Whilst I was planning on attending Doki Doki again, having gone for the first time in 2017,
my plan was way, waaay more casual than this. From just going to have fun, I’ve
ended up helping to run the CLAM fashion show, J-fashion panel and the stall! I
mean, that’s fair work for a free weekend pass, but still more than I actually
planned on taking on!
For day 1 my plan was to have another stab at Wa lolita. As
the temperatures dropped, it began to seem more and more appealing thanks to
the multiple layers involved. So far both of my Wa looks involved Bodyline main
pieces, as they are simply some of the most versatile ones I own. This
particular haori is actually more mint than blue, which actually worked out for
the better as I was able to wear flats for the day - great choice given that I
was on my feet for most of the time. The tsukeobi was nice to visually break up
this white and blue blob, though without it this would’ve been a lot more
comfortable for my back.
The day went by in a flash and a lot of it was a bit of a
blur for me, to be perfectly honest. I got there for 10:30 to help with setting
up the stall. CLAM actually ended up having three tables that day, as someone
else was not able to make it. Which worked out well for us, as the bring and
buy stuff could be spread out, whilst still leaving room for the glitter
makeovers at the end of the table.
That poster is so good and made us look really professional. |
Sponsored by Kenji. |
Our panel was due to start at 12 noon. The con doors opened
at 11am, but as we were in the hall further away from the entrance, it took
time by the time people started wandering into our hall. Luckily, my experience
delivering tutorials to 16-year-olds prepared me for this and I spent the first
few minutes on the stage just talking at people and trying to drum up some
interest. In the end we had a pretty decent turnout, though I do feel that
having stage events a bit later in the day would be more helpful in ensuring
some attendance.
The topic for the panel was ‘Accessible and Affordable
J-Fashion’ and we covered fairy-kei, decora, larme, and even touched a little
on otome, on top of lolita, which was our main thing. Whilst I would’ve loved
to have a bigger variety of substyles being discussed (we were going to have
someone talk about gyaru and someone discussing visual-kei), the stage was very
small, so some hard decisions were made. Still, I’m happy with the content that
we put out, the talk was rich in information, which hopefully came in useful to
some people, and one member of the audience contributed some very good
questions.
Fashion, let us talk to you about it! Photo credit to Shasha's phone (I can't remember who held it as Shasha was on stage). |
Between then and the fashion show there was roughly half an
hour, which went by so fast. At the end of the panel we were able to get more
people signing up to the fashion show and a few came up for the glitter
makeovers, so it seems like that time went by in a flash. Also, somehow we were
allocated 40 minutes for the fashion show, whereas we’ve used maybe 10 of that
tops and that’s with a slight delay on our part. The way Doki Doki fashion show
works is that it’s open to everyone and people come on stage to show off the
outfit they’re wearing, then rejoin for a group photo. There was lots of people
taking part and we were lucky to have some small gifts donated by Kenji to give out to the participants as thank yous. I
ended up getting an elephant shaped phone stand, which is both cute and
practical.
fashion photo group picture. Photo credit to Shasha's phone (I can't remember who held it as Shasha was on stage). |
A new friend. |
That was the end of stage duties for CLAM and myself. I went
on a break to get some food - had to grab some curry rice, I’ve been craving it
- and managed to look around all the stalls. Luckily for my wallet, there
wasn’t much that I was interested in buying. Doki Doki is great if you want to
support local artists, many of whom have brought not only prints and postcards,
but also stickers, badges, colouring books, clothing and more, as well as doing
on-the-spot commissions. There seemed to be less anime merchandise and snacks
than I remember from my previous experience, which for me wasn’t necessarily a
bad thing. I have noticed a bigger gaming space than I remember from before, as
well as more clothing stalls. However, those were predominantly very pastel,
your generic kawaii fashion, with the only lolita stall also catering
exclusively to sweet lolitas, so not much for me. It’s interesting to see how
at a con there was so much for sweet lolitas to choose from, lots of vendors
with amazing accessories that’d work for that style, whereas at European lolita
events we see mostly classic brands. Of course, generic pastel stuff is easier
to market to anyone who’s interested in J-fashion and/or Japan, so I understand
why that is, I simply found it interesting.
Tempura broccoli was a great additon, I might nick this idea. |
Japanese sweets are always so colourful, it's pleasing to look at. |
Not getting a lucky pack from Tofu Cute took a lot of effort. |
So much cuteness! |
This is where I got my brooch from. |
These made me smile. In hindsight, I probably should've gotten a magnet, I need magnets. |
Sweet lolita's paradise. |
The only lolita clothing stall other than our bring and buy. |
Saturday was packed, getting past was hard most of the times. |
By that point tiredness has really settled inside me.
Luckily, I was due to man the stall tables, so I was able to sit down for the
rest of the day. The flurries of interest immediately post-fashion show had
also mostly gone, so it was much quieter than in the morning, allowing me to
zone out a bit. Though truth be told, it only helped in so far as getting me
through the rest of the day, so once everything was packed up and we decided
what was staying over for Sunday, I dashed to catch my bus back and after a
very uneventful evening, crashed into bed around 9:00-9:30pm. That’s early even
by my standards!
*~*~*~*
| Baroque x Sakizo Repose of Queen Teatime Dress | Innocent World Moon and Star pearl necklace | Irregular Choice Total Freedom shoes | offbrand tiara, socks and earrings | Dalao Home Anlya wig | |
Without the Sailor Moon hairstyle, I feel like this blonde wig makes me look like Princess Aurora. Idea for another time? |
Gosh, the print on this dress is so gorgeous, I love it to bits! |
For day 2 my original plan was to push the boundaries of
lolita a bit and venture somewhat into cosplay. I’ve had this idea for a
Princess Serenity lolita coord since I believe July, when another CLAM member
hosted an ‘Anime Trash, but Make It Fashion’ themed picnic for her birthday,
which I wasn’t able to attend in the end. A convention all about Japan seemed
like the perfect opportunity to whip something like that out, right? However, I
had problems styling the wig into those iconic buns and as it’s such a nice
wig, I decided to save it at the expense of my idea. Luckily, the rest of the
coord was still nice enough and worked, so since I didn’t have the energy to
think of anything else, I kept that.
Day 2 of Doki Doki was a lot quieter and calmer. Not
only we had only one table instead of three, there was only one other person
besides myself helping out at it. Sundays are usually the days when more
families with children attend, which was pretty obvious. Without any stage
commitments, we literally alternated between getting up for
drinks/snacks/bathroom breaks/wandering around and sitting down at the table.
The room we were in was cold, so I borrowed this super fancy cape for warmth. It also matched my coord, which was perfect! |
As far as I’m aware, this was the first time that CLAM has
had a table during both days and now that I’ve done it, I can say that sticking
to one day would’ve been much better. Without any stage activity to drum up
additional interest in what we were having the day was very quiet. Whilst we
managed to either sell or donate all but three small items we still had that
day, and there were plenty of people in J-fashion that day, it was a very slow
process. Again, being in a hall further away from the entrance, tucked in a
corner, often meant that people didn’t make it that far and it was quiet across
the entire convention. Had we had any stage events, things may have been a bit
different. This is something to consider next year.
The highlight of my day was definitely the company. We had a
laugh chatting about anything and everything, from nice things to general
saltiness, and we both looked out for each other. They even bought me snacks,
like this matcha cake, which I otherwise wouldn’t have tried because I’m not so
keen on matcha and which actually turned out lovely (because the matcha flavour
wasn’t so overpowering). There was also another lolita I met the day before,
who was actually in cosplay on Sunday, who came back to chat a few times
throughout the day. I know they’re still new to the comm, but they’re also
local, so hopefully we’ll meet again at some event in the future.
Souffle cheesecake which I bought myself. I also had a bao bun before, but devoured that before I remembered to take a picture. |
The matcha cake which was surprisingly nice. I would definitely have that again! |
As such, the day felt much longer than Saturday, even though
we actually arrived a little later and packed up a little sooner. I tried to
fill some of my time alone at the table with writing for NaNo, which tiredness
made me abandon the evening before, but as I dislike typing long texts on my
phone, it didn’t go that well. Still, the organisers did an absolutely solid
job and made sure that we were looked after, so this isn’t anyone’s fault. It’s
just the nature of Sundays at conventions.
After that weekend there is but one question remaining:
would I do it all again? And the answer is: most likely no. Whilst my doing
NaNo had a lot to do with my overall motivation and tiredness levels, they
aren’t the sole reason. Two days of working at a con, which is much busier than
a lolita event, requires a lot of energy. Whereas at a lolita event you will
usually have a busy day and a relaxed day (tea party), that’s not the case with
cons and it exhausts my energy levels even more. I was still getting up at 7am
on both days to get ready, getting home around 6pm or later, meaning that I’ve
not had the chance to sleep off my working week before I had to be back up at
6am for another working week. That is a lot for one body to take on and
frankly, I want to prioritise my comfort.
Moreover, during the process I discovered that with things
like this I work best solo. By which I mean that when I work solo and am the
only one in charge of what happens, that’s when I feel the most proud of the
work I do, find the most satisfaction in it and naturally find the motivation
to do it. This has been the case with the perfume making ILD
[https://cupcakes-and-unicorns.blogspot.com/2018/12/glass-bottle-of-gourmand-winter-ild.html]
last year and it’s the case with OT-Tea Party, which is due to take place this
Saturday. Whilst I’m happy to help out the community, this can very quickly
turn into a ‘too many cooks’ situation and there were some big changes from
when I first volunteered to help with the panel that were done that have affected
how things worked. So whilst I’m grateful for the experience and am not
necessarily avert to hosting a panel in the future, I don’t think that I’ll be
putting myself forward for that anytime soon.
Lastly, the fact that I am not the weebiest person out there
also affected my overall experience. Going in 2017 for a few hours was just
right, as I could do what I was interested in and then leave once that was
over. There weren’t that many other things that I was interested in and those
that piqued my interest often were at times when I couldn’t commit due to being
at the stall or running a stage event myself. Which means that unless I could
do my part and then leave - which without a bigger reason I’ll be the first to
admit that this is very selfish - I don’t think I have the energy to
commit.
Shame to end on a more sour note, but that’s how the cookie
crumbles and we all learn from each experience we go through them. At least I
got to wear two outfits I was excited by, which otherwise I wouldn’t really have
an occasion for, saw some friends and bought some nice stuff. My haul was very
tiny, but also meaningful: the jam brooch is from a fellow CLAM member who had
their own stall in the artists’ alley. There were so many more I wanted to buy,
but tried to be sensible and only got this one, which I think will match my
wardrobe best. The girl guide-style badges were a gift by my Sunday
partner-in-crime, who works with girl guiding and gave everyone on Saturday
some as a thank you for helping out. They absolutely didn’t have to do that,
which makes this gift even more precious and I love the amount of thought that
went into those, as everyone had something unique to them. The necklace was
purchased on Sunday from the other lolita we hung out with - they already had
some things at the bring and buy table, then brought that over on Sunday, which
I basically snatched up straight away. It was a 100% impulse buy purchase, but
the necklace is gorgeous and it will most likely become my accessory for this
Saturday’s OT-Tea. And then, of course, is the Kenji elephant, but I forgot
about that, which is why it was pictured separately.
Tiny yet meaningful haul. |
Wow, this seems like a lot of words to say that the con
happened, our parts went very well, but I’m tired and don’t think I’ll do it
again. So I guess this is your TL;DR. And big thank you to everyone who read
through the entire thing, you are awesome!
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