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.