BtssB: Key to the heaven~Holy church of the bless

I adore this newest print from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, mainly because of the religious theme of it! It does look slightly tacky, but still interesting enough for me to want to get it haha

The very idea of Heaven's Key, a key to unlock the gates of heaven is very intriguing, and though the main part of the print isn't particularly shown in detail, a little digging revealed that the designers from Baby drew inspiration from two chapels and a basilica: Cappella Palatina, the Sistine Chapel and Basilica of Santa Croce. All three buildings are located in Italy.

For some reason, the top part of the print in navy reminds me of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling and the Last Judgement:

Without seeing the print in detail though, I can't really say if the series' only nod to the three buildings is in the names of the dress cuts, or whether the designers have taken any elements from the art and architecture of them and put them into the print.

May Haul Part 2

Posted in the order that I received the packages, most things from this post are from individual sellers :3

Moi meme Moitie Holy Stained Glass JSK in navy x silver

I'm really glad I took the plunge to try out a new brand, because I'm in love with MmM now. The fabric is gorgeously soft and silky, construction is top notch and the lame screen print is fantastically crisp. My favourite thing about the whole dress is the fit though, boned bodice galore! 

Will most definitely purchase more pieces from Moitie in the future ♔

Angelic Pretty Sweet Jam Yukata Set in red

Ahhhh my first yukata, and a burando one at that haha. I always thought I'd first try one on on a trip to a shinto shrine or something, but this is just as sweet. With the yukata itself, fake obi, obi bow, barette and bag, it's a perfect set.

A super bright red and busy pattern, I think this will be perfect for warmer months, I'm especially looking forward to wearing the set to Riverfire in September or New Years' fireworks. I also jokingly told my friend this would make me a lot easier to spot in the crowd

Baby, the Stars Shine Bright Koitsukihime Stained Glass Angel (Seraphim)

My ultimate dream print, I'm so happy I'm able to finally get my hands on the original 2006 print. I talked about the differences between this and the AatP rerelease here. 

It's so beautiful, and made me fall in love with religious motifs. The black and gold of the print is matched perfectly. Ahhhhh.

Next up is my FJ order, I bought 4 listings but one of them was a huge set of jewellery from schwarz schmetteling!

 I thought the ribbon on the 'very sweet chocolate' shirt would be detachable, but it's not so I'm listing it for sale on lacemarket. Really cute chocolate themed shirts from MILK, I bought them to go with my AP chocolate skirts

 It feels like ages since I last got something from AP, but it was only in February or March that I bought my Melty Royal Chocolate skirt haha. This is Angelic Pretty's Wonder Queen Bustier JSK in black, another dress I've wanted since I got into the fashion. I'm planning on wearing it to a tea party I'm hosting in July ♔

 My schwarz schmetterling set! It was a listing for 10 necklaces, 10 bracelets and 16 rings!

 I didn't take all of them out of their packages to photograph, because I was already tired after taking photos of 4 necklaces, they're just so detailed ☀ I'll probably just photograph them as I use them in coords haha

Details on one of the necklaces

schwarz schmetterling pieces are all highly detailed and hand made, and they're made from high quality materials. Most of their pieces have religious motifs, but that suits me just fine :) 

 The seller of the set also included a bonus tiara, which is really nice of them ♪

LBC: Make a Coord for Under $100

rococo-soul organza bow : $2

rococo-soul star clip : $6

little dipper OP : $46 **

mu-fish tights : $3

tea party shoes : $24

wrist cuffs : $7

Total: $84

All prices are in USD and converted from the CNY prices listed on the item pages on taobao. They do not include shipping or any other fees.

** The Little Dipper OP seems to basically be out of stock now (I wrote this blog post on Monday), so another OP which would work with the above accessories is this OP from Pumpkin Cat which costs $53 if you reserve it now, brings the total up to $91 **

It's easy to get complete outfits for well under $100 on taobao, especially if you pick an OP since you can skip out on buying a blouse. All the accessories that I've picked above are versatile and can be paired with other dresses, both sweet and classic. There are also many colour options for most of them, so depending on the OP colour you pick, you would buy the corresponding colour of bow, shoes, etc.

It's well worth your time to learn how to shop on taobao, whether you use a forwarding or shipping service! I personally use SpreeNow, because their service fees are reasonable and they always reply within 24 hours (excluding Sundays). Their cart system is also way easier to navigate than TaobaoSpree's excel sheet and email system, and it has a built in translation-service for taobao listings.

Pepins de Pom | Art du Noir | Marionette Cemetery | Crimson Reflections

Pastel Peggy | Courtly Dreams for Burgher | Bloody Tea Party

Tumblr Tag: Angelic Pretty Questions

Saw this on tumblr and thought it would be really fun to do a few of the more interesting ones heh

↦Rose Toilette: Your signature perfume?  
Daisy by Marc Jacobs
↦Melty Chocolate: Favourite type of chocolate?
Milk chocolate, and sugared violet truffles are my favourite indulgence. At $2 a-piece though, I rarely have them
↦Sugar Dream Dome: What do you like most about Winter?
I can just pile on more clothes, have an excuse to drink lots of chocolate beverages and being able to sleep in
↦Milky Berry: What do you like most about Summer? 
Having fun at the pool and the beach, plus turning the aircon on and watching tv feels like a luxury haha
↦Happy Garden: What types of things would you plant in a garden?
I love cucumbers, tomatos and strawberries, they're already in my garden! I would also plant rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, nasturtiums and cosmos
↦Magical Étoile:  Favourite attraction at a carnival? 
The games alley, I could spend ages there just looking at prizes and other people playing 
↦Toy Parade: What toys did you play with as a child?
I used to love listening to read-along CDs, playing with barbies and this quirky computer game called 'The Busy World of Richard Scarry'. I also liked playing Korean yahoo games and surprisingly, Warcraft II because my father had it lying around haha
↦Holy Lantern: Describe the darker side to your personality. 
I can be very anti-social, and my mood changes quickly. If I don't like something, you'll be sure to know xD
↦Glass Bottle of Tears: What, without fail, makes you cry?
Sacrifice
↦Cinema Doll: What makes a movie really enjoyable for you?
Smidges of the conventional, but with touches of unique. Also, action. Action scenes make everything better
↦Cotton Candy Shop: If you had your own shop, what things would you sell?
Tea and desserts for sure, in one half of the shop, and the only savoury dishes would be lasagne or steak heh. In the other half, brand and indie dresses, accessories and handpicked vintage items. ALSO, a photobooth would be fantastic
↦Dreamy Horoscope: What is your zodiac sign, and do you relate to it?
Pisces, and yes I do somewhat. I'm not very self-motivated and get off track easily, but I'm a pretty good leader provided the other members aren't too rowdy
↦Day Dream Carnival: What do you daydream about the most?  
Quite literally, being a potato. I wish I could be a potato for the rest of my life :'D
↦Royal Cards: Name a game you are really good at.
Party Scrabble. That game is the best
↦Cream Cookie: What kinds of snacks do you munch on?
Chocolate, chips, cakes, cheese, fruit, eggs, dried fruit, candy. Basically anything I can get my hands on
↦Drained Cherry: What emotionally exhausts you?
Being around people who question me a lot
↦Fancy Paper Dolls: What accessories would come with a doll version of you? 
A pair of plain glasses and high top gold shoes
↦Holy Night Story: Favourite thing to do when it’s night time?
Browse the internet or snuggle in bed with a good book
↦Candy Treat: Favourite type of candy?   
Gummies! Super delicious, and I love the texture
↦Drink Me: Favourite drink/beverage? 
Chocolate frappe with ice cream and whipped cream mmmmmm
↦Country of Sweets: What countries would you like to visit?
Italy for sure, the UK, Japan, the US and Korea 
↦Fruits Parlour: Favourite fruit? 
Can't choose just one D: Mangoes, pineapples, cherries and nectarines are my go-to fruits of choice
↦Dream Sky: Have you ever seen a shooting star?
Yes, a few times when I was younger. For some reason I'm not really able to see real stars in my city anymore
↦Soap Bubbles: How do you like to bathe/shower?
If I'm showering without washing my hair, I like to be really quick and under 2 minutes. If I'm washing my hair, usually I take 10 minutes and shampoo twice. When I want a bath, it'll take me at least 30 minutes because I love soaking
↦Jewelry Jelly: Name 3 of your favourite jewellery pieces.
My q-pot ice cream necklace, a handmade jewel cluster necklace from a great aunt and a gold zodiac necklace from my grandfather
↦Milky-chan the Fawn: Favourite forest animal?
Hedgehogs, they're adorable and apparently you can even keep them as pets, how cool is that?!
↦Dreamy Baby Room: The most childish part of your personality?
I'm super stubborn and wish everything would go my way haha
↦Wonder Story: What types of things do you like to read about?
Adventures and quests, but they can't be too predictable!
↦Twinkle Mermaid: Favourite type of fantasy creature?
Dragons. If only there was a dragon print!
↦Gloria: Name a very rare item that you would love to own.
I have most of the rarer dream dresses I want already, but I would empty my e-coffers for a BtssB Koitsukihime Stained Glass Angel / Seraphim JSK in black

LBC: Flower Themed Coord

I wasn't going to do this week's theme, but then my Last Note Faint Spring Song JSK came in and it's my first floral dress ✿

  

JSK: Alice and the Pirates - Last Note Faint Spring Song in ivory

Earrings: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright - Rose Boudoir

Everything else: Offbrand (tights - mu-fish, head bow - ciciworks)

The perfume bottles are just amazing, though they're pretty subtle until you get up close to see the print. I tried to keep it simple so the print could shine, and just incorporated the theme into the head bow and earrings, along with the bunches of flowers dotted across the print.

I'm not a big fan of florals on myself, but I think when they're scattered over a print like this, they're really lovely and less... curtain-y looking (sorry, people who like florals!)

New Vogue Children | Courtly Dreams For Burgher | Pastel Peggy

Froufrous | Pastel Peggy | Vanilla & Licorice | The Bloody Tea Party

May Haul

Got a FromJapan package today! I feel a bit bad, because most of the purchases are a result of my missing out on AatP's Sirene JSK in navy :'D

I probably wouldn't buy these from rakuten again, because with the 200yen commission and domestic + international shipping, they work out to be more expensive than the ones marked up in the shops here. Still a good nibble though 

 

 AatP's Tarot Card print pants! They were super cheap and in pretty good condition, I'll have lots of fun coording them. They have two tiers of belt loops, which is quite funny, I can wear two belts with them simultaneously lolol

My accidental purchase, hoping I can sell this soon. IW's Astronomical Clock belted JSK in black, the print is so pretty but I recently also got the high waist JSK in navy so this has to go.

 

Came across this when I was browsing Baby stuff on Y!J, it's an old Novala x BtssB cardigan. I bought it since I don't have any black lolita-suitable cardigans, and also because it's interesting xD 

 Liz Lisa top, I thought it was chiffon but it's actually wool, so I don't know how I'll make it work with my stuff v_v

 Q-pot collab hoodie, it was also cheap and I want to wear it with my AP chocolate skirts

 AatP's Last Note~Faint Spring Song JSK in ivory. I've wanted something from the series for a while now, but haven't seen JSK II up and this piece was a very reasonable price (excuse the toes)

Q-pot mook, really cute, but smaller than their previous chocolate gateau bag. I may give this to my sister 

BtssB's Alicia Strappy shoes in brown. Really good construction, and I'm ecstatic that I did put  bid on them because the Y!J seller has stopped selling burando shoes now D: 

Lolita52 - Part N

Haven't done one of these in a while, and it's been over a year since I started the challenge haha

44. How strangers react to my clothes, and how I react to their reactions
I try not to make eye contact with people as I'm walking around by myself, or I just put on a passive poker face. Not that I'm afraid of what people think or would say, but because I'd rather avoid conflict altogether. 

Most people in my city who say anything are very nice about it, though some people do snigger or try to take pictures without permission. The people who do come up and say anything usually say my dresses look nice and whether I'm going to a special event. If I'm in a group, people ask what we're dressed up as and if we're a club. Some people have asked what costume I'm wearing, or what anime I'm cosplaying from too.

I usually just say it's a Japanese street fashion, and most people are happy with that. If people insist that it's a costume, I usually just give them the 'wtf' look and walk away or ignore them. I haven't had anyone bug me after doing that. 

45. Something that was a gift
I've gotten a pair of really nice plain off-white socks from a lacemarket seller, they were new and unworn. They go very nicely with old school coords, though I don't have anything that they work with at the moment.

46. Parasols: Vital or frivolous?

I wouldn't say they're vital, but they're definitely not frivolous! Sun protection is very important, whether you have a plain old brolly or a frilly parasol

I especially like the foldable umbrellas that came with a few mooks last year, I'm sad that I missed out on auctions for them a few months ago (really wish I put in higher bids now). I think they're better than actual parasols since they're cute, practical and functional.

Given the opportunity though, I would still buy a reasonably priced parasol since they look so good with classic coords.

Quality of Lolita Brands

Just going to talk a little bit about the quality of the brand dresses that I personally own, and rate each out of 5 on construction, quality of materials and print (because >95% of the dresses I own are prints).


Angelic Pretty ♔ own(ed) 8 pieces
construction: 4.8 - Usually very sturdy with straight neat lines. None of the dresses have prints aligned along the seams and buttons need to be sewn tighter
quality: 4.9 - Custom lace, thick material and sometimes inbuilt petticoats. The braiding they use could be better, it seems to fray easily
printing: 5 - Very clear and always custom printed

Baby, the Stars Shine Bright ♔ own 2 pieces
construction: 4.9 - Good construction, everything held nicely in place. Prints do not align on seams
quality: 4.8 - Both pieces are older, but the material is very heavy and stiff, though detailing is still high quality
printing: 5 - Very clearly printed and vibrant

Alice and the Pirates ♔ own 4 pieces

construction: 4.9 - Solid, no print matching at the seams either
quality: 4.9 - Generally good quality, but some of their older pieces are made of the same stiff fabric as Baby (above)
printing: 4.9 - A little grainy on chiffon, but still very good printing

Innocent World ♔ own(ed) 12 pieces

construction: 4.9 - Great construction, dresses hold up very well. Just dislike the actual fit of their dresses and they also do not match the print at seams
quality: 5 - All dresses made of the same high quality soft material
printing: 5 - Clear and crisp

Krad Lanrete ♔ owned 1 piece

construction: 4.8 - Nice neat lines, no print to match but the bodice and back shirring didn't sit properly even though my measurements were correct 
quality: 5 - Everything down to the charms used were high quality 
printing: 5 - Very crisp and gave an illusion that the print was glowing

ecailes de Lune ♔ own 1 piece

construction: 5 - No loose threads, solid construction and fit
quality: 5 - Didn't skimp on anything
printing: 5 - Very detailed and crisp even on chiffon, gradient of the fabric is also good

Infanta ♔ own(ed) 3 pieces

construction: 4.9 - Print aligned at the seams! Good effort from
quality: 4.6 - The trims and buttons seem to be of low quality, fabric is average
printing: 4.9 - Screen print is a bit blotchy, but their cotton prints are nice and crisp

LBC: Make One Expensive and One Inexpensive Outfit from Your Wardrobe

It's so great that it's easy to get second hand brand pieces for much less than retail if you spend enough time going through sales posts, auctions and such. Sometimes if you ask politely, sellers will even allow you to make offers or discount items for you. I really love picking up a great bargain, so I'll start with the inexpensive outfit first!

Everyone knows that the key to keeping the price of an outfit down is to go with offbrand pieces. This is actually one of my first outfits, but I love how many offbrand things I've incorporated, Granted, a few things were gifted to me so they're free, but the price is still kept low by not having everything brand 'v'

The total cost of this outfit including postage is: $153

IW Royal Parade JSK - $120

Bodyline shoes - $20

OTKs - $3

Blouse - $10

Bag and hair accessory - gifted to me

**All prices shown are just prices that I personally paid for the items, so these are just ideas you can take on when you're looking through listings and such**

I can never resist the urge to splurge when one of my dream pieces comes up, and there are some pieces that brands put out which I *need* in my wardrobe, so here's one expensive outfit that I recently made from my wardrobe.

Still quite a few offbrand items in this outfit, but the main piece and boots are a little more expensive than the usual items in my wardrobe. What's awesome about the boots though, is that they work amazingly well with heaps of pieces so you can get a lot of use out of them!

Total price of this outfit including postage: $542

BtssB Angel's Whisper JSK - $320

AatP Clara boots - $120

The Floral Notebook blouse - $65

Hair accessory - $10

Lace tights (not in picture) - $7
BtssB Rose Boudoir earrings (not in pic either) - $20

When I usually think of the prices of items individually, I don't realise how much of a difference there can be in prices of dresses. Both the above pieces are brand, but Angel's Whisper cost 2.6 times more than Royal Parade, which is a little daunting when I think about it o.o
I think I just buy with the philosophy that if I like it enough, the price is justified lol

A few other blog entries on the same topic:

Frilly Roses | Divine Cross | Oh Velveteena | Vanilla Bear | Courtly Dreams 

Art du Noir

April Haul

Finally got my taobao order, I was just going to get a cosplay costume with my friend, but when that fell through.... went on a lolita rampage :v

Also obtained two of my long time (cough) dream dresses, so I've been super blessed this month.

The first thing I received was my ultimate dream dress, Alice and the Pirates' Gloria ~ Beautiful Glassy Saint Mary ~ dress. I honestly had given up on finding the dress in Navy and the Maria cut, which is why I put a bid on Astronomical Clock (coming up later), but this came up the very next day *u*

 

 sldfuhgufdhgufgh I freaked out when I opened the package, the fabric is lovely and the black lace is more delicate and high quality than I thought. So much regret for not being into the fashion when this was released so I could own all the colourways and cuts hnnnng.
This also completes my 'holy trinity' of Gloria, Angel's Whisper and Stained Glass Angels, so I'm ecstatic! I want to trade my ivory Angel's Whisper for navy though--

I received my SpreeNow package next, and I don't know if it's just me, but I almost always forget what I have coming in my taobao packages as soon as they're sent, so opening them is like ordering everything again?!

Two pairs of OTKs from mu-fish. Top is an IW replica, and bottom is one of their originals. 

Peaked cap, I want to use it for ouji outfits  

Bowler-top hat, I've put gold ribbon around it, but it's not very obvious when worn. Looks really nice with my new wig (further down) 

I was really excited for these because I wasn't too sure if quarantine would let them pass. They're XinJiang red jujubes and sultanas, all of which taste delicious and are amazing snacks mmm 

 Some floral clips and findings, the two on the right are my favourites because they're organza mixed with felt

Some little note pads and a pack of FREE! cards. The TeniPuri stickers and Natsume no Yuujinchou sticker set on the right are all freebies from the seller 

What's funny is my TeniPuri notepad has 'sample' written across the art  

 

 The wigs that I got this time, from left to right: short brown wig and short blonde wig (for my friend), long silver wig, short purple wig, long orange wig

The brown, blonde and orange wigs were all meant to be for Final Fantasy Type 0 cosplays, but it ended up falling through BUT I WILL DO THEM FOR SURE *shakes fist at shoddy taobao sellers*

 Got a lovely cape and the matching brooch, I think I could use it for both lolita and ouji

 Some earrings, the seller was nice enough to give me and extra piercing and a box to hold everything in. I just have to mention the gauge for these were a bit bigger than what I'm used to wearing, so getting them in was a bit uncomfortable

Weeb japanese school bag, it's actually pretty roomy and can fit A4 + lots of other things inside 

 SurfaceSpell Dusk Library JSK. The quality is amazing for the price, really soft velvet, fully lined and the custom gobelin fabric is gorgeous! Even my sister who usually thinks my brand pieces feel cheap reckons this is high quality haha

Little Dipper coat, I love the colours and the quality is very nice for the price I paid. Everything is lined, even the pockets, and the braiding is quite neat

My new cici-works rose crown, the roses and ribbons are interchangeable which is fantastic

Last is my want-not-need-but-still-got dream dress, Astronomical Clock from Innocent World.

I ended up winning the bid with my opening bid, and didn't want to back out of a sale. I remembered that one of my friends in the comm had been trying to sell her navy OTKs last year (her SS got her the navy socks but the black JSK lol) and turns out she still had them, so I purchased them off her.

Still trying to work outfits and such out for everything I received, but I'm very grateful that I was able to buy so many things this month ♥