My 1-year Lolita Anniversary

This weekend, on May 20, I celebrated my 1 year anniversary of being into Lolita!  I took the time to reflect on how and why I got into Lolita, wear my first lolita dress on Saturday, and wear a new coord that I really love on Sunday.

I got into lolita on impulse last year at Anime Central, but the seeds were planted well before then.  In my teens, when X-Japan, Malice Mizer, and visual kei in general were popular, I was familiar with the gothic lolita fashion and Mana's brand, Moi Meme Moitie.  At the time, I don't think I knew about sweet, classic, or other lolita styles; I knew only the gothic style that was popular with followers of vk bands.

I learned about the brand Baby, The Stars Shine Bright from the movie Kamikaze girls, which I watched right around its US release time.  Alot of what I knew about lolita outside the gothic/vk style was from that movie for quite some time.  I went to my first lolita fashion show/panel at Tekkoshocon in 2011.  This was where a huge chunk of my real lolita knowledge came from.  At the fashion show that year, there were printed programs detailing the brands worn by each model.  I learned that there were more brands besides Baby and Moitie, and that Bodyline made lolita items as well that weren't just for cosplay (I had familiarity with Bodyline and their products from buying cosplay, and assumed the entire site was for cosplay).  After the fashion show, the girl running the show gave a detailed explanation of lolita, and also took questions from the audience.  Since I was interested in anything and everything Japanese, I absorbed all that knowledge like a sponge, though I still didn't use it for quite some time!

I didn't attend my next fashion show until 2016, even though I had been to many other cons with lolita programming and even guests since my first fashion show.  However, during that entire meantime, anytime I would see lolita vendors in dealers' rooms at cons, I would be tempted to look.  I always loved the look of the fashion, but didn't think I would ever actually take the plunge.  In 2016, Tekko had Lolita Collective in the dealer's room, and I also attended the con alone, so I had plenty of time to peruse this interesting booth at my leisure.  I kept going back to it throughout the day...but never bought anything.  That night, I realized I had passed the whole day only in the game room (my #1 hobby is rhythm gaming) and the dealer's room.  I decided I needed to go to at least one main event, just to say I did.  The lolita fashion show was that night, in main events, so I decided to go.

I was mesmerized by the looks in the fashion show.  Unlike in 2011, there were fashion guests and brands who had recruited models to show off the latest styles.  A coordinate contest showed off themed coords of attendees.  The whole thing was on a different level compared to 2011 and now seemed very professional.   I left thinking that if I would have seen the fashion show earlier in the day, maybe I would have bought something from Lolita Collective after all....

Only about a month later, I attended Anime Central in Chicago, where Lolita Collective was also vending.  This time, I saw a dress that stole my heart.  I wasn't planning on getting majorly into lolita, but I had to have that one dress.  I thought I could make just one coord, and maybe wear it to Otakon that summer.  I bought the dress, and a petticoat to go with it.

It was within a matter of weeks after buying that first dress that I jumped headfirst into lolita hardcore.  I couldn't stop thinking about the dress I had bought.  My first step was getting some basics, like a white blouse, knee socks, and wristcuffs so that I could wear it in a full coord.  Within a month, I had 2 new dresses from Baby Ponytail and Metamorphose, and had bought my first Meta lucky pack.  I was obsessed.

Now here I am, with a whole room of our house dedicated to my lolita wardrobe.  I've been to a few meets with a comm about 2 hours away, and also got to enjoy the lolita events at Tekko this year while actually wearing the fashion.  I don't see myself stopping anytime soon!  Below you will see my first dress:  a simple "anniversary JSK" from the Chinese brand Pink Up:

Pink Up Anniversary Japanese Fabric JSK:

Dress: Pink Up

Blouse: Anna House

Shoes, socks: Bodyline

Headbow: Cutie Creator

Shoeclips, jewelry: handmade

What can I say, I am still as in love with the dress as the day I saw it, even though it is so simple.  I think I love it because of its simplicity and especially its bright and varied colors.  I started out coording this with basic white items.  I ended up not wearing it to Otakon...the fabric is actually very heavy and really not good for summer at all, but right now it's still cool enough for it.  I always dreamed of being able to pull out different colors from the pattern, so I wore it with pink, blue, and white items.  The me of 1 year ago would have been so excited!

Innocent World Strawberry Rose Garden JSK coord:

 All Innocent World except off-brand shoes and handmade jewelry

This is a coord using one of the most recent dresses I've gotten, and I really tried to wear something as lovely as possible, and also something that would show how far I've come in lolita since last year.  I feel like these Innocent World items are made for each other, even though they are from different release years.  I also feel like this coord is just so "me", just like the one above, and all my coords really.  But this one is extra special to me!

Overall, I didn't actually DO much for my 1st anniversary, besides just wear some of these clothes I love and enjoy them.  I got 2 new Innocent World dresses as well, but the fact that they came this weekend was more coincidental than planned, haha.

Dream Item GET: Metamorphose American Dream Skirt

Recently I got an item I never, ever thought I would see for sale, let alone acquire, Metamorphose's American Dream skirt in pink!  This skirt was released in 2004, and when I bought it, it was the first time I have seen it for sale in the year I've been into lolita.

Metamorphose American Dream

And here it is!  I was so excited I took my pictures (and even wore it) before even getting the wrinkles out!  Even finding pictures of this skirt is really difficult, and I wasn't able to find any worn photos of it for coord ideas.

This skirt is not very full, and rather short for a lolita skirt too.  It is able to fit my Leg Avenue petticoat, which I only have for the purpose of filling out older skirts that can't accommodate a modern petti.  I threw together a quick coord using stuff I already have, but I want to come up with something better.  I just need some inspiration!

I'm excited to discover what else I can do with this skirt, and to just enjoy actually having it, and not always thinking about it and looking for it anymore.

Anna House Haul and Review

Anna House (http://www.annahousefashion.com/) is having a sale right now for 40% off of orders over $200, so I decided to take advantage of this for some items I had been wanting for quite some time. Overall, I am very happy with my order and would rate my experience 4.5/5.

Some overall issues:  The sale originally stated 60% off orders over $200.  I'll admit, it does kind of sound too good to be true, but with Anna House's extremely expensive shipping to the US, I thought that was a good enough deal to actually make an order.  There was also a second deal, as follows:

If you order over $300 Gift: 1 Headdress

over $350 Gift: 2 Headdresses

over $400 Gift: 1 Bloomers + 1 Headdress

over $500 Gift: 1 Blouse + 1 Headdress

(*We will send the gift randomly.)

With that being said, I ordered $300 worth of stuff, and entered the coupon code.  What I found was that the code was only good for 40% off.  What I also found was that the discount also applied to the shipping cost, which was unexpected!  The reason I decided to still make my order was because I was also getting the discount on the shipping.  The total cost ended up being only $17 more than I was expecting due to the shipping being discounted, and I decided that was still a good enough deal to make my order.  However, I did not receive a free headdress.  Perhaps they meant that the total had to be over $300 after the discount code, but that did kind of irritate me, since the only reason I ordered the headbow was to get my order over the $300 amount.  At some point after I made my order, their webpage was revised to say that the sale was for 40% off instead of 60% (which, to be honest, is alot more reasonable and believable).

Now, onto the haul and review:

Total I paid, after shipping:  $244.54

Date ordered: May 5

Date received: May 10

Yes, you read that read: this order, from Hong Kong, arrived in only 5 days!  I guess the super expensive shipping isn't just for show.

As you can see, I got quite a bang for my buck on this order.  I got 2 capes, 7 blouses, 1 skirt, 1 pair of socks, and 1 headbow.

The items I was most disappointed on were the socks and headbow, but of course these were only a small part of my order.  Overall, I am super pleased with the quality of these items.  6 of the blouses are cotton, and the quality blows the plastic-like quality of many of Bodyline's cotton blouses out of the water.  I would say the quality across all 6 of the cotton blouses I ordered is consistent.

This was actually my second Anna House order; my first was fall of last year and I got all long-sleeved blouses for fall/winter.  I ordered according to the size chart, and since I am on the upper end of their small size, that is what I ordered.  Though I am able to wear the blouses I got last year, they are difficult to button and leave gaps.  They work with JSKs, but I need to minimize my chest size somewhat for them to work with skirts.

For this order, I decided to size up to a medium on the blouses that have no shirring.  For the ones with shirring, I stuck with the small.  My decision was correct:  every one of the blouses fits perfectly.  Since I tend to wear skirts more often with short sleevs, I'm very relieved!

Now, onto the individual items:

Skirt 013-1435

This is a skirt I had been wanting since it is my favorite color, purple.  It is very reminiscent of an older Meta design.  I found the shade of this skirt to be a little different than I was expecting from the stock photo (it has more pink in the hue), but still very nice.  This skirt is extremely comfortable...they can give Meta a run for their money in that regard!  I found the elastic at the waistband to be quite stretchy, and I felt that it fit my 26' waist perfectly, though I kind of feel that someone on the smaller end of the listed measurement (23') might find this skirt somewhat loose.  I do not feel like I am stretching it at all when I wear it.

I like the eyelet lace used on this skirt because it has a country/oldschool/casual feel, though it's probably not for everyone.

Closeup of the lace:

Next, I will show the capes I ordered:

Cape 016-1386 in red

This cape is made of cotton and I was not expecting it to be that warm.  I got this mostly as a novelty and to wear with a Little Red Riding hood dress, if I ever find the one I've been wanting.  I might also be able to use this in early spring strawberry coords.  This is exactly as pictured and as I was expecting.

Cape 016-1333 in cream

This cape is made of corduroy, and I was hoping it would be warm.  I am amazed by the quality of this item for the price.  Though it certainly wouldn't replace a winter coat, it is warm and also includes a detachable bow, and a detachable heart detail on the hood.  The cape is exactly as shown in the stock photo, and warmer and higher quality than I expected.

Detail of hood:

And now, on to the blouses (my main purpose of this order):

Blouse 016-1436 in blue

This one is made of chiffon, and the quality is comparable to chiffon blouses that can be gotten from many taobao sellers.  I would say this item is the thing on their site most similar to what Chinese brands are selling.  The sleeves are huge and impractical for daily wear, so I don't see myself getting a whole lot of use out of this, but it is just so pretty and unique (in that it's blue, rather than just black or white), that I had to have it.  It is available in some other interesting colors such as lavender and red, and I kind of wish I had those as well.  This blouse would be perfect for a fancy occasion.

Blouse 016-1349 in pink and blue

I wanted a basic short-sleeved blouse in both pink and blue, so I ordered this one in 2 colors.  I also have Bodyline's l364 blouse in both pink and blue.  The Bodyline one looks a little fancier, but there is no comparison in terms of the quality of cotton used; the Anna House ones are so much nicer.  The shade of pink is also very different from Bodyline's pink, and I would say the Anna House pink fits more of my wardrobe, though I do have some pieces that are closer to the Bodyline pink.  The blue blouse, however, is more similar to Bodyline's blue than I was hoping.  I think I will have to get a brand blouse (Angelic Pretty, maybe?) in order to get closer to the baby blue that I am seeking.

The lace used on the sleeves is slightly different (I like both), so here is a closeup:

I ordered this next blouse in 2 colors, and these ones are actually slightly different:

Blouse 016-1350 in blue

Blouse 016-1350 in black

I increased the exposure for the photo of the black blouse so that the details can be seen; it is actually a very true black.  For the blue one, the stock photo showed an extra of the blue bow buttons sewn on the ruffle.  My blouse did not have this button, though they did include a spare so I could sew one on if I wanted.  I do think that area is a little empty, but it doesn't bother me too much.  In real life, this blouse is a little darker than I was hoping (it looks lighter to me in the stock photo).  It is the same blue cotton used on the other blue blouse I got above.

On the black blouse, there is a removable bow on the top ruffle, and the ruffle itself is shorter.  This was not shown in any stock photos, so that surprised me, though I do like that version better.  The neckties on both blouses are not removable.  This blouse is also shirred, as shown below: 

Blouse 016-1123

This blouse uses the same pink cotton fabric as the collared one I showed above.  The grosgrain ribbons are not removable, and I don't really like that they are a darker pink than the blouse itself.  Also, the ribbon buttons, while really cute, are difficult to use (I guess there's a reason most buttons are round). I still like this blouse overall and think it was worth the price.

Detail of the ribbon:

Back shirring:

Blouse 016-1180 in "cream"

This blouse was listed as cream, but it really is white (maybe off-white).  It is very different from the cream in the cape I showed above, but this blouse is true to the stock photo, so I was glad it was this shade.  The two bows are detachable, and for some reason, one of them came attached, and one came detached.  I'm pretty sure there is very limited stock of this blouse left, so get it while you can!  I have already worn this one in a coord, and it was very comfortable and was a steal for the price.

 Back shirring:

Last, I will show the small items I got:

Socks 018-1165 in pink

I already had these socks in red from the order I made last year, and I love them so much that I wanted to get them in pink too.  I was really disappointed to find out that the lace was not the eyelet lace that is shown in the stock photo, and that my socks from last year have.  The coords I wanted to use these socks for are country or oldschool coords where the eyelet lace would have matched (they also would have matched the lace on the skirt I got).  The actual sock itself is made of a high quality white cotton and the pink cherries are still super cute, but the lace used instead is not very high quality.  Below, I showed a comparison with the socks I got last year:

I also ordered a headbow, mainly to get my order over the $300 to get a free gift (which I ended up not getting):

Headbow 017-1314

I have mixed feelings on this one.  It is definitely a giant head-eating bow, but that was apparent from the stock photo.  The quality on the bow is really, really nice.  The lace is almost exactly the same as on oldschool Baby piece I have, and fits right in with that aesthetic.  The bow sits upright on the head, not flat like the stock photo shows, though it may be possible to adjust it to fit that way.  My biggest problem with this bow, besides the fact that it is too big for my head of straight, thin hair, is that the headband is not really sturdy enough for the weight of this bow.  If I lower my head, this bow either fall off, or feels like it's going to!  This is a problem I have had with other bows I've gotten from Infanta, a taobao brand.  Maybe I will look into attaching it to a sturdier headband (btw, even though it does not suit my hair, I have still already worn this bow!  Turns out I love giant head-eating bows).

Overall, I am very pleased with my order.  Yes, there are some negatives, but considering the quality of the cotton used on the blouses, the amount of stuff I got for the price, and the incredible speed of the shipment, I would definitely recommend Anna House, especially their blouses.  They are such a great change of pace from the chiffon blouses seen all over taobao, and while they may not quite be brand quality, they are extremely significantly cheaper new!