Happy 2016!

Happy New Year Every Body

May your purse be filled with yen and your closet full of frills all year round!

Hi all...

This is my second New Year's post and I'm posting in January. So I already consider that a one-up on last New Year's post, which was posted in February. 

Last year, I only wrote about one goal: to create a more cohesive wardrobe. I really feel like I achieved that goal (even in my non-lolita wardrobe) and I will continue to do the same this year. In a previous post, I highlighted what I'd done well and what I needed to improve on so building on those things I will continue to post about my thought process and how I bring together my wardrobe in 2016.

I would like to look back on what I did in 2015 and write out some goals for the coming year. I hope to reflect on these goals at the beginning of 2017.

What did I achieve in 2015?

• Bought pieces in a colour-scheme to create a more cohesive wardrobe.
• Bought direct from the BABY and Innocent World website
• Completed a year and a half in Japan on a working visa
• Got a secure job when I came back

2015 was a big year for me. I completed an item on my bucket list, which was to work and live in Japan. It was a great experience which helped me to become more independent and grow stronger. I made many friends and memories that will be with me for life. I live in my little hometown now and although it is a completely different pace to the city and somewhat isolated from the Lolita fashion community, I am happier and more at peace with myself and my situation than I have felt for the last three years. Personally, I want to continue to feel this inner-peace and become more secure in myself throughout the year to come.

What are my goals for 2016?

• Focus on buying more supporting items like blouses, cardigans and tights
• Practice coordinating and get more photos of my outfits and outings
• Take more photos and write more articles on the blog 

I want to develop a stronger sense of my personal opinion and work on my fear of criticism. I have many ideas to share but my fear of being disliked and not being able to fulfill people's expectations stops me from putting myself forward. This is in Lolita as well as in my personal life. I think my motto for 2016 will be "get yourself out there" and will include more selfies, more blogging and doing more things for myself.

What am I looking forward to?

I am most looking forward to going to Japan in April for a while. I'm going to do a bit of travelling to some less metropolitan places this time and, of course, I also hope to do some shopping and go on Lolita dates while I'm there.

I have also begun work on a special Lolita-related blog post for Australia Day this year, which is still two weeks away on January 26th (I'll probably post on Sunday the 24th though). I'm already very excited and I can't wait to share it with you. I hope you will enjoy it too.

Tell me about what you achieved in 2015 and what your goals are in 2016. Perhaps you just have a few things you're looking forward to over the year? Speaking of New Year's posts, I always enjoy reading Spiffy Cake's blog "Tea Cake Time Machine" including her January 1st post reflecting on 2015 and I always pop by Luna Rain's blog in January to see her Lolita trend predictions for the year. 

Let me know about your year or let me know about your New Year resolution blog.

Until next time...

Sailor Melty Moon - the Sailor Soldiers in Angelic Pretty

Hi all, 

When I was about 12 years old a show called Sailor Moon started showing on the morning cartoon show on television. Without knowing much about the origins of the series I became very interested in the show and watched it every morning. 

I began drawing around the same age; Sailor Moon and fashion were two great inspirations for my art. I loved drawing the Sailor Moon characters and designing big poofy ball gowns with bustles and sashes. It really was no surprise that I was enchanted by Lolita fashion when I discovered it later in life. 

I came across Lolita while I was studying Japanese in University. It was my keen interest in the colourful and extroverted fashion that lead me to Lolita and of course it wasn't too long before I began trying to blend my two interests through art.

For me, the bright, poppy colours and prints of Angelic Pretty and the 90s vibe and exuberance of Sailor Moon go together well so this week I've put together some coordinates using items from Angelic Pretty that I think the main characters, Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako would wear. Now, I would just like to note here that art is my hobby, not my profession so while I enjoy drawing I am no expert and do not have professional equipment or skills. However, I've got a huge kick out of selecting the items and drawing the pictures and I'm very excited to share them with you and talk a little about what I chose and why.

Sailor Venus - Aino Minako in Drained Cherry OP

Aino Minako has an energetic though accident prone personality and as Sailor Venus, the soldier of love and beauty, she is the serious and dependable leader. With is in mind, I wanted something fun and romantic with lots of heart shaped accessories. Aino Minako also has a dream to be an idol in the anime and so I wanted something that was popular and a rather recent release. The soft flowing chiffon and modern design of Drained Cherry in Minako's favourite colours, yellow and red, seemed like a stand-out choice. I chose a heart bangle and heart shoes accessories in red to match with her dress and the red ribbon Minako always wears in her hair. 

Sailor Jupiter - Kino Makoto in Dreaming Macaron OP

Sailor Jupiter, or Kino Makoto, is the power house of the Sailor Soldier team, however her hobbies as a cook reveal her to be more feminine than first appearances. Remembering one of my favourite of her scenes in the manga where she wishes to be a good wife, good cook and to open her own florist shop led me to choose Dreaming Macaron in mint. As Makoto is very tall and muscular and doesn't usually fit into average sizes, I deliberately went for the one piece with full shirring and chose Antaina replica Tea Party shoes. I chose accessories in pink to mirror the contasting green and pink colours on Sailor Jupiter's sailor suit. Specifically, I chose the Wonder Cookie necklace because of the cute utensils on it and the Romantic Rose earrings in pink to match the rose coloured earrings Makoto wears in her civilian form and as a soldier of strength and courage.

Hino Rei -Sailor Mars in Recital JSK

I chose the Recital JSK in red for Hino Rei as it reminds me of one my favourite episodes featuring her character when she organises a show at her school. She comes up with the ideas, writes the music and stars in the show and passes this off to everyone as though it's easy although it takes a lot of her time, effort and heart. It spoke of her tendency to show a strong and even aggressive front, which covers her very vulnerable, emotional core. In keeping with this, I chose the bold, simple, structured Recital JSK and matched it with the blouse from the Starlight Theatre series, a series which I also thought would also match this performance theme. I chose Sailor Mars' signature colour and matched the Chelsea Ribbon shoes to the ribbons on the dress and also because of the high heels that the soldier of passion and flame, Sailor Mars wears. 

Mizuno Ami - Sailor Mercury in Drink Me JSK

I think Mizuno Ami is often overlooked as a character in the West; perhaps it's her studious and mild-mannered nature that doesn't match the common outgoing Western personality. Although some may disregard her as a mere geek, Ami often shocks people by keeping up with modern trends. As the Soldier of water and intelligence, she uses her ingenuity to make up for her lack of physical prowess, something I greatly admire. These two characteristics combined kept me away from obvious choices like Marine Sherbert or Dream Marine and steered me towards Drink Me, an individual design for Angelic Pretty, that is a very coveted release. If Aino Minako got up at 5am to make a made a mad dash to the flagship store in Tokyo, Ami would have hired three separate shopping services in the areas where the release was least likely to sell out and would spend the morning studying for an important exam. I love the "Drink Me" tag of the JSK and the bubbly, see-through sleeves of the blouse giving a nod to Sailor Mercury's element. I matched the glitter shoes in gold to showcase Ami's ability to catch those around her by surprise.

Usagi Tsukino - Sailor Moon in Nakayoshi Bunny JSK

I think Sailor Moon is my favourite character; her clumsiness, her hypocritical personality, which can be selfish and selfless, her all encompassing love and ability to be friends with all people has fascinated me for years. I initially considered a few princess-style dresses such as "Secret Princess", which tied in perfectly with her identity as the Princess Serenity. However, as her name literally means rabbit I wanted to include the animal in my choice. I considered a few different rabbit-themed prints like Marshmallow Bunny but in the end I chose an older print, which has a cute details including love heart lace and two furry rabbits but also a slightly clumsy design with lots of fabric bows with round edges and fluffy pom-poms. The name was also a huge factor as Nakayoshi means "close friend", which I think is the greatest thing that Usagi provides for her fellow Sailor Soldiers and it also happens to be the name of the magazine, which originally serialised the manga. As Usagi doesn't go half-measure with anything she loves, I picked the rabbit-ear head dress from the Marshmallow Bunny series, a Pom-Pom blouse and boots to finish off this girly, wintery coordinate. 

What did you think of my coordinates? Have you dressed any of your favourite fictional charters in Lolita? Do you have other dresses you see the sailor soldiers in? Feel free to comment below.

Until next time...

Past Sarah left Present Sarah...a present - Innocent World Unboxing

Hi all...

Well, I was very organised and got myself a birthday present super early this year. Actually, I just bought a whole bunch of stuff from Innocent World and thought it would be more fun to open it for my birthday. The package arrived around the beginning of October and I've been waiting patiently until my birthday on November 22nd to open it. I've been considering buying some accessories recently and my thought process was that getting accessories from one brand would be the best way to get colours and motifs that matched. Do you order accessories from the same brand or do you mix and match? Do you only buy accessories specific to the prints you have?

Ordering and Postage

The ordering system was very easy with clear instructions in English and a cut and paste order form that was easy to do as long as you could have two windows open on the computer at once. I received an "order confirmation" email immediately. I even added an extra item to the order and it was confirmed to be added to my initial order very quickly. I waited a few days and had to email the store for the all the items and shipping price to be confirmed but it was possibly because I didn't read the instructions thoroughly enough. Definitely read instructions thoroughly! That's my big tip for ordering anything from the Internet. Other than this, I was very happy to discover insurance included with my order because I ordered over a certain amount. 

Packaging

The parcel arrived in a box about a metre and a half long. It was a bit embarrassing but exciting to get something so big. There were no dents or damage on the box when it arrived, which was a huge relief. Opening the top flaps of the box, it appeared full to the brim with my order which included a lovely letter from an Innocent World staff member written on custom stationary. Upon opening the side flaps, it was revealed that one side was filled with stuffing and one side was empty, possibly squashed over the last month of storage. Everything was wrapped in bubble wrap, paper or in a box, which meant all the items arrived in perfect condition. Success!

Items

All together I got six items:

• Striped Ribbon Head Bow in Navy
• Striped Ribbon Head Bow in Brown
• Organdy Bow Clip in Beige×Gold
• Original Crown and Playing Cards Necklace in Gold
• Braid Ribbon Shoes in Chocolat
• Ladder Lace Ribbon Bag in Chocolat

I was particularly excited to find that the shoe and bag colour matched. Although next time I'm going to order the shoes a size up as the shoes only just fit me. The shoes and bag are well finished with clean edges and trimmings. 

The hair accessories are also finished cleanly, the parts seem attached securely at this stage. The necklace is gorgeous but I foresee some possible tarnishing. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase from Innocent World and I hope I will have the opportunity to purchase something from them again in future.

So, how did you like my unboxing post? What are your experiences with Innocent World? I'd be very keen to know. 

Until next time...

Waiting for the Weekend

Hi all...

I apologise for not posting last week, I had some friends stay at the house. I went out this past weekend too so I'm afraid I didn't finish the post I had planned for this week either - just a picture of what's waiting in the back room...

It's my first Innocent World order. To be honest, I didn't expect the box to be this big...

I love the note on the EMS paper "think on behalf of Innocent World" as if I am a company representative. I've always wanted to work for a Lolita brand. -cough-

I'm waiting for my birthday on Sunday to open this package, so come back next week to see the lovely things past Sarah bought.

Until next time...

Life's All Fun and Games...and Chocolate

Outing to San Churro in October

Hi all 

Did I just return from a holiday in Perth? I was so busy that I'm almost more exhausted than when I left but I really enjoyed seeing many of my beautiful friends and finally getting the chance to wear lolita fashion outside for the first time since I returned from my working holiday four months ago. 

Flashback - Halloween Party 2014 at Baby the Stars Shine Bright Kyoto

 

Hi all,

Currently I'm in Perth meeting up with friends and having a relax so it's going to be a short post this week. It's already a year ago that I was getting very excited for the Kyoto Baby the Stars Shine Bright Halloween tea party at the end of October.  We had an evening party at Elk, a pancake franchise in Japan.

Without saying too much I would like to share a few photos from the day. It was lots of fun and great to meet some of the local lolitas including a few frillies from over seas. 

I hope you enjoyed the photos. I will post more about my Perth adventures next week. 

Until next time...

Planning Outfits for Perth - Coordinates for Spring

Spring Outfits for the City

This week I'm travelling to the city for the first time in three months. Even when I returned from overseas I only spent a few days in Perth and didn't have the chance to go out in Lolita with friends. This time I've organised to see friends twice over my week trip so I put together some outfits in preparation. 

On the weekend, I put together some spring outfits and did up some coordinate ideas for my new purchases. I wanted to focus on coordinating seasonally appropriate outfits. It's spring in Australia (it's already quite hot though) so I chose light colours and breathable fabrics. 

Collection Chocolatier Douce by Baby the Stars Shine Bright 

This outfit is for a meet to eat chocolate and churros. I had to go with the Collection Chocolatier Douce for this outing.

I went with a white blouse and white purse to bring a fresh spring feeling to this jumper skirt. I really wanted to add in the brooch from this same series that I have so I've placed it on the collar. I also added a few cherry themed charms to my bag to keep the bag looking too plain. I'm still not sure if I'll keep them in as the look a little cheap clustered together on the bag. The blue bow is off my beret and I would clip it on the side of my head (hopefully it will stay). I would have preferred to use white shoes but my pair are still in Japan so I went with brown as my second choice. 

Wonder Party by Angelic Pretty 

I chose the fun Wonder Party print in brown for a meeting with a few close friends for dessert and board games.

Rather than go with a full ivory/brown coordinate, which would tend towards Autumn, I added a chiffon blouse in mint to add some cool tones and bring this coordinate towards spring. I believe that keeping most of the outfit light in colour is another key to keeping this brown and gold skirt working in a spring coordinate so I've added off-white see through socks and off-white wrist cuffs. I would also like to add a round lacy headdress or a bow in white with roses on it to keep the entire look bright from head to toe. The jewellery is the teacup ring and teapot necklace from Baby and it just goes beautifully with the theme of the skirt. 

A few bonus pictures now of some basic coordinates I made using the new pieces in my wardrobe. As I get more pieces within my navy, brown and ivory colour-scheme I can create more coordinates using the same pieces. It's certainly a very exciting journey. 

Until next time...