[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, diy] handmade Otome no Sewing dress - Asian print #2

 I sewed another dress using a different pattern from the same Otome no Sewing volume as my koi fish dress, with the second Asian print cotton I bought at Joann's. This time it's generic pink and earth-tone scenery with bamboo and plum/cherry blossoms and chrysanthemums and birds and a pagoda building. My favorite part of this print is the gold foil accents, it makes a dull brown color scheme stand out, great for autumnal vibes or Earth Kingdom from Avatar. Now I originally wanted to make a blouse and/or skirt from this fabric, but after working on the koi fish dress, I felt the cotton for both prints was too thick to make a comfortable blouse. Obviously it was meant for quilting rather than fashion, but it was still very stiff and scratchy to touch after machine washing and drying. So I decided to make another shirred back jsk, inspired by a wa/qi themed example dress in the mook.

I made some changes to the pattern as I only bought 2 yards of fabric and this needed over 2 meters for a size large. First, I lined the bodice with leftover white cotton muslin. I also lengthened the skirt a little but that meant the ruffle was not as full, so I took the fullness out from the back ruffle which you normally wouldn't be looking at anyway. Instead of sewing a fabric ruffle trim as shown in one of the versions, I used flat cotton lace from Daiso that I gathered. The technique for how to put the dress together was also different from any other shirred back dress I've made before, and I think I prefer it so far. Let me know if you want in on the secret. This time I added no pockets, but hear me out, it's not flattering to put pockets in a high-cut dress like this because it will squish the petticoat oddly, make you look like a squash gourd.  Also I was lazy.

[jsk: handmade; blouse: Yesstyle; tights: off-brand maybe Forever 21; necklace: Forever 21; flower brooches/pins: handmade, Taobao, Michael's maybe; shoes (not shown): Bodyline]

I am very pleased with how this dress turned out, even though it's not a flattering cut (as with most baby-doll dresses), that just make it super comfortable and perfect for eating a lot of snacks and drinking a lot of tea. Unfortunately, I ended up with only a handful of fabric scraps and could make just 2 tiny bows, which I might add some tassels to and pin to the dress somewhere. (Notice the photo has no bow tassels on the dress, that's because I didn't have the right color in my stash and I'm too lazy to buy some.) Because I ran out of fabric, there are no matching hair accessories for this dress lol. I looked in my closet and surprisingly couldn't find anything suitable except flowers. But that's okay, qi/wa lolita doesn't need big old bonnets or hairbows or clips, you can do just fine with flowers! Mighty convenient.

That's it for my Asian-inspired lolita dress series, though I might post a worn photo once I buy some tassels. Check out my insta for some larme/Liz Lisa fashion, I might make another post focusing on kawaii J-fashion that's not lolita if I have enough outfits. Currently, I have fabric set aside for one more lolita dress that I'm super excited to see how it turns out, but before I get back to stash-busting, it's the season for struggling with my historical costume and cosplays. Wish me luck lmao.

[walkthrough] how to sew a dress from otome no sewing - image heavy!

In case anyone is interested in how to sew from Otome no Sewing, I've made a quick walkthrough of how I made my recent koi fish jumperskirt (Otome no Sewing volume 14, page 15 #25). This tutorial is meant for intermediate sewers who have sewing machines, if you are a true beginner, I recommend picking up a sewing book or checking out newbie tutorials on Youtube.

For those of you who are little more experienced, I highly recommend Mode a la Belle's youtube channel and blog for detailed instructions on how to sew from Otome no Sewing, as well as Simplicity and drafting your own patterns. They also scan in and generate dress patterns, here's the jsk that I chose to make that you can actually purchase at their online shop and print out your size range and make on your own. A true lolita sewist's resource!

If you can't read Japanese, which I'm assuming is most people reading this English blog, here is a very helpful blog that translates common terms and whole patterns to get you started. I've used their tutorials and patterns before, would recommend~

http://www.japanesesewingbooks.com/2012/01/17/understanding-a-typical-japanese-sewing-pattern/

Many other lolitas have posted sewing videos and pattern reviews on blogs, they come up in a quick google search. But here is my walkthrough and helpful notes and learning points (not mistakes).

Preparation Steps

• Select your design and gather materials needed. 
• You will need minimum 2 yards/meters for blouses/skirts, and 3 to 4 yards/meters for dresses so be aware.
• I only bought 2 yards of cotton so I left out the waist ties and used cotton muslin as strap and bodice linings and shortened the ruffles.
• Trace the desired size pattern on scrap paper or draft the pattern as instructed, and label each piece clearly, including grain lines and notches and placement markings.
• Otome no Sewing only goes from Asian small to Asian "large "(which is like a medium petite in Western sizes) so to draft a larger size, follow a resizing tutorial such as this one.
• This pattern had the bodice front and front facing in the included pattern paper. I taped together scrap paper and traced out the large size pattern bodice. All the other pattern pieces were basically rectangles, so I marked them out on the fabric with chalk and marker.
• Add seam allowance (1/2 inch, 5/8 inch, etc) to appropriate areas or remind yourself to add seam allowances and don't forget. Common mistake!
• Optional but highly recommended: make a mock-up or muslin out of scrap fabric, or drape the paper on your dressform or your own self to make sure you won't need adjustments before cutting into your final fashion fabric.
• Here's my materials photo for reference! Note, I only have a small household Janome sewing machine, not an industrial and certainly not a serger. That affects the decisions I make when sewing lolita dresses. 

[coord, diy] handmade Otome no Sewing jsk

 As expected, I bought more fabric instead of using up the fabric I already had, but in my defense, Joann's had a coupon and also the fabric I already had on hand was not suitable for sewing lolita as it was mostly low quality polyester or didn't have the right texture or color for any clothing item except the specific cosplay I bought it for.

So after getting tired of working on my ballgown (the sleeves, curse the sleeves), I switched to figuring out an Otome no Sewing volume 14 pattern and making use of one of my recent purchases, a premium cotton print of koi fish in water. Although a bit "Asian-inspired" instead of Asian, the cotton material itself was soft and sturdy, the print quality very pretty and soothing to look at, and I really wanted to try my hand at another sewing pattern from a more recent issue.

The sewing pattern I chose had a half-shirred bodice and straps that buttoned in the back with a ruffle on the skirt. It required 3 meters of fabric, but I had only bought 2 yards lol. I decided to not make the waist ties (I rarely can tie a good bow with them anyway so no big loss) and would line the bodice and straps with white cotton muslin instead of facing it with the fashion fabric. Losing a yard of fabric also meant my ruffles were half the length they were supposed to be, so the dress was a bit short compared to what the model wore. Thankfully I am also short, the dress didn't look scandalous even with a petticoat under.

I used lace trim as recommended on the pattern but realized I didn't have enough and had to buy 2 more spools of lace (but I used almost all of it, okay???) The two lace trims were shiny polyester "bridal" Venice lace for $2.99 for 2 yards. They look kinda cheap and low-quality on their own, but when paired with this koi fish fabric, they resemble fish or dragon scales or stylized waves and complement the print perfectly. Big brain move there. I used small lace for the straps and bow (which I wore as a headbow here but could also be pinned on the dress), and a larger version of the same lace for the ruffle hem.

[JSK, headbow, bracelets: handmade; blouse: Elegy Clothing; necklace: Luxmira; earrings: BB and Deco, Taobao; rings: Liz Lisa; socks, shoes: Baby the Stars Shine Bright]

This isn't the greatest coord ever, I think I should have worn bright gold shoes instead of antique gold ones, but I was getting sweaty in this new Dreamholic wig and didn't want to change. I did try to style it in a more wa-lolita style after but due to the sweatiness, none of the later photos turned out well. I will try again another day.

Anyway, I love how this dress turned out, very comfortable due to the shirring, Asian-inspired but not tacky. The main problems I had while sewing were 1) deciding to French seam seams that should not have been French-seamed, and 2) the button-hole maker on my sewing machine isn't working so I had to hand-bind the button holes and they look super messy. The pattern is very easy to follow if you have experience with sewing lolita, I only adjusted due to the amount of fabric I had and also I didn't like their dart placements. I may one day post a run-down of how I approached sewing this dress if anyone is interested!

Anyway, back to working on my gown... sigh...

[coord] International Lolita Day summer strawberry

I didn't remember about summer International Lolita Day until I got a text Friday night before the meet. I had a few new dresses that I wanted to wear, but it was so hot and humid to wear the long-sleeved one piece dresses, and I also didn't want to look too casual or too fancy not knowing if there was a theme or whatever. It was 2 hours before the meet, I just woke up 30 minutes before, and so at the last minute I decided on the strawberry dress despite not having strawberry accessories that I was waiting for in the mail. Strawberries are perfect for early summer and the color is cheerful red and pink and not beige or black which is the majority of my wardrobe lol. 

[JSK: Bacio Bouquet; blouse: Innocent World; shoes: Bodyline; necklace: Belladonna; socks: Pretty Mouse; rings: Bisoulovely, Liz Lisa; earrings: BB Deco; hairband, bracelet, barrette: off-brand]

I happen to like how simple and comfortable yet cute this outfit is and it was not too hot due to the short wig and crew socks, but I was still very sweaty despite wearing thin layers! I guess polyester is too unbreathable for me. As already mentioned several times on this blog, I don't love babydoll empire waist cuts as they are not flattering at all, but they are unbeatable for eating a lot of food and drinking mixed drinks. I also had a matching strawberry print mask! I will repost this outfit later when I get the new strawberry accessories. As mentioned, I'm trying to be resourceful and eco-conscious, so rewearing dresses is a must! Hope everyone who follows this blog who is a lolita had a good ILD!

[coord, diy] handmade underskirt - casual gothic

I'm back with a quick coord rundown of my purple underskirt made to go with a gifted/donated black overskirt. This over skirt is handmade of a sheer burnout velvet (I think?) fabric with a band of velvet on the bottom. The pattern has skulls and an overall gothic feel and only needs a plain underskirt to show off the design (and also be decent lol). I do have a few plain color skirts but they were heavily textured and trimmed and I just needed a smooth surface, no frills or lace. So I finally got to making the underskirt years later. I chose purple just because I got these Cryptoglitter socks in purple and black that had bats and such and sort of matched the gothic scheme, and also I like purple. And I had enough of this cheapo broadcloth so that if it didn't turn out well, no loss.

[cutsew top: Angelic Pretty; skirts: handmade; stockings: Cryptoglitter; boots: off-brand; hairbow: Metamorphose; bracelet 1: Larme; bracelet 2: off-brand; purse: Hot Topic]

As you can see, even though I chose the warmest, most reddish shade of purple I had, it still was cooler than the stockings' shade of hyacinth purple and also very saturated. But it's not so mismatching that I would buy a different fabric just to remake it. Also the Meta swan cameo on the barrette was yet a different shade of purple, though you can't see it because it's on the top of my head. The skirt was French-seamed so it can be machine-washed, but the fabric was meh and cheap-feeling and the elastic waist was just a tad too loose due to me compensating from a previous pair of pants in which the elastic was too tight. (One day, I'll get that measurement right.) The skirt is also not perfectly shaped due to using a fully elastic waist on a rectangle base, but you can't tell that because the overskirt is just so amazing and distracting lol.

I guess if I ever needed a casual Halloween coord, I have something with a fully elastic waist ready to go. The only alteration I might make to this coord is to sew/obtain a black and purple bracelet or wrist cuff to add some interest to the wrists if I wear it with a short sleeve shirt like I did here, maybe like a cute frilly scrunchie made out of the purple fabric with black lace trim. Other than that, the hair was super cute, I felt like what's her face from Beetlejuice. Lydia.

[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...)