Sakizo Girl Meets Sweets review

While I was aware of this book when it came out in 2017, I decided not to get it as I thought it was just illustrations. Why did I get it now then? Truth be told, Amazon Japan wouldn’t let me check out with just the latest issue of tulle in my cart, the total order was too low, so I added that as it came up in my suggestions. And I’m so glad I did!

About the Author

For those who don’t know, Sakizo is an illustrator working primarily with transparent watercolours. While she doesn’t specifically or exclusively draw lolitas, there are some very clear influences of lolita fashion on her works and her style certainly appeals to lolitas. For me Sakizo’s style has some retro Moulin Rouge poster vibes, definitely a lot of inspiration taken from cabaret and circus costumes with historical and lolita nods. Sakizo’s most notable lolita fashion collaborations were with the Korean brand Baroque, whom she designed four prints for, and with Mary Magdalene on both brand tags and the Perfume Bottle print. In addition to this, Sakizo released a variety of clothing and novelty items, such as tights and stationery, although illustrations and art remains her primary work.

Girl Meets Sweets

The story of how this book came about is quite sweet (no pun intended). Growing up Sakizo would not be allowed many sweets by her parents – which naturally led her to be fascinated with them as an independent adult. She frequented a café, which has since shut, and her patronage was even rewarded with the café displaying some of her works in the early stages of her career. As a fashion illustrator, Sakizo both enjoyed beautifully presented desserts and found inspiration in them, wondering how outfits inspired by and made out of sweets would look like. The rest is in this book.

I love how the blurb sleeve continues the illustration instead of cutting it off.

Review

The most important point is that Girl Meets Sweets is more than just an illustration album – although it’s also not as much as a novel. It is something in between, with the illustrations taking the centre stage and being prefaced by little snippets of a story and framed in a certain format.

Each of the six chapters is themed around a different kind of sweets you would see in a café or a patisserie. The introductory story snippets follow a girl called Komugi and her doll Sugar, who wander around, visit these different places and imagine/meet the sweets-clad characters. This is followed by a menu on what delicacies feature in a given chapter before you can admire them in full glory.

This one page of text is all the story you get in each chapter.

The menus as mini-tables of contents for each chapter are both cute and useful once you try to find a particular coord later.

I really liked how the first few chapters would have an illustration of the outfit on one side and one of the dessert with a brief description on the other. That format not only gave more insight into a particular look, but also if you’ve never seen the dessert in question, you could compare them side by side and pick up the little detail. In later chapters this format was foregone, whether to fit more illustrations in or whether due to a change of mind on the author’s behalf, I cannot tell. Having said this, the beverage pages cleverly made up for it by a GLB-like layout where some items from the coordinates were drawn individually next to the character.

Looking for the exact pieces of the dessert in the coordinates becomes a fun game in its own right.

Tell me this doesn't look like something out of KERA (since this is a
little too gyaru-ish for GLB)?

A big bonus is that Girl Meets Sweets is bilingual, written in both Japanese and English. While the text is simple, with some dictionary help it would be accessible even to upper beginner (though probably more comfortable for intermediate) learners of Japanese, if you don’t intend to learn Japanese at all, you can still enjoy the text. This is a great choice, which instantly made the book accessible to a wider audience, who are not restricted to just admiring the art anymore, but can follow Komugi’s café hopping.

This is easy reading in all meanings of the phrase. Great for learners of Japanese - or English for that matter - as the language is kept simple.

Although let’s face it: Sakizo’s artwork is the star of the show here, everything else is just a bonus. Those familiar with her work will know how heavily detailed it is – this is in big part what makes her Instagram WIP posts so interesting, as the pictures unfold and even the fewest bits added make a big difference. The book is A5 in size and the majority of illustrations take up the whole page, with a few double-page spreads. You can also purchase a Kindle version on Amazon Japan, however, I find that in this size the physical copy is large enough that I don’t have to entirely flatten my nose against the page to see. I can comfortably admire the depth and level of detail, as well as take in the overall beauty of the artwork all at once.

This is one of the more lolita-looking outfits. Just look at how intricate
this is, from the number of elements to the tiniest detail like lace or weave
pattern on the basket. All of that is perfectly visible on an A5 page!

There are several illustrations in the book which I would love to have printed and framed on my wall (including some which are purely supplementary decoration or fillers). If I were a café owner, this is the style of artwork that I would love to have displayed the most. Sakizo’s illustrations make me think of a slightly dimmer Showa café, a little frozen in time, but still full of magic where you can fully indulge in something delicious without being disturbed by crowds. True, there are some coordinates that would fit the bright and pastel patisseries like Laduree, but for the most part the illustrations have a darker colour scheme and the cabaret/burlesque inspirations make it a little more appropriate for interiors full of dark woods and Victorian knick-knacks rather than Rococo gilded mirrors and marbles.

One of my favourite illustrations in the book. It's simultaneously very
Rococo and burlesque, it's elegant and sensual, cute and mature. And
again, the details are exquisite!

Another favourite, this is incredibly captivating. This is what I meant
when I talked about a Showa-era dim cafe. No wonder that there are
cosplayers of Sakizo's characters!

Final words

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, both as something to look at and as something to read. It’s amazing that it provides you with both and thanks to this I can imagine myself returning to it more than I would if it were just an art book. Sakizo’s style is absolutely breath-taking and mouth-watering, and being able to see it a bit more up-close made me appreciate it even more. Maybe that’s lolita profanity, but I much prefer Sakizo over Imai Kira and would love to meet her one day. (Unfortunately, just like Imai Kira, Sakizo appears to be camera shy and even her website only has an illustration instead of a head shot, so definitely no casual bumping into her.)

If you like a more intricate art style, sweets and/or coordinates that are just beautiful, even if they are not strictly lolita (plenty in the book that are nearly lolita and even more that can be inspirational for your own outfits), then I cannot recommend this book enough. The hard copy retails just under ¥2,000 on Amazon Japan (that’s around £15 plus postage on a good exchange rate day), which is not a lot for what you get.

Now please hold your fingers crossed that one day I will be able to get Sakizo to attend an event in Europe – that would be such a dream come true!

Wardrobe Post 2019

Right on brand, this year I also didn't plan on doing a wardrobe post - yet here I am again. I figured that last year's was good, so let's reuse it and photograph my additions only. Besides, I have used last year's post so much when planning outfits that I know it will be worth the effort.

Despite saying last year that I'd get more red pieces, I ended up adding more blue, white/ivory plus a few oddballs. I also tried out two styles I never thought I'd do: gothic lolita and ouji.

2018 was absolutely amazing. It kicked off with getting my ultimate dream dress, which I never thought I'd get or even fit, then only improved as I attended three large lolita events, two of which were abroad.

My wardrobe goal for 2019 is to get rid of some bits (links to LM where appropriate, check those out for more details), replace others with better versions and finally add more red main pieces. Probably still won't happen, just watch me go on a blue and white impulse buy splurge when I go to Japan.

As always, if you want to know where something is from or which design it is (if I haven't listed that), just ask. Thumb image is by Mimi Jamora.

2016, 2017 and 2018 wardrobe posts for the very curious, but be warned that the quality of photography declines the further back you go.

Stitch 'n Bitch Meet

The day finally came upon us: the first lolita meet of 2019. And our comm started the year off with a good ‘un!

| Angelic Pretty Diner Doll JSK | Angelic Pretty Sweet Cream Princess headbow | New Look blouse | Metamorphose Heart
Ladder Lace OTKs | Bodyline shoes | Sweet Dolly House necklace | BtSSB ring | Madillustration brooch | After Midnight
doughnut clip | offbrand bow clip | Lockshop Daisy wig |

I got a ring light, hence the improved lighting!

I tried to mimic my coord's colours in my eye makeup and really
liked the overall result. Will experiment more with that!

Since the last time I’ve worn this dress was actually Dream Masquerade Carnival in August 2019, I knew I had to wear it now. Despite my best efforts, it is kind of an oddball in my wardrobe and I only own so many pieces that go with it, so ended up coordinating with pieces that have worked before (shoes, socks, bow, clip and even the non-pictured handbag). One day I will figure out something different with it. In the meantime I enjoyed how this dress lets me live my pink bubblegum fantasy. And this wig is so incredible – so soft, fairly comfortable (I didn’t get a headache until after I got home) and looks cute. I’d love to have this hairstyle every day with as little effort as it is to put a wig on. Very tempted to buy it in other colours – even my boyfriend approved, which only feels like extra enabling.

Our first meet was a Stitch ‘n Bitch one. But not just any stitch ‘n bitch – we learnt how to make bloomers! Around September we discovered a café in Leeds that has a sewing workshop available for hire and quickly decided that we would all like to learn to make more things. Bloomers were a perfect project: pretty easy to do, practical and it doesn’t matter if they’re wonky or a little messed up because no-one sees them. That calmed my perfectionism right down!

Since Northern Rail continues striking every Saturday, disrupting transport links for the majority of us, I set off earlier than I really needed. Just in case my train was affected despite the strike timetable saying that it’d be fine. In the end I was fine, so I used my extra waiting time to get some McDonald’s fries which I had a craving for. Along the way my pastel self even brought a lot of joy and happy smiles to at least three little girls I walked past, so world was very good at that point. I had left the house feeling aware of how much I stick out in sweet pastels, so seeing these kids smile at me really made my day.

After a short Uber ride, we arrived at The Bowery. We ordered some food and drinks to have before getting on with the sewing. Rachel, the meet organiser and lead, made us each these adorable instructions, as well as pre-cut pattern pieces (cut out of wrapping paper – great budget/recycling idea!). Just look at that! When your instructions are this cute, you have so much more motivation to work.

I ordered a ham and brie toasted sandwich, which was very lovely!

Setting up our workspace.

Look at this adorable pack.

Look at it! Kawaii overload!

So we moved to the actual sewing! In trying to overcome my issues with pink, I asked for pink fabric. It actually went perfectly with my coord, very lovely shade. This was one of the more focused meets I’ve been to – there was still room for chatter and laughter, but there were also plenty of quiet moments when we all just put our heads down. There were only eight of us, which was probably perfect for a meet like this: not only we fit perfectly in the workshop, but that was enough for Rachel not to be overwhelmed with requests for help and the atmosphere overall was very relaxed. We had a very mixed ability group, with an almost even split of people who had an idea about how sewing machines and sewing worked to beginners. What made it even more fun, though, was that making bloomers was new to all of us – so we could all laugh off any mishaps and mistakes that we made along the way without feeling embarrassed or like we were failing.

This whole experience definitely got me more comfortable with a sewing machine. The one I have is only a mini one, which I remember feeling a little cramped – the regular, full-size one felt more comfortable to use. And while my seams were definitely wonky, I could get into the swing of it. What caused me the most grief was working my bobbin out which just did not like me: it tangled up several times, jamming the whole thing, as well as I just don’t get the whole threading process. Hopefully this will come with practice and I will definitely have some YouTube videos handy when I try anything more at home.

Unfortunately, we only had that place booked until 4 o’clock, in which time I did not manage to finish my bloomers. I believe two people have, while the rest of us were somewhere along the way to completion, mostly towards the end. All that I have left to do is insert the elastic, so fingers crossed I will actually do it soon. Still, even in their current, elastic-less state I am pretty proud of them: they look like bloomers (albeit pretty giant ones) and aren’t as botched as I worried they would be (if you don’t look at the seams too closely). That’s a definite success and it gave me the confidence to try myself more at this sewing thing. Because if I can manage to not mess up bloomers, maybe there are other things that I can manage to not mess up? Obviously, I have this whole cropping cardigans goal going on, but everyone says that a rectangle skirt is the easiest of lolita projects, so maybe I could try one and see how that goes? More for the sewing practice purposes than the actual garment, though obviously I’d wear it too (if it came out decent enough).

Elastic-less pink bloomers. Don't look at my wonky seams or the bits of thread that need trimming, please. Let's just focus
on the fact how in one afternoon I managed to make something that actually and genuinely looks like bloomers.

I also tried to vlog this meet – as nice as it is to not have to do a video every day, it is odd to do absolutely nothing after Vlogmas. So here are some of the same images as above (plus a few extras before the meet), but moving and with background music!

How have you been? Had a good start to the year? Have you managed to attend a meet or wear lolita yet or waiting for a good occasion?

Tailoring Your Wardrobe: Making it Work and Suit You

Very few of us in this fashion are lucky enough to both know exactly what we want and what suits us. While ‘normie’ fashion guidelines such as what flatters different body shapes still apply, due to the lolita silhouette often you won’t know what you feel best in until you try – and that may take some trial and error to figure out. Ultimately we want to feel gorgeous in this fashion, so here are some of my tips on how to tailor your wardrobe to work for you.

1. Stay Patient and Keep Trying

This sounds like the kind of advice you normally leave for last, although I feel it’s the most important one. It’s especially vital to reiterate it now, that we’re in full swing of the Wardrobe Post Season and many feel pressure and/or envy when looking through other people’s collections. Finding out what works for you style and fit-wise takes time – and then you need to add extra time to actually build a collection based on that knowledge! Some people go through a couple of pieces and some through dozens, some people manage that in one year and some take ten. Of course it’s discouraging when the search gets longer and you still ‘feel like a potato’, to use contemporary slang, but for as long as lolita fashion brings you joy and fun, keep at it. Each mistake is a lesson in what you don’t like on yourself, which ultimately brings you closer to the lolita that you will blossom into. And do your best to avoid comparing yourself to others. It sounds cheesy, but cacti don’t compare themselves to roses – they might both be prickly and (some) bloom, but they’re ultimately different.

2. Get Things that Fit Right

As a big part of my 2018/2019 eureka moment, I am determined to only keep pieces that fit me well. It makes the world of a difference when the clothes you love don’t make you feel uncomfortable in any way. This covers a range of things, from having to squeeze yourself in to something to just being self-conscious about a gaping blouse, even when it’s underneath a JSK. When your clothes fit you well, they are more flattering and make you feel more beautiful as you are. Yes, it may cost you more if you have to get pieces custom made – trust me, it will be worth it in the end!

3. Make Room for Experimenting

You may think you know what you love and what you’d feel good in. However, experience has taught me that things that we often didn’t imagine ourselves in, maybe even disliked, can be great for us. I thought I’d never get into ouji and that I wouldn’t wear gothic, yet here I am. But your experimenting can relate to anything, not just different styles. Try on a cut you never envisioned yourself in. Play around with flatlays to put together outfits outside of your comfort zone. Give that indie brand you’ve been eyeing a try. Trying new things allows us to grow, as we learn from these experiences, absorbing the good and reflecting on what didn’t work, and is how you will find what works for your lolita wardrobe.

4. Allow Yourself to Grow and Change

Change is a natural part of life, even if it can cause us some anxiety. It’s never been more obvious than now, with all these recent How Hard Did Puberty Hit You and other Glow Up challenges floating around social media. Look at your style when you were 10 or 15 years old. Would you dress like this now? Most people wouldn’t. Was it the style you felt good in at that time? For most people it was. I’ve gone through a phase of dressing quite tomboyish: long cargo trousers, No Fear clothing and yearning to be ‘that rock girl’ and not ‘that girly girl’ was my brand when I was around 14-15. I wouldn’t dress like this now, but back then it was my fashion goal. Similarly, I’ve gone into lolita wanting all the cheesecake pin-up-esque Sweet in bright colours, whereas now I’m all about those jewel tones, lean more classic than I do sweet and want simpler pieces I can wear daily. As one of my friends once put it, if you could go back in time you would still do the same thing because with the knowledge and experiences you had back then that was the only decision you could’ve made at that time. So even though it can be hard to let go of some things (and you don’t have to do anything drastically), accept that you might’ve changed as a lolita and that’s ok. Work with what you want your wardrobe to be now, not with what you wanted it to be a year ago or when you first started.

5. Confidence is Key

This is a bit of a two-way street. When clothes fit us well and we feel right in them, it gives us confidence. But we can also make clothes feel better on us if we have confidence within us and let it shine. It’s a ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ mentality.  If you love a piece and it makes you feel great, it shows and will come across to people on the outside – rather than how much you dislike gaping blouse buttons or having to put on a sports bra just to zip the dress up. So while I still encourage getting pieces that fit you well, I am also guilty of keeping some that don’t. And I combat that by allowing these gorgeous garments to make me feel confident and by exuding that confidence to the outside world, so that ultimately what the world sees is that this is my style, that I feel good in it and that it works for me.

These are things that I try to stick to and that I have discovered over the years. There’s not much more that you can do besides actually trying things on and evaluating for yourself what works and what doesn’t. At least even with the current oversaturation of the second hand sales market you can still sell your clothes on, so if something doesn’t work out you are not necessarily stuck with it.

How did you tailor your wardrobe to your needs? Any tips on ensuring everything works for you and suits you well? These other bloggers taking part in this week’s Lolita Blog Carnival prompt certainly have some, so make sure to check them out:

The Bloody Tea Party
Silk and Shears
In Love with a Dream 

Get the Look

I had been wanting to do this post ever since the original Rufflechat thread, but procrastinated. Well, better late than never, eh?

The idea is simple: just like fashion magazines show you where to buy a designer runaway look for cheaper, I will create coords imitating the looks of brand ones that won’t cost as much. The comparison is based on prices when new, since obviously sometimes you can find these much cheaper second hand, although if you want the look instantly, you might not want to stalk second hand sales. For ease of price comparisons, I will transcribe all prices into USD and all prices and rates are accurate as of January 13^th.

Look 1: Angelic Pretty

Original (left):

Angelic Pretty Antique Crown JSK (¥26,800), Angelic Pretty Antique Crown headbow (¥3,500) and Angelic Pretty Bunny College blouse (¥13,800)

Total: ¥44,100 = $406.26

Alternative (right):

N.I.A. Tartan Crown JSK (CNY 586), N.I.A. Tartan Crown headbow (CNY 70) and Souffle Song Sailor Collar Chiffon blouse (US $28.99)

Total: $126

OK, it’s not the exact same look, since the blouse is short sleeved and doesn’t have any tartan print on the collar. That is because long sleeve sailor collar blouses are on the unusual side and this AP one is the only one I know of to have tartan details. However, the rest? Come on, that print is the exact same thing (crowns on a plaid background) and dare I say, the cuts are nicer than AP’s. Chinese Lolita Updates shared this on their page on January 8^th and the reservation actually closes on January 19^th, so if you like that, use your Taobao shopping service of choice to get it.

Look 2: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Original (left): 

BtSSB Maria’s Catholic Nun OP (¥35,424), AatP Amelia headdress (¥3,780), BtSSB Invitation from 5^th Avenue rosette (¥3,780), AatP Psyche ~The Doctor and the Eternal Sunshine~ OTKs (¥2,700) and BtSSB Victoir shoes (¥15,984)

Total: ¥61,668 = $568,31

Alternative (right):

Opal & Beryl OP (CNY 469), Opan & Beryl headdress (CNY 108), Peacockalorum rosette ($21.85),  Violet Fane Victorian Mourning tights ($32.84) and Antaina RHS ($44.99).

Total: $184,86

Now, Maria’s Catholic Nun OP has been around since around 2016 and became loved enough to be re-released three times already. By now it’s a classic that, unluckily for some, retains its value second hand. Have no fear, because you can find dupes for that too! And where Chinese brands haven't created a close enough lookalike piece, look towards other indie designers who may often have better matches, especially for things like legwear and accessories (or at least it’s easier to search for those).

Conclusion

What I liked about this exercise is that countless of times I looked at a design from a Chinese brand and thought to myself “This looks like X from brand Y” or “They’re going for that [insert era/style/trend] [insert brand] look”. You can literally keep scrolling through the Chinese Lolita Updates Facebook page until you find a good enough dupe for what you’re looking for, regardless of whether it’s a print, non-print or a pair of shoes. There are plenty of people out there who are not set on the exact brand item, but rather like an overall feel or theme of a piece. For them an equivalent from another brand will fit the niche just as well, whilst keeping their bank account that little bit healthier. And it doesn’t matter what you’re after, with enough searching you are bound to find something that suits you!

Personally, while I definitely am the type to get hung over a specific dress, I can also be quite vague with my requirements (just look at my wishlist). If only it were a little easier to search the CLU page (or if its contents were backed up to Lolibrary more consistently), I would happily use it to find some pieces that I’m missing or would like. Though even in the course of doing this post I have found a few that caught my eye, namely some blouses and shoes.

This is also an interesting angle to look at the cost of lolita fashion. On the one hand, even the cheaper looks are still more of an investment than a shopping spree at H&M. On the other, they are roughly a quarter of the price of the brand looks for the same number of pieces and for incredibly similar pieces, making the dupe looks considerably more affordable. Of course, there are ways to get things even cheaper. They might not necessarily be a dupe for a specific brand piece or you may have to hunt down pieces second hand and you have to decide if that’s a compromise you’re willing to make. But a brand new, fresh from the factory look that is quarter of the price of a brand new, fresh from the factory brand look that look nearly indistinguishable from one another? That is an incredible deal!

Have you found any pieces recently that imitated the look of another brand? Would you go for the cheaper alternative to get the look or are you dead set on the brand label/design? Or maybe you had a Chinese brand come to your rescue with a piece deceptively similar to a brand one, but cheaper/in your size (not talking replicas here)? Have a go yourself at doing this ‘Get the Look’ mini-challenge, though make sure to do whatever you need to prevent getting lost in the bottomless pit that are Chinese brands’ updates!

5 Underrated Dresses

There are plenty of lolita dresses that seemingly everyone wants. Not saying that they aren’t worth the hype, just that it gets repetitive and it’s sad that they overshadow some other amazing designs so much. So let’s celebrate the underdogs today! These are five dresses that I believe to be underrated by the wider lolita community and why.

Birthday Trip to Manchester

Today, January 8th, is my actual birthday (happy birthday to me). But who celebrates on a Tuesday, right? So I had part 1 of my birthday shenanigans last weekend when my Mum and I took a fancy trip to Manchester.

| Haenuli Lovely Memories JSK | Infanta blouse | Cutie Creator headbow | Innocent World OTKs and hair clip | Sosic Shop
heels | Promised Land Creations brooch | Primark necklace and bracelets | GlassesLit glasses |

These glasses make every outfit a LEWK!

Have a better pic of my makeup. It was definitely a good
eyeliner day!

This was finally my chance to break out Haenuli’s Lovely Memories JSK. It is such a stunning piece, neither the stock photos nor my pics really do it justice. I just had to do something really classy and elegant with it and mix as many shades of sax as I could (they’re never going to match anyway, let’s just accept that and move on). This dress, like all Haenuli dresses from what I can tell, is a total poof-eater and so it devoured my Malco Modes A-line, however, since it is January and I wanted to stay warm (as well as somewhat practical), it was no time for the hoop skirt. But I bet it would eat that one right up too!

We kicked the day off with the first major thing we wanted to do in Manchester: a trip to the (still) new Irregular Choice shop. I am beyond ecstatic that Irregular Choice finally have an actual branch up North. It was preposterous that all their shops are down South (two in London, one in Brighton and one in Norwich – what about the rest of the country, huh?!) and while there are more resellers than I was previously aware of, nothing beats the range and experience of the real deal. So while the Manchester branch is on the smaller side, it was everything I could’ve hoped for and I hope that it grows in popularity, so that maybe one day they’ll move somewhere a little bigger.

I went in prepared and knew exactly what I was after. Just like lolita fashion, these shoes are so eyecatching that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by them and I wanted to get something I would definitely wear – shop with my brain, not my heart. Actually, shopping at Irregular Choice was almost exactly like shopping in a lolita brand shop: you get the cute aesthetic, lovely and enthusiastic shop staff, the high end boutique treatment and all the cuteness the store can contain. And the feeling of being super rich when you drop money on dat brand yo! I ended up leaving with a pair of Total Freedom, gold/silver sequin mid-heels, which were actually on sale. My pictures are horrible, so have a stock photo to go with it. These will actually be the replacement for my gold heels and I am so happy with my first ever pair of Irregular Choice shoes that I did a happy dance as soon as I had these on. Mum also bought herself a pair and already knows that for her next birthday she wants an Irregular Choice gift card to treat herself to more.

Waiting at Irregular Choice to try my shoes on. The shop
assistant carried them for me to the seating area and then
unwrapped and unbuckled them both for me. Such posh
treatment!

Look at this tote bag! It's pretty sturdy too, it'd make
any grocery trip instantly fabulous.

Eeek!

Crappy photo is crappy, but the sparkle is #nofilter
Also enjoy a tiny cat butt in the background.

Official stock photo, do not own. The sequins can be flipped
over to make the shoes silver, but with my pedantic quirks
I will be tweezing individual sequins to that the shoes are
uniformly gold. 

Our next main goal was afternoon tea at The Midland hotel, but we had a whole hour to kill between, so ended up in Primark for a little bit. It’s odd seeing Manchester’s massive Primark be empty (by their standards). Generally, the last time I saw Manchester city centre this quiet was when I was there at some stupid o’clock in the morning midweek for a passport appointment. It was a Sunday, yesterday both kids and the last I-took-extra-days-off lazy people finished their Christmas break and I guess people must’ve been spent from the holiday festivities and all the Boxing Day/New Year sales, so opted to rest instead. Good for us though – the smaller the crowd, the nicer it is to be out.

And then we finally got to The Midland. I hadn’t been back there since Love from the North, but it was still just as amazing as I remembered, if not better! At a 60+ private tea party it can feel like your service is a little bit less personal than when there’s just two of you. Once again I was impressed by the high standard of everything, from service to quality of the spread. If you ever fancy feeling like absolute royalty, treat yourself to an afternoon tea at The Midland, it’s absolutely impeccable! And now that I think of it, it probably was my favourite afternoon tea overall so far.

Mum and I really savoured our time there, despite arriving feeling so bloody hungry (saving room for the deliciousness there). The spread was different to what I had at Love from the North – whether because that was a private event or because they change their menu, I can’t tell. My favourite ended up being the beetroot hummus sandwich (I did not expect it to be that delicious, I would happily have that in a full size version if I knew how to make it!) and a tie in the dessert department between the butternut meringue pie (sweet without being overpowering and so light) and the dark chocolate delice (duh!). We also took advantage of being able to try a different tea every time and while we had the Midland Jubilee I raved about last time, we also tried Due North (very smokey, it was a surprising taste, though we probably should’ve had that first, when it’d compliment the sandwiches, or after the whole thing) and Green Flamingo (very nice, light and sweet, would be delicious iced in summer!). I was so full after all this, despite everything being tiny in size (and only having one scone out of two that I could have) that I thought I’d burst at the seam.

It was as divine as it sounds!

We took two before remembering that the camera eats first, though it
still looks good.

Dem desserts! They were to die for, every single one.

Then, after a glamorous train ride back, we returned home. Let me tell you, although those Sosic Shop heels are comfortable, we did do a lot of walking, chunks of it over cobblestones, so my feet were grateful to swap those for some slippers. I treated them to a foot pack too.

And so that I don’t unnecessarily clog this blog up, let me finish by including a picture of my actual first lolita outfit of 2019. I returned to work on January 2^nd, but there was literally no-one besides security and the receptionist in the whole building, so I thought I’d cheer my dull day up by dressing up. I have worn lolita pieces to work before, sometimes even with a petticoat, but I hadn’t done a full coord that wouldn’t “pass” to work before, so I was still a little nervous. In the end I’m glad that I’ve done it and while it probably won’t be regular programming, I’d love to wear proper lolita coords to work a bit more often. My reason for not doing so in the past was that I didn’t think work as worthy of the effort that goes into wearing lolita. Now my mindset is that while work might still not be worty, I am and since dressing up nicely gives me joy (and I am stuck there for good eight hours a day, five days a week), then dammit I will take advantage of the lack of strict dress code at my workplace. Just gotta find a better photo spot than this dark lift.

| King Eleven A Mad Tea Party JSK and neck bow | Cutie Creatro headbow | Primark blouse and tights (not in the pic) |
Fluffy Tori pin | offbrand shoes (not in the pic) |