Coordinating using three colours - The Tri-Colour Challenge (image heavy)

I began my foray into Lolita fashion in September 2012 and I would still consider myself a beginner. I do a lot of web browsing and reading in order to become better acquainted with lolita, fashion, history and even coordinating.

A post for coordinating, which I always come back to, is from lolita blogger, Ramble Rori, "Coordinating 101: How to Create an Awesome Lolita Fashion Coordinate". The post is very detailed, laid out into clear sections and easy to read. The information is really useful for a beginner but is extensive enough to be inspiring to an experienced lolita.

I tend to stick to the main or secondary
print colours or just coordinate with
black, white or ivory.

In the post, Christine, writer of Ramble Rori, approaches coordinating from a colour perspective from single up to tri-colour coordinating.

I usually coordinate using two colours or match colours and themes from the prints but I want to give myself a challenge today and try coordinating with three colours.

I'm going to be using Paletton to help me to coordinate the outfits in this post. This website is a designer tool that assists in creating custom colour palettes that work well together. What I love about this website is that you can customise the palette and it will adjust itself so that the colours are still in balance.

(I've also used this quirky website called "Name that Colour" when a usual "brown" or "yellow" wouldn't suffice. When you input the hexadecimal code or pick the colour using the colour swatch the website gives you the name of the closest colour.)

The Tri-colour Challenge

What I want to do is create some tri-colour coordinates: first, using a dress with tri-colours already present in the fabric and then attempt to create an outfit with a piece I have in my own wardrobe. If you're also feeling like a Lolita challenge why not try the Tri-colour challenge with me?

First of all, I want to show you a blogger who, I think, is a great example for tri-colour coordinating.

Leii, is a lolita and Japanese fashion enthusiast who blogs under the name of Sinneddonuts. It goes without saying that she has an enviable wardrobe and her ability to put together surprising colour combinations which look as delicious as they are eye-catching, is astounding!

I chose some of the stand-out coordinates where the three colours coordinated were very obvious. Please check out Leii's tumblr or her instagram where she has many more mouth watering outfits uploaded.

Tri-Colour Challenge - Fabric Coordinate

A recent print from Angelic Pretty called Fantasy Theatre has made use of the tri-colour scheme. 

As you can see, it uses the colours yellow, blue and pink to create a really interesting contrast. Using pink as my main colour I have attempted to use these three colours throughout the coordinate and below is what I came up with.

Tri-colour coordinate 1: Fantasy Theatre
Fantasy Theatre Skirt - Angelic Pretty
Dream Shiny Blouse - Angelic Pretty
Maiden in Love Ribbon Knit Cardigan - Angelic Pretty
Antique Ribbon Shoes - BABY, the Stars Shine Bright
Ribbon Heart Bag - BABY, the Stars Shine Bright

Going further with this coordinate, I would add both pink and mint accessories and a deep pink hair barette or brooch, such as the one that comes with the series. Other options I thought of were to change out the bag for a Shyness Bear Bag or a Lyrical Bunny Bag who feature in the print.

Tri-Colour Challenge - from my wardrobe

Chess Chocolate is the most recent dress I purchased. I really love the print, however, the high neck OP style is quite difficult to coordinate. For the colour palette I've used the brown as the base colour and created a tri-colour palette to work with.

The fact that the print, itself, only contains one colour from my chosen palette presents the obstacle of balancing the colours in the three zones. This could usually be overcome by a belt but this is not an option in Chess Chocolate's case because of the waist bow. Other options to put colour into the mid-zone are bags, badges, sashes and outer-wear. 

Tri-Colour Coordinate 2 - Chess Chocolate
Chess Chocolate OP - Angelic Pretty
Doll Coronet Aria Bonnet - BABY, the Stars Shine Bright
Kingdom OTK - Beth
Antique Ribbon Shoes - BABY, the Stars Shine Bright

I really love the mature look of the colours in this coordinate and I'm so happy I could find pieces which mirror the crown and chess themes of the print. I couldn't find a blue or green colour for the mid-zone but, ideally, I would finish off the coordinate with a deep green purse.

So there you have it! I have completed the tri-colour challenge. I'm really glad I took the time to do this as I've had to think outside of what I would usually do for coordinating and it's also given me a good insight into creating balanced coordinates. If you decide you'd like to give it a try link me in the comments so I can see it!

Until next time...

BONUS: Here's a coordinate I was going to use for the blog until I realised that it was actually a two colour coordinate. I chose the popular Kuma Kumya's Sweet Chocolate Print from 2013 and deliberately chose the dark brown colour-way because pink, my go-to colour for sweet lolita coordinates, is absent. In the picture below you can see that the light beige colour is actually a really light brown and the mint colour is a really light "Chill Blue".

I really liked the way this coordinate turned out so I just couldn't delete it from the post. It also shows the what a two colour coordinate looks like compared to a three-colour.

Tri-colour coordinate 2: Kuma Kumya's Sweet Chocolate
Chocolate Cardigan - BABY, the Stars Shine Bright
Stripe patissier blouse - BABY, the Stars Shine Bright
Mermaid in the jewellery box plastic bag - Alice and the Pirates
Kuma kumya mini mini - BABY, the Stars Shine Bright
Mary Jane Croco Shoes - Vivienne Westwood x Mellissa

Why two bags? I couldn't resist adding the mini Kuma Kumya chan into the coordinate. Too cute to pass by. Also I think I may have just added another dress to my wish list.

Tanabata 2014

What's Tanabata?

Tanabata is a festival celebrated in Japan on the 7th day of the 7th month (July). Although it originated from the Chinese Qixi Festival the way the festival is thought of and celebrated in each country is very different. The legend of the weaver and the cowherd, which inspires this day, tells the story of two lovers who can only meet on this day once a year if the weather is clear. The story varies between the countries and even between different regions in Japan.

The main traditions for tanabata are writing wishes on pieces of paper and hanging them, as well as various other symbolic decorations, onto bamboo trees.

Sourced from http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/folk/tanabata/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata

This is the Sweet Jam yukaka I own from
Angelic Pretty. I apologise for the poor
quality of the mirror shot.

This year I was hoping to wear my yukata and maybe visit Kamogawa, the river that runs through Kyoto. However, the weather was rather dismal so I had to change my plans. Instead I spent the morning designing a Lolita dress with the theme of Tanabata.

There were many ideas that came into my head including tanabata wish tree inspired designs and I would like to think more about the possibilities. However, the design I came up with was inspired by the accent designs popular in Moi Meme Moitie and chiffon, which I love and seems to be experiencing popularity in Lolita fashion at the moment.

A close up of the accent design featured on the dress.

The Mysterious Tanabata Miracle - part I

Just as I thought that the weaver and the cowherd were not going to be able to meet this year the weather cleared to reveal one of the most stunning sunsets I have seen since I arrived in Kyoto. I was so lucky to be able to capture the photographs that I did as I was on my way to work.

I was actually quite moved by the sunset and thought how glad the weaver and the cowherd would have been now that they could meet. I, however, was feeling a little depressed that I had to miss the Tanabata festival.

The Mysterious Tanabata Miracle - part II

Here's a photo from the website
of the illumination! 

While I was doing channelling my Google-fu for this post I came across the Kyo no Tanabata site to find that there's a week long festival held in Kyoto at the beginning of August! This means I can still participate in a Tanabata festival and wear my Angelic Pretty yukata. The excitement is endless.

So, in the end it seems like Tanabata 2014 has been a magical experience after all. Until next time...

Japanese nicknames for Lolita

I've been so lucky to make the acquaintance of a few Japanese Lolita friends. They're all very lovely and I really enjoy hanging out with them. So as an extra bonus I wanted to add the Japanese nicknames I've heard used when we have been chatting.

Just as a side note, I'm not saying that Japanese terms are more correct. In fact, I think it's fantastic that lolita has developed it's own culture and terms outside of Japan. I just thought it would be an interesting topic to write about!

Metamorphose Temps de Fille is a brand
that originated in Osaka, which could explain
some of the bold choices it makes with prints.

Brand Nicknames

Angelic Pretty - アンプリ - anpuri

Baby, the Stars Shine Bright - ベイビー - beibi- (baby)

Metamorphose temps de fille - メタモー - metamo-

Victorian Maiden - メイデン - meiden (maiden)

I was most surprised by "metamo-" because I've always simply called it "Meta" in English.

Clothing Names

Jumper-skirt - ジャンスカ - jyanska

One-piece - ワンピ - wanpi

Cardigan - カーデ - ka-de

Over-knee Socks - オーバニー - o-bani-

"wanpi" is the common nickname for a dress in Japanese.

I have also heard nicknames for popular prints such as ミルプラ (mirupura) for Milky Planet. Hopefully, next time I will be able to add a few print nick names to the list! 

Ta-Da!

~*First Post Wow*~

First A Little Bit About Me...

Hi, my name's Sarah. I'm an Australian in my mid-twenties and currently in Japan on a Working Holiday. I have a lot of hobbies including drawing, singing, scrap booking and lolita fashion. I really love Sailor Moon, Japanese culture and theatre. 

What I would like this blog to be...

I would like this to be a log of the things I do and places I go in Japan. Uploading photos and talking about my experiences for other people to see.

First of all some pictures of Lolita...

I've been interested in Japanese fashion for around 5 years but I only recently began purchasing lolita dresses in October 2012. Actually my first Japanese brand that I fell in love with is Liz Lisa. I quickly realised that the style didn't suit my taste, which is unfortunate because their clothes are adorable. I never thought about being a Lolita until I met someone at a party wearing a Lolita dress. I recognised the style immediately and fell in love with the beauty of the clothes and the extroverted style. 

I enjoy being able to jump out of my usual jeans and T-shirt style and wear something outrageous! I love the thematic aspect to the clothing and the artistic detail that goes into the prints and design. A huge part of the appeal is the conservative nature where bloomers and high necks are common place. I, personally, don't like short skirts and low cut tops which make me feel uncomfortable but I understand that other people wear these things and don't mind if they do. 

What I'm looking forward to at the moment...

It's Golden Week soon in Japan, which is basically a big clump of National Holidays that occur in May. I'm going to be able to get my hands on the clothes I sent over in the post including the only pair of Lolita shoes I brought over! This will mean 30% more going out in Lolita including wearing my newest item in my wardrobe *drum roll* Chess Chocolate OP in Ivory!

Hopefully I can head out with my Lolita friends in Chocolate coordinates and go to a cafe. I'm excited just thinking about it!

Until next time! 

Sarah - The Drop Bear Lolita

99% fat free Haul post #1

~*The (pitiful) culmination of my 3 months in Japan*~

It's been a little over 3 months since I got to Japan and my only haul was this gorgeous lavender Ribbon logo cutsew from BTSSB.

It's the matching cutsew for the recent Usakumya-chan is a petite patissier series. It's gorgeous.

~*Last month's diet haul*~

A lack of sufficient work hours has meant I've been on a haul diet since I arrived but last month I was finally able to secure another job so when the pay check came in I have been able to get my grabby hands on a couple of things on my staple items list.

A pair of white pumps from a shoe store called Esperanza and a short umbrella from Baby, the stars shine Bright! I've wanted white shoes and an umbrella for ages!

The shoes were on sale and the relatively simple style means I could use them outside of lolita as well. Japan, surprisingly, has a lot of shoe clips, which I may utilise in future or simply make my own. 

~*What I'm looking forward to at the moment*~

In a couple of weeks time I'll be heading to Osaka to purchase this beautiful Cotton frill jumper-skirt from Victorian Maiden. I plan to match it with the Rose bouquet over dress which I've had waiting patiently in my closet (tags still attached) since I bought it over a year ago.

The Rose bouquet over-dress I have is in the pink colour way.

I finally got my clothes that I sent across from Australia including Dream Sky and extra cut-sews. In the next month I would like to dress up a lot more in lolita and also take photos! Hopefully, I will continue to get more work as the month continues so my next haul can be 100% full cream next time. 

P.S. I never did get to dress up in Chess Chocolate. I finally have my shoes though so if the weather isn't too hot then... maybe -fingers crossed-