International Lolita Day December 2015

For this International Lolita Day post, I am going to discuss a few things that I mentioned in my previous Loliday post related to my Lolita life and what has happened since then.

Adding on to the only meetup of early 2015

Since the International Lolita Day of June 2015, I have attended one extra meet up. I was planning to attend another one on top of the one I went to after the previous Loliday post but I became sick and as such, was unable to attend. However, I do have plans to attend a Loliday/Christmas meet up later this month, which would be good.

Dramatic Rose and extending my Lolita wardrobe

While I have not worn or tried on my Dramatic Rose skirt since June, I do feel that it would still fit me because I have lost even more weight and maybe I'll wear it later this month. As for adding on to my Lolita wardrobe, I have been unable to do so as I still haven't found a job yet (how long does it take to find a job in Australia in this day and age?). Maybe I'll find a job someday.

Spending excess yen on Amazon Japan

While I did not mention this in the previous post because I have only done it recently, I bought some Japanese books online, including one GLB and Misako Aoki's Lolita Fashion book. I hope I can learn something off those two books.

While this year has been so-so with regards to my Lolita life this year, I hope the rest of the year is better with that and/or 2016 is a lot better in general (I doubt it though).

Loliday June 2015 letter

For the original (January) letter, click here.

Dear Kalle Sweet of January 2015,

At present (7/6/2015), I am a uni graduate who is still waiting for her first job during her enforced gap year and a Lolita who has only worn it once this year and hopes for more opportunities.

I have not found a job yet due to a job market that is small and with employers exploiting that fact (How can I have experience when I have never held a job?). Because of that, I have not had any money to spend on Lolita. Speaking of, I have been to one meet up, which was enjoyable and that was the only time I have worn Lolita this year.

As for Honours next year, my chances do seem to be pretty good and I do have a good chance of getting something I want (that includes opportunities that were not available last year). This is one of the few times in life where I can be picky about what I do. With the extra free time, I have been improving my Japanese but am unsure about whether to do the JLPT or not. I don't need to decide right now though. Despite the free time, I have forgotten about sewing and should start doing it, even if it is a little bit.

This extra free time has also allowed me to get fit and lose the excess weight I'm carrying. While you took up yoga in order to get slimmer in the hopes of increasing the range of Lolita clothes in Japan so you can find a few new pieces (one new item bought and one second hand JSK that did not), I am continuing on with it to do what I have mentioned. I have gotten fitter and hope to do an inversion (even if it is just shoulderstand) by the end of this year as well as being able to do backbends and arm balances well.

As a Lolita, I have not expanded my wardrobe for reasons mentioned previously but my Dramatic Rose skirt does fit better on me. I did say better because I am not ready to wear it yet. When I won the skirt, I did consider selling it if it did not fit in June but the longer I own it, the more I fall in love with it. I did find another Milky Planet JSK on sale online and if I did have the money, I would consider buying it as I believe with my weight loss, I would have been able to wear it or if not, be close to it. Overall, as a Lolita, I feel that my last coord was a bit better than before but there is room for improvement if there are more opportunities (no upcoming meet ups/big events at present).

As for the last paragraph, thank you for reminding me not to give up. While the beginning of the year was tough, things have improved and I am no longer doubting myself regarding the choices I have made for this year. I hope things do improve in the future (for Honours, getting a job and Lolita).

Love Kalle Sweet of June 2015

International Lolita Day December 2014

Sorry for not blogging for a while but I have been busy. Today was International Lolita Day and while I did not do anything special, I will talk about the goals I set on the previous Loliday.

Lose weight and wear Lolita again

I did lose weight by watching how much I ate and by exercising more often. Before this, I would normally exercise for 1-2 days a week but I exercise almost every day as a result of aiming to lose weight. As a result of this, I have become more toned and was able to fit into my Bodyline JSK better than I have before, in my opinion. However, I will try to lose more weight. I have also worn Lolita once since the previous International Lolita Day.

Attend another meet up

I did attend a small meet up a few months ago but not any more due to a variety of reasons but am hoping to continue attending meet ups and one day I may attend a brand event.

Build my Lolita wardrobe

Unfortunately this did not happen but am aiming to buy more Lolita items, perhaps even buying brand. One thing that will help with this is going to Japan before June.

One other thing I hope for by the next International Lolita Day is that my Lolita life does improve and that I can blog more often (no guarantees though).

A Very Belated International Lolita Day June 2014

Sorry for posting this more than a week after Loliday, but I was in the middle of exams. Now that I have some free time, I will go over the goals that I have set at New Year's Day.

Lose weight and Wear Lolita again

I am combining these two goals together because they relate to each other as you will see. I have managed to be able to wear Creamy Cat for my 21st. There would have been a post on the outfit if I had the time to do it though. But this will happen in a future post as that was the first time I have ever worn a dream dress. Unfortunately, I have still not lost as much as I would want to but that will happen over time. I have worn Lolita again this year as I have achieved the goal I thought was the least likely to happen, which was to attend a meet up.

Attend a meet up

I have attended a couple of meet ups within my local Lolita community and would like to attend more in the future. I first felt nervous especially seeing the first part of "The Secret Life of the Lolita" by Deerstalker Pictures not long before my first meet up. While the first part did not cover the Lolita community, it did hint a bit at a hierarchy in the preview for the second part. It probably made me more nervous than what I was. However, there was nothing to worry about. I will attend more meet ups in the future but I will not post about them in this blog.

Build my Lolita wardrobe

Unfortunately, I have not added a lot to my Lolita wardrobe due to a lack of time for sewing and not feeling read to buy more things online but I did but a few items for my Creamy Cat coord. Because of something that has happened recently, I do not have any plans to buy anything Lolita online. However, I will attempt to make another skirt and finish off a headbow that I have started.

While I have mentioned some goals above, my last goal for Lolita is to blog more often. As doing a series (the 30 Day Random Challenge) did help me write on this blog more often but I unfortunately did not finish it, I am considering doing another series. So, watch this space.

International Lolita Day December 2013

Happy International Lolita Day everyone.

Today, I am going to review the post from the last Loliday and write about each goal.

1. Increase Lolita wardrobe to a decent size

Regarding this goal, I have bought some things from Taobao but I have not received them. In terms of the items I specified in the previous post, I have ordered a petticoat, a blouse but not the pair of white shoes. Instead, I bought a pink pair and a blue pair. Along with those items, I have bought a few other things as well but they will be revealed when I review the items and the shopping service I used. That's not all I have done for this goal though.

 2. Create at least one basic Lolita skirt

I have achieved this goal fairly recently and below is the result.

 

Excuse the bad shot though. This skirt was made using the tutorial mentioned in my first International Lolita Day post. The only additions I made to it were the lace and the ribbon. Overall, it is pretty good for a first completed skirt. It is a simple design but it is something that could be used in a Sweet/Casual co-ordinate.

Above: Close up of the bow and lace.

Again, sorry for the photo but this is the first time I have photographed a garment. Despite it being a simple skirt to make, the amount of fabric was tricky to deal with as well as not having a pattern to cut the pieces from. However, I completed it and just started my second Lolita sewing project: a head bow from a GLB pattern.

 

3. Wear Lolita at least once

 

This goal has not been achieved yet but I did say before the end of the year and it is only the end of the first week of December. Anyway, I do have plans to wear the handmade skirt featured in this post and currently looking for anything that could be used to make a co-ordinate with it. If relying on mainstream stores, it is difficult to find suitable items but I should be able to find a few things though. I will probably do a post on my first Lolita outfit.

 

 

International Lolita Day

Yesterday was International Lolita Day, which is held twice a year on the first Saturday of June and the first Saturday of December.

In this post, I will talk about a few personal goals for Lolita in time for the next International Lolita Day.

1. Increase Lolita wardrobe to a decent size

So far, I only have one OP, one jumper skirt, a couple of cutsews, a pair of tights and a black pair of Mary Janes and a couple of ballet flats as well as some small accessories as my Lolita wardrobe. Sounds pretty limited, even if you add a few cardigans that may fit into a few coordinates. As a sweet Lolita, black Mary Janes aren't very versatile unless you're a bittersweet Lolita, which I am not too interested in. For this reason, one goal is to add on to my Lolita wardrobe by buying at least a blouse, a pair of white Lolita shoes and a petticoat. Another thing I want to do to add on to my Lolita wardrobe is to...

2. Create at least one basic Lolita skirt

I have taken up sewing since last year and have attempted a couple of skirts. One of them was a Lolita skirt but it was not very good. The next skirt I make will be another Lolita skirt but this time I hope it will be something that can be worn. The method used to make the first Lolita skirt and will be used again is the Basic Full Elastic Waistband Loli Skirt. It is a basic pattern that can be played around with in terms of resizing and adding embellishment and lace.

3. Wear Lolita at least once

Due to its nature, Lolita is hard to wear in everyday life especially if you are a science student. The only time I could wear it is on the weekends. It is also different from mainstream fashion which adds to the difficulty of wearing it. For this reason, I have not been able to wear full Lolita. I have worn something that could be semi-Lolita a few times and the closest I have been to wearing it is a coordinate involving my white OP, pink ballet flats and a small white hair bow clip. Because of this, I would like to wear Lolita at least once before the end of this year.

Above: AP Tea Party shoes. Maybe these will be my white Lolita shoes but not very likely though.

When I have done goals 2 and 3, I may post about them. I hope I can achieve all of them by the end of this year but if I had to choose only one to achieve, it would be hard but because goal 2 will be helpful in improving my sewing even if I do leave Lolita, I would choose goal 2.