Cupcake Kamisama's Lolita World: January 2020

31 Jan 2020

1 Dress 4 Looks Take 33

Although I had wanted to add green to my wardrobe for a substantial amount of time, as it’s not particularly common in lolita fashion, it took me a while to find the right shade. I’m glad I waited because then I was able to not only get this amazing dress, but also support a fabulous local indie brand, After Midnight. This is the dress that every Kawaii background Slytherin needs - but it’s also so much more than just that.

Look 1: First Semester

Or, as I call it in my head, Madeleine Slytherclaw. The official name of this dress is The First Semester, so why not play up those school vibes? This is probably the most experimental coord of the lot here as I wanted to see if my completely offbrand, non-lolita blazer would work. The answer is that it does on a flatlay, but might not when worn because of where the hemline actually sits. So until I get a nicer cropped blazer, this is just to give me an idea of what to expect from a Slytherclaw coord like this. And the reason I call it Madeleine is because of the hat. So you have both cute girls-only school uniform vibes and a magical school uniform ones. Though I’m sure Madeleine would excel at Hogwarts.

Look 2: Larme-inspired

The thing with this one is that I’m fairly sure I’ve worn something like this already (I’ve definitely worn this dress with pink before), but simply haven’t documented it properly. It definitely straddles the line of is it still lolita - to me it is, just a very casual variety of it. Just like green and lavender was an unexpected colour combination for this, green and pink isn’t something you’d immediately think of, yet it still works quite nicely. The bow and heart-shaped accessories add that romantic, feminine vibe that larme outfits have, which is also great for lolita fashion. And can we appreciate my ingenuity of displaying these mostly sheer tights on an iPad? Because without those tights the look really wouldn’t come together, but sheer tights like this are a nightmare to photograph for flatlays.

Look 3: Classic Lady

Fun fact: as I was laying this one out, I did two versions of the same look. The one I didn’t pick for this post had brown shoes, offwhite x green socks, and a brown headbow. Both versions looked really good and I will keep both of them in my outfit bank, but for the purposes of this post I went with the brown socks and green headbow and shoes combo. It looks a little bit more colour balanced, but also a little bit more autumnal kind of classic. Since I went with book-shaped accessories, having more brown also plays into those elegant savant or librarian vibes very well. This is a really cute look, neither too casual nor too dressy, just right for going out to a cafe to read a book with a hot drink and some cake.

Look 4: Starry OTT

Most of the coords I’ve ever put together with this dress have been more casual. Which is fine, this is a fairly simply cut in a solid-coloured fabric with only a couple of details - it was meant to be more casual. But that opened the floor up to trying myself at creating at least one look that could be considered OTT. And while it’s certainly not perfect, I do like the look? I tried to avoid repeating too many pieces that I’ve used already, which is tricky as my collection of green items is still relatively small. But the direction this outfit is going in feels right and the coord itself definitely reads fancy. I feel like this ticks off the ‘can I dress this JSK up’ box, which is exactly the challenge that I set myself. And with a bit more work and fewer self-imposed restrictions, I have no doubts that this could be transformed into a very OTT coordinate.

As is often the case, there are many other ways to coordinate this piece. Since I end up wearing it fairly often on a daily basis, I have put it with completely non-lolita items like a navy striped top. However, because of those super casual looks I wanted to try showcasing here coords that are unquestionably lolita and that I could whip out for a meetup if I ever got stuck for an outfit idea. And often, like with look 3 here, you can then swap a few pieces out for something else to end up with yet another outfit that’s different enough. So yes, I’m very pleased with this post.

28 Jan 2020

Casual Saturday

It is most certainly getting to the stage where I will dress up in lolita for the most mundane of tasks. It’s not even that long ago when the thought of being on my own in frills to go to Primark would’ve made me too anxious to do it. Yet here we are – my boundaries of what I consider a casual coordinate have been pushed.

This little tassel is so soft and added the touch of Lunar New Year decorations feel I wanted.

I'm also very happy that I was able to do a red and gold eyeshadow look that's still quite casual.

These wrist cuffs, however, are obscenely large.

For a long time I wasn’t sure what I wanted to wear. I kept going back and forth with different ideas, not quite on board with any of them. In the spirit of my breaking pieces out of being stuck to certain seasons, I wanted something that I wore last in spring or summer. And then I remembered that Saturday was Lunar New Year, which led me to reds – which led to this. I love how these tights look with this JSK, though I wish the colours were a saturated as when the tights are unstretched. Instead of one of the same headbows I always wear with this I stuck to just a hair clip, especially as the tassel reminded me of those on Chinese lanterns. It was comfortable, if not necessarily the best choice for the weather, that’s all I can say really.

I set off with an ambitious plan of going shopping in Manchester city centre. It didn’t take me long to remember that I actually dislike shopping in Manchester city centre on Saturdays, though since I was already there, I bought what I came for. Or rather most of it, as I opted to avoid going to Lush as it felt like too much after Uniqlo, Primark and Aldi (yes, I am now officially that girl who goes to Aldi in frills – this wasn’t even my first time doing so!). However, my reward for sticking this out, as well as the motivation for going out in the first place, was a late lunch/early dinner at Shoryu Ramen. I’d been craving some ramen for a while, so since I had to go out to get it, might as well get other bits done, right?

Despite my hate for the crowds at Manchester's Primark, I'm glad I went because I spotted these tops. They're £10 each at the moment and the polyester mesh is quite stiff (though I reckon a fabric softener wash could help with that). However, I think I might buy them later (if/when they go on sale).

All the rameny goodness. Exactly what I needed as a pick-me-up from the shopping and just the right kind of food to eat slowly enough to make it until the 4pm ticket release.

As it turned out, and as I learnt on my tram ride to town, the event tickets for Gothic & Lolita Festival in Moscow would drop at 4pm on that day (7pm Moscow time). This certainly gave me an added sense of urgency to get the shopping done asap, since I set off a little late. Whilst ideally I would’ve gone back home to buy the tickets, I managed to time it just right so that I was at Shoryu Ramen at the time of the release. It had a decent enough connection that I was able to buy my tickets on my mobile (which I really don’t like doing, so thank goodness that everything went smoothly). Not that I needed to worry or panic, as apparently the ticket sale wasn’t quite the bloodbath we expected given that Mana is the guest of honour. But that doesn’t matter – what matters is that my friends and I all managed to get our tickets and the squad will reunite in Moscow in April. Well, provided that we get our visas, which is the next big hurdle, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.

I'm not that keen on meeting Mana, I'm happy to just wave at him from a distance. It's an interesting price distribution compared to other events I've been to - the main event is significantly cheaper than what I've seen elsewhere, while the tea party is pretty much on par with other events I've attended. Just an observation.

And so ended my fairly uneventful Lunar New Year casual Saturday. Or rather the more eventful part of it. I wanted to get some cake from a patisserie, but it turned out to be closed, so I went home empty handed in the cake department. I ended up having just some dark chocolate with my tea for watching season 2 of Sex Education, which was just as good a snack as any.

This whole outing does make me wonder though – what will be the next step in my lolita evolution? Wearing frills demands less energy from me and I feel more confident just going about my daily, boring business in lolita, so what could be next? Will I completely forget what the word ‘casual’ means and will grow more at ease wearing more OTT coords for my trips to Aldi? Or will I go more in the daily lolita direction, to the joy of my office colleagues? (They’re already getting some of it, as I will happily wear my lolita shoes with work clothes, which are mostly Axes Femme.) I guess we can only wait and see.

24 Jan 2020

Wardrobe Post 2020

* image by Mimi Jamora

As per tradition, here’s another wardrobe post that I wasn’t going to make. I was going to focus just on my wardrobe spreadsheet, which has been useful in keeping track of what I have. However, as that started to get a bit messy I thought: heck it, let’s just do it all again the old-fashioned way. It’s about the same workload, so might as well.

In 2019 I (finally) got rid of some bits and replaced others with better versions of them. My style is definitely moving away from sweet and firmly into classic, though don’t count on me getting rid of my most prized sweet dresses. Having a wishlist split into different sections: replace, need and wish, was useful when narrowing down to what my wardrobe needed the most. To reflect the fact that I mix and match pieces from my lolita and non-lolita quite often, I finally bothered to take photos of all my offbrand stuff. Literally the only thing that did not get photographed are petticoats, bloomers and earrings. Hopefully from now on I’ll be able to keep up with photographing things as we go along to make next year’s wardrobe post much easier for myself.

My 2020 goals are focused more on wearing the fashion and limiting purchases (and if you’d like to read about this in more detail, I have a post about this). I would like to give each main piece a spin at least once this year (in 2019 I managed that for all but two dresses) and wear some of the pieces currently stuck in seasonal outfits out of that. While I doubt that I’ll be doing anything like Christmas in July, I would like to try to wear my summery pieces in colder months and vice versa where realistically possible. Since I live in the UK, that should be relatively doable, the weather really is pretty mild here. And I don’t have anything that heavily seasonal bar some chiffon dresses (which can still be layered up).

Although I photographed everything, naming it all would be too much text. So I'm compensating by including Lolibrary links to the main pieces that I could find on there. If there's anything in this collection you'd like to know more about, simply ask me in the comments or check out the wardrobe spreadsheet (linked above), which has the names for everything.

I would’ve linked you to the past wardrobe posts, but the image hosting sites that I used have closed, so they’re just full of ‘image is no longer available’ thumbnails. Having said this, I have done a wardrobe post every year since 2016 and most of the photos in this one are reused from the last two years. If you do fancy reading through just descriptions, they're all on this blog, just go to the wardrobe post tag

Metamorphose Polka Dot Shirring Pinafore JSK

It's my cheapest main piece and I'm finally figuring out how to coordinate it beyond just casual wear. It's a little on the short side though.

Baroque x Sakizo Repose of Queen Teatime Dress set with overskirt (not pictured)

I have very fond memories modelling this at Dream Masquerade Carnival shortly after my own set arrived. This print is so lush and I love Sakizo's work!

Angelic Pretty Fantasy Theater Gilet JSK

The first piece I bought directly from brand in the Kanazawa branch. It was a pretty literal 'shut up and take my money' kind of situation.

Alice and the Pirates Rosier Fleur JSK
I'm not sure whether it's the original or the re-release, though I feel like it might be the original. Either way, it's a stunning piece that pictures don't do justice.

Angelic Pretty Cinema Doll JSK (2018 MTO)
I am so glad I jumped on this MTO, this dress is absolutely stunning and I love it with all my heart. Thank you, AP, for not changing the fabric on this one.

Bodyline L380 skirt

Bought this to use as an underskirt, but I've actually been using it on itso wn a lot. It's a great piece for layering of all sorts, if you can, I recommend getting it.

Metamorphose Sailor Tiered skirt

This gets far more wear for work than in Lolita coords. Although as with any tiered cotton skirt, the ironing/steaming is a chore.

Magic Tea Party Bears Paradise skirt

Such a cute, yet unassuming piece thanks to the neutral colours and simple cut. It's also pretty sturdy, great if you need something that can withstand things.

Violet Fame Charming Town skirt

Another fantastic casual piece. As the cut is very classic A-line, it sometimes translates as more otome than lolita, but I don’t care, this is gorgeous. And did you know that the lining is also printed? That’s a detail I never knew I needed, but appreciate nonetheless!

Innocent World Georges Rose JSK
Promise I ironed it, it just wrinkles like crazy. It's a great fancy, but still sort of blending in kind of piece. Although I must say, I do wish Innocent World learned how to cut for people with actual boobs.

Angelic Pretty Royal Unicorn Switching JSK

That gobelin fabric is the most gorgeous thing ever. And I love all the pops of sax on this colourway!

Angelic Pretty Flower Garden JSK
After being on and off my wishlist for a while, I found it for a price that was too good to say no to. It sticks out in my collection like a sore thumb and I still love it.

Innocent World White W Blade Tuck skirt (long)

Technically this probably isn't really lolita. Nonetheless, this is a great skirt and Innocent World White deserves to be included, especially as I've gone to the trouble of photographing all my completely offbrand bits too.

Bodyline L262 (altered)
Here is the very first Lolita dress I ever bought and I still love it. It's a very versatile piece and looks way nicer than you'd expect from Bodyline.

Metamorphose Polka Dots Tiered skirt
Yes, I know that I have a dress that’s basically the same thing. But this is Meta and was cheap, how could I have said no?

HeartE tartan JSK.
I don't know the official name of it. This piece is one of my most comfortable and I'm sad to have gotten into HeartE just before they closed. It always surprises me how many people compliment this dress in particular, since it's such a simple design that I wear more casually than in proper lolita ways (especially as it's a touch short for lolita).

Alice and the Pirates Sheherazade ~ One Thousand and One Nights ~ JSK I
Another one where I find the cut extremely flattering on me. More of this kind of cuts, please! But without the weird back bow, just keep it simple, AatP.

BtSSB Full of Stars "Bright Starry Night" JSK I

This JSK was a painful lesson in customs in the UK. I love it despite its unpleasant history. It's been a while since I've worn it in a fancy way though...

Alice and the Pirates Side Frill JSK
I wanted something red, solid, A-line and underbust cut – just never expected to find it all in one dress. This came along at the right price and the right time.

Metamorphose Classical Sister OP

You may think it’s an exaggeration, but this OP has changed my life. It’s comfortable, it’s versatile thanks to the detachable collar and cuffs, and it’s incredibly flattering. It’s my new go-to for very lazy days. Though I do want to try something more dressed up with it next time.

Lady Sloth Winter Spices skirt

This is the most seasonal print I envision myself getting. Love it to bits, it's the best and basically wear the crap out of it each December. It's also super sturdy and warm as it's two layers of cotton.

Angelic Pretty Diner Doll JSK

The only mint piece in my collection, although it is a bluish mint. I've ended up getting a fair few pieces to match just this, but it's been totally worth it.

Metamorphose Bubble Bath skirt
I’ve no idea how it took me so long to discover this print. I’m simply grateful that once I did, I was able to find it so quickly. It’s CATS TAKING A BATH, how can I not love it?!

BtSSB Sugar Bouquet Halter Neck Shirring Princess JSK

This dress claims to be sax, but it's a minty shade. Argh! Colours really frustrate me sometimes. But I got a great deal on it on Wunderwelt, as it arrived with tags for supposedly C-condition.

Innocent World Revival Sweet Teddybear JSK

A long-standing dream dress that's finally mine. I love IW's simple take on Sweet Lolita! There were plenty of times when I almost gave in and bought it in brown, but I'm glad I didn't, it was 100% worth the wait.

Haenuli Lovely Memories JSK
That lace is everything! I absolutely love this dress and feel so elegant in it. I must wear it in summer this year, it's been confined to winter coordinates for too long now.

Metamorphose Shirring Tiered Ribbon JSK

Lord, the skirt on this one never ends, which is painfuly obvious when ironing! But it's also such a comfortable and versatile dress, so I will live with the pain.

Bodyline L249 JSK
Second Lolita dress I ever bought and while I still adore it, it is a bit too short for lolita. I'd love to get it altered one day, so am looking for another one of these to have more fabric for the alterations.

Lady Sloth/Casual Sloth Look at My Dreamy Sky - Day OP

Although it's from the casual range, it still works with Lolita. This has been worn to a wedding, as well as just out and about, so even though it's from the casual range, it's still fancy enough if you need it.

Haenuli Whipped Cream Kitty JSK
This was a present from my boyfriend for graduating with a 2:1. It has a matching waist ribbon, but I couldn't be bother to dig it out just for the photo as I don't wear it very often (if ever).

BtSSB Secret AIR MAIL from Sweet Kitty JSK
The kitties are adorable, I can't believe it took me this long to realise how good this print is, even though I remember it coming out. Would love to get the matching socks, but I probably don't really need them.

Angelic Pretty Crystal Dream Carnival Tiered JSK
This was an instant dream dress, but the damn thing appeared just after I spent all my savings on Fantasy Theater. I was lucky to get it later without selling a kidney. I need to be better about wearing it out though - I love it, but even without the detachable bits I feel a bit self conscious when wearing this out.

Song and Temple Fairy Tale Library skirt

This is also a piece that I wear a lot to work. The print always gets noticed and complimented a lot. It's also the skirt I wear when travelling, since it's light and means I can wear my petticoat instead of trying to pack it. So far it's been to 7 countries, if we include its country of origin. And I'm sure it will see more.

Mary Magdalene Paulina JSK
My namesake and ultimate dream dress. You can pry that from my cold, dead fingers, I ain't ever getting rid of this! Everything about this dress is simply perfect to me.

Resailan Jewelry Box JSK I (altered)

I love this print, but the original cut wasn't working for me, so I had it altered. Now it's a shape that flatters me more and while I'd still change a few bits, I can at least wear it and feel good about myself.

Dear Celine Magic Book OP

This is such a great print. Whilst I got it with the intention of wearing it more casually, it just hasn't quite happened - but the potential is there!

Metamorphose Wizarding Lesson ~ The Trainee Wizard ~ pants

My first and only pair of ouji shorts. Meta wins the game with so many detachable pieces. Although Meta always wins the game in my eyes.

After Midnight The First Semester JSK

This cut is the best: super comfy and super flattering. Definitely want more green in my wardrobe - and more underbust (or near underbust) cuts!

BtSSB Polonaise Brillante ~ Ideas of a Maiden ~ Apron JSK
This was an insta-dream dress, Baby did so well capturing the essence and detail of Polish national costume and I pretty literally cried when I finally got my hands on it at BtSSB Osaka. The staff must’ve thought I was a bit mad, but I don’t care, this is my child and I can’t wait to keep evolving and upping the Polish vibes in my coords with this!

Alice and the Pirates Sugar Plum Fairy Princess JSK

My first gothic piece (despite the very sweet name). Excuse the heavy editing, I wanted to showcase some of that flocked detail. The gold specks is actually glitter. This looks much better in movement, so I recommend checking out the lookbook video I did with this dress.

Haenuli Just One Bite JSK (Jacquard)
Although not the first gothic dress I purchased, this was the first one I couldn’t get out of my head. And I’m so happy that I was able to get it during Haenuli’s Farewell Reservations, it’s such a stunning piece.

Atelier Boz Roland jacket (men's size)

Little Dipper short coat

offbrand capelet

vintage haori

Metamorphose Swallow-tail Jacquard jacket

vintage haori

vintage jacket

vintage short jacket

Row 1: BtSSB, Bodyline, Innocent World, Innocent World
Row 2: Axes Femme, New Look, Dream V, offbrand
Row 3: Angelic Pretty, A.R.W., Axes Femme, BtSSB
Row 4: offbrand, Axes Femme, Innocent World, Crown Label
Row 5: Angelic Pretty, Dancing Days, Hell Bunny, Innocent World
Row 6: offbrand, offbrand, Innocent World, Axes Femme

Row 1: Primark, Metamorphose, Nile Perch
Row 2: A.R.W., Fi.n.t., Axes Femme
Row 3: Axes Femme, Axes Femme, Dear Celine

Row 1: Crown Label, Ank Rouge, Lady Sloth
Row 2: Dorothy Perkins, Magic Tea Party, Axes Femme
Row 3: Axes Femme, Axes Femme

Row 1: Infanta, offbrand, A.R.W.
Row 2: Resailan, offbrand, Angelic Pretty
Row 3: Axes Femme, offbrand

Row 1: Innocent World, Primark, New Look
Row 2: Bodyline, Soufflesong, BtSSB
Row 3: BtSSB, offbrand, Axes Femme

Row 1: Infanta, New Look, BtSSB
Row 2: New Look, Axes Femme, Axes Femme
Row 3: vintage, Lazy Oaf, vintage

Row 1: Angelic Pretty, Miss Point, I Do Declare
Row 2: Axes Femme, Dream V, Axes Femme
Row 3: Lady Sloth, Millefleurs, Angelic Pretty

Row 1: Infanta, Yilia, Chess Story
Row 2: Axes Femme, Axes Femme, Axes Femme
Row 3: I Do Declare

Row 1: offbrand, BtSSB, offbrand, Irregular Choice, Metamorphose
Row 2: Bodyline, Innocent World, Graceland, Hush Puppies, Angelic Pretty
Row 3: Irregular Choice, Sosic Shop, offbrand, Bodyline, Sosic Shop
Row 4: Deary, Graceland, Graceland, Graceland, Vivienne Westwood x Melissa

Row 1: Alice and the Pirates, Innocent World, Loris, Metamorphose, Angelic Pretty
Row 2: BtSSB, Angelic Pretty, Disney, offbrand, Dream V
Row 3: A.R.W., Amavel, Vendula, Vendula, Vendula

Row 1: MuFish, Angelic Pretty, unknown, offbrand, Metamorphose, Angelic Pretty x2
Row 2: Angelic Pretty, Alice and the Pirates, Angelic Pretty x3, Innocent World x2

Innocent World x2, Alice and the Pirates, Metamorphose, Angelic Pretty x3, Metamorphose

Angelic Pretty x3, Innocent World x2, Angelic Pretty x2, BtSSB, Angelic Pretty, Innocent World, Putomayo

Angelic Pretty x2, Alice and the Pirates, BtSSB, Metamorphose

Innocent World, Angelic Pretty x5, Putomayo, Innocent World x3

Baroque x2, Resailan, Kira Kira, Violet Fane

Enchantlic Enchantilly, Red Maria, Enchantlic Enchantilly x2, MuFish, Haenuli

Haenuli, Red Maria, MuFish, Resailan, Angelic Pretty

Hair accessories: white/ivory/beige/gold

Hair accessories: pink/lavender

Hair accessories: red

Hair accessories: brown/yellow

Hair accessories: green

Hair accessories: blue

Hair accessories: black/silver

Hair accessories: berets, hats, bonnets

Rings

Necklaces: sweet

Necklaces: classic/gothic

Brooches: white/black

Brooches: beige/ivory/gold

Brooches: pink/lavender

Brooches: red

Brooches: blue

Brooches: brown/green

Gloves: Innocent World, vintage x2, offbrand
Wrist cuffs row 1: Peacockalorum, Cutie Creator, Angelic Pretty, Innocent World
Wrist cuffs row 2: Angelic Pretty x2, Peacockalorum, Innocent World
Bracelets: all offbrand or handmade

Shinku Rose Tulle Overdress

Peacockalorum underskirt

Boguta starry underskirt

Miscellaneous, including: BtSSB parasol, Peacockalorum muff, vintage belts, Angelic Pretty x Tea Party Club mug and box, mirrors from Haenuli and Angelic Pretty, clearfiles from Haenuli and Dear Celine, event fans and a handmade sash.

L'Esprit de la Noblesse La Bibliotheque JSK (regular waist, long length), Lady Sloth snowflake lace blouse (princess sleeve, round neckline, custom-made) and L'Esprit de la Noblesse Le Nuage blouse (cold dust rose colour)

...and some other smaller bits.

Thank you very much for looking through it. I hope that you have ejoyed my wardrobe post and maybe even found something new in this fashion to appreciate. I know I certainly love browsing through other people's posts and finding items and details that I missed until then.