handmade lolita dresses showcase #2

Continuing from a 5 year old post about my beginner days in lolita when I couldn't get brand and so I sewed my dresses, here is part two of my handmade dresses wardrobe, with recent additions of accessories and items from Otome no Sewing! Read part one here! 

This skirt I actually got from another lolita on the egl Livejournal community (like 10 years ago back when it was active lol) and we did a skirt exchange. I sewed a similar looking classic lolita skirt in navy blue jacquard.  My partner sent me this Victorian Maiden-esque skirt with deep red trim and a small fat quarter size of the pink floral fabric. I used the remainder to make a miniature hat trimmed with flowers and ribbons and also made a waist bow, the hat pattern was from Otome no Sewing volume 5 (?) and the dimensions based off a handmade hat I purchased from a lolita. I wore this skirt for class sometimes and look forward to composing a more classic coord with the new hat.

I purchased about one meter of this woodland animal fabric from a Japanese seller online years ago.  I tried to make a bodice with attached half/bustle skirt from a generic Western pattern, but did not have enough fabric for a proper skirt, even half of one, so it languished in my projects bin.  I ended up making this top with a half shirred back recently, but have gained so much weight I can't put this on anymore lol. To be honest, I might just scrap this entire thing and sew a tote or zipper bag or something. The fabric is too thick for a summery top or hair accessory, and not enough to sew a jacket. We'll see!

I purchased several yards of toile fabric from a fellow lolita online and made a tutorial on how to sew this old-school skirt on livejournal here! The photo quality is so bad, sorry.  Then I also sewed the top with a half-shirred back (can you see I hate zippers) probably to test out the Western pattern for a Princess Peach costume. The most recent addition to this outfit is an old-school flat rectangle headdress from Otome No Sewing volume 3 or 5.  If I can find a good wig, I will try to wear this coord again.

This toile fabric was also bought from the same lolita, and I sewed this a-line dress from Otome No Sewing volume 3 with some light blue scraps leftover from cosplay. Most recently I sewed a knot headband for a more retro look, I already sewed a hairbow previously, but of course I still have several more yards with which I can sew a whole other dress if I wanted to. I just haven't decided if I want to attempt another rococo dress like the pink dress or something more casual. See older worn photos here!

Anyway, I really like the variety in these dresses and coming up with new hair accessories from my Otome no Sewing books for them. For the record, sewing a hat is very hard and I don't like how floppy this miniature hat is, but it will do for now. Right now I'm taking a break from sewing to work on Halloween costumes and actually taking worn photos, however, I kinda like these flatlays and mannequin shots, too. I have 2 old pieces to redo (my first ever gothic dress and a gothic skirt), plus my AP replica attempt, and maybe another project or two!

handmade dresses showcase #1

Continuing from a 5 year old post about my beginner days in lolita when I couldn't get brand and so I sewed my dresses, here is an updated post, with additions to the old dresses plus new creations from Otome no Sewing.

The top left off-white dress was resewn in 2014, when I first got the Otome no Sewing volume 3. It had originally been a zip-up one-piece with puff sleeves a bustle front, but I decided to repurpose the zipper for a cosplay. The only difference here (besides the fully shirred back) is I attached a small bow to the bodice and used the big waist bow as a hairbow. I have not worn this because the fit isn't great, it was just practice to see if I can follow along instructions in Japanese with a very limited knowledge of hiragana/katakana.

The bottom left floral dress was originally sewn in 2011 from an English sundress pattern, with a fuller skirt and ruffle with brown trim. I sewed down the ruffle, added a waist bow and made a very elegant Victorian Maiden style hairbow with attached crystal beads at the ends. I haven't worn this recently but I think I might just because it looks cute and can even be worn as normie clothing.

The top right pink stripe dress was originally sewn in 2012 also from an English pattern with slightly fuller skirt. I used the leftover scraps to add a bodice bow and two small hairbows (if I had hair clips to spare). As this dress is strapless, I would have to wear a blouse with it, although I have gained a lot of weight in 8 years, so maybe it will stay up better.

The bottom right skirt and bonnet were sewn in 2018/2019. The skirt is just a plain rectangular skirt from a nursery cotton fabric made to fit a wider variety of sizes, while the bonnet was sewn from Otome no Sewing 3 or 5, again to see if I can draft my own pattern and sew along. The bonnet is a little big even for my head, but once I sew a blouse from scratch, I might try this on.

It was actually fun to revisit these dresses and use up my fabric scraps to try to add some flair now that I've been in the fashion for so long. Like I've said before, sewing lolita dresses can be extremely time intensive and frustrating even for experienced and formally trained sewists, but also very rewarding when they turn out as you have imagined.  I will try to wear some example coords since the weather has cooled down a bit. Stay tuned for the next posts in which I continue to go through my handmade wardrobe, I have sewn a solid amount since I started wearing lolita, lol. 

[discussion, resources] Thrifting and DIY lolita Youtubers and Instagrammers

Welp, I think it is safe to say no one is blogging anymore, at least not updating very often, so I am here to update my previous links to bloggers from 2016 now with new links to v-loggers and Instagram users for 2020!  Note the sewing category is for sewists who post about sewing such as tutorials or detailed construction notes, or who have their own fashion lines. I will be updating my previous handmade/DIY post with more notes, so stay tuned for that!

2016 links updated

Lolita: Sewing

http://dixmacabre.blogspot.com/ --> also active on instagram and tumblr

http://lefashionablecupcake.blogspot.com/ --> no longer active? 

http://lotvdesigns.tumblr.com/ --> also active on instagram

http://lifessweetessentials.com/ --> website down, active on instagram and their shop Ikemon Mode

http://mylolitahandmade.tumblr.com/ --> no longer in Lolita :(

Lolita: Style

http://buttcape.blogspot.com/ --> moved to stephano.me, also active on instagram

http://marietuonetar.blogspot.com/ --> active on instagram

http://sanakanin.tumblr.com/ --> no longer in Lolita?

http://shadow-walk.tumblr.com/ --> moved to https://arthael.tumblr.com/ but no longer active?

http://fannyrosie.tumblr.com/ --> also active on instagram

New Youtube links for Sewing!

Yumiking Style - lifestyle and fashion and beauty (more loli than lolita if you know what I mean)

Justine Chantelle - lifestyle and fashion, with upcycling tutorials

Melon Bread - fashion with lots of tutorials for beginners

Mode a la Belle - fashion/cosplay with livestreamed tutorials, also has a blog here!

Auris Lothol - fashion and cosplay and historical costuming, with tutorials

Finally if you haven't subscribed to LovelyLor and Scarfing Scarves, then please do, they are very current and helpfully answer questions or address topics that other bloggers may not touch upon. There are a few more youtubers and instagrammers I haven't linked to, not to mention nearly all of the big brand accounts are very thorough these days. I just feel like these are most relevant to me and my interests, hence why they are highlighted! 

[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] Mad Hatter Tea at the Farmers Branch Historical Park

A friend invited me and the gang to an all ages tea party near our old stomping grounds at the city historical park. I have not actually been to this park, so it was nice to walk around after the tea party, which was quite nice for just $20. The food and drink was plentiful and good quality, they had polaroids with dressed up characters and yard games and cute Alice in Wonderland decor everywhere. I hope they continue running events!

[Jumperskirt: Mary Magdalene; blouse: Innocent World maybe; shoes: Bodyline (boots), Sosic Shop (heels); jacket: Victorian Maiden; tights: Baroque; purse: Innocent World; hat: handmade online; necklace: BB and B; earrings: Angelic Pretty]

I no longer had any specific Alice in Wonderland dresses, but I did have themed tights, so I rewore one of my first and favorite dresses into a much better coord. The Perfume Bottle JSK was designed by artist Sakizo, who also designed these Alice in Wonderland tights that are pretty close to the same color scheme. I also found this hat I purchased from copetilloarts.com and added a few brown ribbons to tie it into the colors of the JSK. And of course, my sweets necklace given as a birthday present, mint and pastels. The wig was heavy and frizzy by the end of the day, but overall this coord was a thousand times better than my first hime attempt. Huzzah! Improvement!

[coord] Holiday Tea at the Alexander Mansion (year 2)

My last lolita meet of the year was with my local comm in Dallas, and I revisited the Alexander Mansion for their European Holiday Tea again! It was a feast for the eyes and belly, the rooms were decorated wonderfully, although there was less of a craft market that day, we got to explore more rooms upstairs. I did not have a specific holiday dress, so I wore my new Arcadian Deer Four Elements of Astrology Fire Signs dress ordered from lolitawardrobe.com.

[Onepiece, bonnet: Arcadian Deer (Taobao); blouse: Innocent World, shoes: Secret Shop/off brand; socks: Angelic Pretty; necklace, earrings rings, hairpins: Kumacrafts, Forever 21, H&M, Hot Topic, offbrand]

I rewore my gold and pearl nails from the A-kon tea party and tested out a new auburn-brown wig, which was all right. The socks are not an exact match thematically, but I like the over the top gold/grey detail on them anyway lol. I think if I wore a less-wrinkly blouse, this would have been a perfect coord, but as it is, I don't like the feel of chiffon blouses, so wrinkly cotton blouses it is. Here is a shot of one of the upstairs storage rooms, so romantic.

[coord/meet] Okashi-con J-fashion "Magica Marina" mixer!

I attended Okashi-con as an artist alley artist and also went to the mixer with special guest Kimura U! I didn't really have a marine-themed dress that was summery so I just borrowed Cat's Baby mermaid dress and bought Mintymix's pastel rainbow bob wig and it was perfect! No detailed shots since this was a borrowed dress, lol.

[Dress, hairbow: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright; blouse: Innocent World; shoes: off-brand; mermaid tights: Etsy; necklace: Sanrio; badge: Preciousbbz, Kimura U; hair accessories: Daiso, Forever 21]

Anyway, the mixer was really cute with a DJ, fun drinks, cute ocean-themed backdrops for snapshots and a favor bag full of goodies and postcards. I had a good time even if we didn't have a crafting section like last year.