Lolidrobe Reassessment Post 2018.1

The time has come to look back at the first quarter of 2018 and see what’s new, what’s changed and what stayed exactly the same.

Date Night Outfit

I’m on a roll with these casual outfits recently. Although granted, most date nights I try to wear Lolita since I don’t see my SO as often as I’d like and since I associate Lolita with special occasions, which date nights are, it’s only logical that I’d wear Lolita for date night.

| Bodyline L380 skirt | Axes Femme blouse | Fi.n.t. cardigan |
Imperial Fiddlesticks headbow | offbrand tights and beret |
Deichmann flats |

Very simple makeup - I had moments of regret over this liquid
lipstick (Kat von D's Everlasting in the shade Mother), but
it worked so well with this coord!

My original plan was to wear the polka dot JSK from Bodyline. However, as I wasn’t in the mood for ironing and it’d be too large to pack, I opted for a main piece that I could wear instead of packing. Which led to the realisation that I’ve never really worn this skirt as a main piece – and it’s a shame because it genuinely is one of Bodyline’s nicest pieces. It’s simple enough that I could wear it to work, since I travelled down straight after work, yet still has enough detail to remain interesting and fancy enough for a date. Weather was also on my side and I managed to wear this exact coord, which I wanted, even though I had a colder/wetter weather alternative packed with me.

There isn’t much to say about date night itself. We went to New Royal Balti in Audley, which is my favourite curry house in his area – and I’m from the UK Capital of Curry, so my curry standards are high. We both love good Indian curry, although we’re on opposite spice tolerance/preference levels, and Royal Balti delivers lots of flavour and quality for us both.

In retrospect, a boned, high waist skirt may not have been the most sensible choice for an evening feast, although I do feel like it stopped me from overeating a little bit. Unfortunately though the zipper in the skirt is breaking – the teeth don’t catch each other properly, so the zip ends up splitting – and it’s only with some self-control and being careful that I managed to get back home without a giant gap at my waist, since I didn’t pack any other skirt. As much as I like this skirt, I’m not sure if it’s worth replacing the zipper. I don’t have the skills to do that, so unless I could get someone to do it for me for free, I don’t think I’d go for that for such a cheap, replaceable skirt. I’ll mull it over for a bit, I don’t have to do anything yet.

Dissect and Review Your Oldest and Newest Piece Based on Actual Age

There are several reasons why Lolita fashion pieces last a long time, the most important of which are quality of materials used and the good care most Lolitas take of their clothes. It’s natural that when you spend a lot of money on something, you’re more likely to want it to stay in a good condition for as long as possible. So it’s interesting when people look at some of the pieces that have been released the most years ago and see how they have held up all that time, then compare it to something they’ve only just received new. Oldschool Lolitas have a real field day with this since their pieces are often old enough to vote and drink.

To make this easier for myself, I will only look at main pieces in this week’s prompt – I know that I have smaller pieces like jewellery or socks that are likely older, but it’s a lot of hassle to figure out their exact age. Besides, it’s not fair to compare the condition of socks, for example, which would’ve been worn a lot more than a dress. One day, when Lolibrary brings back the account and wardrobe features, I might do a follow up for other kinds of pieces. For now, let’s review the oldest and newest main pieces from my collection!

Work Outing

Recently I’ve been working on adopting a mentality of wearing a Lolita fashion outfits more to non-Lolita events. While my family and SO are already familiar with this and accept it as my go-to dress up choice, for most others this is still new or something they’ve heard about, but never seen in person. The best way to normalise something is to expose people to it, so this weekend when a few friends from work and I were throwing a surprise birthday do for another friend, I decided to wear a toned down, yet still elegant coord.

| Innocent World Georges Rose JSK | New Look blouse | BtSSB
Forever Enchanted Midnight Spell bolero | Angelic Pretty
Classical Petit Rose headbow | offbrand flower clips, necklace,
earrings, tights and boots | 

Innocent World’s Georges Rose JSK is very simple, to the point where it could easily pass as a vintage dress, but it’s still really elegant. I haven’t worn it at all since last August and because then I wore it casually, I never took any photos of my outfits, which is a shame, really. I was also hoping to channel some spring vibes and bring spring to the UK, but I seem to have achieved the exact opposite effect – but more on that later. And while I took the photos while my hair was still vaguely wavy, I am growing to like simple hairstyles with straight hair. Curling my hair is a lot of effort and while it’s usually worth it for the look, I want to learn to incorporate more straight styles, since that’s how my hair naturally is. Although I guess it’s more a matter of hair accessories than the hairstyle itself.

The party was held at Zizzi, an Italian chain restaurant which is ever so slightly fancier and upmarket, but still reasonably enough priced to not scare off those of us who were on the budget. Unfortunately, the snowy blizzards have scared one person off and she ultimately didn’t make it.

It was an absolute success! The whole thing was planned for a good month and a half and because we all work together and see each other often, as well as chat via Whatsapp outside of work, it was hard to keep it all a secret. I nearly slipped up once, just at the very last minute. But we all did it, kept our mouths shut, so that when the birthday girl arrived, her shock was 100% genuine. It was priceless and the best surprise we could’ve prepared.

We spent the evening just enjoying being able to hang out together ad take our time. Usually we meet at lunchtimes, which always have to end when the first person says “I have to get back to XYZ”, so being able to spend hours chatting and eating really delicious food was fantastic. If you’ve never been to Zizzi, but can go to one, I’d recommend it. Their menu offers plenty of options for vegetarians, as well as some vegan options (which is partly the reason it was picked as our venue for the night) and all the food was delicious. I ordered mushroom brindisi for starter (essentially toasted ciabatta topped with mushrooms and cheese flavoured with rosemary and garlic oil) and tortelloni rosso for main (ricotta filled tortelloni in a smokey pepper sauce), both of which were delightful and filling, but not to the point where I’d feel overstuffed and heavy – yes, even with this much carbs in one meal.

Obligatory food photo no 1.

Obligatory food photo no 2.

But the real adventure started as we were making our ways home. I was offered a lift by the birthday girl, who lives very near me. In the four hours or so we spent at Zizzi the snow kept falling and it wasn’t intending to stop anytime soon, so once we left the restaurant, we were met with a thick-ish duvet of white fluff, as well as plenty of treacherous ice underneath. She almost decided to abandon the car in the car park and call her husband for help, but decided to give it a go instead. Which, long story short, ended with us getting stuck on the side of an uphill road and calling her husband for help anyway. Good thing it was a Saturday and neither of us had further plans, but still, between us leaving the restaurant and us actually reaching home there was an hour difference when there should’ve been no more than twenty minutes. I’m just laughing it off, she can laugh it off now too and it was a fun adventure in great company – if I’m ever to be stuck in a car again, then I can only wish for my company to be this good.

Although personal highlight of the evening must’ve been how accepting my work friends were of my dress choice. They were complimentary and curious, and managed to pick at some of the nicer reference points that non-Lolitas usually grasp at when met with the fashion, like Alice in Wonderland and children’s books in general – I’ll take that any day over Little Bo Peep or cosplay. So if anyone of you out there is wondering whether to break your fashion choices to your extended circle, I’d say to at least give it a go. I mean, if you like those people enough to meet them outside of work, then they must understand you enough to be accepting of what you choose to wear at the very least. Maybe next time I’ll break out something a little bolder, like a print or a colour combination less common outside of Lolita? It’s a challenge that I’m up for!

1 Dress 4 Looks Take 19

I actually remember when the Secret AIR MAIL from Sweet Kitty happy packs were released – but not only I wasn’t in a position to afford it at the time, I genuinely didn’t pay much attention to it. It took good two years for me to rediscover that print when watching someone else’s unboxing video and realise what a cute print it is and develop a desire to own it. Luckily, since it was a New Year’s happy pack release, it hardly ever goes for much and it pops up often, so it was only a matter of time before I managed to grab it. Let’s show it some love!

Post Love from the North Honey Toast Meet

You may be looking at this post a little confused now. Why is there a post-Love from the North meet being published now, when we haven’t had anything about Love from the North? The answer is very simple – I don’t have my full outfit shot back yet. The one I had taken by the official photographer was so good that I didn’t even bother taking anything on my phone, so until the photos appear, we’ll keep going with the schedule as usual.

The day after LftN, on Sunday, a few of us gathered in Manchester’s branch of Dazzling Café, a popular café from Hong Kong specialising in honey toast. While this wasn’t the official LftN Sunday activity, it was a perfect time for a meet and visit as many of us were already in Manchester and the café was exactly opposite the art gallery, where the official Sunday activities were taking place.

| King Eleven Miss Tea's Delicate Life JSK | Axes Femme
blouse | Innocent World Wendy OTKs | Cutie Creator
headbow | offbrand boots | Milkribbon Butterkeks brooch |
Wonderbox Designs rosette | Love from the North pin |
Twinkle Kitty boutique rings |

No filter and no makeup, all post Love from the North.
That's not too shabby looking! 

I had opted for something comfortable and on the Sweeter side. The fit of this King Elevent JSK is so flattering, although it probably would’ve been better with a bit less poof (I couldn’t be bothered to adjust my hoop to make it smaller). I would’ve preferred to wear other shoes, but as I tried to pack light these had to do – which given that later my feet were absolutely killing me, it’s probably best that I went with those flat boots rather than the heels I wanted to grab.

Dazzling Café is pretty hard to miss. You don’t need to turn anywhere, it’s right on the main road and you can see inside through the large glass windows. Their menu includes non-sweet food, namely pasta, pizza and fries, but also things like karaage chicken, and a selection of fancy hot and cold drinks. And if honey toast isn’t your cup of tea, you could have a waffle instead.

I'm dazzling every day, honey!

The meet itself was as relaxed as it gets, probably the most relaxed one I’ve been to in a long time. Many people were still feeling the tiredness of the afterparty the night before, so casual style and OPs prevailed as the set choice of attire. People were also gradually trickling in, partly intentionally and partly due to Piccadilly station being closed because of a protest.

Even the lady in the cameo is dazzling! 

I had ordered a Margharita pizza and a strawberry lover honey toast for later. The pizza was nice, but instead of bread the base seemed a lot closer to tortilla wraps – still nice, but a bit less filling, so not for the very hungry. And after someone else had received theirs, I regretted not getting the Bolognese cheesy fries, they looked amazing, even if that was some pretty dirty food!

Surprisingly nice, very fresh!

The honey toast however… As I’ve never had one before, I ordered one just for myself – mistake number one as those are really massive! It’s essentially a small loaf of bread and then all the extras. The mistake number two was getting the strawberry lover one. Granted, as I’m currently on a Dechox, whereby I’ve quit all forms of chocolate for March to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (you can still support me in that endeavour anddonate, the BHF does some vital work to prevent and treat heart diseases, which are increasingly becoming more and more common), that was pretty much the only option I could’ve had, but it was still a poor choice. The strawberry lover honey toast was insanely sweet – it was the sweetest thing I have ever put in my mouth, a proper, proper sugar overload. And I stupidly poured the extra honey on top of all that too! I did put up a fight, but ultimately, the honey toast won. Next time, if I can overcome that trauma, I’ll go for a less sweet option instead and will share that with at least one more person!

It's a monster in size and a kawaii monster in sugar content!

In the meantime we just chatted, gushed over how great LftN was and played some games. I ended up playing a game called Elevenses which is pretty much made for Lolitas as it’s about setting up your afternoon tea more successfully than your opponents. The game has already gained several other nicknames, including Blood on  China, Dagger in a Cupcake, Blood on the Teapot and Shady Lady; as far as alternative names are concerned, this game just keeps on giving. It’s really fun, so if you haven’t tried it, I’d recommend it. I’m contemplating getting it myself, since it’s very easy to learn and start playing and the game only includes the cards, sugar cube tokens and instructions, so it’s also cheap to get.

Game aesthetic. I might buy this game one day.

Ladies being shady putting together their afternoon tea.
Photo by Shasha.

After I had regained some strength after the sugar coma of a honey toast, I had a brief trip around the shops, namely Debenhams and Lush (Debenhams in Manchester is the nearest one to me that physically stocks Kat von D cosmetics, hence the visit). I had some Lush vouchers to use from my birthday, though only ended up spending half of them. By that point my feet had slowly started hurting and I still had to go back to our hostel to collect my luggage and then make it to the train station. I won’t document my drama with getting home, that’s still a painful experience, but eventually I made it home and in one piece. But out of 3 meets in Manchester that I attended, I had some serious transport disruptions for two, so I’m starting to be even more hesitant in making the trip just in case, but I’ll do my best not to let superstitious thoughts dominate.

Have you ever had honey toast? What’s the most sickly sweet thing you’ve ever eaten? And what sort of outfit would you wear for a meet after an afterparty out in a club, where you needed to be comfortable and practical, but still wanted to be cute?

The Rise of Chinese Brands: Discuss it’s Effect on the Lolita Community

It’s a very nice coincidence that this week’s Lolita Blog Carnival prompt is so closely linked to what I had wrote about on Tuesday. We have indisputably seen Chinese brands rise and become a strong entity in its own right – gone are the days of Taobao platform being associated exclusively with cheap knock offs and dodgy purchases. But let’s look at the effect of that rise in a bit more detail.

Bodyline vs Taobao Which is Better for Beginners?

If you’re just starting your journey with Lolita fashion, you are actually pretty spoiled for choice. Not only there are more affordable options for you to buy from, they are also more easily accessible. For years now Lolitas were recommending newbies to start off with Bodyline, to minimise financial loss if they decided the style wasn’t for them without compromising that much on quality, but with the rise of Taobao brands, has Bodyline been knocked off that position? Let’s analyse which one is better for a newbie Lolita looking to buy her first couple of pieces.

Wardrobe Workshorses

Once your Lolita style has crystalised a little and you’ve worn it a fair few times, you’ll realise that you reach for some pieces more than others. And I’m not even talking here about the main pieces, but that blouse or those socks that you just love. It may be something very comfortable or something very versatile, but just like your petticoat, they are your wardrobe’s workhorse, carrying coord after coord to success. These are mine, in no particular order (excuse the laziness in reusing wardrobe post photos, but those show the items off best).