worn once. In the past, when I was experimenting with what style and color I wanted to wear, I've sold plenty of pieces purchased on impulse that I slightly regret in that I could have found another way to rewear them now. At the same time, if another lolita could love the item more, then I don't feel that bad setting them free from my closet. At this time, there is only a handful of items I would sell, mostly pants that will never fit and 2 Taobao dresses I just can't match. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the state of my wardrobe and want to wear the last several dresses (in my house) to take photos in. My goal is to not have to buy anything else and to instead work on sewing accessories and revamping the rest of my handmade wardrobe!

[coord] white Valentine's Day elegant lolita

Trying to use my latest purchases with a true Valentine's day lolita coord, not himekaji! I was kind of up in the air about putting on lolita outfits in below freezing temperatures (hey, this is the south, we get a half inch of snow every 2 years), but also felt like I had to wear my makeup before throwing it out, so I dragged myself out of bed for a quick photoshoot. I was inspired by cursed.kaiser's panel on creative photography so I attempted an artsy storytelling shot, e.g., an angel cursed with a bleeding heart to fall in battle, to limited success lol.

[Dress: Atelier Pierrot; headdress: Taobao, Michaels; long necklace: Minori; socks, shoes: Baby the Stars Shine Bright; earrings, cross necklace, bracelet: offbrand; brooch: Rhapso Broderie; rings: Bisou Lovely, Metamorphose]

Fun fact, I got the golden winged headdress from the Halloween clearance rack from Michaels for like 5 dollars, it was so beautiful.  The dress was a happy pack inclusion that came with a bolero and headdress/necklace, I was in the market for a shiro outfit since I don't have one yet, however this dress was too tight on the arms. Everything except the socks and shoes and Daiso wig were recent unworn purchases within the past year that I needed to show off. As you can see, I tried to do the fallen angel shot with my phone on a tripod but the angles made me look terrible, this was the best shot I salvaged.

What I really liked about this coord besides the half-assed storytelling was the gold eye makeup. The beautycam filters faded the effect, but I caked on 2 layers all over my eyelids and felt proud of doing something more daring than my usual neutral basic look. I would have also put gold on my lips but I know I would have licked it off in a minute. Anyway, people online were impressed, I got to show off a slightly more unusual look (for me), so I consider this a winning coord!

[coord] himekaji for Garnet Gateau

Back at it with a hime gyaru coord from Liz Lisa. I wanted to record my fashion walk entry for Bay Area Kei's Garnet Gateau online event. The theme was red, desserts, extravagance, Valentine's themes. I skipped all of the other J-fashion walks for 2020 after Okashicon, though I tried to peep in the panels, mostly because I was feeling sick the weekend of entering and no one else I knew was entering. This time even though I was also feeling sick and looked extra gross, I could not pass the chance to rock this one piece dress. 

[Dress: Liz Lisa; bag, shoes, socks: Taobao/offbrand; hairbow: offbrand; rings: by Marr; earrings: Kumacrafts]

For working with the theme, I would not change this outfit at all, it's perfect as is, with an adorable border print of a classy French department store window. I love this wig, which originally did not have a hime bump, I created one using the wig tutorial from a previous J-fashion event (pin two twin tails next to each other, genius!).  It even makes a vague heart/bow shape on my head. I thought about adding a necklace or choker but that made everything look too busy up top. Himekaji is about being casually flashy. I did use a previous set of  homemade bordeaux nails to match the winter/Valentine's theme and I added fake roses to the heels for a true princess look.

Anyway, I was going to enter the contest because the other J-fashion category had low number of entries, but decided against it in the end to let other people win (lmao). I only wanted to enter hime gyaru because it's rather under-represented in the US fashion walks, even though the dresses are almost as elaborate and fluffy as lolita. But I guess gyarus don't run in the same circles as lolitas. Very well, if I'm the only other hime gyaru in the lolita event, so be it.

Here's a glamor shot! Ignore my patchy dry skin lol.

[shopping links] Supporting Black-Owned Businesses in J-fashion

Happy Black History Month! Please remember to follow BIPOC who have been active and innovating in alternative and Japanese fashions. I'll be reviewing my purchases from independent Black-owned businesses so you can decide if you want to invest in their products as well. Also, be mindful and do not buy things all at once, many of these businesses have just one employee, so they would not be able to handle a huge influx of orders. Try to buy in the spring or fall (the slow seasons) instead!

I also have an ongoing twitter thread that I add to for boosting which includes beauty and home products if you're not into fashion or just want gifts for friends. 

https://twitter.com/atelierinsomnie/status/1345195524811579392

First up, Moshimelon at https://moshimelon.com, a NBPOC crew with a focus on cute kawaii art and clothing and accessories. I bought some pastel and menhera accessories for when I just want to look cute, and was very pleased with the quality of the art and fulfillment.

Next is Kid Taro Studios at https://www.kidtarostudio.com/. Their shop is currently down, I actually bought a cute resin glitter shaker charm from them that isn't pictured. Feel free to follow their twitter for hip and cute art perfect for decora kei.

Also see Plus Size Kawaii Fashion at https://www.etsy.com/shop/PlusHiiKawaii. They have plus size lolita and fairy kei clothing and accessories, along with resin jewelry that is both cute and creepy. I cannot wait to wear my strawberry shortcake barrette.

Finally, consider Elegy clothing at http://www.elegyclothing.com/lolita, also currently closed for new orders, for all of your gothic and lolita needs. I got two custom-sized blouses that look professional (certainly 1000 times better than I can sew lol) and feel soft and comfortable to wear but don't wrinkle as easily as cotton.

Oops, forgot to add this to my Black-owned businesses thread, it was in my small businesses thread, but Miss Candyholic at https://misscandyholic.com also sells a variety of clothing, accessories and masks for lolita and fairy kei fans. Look at these adorable San/rio facemasks! Check out their plush purses too.

I actually have bought from a few other black-owned businesses from the before times, you know, when we went to cons around other people unmasked, but don't have any recent purchases to write an honest review from so they were not included.

Also check out Lolita Collective for different sellers around the world specializing in a variety of styles that you can get all from one handy dandy site. https://store.lolitacollective.com I especially like Mossbadger's masks and earrings here.

Anyway, feel free to ask more questions on my social media if you want my honest reviews! I will continue to buy more stuff (but slowly as to not overwhelm anyone of course) and share haul pics on twitter and instagram!

[discussion] larme fashion summarized

I thought about transcribing my Larme youtube video for people who don't watch videos or have auditory processing issues, but half of it is a powerpoint slide in which I read off the words, so I will just paraphrase the rest here instead.

I feel that larme (or just "girlish" fashion as it is supposedly referred to in Japan) could be here to stay for longer than other substyles that have since disappeared after a few years (example: mori girl, dolly kei), and that's why I wanted to make a current video to showcase larme. Since the last post on petite-dollies from 2017, a blog I highly recommend as it was moderated by a group that was/is living in Japan, Larme established a new website that sells a few items, as well as a youtube channel and tiktok channel along with its already present instagram and twitter.

I purchase the Larme magazines from Amazon.co.jp (I otherwise avoid buying from Amazon lol), CD Japan and Kinokuniya. I think they are worth getting if you are into the girly and feminine sides of Japanese fashion, as the photoshoots are very artistic and the rest of the magazine is full of tips and makeup/hair tutorials.  Not every magazine comes with "freebies," but many do, and I got a hairtie and some lip/eye tints from two of the issues.

Since Larme is partly dependent on what's currently trending in the fashion world, and doesn't have a set silhouette like lolita or makeup/hair like gyaru, one might wonder if it's really a style.  I argue that it's distinct from street wear or casual wear that you might find at Uniqlo, it's just more Shibuya than Harajuku.  Petite-dollies outlines subcategories of the fashion that Larme models prefer, and that's a great starting point to what sets larme or girlish fashion apart.  Like with casual cute styles (example: himekaji, otome kei lolita), one ought to either (try to, lol) get the clothes of your preferred style on point or emphasize the hair/makeup which can be somewhat unique to Larme.

The reason I like Larme is that it's a bit more normcore than other Japanese street fashion styles that sometimes I'm too old and tired to wear, but still edgy and cute and interesting, especially when combined with the somber, serious, just-finished-a-crying-session vibe. I too am always on the verge of tears after 2020 happened.

In the last part of the video, I showed my favorite Larme face (big circle lenses, natural lashes, emphasized tear bags, lots of blush), and some simple Larme outfits that I created with stuff I bought over the years from the Liz Lisa website, Closet Child/Wunderwelt, Lace Market and western stores.

My favorite brand, Liz Lisa, used to be "the" gyaru and himekaji brand along with Jesus Diamante, but seems to have evolved into a purely cute brand with hints of its glorious hime gyaru past.  Other Larme favored brands include Ank Rouge, Swankiss, EatMe, Secret Honey, Rosemarie Seoir, titty&co and many more.  I also like clothes from Axes Femme and Milk, and you can get outfits from western stores like Forever 21 and H&M. Lastly, if you like the vintage and retro French and Americana looks, thrifting and sewing/altering your own stuff is also possible and very sustainable.

Like I said, just visit petite dollies for more info, I'm not here to replace them lol, I'm just here to add on new stuff or stuff catering to lolitas and gyarus and sewists. I hope this helps you on your fashion journey, thanks for reading all that!