End of the year

So yeah, I more or less f*cked up my exams, due to various problems and my own incapacity of working like a normal person instead of procrastinating. Nice enought I didn't fail that hard and I will certainly be able to retake some of them and pass. That being said, after today's oral exam I'll be in holidays !

Yesterday I recieved my new furisode. I just tried it on and made a quick tateya musubi with my fukuro obi to see. It's a wonderful piece, really. The silk is perfectly smooth and it fits me much more than my tsukesage. It's a little bit of a coral pink, with a bunch of colors (various pinks, reds, blues, greens, purples and golden shades) with celebratory fans and flowers. Apparently it have some embroidery as well as golden lief. I found some small stains from the paint going off, but it's not noticeable when worn and I had it for cheap (70-80€ I guess).

Mine <3

Tateya musubi picture from Immortal Geisha's forum section

I love it to death. I will go to a nice (modern japanese) restaurant for my mother's birthday this week-end, I wish I could wear it but my father would hate it, so nop, no need for drama right now thanks. I guess I should keep it for another occasion. As it's a chûfurisode (the sleeves are a little bit shorter, not ankle-lenght) it easier to wear than a full o-furisode (longer sleeves) and a little bit less formal, so I'll certainly find some occasion to wear it.


But I didn't make this post only to brag about my new kimono, my dears. I needed inspirations for my wardrobe change so I started to look around me and realized that I don't own anything fairytail related, even if I always loved fairy tails. I should maybe find a print or two, even if my favourite tales aren't really seen in lolita (Diamonds and Toads anyone ?). But I think one can manage to make a fairytale inspired outfit without a print. Do you remember my Snow-white and Red-rose 'twin' outfit ?

Obviously uncomplete, but it takes in account their similarities and distincts features : White loves reading and staying at home while Red loves running around and picking flowers in the field.

I used wikipedia as a listing tool to check what fairy tails did I know and which ones had a strong graphic identity and I stumbled accross Beatric Potter's works.
Now, my native english-speaking readers might find it pretty bizarre, since it's apparently well-known in these countries, but I never ever had a Beatrix Potter book as a child, and trust me I had a whole lot of books (everyone in my family had their own librairy in their room). I remember Innocent World using Beatrix Potter's Benjamin Rabbit for one or their collection though.
Now I just need to say that I freacking love the U.K, tea, cute countryside, Victorian area, scones, Pim's and now Beatrix Potter. Should've been english or something.
Small dump of inspirational illustrations.

I look forward to buy some of her books when I'll be in London (for the first time !) this summer. All of that really make me want a pet rabbit, they are so cute ! Too bad I'm allergic to them.

While I'm at it, I will post other inspirational illustrators.

Dunno if I talked about it on this blog, but I've been to an exhibition about Gustave Doré at Orsay a few months ago. Doré, yes, the man who draw that famous Puss in Boots right here.

While I did know a few things about his engraved works (mainly because he did work for Poe and Baudelaire), I didn't know that he was an awesome painter and self-taught sculptor ! The fun things is that both him and I have the same interests : fairytales, Dante's Inferno, Romantism, countryside and mountains, fashion, England, caricature etc.
I was really shaken by this exhibit because I felt like it was true to my heart, and I almost cried at the sight of his perfectly painted landscapes. So I'll try to purchase some copy of his work for me to hang it on my wall, and definitly some kind of anthology book or something.
Also, I like how at the end of the exhibit they linked Doré's illustrations with modern movies like Polanski's Oliver Twist who recreated Doré's London travel diary and Gilliam's Baron von Müchhausen who's caracters really looks like Doré's version (and it's Jean Rochefort, the guy who was to play Gilliam's Don Quichotte, also based on Doré's style <3).
So here are some of Gustave Doré's work.

I've seen this one IRL from really close, one of my favourite.

And last, someone that may look way less prestigious compared to those great artist but from who I really draw my inspiration as far as lolita fashion goes : Macoto Takahashi. I love how pure her style is, and I'd love to get that really princessy vibe. Pearls and flowers and frilly dress, all the things I love. Her collaboration with Victorian Maiden was so perfect, I would kill for these OTK (which will never fit). My favourite part of her works is, of course, fairytails illustrations.

I love how she use all these little details, and the softeness which comes with watercolours. I wish I could look that delicate and porcelaine-like.

I find it funny that all these three styles are so differents yet makes me feel the same. These are things that I deeply love. I love how they reunite tales, fashion and nature in a one coherent and wonderfully beautfiul image. I don't know how to say that, but that feeling of harmony and beauty is really what I inspire to, and all of these pieces makes me truely and deeply happy. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

Sorry for the super long post. As I'm sick I'm stuck at home (to be fair I shouldn't even leave my bed), and I logged off facebook to avoid complaining and telling everyone about my personnal health which should stay and will stay personnal, so I'm pretty bored.
I can't wait to get my sewing machine back so I could work on some accessories and maybe make a full dress (that would be awesome). I still doesn't have anything special prepared for both the Garden Party and the Following Alice event, so I'm gonna work on that. I should go to second-hand shops and fairs to find some ideas too. I'm so late.

Innocent World lucky pack !

Hey guys ! You may or may not know that I wanted to order an IW lucky pack for a while now. I placed an order for the A size one and infortunatly it was to late, I didn't get it. Nice enought, IW's staff decided to release a blouse lucky pack, only for those who were up in A-size lucky pack waiting list. I said yes, paid 106€ for the package and shipping and were told to wait for a tracking number. I never recieved that tracking number, but I had the chance to catch the post man with my package today ! I had to pay 42€ of customs, but that was pretty predictable.
Let's see what I got.

Just out of the package

 I had 4 blouses. Two had tags and were certainly sales's leftover, one had an incomplete tag and one didn't had any, so they most likely were shop samples.

Sailor blouse in blackXwhite

Nice black blouse with an elegant and light sheen on it.

Cream blouse with an incomplete tag

Shiny pearl blouse, I guess it's form the Shantung Dot series.

 

I couldn't find anything wrong with it, it's all pristine. According from the tags,  the sum of black blouses price is ~184€, the other two didn't have any price. So I suppose I had at least 350€ worth of blouses, which is perfectly fair. I took the pack in S and I worried a bit about the sizing, but eveything fit perfectly.

The pearl blouse is definitly the prettiest of the lot. Fair enought, I would have never baught it, this colour does not really suit my wardrobe nor my style, but both the fabric and lace are awesomely detailled and beautiful. My favourite still is the sailor blouse. I really have a soft spot for sailor things and I can't wait to wear it.
Forgot to say that I of course had a lovely note from IW's staff, as always.

So here we are. I'm super happy with my lucky pack even if it doesn't have anything I really wanted (I need princess sleeves so baaaaaaad). Innocent World blouses are well-made and confortable, and I look forward to acquire new things from them.

Here come the meet-ups season !

Hey gals. I've been to three meet-ups these weeks so time for a quick report.
(I had absolutely no idea about what should I wear, so I got lazy and pilled up pearl to do some hime outfit. With twice the same haistyle. No shame)

First, on april 27th we had the Easter day meet-up and another one to meet Fanny Rosie, which was travelling in France.

The Easter meet was with Paris's bigger, younger j-fashion and lolita comm. It was planned as a picnic but the weather was not that great, infortunatly. I just tagged in for an hour or so before leaving for the second event.  (all of these pictures are taken from the event page, thus are not mine)

 
We were around 60 ! Quite noisy but really fun ! I was glad to see a few friends such as Calypso (who I didn't see for like three years, we ended up commuting to the second meet together), Yume, Amithraclya Miku (what a nickname !), Cynthia, Isis, Laylla, and my dear Valtamerie (too bad we just crossed our path) as well as to meet Agathe, Manon (wonderful Rose as a secret scent coord, dear), this cutie girl with an AP mint print and a blond bob (LePanda something, sorry I forgot your name), fairy kei girl with pixel glasses (Lisa, right ?) and many other.

 

Classic group

Agathe, Cynthia, Calypso and I

Flower prints !

And OTTD (yes I smoothed out my laught lines)

After that, Calypso and I found our way to the subway and met the other lolitas at Place de la Concorde. It was a much more classic and gothic oriented event.
I had a lot of fun ! Fanny is a sweetheart, nice and funny, and I was happy to see my dear friends and meet other lolitas.

From left to right : Lou (Cookie), Nelly, Roxanne, Fanny, Myriam, I, Loliz, ClafouTea, Clothilde, Calypso, Hanako, Sandra, Tro-tro)

Classic group with a wonderful brand symmetry ! Roxanne and I in VM, Fanny in MM, Calypso and Loliz in IW

Tro-tro, Myriam, Hanako, Lou, Clothilde, ClafouTea, Nelly, Iza and sweet Miyu

Finally, Fanny and I !

I need to thanks my lovely Myriam for this wonderful meet-up arrangement, the tea place was nice and everything was going smoothly thanks to her work.
Infortunalty I don't have pictures of Marie (Siriusc) and Estelle (Bobon maléfique) who found us at the tea place later ;.;

On may 4th we had another meet-up to see Michiko, Mila's japanese friend who come to France from time to time. She is really nice, well-dressed and surprisingly open-minded (she was wearing a Lief dress, japanese lolitas tend to be very brand loyal and kind of chauvinistic so I was pretty amazed !).

We met at Ladurée and had some tea and cakes. I took an Eugenie tea and a rose and raspberry flavoured Saint-Honoré, but I'm pretty curious about that rose milksahke too. Need to try that next time. (picture taken by the amazing Siriusc, who must hide some kind of marvellous fairy in her camera for I had never loved myself that much in pictures).

Mila, Siriusc, Ludwig, Lou, Hanako, Michiko, I, Charlotte, Nelly, ClafouTea, Sandra, Aliénor (dat dinosaur-flower crown), Tro-tro and Tzadkiel.

Everyone was so greatly dressed ! I had a real crush for Charlotte's Btssb embroided jsk, and ClafouTea's wonderful velvelt and lace dress. Sandra's skirt was suer nice too, it was handmade.

Nice portrait by Siriusc

With Tzadkiel

Flamingo mode !

We played that game when you have to guess who/what are you (don't know the name in english, sorry), and we were particularly attractive looking with those small bunny and bear cards taped on.

Boo, bad skin.

 It took me a while to find out what whas I ;.;

ClafouTea was Puppet Circus, Hanako was Victorian Maiden, Charlotte was Kimura U and Ludwig was Misako Aoki.

All of this was pretty awesome, I had a perfect afternoon with you all girls, I can't wait to see you again !

OTTD

Tzadkiel's OTTD :
JSK : AATP
Boots : Axes Femme
(and my messy kimono storgae just for your lovely eyes)