Palace of Princes Nightfall Video Coverage

Nov 15, 2015

Nightfall took place on April 2, 2015 at The Crystal Ballroom in Houston, TX. It was my first time participating in the organization of a large-scale Japanese fashion event! My phone was being used for some important matters, so I don't have any media of my own, but fortunately, you can see how it turned out in these videos:

First, we have the official videos from the wonderful Deerstalker Pictures from Australia. This was their first time in America and it was very interesting to see them at work!






Second, the lovely sponsor Lolita Snaps Magazine from Mexico also covered the event.






Lastly, some footage from our attendees: KawaiiLIFE and Twootie.





Coordinate 01: Anime Fest 2015

Sep 22, 2015


Normally, I don't get to travel out of town, but with fortunate circumstances I attended Anime Fest in Dallas for a day. It was very relaxing since I didn't have any responsibilities to worry about and I met up with some friends. It was also very cold.

This outfit's theme was "Final Fantasy goth." I took some inspiration from the Na+H shop staff and Paine from FFX-2 with the help of grimy13 and here's what we came up with:


Outfit Rundown
Blouse: Na+H
Pants: Na+H Warrior shorts (cotton-poly version)
Socks: Angelic Pretty Moon Night Theater OTKs
Shoes: Vivienne Westwood x Melissa Temptation
Accessories: ShojoMonsta frame clips, Na+H Warrior long gloves, Aetherlund Bat Cuff, Automatic Honey Royal Heart necklace, Listen Flavor ShinganCrimsonZ button, forever21 belt

Now for some troubles with this coord. Unfortunately, I discovered the shoes were too small for comfort with socks, so I'm going to sell them on lacemarket eventually. I had packed up my makeup brushes and they were ready to go in my bag, but I still forgot them at home. The button on my pants doesn't match anything, but I forgot to take it off for photos (must wear that anime merch at an anime con!). Despite all the troubles, it was a very cool coord to wear! It's still way too hot for ouji here, so I've been very lazy to dress nicely.

P.S. I am trying a numbering system for my coords, so I can keep track of them easier, so don't mind my title starting at 1.

International Lolita Day Summer 2015 - A Walk in the Garden

Jul 2, 2015

June 13, 2015
A Walk in the Garden - drawn by Skullita
This year's International Lolita Day for the summer season was technically on June 6, but I celebrated on June 13. My family decided to take a week-long impromptu trip to Los Angeles. Luckily enough, the LA Lolitas' meetup was one week later which happened to coincide with my vacation plans and I was fortunately able to buy a ticket last minute. This was the first time I visited a different lolita community!

The event's name was A Walk in the Garden and it was held Tea Rose Garden in Old Pasadena. The area was gorgeous, but sadly I didn't have enough time to walk around and take pictures. Nonetheless the entrance to Tea Rose Garden was easy to find since there was a stand with the official art waiting right outside. I arrived on time for once, so I wandered inside to avoid the bright sun. It was a beautiful tea room filled with floral fragrances.


At the entrance was a relaxing lounge with elegant chairs and a wide variety of teas. When the party was officially starting, attendees went outside for the check-in process to begin. As everyone walked back inside, the organizers kindly greeted and checked names of the attendees at the front table. At the same table, there were indie brand business cards including Moss Märchen, Linda Tea, Voodooodolly, Better Off Dead Designs, Taxidermy Her Bones, Cute Can Kill, Sweet Mildred, and a few others (I wasn't able to catch all of them) along with numbered handmade paper flowers. Every attendee was asked to choose and wear their flower during the event since the numbers were to be used for the raffle and coordinate contest. Since I was wearing black and gold, I chose #10 a  goldenrod colored flower.


The raffle prize table
The first course of the afternoon was a mixed greens salad with a few petals. Both iced and hot tea were offered. I went for the Buckingham hot tea. One of the reasons I was excited for this event was unlimited tea sandwiches. Yes, unlimited. Four types of sandwiches were served and there were scones and an assortment of fruit for dessert.

There were two rounds of raffle drawing. I didn't win anything, but that's okay! The best dressed contest was determined by voting. I had an extremely hard time deciding who to choose since everyone looked spectacular! According to the vote tally, everybody had received a vote!

I had time to walk around and take a few coordinate snaps. Sadly a lot of them turned out blurry, so I can't post as many as I wanted, but it was amazing to meet so many people I admired online for a long time! I even saw a few familiar faces from Nightfall!

 This Usakumya was done.
Everybody received a postcard and button by Skullita and a lolita coordinate checklist by Miss Angela! They are extremely cute and I'll definitely be using the notepad!
The weather in California was so much cooler than Texas, but wearing a large coat was still a bad idea, haha. When I got back to my rental car, I immediately threw the layers off.


Coordinate rundown
Jacket: Atelier Boz Gilford Swallowtail Jacket
Blouse: Alice and the Pirates Moonlight Temptation from the Monochrome Guide of the Dark Blouse
Pants: Alice and the Pirates Destinee de la Rose Pants
Buttcape: Atelier Boz Gefion Overskirt
Shoes: Bodyline shoes278
Accessories: Automatic Honey Sacred Heart necklace and ring, Linda Tea JoJo gogogo clip, Aetherlund bat wing cuffs

Shout outs to my sister for helping me with my hair and Sarah for putting together 90% of the coord since I couldn't decide what to wear.

Thank you to the L.A. community for holding this event and making me feel very welcomed! I'm glad I was able to attend and hope to meet again!

#onlyatAM Behind the Scenes: The Tale of Buttcape

Jun 19, 2015

The "E" of LACE: Exploitation. While LACE is a whole different can of worms, the formation of the acronym reminded me of unfortunate events that happened over 6 months ago. I call it John Trauma. Like seriously, sometimes he shows up in my nightmares. Every time I see a bald head in the distance, I get shivers down my spine. I've been planning on posting this for months, but every time I looked at it, it made me mad, so I never finished it. But certain events popped up and motivated me to complete it, so here we go.

Anime Matsuri (AM) is an anime and Japanese culture convention based in Houston, TX that attracts a lot of lolita attention because of the amount of high profile guests they invite. I had a pretty okay experience with Anime Matsuri until they did some stupid things to me. I am writing out my experience in order to put the truth out there. I am not looking for pity or sympathy, but warning whoever decides to become involved with them. I stayed silent for various reasons, but now I can finally move on.


AatP's Swan's Feathers Series

May 30, 2015

Swan's Feathers is an upcoming release from Alice and the Pirates. It's a non-print release which has gotten very popular! In fact, the initial reservation sold out on the first day. AatP designer Tomomi Nakamura is a big fan of ballet, so it's no surprise that this series is based off of the Swan Lake story.

First, we have the lolita side of the release. Odette and Odile are often played by the same ballerina in two opposite outfits, so each piece comes in two colorways: offwhite for Odette and black for Odile.
The eye-catcher of this series is the Swan's Feather Clip which is a unique combination of a collar and feather epaulettes. Extra details are brought forth with the combination of different textures of chiffon, jacquard, lace, and feathers. I'd love to see a pair of lolitas twinning both colors together.

Next, not one, but two boystyle sets were also announced! The first is the Siegfried ouji set. Prince Siegfried is the protagonist of Swan Lake and falls in love Odette.
The cut of this vest is a more opulent re-do of the Pharis Vest. The white lace gives a nice impression of swan feathers without using actual feathers. The pants have the same cut as the El Dorando Pants, but the lace is shorter, so it will be easier to pull off.  The separate pieces aren't really versatile, but they do look amazing paired together. I partly wish that it was a salopette instead of two pieces. The only complaint I have about this set is the hat is a very awkward size; it's too small to be worn as a full-sized hat, but too big to be a mini hat. I do like the detachable veil (it's a buttcape for hats), but with the lack of gold details, I don't like this hat with the vest and pants. 

Lastly, there is the Rothbart aristocrat set. The antagonistic sorcerer Von Rothbart gets khaki green and black colorways. Khaki is a popular color for brands this S/S 2015. Brands are slowly catching onto the demand for boystyle in more colors, so I predict we'll see more colors in the near future.
The Rothbart Vest is a leveled up version of the Granny Smith Vest. The cut is extremely flattering and can be used in both youthful and mature coordinates. The pants have a 2-way zipper which is a small detail that AatP doesn't include very often, but it adds a nice 2-way feature for the hem.The blouse also comes in three different colors. Its tiered jabot and sleeves add a uniform detail to any vest or sleeveless jacket. I wouldn't think of a sorcerer when I look at the entirety, but it's nice nonetheless.

Overall, I call this series best release of 2015 for Pirates so far. The lolita set is gorgeous and the boystyle sets look good as well. Alice and the Pirates has been re-releasing older cuts from its early days lately, but seeing this release utilize more modern cuts and looking good is refreshing. What are your thoughts? Is Alice and the Pirates finally starting to get out of the slump?

Nigthfall Introduction by Deerstalker Pictures

Mar 21, 2015


Deerstalker Pictures made a short video about Nightfall! They can't wait to see everyone!

Palace of Princes Presents Nightfall

Mar 7, 2015

Good evening! My apologies for the lack of updates, but I have been extremely busy with school and dedicating my free time to what I'm about to tell you. On April 2, 2015, one month from now, Palace of Princes will debut our first major event Nightfall! Our team has been working very hard (and still going) for the last 6 months to make this possible!



What is Nightfall?

Nightfall is a one-day event aiming to promote all styles of Japanese street fashion with a specialty on boystyle fashion which includes ouji and aristocrat. It's a party to celebrate the international fashion community and individual expression. Attendees will be able to meet new and old friends, check out the latest styles, and be entertained by our programming.

When is Nightfall?

Date: Thursday, April 2, 2015
Time: General Admission Hours: 5 PM to 10 PM  &  VIP Hours: 4:30 PM to 11 PM

Where is Nightfall?

The Crystal Ballroom
909 Texas Street Suite 106F
Houston, TX 77002


The Crystal Ballroom is a beautiful venue with historic elegance! It has the perfect atmosphere to match Gothic and lolita styles.

Who's coming to Nightfall?

Since lolita and other fashion styles is such a global community, our goal was to bring together many countries under one roof. These guests provide the highest quality of work in their fields and you'll probably recognize them. We are very happy to be able to work with them and invite everyone to get to know them!

Top: Technotropism of Deerstalker Pictures, Aerynsys, Linda Tea, Buttcape (me!), Aetherlund
Bottom: Lillith Gray, I Do Declare, Rachel and Michelle of Belladonna, Moss Marchen
Even though some designers can't make it to Houston, we've brought their amazing work for you to see in person!

Top: Belladonna, Haenuli, I Do Declare, Ozone Socks, Sweet Mildred
Bottom: Moss Marchen, Aetherlund, R-Series, Rouge Aerie Designs, Peppermint Fox
Our list is still growing, so keep your eyes out for upcoming announcements!

Want to support Nightfall?

Official website: www.palaceofprinces.com
Purchase tickets: popnightfall.eventbrite.com
Facebook event: Palace of Princes Nightfall

If you can't make it to Houston, you can still show your support for our event!
Buy merchandise: palaceofprinces.storenvy.com
Made a donation: www.palaceofprinces.com/donations
Sponsor us: www.palaceofprinces.com/sponsors
http://palaceofprinces.storenvy.com/
Check out our cool merch!

I still don't know what I'm going to wear, but I'll figure that out a little later. I hope to meet some of you there!

Meeting Kate

Jan 28, 2015

Rouge Aerie Designs' designer Kate was passing through town last week and I finally had the chance to meet her! Kate was actually one of the first lolitas I ever talked to, and she gave me a lot of advice when I was first starting out. I was really young and didn't have a car back then, so I never had the chance to go to meetups before she moved to Australia, but now I can finally say I met my senpai.


My charm point of this coordinate was the Rouge Aerie Nephelai Choker in the cloudless colorway. I impulse bought the cloudless color during a group order because blue is my favorite color (surprise, it's not black). I don't actually own any blue pieces of clothing, so I matched the white and gold.

A photo posted by Stephano (@buttcape) on



I made a mostly light lolita coord in the past, but I finally made a light ouji coord that I'm happy with!  We planned on watching a movie, but it sold out by the time we got there. Instead, we spent the night strolling around Chinatown. Our time was short, but I hope to meet her again in the near future!



Rundown
Jacket: Atelier Boz Eternity Roland Jacket
Blouses: Dear Celine , Sheglit
Pants: offbrand
Tights: offbrand
Socks: Metamorphose temps de fille lace knee socks
Shoes: Alice and the Pirates Clara Short Boots
Corsage: uF
Choker: Rouge Aerie Designs Nephelai
Rosary: Forever21
Belt: offbrand
Rings: Forever21 x2, Alice and the Pirates A/P Logo Ring


Double Birthday

Jan 15, 2015

In December, there was a double birthday party for Sarah and Alys. They let me triplet with them with our matching bicorns. First we had lunch; I had chicken and waffles.

Here's a two-step process on how to be me:
Step one is to take a picture of my food (see below).
Step two is to eat like a savage without getting food all over my clothes.


A photo posted by Stephano (@buttcape) on


Then we strolled around town and took some photos.



I saw Misako wear this hat in KERA and decided I needed it. This one was actually my second hat because the first one had some factory defects (review is coming later). I finally got to wear it though!

Rundown
Hat: Alice and the Pirates Chat Noire Silk Hat
Blouse: Alice and the Pirates Moonlight Temptation from the Monochrome Guide of the Dark Blouse
Coat: Alice and the Pirates Captain Schwarz Coat
Pants: Alice and the Pirates Destinee de la Rose Pants
Shoes: Fuori Classe
Brooches and chains: Alice and the Pirates, uF, Di Molto Bene



Triple kabedon

Average oujis loitering around a fountain

And a group photo for last!