I'M BACK! -Updates, where have I been, and what have I been doing since August?

Hello readers! Long time, no post. I'm sorry about that! I always try to update once a month but for the past two seasons things have just gotten away from me. I am here to let you guys know what I've been up to and what I'm planning for this year.

I've been super busy! I've been putting lots of time into my Youtube channel for one thing! If you want to follow my vlogs & reviews you can do so here. Last fall I went to Europe and so much of my time was spent getting ready for that from August-October that I really had only moments a day for other things. The exciting part of my Europe trip for you all is probably that I finally got to go to a brand store in person! I stopped by the Angelic Pretty store in Paris. I bought a ring and necklace set but I wanted everything of course.

They had Halloween releases when I was there and I was basically weeping over them. My friend, who isn't into lolita, was also in love with many of the pieces available! The shop girls were really nice and I saw several other people come in while I was there. Notably a girl came in and bought a full coord! She had been saving for it for almost two years and this was her first outfit. I was really honored to be there to see that.

I've also recently started an Instagram account under the same name as this blog. I have had a personal account for more artsy photos from traveling for a while but this one is just pastel and kawaii photography and fashion. Check it out here. I haven't had it long, but I'm having a lot of fun with it and getting tons of positive interactions!

I'm hoping to go to New York this coming September for a few days to spend time with a friend. I was going to be stopping by the Baby store there and was really looking forward to it! It recently was announced though that they are closing this Spring and, thus, will not be there anymore. That seems to be how it goes though! I'm sad to see the lolita stores closing. I won't go into the "death of harajuku" here though. I don't fully subscribe to it and tons of people have beat the subject to death.


So what can you expect from this blog this year? Hopefully I will get to have more dress-up days this year. I'm hoping to move soon to the Ann Arbor area, meaning actual meets! I'm also planning to go to Youmacon this year (November) so look forward to that! I also want to get back to the roots of this blog and do more advice and information type posts. The style has changed quite a bit since the blog begun. I would like to do a fashion evolution, a basic outfit and OTT outfit "put-together" post, and an update on where lolita is most prevalent on these days. Alas, livejournal has fallen to the way-side and many of the magazines are gone or heading out. I may also be doing some posts based on discussions in popular lolita groups if something strikes me as notable enough to dedicate an entire month to.

Thank you for reading and for being patient while I was gone!

-Kayla  

A BRAND DRESS TO FIT ME??!!

Hello lovely readers! This month I wanted to talk to you about a Japanese lolita brand that has been around for some time but I've never looked into until recently when they announced they would be adding an (extremely) plus size dress to their collection. Hopefully this is the first of many! I am really really hoping it sells well so that they have the financial backing to make more.

So which brand do I mean? Maxicimam! This is a brand that has been around since the '90s and even has a physical store front in Harajuku. They definitely don't hold the same level of market share as some of the larger brands but they cater to a foreign audience in ways AP & Baby could learn from. They do lean more towards an old school style though and don't seem to have kept up with the current trends in the fashion.

A few more details about the brand before I unveil the dress: The majority of their clothing would fall into the usual lolita range of sizes, aka very small. They also have a line labeled "lovely", which is items that would fall into the lolita definition, and for higher shirred item into western definitions, of plus sized. Here are a few items from their lovely line, that I particularly like, with links where international buyers can grab them at the time of this posting. Or check out their current available extended size items for overseas purchase here.

Buy here!

Buy here!

Buy Here!

Buy Here!

Buy here!

So what do we know about the dress that is coming that is even larger than their standard plus size items? The brand has announced it is coming in late September some time, though they have yet to set an official release date. There is no information yet if the dress will be directly available to overseas buyers or if they will have to use a shopping service (which is necessary to buy through their main site). Most of their new stock is available on CDJapan shortly after release, so it is likely this dress will be too. The measurements for the dress max out at 170cm for the waist and bust! Shirring allows them to fit quite a bit smaller frames though. The dress is definitely designed to be old school, no doubts there, as you will see in a second. As for a price, there is no official amount yet. Based on their pricing for their other items though it is likely to fall in the $250 range. So, without further ado, here is the official announcement photo!

From their FB page

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to pick this dress up, though I'm definitely considering it. If I do you guys will of course get a full review and try on! Which color way do you all like best? Let me know if you plan to get it! I'm hoping many people do. It really is a lovely dress and I'm so happy to see a Japanese brand taking on larger sizes like this!

Until next time,
with love,
Kayla.

Lolita & Kawaii Lifestyle Shops!

Hello everyone! This month I want to share some of the places I've found over the years that allow me and others to get their hands on "lifestyle" goods. While there are tons I'm missing, I wanted to share some of the ones I've ordered from or plan to order from. I hope this can act as a jumping off point for people stepping into the world of cute. I want to share the kawaii lifestyle with as many people as possible and I know some people struggle to find a starting point. That being said, I have not ordered from all of these stores personally and I ALWAYS recommend reading reviews before ordering to make sure you are getting what you want. Links to each store can be found directly under the screenshot that correlates with it. I have divided this into several categories: deco, pins, stationary, and miscellaneous. This post is not sponsored by any of these sites!

Please, after you look through this, let me know if you'd be interested in more curated shopping guides! I am more than willing to put together guides for accessories, lolita dresses, and more! There are many many stores out there and I know it can be overwhelming when you are starting out. Thank you.



Deco

All of these shops specialize in deco crafts! This is a great way to make everyday items really cute. There are many stores on Etsy that also sell pre-made items, if you don't want to do 

the work yourself.

October Store

Kawaii Cabochon

Candy Crystal

Misutikku

Pins

Enamel pins have really broken into the J-fashion scene over the past few years. Now you can buy almost anything imaginable in a durable piece of wearable art! Below are some shops that specialize in cute pins. There are also tons of one-off kawaii pins on Etsy & Storenvy. Know more? Let me know in the comments!

Merrytown

Ou Xu 

Shuangshuo

Megan Allison

Wink Pins

Chic Kawaii

Stationary

I personally love journaling, planning, and writing letters. The world of kawaii stationary is large, arguably endless. I have listed MANY shops here but this is truly just brushing the surface. As with many other lifestyle options, Etsy, Storenvy, and Aliexpress are great places to do searches for specific items, characters, and franchises. 

YES Stationary*

House of Novelty

Stationary & Papeleria

Pinky's Home

Meowashi Tape

Collecting Life

Yozo Craft

Candy DIY

Aimee

He Dao

Build Dreams

Gift Shop

Lytwtw Pen

Misc.

These stores carry a variety of items! Many have home goods, plushies, and tons more. Some include stationary as a category but I've placed them here instead of in the stationary-specific section. Each of these shops has a large collection of cute items you can kill hours looking through.

Please be aware some of these shops may have adult-oriented content available. Young users should get parent's permission before viewing these particular sites. 

Tokyo Otaku Mode*

J-List*

Blippo*

Kawaii Goods*

Art Box

Thank you so much for reading and happy shopping!

*An asterisk next to a link indicates I have ordered from the store and had a good experience! 

Chicago Jfashion Swap!

Hello everyone! This month my friends and I traveled to Chicago to take part in a large swap meet being hosted by their local community. It was open to all Jfashions, not just lolita. This is perfect for us because we all do mori, fairy kei, decora, etc as well. We had quite the time trying to find the location but it was great once we got there. Also, we did a few other activities since we had gone all the way there. It is about 7 hours from where we live, for reference. We were only there for the one day, though we arrived the night before and stayed in Wrigley Hostel.

I made a vlog for the trip and also a haul video which you can see below! Please watch and enjoy. I recommend clicking through and watching it on Youtube since it seems blogger clips the video strangely.

I'll see you all next month with another adventure.

-Kayla

Short lolita day with friends!

Hey guys! As I'm sure many of you know, I don't have the chance to wear lolita as much as I would like. I wear many lolita 'inspired' outfits when given the opportunity but every once and a while my friends and I take a short trip and wear lolita for it. I don't always document these trips very well but this month I managed to snag some pictures and video for you guys!f

We definitely went casual because the trip wasn't that long and we were going to be getting in and out of the car a lot, so please be lenient with our lack of accessorizing. 

Bless the SNOW app tbh.

Makeup for the day!

Outfit shot!

We grabbed some lunch and did some shopping! I think the biggest surprise of the whole day was that we didn't even play Pokemon Go. Ha ha.

Want to know my outfit breakdown or watch some quick video of what I was up to? Check it out below!

Next month we are hopefully going to a swap meet in Chicago! Look forward to all the details from that.

-Kayla

Lolita Valentine's Day!

(If I've used your photo in this post and you'd like me to remove it please comment with the photo that belongs to you! Thanks!)

Hello everyone! In many places of the world tomorrow is Valentine's day. I know I'm a little late in making this post but it may be useful for future reference as well. I wanted to share some ideas for celebrating the holiday with your comm. I often see people planning meets around this time and lolitas coming out in their best themed coords and would like to throw my two cents in.

First off, I want to say, I LOVE pink and red coordinates, especially around Valentine's. I know they're a little cliche and many people really don't like them. I, however, think they're great. That being said, they can be VERY difficult to pull off. This color combination requires a delicate eye and just the right balance. Here are some of my favorite examples of this color combination:

Source

Source

Source

Source

If red and pink isn't your thing any print with candy, hearts, or similar imagery will fit the bill! Don't feel pressured to wear a themed coordinate though because many lolitas do not have a holiday appropriate outfit and that is TOTALLY OKAY!

Valentine's meetup possibilities are truly endless. A few options that come to mind are a visit to a candy store, tea with special themed cakes or cookies (rose tea for extra kawaii), a color theme meetup, a card or gift swap, or a crafting meet prior to the holiday to make themed gifts and cards. Any meetup sharing love and joy with your lolita pals is acceptable, it just depends how hard you want to go for the theme.

Don't be afraid to bring a small snack or gift for the lolitas in your comm if you are attending a V-day meet! Make sure to check ahead if anyone has allergies or dietary needs though. There is nothing worse than working hard on something and not being able to give it to everyone.

Have ideas to make Valentine's meets more classic or gothic friendly? Comment them below!

Have a wonderful month everyone and enjoy your holiday!

-Kayla

Updated Youtube Recs!

Hello everyone! I wanted to start out the year by sharing some of my favorite lolita inspirations at the moment (and over the past year). I did this awhile back but the list has changed pretty drastically. I still follow everyone mentioned in the previous post but I wouldn't say I use them all as inspiration anymore. So here is an updated version. If you'd like to see the original for a larger general guide to Youtube lolitas, please click here.

I find Youtube to be a relaxing way to pass the time these days. I love watching fashion videos and tutorials because they give me so many ideas for my own wardrobe and style! Without further ado, here are the lolitas I wanted to share with you all today.

Wonderland Lolita

Wonderland Lolita has some very inspirational coords and an even more inspirational attitude! She is just so peppy. She does quite a bit of traveling as well, mostly dealing with lolita, and it is always fun to watch her adventures.

Vanilla Bear

Vanilla bear puts together amazing, but simple, coords. She uses colors you don't see a ton of in lolita (like dusky rose). She always has very insightful additions to dress reviews and points out details I definitely wouldn't of noticed otherwise.

Princess Jessie-Kate

Princess Jessie-Kate wears tons of indie lolita and is honestly such an inspiration as far as buying from indie brands go! She has a bunch of taobao hauls and reviews as well. Very eco-conscious which I love.

Princess Fancypants

Princess Fancypants is the funniest one on the list! Her coords always look extremely elegant as well, and honestly she, in my opinion, has some of the most fresh outfits right now. Great source for hair and makeup!

Poppy Noir

Poppy Noir is someone I discovered more recently and she doesn't have the large following she deserves. She travels quite a bit and puts together very original and functional coordinates. I really love her overall style. Has plenty of tutorials, especially for classic lolitas.

Minty Frills

Minty Frills is the well known, quintessential sweet lolita of my list! Her style is bold and adventurous and I'm never sure what she will wear next. She does quite a few other J-styles as well. She also has a personal page that you can access through her main Youtube.


Most of these wonderful Youtubers also run blogs and other social media outlets, so be sure to check them out there if YT isn't your medium of choice.

Thanks so much for coming with me through this post! Let me know if I missed one of your favorite Youtube lolitas. I'll talk to you all next month.

Love,
Kayla