Beautiful Things I'll Never Own - (Pipe) Dream Dresses as of September 2015

After writing about why I sold my dream dresses two weeks ago (I didn't post last week because my sister was in town) I thought it would be nice to write about the lolita fashion items I just can't get enough of but for one reason or another I don't think I'll ever get to own.

Fleur Antionette one-piece by Mary Magdalene 

First up, my very first and longest love affair, Fleur Annoinette. I first came across this dress when it was re-released in 2012 but not knowing much about the fashion at the time and not having any clue about how to buy from Mary Magdalene's website I didn't do anything about it. 

Why I like it

I really like the design of this dress from the Georgian design to the beautiful rose print.  In my mind, this is the epitome of a spring/summer dress of a courtly maiden. It's feminine but it has a hint of frivolity in it. My favourite colour-way is the green - not only because of the rarity of such a bright mint in Lolita fashion but because I wore a similar colour for my high school ball, so it's a little nostalgic for me.

Why I wouldn't buy it

I would love to own this dress but in reality, I don't think I would ever take it out of the cupboard; partly due to its sentimental value and because there wouldn't be a nice enough event close-by to wear it to. I've also seen the beige version of this dress for sale for US$400...ouch.

Beautiful Glassy Saint Mary - Jeanne JSK by Alice and the Pirates

I was already into lolita fashion when this was released but I didn't buy this dress because I wasn't crazy about it at first but it has really grown on me ever since. 

Why I like it

I love every detail of this dress from the intricately detailed stained glass art, the background pattern bringing a little brightness to the gothic style of the dress, the defined waist, which is my preferred style of dress and the gorgeous pearl chain topping the bust. I also own the Mary Ribbon Blouse!

Why I wouldn't buy it

I got so caught up in owning a dress with a stained glass window print that I bought the design that Korean-indie brand Baroque brought out called "Abandoned Night", which I absolutely adore. I think I can be satisfied with that and besides I recently saw the black version on Lace Market for US $800. No matter how much I love it, I could not put that much money down for a dress besides my wedding dress.

Kumya Kumya's Sweet Chocolate high-waist JSK by Baby the Stars Shine Bright

After seeing a friend wear the brown x pink version and getting my own kumya kumya in chocolate x gold I started take a liking to this dress. Then I made an outfit for a past post "Coordinating using three colours" and my fate was sealed. 

Why I like it

I particularly love the art of the print: the kumya kumya's are drawn so beautifully. I also love the idea that I have a "real" version of something in the print; my kumya kumya, that is. My favourite colour is the bitter chocolate x mint because I feel I would be able to coordinate it in a more mature fashion.

Why I wouldn't buy it

For all intents and purposes I have moved on from super sweet designs, however, this is print is still within my reach, although still a little expensive at about US$300. Even though I've seen it recently, I may have to pass it up on account that the Australian dollar is so weak at the moment.

The END of immortal EDEN skirt by Alice and the Pirates 

Like the Kumya Kumya Chan print above, I saw a friend wearing this and I really liked it.

Why I like it

The moment I saw this I thought Sailor Moon. The floating feathers in the design remind me a lot of Eternal Sailor Moon's feather-filled attacks and transformations. I also love the long length of the skirt and the design of the waist.

Why I wouldn't buy it

Well, actually I would buy it but I've hardly ever seen it sold. If you do see it, drop me a line!

So, how about you? What are the prints you love but probably won't be able to own? Let me know!

Until next time...

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.