My new obsession: Skirts!!!

I remember writing about BABY's Cards Lace Round Collar Blouse and why it would be a perfect addition to my wardrobe (which still stands!!) but I made an unexpected encounter…I ran into Meta’s 2007 Short Sleeve School Blouse while scrolling on Lacemarket, I clicked on the listing because of how elegant she was with the mini tie and sinched waist. It was love at first sight and I fell in love deeper looking at the listing’s pictures and seeing that the back had shirring alongside waist ties

You cannot imagine how pleasantly surprised I was seeing the measurements of this blouse. It was longer than usual and the LM listing mentioned that this might be the T size mentioned on Lolibrary. So I messaged the seller to confirm this, and I let them know that I’m looking for something similar to BABYS’s back pintuck blouse and comparing the two, the seller let me know they’re similar in length!

The original price was at $81, and I was preparing to try to haggle the price down a little, but it kept going down by itself during the day, I was ecstatic and immediately purchased it for $72. She currently resides with my friend in the US because the local shipping was only $10!

She checks off all my requirements from the previous blog, so I’ve started looking at skirts a lot since a whole new world opened up to me… I'm really excited to finally be able to wear them too. I’ve added a lot to my wishlist and would like to talk about some of them <3

(This find also drove me down an old school Metamorphose pipeline but that’s a conversation for another post~)

God Save The Lolita Print Skirt

I’ve been obsessed with this quote for over a year now. It’s my motto I have it written in all my social media bios and I’d like to get it tattooed too. Naturally I want the skirt (and tote bag too). Both black and pink would be great, and white too if were being greedy…I haven’t sale activity history for this one, but we are meant to be so I have hope!

Metamorphose Poodle Skirt (2004)

Everyone knows how much I'm into poodle motifs, especially when its an appliqué. Plus this is an old school meta piece so it’s only natural for me to gravitate towards this… I don’t have an actual vision of a coord or how this would look on me but the design is quite simple I can pull it off easily

ETC Closet Print Skirt (2006)

I used to be obsessed with the black x white colorway (still am) but I recently fell in love with the all-pink colorway HARD. I simultaneously lost interest in the pink x black colorway (I realized that the pink in that one had a more purple tint to it..not my thing…) This piece is so much fun to coord in my mind. Theres lots of details I can bring out in different ways. For example a small pink polka dot ribbon tie to match the ribbon on the skirt! I’ll adore this skirt to death once I get my hands on her

BTSSB Princess Skirt

This is another great staple piece for the old school sweet wardrobe that I am building. I’m not sure how often this skirt gets re-released (I'm assuming quite regularly) but I am looking for any old release. On the right I picked the 2008 release as an example

Lolita 52 Challenge / day 1 / 5 pieces that every Lolita wardrobe should have, regardless of style

a vivienne westwood boston bag

A reliable black handbag for daily use

I could argue you could even go for a dark brown/blue or white bag, but I feel like black is the most suitable and diverse option.

demonia dollie

A comfortable pair of black mary janes

These have been around in lolita fashion since the dawn of times and alongside with bags, I feel like shoes are something you don’t have to worry about so much because they go with pretty much anything if you got a neutral color!

a&a daily wear a-line 45cm

A medium sized/daily wear petticoat

Nothing too big or too small (depending on your style and what you’re going for) but the idea is something that gets the job done and suits every style

BTSSB back pintuck blouse in white

I can’t emphasize enough how much of a classic staple piece this blouse is. I believe everyone should have this gorgeous blouse in their wardrobe or any other white blouse tbh (long or short sleeve), but this one is just special in my opinion.

A pair of plain white socks

This one goes without saying. With or without a lace trim is totally optional, in this case I could recommend BTSSB ribbon lace knee socks! I’m a little biased and wanted to suggest black x white striped socks but I can understand it might not be suitable for every style. White socks it is then!

My inactivity

I've been struggling a lot mentally, but I recently started finding comfort in simpler things again as a way to ease my mind (like posting on Flickr) and consequently I’ve reverted back to my blog

I feel guilty for abandoning it and breaking my promise of being consistent, but I choose to give myself some grace this time. I’ve regained some hope in life again

I’d like to start over again and cheer for new beginning and hopefully a warm future!

Why I need Baby, the Stars Shine Bright’s Cards Lace Round Collar Blouse SPECIFICALLY

 

Because I am tall, clothes will obviously fit me differently. I’m always on the lookout for long blouses with long sleeves to accommodate my needs. Lolita brands VERY rarely cater towards individuals with longer bodies/proportions

So when I finally got my hands BABY’s Back Pintuck Blouse I was over the moon. With a length of 55cm paired with a cinched waist and 68cm long sleeves, it’s like she was made with me in mind and I really wish lolita brands made more releases like this

I also wish I didn’t have to obsess over things like these but what’s the point of wearing lolita fashion if I’m not enjoying it? I will keep chasing for my ultimate happiness for the rest of forever

Before, I didn’t care about the length of a blouse since they’d all be hidden under my dress anyways. Until one day I saw a tiktok mutual wear her blouse on top of the dress and something clicked in my brain. I didn’t even realize this was an option and immediately went to try it out. I soon realized I hated the way it looked with all my blouses except for my Back Pintuck who was the perfect candidate, with the length and cinched waist, she sits perfectly on top of my dress and gives a great cute silhouette!

I wore this style happily very often, after a bit I started thinking It would be nice to have this exact same thing but with short sleeves. I spent months looking for something that fits all my criteria. I first started with Taobao but I honestly give up with that platform when it comes to blouses. I already struggled a lot when simply looking for long sleeves that fit me how I like (but I still managed to strike 2 times! I hope for more similar releases in the future)

Then I moved back to BABY because surely the original brand has released something similar to their past products. That’s when I saw her, Cards Lace Round Collar Blouse. I actually teared up when I saw the tiny little preview image on Lolibrary. I couldn’t believe my eyes and quickly went to check the measurements. Check, check, CHECK!

She’s everything I need, and I will spend every waking moment looking for it. I wish I had known about this sooner blouse sooner. Last time this blouse was on sale was a year ago for 47€ on Lacemarket (it’s good to know the secondhand market price is this affordable). I saw someone selling it for around 100€ on Xianyu and that is obviously as overpriced as it can be...

Other regular short sleeve blouses with cinched waists aren’t a good match for me because of their length, not only do they barely cover my belly button, but if I were to try to pair it with a skirt in a way that looks appealing (ie. no huge separation between the blouse and skirt) that would result with me in a high waist look which is the most unflattering thing I could wear on my body

My biggest fear in EGL is high waists. I can’t. But If I have the misfortune of wearing something that sits slightly higher that I would like it to, I’ll opt for a smaller petticoat

The actual length of the dress/skirt doesn’t matter. It’s all about the proportions. I could be wearing a garment that flashes my bloomer covered butt every time I bend over, but as long as it sits closer to my natural waist, the coord will look great and I won’t complain

And of course all of this only applies to my body and how I like to wear my clothes. I think high waists look really cute on other people

With my Back Pintuck and Cards Lace Round Collar Blouse, I’ll have access to the wonderful world of Shirley Temple skirts for all seasons of the year. They are SO cute and so affordable I could obsess over them for hours

Shirley temple skirts are still a somewhat untapped capital in the west, and I hope to keep things that way (gatekeeper vibes but I don’t care)

 

-Cards Lace Round Collar Blouse, my savior, please come find me

Kamikaze Girls - Chapter 2 and 3

I went to the library to continue reading the book yesterday (it’s been so long since chapter one…nearly a month!). I enjoyed it a lot and kept thinking to myself how much I love a small local library. It's a huge safe space of mine and I'm planning on going again today! It's good for me to dress up and go out daily when the weather is so nice...

I'll take my digicam with me I want to take some test footage to see how the videos on it look. I adjusted the settings once, but I was only indoors when I did that. I don't know how it looks outside. Let's find that out today! ^_^ 

20.5

Chapter 2

Momoko’s description of her coord was very interesting. I had to read it multiple times in order to fully envision what she was wearing. The dress sounded very much like the BABY’s Hawase doll OP, but she had some extra accessories on. I might try to draw novel-canon Momoko one day…

I completely agree with her line about Rocking horse shoes

“So aside from my shoes, which are Vivienne Westwood’s Rocking Horse Ballerinas and Lolita must-haves (they go with any Lolita outfit)” Pg. 12-13

Of course you can’t expect a movie to be perfectly accurate to a book but it’s really nice hearing more details about Momoko’s past before she moved to Shimotsuma (from Amagasaki. Pg. 14 ) and what she’s saying makes perfect sense since her father is now a former Yanki himself

Also interesting she already wore lolita fashion clothing before moving to Shimotsuma. Maybe I’m misremembering or just assumed she started sometime after moving. I’ll watch the movie and check this…It’s really nice to read about the lives of the people in Shimotsuma

Update: The timeline in the movie and the book are the same! Momoko discovered lolita fashion in high school when they were still living in Amagasaki

 

Random notes:

I learned new words: clad, “hick” town, hinterland, pastoral

Jane Marple and Milk mentioned!! <3

Rice paddies.

 

Chapter 3

He’d lay around drinking cheap liquor all day, and whenever he managed to scrape some cash together he’d either go to a pachinko parlor or the boat races, idling away his life in the typical loser manner. Pg. 19

KAIJICORE…

Maybe I am misremembering again but I thought the Loser started the counterfeit business himself (according to the movie) but in the book he’s a sub-contractor for the yakuza gang that expelled him (also I don’t remember him getting expelled? I thought he just quit cause he got really scared and realized this life isn’t for him anymore. I’m gonna check all of this when I get home...I’m currently at the library hehe). Pg.20-21

 

Update: He did indeed get expelled from the yakuza for embezzlement! And in the movie he did start the counterfeit business himself. They did mention him getting help then they completely cut off the rest of that, though we soon later see him working with someone from the yakuza but it’s under the same person that expelled him… the business relationship isn’t explained further than that

I like this quote and I agree with her

When great happiness unexpectedly swoops down on people, they suddenly turn into cowards. Snatching happiness takes a lot more courage than enduring unhappiness. Pg. 26

to reach Shimotsuma station on foot from my new residence—Grandmother’s house—takes thirty minutes (okay, twenty if you race-walk). For the students at my new school, this distance is absolutely normal. Pg. 33

To me too that is absolutely normal, Momoko girl you need to step up omg..

I am a Lolita, after all. When I go to school I wear a uniform, so riding a bicycle would not look all that unusual, but at all other times I am dressed as a Lolita, and going around on a bicycle like that, I feel, is in violation of the Lolita code. Pg 34

Ahh I laughed when she said that. I know for her rococo values, the thought of a lolita riding on a bike/bicycle is inconceivable but when I try to think about it, it’s not that bad…I’ve never rode a bike while reading lolita but as long as its one of those with a low top tube it shouldn’t be an issue. But honestly I’d rather walk too because I don’t wanna get all sweaty in my blouse especially if its brand

The lace edging of my petticoats and skirt got caught in the chain and smeared with grease, which never came off. Pg. 34

Hey so reading gave me a physical reaction. New fear added to the lolita list I’ll never get on a bike while in lo unless I'm wearing a SK (or a dress as a skirt)

The real reason I refuse is that no bicycle available for sale tickles my maidenly fancy. No matter how necessary or convenient something may be in terms of daily life, if it 1s not aesthetically pleasing to me, I cannot bring myself to buy it or own it. Pg.34

This is so Momoko! I relate to this partially. There have been some moments where I made sacrifices regarding something because it didn’t match my aesthetic or vision but most of the time I’d eventually give in and take the convenience route

I did discover one site for a place manufacturing and selling penny farthings that looked ridable, but it was in England so the site was—naturally enough—entirely in English and I couldn’t make out the purchasing instructions. So I was unable to buy one over the Internet as well. Pg. 35

AWW I FEEL SO BAD..I WOULDVE HELPED HER GET HER DREAM BICYCLE </3

 

Random notes:

Ah Momoko, I never get tired of you. I love this girl!

Picture of the week - week 9

 I was feeling extremely suicidal that week. I couldn't stop thinking about ways to end my life and I freaked out and went no contact for a few days.

Someone in my com had suggested a meetup at a Fazer café. At this point I haven't showered, left the house or talked to anyone in a few days but I kept telling myself "I should go. I'll see friends and I'll smile" It motivated me to get up and get ready. It wasn't bad I ended up having a good time.

Saturday there was a Japan-day even at the city library. My friend had invited me a while ago and I wrote it down in my calendar

16/5/26 15:03

I briefly thought about bailing on that too, but I kept reminding myself I'm gonna have a good time...The weather was perfect how could I not go out when the sun is calling for me?

16/5/26 15:04

We ended up having a really good time together. She’s so kind and innocent and understanding. It honestly felt like a perfect day. We took lots of pictures with my digicam, went to the cute café nearby and got approached by kind strangers. This little girl complimented my dress said she liked lolita fashion. Since we were near the youth section and I took her to where the GLBs were. Later that she came up to me again to thank you! She was so polite aww omg…I'm really happy I was able to softlaunch her lolita journey I hope she'll love EGL as much as I do

16/5/26 15:12

I know it’s hard, but I have to keep looking forward to good days like these. I have to remind myself that feelings are like clouds. The bad clouds, the storms, they will always pass no matter what…Clear blue skies are waiting for me

I have to be strong and hold onto that feeing

Picture of the week - week 8

I don't have much to say, I'm just waiting for time to pass. I really hope evrything will be okay in the future. My energy levels have been so low

10/5/26 21:38

I really enjoyed drawing this last night, looking at it makes me so happy. Kaiji and I look so good together!