Daily Outfits: February and March

First an update about the "Virtuous Unicorn" line!  I've been working coloring the sketches.  The animals and flowers are done (and look great!), and the maidens and unicorns are almost done.  I was stymied on the maiden's dresses; designing a dress to go on a dress was a bit meta for me, but it seems to have worked out.

So look for some more previews soon and the actual line after that!

Other then dabbing watercolors onto paper, I've worn some clothes and taken some photos.

Worn on St. Valentine's day, and posted to the egl community for the Red theme.

This coord on lookbook

Jsk: Handmade

Cutsew: Thrifted and altered

Collar: Vintage

Pin: Vintage

Earrings: Gift

Corsage: handmade

Purse: Thrifted

Belt: Thrifted

Cuffs: Handmade

Hair Bows: Handmade

Socks: Innocent World

Shoes: Easy Spirit with handmade bow clips

Worn to a Valentine's day party.  I went for a sort hime look.  Not sure what I think about the high bun with my face.  Bit of an experiment. 

This coord on lookbook

Jsk: Handmade
Blouse: Ebay
Mink Stole: Antique's Mall
Tiara: Gift
Necklaces: Handmade
Shoes: Thrift store
Bow Clips: handmade

Striped dress again.  I went for a more mori style this time.  I wore this to drop off my Mother's and my "jewelry" entry for the Philadelphia flower show.   I tried out pinning my sandal shoe clips to my boots but they went a bit wonky and one fell off while I was taking photos.

This coord on lookbook

Jsk: Handmade
Blouse: Forever 21
Cardigan: Burlington Coat Factory
Belt: thrifted
boots: Steve Madden
Shoe Clips: handmade
Sweater Clip: Antiques store
Pin: Thrifted
Tatted Headband: Handmade

And I wore this to the Member's preview of the Philadelphia flower show.  My newest dress, which I can't seem to stop wearing!

A little view of how long my hair has gotten.  I've since gotten a few inches trimmed.  

This coord on lookbook.

Jsk: Handmade
Turtleneck: outlet store
Cardigan: Burlington Coat Factory
Corsage: handmade
Shoes: Thrift store
Bow Clips: handmade
Sweater Clip: Antiques store
Pearls: Gift 
Hat: Hats in the Belfry

And for those interested here is our entry.  The catagory was "Hair Comb" and the theme this year was Hawaii.  Other then the paint it is made entirely of botanical materials (calabash, lentels, mustard seeds, poppy seeds, orange peel ect.)  We won second place; which was great because last year we only got an honorable mention!

Christmas Reflections

First a reminder: This Saturday is the deadline for ordering the lolita t-shirts!  Please help us make this a success!

Also coincidentally, the "Neptune's Domain" line is being retired being retired on Saturday as well. 

Originally I had planned to do a post about Christmas during the 12 days of CHRISTMAS!!  I was apparently too busy messing about with presents and enjoying delicious goodies.  

Sooo each day of procrastinating makes this post that more silly.  That said, it's not Lent yet, so victory there!

Here's some pretties from this year's Christmas:

This was the first Christmas my family celebrated since I inherited my great grandmother's china and green stemmed crystal.   They were usually used for Christmas dinner when my Mom was young so I was very excited and nostalgic to be able to use them.  

They are so elegant and pretty.  The set is Floreal made by Noritake and is proably from the twenties.  I'm going to keep my eye out for more pieces; I have tons of saucers but sadly few tea cups!  

An artsy photo taken at the Hagley estate on St. Stephen's day (Boxing Day).  One of my presents was a very surprising DSLR camera from my parents.  I'm making an effort to make the transition from a basic point and shoot to understanding all the new advantages of the DSLR.  I'm very excited for taking photos of my future lines with it!

Of course the stark and very functional black/white/red strap the camera came with is not at all too my tastes. I'm in the midst of tatting a new one with some very sturdy cream cotton yarn.   The pattern you see will be mirrored when I'm done.

And finally some photos of a Coord I wore to a Christmas party.  I just love dancing in this dress!

This look on Lookbook

The Headpeice is actually the vintage Linser necklace that I got for my birthday this summer!  

I hope You all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying a good New Year so far!

Daily Outfits: Halloween

I have to admit since fall started I have been a bit more lax about updating this blog.  I have been rather busy with "Neptune's Domain" orders and various other projects (more about that in later posts).

I have vowed to post about my Halloween outfits before Thanksgiving! 

But first an update about the Inklings/ Lily of the Valley t-shirt collab:  The two "winning" designs were the bow and crown.  I am in the process of editing them so that we can print the example shirts!

Back to coords!

I wore this for a Halloween party a few days before the actual Hallow's eve.  I decided to be a "Rosebud Fairy" because my "Fairy Formal" dress I made last spring is so very fun to dance in!  I tried to lolita-fy it up a bit with bow shoeclips, rose print socks, a petticoat, and the frilly "peasant" blouse I made for the Otakon fashion show.

This coord on lookbook.

I'm also wearing the Lalique necklace I posted about a few posts back.  I decided to suggest wings with some chiffon scarves rather then wear more traditional ones.  I can't poke peoples eyes out with these ones!

With my current line how could I not dress as a pirate for Halloween Day!  I have to admit all day I was giggling about  how the new vest and hat came out!

This coord on lookbook.

Yes this is a small preview for the next release from the "Neptune's Domain" line, it will include a skirt, vest, and tricorn hat.  

And ahem... here is another lolita look that I wore in the summer and haven't posted here yet.

I wore this for my birthday dinner with my parents.  Looking at this makes me long a bit for warm warm weather!  

This coord on lookbook

Details of the accessories.  The roses were made of some fabric scraps.  I'll have to post a tutorial for them sometime soon!

I wore this vintage cape for the chilly air conditioning!  It was one of those great thiftstore finds!

Otakon Lolita Fashion show 2011 Looks

As promised, here are the three looks I showed at the 2011 Otakon Fashion show.  I know the photos aren't the best, I took them the night before I shipped the looks to Carla.  Not the best lighting!

The first look to go out.  If your familiar with my "work" previously to this blog, no your eyes do not deceive you, this isn't a new piece for the show.  It's a dress I made last summer that was just too pretty to not end up on a runway.

I did edit it a bit, shortening the skirt lining and moving the ruffle up.

It's worn with a "peasant" style blouse I've been wanting to make for a while, a rose corsage, glass pearl choker, and a vintage hat that belonged to my great grandmother.

I just love how it all came together on the runway!  I call it my "Peaseblossom" dress after the fairy from "A Midsummer's Night's Dream"

Of course you have all see the "Neptune's Domain" jumperskirt.  Here it is rather simply coordinated.

Since it's being released in late summer I decided to try for more of a fall coordinate with a long sleeved blouse.

The crown emblem pin/hairclip is pinned to a headband and is then pinned onto the skirt of the jsk  since my dummy has no head.  I originally wanted to pin the emblem to a blue beret for the fashion show, but no blue beret was to be found in the middle of summer!

I can't wait to get this dress back and wear it!

The final look was the "Garden of Eden" dress.  Cream lace paired with black velvet and cotton!  Accented with some black gloves (which are kinda funny the way I pinned them here!), cream rose corsage, and another vintage hat from my Great Grandmother.

I have to say this cream lace is one of the most amazing fabrics I have ever bought!  It's hard to show in photos the epicness of it!  Flora and fauna arranged in a very William Morris way.  Unicorns and stags, birds and squirrels, Adam and Eve themselves, and more!

Sadly I purchased it years ago, and not that much of it.  I have enough after this one to make myself a dress.

This dress will be for sale in the couture section of my website as soon as I get it back

For those interested, you can view some photos of the fashion show here:
http://purpleskymagazine.com/2011/08/photo-ultimate-lolita-fashion-show-otakon-2011/

All in all I think it turned out very well!  I couldn't have done it without my wonderful models and Carla's help!  Thank you so much!

Daily Outfits: Early Summer

Coord post!  Get ready for quite a few photos, I've been trying to get used to using my tripod for taking shots of outfits.

Another outfit with my "curtain" jumperskirt.  It's alsmost astonishing how versatile this dress is!  I think I need to make a few more fairly simple flower pattern and solid color pieces.  

It's just so hard to keep things simple and not add too many details!

This may be one of my favorite coordinates (so far)!  the layering just seemed to really come out well!  Something about the length and fullness of the skirt really reminds me of Tenniel's Alice illustrations.

This outfit on lookbook

I am wearing the teal cardigan and gold tone sweater guard I posted about a few days ago.

Hmm, a somewhat awkward expression, but I just am so delighted with twirling photos recently!

I made some brown tatted flower shoe clips a week or so ago.  I really like the addition to these rather plain brown shoes I bought when I was a Bridesmaid at my friend Thera's wedding.  

I used the brooch pattern I posted a while ago.  I just made the top two layers rather then the whole thing.

And finally, I just had to make this little amusing gif when I looked through all the photos I took.

Please enjoy watching my head move around as my parent's chickens walk by!

Daily Outfit: Fairy Formal Dress

About two weeks ago I mentioned working on a pink chiffon dress to wear to the school's "formal".   Well don't worry, I didn't forget about the photos!

Like I said in the previous post; I am a bit disappointed in how the chiffon hung.   I was hoping for a bit more of a undulating flowy-ness.  The very drape-y effect is quite pretty though, and I'm satisfied in the dress itself.   I'm just being a bit persnickety I think!

It is very enjoyable to dance in!  I just have to be careful spinning because of the circle skirts.  It can get very exciting very quickly!

This outfit on lookbook.

I coordinated it with gold jewelry and my favorite caramel colored heels.  I'm very happy with my experiment of wearing a brooch in my hair.

As a long time lolita an outfit just doesn't feel right without something on my head!  Bows are a little too juvenile for this look, and I wanted something other then flowers.  I find that most hair clips/pins are either boring or too glitzy for my taste, so this worked out nicely.  I just have to figure out how to hid the bobby pins better.

By the by, let me introduce you to my histrionically misplaced twin!

This is a photo of a 1950's debutante; and no she's not related to me at all (that I know of).  It was taken at The Wharton Sinkler Estate, where my Parents were married!  That's all I know about her, but it is quite extraordinary!

Seeing as I was wearing a floofy formal dress I had to try to reenact the photo of course!

Hmm I got the direction her head is turned wrong.  I'll just have to try again sometime!

Daily Outfits: Daily Mori

Although I have a great affection for lolita, I usually wear mori or natural-kei as my daily wear.  It's somewhat ironic that lolita just isn't a clothing style that is easy to sew lolita clothing in.

I do very much enjoy wearing the foresty styles too!  Here are some of my favorites from this past month; before it got so  humid and hot!

I've been trying to chronicle this outfit for over a year.  The layers and thinness of some of the fabrics makes it wearable for only a short amount of time in the spring or fall.

This coord on lookbook with clothing list

Detail of my necklace and hair comb.  No thats not Innocent World, but rather a very similar necklace I found at a costume jewelry shop and glued to the comb.

A more ethereal take on the Maid Marion type coord I wore before.  Same scarf too, worn in a different way.  Modeling my new (to me) purse.  

This coord on lookbook with clothing list

My poor frameless glasses are dieing, so I've been wearing these which are transitions.  They don't make for the best photos though!

A more Otome take.  The scrunched socks with the boots and lace leggings makes me feel like an old school bishōjo manga.    The dress was actually the first lolita jumperskirt I ever made (from thrift store curtains), which still is amazingly wearable even though it's unlined with unfinished seams! 

This coord on lookbook with clothing list

The knit collar was made for me as a present from my good friend Molly.  The cuckoo clock pin I inherited fairly recently from my Grandmother.  

Looking at these photos makes me think I really need to come up with new poses!

I wonder how many Lolita's also wear mori/natural-kei as their more day to day clothing?

Daily Outfit: Teens Exhibition

Last Wednesday I went to an exhibition at Drexel University of clothing from the Teens (1910-1919).  I took advantage of both the beautiful weather and occasion to dress up a bit.  I've been wanting to wear this coord from the  10 item 7 outfit challenge, and it finally got warm enough to.

We stopped at Terrain on the way home; it's a hipster garden store run by the same company that owns Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters.   Very pretty and worth the stop, but everything is really insanely expensive!

This is my favorite outfit I've worn with this jsk so far.  It's rather Otome I think.

This coord on Lookbook.

The exhibition was really wonderful.  16 outfits in all, with tons of wonderful details.  The teens are one of the fashion eras that I am not as familiar with, but I found tons of inspiration.

I took lots of photos; no flash allowed of course, so it was a bit of a challenge to get good photos.