I'm not entirely sure how this is Lolita-related, but it's a fun question to answer anyways ^_^
1. Fruit. I love all and any fruits, as far as I know. Even crazy things like durian and soursop and jackfruit! I'm glad that fruit is a healthy thing to eat, because I love it and I do eat quite a bit of it.
2. Milk tea. I'm not sure if this is because I really like sweet milk tea so much, or if there's a bit of a comfort element to it, but I have a lot of nice childhood memories centered around milk tea (both with and without boba). It's nice in it's simplest form, but I'm also quite fond of it served hot with ginger in it.
3. Thai iced tea. This is definitely just my sweet tooth speaking (as it will many more times before this entry is done). I actually didn't know what it was until a few years ago, but the first time I tried it, I was completely hooked.
4. Edamame. Weird, perhaps? In addition to loving the taste of edamame, and finding them to be a good protein source for me, I also just really love the process of extracting the beans from the pods, ever since I was a little kid. ^_^ While I generally prefer sweet flavors (as is probably obvious), this is one of the times that I do enjoy the saltiness.
5. Ice cream. My preferred flavors tend to vary depending on my mood, but I must admit chocolate is always a pleaser. For softserve, I always get the twist. More exotic flavors that I also love are green tea and red bean. *w*
6. Honey. One of my favorite flavors ever. I love it in many things, whether beverages or desserts. Particular favorites include baklava, and with milk or green tea. On toast buttered toast is also good!
7. Avocados. I love avocados, and I'm glad they have nutritional value ^o^ My favorite is to actually just eat one plain with a spoon. Guacamole is also lovely though, especially when made with interesting flavor twists (like curry!).
8. Red velvet cake. One of my most preferred desserts, and I'm not even sure why. Maybe because I love the texture of all the red velvet cakes I've ever had, plus the color comes from chocolate, which I love as well. Also, for some reason, red velvet cake just always feels really luxurious to me, so it's like a nice indulgence.
9. Cheesecake. This is another one of my favorite desserts. I especially love them in cupcake-sized form, maybe because it was the special-occasion food of choice that my Mommy made. I prefer a firmer texture, combined with some sort of berry topping ^_^
10. Tofu skin. Also weird, I'm sure :-P But it's really one of the most delicious soy products I've ever had! I only wish it weren't so labor-intensive to prepare... I currently have a pack of tofu skin sheets sitting in my pantry, just waiting for a day when I have time to actually wash/soak it for several hours and then cook it ^o^
Friday, June 8, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
[Lolita Challenge] Day 3 ~ 10 things you dislike in Lolita
The original prompt was "10 things you hate in Lolita" but I don't feel like I actually have 10 things I would characterize as being "hated." Thus, I'll just go with listing things that I dislike to various degrees - most of them not particularly strongly, and only in specific contexts.
In fact, for any outfit item here, I've seen it done well, and I've loved it, but for the most part these are pieces that I don't like to wear myself, or that I think are very difficult to make look flattering on most people.
1. Knee socks. I think this length of sock rarely looks flatter, unless one is very lucky to have long, thin legs. On most people, it tends to accentuate the calf and thigh curves, and just cuts off the leg at an unfortunate point. I pretty much never wear them, except around the house in the winter, and always opt for either tights or over-the-knee socks for my outfits.
2. Scratchy lace. Okay, this applies to life in general XD But I can't stand items that have low quality scratchy lace on them. It isn't even about a particular type of lace, or material of lace, because I've seen good lace come in all designs and materials. But bad lace just looks bad, and if it has contact with my skin for more than about 5 minutes, I develop a wicked rash... T_T
3. Social anxiety. This is another one of those things where the problem is me and me alone. While one could easily participate in this fashion and avoid all social interaction, that's not entirely what I would like to do, and thus I make an effort to get to know the local girls and interact with people at meetups and such. However, this is a big effort for me, due to tmy innate shyness and constant worry about whether I'll accidentally commit a social mistake. I was not very well-socialized as a child, and as such I feel like I'm constantly playing catch-up to behave in a manner acceptable for someone of my age. Thus, meetups are part excitement and fun, but also large part constant anxiety before, during, and after. It gets better as time goes on though, so in light of that, this is a very solvable problem ^_^
4. 2D head-eating bows. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I'm not talking about the type with multiple loops and wire like Baby and AP put out. Those are very 3D and thus I think work in gigantor sizes. I'm talking about the flat style of bows, but made way oversized, and then stuck on a headband in such a way that the bow essentially sits flat against your head (if it's really huge, the bow sticks out on either side of your head so you look like you're a helicopter). Luckily, not many of those exist, but I unfortunately have a few that I need to remount on something else, or just take apart and reuse the fabric to make a better bow.
5. Rule sticklers. I think the 'rules' of Lolita are definitely very good guidelines, and are great for learning how to put together an outfit or just for when you're lazy and just need a quick and easy outfit. However, I think people keep adding more and more (what I find superfluous) rules, or being overly critical of people who don't strictly adhere to whatever the current set of rules is, even if that person looks great and definitely recognizable as Lolita.
6. Food prints. This is one of those things that I love seeing on other people, and often the food prints are adorable as pictures! But it always makes me feel a little weird to wear a food print, I don't even know why, it's just a gut reaction. So I stay away from buying them and just enjoy looking at other girls wear the pretty prints ^_^
7. Pressure to be OTT. This is maybe a bit in connection with the whole adding arbitrary rules and being such sticklers about said arbitrary rules thing. I personally think there is a wide range of elaborateness that all qualifies as being "Lolita". However, it seems like more and more, unless the outfit is very elaborate, complete with very styled hair, people will toss it to the side as "casual" or even consider it to not be Lolita but rather just some feminine Lolita-inspired outfit. While that's all fine and good, since there's no real need to label everything anyways, it does bother me that a not-insignificant portion of the community considers one to not be wearing the fashion if one is not done up to the extremes.
8. The unfortunate name association. I think the name itself is beautiful - it's sonorant, and just phonotactically very nice for many languages. And really, for people who have actually read the book, there's nothing inherently scandalous about the name "Lolita." Unfortunately, the majority of people seem not to have ever actually read the book, or really grossly misunderstood the point of it, and so the word "Lolita" contains "pedophilia" in its synset... Which makes me sad, because hearing the name seems to make some people jump to the conclusion that we're trying to look like young children (even if they hadn't thought so BEFORE hearing the name).
9. High-collar shirts. Again, something I love seeing on other people, and I do actually wear them on occasion, but this is something that generally applies to everything I wear, Lolita or not. Having close-fitting things around my neck makes me really nervous and uncomfortable, so unless the high-collar is fairly loose or fairly low, I have a hard time dealing with having it on. Give me a Peter Pan color or a square/sweetheart neckline any day XD
10. Unfortunate wigs. I have nothing against wigs in general, in fact I own several in various colors natural and unnatural myself. However, I try to buy decent quality wigs and take good care of them. I wish other people could try to put in at least a minimum effort with their wig if they're going to wear one. I guess it's akin to letting your own hair hang unkempt. It doesn't need to be super fancy or elaborate, even just a well-brushed unstyled wig looks fine. So I guess, at the very least brush your wig and get the tangles out/hidden?
In fact, for any outfit item here, I've seen it done well, and I've loved it, but for the most part these are pieces that I don't like to wear myself, or that I think are very difficult to make look flattering on most people.
1. Knee socks. I think this length of sock rarely looks flatter, unless one is very lucky to have long, thin legs. On most people, it tends to accentuate the calf and thigh curves, and just cuts off the leg at an unfortunate point. I pretty much never wear them, except around the house in the winter, and always opt for either tights or over-the-knee socks for my outfits.
2. Scratchy lace. Okay, this applies to life in general XD But I can't stand items that have low quality scratchy lace on them. It isn't even about a particular type of lace, or material of lace, because I've seen good lace come in all designs and materials. But bad lace just looks bad, and if it has contact with my skin for more than about 5 minutes, I develop a wicked rash... T_T
3. Social anxiety. This is another one of those things where the problem is me and me alone. While one could easily participate in this fashion and avoid all social interaction, that's not entirely what I would like to do, and thus I make an effort to get to know the local girls and interact with people at meetups and such. However, this is a big effort for me, due to tmy innate shyness and constant worry about whether I'll accidentally commit a social mistake. I was not very well-socialized as a child, and as such I feel like I'm constantly playing catch-up to behave in a manner acceptable for someone of my age. Thus, meetups are part excitement and fun, but also large part constant anxiety before, during, and after. It gets better as time goes on though, so in light of that, this is a very solvable problem ^_^
4. 2D head-eating bows. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I'm not talking about the type with multiple loops and wire like Baby and AP put out. Those are very 3D and thus I think work in gigantor sizes. I'm talking about the flat style of bows, but made way oversized, and then stuck on a headband in such a way that the bow essentially sits flat against your head (if it's really huge, the bow sticks out on either side of your head so you look like you're a helicopter). Luckily, not many of those exist, but I unfortunately have a few that I need to remount on something else, or just take apart and reuse the fabric to make a better bow.
5. Rule sticklers. I think the 'rules' of Lolita are definitely very good guidelines, and are great for learning how to put together an outfit or just for when you're lazy and just need a quick and easy outfit. However, I think people keep adding more and more (what I find superfluous) rules, or being overly critical of people who don't strictly adhere to whatever the current set of rules is, even if that person looks great and definitely recognizable as Lolita.
6. Food prints. This is one of those things that I love seeing on other people, and often the food prints are adorable as pictures! But it always makes me feel a little weird to wear a food print, I don't even know why, it's just a gut reaction. So I stay away from buying them and just enjoy looking at other girls wear the pretty prints ^_^
7. Pressure to be OTT. This is maybe a bit in connection with the whole adding arbitrary rules and being such sticklers about said arbitrary rules thing. I personally think there is a wide range of elaborateness that all qualifies as being "Lolita". However, it seems like more and more, unless the outfit is very elaborate, complete with very styled hair, people will toss it to the side as "casual" or even consider it to not be Lolita but rather just some feminine Lolita-inspired outfit. While that's all fine and good, since there's no real need to label everything anyways, it does bother me that a not-insignificant portion of the community considers one to not be wearing the fashion if one is not done up to the extremes.
8. The unfortunate name association. I think the name itself is beautiful - it's sonorant, and just phonotactically very nice for many languages. And really, for people who have actually read the book, there's nothing inherently scandalous about the name "Lolita." Unfortunately, the majority of people seem not to have ever actually read the book, or really grossly misunderstood the point of it, and so the word "Lolita" contains "pedophilia" in its synset... Which makes me sad, because hearing the name seems to make some people jump to the conclusion that we're trying to look like young children (even if they hadn't thought so BEFORE hearing the name).
9. High-collar shirts. Again, something I love seeing on other people, and I do actually wear them on occasion, but this is something that generally applies to everything I wear, Lolita or not. Having close-fitting things around my neck makes me really nervous and uncomfortable, so unless the high-collar is fairly loose or fairly low, I have a hard time dealing with having it on. Give me a Peter Pan color or a square/sweetheart neckline any day XD
10. Unfortunate wigs. I have nothing against wigs in general, in fact I own several in various colors natural and unnatural myself. However, I try to buy decent quality wigs and take good care of them. I wish other people could try to put in at least a minimum effort with their wig if they're going to wear one. I guess it's akin to letting your own hair hang unkempt. It doesn't need to be super fancy or elaborate, even just a well-brushed unstyled wig looks fine. So I guess, at the very least brush your wig and get the tangles out/hidden?
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Italian Fouettes... Conquered!
My pointe shoes are getting beat up... but I'm now beating up Italian fouettes!
By which I mean, two weeks later, I can pretty much do them! Last week my teacher and I worked on doing them at the barre and subsequently discovered that I'm actually a leftie for these. That's in one way unexpected because I'm a rightie for pretty much all types of turning actvities, as far as I knew (pirouettes, piques, chaines, etc...). However, I do have a weird thing where I'm a rightie for some things and a leftie for others (my left leg is stronger and more flexible, noticeably). So I guess this is my weird ambidextrous-ity bleeding through into ballet! :-P I made some weak attempts at doing them at the end of the variation, but I couldn't do them at the tempo of the music, and was super wobbly without a barre.
However, this week we tried them in the center again (to some different, more slower music), and I can do them! In fact I might actually have found them easier if they were just a bit faster, since a lot of the wobbling and hopping around might've been avoided if I didn't have to pause between everything. So yay to Italian fouettes, I'm getting closer to back to "normal" again (by which I mean, pre-hiatus). Still no double pirouettes en pointe... but maybe next week I'll be brave enough to try. We did some attitude turns this week, and after some preliminary trepidation and falling out of them, I could actually do them fairly consistently.
I think I have some sort of mental block in terms of turns and pirouettes on the left side, so I need to work on that, and then everything will probably magically fall into place once I'm not terrified of that side :-P I've found I have a tendency to not get quite all the way up on my standing leg when doing pirouettes, which then causes me to obviously buckle halfway through, think I'm going to break my ankle, and then fall off balance feeling terrified. Vicious cycle, eh?
Oh, and hops... those have always been, and still are terrifying. Part of it is a strength thing - I'm fine on hops with both feet, but my ankles still feel really weak when they have to support me individually. Part of it is coordinating my feet so that they do in fact actually ginch when they are the supporting leg... otherwise it's super-weird and awkward and ankle-twist-ey if I don't hold back my arch the right amount at the right time.
So basically, Italian fouettes re-conquered!! Next in line are double pirouettes, and one-foot hops!
Monday, May 28, 2012
[Outfit Post] 5/21 ~ 5/27
Quite a few outfits this week, especially with the awesome weekend full of brunches and carnival fun ^_^ I forgot to take hair/makeup photos of the first brunch meetup outfit, but it was pretty simple anyways XD
Skirt: Innocent World
Cutsew: Target
Shoes: Geox
Skirt: Lolita Princess (Taobao)
Hairclip: Chocomint
Skirt: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Cutsew: Angelic Pretty
Bolero: Bodyline
Shoes: Secret Shop
Hairbow: Innocent World
JSK: Innocent World
Bolero: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Shoes: Secret Shop
Hairclip: Claire's, Chocomint
Skirt: Innocent World
Cutsew: Target
Shoes: Geox
Skirt: Lolita Princess (Taobao)
Hairclip: Chocomint
Skirt: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Cutsew: Angelic Pretty
Bolero: Bodyline
Shoes: Secret Shop
Hairbow: Innocent World
JSK: Innocent World
Bolero: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Shoes: Secret Shop
Hairclip: Claire's, Chocomint
Friday, May 25, 2012
[Lolita Challenge] Day 2 ~ 10 things you love in Lolita
1. Built-in petticoats. I love me some poof, so it's always great when the skirt comes with some built in, as that just helps it sit over my real petticoats better (it holds itself up), and also of course amplifies the final poofage!
2. Rectangle headdresses. Perhaps a less popular opinion now, but I actually really like rectangle headdresses. They're nice to wear when I don't want to have to pouf my hair and/or put it into an updo (ie, most of the time), plus I feel like they just have a very timeless sort of elegance about them. They're also fantastic for hiding cowlicks...
3. Teaparty shoes. I am not a big fan of having to wear heels, in large part because nobody actually makes heels in my foot size, and I just love Teaparties because they have a uniquely Lolita styling, but are flat enough to be comfortable even a half or whole size too big :-P What I would really love though, is to one day have a pair of Romantic Ribbon style shoes, which look very similar to Teaparties but are subtly different (and better) ^_^
4. Ankle socks and/or wristcuffs on ankles. I think ankle socks look adorable with Lolita, particularly ones with scalloped or lace ruffled tops. I also think ankle socks over tights are cute, if the colors/patterns aren't clashing. Alternatively, wristcuffs over tights/socks also makes for the same cute effect. Maybe I just like frilly ankle decorations in Lolita ^o^
5. Long bloomers. I think peeking bloomers are really cute, and long bloomers are nice to wear because they don't get bunched up around my thighs like shorter bloomers do sometimes. I only own one pair thus far, but I plan to get or make more!
6. Fairy tale prints. Already mentioned in my Day 1, but I absolutely adore fairy tale inspired prints in Lolita. All the ones I've seen have been really well designed and executed, and I really hope to one day collect them all! Kind of like Pokemon... but... frillier?
7. Music motifs. In addition to my obsession with fairy tales, I also adore music themes. I'm not a huge fan of having a keyboard around the hem of my skirt, but when it's subtly done, I think music prints are amazing. I especially love Baby's Music Salon print, and the recent IW print with harps and pianos (I jumped on it right away).
8. Purses. I'm not sure what more I can say... I don't think I've ever met an un-cute Lolita purse, and while I really have no need for many purses, if I had the money, I would totally start buying all of them. There's just something about purses with bows and/or lace and frills on them that make me really happy ^_^
9. 3/4 sleeve blouses. Few and far between, I know, but I think I like them much more than either full long-sleeve blouses or short-sleeve blouses. They don't feel uncomfortable around my biceps, nor do they have the issue of being too long and getting caught on things when I try to use my hands.
10. Natural hair. While I appreciate wigs, and can definitely see their use in creating easy instant nice hairstyles, I really really love it when I see well-groomed and well-styled natural hair on a Lolita. I prefer it myself mainly for comfort reasons, altohugh I don't think my natural hair is particularly nice. But there are definitely girls out there who have fantastic hair and make wonderful use of it. Seeing their photos just really takes my breath away ^_^
2. Rectangle headdresses. Perhaps a less popular opinion now, but I actually really like rectangle headdresses. They're nice to wear when I don't want to have to pouf my hair and/or put it into an updo (ie, most of the time), plus I feel like they just have a very timeless sort of elegance about them. They're also fantastic for hiding cowlicks...
3. Teaparty shoes. I am not a big fan of having to wear heels, in large part because nobody actually makes heels in my foot size, and I just love Teaparties because they have a uniquely Lolita styling, but are flat enough to be comfortable even a half or whole size too big :-P What I would really love though, is to one day have a pair of Romantic Ribbon style shoes, which look very similar to Teaparties but are subtly different (and better) ^_^
4. Ankle socks and/or wristcuffs on ankles. I think ankle socks look adorable with Lolita, particularly ones with scalloped or lace ruffled tops. I also think ankle socks over tights are cute, if the colors/patterns aren't clashing. Alternatively, wristcuffs over tights/socks also makes for the same cute effect. Maybe I just like frilly ankle decorations in Lolita ^o^
5. Long bloomers. I think peeking bloomers are really cute, and long bloomers are nice to wear because they don't get bunched up around my thighs like shorter bloomers do sometimes. I only own one pair thus far, but I plan to get or make more!
6. Fairy tale prints. Already mentioned in my Day 1, but I absolutely adore fairy tale inspired prints in Lolita. All the ones I've seen have been really well designed and executed, and I really hope to one day collect them all! Kind of like Pokemon... but... frillier?
7. Music motifs. In addition to my obsession with fairy tales, I also adore music themes. I'm not a huge fan of having a keyboard around the hem of my skirt, but when it's subtly done, I think music prints are amazing. I especially love Baby's Music Salon print, and the recent IW print with harps and pianos (I jumped on it right away).
8. Purses. I'm not sure what more I can say... I don't think I've ever met an un-cute Lolita purse, and while I really have no need for many purses, if I had the money, I would totally start buying all of them. There's just something about purses with bows and/or lace and frills on them that make me really happy ^_^
9. 3/4 sleeve blouses. Few and far between, I know, but I think I like them much more than either full long-sleeve blouses or short-sleeve blouses. They don't feel uncomfortable around my biceps, nor do they have the issue of being too long and getting caught on things when I try to use my hands.
10. Natural hair. While I appreciate wigs, and can definitely see their use in creating easy instant nice hairstyles, I really really love it when I see well-groomed and well-styled natural hair on a Lolita. I prefer it myself mainly for comfort reasons, altohugh I don't think my natural hair is particularly nice. But there are definitely girls out there who have fantastic hair and make wonderful use of it. Seeing their photos just really takes my breath away ^_^
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
[Outfit Post] 5/16 ~ 5/20
Skirt/Hairbow: Innocent World
Cardigan: Target
Socks: Sockdreams
Shoes: Antaina
Bolero: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Tanktop/Skirt: Target
Skirt: Innocent World
Blouse: Old Navy
Sunday, May 20, 2012
[Outfit Post] 5/12 ~ 5/15
I've actually had quite a busy two weekends, and thus more outfits than usual over the past 1.5 weeks! Enough to warrant splitting it into more than one post ^_^
JSK: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Bolero: Bodyline
Headdress: Innocent World
Socks: Sockdream
Shoes: Secret Shop
OP: Innocent World
Cardigan/Socks: Target
Flower clip: Claire's
Shoes: Secret Shop
Skirt: Baroque
Parka: Angelic Pretty
Hairbows: Chocomint
Socks: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Shoes: Secret Shop
JSK: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Bolero: Bodyline
Headdress: Innocent World
Socks: Sockdream
Shoes: Secret Shop
OP: Innocent World
Cardigan/Socks: Target
Flower clip: Claire's
Shoes: Secret Shop
Skirt: Baroque
Parka: Angelic Pretty
Hairbows: Chocomint
Socks: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Shoes: Secret Shop
Friday, May 18, 2012
[Lolita Challenge] Day 1 ~ 10 things about your lolita bubble
I've seen this 30-day challenge floating around on tumblr for awhile, and I figured it might be fun to give it a go! But instead of doing one every day, I'm aiming for one every Wednesday, especially since some of them require compiling a series of photos that I certainly don't have on hand XD
So here's to Day 1 ^_^
I'm not entirely sure what defines a Lolita "bubble", but here's my interpretation of the question!
1. I was first a cosplayer, before finding Lolita. I actually found out about the fashion through cosplay.com, where I heard about "Metamorphose Temps de Fille." I thought the name of the brand was charming, took a look and was enchanted right away be the style. I didn't particularly find prints interesting (and I still don't like many Meta prints), but I loved the solid-color designs, all the frills and silhouette. Unfortunately, I was too poor at the time, so I didn't get into it, forgot about it for about 2 years, and rediscovered it (again from cosplay.com), when I found Baby the Stars Shine Bright and fell in love again.
2. My first Lolita pieces (I obtained both at the same time from the same person) were Bodyline Girly Notes skirts in black and burgundy. I think these skirts are some of Bodyline's best items ever, and to this day, they are still among my favorite and most often-worn items (along with the pink version, which I obtained soon after the first two). Yes, I love these so much that I have them in all three possible colorways ^_^
3. I tiptoe the border between classic and sweet styles. While certain prints really call to me, I generally prefer non-print items with intricate and interesting designs. My favorite brand is Innocent World, as the style is often refined, but still more sweet/youthful than more classic brands. Their aesthetic really captures the combined elegance and girlishness that I like when I'm really trying to dress up nicely. Solid designs from Baby and Angelic Pretty I find really delightful when I'm in a sweeter mood, and something I would prefer for every day (when I feel less need to be particularly elegant). They're very girly, and make me feel like a princess, without making me feel quite as subdued or mature as IW.
4. I generally prefer non-print pieces, but I do find certain motifs rather irresistible. These include music themes, birdcages, carousels, and prints based on mythology, fairy tales, and literature. My favorite print pieces that I own so far are Baby's Blooming Snow White, AP's Little Bird Sinfonia, Bodyline's musical children print, an older IW carousel print, and ETC's Pippi Longstocking. I am also inevitably attracted to ballet-related prints, and if I get near any, I will latch on and never let go!
5. My hope is to eventually have a print item representing all of my favorite fairy tales and stories! Thus far, I've covered Snow White, Swan Lake, Thumbelina, Alice in Wonderland, Pippi Longstocking, Peter Pan, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, and Cinderella. If only I hadn't spent so much money recently, I would have been all over Baby's Poison de l'Amour print T_T I can only hope to obtain it second-hand down the line somewhere, along with their Midsummer Night's Dream print.
6. I love punky boots worn with Lolita, particularly sweet Lolita. I think they form an interesting contrast with the silhouette and aesthetic of the clothing, and if styled right, are actually really cute. Maybe I just find blobby little feet to be cute because I happen to have blobby feet :-P
7. I prefer buying skirts rather than JSKs or OPs. While I love full-body pieces, I wear Lolita on a nearly-daily basis, and skirts are just more appropriate, allow for more combinations, and are cheaper. However, they do require a bit more contemplation to come up with a really great coordinate for, so I guess that's a trade off when it comes time to put together outfits for a meetup.
8. I have a fascination with Lolita winter wear. I love all sorts of Lolita coats, and if only I had an endless supply of money and space, I would probably have an entire closet of just coats. Given reality, I do not, but I really would like to eventually find or commission a Lolita raincoat! Instead of so many coats, I just satisfy myself with a pastel rainbow of scarves to wear with my outfits in the winter ^_^
9. I've gotten quite good at styling my own hair since I started wearing Lolita. While I do own a number of wigs, and I love them, I generally prefer to use my own hair if possible. Part of it is due to comfort - my hair is very long and thus wigs tend to fit very tightly and cause a headache after a full day of wearing. Another part of it is just that most of my wigs are long and down, and I would prefer not to mess up the fibers trying to pull them into various updos. Instead, I just mess up my own hair XD I would like to eventually look into getting some hair falls to use to make my curly buns poofier, for example, but matching hair color is so difficult to do through a computer screen.
10. I absolutely adore my local community, and just wish that I weren't so socially awkward and anxious so it would be easier to actually get to be friends with everybody. Unfortunately, that's not going to change anytime soon, but despite my anxiety, I always enjoy myself at meetups, and I'm just so glad everyone in my community is so lovely!
So here's to Day 1 ^_^
I'm not entirely sure what defines a Lolita "bubble", but here's my interpretation of the question!
1. I was first a cosplayer, before finding Lolita. I actually found out about the fashion through cosplay.com, where I heard about "Metamorphose Temps de Fille." I thought the name of the brand was charming, took a look and was enchanted right away be the style. I didn't particularly find prints interesting (and I still don't like many Meta prints), but I loved the solid-color designs, all the frills and silhouette. Unfortunately, I was too poor at the time, so I didn't get into it, forgot about it for about 2 years, and rediscovered it (again from cosplay.com), when I found Baby the Stars Shine Bright and fell in love again.
2. My first Lolita pieces (I obtained both at the same time from the same person) were Bodyline Girly Notes skirts in black and burgundy. I think these skirts are some of Bodyline's best items ever, and to this day, they are still among my favorite and most often-worn items (along with the pink version, which I obtained soon after the first two). Yes, I love these so much that I have them in all three possible colorways ^_^
3. I tiptoe the border between classic and sweet styles. While certain prints really call to me, I generally prefer non-print items with intricate and interesting designs. My favorite brand is Innocent World, as the style is often refined, but still more sweet/youthful than more classic brands. Their aesthetic really captures the combined elegance and girlishness that I like when I'm really trying to dress up nicely. Solid designs from Baby and Angelic Pretty I find really delightful when I'm in a sweeter mood, and something I would prefer for every day (when I feel less need to be particularly elegant). They're very girly, and make me feel like a princess, without making me feel quite as subdued or mature as IW.
4. I generally prefer non-print pieces, but I do find certain motifs rather irresistible. These include music themes, birdcages, carousels, and prints based on mythology, fairy tales, and literature. My favorite print pieces that I own so far are Baby's Blooming Snow White, AP's Little Bird Sinfonia, Bodyline's musical children print, an older IW carousel print, and ETC's Pippi Longstocking. I am also inevitably attracted to ballet-related prints, and if I get near any, I will latch on and never let go!
5. My hope is to eventually have a print item representing all of my favorite fairy tales and stories! Thus far, I've covered Snow White, Swan Lake, Thumbelina, Alice in Wonderland, Pippi Longstocking, Peter Pan, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, and Cinderella. If only I hadn't spent so much money recently, I would have been all over Baby's Poison de l'Amour print T_T I can only hope to obtain it second-hand down the line somewhere, along with their Midsummer Night's Dream print.
6. I love punky boots worn with Lolita, particularly sweet Lolita. I think they form an interesting contrast with the silhouette and aesthetic of the clothing, and if styled right, are actually really cute. Maybe I just find blobby little feet to be cute because I happen to have blobby feet :-P
7. I prefer buying skirts rather than JSKs or OPs. While I love full-body pieces, I wear Lolita on a nearly-daily basis, and skirts are just more appropriate, allow for more combinations, and are cheaper. However, they do require a bit more contemplation to come up with a really great coordinate for, so I guess that's a trade off when it comes time to put together outfits for a meetup.
8. I have a fascination with Lolita winter wear. I love all sorts of Lolita coats, and if only I had an endless supply of money and space, I would probably have an entire closet of just coats. Given reality, I do not, but I really would like to eventually find or commission a Lolita raincoat! Instead of so many coats, I just satisfy myself with a pastel rainbow of scarves to wear with my outfits in the winter ^_^
9. I've gotten quite good at styling my own hair since I started wearing Lolita. While I do own a number of wigs, and I love them, I generally prefer to use my own hair if possible. Part of it is due to comfort - my hair is very long and thus wigs tend to fit very tightly and cause a headache after a full day of wearing. Another part of it is just that most of my wigs are long and down, and I would prefer not to mess up the fibers trying to pull them into various updos. Instead, I just mess up my own hair XD I would like to eventually look into getting some hair falls to use to make my curly buns poofier, for example, but matching hair color is so difficult to do through a computer screen.
10. I absolutely adore my local community, and just wish that I weren't so socially awkward and anxious so it would be easier to actually get to be friends with everybody. Unfortunately, that's not going to change anytime soon, but despite my anxiety, I always enjoy myself at meetups, and I'm just so glad everyone in my community is so lovely!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Italian Fouettes Are Evil
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="(Photo courtesy of grishko.com)"]
[/caption]
I've had maybe 9 or 10 pointe lessons so far now, and I'm really pleased with how well they're going. Considering I went from super-wobbly barely able to hold first position releve for more than 16 counts in my first lesson to actually attempting Italian fouettes in my lesson yesterday, I must say I'm pretty chuffed :-P Of course it helps a lot that my shoes are now actually broken in, and I've figured out the optimal configuration of padding for this new style of shoe.
With that, I'd like to just say that I'm quite enjoying these shoes (Grishko 2007). I don't think the Bloch Serenades I had before were bad, but the shoes I have now feel quite different, in a very good way. I haven't actually danced that much in them, and they've formed to my feet much better, and also, I can actually roll through demi-pointe in these (I remember having so much trouble with the Serenades). I don't know that I would characterize it as "floating weightlessly across the floor" or whatever words my teacher used to ask me how they felt, but they certainly make doing lots of things way easier!
Like... pirouettes!! I'll just say I really suck at all things that involve rotation around a stable axis. I much prefer jumping and leaping, because I just really feel like I'm terrible at turns of all types. Even before I went on my hiatus, I could do lots of things, but I just always sucked at turns, pirouettes and chaines, specifically. I still suck at chaines, but I CAN DO A PIROUETTE NOW!! My teacher even hinted that I should start trying for doubles yesterday... I'm not sure I'd go *that* far in my celebration, because I can't consistently do them even in soft shoes, but hey, I guess it's a good sign? Actually though, once I got my shoe padding right, I often feel like I'm actually more stable with my turns en pointe than in flat shoes... but then again, I've yet to actually attempt a double en pointe, so who knows. So yay progress! Still terrible at hops though, that's going to take awhile to rebuild, I think. 32 changements en pointe I can do with some fatigue at the end, but I can't even do little fake-hops on one foot really. I can "do" them, but every other one my ankle does something weird and I have to stop so I don't break something XD
The last 2 lessons, we've spent some time on a variation. It's the "Variation de la Reine des Dryades" from Don Quixote. It get used as the female variation of Le Corsaire pas de deux sometimes, as exemplified by Margot Fonteyn.
[youtube dLItQ3vFUZk nolink]
I can actually do it, kind of! My balance is terrible, so I need to work on that so I'm not like stumbling all over the place, but we got through most of the variation and I can actually do everything so far!! And then we reached the part where I have to do like 10 Italian fouettes... Nooooooope... I've had some time to actually process what the physics and the sequence of motions should be, so I have a better idea of what I *should* be doing for them, but that doesn't mean I can actually execute it. I spent some time dancing in my socks in my living room after class yesterday, and yes, I've figured out what I need to do, but I can't really do it very well even not en pointe. So that's the last barrier before I'll have successfully learned the variation. Let's hope I don't break my ankle trying to get it!! XD
[/caption]I've had maybe 9 or 10 pointe lessons so far now, and I'm really pleased with how well they're going. Considering I went from super-wobbly barely able to hold first position releve for more than 16 counts in my first lesson to actually attempting Italian fouettes in my lesson yesterday, I must say I'm pretty chuffed :-P Of course it helps a lot that my shoes are now actually broken in, and I've figured out the optimal configuration of padding for this new style of shoe.
With that, I'd like to just say that I'm quite enjoying these shoes (Grishko 2007). I don't think the Bloch Serenades I had before were bad, but the shoes I have now feel quite different, in a very good way. I haven't actually danced that much in them, and they've formed to my feet much better, and also, I can actually roll through demi-pointe in these (I remember having so much trouble with the Serenades). I don't know that I would characterize it as "floating weightlessly across the floor" or whatever words my teacher used to ask me how they felt, but they certainly make doing lots of things way easier!
Like... pirouettes!! I'll just say I really suck at all things that involve rotation around a stable axis. I much prefer jumping and leaping, because I just really feel like I'm terrible at turns of all types. Even before I went on my hiatus, I could do lots of things, but I just always sucked at turns, pirouettes and chaines, specifically. I still suck at chaines, but I CAN DO A PIROUETTE NOW!! My teacher even hinted that I should start trying for doubles yesterday... I'm not sure I'd go *that* far in my celebration, because I can't consistently do them even in soft shoes, but hey, I guess it's a good sign? Actually though, once I got my shoe padding right, I often feel like I'm actually more stable with my turns en pointe than in flat shoes... but then again, I've yet to actually attempt a double en pointe, so who knows. So yay progress! Still terrible at hops though, that's going to take awhile to rebuild, I think. 32 changements en pointe I can do with some fatigue at the end, but I can't even do little fake-hops on one foot really. I can "do" them, but every other one my ankle does something weird and I have to stop so I don't break something XD
The last 2 lessons, we've spent some time on a variation. It's the "Variation de la Reine des Dryades" from Don Quixote. It get used as the female variation of Le Corsaire pas de deux sometimes, as exemplified by Margot Fonteyn.
[youtube dLItQ3vFUZk nolink]
I can actually do it, kind of! My balance is terrible, so I need to work on that so I'm not like stumbling all over the place, but we got through most of the variation and I can actually do everything so far!! And then we reached the part where I have to do like 10 Italian fouettes... Nooooooope... I've had some time to actually process what the physics and the sequence of motions should be, so I have a better idea of what I *should* be doing for them, but that doesn't mean I can actually execute it. I spent some time dancing in my socks in my living room after class yesterday, and yes, I've figured out what I need to do, but I can't really do it very well even not en pointe. So that's the last barrier before I'll have successfully learned the variation. Let's hope I don't break my ankle trying to get it!! XD
Sunday, May 13, 2012
[Outfit Post] 5/2 ~ 5/11
Yay outfit snaps! My camera's getting more and more obstinate... not only does it refuse to go into preview mode, but now it's even failing at focusing correctly T_T Time to save up for that Panasonic Lumix!! If only I could afford the actual Leica version XD
Dress: H.Naoto Frill
Boots: Sugar
JSK: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Boots: Sugar
Skirt/Brooch: Bodyline
Shoes: Antaina
JSK: Innocent World
Shoes: Secret Shop
OP/Headbow: Innocent World
Dress: H.Naoto Frill
Boots: Sugar
JSK: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Boots: Sugar
Skirt/Brooch: Bodyline
Shoes: Antaina
JSK: Innocent World
Shoes: Secret Shop
OP/Headbow: Innocent World
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)