[coord, diy] Otome no Sewing qi lolita top and accessories

Heyo, this was supposed to be my March sewing project to work on during my vacation, but it was a bit more complicated than I expected and I just finished in early May lol. This coral gold-foil brocade fabric was leftover from my robe a la francaise inner layers. I bought a hefty yardage from Aliexpress thinking I could make the outer gown from it, but it was so bright and orange and stiffer than expected, I had my doubts, so I pivoted to making just the bodice and inner petticoat skirt from this fabric. I had a bunch leftover, especially from the edges where the floral printing blurred, and since it was technically from China and meant for cheongsam/qipao or furniture, why not challenge myself to make a qi lolita outfit? How hard could it be? I made a qipao like dress from a commercial Western pattern before, and I sewed a hanfu costume myself.

It was hard! Should have expected that lol.

I used a pattern from Otome no Sewing volume 16. In case you aren't familiar with Otome no Sewing, they have patterns for all of their more complex pieces technically printed in the pattern paper, but you have to combine different dress patterns and make a few adjustments on your own for the variations. The qi lolita top is actually a variation on an old school a-line dress pattern, we're just adding a fake side closure for the frog knot closures and drafting a mandarin high collar instead of peter pan collar, then attaching a ruffle peplum at the waist.

You may wonder, what is difficult about sewing this top? First off, installing a zipper is always hard for me. Secondly, without any shirring, it required tailoring to fit my body and it still is a little loose. Thirdly, the fabric is a slippery jacquard brocade that frays when you glance at it. Finally, the directions do not provide for a very clean finish, especially when you're like me and don't measure out seam allowances to the millimeter.

But I persevered, even sewed a lining for the bodice and finished most of the seams by hand. It may not be the most attractive top, the important thing is I tried out some new techniques and it will not fall apart readily. The hair bun covers are also from the same Otome no Sewing mook, the hairbow (not pictured) was made from a Gothic Lolita Bible.

[top, hair bun covers, bows: handmade; skirt, shoes: Bodyline; socks: Metamorphose; earrings iconografi; rings: BisouLovely, off-brand]

As you can see by the photo, the fit isn't tailored through the waist, I could have taken an inch in from the back all the way up. The model in the mook had a slightly loose boxy fit as well, but when you think qipao, you think very nipped in and figure-skimming, so the looseness doesn't match my vision. Also, the zipper was 2 inches short, so the collar is flaring out a little rather than hugging my neck. That's okay, though, since the gold lace I used was extra scratchy. (I did have other gold laces but they were a muted antique gold which would not complement the bright brassy gold in the print.) If you look closely at the cuffs and collar, you can see where I struggled to make a clean outside finish due to the slipperiness and fraying of the fabric - top stitching crooked, lace sticking out unevenly. From a distance, it looks fine though, it's fine.

I didn't have enough fabric left for a matching skirt obviously, so I just made two embellished bows to pin to this plain cotton bodyline skirt. This was not an easy color to work with, not sure how I could have made a more coherent coord with only scraps left and not buying anymore fabric. However, this photo of me with the braided hair loops and bun covers is just very cute! I appreciated this challenge and am now browsing to see if my Hello Kitty sewing machine has a zipper or ruffler foot to make the difficult steps easier lol.

Would I make something like this again? Probably not. I don't really see an occasion for me to wear this (or honestly any lolita) out and about, but since it's a shirt, I can imagine myself wearing it with jeans actually, that might be very stylish!

Some people, probably not you, but some people, may ask, is it proper and acceptable for non-Chinese people to wear qi lolita, or non-Japanese people to wear wa-lolita? I already answered this previously. The first part of the answer is, if you can easily buy it officially from the makers who are of said culture (assuming you have the funds of course), then it was meant to be sold to you and you can wear it. Therefore, qi and wa lolita can be worn by non-Asians, there's nothing sacred or private about it, they stock it at the American and European shops. Now, are you wearing the dress respectfully and at an appropriate time and place? That will be the final piece of the answer and depends directly on you and the environment that you are in, which is different for each lolita.

That's all from me.  Summer is already here in Texas and I am reluctant to wear lolita when it's broiling outside, but I do have 2 more lolita sewing projects and a few accessories I want to make (a hooped petticoat skirt for summer for starters). As for this blog, I am trying to find a way to integrate all my blogs into my own domain but blogs aren't as troublesome as social media, so moving this fashion blog is not a huge priority, it's more getting away from twitter or instagram (already ditched facebook).

Oh wait, here is a photo of the outfit with the hairbow, forgot I took one. If you click through, you can see I added a cherry blossom charm from Daiso and beads and gold brass charms to the bows, so cute! Ignore the droopy skirt lol.

[coord/meetup] Rapunzel Sakizo in the gardens

 For April, some of the local lolita crew went to the Japanese Spring festival in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, and I put together this Rapunzel coord from my latest purchase, a Baroque x Sakizo jumperskirt secondhand from Lacemarket. My actual coord was intended for comfort, so I wore a cotton cutsew and knee high socks, but the shirt and socks got sweaty and were not washed, so in this coord for a photoshoot, I wore a fancier blouse and different clean socks. The festival was closed the next day due to rain so it was really warm and humid for lolita, let me tell ya.

[JSK: Baroque x Sakizo; blouse, socks: Metamorphose; shoes: Sosic Shop; necklace and flower ring: TxarraOtsoa; necklace: Disney; other rings: offbrand, Etsy; hair corsage: Black Ribbon, Taobao; other hair flowers: Daiso, Claire's, off brand; bracelets: offbrand; earrings: iconografi]

Obviously I was very pleased to get another Sakizo dress in my collection at a bargain, and since this dress had flowers and Rapunzel's braids in the print, I thought why not wear it to the gardens with a Rapunzel inspired hairstyle? This Bodyline wig was ready to be retired permanently but as I couldn't really sell it in such poor tangled condition, I decided to braid it (permanently lol) and add pink and purple and cream flowers to match. One of the hair corsages is actually a kanzashi, which was perfect to wear to the Japanese festival. I also really loved the elaborate multi-strand pearl choker decorated with off-white flowers which I got from Etsy, as it matched the pearl chains that came with the dress well. But I really really loved the purple pansy ring I nabbed from a cupcake topper years ago because there were purple pansies in this print, too. It was meant to be. 

The only thing I didn't like about this coord is that the beige color did no favors to my skin. But I didn't think wearing gold or brown accents (like gold or brown shoes) would help that either. This dress comes in multiple colorways including white, purple and various pastels, perhaps one day I might try to get another colorway and see if it looks better on me. Overall, this was a solid coord, I loved the Rapunzel braid and the dress is beautiful on its own so I didn't need a fancy blouse or socks.

[coord] the harmacy cottagecore coord - redo again

 Yesterday was my birthday, so before I got ready to sleep, I decided to dress up in the lolita dress that most represented me, the pharmacy dress from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. Note, I originally owned this jumperskirt in the beige colorway and last wore it in 2016 at a high tea in the botanical gardens. But I was never happy with the coords I made with this particular colorway; this shade of beige didn't look good with my skintone and trying to coord it with dark brown made it look clunky and amateurish, but trying to match it with other shades of beige made me look like a pile of bland mashed potatoes. I sold the dress, never believing I would find the perfect cut/colorway even though there are 4 variations in 4 different colors. Then I saw mintkismet listing the green Doris jsk for cheaper than I ever saw any variation on lacemarket. I decided to get it and it was a gamble that actually paid off for once lol.

[JSK: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright; socks: Alice and the Pirates; boots, parasol: Bodyline; shoes: Sosic Shop; blouse: Cheval du Bois; kerchief: Tealovecrochet; apron: MorunxMunna Stoik; necklace/ring: TxarraOtsoa; headbow: Metamorphose; other hairclips, necklaces and jewelry: offbrand]

Neither coord is perfect, but both look so much prettier and less garish than the beige coords. The light sage green color helped a lot, even though I didn't wear any other green items, I feel green bridged the brown and off-white much better than the beige or even the pink or dark brown would have. I probably shouldn't have worn the striped socks, off-white lace socks would have fitted better, but there were brown/cream stripes in the dress, why not wear these socks I never wear?

I also decided to put on a cottagecore version because I've been meaning to wear the kerchief and apron after binging videos from costume youtubers who got into cottagecore hobbit fashions all during the pandemic. The kerchief makes my face look so round lol, but I've embraced my muffin-like qualities. If I could fix this coord, I would buy one or two more sage green accent pieces. The few green lolita accessories I own are dark forest green or mint green, I don't even own any fabric or ribbons in sage green to make accessories. I don't think I'll fully commit to cottagecore because that would require being able to keep plants alive which I cannot do, but I would like to have the option, so I will see about incorporating more green (well, more green than beige anyway).

[coord] Black History Month gothic outfit

 February is Black History Month in America and even though this post doesn't actually help Black people around the world in any significant way, I'd like to give a review of lolita and gothic pieces from black-owned businesses and creators through this gothic outfit. This review is unpaid, I bought these pieces with my own money to support fellow indie artists and POC business owners. My hope is that you are so impressed by this coord you click on the links and support black creators all throughout the year, every year.

[JSK, tights: Haenuli x Mossbadger; beret: Onicake; glasses, ring: iconografi; choker, boots: In Control clothing; earrings, necklace: Asami Moon; blouse, bat collar: Elegy Clothing; ring: BisouLovely, Fantastic Grim, Liz Lisa, H&M, Claire's maybe]

Obviously not all of the pieces were from black-owned businesses, for some reason I couldn't find a great hair accessory other than the beret that came with the dress which I didn't pre-order, so I decided to use this perfectly fitting beret I bought from Onicake at an artist alley, not a black-owned business that I'm aware of. And the Liz Lisa and H&M rings are filler rings because I like to wear at least 6 rings in a coord if possible, obviously not black-owned.

The dress and tights (that you can't see lol) were pre-ordered and are fantastic quality, with sturdy fabric and flawless construction details including adjustable straps, back shirring and corset lacing and of course, the gorgeous mystical tarot print.  The tights are thick and high waisted but very comfortable and stretchy, with an equally detailed print of corset lacing on the front. Mossbadger also makes other items like jewelry which I have purchased and love.

The blouse, custom made by Elegy Clothing, is made of a cotton blend and feels smooth against my skin which is rare these days.  The bat wing collar is sewn of velvet and lined, very versatile for gothic coords and just happens to fit the mood of this witchy coord well. I own two more blouses from them and highly recommend their work, well worth the money.

I was so happy to get these pieces from Asami Moon on etsy, that witch necklace with a moon centerpiece was perfect. The sun/moon tarot earrings are a bit pastel, but they fit right into the cosmic tarot theme of the dress anyway.

The choker and boots were purchased from In Control Clothing, which specializes in cute, gothic and kawaii clothing and accessories. I don't see myself using the Ouija choker much as it's a little too hardcore, but it was on sale and I'm glad I bought it. The boots are high heeled ankle-high booties that are generally uncomfortable for me, but I do like the classy look. Now that I think about it, I probably should have gotten the bat-themed boots, I just didn't want such a high platform that will be hidden by the dress length anyway.

Bisoulovely makes creative jewelry with anime and game inspirations, everyone probably knows about them by now.  You can't see it here, but I'm wearing the Aurora gold ring. Not related to the coord, but it's just so dainty and pretty I like to wear it with all my lolita coords.

I got a ring and some earrings for another coord from Fantastic Grim on etsy, but decided to wear a steampunk clock gears ring to round out the look with something dark and mysterious.

Finally, these amazing star sunglasses are from Iconografi, who sells lots of anime and game themed jewelry and accessories. I also am wearing a purple cute star ring here.  Check out their selection, you will definitely find something you like.

I am also wearing makeup from black-owned businesses!  My eyeshadow is from Makeup Scientist, my lipstick, concealer and blush/contour is from Beauty Bakerie, and my powder and highlighter is from Fenty Beauty. Highly recommend these particular products, I dunno about the rest of their stuff though, don't ask me.

Final thoughts: I actually attempted this coord before, but it wasn't great, so I never posted those photos. Then I found this wig on clearance from Michaels and tried again with a few more purchases specifically for a witch coord. The wig is clearly cheap and low-quality, my neck seems lost in all the ruffles and ribbons, yet this coord somehow looks elegant and edgy and mysterious. Kudos to me for not giving up on my vision and of course kudos to these amazing black artists and creators and business owners for their hard work! Check out their shops! Or else!

[coord] cat day leopard print coord nya

 This isn't actually a new coord or even a new photoset, I just decided to publish because February 22 (yesterday) was Cat Day in Japan (due to the number two pronounced ni, as in n-ya, the sound a cat makes), and February 22 of 2022 is Super Cat Day. Now if Japan survives until the year 2222, that will be the ultimate cat day, but I'm not going to live that long, so 02/22/2022 it is, lol.

You may recognize the pink leopard print and bolero from a previous post, in which I tried to upcycle/thrift flip a shirt in my donation bin. Later in 2021, I decided to wear a coord based on that post to a local meetup with my lolita pals to get boba and taiyaki. It was a warm and humid night, so I just put my hair in braids and went blouse-less with a bolero and short socks. I didn't take a photo. I also didn't wear the patch although that would have been a good idea.  

This photo below was taken earlier this month while taking other coord photos. I decided to wear a wig because my hair was greasy or something and I added a bracelet, but otherwise the coord is the same.

[jsk: Diamond Honey; bolero: handmade; socks, shoes, ring, bracelet, earrings: Liz Lisa; headband: Angelic Pretty; necklace: Puvithel]

The bolero covers it, but the top of the bodice actually has cat ears peeking above the chest bow which I thought was adorable. The bolero wasn't as scratchy as I thought it would be when worn for a short time, or at least it wasn't any scratchier than the lace socks. This dress makes for a great sweet or punk look, depending on your blouse and shoes and accessories.  For example, wear a black moto jacket and combat boots for a punk look, or wear tea parties and a fur collar and kitty ears for a sweet look. I like this coord as is, and honestly don't have much else in my wardrobe that I'd wear that matches at this time, as this is a warm bubblegum pink and everything I own is either baby blush pink or dusty greyish rose pink.  Thinking about getting another moto jacket though...

[coord] revamp lucky pack dress and lovecore outfit

Today I'm bringing you a Valentine's/Galentine's lovecore coord salvaged from a 2021 lucky pack dress from Long Ears Sharp Ears, a Taobao brand from China. I already showed off the qi-lolita dress from that same lucky pack last year and finally got around to fixing up this jumperskirt so I can wear it this year. 

Here is the before photo, the left photo includes all the accessories that came with the jsk in the lucky pack: 2 hair clips, a choker, 2 wristcuffs. The chest bow, waist ribbons and overskirt are not detachable.

This is an adorable print of castles and keys and bunnies and kittens, labeled "the Lock of Heart," but what makes this a true lucky pack item in the tradition of Japanese lolita brand lucky packs is the mish mash of various fabrics and trims likely gathered from leftover stuff in the warehouse and/or a design they clearly nixed for production. Nothing wrong with that, I love the qi lolita dress I got even though it was missing a skirt/belt that was part of the set for sale. But this red jsk I just couldn't love, too much going on, and I didn't feel like I could resell it as is either. So I pulled out the scissors this year and did some cutting, to at least get some cute photos out of it if I can't ever sell it. This is my first major alteration of a brand (albeit a lucky pack item from a Taobao brand), as I never did get around to fixing the zipper of my Meta dress.

What do you think of this after photo?  Much better now, in my opinion. I took out the shiny holographic ribbon from the choker and hair clips, left the wrist cuffs alone, and cut out the shiny lace overskirt and Frankensteined chest bow.  I tried to remake the chest bow with just the red fabric and key charm and a strip of white lace, but the bow part was made of 2 sewn rectangles instead of a properly sewn tube, so it could not be rescued into any bow-like creation and then I broke the pin I sewed onto it.  I gave up by that point, it was not destined, lol.  Now I like the idea of lace overskirts, but sometimes they obscure a perfectly good print underneath, which was the case in this dress. Also the lace used for the overskirt was a weird green-tinted gold lace that did not go with the reds and pinks and blues on the print. There is still a hint of the holographic ribbon in the shoulder straps and the back corset lacing, but I was not going to unpick the straps to remove it.

[jumperskirt, choker, wristcuffs, hairclips: Long Ears Sharp Ears; blouse: Innocent World; hairband: Liz Lisa; necklace: Angelic Pretty; socks: Baby the Stars Shine Bright; shoes: Sosic Shop; ring: Metamorphose; earrings, ring, jacket, purse: offbrand, Shojomonsta]

And here is a lovecore Valentine's themed coord I put together just for kicks. I think I'm going to sell this wig as it doesn't look good with my skin tone and the wig cap part is too small for my giant head, so you can see my hairline underneath. I guess I could wear this if I did go to a Valentine's meet, red and pink are always on point, and while there isn't much lovey going on in the print, the keys do represent the key to your heart according to the print name lol.  Anyway, even with all the wonkiness of the wig and wild hairclips contrasting with my tired face, I do like this set of photos and felt the half hour spent cutting away the extra fabric was worth it! 

[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.