Welcome to My Room
A peek into my diary.
September 2023
September 3, 2023
Working on a website is a lot harder than I thought. I had a whole layout in mind, but I was not playing around with css/html when I was younger. It's very new to me now as a 26 year old. I want to work at it. I really miss this era of random internet sites and it offers even more invisibility. Not many people go out of social media to neocities and the like. I'm going to continue. I know that once I get the hang of it. I'll make a reputable website. I remember reading somewhere that it can take one to six months to make a website. And I'm making a pretty involved one while working FT. It's gonna take a while but I have faith in myself.
In terms of Lolita, it's hard to balance my love of the fashion with my student loans and eventual homebuying goals. I'm also trying to not just go for cheap things, but things I actually like and want to have, whether from an aesthetic sense or a collector sense. I'm going to continue building up a collection in the meantime. I think I might turn to only checking secondhand for my dream dresses and just continue buying new for now. It's surprising, but since I've gained weight, I'm enjoying Metamorphose and Atelier Pierrot and indie brands more. One of the few places where I know I won't be at the top of the measurements and have to deal with gaping.
September 14, 2023
I ordered two items from wunderwelt the other day and they finally came in. I ordered the Violets Bouquet bonnet and hair bow in green. I got it because I have the skirt and I really wanted the matching accessories. I'll keep a look out for the socks too. I'm a little conflicted on this purchase since I preferred/really wanted the lavender colorway, but I'll keep a look out for all the accessories related to it.
I'm a little nervous about the bonnet. This is the first bonnet I've ever purchased and currently, my wardrobe doesn't really demand one. I'm a little lost on how to coord it. So far, I think I can do an OTT skirt coord. I can get the Meta blouse with a cape, the skirt, green princessy tights, and ivory/brown heels. I usually try to coord the Violets Bouquet skirt I have with lavender, but I think it'll be fine.
I remember seeing somewhere that Meta tends to make the skirts out of the leftover fabric from their dress runs. Which is a very sustainable way of doing business. It's payday soon so I'll be getting the Haenuli Winnie the Pooh skirt. I do want the JSK as well eventually for meet ups. It's a really cute print.
September 18, 2023
I think it's finally time to admit that I fit into the more plus size version of dresses and that I need at lease the min/max to be more than a couple inches or about 10 cm more than my actual bust size to actually fit. I bought IW's Antique Violet, which is one of my dream dress, but the bust area doesn't fit as nicely as I'd like it to. It feels tight on me and I don't like that. To be fair, it is M and I should have gotten the L version instead as I think that would fit a bit better. But it's definitely making me rethink a lot about what really fits and whether I should consider myself plus size due to my boobs. It also makes me want to stick with Atelier Pierrot more for blouses, etc and Meta for skirts. Both of these brands seems to be the only ones catering toward bigger sizes. For now, I'm going to wash the stain out and resell it if I still don't think it fits. I want to make the next item I get the the Calmato blouse but I don't think it'll fit. I'll try to buy stuff from Rosinablue then. Where do I get good cotton blouses?
October 2023
October 4, 2023
Apologies in advance for ranting, but there was a person on Tumblr who made a guide for lolita fashion and they were so wrong. They said that they had spent time around gyaru and lolitas in Japan since she was 4 and that she had first-hand experience. I don't fully believe her or am not sure who she hung out with. She also had this axe to grind saying that foreigners made the comm intolerable and were the reason why there are so many rules. I don't think that's true at all since a) Japanese lolitas were just as mean online as the foreign comm and b) I've seen Japanese lolita blogs that had the same rules as the foreign comm. She also advised the comm to buy dresses from Amazon, which is a bad idea. At worst case, you will get a dress that looks nothing like the picture and is a waste of your money. The best case is that it's a replica, which the comm is very against because it harms brands. I've been lurking around the comm for almost 10 years before finally getting a coord. The biggest lolita brands are not swimming in money and it's been heartbreaking watching stores almost close or struggle to keep open because replicas and lack of funds to keep going. In order to keep the fashion going, we need to keep supporting them when possible.
This person also refused to listen to anyone else when corrected and I really hated the fact that they don't understand the subculture aspect of the fashion. She also just gave bad advice and was kinda giving advice based on just vibes. Hopefully, people do more research and don't listen to her. But I'm also at the point where I know that every subculture has people like this and they'll cry about elitism and gatekeeping when that's not what's actually happening. The best you can do is give some correction and just move on. If someone really wants to learn about lolita fashion, they will. It just sucks to see that they clogged up the relevant tags with this nonsense.
In other news, I quit my job yesterday and I have about a month before my next one starts. I'm not entirely sure what to do with my time but I was planning to start sewing and other hobbies in the meantime. I will definitely also work more on my website. It's so exciting to have all this free time for myself. I can also wear my lolita outfits out more.
October 6, 2023
I got some recent purchases in the mail. From Lacemarket, I bought The Black Ribbon's Blue Apron. It's a really cute and I bought it specifically to wear with the Meta Violet Bouquet Skirt I have. I was a little worried in September that I wouldn't be able to wear anything without a blouse gaping due to how big my bust is. The apron really helps with that. I'm worried that I may be wearing it wrong. It's looser and sits lower on my torso than I would like. I'm not sure if I need to make another button hole, bring the waist of the apron down lower, or if it's supposed to be worn like that. Either way, it's really cute and I'm glad I was able to buy it. It makes me want to make my own but in a muted pink that usually associated with classic lolita.
Blouse: Amavel
Apron: The Black Ribbon
Skirt & Socks: Meta
Shoes: Koi Footwear
I made this coord with it. I had originally wanted the apron to make the skirt more classic looking, but it ends up reading very sweet. I think this is due to the Peter Pan collar, the large petti, and Mary Jane shoes I used. Either way, the coord is really cute and is perfect for a spring tea party. It also made me realize why people wear lolita blouses over brands like Axes Femme or Amavel. I see why they get them as they're a great budget option. But lolita blouses (the ones sold by brands) have a flare to them so they can be worn over a skirt without scrunching up weirdly. In my normal wardrobe, I don't tuck in shirts. I should but I hate how they rise up and the buttoned blouses with the gaps makes it look worse. I'll keep my eye out for white and ivory lolita blouses. For some reason, it's easier to find white long-sleeve blouses that fit my style rather than short sleeves or ivory ones. I hope Atelier Pierrot puts out an ivory blouse.
I also bought Meta's Frill Ribbon JSK in Beige. It was on sale and I think I bought the last one. As soon as I bought it, the dress icon on their website had a Out of Stock sign. I've very happy I bought this dress. While it's still pretty sweet leaning, it definitely has a classic vibe to it. Ultimately, it does remind me of sweet-classic and is just perfect for country lolita. I just need a hat to go with it, which I might DIY if I find a suitable hat. I also want to get a basket purse that I saw on depop that I can remake.
Blouse: Amavel
JSK & Socks: Meta
Shoes: Naturalizer
I coorded it very simply but it's quite long on me. I'm only 5' but it feels lower than it should. It's so long that it's hard to see the UTK socks I specifically got for it. The dress is supposed to be 100% cotton but it feels very polyesterish, especially when compared to the Violet's Bouquet skirt I have. I can't wait to pair this with the Calmato blouse from Atelier Pierrot that I have coming. It'll definitely up the classic part with the Ivory Apron I have coming. I'm also debating getting the white version but I'll wait until I actually have something to pair it with. I'm also excited to see how Haenuli's skirt and blouse will look.
I have so many things that I need to sell. When I was gettinsg into the fashion, I envisioned myself as a daily lolita and thought I'd need so many blouses. I'd settled for the cheaper blouses from Axes Femme and Amavel. Some are decent but I think they're more suitable for under jumperskirts and I don't need all of them. I also have shoes and cheap skirts. I have so much stuff I need to sell and I need to package them to photograph them to sell especially once I get that stain out of that IW dress.
October 23, 2023
My bf and I went to a resort for a weekend trip. I procrastinated packing the whole day and had to hurry up and pack in 30 minutes. :-: It was really fun. We rolled in on Friday night and just stayed in. On Saturday, we rode a steam train. I dressed up for it in Meta's Winter Special set in Beige and AtePie's Sweet Alyssum Cardigan. We took it really early in the day, which was a really good timing. It was scheduled to rain that day but we had finished the train ride by the time the rain started. My bf and I stayed in the rain to watch the train depart, which was really cool to see. I think it's something to try to do with the local comm if possible. We ate pretty early at the restaurant there and then had a couple's massage. It was my first massage ever and it was very relaxing. I definitely want to do it again.
Cardigan: Vallee Lys
Blouse: Amavel
JSK: Meta
Tights: Target
Shoes: Koi Footwear
We left early the next day and ate at a local smoothie shop on our way home. It wasn't the best. My smoothie somehow ended up tasting like Pepto Bismol ;-;. We also went to a new anime store, which was pretty cool. There was a section for legitimate anime merch and a section for Japanese food. I'm tempted to go back and try some of the food. I had a really fun weekend and I'd love to come back to it during the summer for better weather.
November 2023
November 12, 2023
It's the last couple days of freedom before going to work. I'm really nervous about starting this position but I'm really excited about being able to hopefully have more free time. I really meant to sped this time wearing lolita and pursauing more hobbies. So far, I just bought craft supplies. but didn't actually start anything. I think it's stil a good option and I'll make sure to spend at least part of the weekend working on something, whether it's my website or something else.
I went thrifting on Thursday and I'm very happy with what I got. I should and will continue to thrift more when I'm looking for stuff or if I noticed that I need something. I found a dark purple cropped sweater, which is perfect for lolita. I also got two more work pants, which I kinda needed as I've gotten bigger and things are tighter compared to my previosu stuff. I even bought a couple of pearl necklaces. I really need a lot more accessories for lolita, but it'll take me some time to build up a collection. i'm still looking for some good basic pearl earrings and a jewelry box because I lose everything.
I went to my first meetup with the local loltia comm this weekend. It was fun and a little interesting. I'm not a very social person so I'm not sure if I want to continue doing it but I think I will. I think when you're in a group of lolitas, you get a lot more attention than when you're by yourself. It's not too often you meet lolitas and I want to get more familiar with the rest of my state. We started at a allergy-friendly bakery and then moved to a farmer's market. Both were pretty small and mostly minimal comments throughout. We only had three lolitas and the organizer's boyfriend show up. I'm very excited to see if I can make it to a swap meet one of these days. I have so much to get rid of. I even posted in the group for concrit and got pretty good feedback. I really need to work on my makeup tho. Also, I made cheddar chive scones the other day. I''m going to make a plain batch to eat with jam this weekend.
To make my wardrobe better, I have a list of things that I'm looking for
Updates will be much slower going forward. I got a new job that's in person and I'm also trying to go out more/do more with my time other than being on my laptop all the time. I'm hoping I can make it a habit to disconnect more and do more. I always feel like I don't have enough time, but I think I actually do. I just choose to do go online. I'll try to check secondhand sites and social media sites once a day.
November 23, 2023
I went to AnimeNYC this weekend on Sunday. I'm not usually a con person, but I'd like to be one. It's a great way to get stuff from artists and exhibitors. I'm not big on panels yet, but we'll see once I start attending more. I stayed over a friend's apartment before going to AnimeNYC. I wasn't too impressed with what was going on but I was also with my group of friends and couldn't take my usual time of walking through every booth a couple times. I did wear lolita there. It's alot to wear especially walking in NYC since I'm not used to it (I'm a slow walker too lol). It wasn't the best outfit and in hindsight, I wish I had worn the Haenuli skirt or the Meta skirt I had. I wanted to wear the Black Ribbon skirt so I could have some pockets for easy access.
Blouse: AtePie
Apron: The Black Ribbon
Headwear (not pictured): Innocent World
JSK: Infanta
Tights: Offbrand
Shoes: Koi Footwear
In hindsight, it's not a good outfit compared to the others I had planned. It was serviceable. I'm thinking of getting more grosgrain ribbon to make replicas of the IW double ribbons I like. I could make them in any color and I really like wearing double ribbons. You can see the other outfits I had planned at the end of my post. I'm wearing the same AtePie blouse and The Black Ribbon apron in both outfits. I'm wearing a Haenuli skirt in one and a Meta skirt in the other. These Meta skirts are very comfy. Out of all my clothes, my Meta ones are the most comfortable and the shirring really does grow with me as i get bigger. I want to make clothes with a similar amount of shirring so that they can grow with me as I get bigger or if I get smaller. I drove back with my boyfriend and his friends to a diner to eat before eating. Apparently, it was on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. They had TVs just constantly showing the show. I had tea and chicken tenders. I'm a picky eater and I'm not very adventurous but these were really good chicken tenders.
December 2023
December 3, 2023
International Lolita Day 2023: Winter Edition
I celebrated ILD for the first time yesterday. I didn't take pics until I got home later so forgive my wrinkly attire. I did end up taking the cardigan on and off throughout the day. I always feel like the point of the winter and summer ILDs is to show how to wear lolita in weather extremes (not that my area gets extreme winter weather nowadays) but today was actually quite warm. I onnly wore my cardigan outside and took it off whenever I went inside. It ended up being a lonelita thing due to not really wanting to socialize at the moment. But I did my best to go a bit more over the top than I usually do. I wore a puffier petticoat than I usually do and wore my new IW socks. Without the cardigan, my coord is a lot simpler and the red bows in my hair look a little out of place. But I was inspired by arbokzee to try her signature red bow. I don't think I succeeded since her red bow against her sax coords look way better. It was nice to experiment a bit. I need a lot more accessories of all kinds, especially head accessories. I want to make my own since I'm very picky, but I think I'll buy some and then replicate them. I want to make sure I make them correctly.
Cardigan & Blouse: AtePie
Apron: The Black Ribbon
Ribbons: Elisabeth Ribbon (UK)
JSK: Meta
Socks: Innocent World
Shoes: Koi Footwear
I went out to hotpot with my boyfriend and then did errands the rest of the day. I also went to do my mom's makeup for an event she was going to. I didn't realize that I never had my parents see me in my full get up. Their reactions were very funny. My dad said I looked like Cinderella and that I belong on a cowboy show. He even took a picture of me lol. My mom thought I looked cute too. After she left for her event, I went back home and made myself a cup of tea using my new tea cup set I bought from Goodwill. I felt very lolita doing so. I really wished I had bought pastries to eat with it as well. I had a Marsala Chai. I should have made it similar to how Indians make it as it would have tasted even better. I have a local cafe/tea shop near me that uses loose leaf tea and it's delicious. I don't know when it happened but I've become so snobby about tea. I like Twinnings tea, but it doesn't compare to loose leaf tea. I think I'm going to buy myself an insulated teapot to keep the tea warm longer.
December 31, 2023
It's New Year's Eve and I'm reflecting on what I did in lolita fashion the last year. I've finally connected with my local comm and attended a meetup. Someone started a Classic Lolita discord and I joined it. I'm more excited about the classic lolita server than the comm currently because not many people wear classic in my comm. It's a little difficult given that classic and gothic are pretty small in general, but I think that's due to it not being as popular. AtePie and Meta are kinda helping so I can access classic that way. I still do love sweet-classic, but I'm looking for much more classic cuts/dresses like MM and VM. VM is expanding their size range bit by bit and I was able to preorder their 2023 Rococo Bouquet JSK. Unfortunately, I think MM is going to close down soon. Between the pandemic and Le Panier, I don't think we'll get more items from them. It's such a shame since their designs are so beautiful and really set them apart from VM and IW. They were also just starting to expand their size range a bit as well.
My 2024 lolita goals are to handmake a lolita item, acquire more classic lolita accesories, and take my coords in a more classic direction. I also want to wear lolita at least once a week. I hope that you're also able to fulfill your goals in 2024.
