D.H. Dhaenens' "Lockhart Returns" review

It’s not always possible to pester a brand for a re-release of your favourite print to the point where they relent – but it is entirely possible to pester your favourite author into writing a sequel!

Back Again!

Two years ago now D. H. Dhaenens released “Lockhart Mansion,” a story about three lolita friends who move in to a house rumoured to be haunted because, you know, cheap rent is nothing to scoff at. The incredibly funny, painfully relatable, and only mildly scary story resonated with every lolita who read it and we’d frequently ask the author, only half-jokingly, when the sequel was coming out. And then she wrote it! Just like the first one, it was funded through Kickstarter and comfortably met its funding goal earlier this year.

There isn’t a way to talk about “Lockhart Returns” without some spoilers from “Lockhart Mansion,” so if you’ve yet to read it (and honestly, what have you been doing with all that time?), then I suggest opening the link above to buy book 1, then skipping to the end of this post to pre-order book 2. You can read my review of book 1 here and now – onto reviewing book 2.

The Review

“Lockhart Returns” opens with the aftermath of a tea party gone horribly wrong. And I mean horribly! Imagine a bonnet stuck to the ceiling with cakes level of bad. One could simplify things to say that the whole book is a story of how a tea party this bad could possibly happen – but that would not do it justice.

Once again we return to Lockhart Mansion where the three lolitas: Valiant, Ramona, and George, now live with Adam as the fourth member of the group. They got him to be into ouji (stuff of most lolitas dreams) and we see them continue with the lives they’ve had: navigating university work and jobs, organising lolita meetups, and spending their hard-earned money on brand. But not all is as it once was as their still new frilly bliss is interrupted by altogether new kinds of hauntings…

Just like in the first book, the whole story is broken up into narrative sections led by each lolita’s point of view. Thus we get to see each characters’ arc develop as they deal with their own struggles, from relationships to finding their purpose in life and discovering more about themselves in the process, as well as learning more about each other in that way that only people who live together get to experience. At the same time, each segment carries on the wider story of new paranormal activity that has befallen on the mansion, as well as insecurity and discord amongst its occupants. To say anything more would be dangerously close to spoiler territory, so if you’re still unsure if this book is for you, know that it is ultimately a story of friendship and growth, a story of young adults figuring out life and trying to do their best in that – and getting interrupted by the supernatural once more.

The immediate first question is whether you have to have read “Lockhart Mansion” to follow the events in “Lockhart Returns” – and my answer is that you don’t. The events from book 1 are referenced, as well as explained as much as is necessary for the current plot to make sense. You should be able to get into the story as is without missing out anything that matters to the plot at hand. However, by jumping straight into book 2 you would be missing out on the backstory to these characters, which makes their current behaviour and growth all the richer. The reader still gets plenty of introducing to Ramona, Valiant, George, and Adam, including their personality quirks and personal lives, so there is never any risk of getting them mixed up or of feeling like you’re being expected to know previous things. After all, even those who have read the first volume appreciate a reminder. But those familiar with “Lockhart Mansion” will get more out of “Lockhart Returns” than those who have not, simply by virtue of already having a relationship with these characters and being invested in them and their relationships.

Similarly, someone completely new to the world of lolita fashion will not be left stranded. The author continues to delight with witty footnotes on some of the more insular concepts where it would not be natural to insert an explanation into the main body of the text. Those footnotes are a highlight to those in the know, showing a great sense of humour and allowing us, the lolita readers, to look at out fashion with a bit of distance instead of always treating it so seriously. That being said, the main body of the text will also keep up with explaining the things you encounter – which is a necessity because I feel like in “Lockhart Returns” we get more lolita fashion. Yes, just like in “Lockhart Mansion” brands and prints are referred to by name, coords are described using the proper terminology, and references are made very casually to the things we do, from Taobao group orders to sniggering at poor quality releases. Yet I feel like as the author grew more confident in who is predominantly reading this story, the sprinkle for flavour and authenticity became a generous pinch. And I, for one, am here for it.

What I also picked up on, in a very visual way this time too, is the flow of penmanship. Don’t worry, “Lockhart Returns” is still as easy to sink your teeth into as “Lockhart Mansion” was. This time, in anticipation of writing this review, as well as thanks to actually getting home before starting the book rather than reading it on the train back from the launch, I placed sticky tabs to mark quotes that particularly made me laugh or that resonated with me in some way. (Those are the ones you are reading on the images, by the way.) There are 26 in total and that is after holding myself back a little. Blink and you’re a 100 pages into the story. Then another blink and you’re sacrificing sleep to finish it. D. H, Dhaenens’ writing has this wonderful quality of being very unpretentious and to the point without sacrificing on any of the important details. The reader is never left feeling like they are watching characters float in empty space and they are always given a clear picture of what is happening in any given scene without it going on for ages.

Where I think the book lacks, sadly, is in some copy-editing. I sincerely hope that this is only an issue with the copy given to tea party backers, since these had to be printed and bound for a date nearly a month ahead of the general release, but a few too many tiny oddities have snuck in, particularly in the latter half of the book. One page Ramona is talking with Reese and the next Reese has suddenly become Rachel. Or George will be described as answering to herself in the space of a paragraph. These little imps are easy to miss when writing (authors do become blind to their own words after months of familiarity), and unfortunately they can jerk a reader out of a great story. If there is time to fix this before the general release, I sincerely hope that the author can do that. If not – please, give the author some grace. After all, when they were writing this book, their no-buy was only one year long and they are now on their fourth! That does things to a person, you know.

TQiD mentioned

Because ultimately, although writing gremlins are never fun to find, they are just tiny glitches. As a story that’s very much driven by the characters and their growth, “Lockhart Returns” absolutely defends itself through George, Valiant, Ramona, and Adam. And the great cast of secondary and tertiary characters too! The cast of “Lockhart Returns” was joined by a few new faces, as well as some returning ones, who are just as fleshed out and lovable as the main trio. It was particularly heart-warming to see the fan favourite get a love interest (and all “Lockhart Mansion” readers know exactly who the fan favourite is). And say what you want about the goth and sweet dating trope, but it’s a classic because it works (not because a goth and a sweet make a classic, that’s not how maths works). Just like during the first book’s Kickstarter campaign, backers had the option of purchasing an add-on where they would be written into the story. This time we get to see them more than once, which not only is a great perk for these specific backers, but also cements the lolita community in the story as a real one, with people who attend these meetups regularly and don’t just appear once only to disappear like ghosts. And make for great supporting characters, of course.

Overall – she says after waxing poetic about the book for good two pages already – I have had a fantastic time reading “Lockhart Returns.” It was a genuinely laugh-out-loud and frequently heart-warming story of friendship and frills. And yes, the paranormal too. But the paranormal is not too intense or too gory, so if you’re a wimp like me, you will only be really scared maybe once. That’s excluding any fictional danger posed to Japanese branded clothing, that is.

Get the Book

“Lockhart Returns” is launching for the general public next Thursday, October 31st 2024, a perfect date to mark the release of this spoopy story. You can pre-order it already, but like before, if you are having any problems with doing so, shoot Flammable Penguins a message on Instagram. As a small indie publisher they will go above and beyond to help you. And don’t forget to review it once you’ve read it! We’ve been told the top secret info on the impact of reviews for indie books and it is actually quite mind-boggling how much that means to an indie creator. 

The two books together, reunited as they should be.

Just like last time, there was a tea party to celebrate the launch, though as it was a smaller affair compared to the first one, the vlog is a little bit shorter. Hopefully you still enjoy it though. 

A Mirror to Our World

Whilst Spooky Season haunts all around us, the Bibliotheca bloggers have agreed on a less scary theme for now (or maybe potentially a more scary one once you read this post) and that is mirror. And boy, am I excited to ramble on about how fashion is a mirror to our society and collective state of mind!

Photo by Artem Saranin on Pexels.com.

Watch most fashion history video essays on YouTube and you will soon learn that fashion trends hold a mirror to our societies and reflect back what’s happening at a bigger scale. The shortening of the hemlines and the more extravagant looks of the 1920s (and to an extent the 1960s) were a coping mechanism in times of relative turmoil, as well as a display of the gradually growing freedoms granted to women. The minimalist trends of the 1930s and the 1990s came as direct responses to the extravagances of the previous decades, but also a result of the financial crises that affected the decades. And those are only the most obvious examples (that don’t touch on the pandemic).

Lolita fashion is the same. Of course, it emerged as a rebellion against societal expectations placed on women in Japan, but this goes further than that. Maybe especially because of lolita fashion being relatively insular and so much smaller in scale compared to mainstream trends, our responses to external factors can sometimes feel more punchy. From where I stand, they also appear to last a little bit longer because with the predefined silhouette, upholding quality, and the collector’s mentality it is less susceptible to fast-paced changes and microtrends like we see on the high street and on social media.

So what have we seen/are we seeing? And what is lolita fashion telling us about ourselves now? 

The two main centres of focus that I am seeing across the English-speaking lolita fashion communities are the continuing popularity of oldschool and the rise in popularity of Atelier Pierrot’s style gothic. Not to say that other things aren’t happening, I don’t think that sweet lolita will ever die, plus my view may be skewed somewhat by my own feelings of standing out (forever not fitting in with the crowd uwu), but these two seem to be reflected the most right now and be the strongest mirrors to the wider world.

Oldschool

Oldschool seems to be the easier one to explain. As a style, it harkens back to the simpler times, when  good quality fabric and lace meant more than a fancy print, while styling was both less involved and often more experimental. This was the lolita that people could see themselves wearing every day: comfortable, versatile, but still elegant and dressy by mainstream fashion standards.

Meanwhile, not once have we left turbulent times since entering the new decade. Pandemic, global conflicts, constant battle against the rising far-right, fighting for more than just the bare basic human rights – that takes an emotional toll on a person. And when we’re emotionally wiped out, we crave comfort. Oldschool lolita is one of the most comfortable things out there, not least because of the plentiful shirring. The simpler styling and often smaller silhouettes are both physically more comfortable (three accessories vs thirty makes a difference) and emotionally comfortable (easier to tuck yourself in when in a busier public space).

The nostalgia of Gothic & Lolita Bible scans confirms how much of an inspiration those simpler looks are right now.
Picture from Pinterest.

In a way that’s not entirely removed from the mainstream, oldschool lolita also seems to have more of an appeal with the younger generations who are currently in a Y2K phase and, to my view, Gen Z seem particularly fond of making things that are considered simply ugly (bucket hats and crocs, to name a few) cool and trendy. The frumpy quality of oldschool lolita fits into that aesthetic window of something that’s nostalgic for the 2000s, but also unpolished and mismatched, and therefore ‘ugly’ in comparison to the highly polished later iterations of the fashion. Young people are already dealing with countless rules placed upon them, from as strict as rules to as fluid as how to be an ethical person in a capitalist world – to them the more loose notions on what makes a coord good or balanced in oldschool vs say the 2012-style of sweet is probably just as freeing as the advent of lolita was to its earliest wearers. Plus, upcycling old curtains and vintage lace, which so current oldschool indie brands are doing, fits great with the environmental messages within the fashion industry, so it’s even easier to tell yourself that you’re being good when wearing that. 

In other words, what the continuing high popularity of this style is telling us is that there has still not been any time of actual rest from the tumultuous start to the decade that we’ve had. The craving for comfort and simplicity is a natural response to the current world state, and between practicality, physical ease, and a less fussy look oldschool lolita is a very appealing option to many, whether they have started in the fashion recently or been in it for years already.

Atelier Pierrot goth

The other way that people cope with troubled times is through escapism. The peak of the pandemic brought with it the now infamous sweet boom because staying at home made dressing in OTT Sweet so much easier. However, between it attracting more attention when out and about, and some of that pandemic popularity naturally dying down (let’s face it, it was easier to have a niche, visually striking special interest with nothing else going on), room was made for a gothic version.

This is where Atelier Pierrot swept in. They really ticked all the boxes: investing in bigger sizes; actively engaging with the Western market; tapping into the fact that goth is somewhat recognisable to and semi-interchangeable with the mainstream – and no least of all, the long-standing lolita wearers who just are not into sweet. Our community is growing older, the 30-somethings are a big group and they have often been at it for a decade or so. They are more likely to want something that can be dressed up and down that is more elegant rather than frumpy – and Atelier Pierrot provides that. Often with just as much comfort given the size range, their own favour of full shirring, and the more recent foray into natural fibres alongside their usual synthetic ones. Despite the steady influx of younger people joining the fashion, many of whom do start out with gothic lolita, the community remains that because of those long-standing members in their 30s and older who frequently have the means to purchase quality items and who therefore will spend more on something with robust quality control that won’t look like a long-forgotten trend in ten years’ time.

Atelier Pierrot staff coordinates. Whilst multi-brand, you can see how all of these looks immediately appear more wearable and versatile for long-term wardrobe building.
Photo from X.

Moreover, Atelier Pierrot understood the assignment from the mainstream market: that marketing is key. As hard as it is on many independent creators, the success of a brand or a product these days is often less about the product itself and more about the parasocial relationship with the creator or brand. Just go to your nearest book shop and see how many new releases are ‘TikTok sensations’ or something like that. Even when the original creators have long been able to stop creating social media content themselves, the parasociality continues by virtue of their stuff being so big that communities of fans have formed themselves and are carrying on the marketing through sheer size affecting algorithms. Through Connie, Atelier Pierrot not only broke through the metaphorical fourth wall of a Japanese brand directly reaching out to the Western market with live streams, personal shopping streams, and English language shopping opportunities, but also tapped into the potential of meme marketing. Their English Instagram account is excellently balanced between product advertising, aspirational capsule collages, and memes that tap into current things in the world (such as Moo Deng) and humorous observations on the shopping habits of its customer base (porbl). And if my own penchant for wanting dumb stuff because it amuses me is a measure of anything, then the Western community had no chance against the excellent meme game on Atelier Pierrot’s social media, falling right into their trap.

So whether through a darker escapist way of coping with the state of the world, by falling into the trap of modern day marketing, or simply through wanting to throw money at versatile pieces of good quality, the Atelier Pierrot chokehold on the Western community right now is a great reflection of how our community has evolved into its current form that seems to be a bit darker overall than even 2-3 years ago at the height of the sweet boom.

As I said before, this is not a definitive take on either lolita fashion or how it’s a reflection of our world and community. I don’t mean this post to be a history lesson, which is why I skipped previous decades – though if there is appetite for that, let me know and I’ll see if I have any more Big Thoughts left for that. And this is certainly not exhaustive in terms of what kinds of lolita fashion are popular right now. Even opening your social media of choice will show that sweet lolita continues to fare well, both in its OTT and more regular forms, and for the sake of brevity I refrained from splitting the post into further regional differences (of which there are certainly plenty, even as small as between cities, let alone between countries or continents).

That being said, oldschool lolita and Atelier Pierrot’s flavour of gothic certainly seem to have the most influence right now from where I’m looking, whether that’s at meetups or online. And I can’t help but notice how the rise in their popularity is not an isolated incident, but rather a perfect storm of factors outside of mere personal preferences and brands’ design choices. What we see people wear, and to an extent design to sell, tells us so much about the state of our fashion community and the world at large – it only takes looking just that little bit closer to see it.

Lolita curses for Halloween

For the most part Halloween is about dressing up and decorating, and the sweets, and the fun things. But it is still a holiday celebrating the spooky and the witchy – and sometimes you just gotta hex a person, you know? For the lolitas who really have a grudge against someone and feel that the only way to resolve that conflict would be through cursing the other person, here are a few hexes to try.

Disclaimer: The author of this post does not endorse hexing as the only solution and urges civilised mediation in the first instance.

Photo from Pexels.com

May your parasol flip inside out

Most people don’t realise that parasols from the Japanese lolita fashion brands are both sun- and rainproof. And to their credit, they are built very sturdy. So imagine the shock on someone’s face if they get caught in a battle with wind and the wind wins, claiming a parasol as their war trophy. The downside of this hex is that it is so unheard of for parasols to do this that you risk the cursed person immediately going through their list of enemies and the people they’ve wronged, so they may identify it as you. Still, what a grandiose way to hex a lolita!

If you've ever actually had a brand parasol flip inside out on you, consider that maybe you have been cursed.
Photo by Mattias Karlsson on Flickr.com.

May you get outbid on your dream dress every time you try

You must truly hate someone’s guts to wish them a fate as gruesome as this – but it’s not my place to question the kinds of relationships you have. To torture someone with the perpetual rollercoaster of joy at the sight of their dream dress, followed by despair every single time they lose the auction at the last minute is some long-term torture of the most horrific variety. Side effects may also include leading that person into financial ruin if they are the type to console themselves with impulse purchases every time this happens, so proceed with caution and do not use this lightly!

The image of this happening at a real-life auction and having the gavel cement the loss might make it all the sweeter for you.
Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com.

May you get a massive snag right at the front of your dress

Some people prefer to go with the stain option and it is a milder alternative to this. However, most stains can be washed out. Once a snag happens to a dress, and gods have mercy if it’s a dark printed lightweight fabric – there is nothing that can be done to fix that. One can only hope to hide it with some layering or attempt a more thorough alteration such as covering the snag with embroidery. It is a relatively good one-off hex to take some edge of your feelings and one that remains relatively safe for the person it is placed upon, but do not abuse it or your dark powers will be discovered.

You've seen it, that long white line running down the middle of a black printed dress... The horror!
Photo from iStockPhoto.comiStockPhoto.com

May you always run an hour late to the meetup

This particular hex has the added benefit that if this person happens to be in your comm, you are giving yourself an hour free of their presence every single time. Inconveniencing an enemy AND not having to see them? That’s a double win. Chances of them finding out it was you who cursed them are also pretty low since delays happen all the time: public transport, car traffic, outfit just not working out on the morning of, you name it. That person will simply be branded as always late and will carry on missing out on some of the fun stuff, especially those which require people being prompt (e.g. those Kamikaze Girls cinema screening meets).

Always late for a very important date. The Alice in Wonderland aesthetic is a bit too real here.

May your pinks/blacks/browns never match

Last but not least – and oldie yet goldie! It’s a classic for a reason. No-one will actually be able to tell whether you have put this curse on them or whether the lolita fashion gods are just finicky with colours. And if you’ve yet to experience that, I can assure you that a strongly cool-toned brown directly next to a strongly warm-toned brown is rarely a good look. Of course, an experienced lolita will likely find a way around this hex. But if the one who wronged you has to dye every single black thing they buy black just to try to achieve the same tone, it will be enough of an inconvenience on them to reconsider some life choices (and the process can be time consuming enough to also re-evaluate the words they said to you in anger).

It's the perfect crime, even AP don't know what they're doing, mwahaha!
Photo by Helena Lopes from Pexels.com.

This is by no means an extensive list of lolita hexes. Once again, I would like to urge you all to seek peaceful means of conflict resolution first instead and keep this pretty heavy ammo for when it is really deserved. Moreover, whilst worse hexes exist, as a petty bish I believe that long-term inconvenience is much better revenge than one big swift act. If they’ve truly vexed you that much, why would you want them to deal with just one event that was over in an instant and has little to no repercussions afterwards?

Anyway, have a safe and fun Halloween season and, well, happy hexing!

Lolidrobe Reassessment Post 2024.03

Time has entirely crept up on me. One moment it was TQiD and suddenly we’re in Halloween month, what? I guess it was because it was a proper summer of ups and downs with a lot actually happening.

New additions

Because of the switch between jobs, including one month at a lower wage, I had a period of relatively strict no-buy in August and first half of September. So the majority of what you see here was bought outside of those periods of time. I tried to focus on not even browsing places to avoid the temptation. And if I dare say so myself, I think I did pretty well, I am proud of myself. Or was up until the new September calm had arrived.

• 2 JSKs (1 classic in ivory, 1 gothic in black x gold*)
• 1 skirt (1 sweet in ivory*)
• 6 tops (1 classic cutsew in green, 1 sweet cutsew in deep pink, 1 classic cutsew in beige, 2 classic cutsews in ivory, 1 classic/gothic vest in gold*)
• 1 apron (sweet/classic in ivory)
• 1 overdress (classic in wine*)
• 2 pair of legwear (1 sweet in offwhite, 1 sweet in pink*)
• and 1 accessory (1 sweet beret in pink)

Although the lot of Axes Femme cutsews was meant more for my non-lolita wardrobe, there is no denying that they were used in lolita too. Yes, even the sleeveless ones. Sometimes you just need a layering piece, be it for warmth or for casual vibes during heatwaves (not that we’ve had many of those over the course of the summer). And despite the no-buy, when Haenuli came for my wallet with the Jean of Arc print literally at the start of that no-buy, I treated that as the last huzzah before tightening my purse strings. With all the principles of girl math, by the time it ships in February 2025, pulling all of the various bits of money from the most random sources will feel like it wasn’t part of the no-buy in any way at all.

Possible new looks

However, the absence of purchases means that there are fewer actual new looks that I could make. That being said, the things that I did buy wound up being items that I got mildly obsessed with, so at least they got to see the light of day pretty quickly.

Coord from September 2024.

Coord from July 2024.

Coord from August 2024.

Replacement and need list progress

Ding-ding-ding! Pretty much within a day of the last reassessment post going up I bought an ivory JSK, from Atelier Pierrot no less (used, but still, it’s the addition of the brand that matters). This completes my replacements list for now. I may have another look at what I own, but I feel that at this point my replacements are contained to the strictly non-lolita side of my wardrobe. That is a big success, I am feeling very pleased with myself!

As for the needs list, I have made a decision that I am actually fine without the blue earrings and the necklace. I feel like I’ve been managing well enough without those or with what I have so far, so there really isn’t any need here for more. However, I will still look for the right sax blue classic bolero (which at this point may be a unicorn search or a commission waiting to happen), as I feel like it would compliment enough of my main pieces to make it a warranted addition, even in light of my realising that I suit warmer tones more than cool ones. We are also firmly in beret season and guess what? I have it now! Mine isn’t quite as warm as a wool one would be, but it is exactly the shade of pink that I was after and that takes complete precedence. Which… makes my need list… nearly complete? Wow… With the newfound confidence with that beret, obviously part of me thinks that I totally could just trace the pattern of a Millefeuille bolero and make one myself, but for now I’ll reign that in so as to not get too far ahead of myself.

Current wishlist

Still keeping this section in one, but there has been some movement on the non-dress wishlist. I now have an apron that includes a bodice as well as a skirt, so I can tick that part off. Mine is mesh, which I think will actually work with my style better than a solid fabric one would. And I guess I could potentially count the wine overdress as part of that list too, since it wasn’t just about the apron or the corset, but layering pieces in general? No, that’s retrofitting the events to what I want them to be.

New Year’s goals: progress summary

• Did I finish the craft projects I started in 2023? I finished one! The blog post about how the beret got made is up here. That only leaves the collar, but in a true crafter style, I found another project to distract me, which is on a bit of a deadline, so we’ll have to see about the collar…
• Did I learn a new hairstyle? I didn’t learn anything new as such – but I have been experimenting once again. Since trimming my hair, I found double braids to work a little bit better on me, which I employed heavily over the summer. And as shorter hair curls better, I tried both the more Rachel Maksy floofy style and went back to the Lucille Ball-esque, haphazardly pinned curly tuft at the front, which worked pretty neatly. It is still not quite what I meant, since the aim of this goal was to have something for the WFH days when my hair is freshly washed and I feel like dressing up – nonetheless, it is progress.
• Did I sort through my bags? Once again, no progress since the last reassessment post. After the initial success of getting rid of a few (one may have to wait for the bring and buy next month) and rearranging how they sit, I have stopped trying. I think that in the grand scheme of things, trying to fix the bag that I was going to use as a test subject isn’t a cost-effective solution, so I may just buy a new strap. That doesn’t help me with the one Innocent World bag that is peeling so much Thanos may as well have snapped his fingers at it, but I may need to ponder this some more.

I am welcoming October with a much easier breath, in a new job, with financial security, and plenty of things happening within the lolita fashion community that are keeping me excited. It is a good time to be in the UK Northern comms and I’m excited to experience all the rest of this year. Just like that. Happy to be here, happy to be witnessing our community during what seems to be the true post-pandemic high and flourish, and happy for anyone who’s here for the ride along with me. Also, as you’re reading this, Spy is about to be at mine again, which I am definitely happy for!