[diy] upcycled Larme-kei Liz Lisa dupe from shirt

Now for a thrift-flip or upcycle of a regular men’s shirt into a cute larme or girly style skirt inspired by Liz Lisa and Otome no Sewing! Check my blog post below for the details of how I made this skirt.

 

https://starsbegantofall.com/2026/06/17/fashion-liz-lisa-larme-skirt-upcycle-from-a-shirt/ 

[coord] International Lolita Day, Winter 2024!

 Yet another International Lolita Day for the books. Check out the coord for Girly Leopard from Angelic Pretty on my website!

 

 

[one piece dress: Angelic Pretty; hairband, rings: Liz Lisa; hairbow: Milk; shoes: Taobao; tights, necklace: Forever 21; earrings: Daiso]

 

https://starsbegantofall.com/2024/12/07/fashion-international-lolita-day-winter-2024/

[coord] Happy International Gyaru Day! 10/09!

Check out my impromptu himekaji and gyaru coords for Gyaru Day today! I also included links to the past gyaru coords on this blog as well, but you can just click the himekaji or gyaru (or I guess it's just hime gyaru) tags for related posts. Though I never have the energy to do my hair (and sometimes nails), I at least attempted the makeup today haha.

https://starsbegantofall.com/2024/10/09/fashion-happy-international-gyaru-day-10-09/

[coord] Barbie-core lookbook! video clip

Check out my latest entry on my Barbiecore lookbook video! I came up with 5 very spontaneous pink and Barbie-related outfits and painstakingly created a 4 second video using a soundclip from the Barbie movie. It seriously took hours to make a short video lol. But I love most of the outfits and wanted to share.

https://starsbegantofall.com/2023/08/18/fashion-hi-barbie-barbie-lookbook-video/

[coords] some Liz Lisa coords

 I have two cute Liz Lisa coords to show today! The first is my ideal example of what larme-kei is like (although to be honest, larme-kei is not much like this anymore lol) and the second is a more hime-kaji style. If you look at Liz Lisa's latest releases, they are not so gyaru or himekaji anymore, I would describe them as unspecifically cute and trendy Shibuya-kawaii. But hey, I can work with their darker colors as long as I get cute shoes from them!

I wore this black coord with pieces that I had been collecting for a few years to the Final Fantasy Distant Worlds orchestra concert (the FF7 remake) in August. Of course, you usually wear black semi-formal to a night at symphony hall, so I was excited to wear this unworn Liz Lisa dress with overskirt. I couldn't fit the belt, it was like 3 inches too small even on the largest hole lol. You can't see it due to my hair, but I also found the Eat Me hairtie from the Larme magazine, here my hairstyle was intended to reflect Aeris from Final Fantasy 7. Anyway, I love this outfit, it was stylish and special-occasion enough to get nice comments at the concert, but also cute and comfortable (without the belt). Although I might advise wearing plain nude socks under lace socks because getting sweaty feet in close-toed shoes felt gross.

[Dress, socks, shoes: Liz Lisa; hairtie: Eat Me; ring: Chocomint; other jewelry: handmade, off brand]

Next, I got a gifted yellow Liz Lisa dress from a fellow lolita from out of town that finally made its way to me. As I've mentioned multiple times in this blog, most pastel shades do not work so great with my yellow-olive Southeast Asian skin tone, but I felt like I made a decent looking casual summer-farewell coord, at least after running beauty cam filters on it, but even in a mirror it looked okay. I remembered to mosaic my face this time, too lol. I don't have a lot of gyaru appropriate sandals, but I love these star ones from Forever 21 which I almost never wear. The best part of summer coords is straw hats and bags, I haven't bought any specific j-fashion ones, so I just decorated a hat from Daiso with a handmade wreath and some random flower clips, and it worked out fine.

[Dress, earrings, hair clips, tote, rings: Liz Lisa; other clip: a Korean store; necklace: Peppermint Fox; sandals: Forever 21; hat: Daiso, decorated]

[coord] Ikea curtain dress - handmade larme-kei walkthrough

 I finally, after several years of saying I would, sewed my very own Ikea curtain dress, which was a fad amongst dressmakers on the interwebs some time ago. I will go over the pattern I used, from Gothic Lolita Bible 62, some tips of how to put it together, and then how I styled it as a normie versus a larme-kei lolita.

I bought this Ikea curtain which goes by "Charmerande," found it in the discount bin because there was just 1 panel with its tie and it looked a little bit stained after closer inspection, but for like 10 or 15 dollars, that was a steal. It languished in my fabric bin for years, before I finally picked a pattern from my numerous Japanese sewing books to construct a dress.

Here is the pattern I finally chose after so much agonizing. This is from the brand Royal Princess Alice and is a simple partially shirred jumperskirt with a lined bodice and side zipper. Really basic, the only different part about this dress is that the lining is part outer fashion fabric and part lining so the majority of the bodice secretly retains the light slipperiness of the lining fabric, but you wouldn't know from the top because it is faced partly with fashion fabric. I guess that's the special part of this dress, hence the photo highlighting it.

Anyway, the pieces are pretty self-explanatory if you have made this type of jsk before, but I can only read a little bit of Japanese so there are a few instances I just made up the steps based on similar dress pattern directions.  The first step is to sew the facing fashion fabric to the lining fabric pieces to make 1 whole inner layer piece for the front center bodice, the side bodice pieces and back side bodice pieces. Then sew the lining layer pieces and outer front layer pieces separately as usual. Interestingly, the back shirring panel has only 3 elastic channels and 3 sets of ribbon loops which I feel looks a little sparse, and is constructed differently than the rest of the bodice. Next, make the straps and pin them to the front bodice, then sew the outer and inner layers together as usual. Attach the back pieces together, including the back shirring elastic panel and sew up one side of the back to the front, leaving the other side detached so you can insert the zipper. (Note, you can do all this any order that you want that makes the most sense to you, this is just how I did it because I hadn't sewn a zipper dress in a while lol). Sew the skirt, gather and attach to the bodice as usual, then insert the side zipper and hook closure as usual.

Add a pocket if you want, this is your dress!

Because this is a pre-hemmed curtain, I left the length long to mid-calf or midi length to maximize the cute border pattern and not have to hem because I hate hemming lol. I did finish the seams with French seams and bias binding so this dress can be machine washed as it is 100% cotton. I forgot to buy the appropriate satin ribbon for the back lacing so I used scrapbook dotted ribbon but it kinda matches. Then I also made 2 bows, one from the plain pink fabric and one from the lacy dotted pattern side for the chest bow and headband.

Now here is how I styled it!

[dress: handmade; necklace: Claire's; earrings, blouse, rings: Liz Lisa; heels, bracelet: off-brand; other ring: Bisou Lovely and Chocomint(?)]

The left side is just the normcore sundress look, I could blend in with the normies with hair in a bun and bow attached to fabric-covered band, maybe a cropped black cardigan on top. The right side is a larme-kei inspired look using a Liz Lisa blouse that actually looks terrible with my skin tone but I'm pretending it complements me. I just love the black details combined with pink though, sweet and romantic but also striking and unique.

Anyway, I hope that makes sense, I'm not great at giving instructions and I probably made this as not as conveniently as possible because I avoid zippers and side zippers are also different from center back zippers which are more common. But this dress turned out well despite that, since I finished the seams including the pocket, very convenient! I have a few scraps left, so I made a scrunchie and could possibly make a matching facemask or choker from the rest, who knows. What I would change for this dress if I ever use the pattern again is to make the shirring panel a little wider because this was quite tight with a blouse underneath and also fix my crooked French seams lol.

Now time to convince myself the pink complements my skin tone and I can wear this out when the times become precedented again...

[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.

[coord] J-fashion Himekaji/gyaru!

 I signed up for the Japanese-fashion style walk for Okashi-con (at home!) this summer and was featured in their virtual runway show! I just wanted to share the two outfits I put together plus a third that did not make it.  All 3 are Liz Lisa centered with my latest purchases!

First is the Liz Lisa Sunflower check dress in mint, with pink Liz Lisa heels. Necklace is Baby the Stars Shine Bright and off brand/indie earrings and bracelets.

Next is Liz Lisa cameo jumperskirt in pink with pink jute Liz Lisa sandals and Milk barrette and ring, with My Melody necklace!  The featured purse is also Liz Lisa perfume bottle in pink.

I don't have a good worn photo, but here is the Liz Lisa x My Melody 2019 collab flatlay I put together for a reference of how I want to wear it sometime when it's not so hot lmao. I added Baby logo hair bows because the pink matches somewhat. Anyway, flatlays are cute for lolita because they are so elaborate, but it's really the hair and makeup (and nails for gyaru) that really make the himekaji/larme look complete!

[coord] My Melody x Liz Lisa hime gyaru

Heyo... I should have another lolita event for Halloween and I do have the beginnings of a coord for that one, but the weather is still a bit warm and humid, so here is a hime gyaru outfit with this Liz Lisa My Melody one piece I got on clearance! I also bought these My Melody shoes from Taobao and I do have a My Melody purse and socks but the pinks didn't match so you are spared from that travesty.

[dress and purse: Liz Lisa, headband: Angelic Pretty, necklace: Daiso, bracelets and socks and shoes: off-brand, rings: H&M and Forever 21 and handmade]

As you can see, I love wearing hime gyaru and fairy kei in Texas summers, I hate sweating in my lolita clothes, getting gross armpit and collar stains on my somewhat expensive blouses. No way. Plus you could layer on fairy kei and gyaru in the winters, although the spontaneous breeziness could get lost under the coat and sweaters. Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter.

[coords] Other Japanese fashion styles besides lolita

Even though I have been interested in lolita for the most consistent amount of time, I also enjoy the other Japanese fashion styles. Back in the old days, I admired young Japanese people for trying to break out of the mold that society has built for them through fashion, even if just for a little while, it was pretty inspiring, no matter what the style. As mentioned some posts ago, I got into lolita through visual kei, so I liked visual kei, gothic and punk styles a lot. I got into the Fruits magazine through my friends, though I was never much of a decora person myself. I also admired the lavish princess materialism lifestyle of hime and gyaru that I would see in anime/manga. Everything was cool to me, especially compared to the alternative fashions in America which were just not as cute and flattering and quality-obsessed at the time. (Jnco anyone?) I think the quality of alt fashion in America has only improved by now because of ability to get things overseas lol.

Here is a hime gyaru coord focusing on a Liz Lisa one piece I got in a lucky pack on my trip to Japan in 2014. I never wore it because pastels in this combination don't look so great on me, and the long-sleeve but short-skirt combo in a synthetic chiffon material felt weird. But I gave it the good old college try and I thought it looked actually nice in the end!

Liz Lisa onepiece, Forever 21 jewelry and hair accessories, and off-brand crown, hairclip, purse with Guess platform sandals.

Now the thing I love most about Jesus Diamante and Liz Lisa are the shoes, but I could never justify the price/shipping from Japan for them since I never wear heels. But yep, shoes covered with roses and puff-balls and feathers and crystals, the dream. I think big sparkly deco gyaru nails and short frill white socks would make this outfit better, but I'm too lazy to get those. My inspiration for hime gyaru style is of course, emi-chan, I highly recommend her blog for constant updates on the state of Liz Lisa releases, larme-kei and all things gyaru.

Here I did 2 ouji outfits in a burst of motivation one night, and then was too drained to follow through lmao. All coords were made using items I never really wore or had been trying to sell but no one ever bought, and I just wanted to give them some loving.

Fan Plus Friend blouse, Putumayo socks, Innocent World shoes, Alice and the Pirates shorts, Spin Doctor vest, offbrand hat and accessories.

The reason I never wore this blouse was because of course, the shade of red didn't match any other red item I owned, annoying but not surprising! I think a black jacket would have made a good addition, maybe lessened the mismatching blacks/reds, but the two I had were frumpy looking and I didn't want to mess with it at the time.

Alice and the Pirates blouse, Fan Plus Friend corset and hat, Zara jacket, Baroque x Sakizo tights, offbrand shorts, shoes, handmade accessories.

My inspiration for this look was my friend Tiffany, who lived in Japan for a year and always comes up with great unique coords, especially mori kei style. I love the look of mori and dolly kei, but by the time I finish putting on all those layers, I'm sweating buckets, so I went for a natural-kei ouji look here, like a woodland fairy prince. At least my legs were cool-ish. Those Sakizo tights needed wearing, anyway.

I had intended to give dolly-kei, mori-kei and fairy-kei a try, but 1) I didn't have enough clothing pieces to make a full cohesive outfit and 2) it was hot and I was lazy. Which is pretty much the limiting factor for everything I do in this world! But soon, I think I might have enough for OTT sweet lolita and then possibly fairy-kei/cult-party kei. Keep an eye out for those in the summer!