[discussion] Larme-kei Fashion - Five Years Later

 

I posted a new resources blog post about Larme magazine and larme-kei fashion styling on my blog, see link below! This is an update from a video/post I made 5 years ago with then and now comparison photos.In the upcoming months, I will post an in-depth style guide for larme-kei specific fashion especially from the 2010s, shopping links, as well as a sew-along from Otome no Sewing. I just really want to have a handy static non-social-media post for this specific style from the second-best era in Japanese street fashion, even if it's no longer relevant. But this is my own site, so I can post whatever I want! I hope others find it useful as well.

https://starsbegantofall.com/2026/05/02/fashion-larme-kei-fashion-five-years-later/ 

[review] Bonnets and Sweet Tea southern US lolitas zine - recipe and sewing pattern!

 I received my pre-order of the Bonnets and Sweet Tea – Lolitas of the South zine published in 2025 and I am excited to share my thoughts on this cute little zine and the apron sewing pattern and the recipe that came with it.

 Check out the blog post link below for more, including a review of the apron sewing pattern included with the zine! 

Bonnets and Sweet Tea zine!

 https://starsbegantofall.com/2026/04/16/zine-fashion-food-bonnets-and-sweet-tea-zine-and-apron-and-recipe-review/

 

 

[discussion] styling skirts in lolita fashion

 https://starsbegantofall.com/2024/05/21/fashion-styling-skirts-in-lolita-fashion-like-menswear-twitter-guy/

Wrote a blog post for fun about fashion styling in the inspiration of the menswear suits twitter guy fighting his fight to bring back classic tailoring to a world that doesn't care and can no longer afford nice stuff and also global warming.

I hope y'all get the chance to read this, even if also just for fun. An eye for fashion and styling is difficult to train if you're not a professional, or Italian apparently, and us peasants can't afford a stylist or butler to stop us from leaving the house looking like a mess. Well, I say, look like a hot mess, but look like a hot mess deliberately, using these tips, if you're a lolita anyway.

[discussion] Japanese street fashion spectrum chart

I didn't do a post for April as I was getting ready for an overseas trip that was so stressful lol. But I'm back now. I don't want to dress up because it's humid out, but I had this inspired idea brewing for a while and I want to share it before I forget.

[alt text for readers: titled Japanese Fashion Spectrum (effort versus accrual). Left side states lifestyle (gyaru, hime gyaru, agejo) with a picture of a hime gyaru model, captioned "the most effort; hair, makeup, nails or skin upkeep. The center states "vibes" (jirai kei, larme, mori kei, any trend on tiktok probably, western styles - cottagecore, etc) with a picture of a larme kei model, captioned "amount of effort and clothes vary as long as the vibe is recognizable and complete". The right side states wardrobe (lolita, historical styles) with a picture of a lolita model wearing a red jumperskirt, captioned "the most stuff: clothes, accessories, shoes, structure garments"]

 Obviously this is a very high level overview of Japanese street fashion, not including the fact that most common fashion items for Japanese women are baggy neutral clothing straight out of Uniqlo.  There can be variables between substyles within each category, but for a general summary, I think this chart differentiates the most popular fashion trends succinctly for the new or casual fan of Japanese fashion.

Let's start with the lifestyle, or most effort side, in which I placed gyaru even though it's no longer  popular in Japan (although it seems to be making a slight comeback with idols and Korean or Chinese trends.) This includes hime gyaru, hime kaji, agejo, maybe even shironuri, all of the styles in which personal individual effort is required, especially for makeup and hair, and depending on the substyle, skin and nails care.  Clothes and jewelry are of course important, but if you didn't make an attempt with makeup or hair, you really did not complete the assignment, whereas if you have the perfect hair/makeup, you can wear more casual normie clothes and still be recognized as a gyaru.  I call this lifestyle because the time put in makes the style, which takes a part of your day, as you need to either learn the skills or go to a salon or have a friend do it for you.  The question is, if you decide to not wear makeup for a while because you are having a rash or eczema flareup for example, are you in the fashion? Many gyarus would say they compensate by putting extra effort into their hair or nails or clothes and maybe do some gyaru life stuff, like blogging or shopping or socializing.  But the appeal and fun of these fashions is the time/effort in the upkeep of personal appearance. (Addendum, this is not necessarily a daily lifestyle fashion, although it usually is for many gyarus because they love makeup that much, however, some fashions do aim for fairly long-lasting changes to their appearance like bleaching or perming hair or tanning, and that's key to this fashion versus the other 2 categories which are much more temporary or require no change.)

I titled the middle of the spectrum "vibes" for lack of a better word. This includes many smaller street fashion trends that pop up in Harajuku and Shibuya, some of which include jirai kei, larme, mori kei, cult party kei, yami kawaii, menhera, etc although I might classify decora more towards wardrobe.  This category also includes tiktok/douyin trends and western trends, like cottage-core, history bounding, dark academia, royalty core, ren faire, etc.  It does not include established Western subcultures such as goth and punk, which are a little deeper than trends or fashions in my opinion.  What is common about these "vibes" fashions is neither physical appearance nor clothes are more important, as long as the head to toe look is complete and recognized by other people who know the trend.  Although buying a new set of clothes is the easiest way to make the look, many people can start most of these fashions from their existing closet with only a few extra purchases.  Lifestyle is an optional part of these trends; some are more involved such as cottage-core which can encompass your house and daily activities, others are just the right clothes and quick hairstyling for going out with friends.  I also consider these easier for beginners to get into, especially cottagecore or dark academia.

The last part of the fashion spectrum is wardrobe, or accrual, which covers lolita and historical styles (that is not history bounding).  This is where the clothes and stuff you have is the most important, and your physical appearance much less important or doesn't even matter if you don't have the right clothes. For example, you can only truly be called a lolita if you have a complete lolita outfit. It doesn't have to be all brand name, but it needs to be a head to toe coord by definition of any lolita out there.  You do not have to style your hair or have any specific makeup although it would help for historical styles like 1940s retro vintage pinup or rococco era French nobility.  As long as you have the right clothes, including undergarments and structure garments and shoes, that's like 99% of the look and everything else is icing on the cake.  This is especially so now that makeup trends and hairstyles are more natural and inclusive with these fashions, since previously the trends were more over the top layered makeup and artificial hair color wigs, at least for lolitas. (Addendum: what if you only have part of a lolita outfit in your wardrobe, are you a lolita in waiting? Nope, still not a lolita, but most lolita clothes can be incorporated into the other styles in the vibes category and honestly, I think that's just as good and a really great use of the money you spent.)

I hope this helps clarify some of the Japanese fashion styles, especially if you want to explore a trend for yourself, or want to understand what motivates different fans of Japanese street fashion. Again, this is a personal classification system that I made for fun, it's absolutely not the only way of categorizing or describing the fashion out there.  I did try to include the most representative photo to show the differences in appearance all with the same general hairstyle - the gyaru has bleached curled hair and flashy makeup and elaborate nails, the larme kei girl has wavy natural colored hair and soft yet noticeable makeup, while the lolita has (presumably) naturally straight undyed hair and no noticeable makeup. Let me know what you think. And that's that!

[discussion] happy new year! again lol

In January back in the good old days of livejournal, the EGL community would have a yearly wardrobe theme where everyone would post every lolita piece of clothing they owned in a post for others to ooh and ahh over. I only ever participated twice, and since livejournal days, I only did a quick video clip of my lolita dresses once. I personally like seeing the rarest and most valuable (both monetarily or emotionally) pieces in another lolita's wardrobe because that's just fun and I'm nosy, but I wouldn't go searching for such posts. So I don't think it would be worth the time/effort to post my own wardrobe since it's not the most unusual or rare or even the biggest, and no one would be interested.  No one is interested in my regular coord posts for one thing, not even the amazing ones I've done in the past few years. On the other hand, I should keep better track of my clothes for insurance and just archival purposes.

Here are some upcoming coords for 2023 you should keep an eye out for, and what I need to work on to complete those coords.

1. Alucard vampire aristocrat with the Alice and the Pirates jacket. I need to get a long white or platinum blonde wig and maybe classier knee-high boots, but I do have a vest and various blouses already.

2. Meta bunny, this is the year of the rabbit/cat after all. I don't really have a great headdress for this coord, certainly no bunny ears, no socks either. I wanted to make some jewelry or wristcuffs to match as well.

3. Speaking of, I want to do another cat coord. Or several! I have a good idea for a series but I just need to get the perfect cat ear headdresses.

4. Cowboy lolita. I posted some potential coord ideas here for a steampunk take, then never took worn photos. I also have a really good idea for a series here lol, but would have to buy a bunch more items and I dunno if I want to do that.

5. another handmade dress (or more) from Otome no Sewing. As mentioned before, I have fabrics for a copy I want to make (that may or may not be in a sewing book already), and I have leftover toile cotton for a one piece dress. I also need to finish my Sakizo cosplay (lolita-adjacent). I don't have a lot of other fabrics that are nice enough for lolita (maybe just regular clothes), but I would like to construct a hoop petticoat skirt for summer wear and of course, finish off some scraps to make accessories.

[etecetera] composing a coord #2 - Moi Meme Moitie blue

This is in the same series as my coord composing (see the first post here for cowboy lolita). I wanted to try to create an outfit with another tricky-to-coordinate dress, this Moi Meme Moitie blue checkered high waist one-piece "Juliette" dress. I bought this dress on sale a couple of years ago, interested in the potential of styles from one cut due to the long waist ties, however, I did not consider that I don't own a lot of items in this particular medium desaturated shade of blue. Here's my problem solving process, the method to my madness.

Personally, I would classify this dress as classic lolita, veering into aristocrat or historically influenced due to the straighter silhouette and longer length, almost Regency era. It could be styled as gothic if you used black as the contrast, even though the blue is not the usual navy or sapphire or royal blue seen in gothic styles. I decided to go for an elegant classic lolita look first.

Firstly, while I didn't own a lot of medium blue in this French military uniform hard to describe color, I did own navy blue items. Then I decided on my neutral contrast color, which is white/off-white, and my metallic color, which you will see is a combination of gold and silver. I gathered accessories related to this color scheme but focusing on Moi Meme Moitie items first because I like to wear as much from a brand in the same season as possible if they match, then chose the best coordinated combination.

Here is my first attempt!

 

 

[dress, tights, gloves: Moi Meme Moitie; headband: Alice and the Pirates; shoes: Baby the Stars Shine Bright; necklace: off brand; pearl chain: Baroque]

 

I added some navy accents with the sapphire and pearl chain from a Baroque dress and the navy/white pearl and lace headband. I used gray/white tights which technically doesn't match the metallic color of gold, but the dress is long enough on me that you can't see the grays that much. To match the gold chain, I decided on pale gold shoes that have a silver gray lace frill which would hopefully match with the tights. Finally, the white lace gloves echo the lace headband and give some interest to the wrists instead of leaving them bare. I didn't add any earrings or rings to this coord because it's on a mannequin and you can't see them anyway, but I have a white rose enameled ring and some pearl studs in mind.

After all that, I don't think this coord will look great on the human body. I have doubts about the short gloves just on their own, I think adding a white lace shawl or scarf or even bolero covering the area between the end of the sleeves and the wrists would make the contrast look less stark. Maybe a lace overskirt or apron could work, but that would make the coord much more sweet and country.  Another concern is the lack of other shades of the main shade of blue. As far as I know, the brand doesn't carry anything else in this color which is annoying but understandable. If pressed, I would add a matching blue rose to the headdress, because that's a very Mana thing to do.

Now let's take a look at how this dress in various lengths and colorways was coordinated in the Moi Meme Moitie fashion shows (this one in Scandinavia a few years ago). Obviously the medium blue dress is the shorter version below, but you can see how they chose to sort of match the blues using the white/blue floral tights and then added white hairbow and short bolero and shoes for the contrast. The model wearing the white dress had no other main pieces which gave off a Regency look, whereas the model wearing the green dress (an even rarer color to be fair) wore a black bodice corset over and a black blouse underneath to make a faux two-piece set. The model wearing the black dress wore it over a black nun-style blouse with white sleeve ruffles so it appears to be a long-sleeved dress. I think these are all good styling choices for the Moi Meme Moitie brand of elegant gothic/classic, though I would have changed the necklaces and added bracelets or wrist cuffs. The bare wrists might be ok for historically inspired, but for lolita I feel like they needed at least one thing on the wrist.

Here is my revised coordinate based on further consideration. I basically added a white princess sleeve bolero and changed the shoes to white to match. I also added a white lace collar repurposed from a choker/headdress.  Still not sure if this looks good on though...

[bolero, choker ruffle: Atelier Pierrot; shoes: Sosic Shop]

 

Stay tuned for my worn coordinate for winter International Lolita Day this year and see how it looks on a person!

 

[discussion] wishlist update!

 I'm not in the mood to dress up even though winter is prime season to wear lolita and layers. So instead, here is an update on my wish list post I made last year in preparation for the holiday shopping season!

https://starsbegantofall.blogspot.com/2021/11/discussion-dream-dresses-wishlist.html

I was able to add the last leopard print dress on my wish list to my wardrobe, the Angelic Pretty Rebecca Leopard release from fall 2021. For a while, only the one-piece dresses were for resale on lacemarket, which have no shirring and would be too tight for me, but I finally found someone selling the jumperskirt which did have shirring and was only tried on by the seller! It is in a gray color instead of tan or pink, and I don't have a lot of gray accessories, but I figured I could make it work. The dress cost well over $200 but not as expensive as list price, and also the American website only has the OP which was my only other option at the time.

I also got the Alice and the Pirates Vargossa jacket (not coat) in black x black well under list price. I didn't realize it was the jacket version until I got it, but that's fine, as I live in Texas and it is coat weather for at most a couple of weeks a year. The jacket is not made of thick wool material like what I assume the coat to be made of, and has the weight and heft of a suit jacket or blazer. It would definitely not keep you warm in freezing temperatures. If I ever felt like it, I would get the jacket or coat in black x gold as that is Alucard's style of coat, but that's not a pressing need.

Finally, some surprise wishlist additions I wasn't even thinking about when I made the list, and that is adding to my collection of Sakizou-designed lolita items. I bought another pair of tights from a different series, and I am hoping to win the bidding on a secondhand jumperskirt at lacemarket. (I guess I could pay the buy it now price though lol.) I do love Sakizou's artwork so much, so I think it's worth making space in my closet for these additions.

Anyway, I feel supremely lucky to be able to find these items secondhand in America (instead of having to pay out the nose for shipping from Japanese secondhand shops). Obviously I still have to order from Japan if I want new releases from any brand other than Angelic Pretty and Baby, but otherwise I'm very happy with how shopping is going so far. Now if I can just force myself to wear these dresses while the weather is still cold lol.

[coord] Happy belated International Lolita Day

I didn't wear lolita yesterday, I was in cosplay at Anime Frontier and then felt too exhausted to dress up later. I guess I could have dressed up Friday or today but was not in the mood. However, I will repost an old photo from way back when that didn't seem to be posted in this blog for some reason. Or maybe I did post it, but I couldn't find the files on my media, so here it is again.

[jsk, wrist cuffs, eyepatch, bunny ears: Alice and the Pirates; corset, hat: Fanplus Friend; blouse: offbrand; purse: Innocent World; shoes: thrifted or Bodyline; necklace, eyepatch, gloves, ring: Forever 21; necklace: BB Deco]

I never wore this coord out, these were test outfits for Ikki-con 2016 with special guest Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. I ended up wearing ouji steam-punk white rabbit instead (see the write up here). I wore an alternate version of this with a pirate hat to a Mad Hatter meetup later (see that write up here.)  I had a lot going on in this outfit so I was shy to wear it out and obviously wasn't going to wear an eyepatch to a party where hot tea was served, but I think it's actually pretty good considering I had only re-entered lolita and j-fashion in 2015 after a long hiatus due to college and then graduate school and thus had a limited budget and wardrobe a year later. What I really liked about this coord that didn't copy over well in the Mad Hatter meet is that it even though there were some off-white accents with the pearls, I didn't try to work that in and instead concentrated on the black and brown with just a hint of tan. Thus the semi-sheer diamond tights were a better choice than the white/black card suits socks.

I sold this dress for some reason (that was stupid, I liked the print since I was a musician and wear plenty of black and brown), but if I could rewear this coord, I might change the blouse and wig and either forget the bunny ears or lean into the White Rabbit theme more with like a watch purse or something. I didn't like the pirate hat much looking back at those photos, even though the idea was sound, so maybe I would rewear this mini hat or a wear a black tophat instead.

Finally, my general advice to people who want to get into lolita fashion or wear more lolita but have hit a wall. Lolita fashion has its restrictions and rules and gatekeepy nosy drama queens for a reason, because it's called "lolita," the same as the book by Nabokov. If it wasn't called lolita, if it was called neo-victoriana-baroque-maiden or something not related to a fetish, there would likely be less rules and drama (although no guarantee, the style is elaborate and does attract type A personalities). But lolita developed for a certain purpose in Japan, to rebel against what was expected of young women in Japanese society, and it was labelled maybe carelessly though still intentionally. Therefore, Westerners familiar with the novel interpreted it strictly to keep the community safe and at least sort of relevant to what the Japanese had intended.

Now here is the trick. You don't have to wear lolita perfectly. You don't have to buy a full outfit and 3 different petticoats and abide by all 500 lolita rules and regulations. You don't have to respond to snobby judgmental lolitas if you don't want to, you can ignore and mute them. It's clothes, not a uniform, and should be enjoyed as a personal hobby and artistic expression should be. But you also need to prepare for when you post your photos online and label it in such a way that an online lolita does find it and criticize your outfit, they have their perfectly valid reasons to and you should see where they are coming from. (Whether or not that's their business in the first place is a different question.)  So post your photos to your personal accounts, just don't label it lolita and you're golden. Label it as your personal fashion, otome-kei, granny-kei, kawaii fashion (not a slur by the way, jeez), cottage-core, history-bounding, vintage-dolly, whatever you like, heck, call it neo-victoriana-baroque-maiden.  As many older former lolitas in the fashion (Fanny Rosie, Cursed Kaiser, Tyler from Lily of the Valley, Sanakanin, I Do Declare, Sheri Branson, among a few) will say, they have moved on from lolita fashion, but most still wear brand or DIY lolita pieces in their new style, and either way, lolita communities don't call them traitors to the fashion, at least, not that I know of but then again, I don't facebook or reddit which is where the nasty jumps out.  It's possible, it can be done, and such a style evolution is in fact often admired and emulated.  It's called big-brain thinking, reusing your precious favorite lolita pieces you spent money buying, reworking them into a new style, uniting past with present.  Marie Kondo would approve.

My goal is to one day make a full style evolution like other older lolitas have. But I still have a lot of lolita dresses I want to wear (properly, with the perfect petticoats), and as mentioned in other posts, I also want to take my time to enjoy himekaji and gyaru and larmekei (which can also use lolita pieces by the way). For me to continue wearing lolita, I would appreciate an audience to gear my posts to and you know, sell my stuff to lol. So to all aspiring or tired lolitas out there, keep working at your coords, try making your own stuff, take this break from in person meetups to refine your style or makeup and save cash. You can be a perfect lolita with a little time and effort, but if it turns out lolita is ultimately not for you, you can still hold onto your favorite pieces ala konmari and reuse them out of appreciation by evolving a new style.  Don't give up!  Girls* be ambitious!

*Girls in an inclusive meaning

[discussion] dream dresses wishlist

Well, I now have fabric for 2 dresses (I bought more fabric on sale, what) and plenty of unworn brand/indie dresses, and 2 more preorders coming in. Though I probably won't get to posting about those until next year when they arrive. For now, I want to discuss all of my dream dresses, aka dresses (and items) I would love to own and would treasure forever, since it's the holidays and wishlist-making season.

1. Sakizo x Mary Magdalene Perfume Bottle JSK (2012) (already got)

• This is my favorite dress of all time because it is from a classic lolita brand that is hard to obtain outside Japan, one of the original classic brands alongside Victorian Maiden, and it is also designed by one of my favorite lolita-adjacent and fantasy artists, Sakizo. I could not ask for a more perfect dress, and in my desired colorway, mint whip. The pink, purple and brown colorways are also nice, but the mint color sets off the brown and pink in the perfume bottles just right. I was in shock to find this dress on lacemarket in the US and I immediately bought it for $381 (about $100 more than the actual price). Note the one piece dress is also wonderful, but I think it was tighter on the waist and also I felt the bib collar was too overwhelming. The JSK fits me still and is flattering and can even go sweet or hime instead of classic.  Anyway, once I got this dress, I didn't need any other dress, other dresses were just "nice to have" dresses, not dream dresses lol. Check my latest coord of this JSK in this post here and my first attempt to coord it here!

2.  any leopard print dress (currently looking for Angelic Pretty Rebecca Leopard as of October 2021)

• I love leopard print and I've been collecting leopard print dresses as they get released. Metamorphose is one of my favorite brands for releasing horribly tacky prints such as camo and leopard print. Angelic Pretty and Baby have also released some leopard print items over the years, especially in the form of fake fur accessories. I have collected leopard print from Taobao brands and also non-lolita Japanese brands like Swimmer. I feel like at this point, I've completed my collection (though I know I missed some fur accessories and Taobao releases) and will just attempt to buy the dresses as they come out. But should the opportunity arrive, I would love to get different cuts of some of them to fit better. For example, Jewel Leopard low waist JSK's zipper broke the first time I put it on and I haven't gotten around to fixing it because I hate zippers but I don't trust a tailor. Girly Leopard OP is too tight on the waist, I would like to get the JSK instead. Now I am waiting for the Rebecca Leopard to release in the US Angelic Pretty store, but not sure if I can get it since all cuts/styles are already sold out in Japan, yikes! Guess I'll wait for a scalper to resell it.

3. wa-lolita from Metamorphose, older styles pre 2014

• Metamorphose is the only major brand known for wa-lolita, from what I recall. A few of the gothic brands occasionally release kimono-fabric items such as skirts and purses, and Angelic Pretty does release wa or qi lolita dresses but they're more like custom made wedding dresses so I don't really count those. And of course, Taobao shops, for some reason the Chinese designers are ok with traditional Japanese clothing inspirations. (FYI, I feel anyone of any background can wear wa-lolita or qi-lolita if they wear it properly and at the right occasion, but that's my opinion as a Vietnamese-American, others can disagree and still be correct as this really depends on the environment and culture around you.)  Anyway, I already own my current favorites from Meta, Daydreaming Goldfish and Kaleidoscope of Fortune Deer, but I would like to get the older dresses that are full traditional kimono prints rather than cutesy illustrated border or accent prints. Those are harder to find second-hand in good condition, and also they most likely don't fit me now lol, so that's why they're on my lolibrary wishlist. This particular pink and red dress shown above matches a random hairbow I bought on Lacemarket, so I would like to get it first... However the waist seems to be 4cm too small (on a good day). Oh well!

4. Roland jacket or the "Alucard" Vargossa coat

• I have to admit I don't have the face for ouji anymore since I'm getting rounder, but it would be nice to have an Atelier Boz piece like the versatile Roland jacket. And I would never say no to the so-called Alucard coat by Alice and the Pirates, which I believe is the Vargossa coat. Should have bought the Roland jacket before Boz closed their shop, but I still have hope Aatp will re-release an Alucard-like coat someday since they're not easy to find secondhand... Of course, it's too hot in Texas to wear coats a lot, so they will be worn only twice a year at most, but I would cherish them dearly.

That's my current wishlist of dream items for 2021!  If you see any of these being sold secondhand for a reasonable markup and in good condition (doesn't have to be perfect), let me know! If any of you are looking for wishlist items, I hope you get them this season as well. Take care.

Edit - OH WAIT. I forgot one more dress, it's a denim dress, yes, you got it, I want a jolita dress lol. I believe Atelier Boz made one, but yes, that's the ultimate dress for me!

[discussion?] my journey into and out of Japanese street-fashion (lolita, gyaru, himekaji/larme)

I initially had worked on a longer post about how to incorporate all of my favorite styles into my wardrobe, but  one, that was boring and two, I felt like it was more important to talk about how I got into J-fashion, what I learned about myself in doing so, and why I feel like moving on, or more accurately, evolving.

Obviously, I got into lolita as a Japanese street fashion back in ye olden days, at the height of visual kei and Malice Mizer's influence on the scene, when anime was just starting to get shown in America. With my friends, I fell in love with visual kei music as a natural consequence of liking anime and the music in anime openings/endings (L'Arc-en-ciel, X-Japan, etc). I got into gothic lolita as a wearable form of my love for visual kei, since it was officially recognized by Mana in his Moi Meme Moitie clothing line, and I also preferred that mysterious and brooding aura over the other street styles seen in Fruits magazines.

Since then, I've moved onto classical and sweet lolita and other substyles.  But to me, Japanese street fashion has always been about the culture of rebelling against Japanese (or mainstream) society; getting a 9 to 5 job, marrying and having kids, living in society looking like how everyone expects you to. Of course, the clothes are the main draw since they just look cool, but more than that, I love the punk nature of wearing street fashion made popular by youths to visually express themselves, what they like, what they don't like. What never fully appealed to me about Western punk and gothic fashion and culture, I felt that Japanese fashions somehow nailed that attitude, by making it cute and historically influenced and a little more relaxed on the "rules." With Japanese fashion, I could express what American punks and goths wanted to express, but more wearable and attuned to what I already like (anime, history, cute stuff) and way less judgement because at the time, it was new and unique and unlike any Western subcultures already out there.

(Read more here...)

[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!

[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!

LARME magazine and "larme kei" - Youtube video!

Made a short 3 min video on YouTube about LARME magazine and "larme kei" (or "girlish") fashion!

https://youtu.be/XBzOs5qRR44

I decided I don't like hearing my voice so I doubt I'll return to things that require me to listen to myself, but it was still fun and I hope you got something useful out of this video lol.

Featured dress is Miho Matsuda with the cutest cherry lace, a sheer H&M blouse, a Liz Lisa shoulder bag, some handmade offbrand headband and hair bows, and pair of black bow booties. It looks simple compared to a whole lolita coord, but still reflects that cute and sophisticated girlish fashion that I feel embodies the Larme magazine image.

[discussion] gatekeeping in lolita

[crossposted from Tumblr] 

Too long for twitter post, but I do want to say something about lolita fashion while I’m still active here lol.  This post is all my honest opinion, it’s not the “facts”, but it’s a thorough explanation about something I care about, and made in entirely good faith with no intent to upset anyone.

[discussion] Lolita Blog Carnival - 5 Things That Didn't Work

Sorry, it's been too hot in Texas for me to want to rewear my A-kon ouji coords for proper outfit photos and rundown. So here is a belated lolita blog carnival topic that I chose to do, 5 plans that didn't pan out!

1. Fairy kei - I like pastel colors in general, and cute motifs and retro mascots, but on me, fairy kei style doesn't look good, sadly. This coord below was a really fun outfit to plan because I love going over the top with accessories, but the wig wasn't the most flattering shade of pink to my skin tone in real life with no instagram filters, rocking horse shoes felt weird to wear, and I was uncomfortable trying to project a cutesy fun attention-grabbing aura that wasn't my usual personality. Even with this Angelic Pretty Fantastic Dolly getup with a lot of black polka dots and classy French make-up motifs mixed with the kawaii, it was not something I want to wear again. So I sold the dress! Though I still have the jewelry I bought lmao... I guess I have hope someday of pulling a casual fairy-key look off.

2. Boleros - I bought a handful of boleros and cardigans with the intent of wearing them for layers or warmth over a blouse-less jsk outfit. But they look really shapeless and old-grandma on me, never fitting smoothly over puff-sleeve blouses or ruffly bodices, or mismatching in general. Basically, they have been more trouble to coord than they were worth. I think structured military jackets fit my personal style better, because they are thick enough to squish down puffs and frills for a smooth silhouette and also I can wear them every day in real life. Multi-use, hell yeah!

3. Princess Sleeve Blouse - also something I thought I would like. They look good on other people, but I would end up dragging my sleeves in food or get them caught on velcro or chains. Princess sleeves I think don't look so great on someone with extra small arms, they are an overwhelming feature. Perhaps a slimmer not as dramatic ruffle would have looked better on me. I sold this blouse, too.

4. These Bodyline shoes - shoes are always a source of regret for me because my feet always hurt even in comfortable old grandma sneakers but that's more me getting old and having nerve pain, not the shoes' fault. I bought these shoes because they were cheap and had an interchangeable crown panel that would have been cute for a steampunk look. But somehow this brown was difficult to match with my wardrobe at the time, and I decided in the end I didn't want to relive the 90s clunky block-heel shoe look and go for a slimmer (but more painful) heel instead. Lol.

5. Meta Lucky Pack blouse - I gave this blouse away because I felt like wide ruffly peter pan collars were not for me. Smaller sized round collars look best on me, no one has told me otherwise, but this particular cut was too baggy for my tastes.  Notice a pattern here? One day I will get a blouse in a Meta lucky pack that I will like!!! 

Anyway, I have a lot of regrets and plans that didn't work out. I am not a perfect dresser by any means. But hey, you learn from your mistakes, you try to teach others, and keep trying to improve or at least not get worse. Everything you buy has value then.

[discussion] Summer Hairstyle Ideas part 2

Piggy-backing on last year's entry, I made a new collage of slightly more current hair styles for spring and summer! Just like last year, I focused on hair styles that could potentially be done with natural hair (although I'm sure like half of these are wigs). For example, hair without bangs/fringe, side parts, natural/curly hair, or braids and updos that can bring hair off the back of the neck for a breezy summer look. As quintessential as the dolly look of blunt cut bangs and long ringlet curls is to the lolita aesthetic, sometimes you want options to stand out from the rest of the crowd, or fix up your own hair on an extra hot day when you would rather not wear a wig. I gathered these looks from various Gothic Lolita Bibles, Kera magazines and photoshoots for current release dresses from the brand sites. Hope this is of interest to you!

I am really liking the thick braids, ribbon braids, and puffy twin buns. I kinda wish we could see the back of the head for the up dos in the center!

[discussion] 2017 EGL community annual wardrobe post

Hello, I've actually had this lolita blog for over 1 year now, because here is the second annual wardrobe post I've made! We made it! The actual 2017 post is on my livejournal, but I will repost it here. Sorry in advance for the large images again. Anyway, I'm really proud of this wardrobe, got a lot of animal print, cute socks, a good variety. I don't really have a lot of things to add, but I would love it if these darn blouses and socks and shoes match the dresses better. Anyway, time to get to wearing these in public at least once this year before I buy new stuff.

Original LJ post: http://insomniel.livejournal.com/941645.html

Main Pieces: 24 brand and indie dresses! 3 Innocent World, 1 Moi Meme Moitie, 7 Metamorphose, 5 Baby/AaTP, 3 Angelic Pretty, 1 R-series, 1 Haenuli, 1 Mary Magdalene, 2 Taobao brands

Skirts: 6 total, 2 more Bodyline and 1 Meta, Shorts are the same from last year

Jackets/Coats: added a Dear Celine white jacket

Vests/Boleros: added steampunk stuff

Blouses: some Taobao additions, 1 Meta luckypack blouse

Cutsews: added 2 more, forgot to take a pic of the punk top

Hair Accessories and Jewelry: some handmade stuff and indie brand included!

Purses: added 2

Shoes: got a new pair of gold and brown heels, brown boots, those pink Rocking Horses I'm not sure about lol

Socks/Tights: so many... some I haven't even worn yet lmao

[resources] Style and Fashion and Sewing Blogs

For my own reference, here is a list of style blogs I currently follow that have updated within the past 6 months, since a lot have been abandoned probably permanently and I keep forgetting which ones. 

Blogging is hard work and I have nothing but admiration for every blogger out there working on a single topic blog, keeping them updated at a reasonable timetable, especially females who are criticized for having "opinions" or who are also raising a family but continue to pursue their hobbies somehow. Even if it seems like easy work to write about something you love and that you are sometimes fortunate enough to make a little money writing about, it is equally easy to fall off schedule due to real life or run out of things to talk about or get overwhelmed by critical comments or other things. I hope these fashion bloggers continue their posting, because I personally appreciate long and thoughtfully written posts with information and opinions and links just as much as I appreciate a series of beautiful photos, if not more. I mean, Instagram and Twitter have their uses, but I follow just enough people (on Twitter anyway) to not know where I stopped reading my feed if I miss even one day. Who knows how many insights and updates I never saw. A blog is something easier to catch up on... especially if updates are like twice a month lol.

Lolita: Sewing

http://dixmacabre.blogspot.com/

http://lefashionablecupcake.blogspot.com/

http://lotvdesigns.tumblr.com/

http://lifessweetessentials.com/

http://mylolitahandmade.tumblr.com/

Lolita: Style

http://buttcape.blogspot.com/

http://marietuonetar.blogspot.com/

http://sanakanin.tumblr.com/

http://shadow-walk.tumblr.com/

http://fannyrosie.tumblr.com/

Hime/Gyaru and Western Style and Cosplay

http://emiiichan.blogspot.com/

http://www.extrapetite.com/

http://cationdesigns.blogspot.com/

[discussion] Summer Hairstyle Ideas

[disclaimer: I am not a professional hairdresser by any means, these are merely my observations based on experience and reading a bunch of Japanese fashion magazines, obviously you can do whatever you want and shine on in your particular style, just dooo it]

Hey all, this is a lolita hairstyle overview post for all of you people who wonder if there is anything else you can do with your hair besides the prototypical blunt straight across bangs with varying lengths of curls. Especially in the south, where it is so hot and humid you can bake cookies and fry eggs on your car, lolitas start looking for options to wigs + hair accessories + drowning in sweat.  If you are not dedicated to wearing a short bobbed wig or attaching the perfect fringe to your natural hair, or if you're a lifestyle lolita and just want to wear your own hair with lolita once in a while, please keep on reading for tips and example photos of hairstyles that have apparently been approved by the designers and editors (for better or worse lmao.) Some of these are excellent options to style natural hair without bangs, and some are creative ways to make an updo for natural hair and wigs, with or without bangs, to keep hair off the back of your neck and stay cool.

The latest trends include textured flattened fishtail braids with ribbons and flowers, very popular with gyaru and larme kei the past 2 seasons and also showing up in Western styles. Also you can see here various asymmetrical and symmetrical styles: centered symmetrical hair accessories such as maxi pad style headdresses or centered hairbows look ideal with symmetrical hairstyles (mostly with bangs), but that is just a guideline, side swept hair can still pull off symmetrical hair accessories if you believe enough.

I also highly recommend these youtube tutorials from lolita-tips, especially for natural hair! http://lolita-tips.tumblr.com/post/24798938231/a-guide-to-lolita-hair-tutorials

If you have very long hair with no bangs, Fanny Rosie has tons of coord pics with perfectly styled hair. Unfortunately no tutorials. (Wait she just posted some lol) 

http://fannyrosie.tumblr.com/

For very short hair or ouji, I do not have as many reference photos from the magazines or official sites. Outfits for ouji tend to include hats, which aren't exactly hot-weather items, although styles that are more gothic and visual kei/punk have a little more variety. Faux hawks, colorful extensions and braids, shaved hair are often seen with Black Peace Now, Putumayo and H. Naoto. Otherwise, mostly hats if anything, maybe some flower crowns or mini crowns or bobby pins.

I personally have straight flat hair, no bangs, that does not lend itself to curling or styling, so I am in the group of lolitas who wear wigs no matter how hot. But for casual outdoors events, I do wear a hime gyaru half-updo with a headband and various flowers and hairpins. If... I care that much anyway lol.

Whatever you do, do not pull your hair back into a plain ponytail unless you are wearing Meta's poodle skirts from a while back. Even a bun would be better. While some people may disagree, especially if they're lifestylers, I still believe that a lolita dream dress you spent hours working to purchase deserves at least 5 minutes of hair styling, even if that 5 minutes consists of you brushing your hair and putting on a hat. 

Anyway, if you have good photos or links to share, feel free to comment!