Hotpot in July Meet

You might think it mad to have hotpot in lolita in the middle of a July heatwave. And you would not be entirely wrong. However, we decided to brave it anyway.

| Innocent World Strawberry Tart Lace OP | Angelic Pretty Twinkle Sky headbow |
Sheena's Bella Bows apple pie headdress | MuFish tights | Deichmann flats |
Disney Official Snow White bag | Sweet Dolly House ring |

Only after doing my makeup I realised that the biggest features, i.e. lips and
eyeliner, are brands that everyone now hates (but since I bought the cosmetics, I
want to use them up before I replace them).

A great deal of thought went into this outfit, since I had several important factors to consider. I needed to have lots of room for food, preferably as few layers as possible in case of the heat, something to protect me from chafing and if it can be quick to put together and comfortable to wear, then that was the ideal. All of these culminated in my using the Strawberry Tart Lace OP from Innocent World as the roomiest, most comfortable and heatwave-appropriate piece I own. I kept it all as simple as possible, opting for statement pieces rather than multiple layers, and it culminated in this. Besides, I really wanted to finally use that Disney bag (although in the process I learnt that it’s so stiff it’s very uncomfortable to get things out of).

Whilst every day up until the day of the meet we were dealing with a heatwave, the night before temperatures dropped and during the day there were even some scattered rains. It wasn’t cold enough to warrant any more than throwing on a bolero and it was very refreshing to have some breeze, even when at one point it knocked my headband off my head. And it also meant that having a hotpot, a typical winter food, was much more bearable.

Unfortunately, none of us took photos of the pile of food we ordered. However, between the four of us we managed to devour it all and then rejoiced when it turned out that the dessert buffet was free for those who had hotpot. Nice little extra win. Though truth be told, when the food isn’t so heavy on carbs (although we did add noodles and dumplings), it is much easier to finish it. And it was an utterly delicious hotpot, definitely would eat again.

It was nice to be able to wear something a little more comfortable and have a chill food-based meet. Much of our conversation naturally went towards Myths of Our Own, the big tea party in Dublin next month that most of us are attending. Since my plans for that are definitely not heatwave appropriate, I am starting to seriously consider bringing an alternative outfit and being able to talk about that with others gave me a couple of ideas to try out. Although luggage restrictions might kill those off anyway, so I’ll have to do some very careful packing and some trials beforehand so that I know what exactly do I need. Now to actually do that…

Are you a fan of hotpot? Would you brave it in summer on the basis of pseudoscience? (My logic is that hot soupy hotpot raises your body temperature, so that the difference between your body temperature and the outside is smaller, therefore you actually feel less hot.) What’s your go to piece for food meets?

Midweek Interlude

I had this whole week off and planned to spend at least one day of it dressed up to visit a 1920s cafe in my area. The heatwave has it’s A game on, so it was a battle to dress up in lolita instead of something more weather appropriate, but I survived and regret nothing.

| Innocent World Georges Rose JSK | Baroque tights |
Angelic Pretty Royal Unicorn headbow | Enchantlic
Enchantilly neklace | offbrand blouse and shoes |

Georges Rose is great for summer weather as it’s cotton (although with polyester lining, yuck) and looks great with minimal poof. It’s also simple enough that it just passes as vintage clothing, so less “what are you wearing” and “why are you dressed like that” from the public and more just generic compliments. I actually have a new cardigan from Axes Femme that would’ve looked absolutely killer with it, but I had to keep my outfit sensible to not die of heatstroke, so I opted for a mesh blouse instead. Tights kept me chub-rub free, even if ankle socks would’ve been cooler, and I went with flats since I was doing a fair bit of walking. It’s a simple coord, with minimum fuss, which allows the dress to be the centrepiece.

My original plan was to visit the Interlude Tea Rooms and Emporium in Shipley on my own. I’m taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo this July and almost finished my novel, so I wanted to dress up, take my laptop with me and sit somewhere inspiring to write. My novel is actually set in 1925 England, so a 1920s themed café would’ve been perfect. Ultimately I ended up going with my Mum, who turned out to get an earlier weekend and also enjoys checking out cite cafes with me.

Extra photo by Mum because I quite like how it turned out.

  

Interlude was actually full when we got there and we were advised to return in about 40mins. I did not expect there to be three birthday dos on a Thursday, although summer holidays have started now. Still, we wandered around Shipley for a bit, popping in to almost all charity shops (Mum even bought a vintage dress), before coming back later. And immediately the lady who runs it recognised me as lolita – or more specifically, she asked if I had been before with another girl, who happens to be one of the Leeds comm mods. There was even a photo of the comm in front of the café, from a good few years back judging by our resident Goth wearing a Sweet print, so it’s nice to know that we’ve already left our mark there.

If you're ever in the area, check them out!

Jacket goals from a china princeling.

The menus were stuck inside artbooks - very clever!

Whilst the café feels more just generic early XXth century/vintage than specifically 1920s, it is really lovely. It’s a lot more spacious inside than it appears, as the seating is situated on a lower floor, so I do want to get our comm to return there again. The menu is pretty large, offering breakfasts, hot lunches, sandwiches as well as afternoon tea menus and cakes, and catering to all dietary requirements. We decided to just get drinks and scones – and immediately regretted our decision as the scones turned out to be massive! I had to take a photo next to my hand for size comparison. That is not a dainty scone for a lady, it’s a proper Yorkshire scone that will leave your hunger utterly defeated! 

The china matched my dress!

That butter is small - but the scones are large just as they are!

They were the size of the palm of my hand!

After admitting our own defeat (we each left about half a scone and I managed to drink most of my teapot), we paid (it was really cheap for the amount and quality of food we received) and left for a few more charity shops, before heading back home. As someone who often complains how there’s nothing nice in Bradford, certainly not accessible by public transport, it’s so refreshing to have discovered Interlude. If I really wanted, I could walk there (it’d probably take me about half an hour), but during the work-week I could easily get there by bus in under ten minutes. I totally see myself going back there to try other things on their menu, as well as just live my life in a slightly cuter way. I’m also going to have a look at my comm’s meetup planner and see if I can squeeze another visit there maybe in autumn so that we could update that old photo!

Have you discovered a new place near you, whether a café, shop or just a quiet spot? And if you’re in the Northern hemisphere, are you staying hydrated in the hot weather? Make sure you do, whether you’re braving frills or not!

1 Dress 4 Looks Take 22

I had wanted Georges Rose pretty much since the moment it was first released. However, at that time I found it hard to justify spending full price on it, especially as I saw that the colourway and size I was after had never sold out. It’s a story of patience being rewarded as a year and some bit later Innocent World finally added this dress to their summer sale at 50% off and I jumped at it. Although I don’t wear it as often as it deserves to be worn, it is one of my favourite dresses and I absolutely love that cut on me.

Create a Coord Using Your Newest Garment

This week’s Lolita Blog Carnival prompt is to create a coord using your newest garment. Now, the actual newest additions to my wardrobe have not arrived yet and when shopping online, like you do with lolita fashion, it’s not always clear which one is the very newest. Is it the last one you purchased? Or the last one to have arrived? Postal services work in weird ways where a SAL Parcel sent later can sometimes arrive sooner than your EMS because it avoids being stuck in customs. So long story short, I decided to use two pieces that could definitely be counted as new: the last one to have arrived and the last main piece I purchased (bar those in transit, of course).

Wartime Weekend in Sheffield

Last Saturday I ventured to Sheffield to join the Frills of Steel lolitas on a trip to a 1940’s celebration called Wartime Weekend. This was my first time at that event, although it is an annual one – and now I am absolutely going to go next year as well!

| Metamorphose Sailor Tiered skirt | BtSSB 134*405 shirring blouse |
Innocent World shoes | DreamV bag | Two Days Slow bow clips | Sweet
Dolly House ring | vintage necklace | offbrand socks |

Can you even tell there's makeup on there?

My original outfit plan was completely different, however, the heatwave gripping the UK continues and I had to change in order to survive. Since I couldn’t do anything that would be even vaguely on theme without layers too hot for the 25ºC+ weather forecast, I decided to go for whatever seemed like the most sensible option. So I put together this semi-oldschool ensemble, which I ended up liking a lot more than I anticipated! It was simple and very breathable thanks to 100% cotton. And full body shirring all the way for maximum comfort levels! I would’ve loved to take this further into more proper oldschool territory with long peeking bloomers and maybe even a simple rectangle headdress. Definitely gained a new appreciation for that style of lolita and can confirm that it’s a great option for hot weather because, again, 100% cotton and plenty of comfortable shirring if you want. I also really liked the no-makeup makeup I did. Meant I didn’t have to worry about anything melting off my face, but still felt confident with how I looked.

Wartime Weekend took place at Kelham Island Museum, which is a museum of Sheffield’s industrial history. It even has a massive steam river don engine which turned on every now and then (I want to say every hour, but that’s just guessing). It’s fairly small, but they manage to put a lot in there, both for their regular exhibition and for the event. There were stalls with food, a vintage fair, a stage with live music (I counted three different performers) and a lot of 1940’s cars, both military and civilian. I even spotted a crafts table and a handful of actual World War II veterans.

The vintage fair very quickly claimed some money off me as I spotted a lovely brooch which would work so well with military lolita. Generally, there were lots of great things, from fashion to homeware and books (almost bought an original 1929 booklet on contraception and sexual health – bound to have some gems!). Given the smaller space there wasn’t that much choice for shopping, however, because the event was specifically 1940’s themed there were a lot more things from that period and around – big vintage fairs can often suffer from an overload of things from the 1970’s and 1980’s, since these survive a lot more easily and/or in better condition that things from the 1920’s through to the 1940’s (or earlier, although those are now officially antiques). 

It was dark inside where the stalls were, but there were
so many great thing to be found there!

A bargain beauty at £7.50!

 

Because the weather was really warm (thankfully there was a breeze), it was vital to keep ourselves hydrated. One lady made an absolute killing off me on strawberries, although the museum pub also would’ve made a ton of money on drinks alone that day. Whilst standing in one of the queues for food a very lovely gentleman in a uniform approached us and admired our clothes, then asked if he could have a photo of all of us in front of his sports car. Turned out he was the one to own this fantastic light yellow 1941 MG TC Midget. As much as I normally don’t care about cars, this one was without a doubt the nicest one there and I’d happy pose in front of it all day!

But what made my day even more was the fact that I even managed to do a bit of swing dancing! I love to dance, although don’t always get the opportunity to (let it be known publicly that my boyfriend is terrible and refuses to dance with me). Throughout my life I’ve gone to several different dance classes – ballroom as a kid, then Bollywood and other Indian at college, then finally fulfilling my lifelong dream at university by getting to do Irish dancing – but never formally learnt any swing or anything related. So when the opportunity came up, I did not think twice! It was SO much fun and it reinvigorated my love for dancing, I need to find a class to give myself that creative outlet. Although if you’re going to dance in a tiered lolita skirt, make sure to wear bloomers, kids!

Natasha Harper, dubbed the Nightingale of the North, had an absolutely lovely
voice!

  

This was one of the most fun days I’ve had and being able to wear something different than I normally would in lolita was a great experience. Like I said, totally going to go next year as well, I’ll probably drag my Mum who also likes vintage vibes – although I might end up going in vintage fashion instead of lolita if it’s this hot again next year!

How Does Your Family React to Your Frills

Lolita versus family is a battle literally as old as the fashion. After all, it all started as an act of rebellion by young women against societal and parental/family expectations of what a young woman should do in her spare time and how she should look. Namely to search for and attract a husband. To this day it continues to be a fighting issue for some lolitas, mostly the younger ones, although equally as many have a positive experience. Hell, at this point many lolitas themselves are mothers and get to involve their children in the fashion in some way, be it through actual dressing up or just getting kids to help them pick an outfit.

Haenuli x I Do Declare blouse unboxing

When I first saw the I Do Declare blouse, when Haenuli put it in her shop after a massive positive response, I was like "Wow, I want that - but why is it only in black?". Some time later they announced a second round of reservations and it came in more colours. That was after I decided that I wanted to give Gothic lolita a try, so guess which one I ordered in the end...

Create A Coord Based On A Historical Figure

I love a good coord prompt and challenge. Granted, I can’t always make them work when they’re based on characters or people, because the ones I admire tend to be either too vague to create coords around (like book characters) or my style in lolita is nowhere near that character’s/person’s style or even colour palette. However, for this one I decided to run with my gut instinct, with the first thought I got excited about. And hopefully, it will turn out well.

Day and Night in Blackpool

Anyone who’s ever even flicked through a women’s magazine will know about this mystical ritual of ‘going from a daytime look to an evening/night one’. It’s this wonderful principle of reusing something (here: clothes and/or makeup) by making small changes that will transform it from something appropriate for the day to something glam enough for the night. As I was going to Blackpool for the weekend and the plans ranged from afternoon tea during the day to a full-on drag show at night, and I wasn’t planning on taking a giant suitcase, I worked with this principle to minimise the packing whilst maximising the lewks.

| Angelic Pretty Crystal Dream Carnival Tiered JSK | Innocent World Playing
Cards Chocolate Heart bag | vintage gloves and necklace | The Naked Lace
Company barette | GlassesLit glasses | everything else offbrand |

I had to swap my glasses because they started to hurt.

Slightly blurred, but I like how my sunglasses added to
the vintage vibes here.

During the day on Saturday I went for as comfortable as possible and as low-fuss as I felt I’d be comfortable with. In case you don’t have any friends in the UK, we’re currently having a heatwave, also known as regular summer: it’s between 22-26°C, but as Britain doesn’t have air conditioning in the majority of places, it has no idea how to cope. Having said this, even those temperatures are a bit much for the layers involved in lolita fashion, so I utilised every trick I could think of to make sure I wasn’t melting. Light chiffon top and ankle socks, hair up, as little makeup as possible (I literally only did lips, brows and eyes with a tiny bit of concealer here and there) and a hoop skirt (which is way too long for this dress that’s really short, hence many a peeks) all made sure that while I was still hot, I wasn’t dying of a heatstroke. Luckily, as Blackpool is by the seaside, there was enough breeze to cool me down. Which was very much necessary because as you may be able to tell from the flats, we did a lot of walking.

I’ve never been to Blackpool before that – odd considering it’s not that far from me and it is one of the most popular seaside destinations in the UK. However, most people go to Blackpool for the Pleasure Beach, a park with an assortment of rides, rollercoasters etc., which we were completely disinterested in. Instead our plan involved strolling around town, popping in to whatever shop took our fancy (mostly charity shops), going to an antique shop (more on that in a sec), afternoon tea at The Ballroom and Funny Girls, the long-running drag show. Without these attractions, there isn’t much to Blackpool other than, of course, the piers and the beach. It’s obvious that, just like many other places in the North of England, Blackpool is a poor city with little to no opportunities for the locals and without the little it has, it would’ve fallen completely. Which is a shame because so much is still left of its past days of glory. Had someone injected a bit of cash into Blackpool, just enough to repaint or restore some of its Victorian features and clean a bit of the usual seaside mess, it would look much better. It wouldn’t solve the problem of lack of opportunities, but as a believer in the ‘fake it til you make it’ principle, once it’d look the part maybe an opportunity to reinvigorate the local economy would present itself.

Still, it was a very fun weekend. I ended up buying a chain belt and a Victorian-style cropped jacket at the antique shop (seriously contemplated a Victorian-style overskirt, but just could not justify it, even if it was absolutely stun-ning!), which I know I will use in lolita a lot. After a quick stroll through the Winter Gardens, where we caught some amazing lighting for outfit shots, we went to The Ballroom, which is part of Blackpool Tower. It is what it sounds like: a ballroom, with an eating and bar areas, as well as balconies, where you can either dance yourself or watch others. Mum and I had an afternoon tea, but truth be told, as someone who has had so many different afternoon tea sets at various places and price points, this one was probably the worst of the ones I ever tried. It costs £50 for two people, which includes all day entry to The Ballroom and the tea spread, but you can get better quality food at Patisserie Valerie chains for way less. However, it was great to sit around and watch other people dance, whether they were amateurs or pros. In the future, if I were to ever return there, it’d be much better value for money to pay the entry and buy my own drink/snack at the bar if I felt like it.

After that we had a brief break and it was time to transform this daytime look into a night-time one with a bit of hair, makeup and accessory magic!

| Angelic Pretty Crystal Dream Carnival Tiered JSK | Peacockalorum wrist
cuffs | vintage necklace | crown bought on Taobao | everything else offbrand |

I literally had a ton of highlighter on, which you can't see because I had to
turn away from the sun to take the selfie.

Since we were going to Blackpool’s oldest drag revue, I wanted to go a bit OTT. This finally gave me the opportunity to wear one of the crowns I bought on Taobao eons ago (tried to find the shop again, but it appears to have closed, which is a massive shame) and the chain belt I bought earlier that day was an absolutely perfect match! Of course, a crown can’t be just plopped on your head without doing anything to your hair, so I improvised a hime up-do. While not the neatest, with support of a load of bobby pins and hairspray it worked, besides, the club was dark and people would be looking at the stage and not my hair. I’m a little gutted that I couldn’t find a better spot for selfies to showcase my makeup better (I might’ve slapped on every highlighter and shiny thing I had), but hopefully the one I did take showcases it enough.

I actually never went to a drag show before. I was going to, but had to cancel. Ultimately, going to Funny Girls was probably a much better introduction to live drag performances than going to a Klub Kids one of one of the RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni. Funny Girls have performed in Blackpool for over 25 years and its main star, Betty Legs Diamond, has been doing drag for even longer, appearing in theatres and television, gaining awards for choreography and is still dancing, kicking and charming everyone despite being over 60 (or so I’m told, she doesn’t look it at all!). Not only is that a true legend of the British drag scene, but it guarantees a quality performance – you don’t stick around in show business for this long unless you genuinely are that good and can charm the audience. I don’t know, it felt more, hm, authentic? I don’t mean any offence to RPDG queens, rather that seeing the routines at Funny Girls put into context the various comments I had read in articles about the negative impact of the show on drag performers. The show at Funny Girls felt much closer to the burlesque shows that I’ve been to: each routine told a story through costume, dance and innuendos – the differences being no stripping and more males on stage than females. And I felt like I got from it all of my favourite aspects of burlesque, which is the tongue-in-cheek or even blatantly rude comedy in a glamorous, sparkly setting. Each routine was beautiful to look at, but also genuinely cracked me up at least once, be it with something small or not. I must admit, with the layout of the program being that there’s a 20-minute break after every routine, I would’ve much preferred to get a seating ticket (not helped by me wearing heels and the venue being pretty packed), but that’s a lesson for next time.

Although I wore a mostly-complete lolita coord the day after, as I learnt that my hoop, even adjusted, wasn’t suited for the dress I brought (Bodyline’s L262), I didn’t get any photos since I was walking around petti-less. I wanted to wear the sailor outfit put together last week and whilst I brought most of the elements, it was too hot to wear them, so it was not sailor at all in the end. Despite that, that JSK was comfortable and light enough to wear out on a hot day since it’s cotton and breathed pretty well. I’ll try to do a better outfit soon because my wardrobe is really lacking in heatwave-appropriate pieces in general, so stay tuned!