2014 Year End Outfit Dump

Dec 19, 2014

Outfits from November and December. Most of them are casual since I tried to force myself to dress up for 30 consecutive days. I gave up after 2 weeks. If you follow me on twitter, then you've probably seen all of these already.

Hat: Alice and the Pirates Fenrir
Blouse: R-Series Rule of the Rose
Jacket: Alice and the Pirates King
Belt: Alice and the Pirates Buckle
Chains: Putumayo
Shoes: Queen Bee

Ozone Socks Sheer Stripe Over the Knee Socks

Nov 30, 2014

Sometime ago, I received some products of Ozone Socks from my friend Aerynsys. This is the first pair out of two.


These socks are Ozone's Sheer Stripe OTKs in white (currently sold out). Compared to the Alice and the Pirates sheer socks I own, they're definitely more stretchy. The main reason I don't wear my AatP ones often is because I feel like I would destroy them in a few wears. The Ozone ones feel more durable and survived my deadly washing machine, so I don't have to worry about them ripping any time soon.

Ozone has a lot of quirky and unique designs, suitable for all tastes. They even plan to make more Japanese fashion friendly styles, so keep an eye out for them!

Right now they are having a Cyber Monday sale, so all socks are 50% off!

Metamorphose 2014 A&W Coordinate Contest

Nov 22, 2014

Guess who entered the Metamorphose contest again? Originally, I wasn't going to enter, but I figured I should submit again for consistency's sake.


Choker: Alice and the Pirates x Hizaki collaboration
Vest: Metamorphose temps de fille Ornament Print
Blouse: offbrand
Pants: Na+H Side Frill Shorts
Socks: offbrand + Metamorphose Vintage Cameo OTKs
Bag: Metamorphose Double Pockets 3 Way Bag
Shoes: Bodyline shoes277

You should also check out Grimy and Ann!


My entry: [here]

Grimy's entry: [here]

Ann's entry: [here]

The voting ends at 3:00 PM on Nov. 28th (JST). Thanks for looking and happy voting!

Oni-Con 2014 Friday: Ganglion Concert!!

Nov 6, 2014


This year Oni-Con had Ganglion as the main musical guest and I was really excited to see them live! Oni is my favorite model and I've been listening to the band for a little over a year. It was actually really surprising when Oni-Con announced them as the guest because I never thought they'd be able to come overseas. Big thanks to Babel Entertainment for bringing them over.

Some of my buddies for the weekend were Hina & Alys, Pengu, Miss Lillith, and grimy13 in respective order.
This photo placement may or may not be intentional.
My coord for Friday was of course inspired by Ganglion who were rocking their latest black and bordeaux looks provided by Baby, the Stars Shine Bright and Alice and the Pirates. Originally, I was wearing a Boz cape, but it got way too hot for that. Some day, I will get to debut that cape I swear.
Rundown
Hat: Alice and the Pirates Mad Hatter 3 Stage Hat
Jacket: Alice and the Pirates Moonlight Temptation from the Monochrome Guide of the Dark Jacket
Jabot: Innocent World Millefeuille Ribbon Jabot
Blouse: Bodyline P227
Shorts: Na+H Frill Short Pants
Tights: Sakizo Daughter of Circus
Boots: Queen Bee
Buttcape: Atelier Boz Leister Overskirt

We got the front row, so I managed to get great concert pictures. Since it was Halloween, everyone except Oni came out in masks. Ebi was wearing a R.I.P. skull, Sagara wore Batman, and Vivi was wearing a kunoichi facial mask.
If you're not familiar with Ganglion, here's a short introduction (left to right):
Ebi on bass
Sagara on guitar and backing vocals
Oni on vocals and guitar
Vivi on drums

I don't recall the exact setlist, but I definitely remember them playing loser, tonight, Distance, 碧く揺れて, BLACK OUT, 幸福のセオリー, Go straight your way, and sink. Ganglion is amazing live. When you hear them on CD is one thing, but hearing them in person is so much more impressive. They are so energetic and so talented! Here are some of my favorite pictures I took.
Vivi posted this one on her blog!
Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures of Vivi because I could only see a cymbal over her face the whole time. The life of a drummer is hard. More photos are under the cut. 

GangLioN at Oni-Con 2014!

Sep 4, 2014

All-girls band Ganglion has been announced to perform at Oni-Con this October! Ganglion's music can be described as "girl's emotional hard rock" that isn't confined to just one genre. This will be their US debut.

The band often wears clothing from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright and Alice and the Pirates. Oni is actually my favorite model, so I'm really excited to meet and see her perform! Oni frequently models for gothic, punk, and boys style brands such as Alice and the Pirates, ALGONQUINS, SEX POT ReVeNGe, HELLCATPUNKS, and more.



Their new mini-album comes out tomorrow Septmeber 5! 


I plan on attending their Q&A session, so if you'd like to send in some questions, I'll try my best to get them answered!

Offband & Plus Size Find: nissen

Aug 28, 2014

nissen is casual clothing shop, but they put a few lolita-inspired sets up for reservation due to release in mid-September. Although it's not superb-looking, the good thing is the sizing goes up to 10L for a mid-range price. Technically, there are only 5 sizes, but the span of measurements is wide.


The ouji set includes:
- Blouse: Plenty of forgiving shirring; lace looks decent, but not impressive.
- Suspender shorts: For the suspenders, the lace looks low quality, but you can always replace the suspenders with your own.
- Bow tie
** They recommend to wear a camisole. The max waist for the pants is the listed size plus 20 cm.


The gothic set includes:
- Halterneck vest: With lining and shirring.
- Striped blouse: The design reminds me of ALGONQUINS; the lace also looks cheap.
- Asymmetrical skirt: Looks shiny.
** The max waist for the skirt is the listed size plus 42 cm.


The "sweet lolita" set includes:
- Knit bolero
- Blouse
- Skirt- Print is crisp, but it doesn't look like it can hold much of a petticoat.
Available as a pink or black set.
** They recommend to wear a camisole. The max waist for the skirt is the listed size plus 42 cm.


The "classic lolita" set includes:
- Headdress- Low quality-looking ribbon and lace.
- Peter pan collar blouse- It is thin enough where you can see the care tag from the outside.
- JSK- Low quality-looking ribbon and lace; skirt shape is very vertical and doesn't look like it can hold any type of petticoat; print looks crisp.
Available as a green or black set.
** They recommend to wear a camisole.



I wanted to share the ouji set the most because they are very plus size friendly which is a rare occurrence for non-custom ouji clothing! Let's take a look at the measurements:


Most lady's size for Japanese brand are max 90 for bust or max 72 cm for waist, so you compare how much larger their sizing runs. The ouji set is also the nicest looking set out of all of them plus it's the lowest priced out of the four. Honestly, the sweet and classic set do not look like they are worth the price because they lack the proper lolita shape. Just judging from the stock photos, the quality looks about equal to bodyline or lower end taobao shops. They actually have an international site that offers free shipping for new members for the rest of August, but these sets aren't on there as of today.

nissen also has this very neat reference chart where you can select a model between 150-175 cm and see them wearing different clothing lengths. For now it only shows size 3L, but it's a great reference to have!

view full size

Review: Aetherlund Bat Wing Cuffs

Jul 27, 2014

http://aetherlund.storenvy.com/
Good evening! Way back in February, I first saw these nifty looking cuffs being worn by Miss Lillith, so I asked her where they were from. She said her friend made them and at the time, there was no online shop, so I bought them through a private sale with local pickup. Shortly after I bought them, Julie opened her online shop Aetherlund over on storenvy!


At first, I was a little shocked at the price, but Julie assured me that her cuffs were made of the highest quality materials. She was right! These cuffs are black and made from real Italian leather. Since they are real leather, they will stretch just a tiny bit after being worn.


The rivets and buckle are made of brass and securely fastened. The parts definitely won't be coming off by accident any time soon. All of the leather parts are cut by laser, so the edges are perfectly smooth.


I've had the cuffs for about 4 months now, so this review is a little overdue, but they're still in excellent condition. Since I'm a little rough and disorganized, these cuffs have gone through quite a beating. In the above picture, signs of wear are slightly visible. It adds a little character to the cuffs and aren't visible unless they're right in front of your face.

There are holes through out the entire band, so they will fit a large variety of sizes! This makes them super versatile, so they can be worn almost anywhere. My favorite place to wear them is on my upper arms.


They look fantastic on legs, too, adding a nice finishing effect to your shoes.


I am completely satisfied with Aetherlund and looking forward to the future designs! It was a pleasure communicating with her. Since we did a local pickup, I can't comment on shipping, but she does offer both domestic and international options. You can keep up with Aetherlund facebook and purchase via storenvy.

Metamorphose Spring and Summber Heartbeat Going Out Contest

May 29, 2014

Long time no post. As mentioned on my previous post, I took a blogging hiatus. I think I will end it soon, so thank you for your patience.

Today I wanted to say I entered the newest coordinate contest of Metamorphose. I'm wearing a dress, so you know I'm serious!! If you would like to vote for it, you can press "like" over on their official facebook; my entry is right over here~

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=330319973783127&set=a.330314803783644.1073741827.156442371170889&type=3&theater

There are so many more entries compared to the last contest! You usually don't see many worn photos of Meta, so it's very pleasing to see so many.

Coordinate rundown:
Headbow: Royal Rabbit
JSK: Metamorphose Chambray Bustier-like Pinafore JSK
Cutsew: Putumayo Toy March Cutsew
Socks: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright Sleeping Beauty Princess OTKs
Parasol: Metamorphose Happy Cake
Wristcuffs: Bodyline
Belt: Putumayo (Pretty Pretty) Pearl Chain Belt
Corsage: Putumayo
Choker: Alice and the Pirates x Hizaki collaboration
Shoes: offbrand

Usually, I take my outfit shots with my tripod and camera timer, but this time I asked my sister to help me with photos, so it wouldn't take me forever to get a good shot. Since the theme was literally "going out," I thought it would be better to actually go outside to get pictures. Originally, I was going to wear a long-sleeved blouse, but it's already too hot and humid in Texas. This Putumayo cutsew is currently one of my favorite tops since I can wear it with lolita, ouji, and casual clothes. Here are a few more pictures I liked:



#ilooklikeaguy

Jan 16, 2014

On the latest episode of Kawaii International, the theme was boyish street style. The narrator introduces three substyles: punk, ouji, and vintage. Most of the episode focuses on the punk and casual styles. This episode features popular idol group Fudanjuku and some popular dansou models such as AKIRA, Oni, and ROOT. There's also some quick hair, makeup, and posing tips.

My favorite part was the makeover of Senanan. She looks super cute in fairy kei, but she pulls off boystyle very well, too. The contrast is interesting to see. I also found the posing tips to be useful. Watching it made me learn that ROOT is actually a girl. I never knew that and she had me fooled for forever!

The Japanese twitter tag they used in the show is #男に見えたら.




AatP New Year's Lucky Pack 2014 Opening

Jan 2, 2014

In a 2 hour struggle with the BtSSB website crashing, I luckily was able to purchase Briar Rabbit’s Paysage JSK II set by Alice and the Pirates. The lucky pack cost 19,740 yen and shipping to the US was 4900 yen.

Inside the box, everything was contained in a navy AatP eco bag containing 1 jumperskirt, 1 blouse, 1 headbow, 1 pair of OTK socks, 1 eye patch, and 1 purse.


The print on the JSK is gorgeous! I'm not usually a print person, but when I saw the preview the frames and the splashes of red reminded me of AatP's Charm de Rouge print. In-person it's even more beautiful; my pictures don't do any justice at all. Since it's a lucky pack release, the fabric is thinner than normal and there is no lining. There is no boning either which is good in my opinion because I've had a lot of AatP boning stab through the fabric. The tag also says not to get it wet since the print may run. I was lucky enough to get the black blouse, but I ended up selling it because I didn't like how large the collar was. The headbow is medium-sized and is wired, so you can change the shape. The socks might end up being knee socks for taller people since they go barely past my knees. The eye patch is made of faux leather and has a gold-embroidered AatP logo design. The purse was surprisingly bigger than I was expecting and is very roomy. Inside it has red lining and there are 3 pockets. Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase!