Some Christmas Dresses

 Hi!
I have not abandoned you, my dear readers. I just didn´t have time to write anything. During last two months, I had three part-time jobs. There have been times when I covered three schfits between 24-hour slots, so when I could, I either slept or studied. Or got drunk with my friends. We weren't even partying, which makes it kinda sad. 
I just got home yesterday and only now I start to feel some Christmas spirit. We are a bunch of festive maniacs when it comes to Christmas, me any my family, so it was strange to not be able to spend time with them, making sweets, decorating tree, etc. 
Well, to compensate for that (at least a little bit), I decided to take a look at my favorite Christmas dresses. I won´t share all the photos, only those I like the most, because otherwise this would take hours to upload.

On Lolibrary, the oldest listed Chrismas dress is Christmas Limited Velveteen Tiered JSK from 2002, and while I love velveteen dresses and tiered skirts, it seems bit too plain. I wanted to like it, but it´s just too disappointing. Just plain botice and skirt. It looks like they didn´t even try to come up with something, and instead relied on the Christmas marketing magic. 
(Still would totally wear it, tho). Before that, there was Jane Marple skirt from 1999, but I will leave it´s lolita-bility up to you. 
I´m not againist simplicity. Otherwise, I wouldn´t love X-Mas Moitie so much. They used to do Christmas specials between 2004 and 2009 and then stopped, leaving me longing for something I didn´t even register at the time. I was 8 when they left the premise, and didn´t know lolita, but I haven´t been happy since then. 
My favorites are Limited Minidress for Chrismas, X-Mas Special Minidress (2006) and X-Mas Special Minidress (2009).

They aren´t polished, but that doesn´t make them cheap, either, and I love that. Imagine this with sloppy hat and that Jenny Fairy platforms. Even with giant cross, those dresses don´t exactly scream Christmas, but that´s not bad. Still, I would love to see Moitie Gingerbread house, ornaments and Christmas trees :D.

This is probably in my top 10 Moitie dresses. It comes in black and white (cream? Off-white?) x black. It has gorgeous details and a silhouette that looks very cosy. I want it so bad.

This comes in red, green and blue. It kind of screams mall goth and I want to listen to Paramore in it.

Same can be said about Nightmare Before Christmas JSK Set. Is it really Christmassy? Not at all, but it´s Burtonesque enough. 

What really screams winter holidays to me? Intricate white gown. Baby has me covered with this, with Christmas Ornament. There are two versions, from 2007 and 2014.

You can get the original version in off-white, red, black and pink. The ornaments on the veil aren´t really visible on the off-white version, but it´s just too pretty to pass. This my favortie type of bodice. This dress as a whole remind me of Pavlova torte.

 The waist has moved up and colors changed (to black, white, sax and pink), but the eternal quality has stayed. Young elfs wour wear the hell out of this. I will probably cry over this dress.
The ornaments are even less noticeable on this piece. I like hidden details, it´s like a little secret between you and the designer. 

Until we move to printed dress, I will mention Alice and the Pirates. How could I not, when they have this?

Meet Clara Dress Up Nightgown OP, the dress I would take to opera. Or musical. I´m going to Paris for three months (more on that later) and I would love this piece to accompany me.

I don´t want to look like someone who hates print. I like printed pieces, I just find them harder to wear everyday. Lucky for me, Christmas are not every day, so if I need a special dress, it´s going to be Christmas themed.

One brand that is always on theme is Baby. They don´t miss oportunity to show who lives the best life - - it´s definitely Kumya. They don´t have just dresses with Kumya´s holidays, but bows, totes and even capes for your bear. Even jewelry is just too cute to handle.
My favourite main piece in the series is Kumya chan’s Christmas Holly Night Ribbon JSK. I consider 2014 peak sweet border prints. This has the right amount of space around the main print. The ornaments above it doesn´t appear too distractng, they are a nice addition to it. 
I often have this problem with border prints that everything around them just makes me feel like should´ve released it as a painting instead. Not with this one. Also, I´m sucker for gingerbread houses.

My fondness for Cookie Print JSK (ETC) proves it. I also like empire waist, even if it doesn´t really suit me.

Not all prints have to be sugary sweet, as Traumerei of Bright Stars JSK proves. As usual, you can have it in pink, black, brown and red, but I like pink most. It´s nice muted shade and it glooms like red evening sky over the town. The red one reminds me more of a nuclear apocalypse.

I think it has similar vibes to Peppermint Fox Hettie Brooch. I´m not too keen on brooches, but this one is just too adorable.

Another cute town, this time with gingerbread houses and sweets, appears on Fancy Noel OP. One of the colorways is navy, which I probably didn´t see among Christmas dresses yet. It´s a shame.
With every passing year, I´m starting to like OPs more and more. I used to be JSK person, but maybe not for very much longer.
 

Chrismas aren´t just sweets. For a lot of people, it´s tied to specific stories. My family isn´t into ballet so I don´t see the appeal of nutcracker, but Märchen die Prinzessin´s The Nutcracker JSK shows the energy well enough even for me. 
Classical deep red and gold combo along with elegant silhoutte. I really like the neckline. This dress as a whole seems very elegant. It´s in blue and black too, but this version is perfect.

Miss Empress released amazing Empress Christmas JSK. It reminds me of the movie Roman Holiday, I watch it right now. They always air it on 24th December here for some reason. We watch it yearly, and along with Some Like it Hot it´s one of my favorite traditions. 
I feel like Audrey Hepburn would look amazing in them.

What would be my ideal Chrismtas dress? Definitelly some red x green tartan OP. My Christmas are Dickensian, obviously, and my picks prove it.
First is British Check Adelaide OP by Victorian Maiden. It´s straight out of Christmas Carol. It´s a little bit funny, but out of all of it´s adaptions with famous Shakespearean actors and expensive costumes, I prefer the Jim Carrey film most. 
This dress is simple, with cute sleeves and the right amount of ruffles (which is a lot).

The other one is British Tartan OP by Angelic Pretty. Christmas and Britain are very close in my mind. Can you blame, with movies like Love Actually a nd Notting Hill being broadcasted every advent here in Czech Republic?

It´s more cheerful than the previous dress. In a movie, it would be the same character, but before their parents died and they had to get a job and lose their dreams. 

Merry Chrismat for all of you!
Bye!

Christmas Meetup - White Magic

I went to Christmas Meetup in Olomouc last weekend. I had fun there and enjoyed time spent with other lolitas. Last one I went to was previous winter, so it was nice to meet the only people able to understand what is so amazing about this hobby again :D.

Theme was White Magic and since I didn't have any white main piece, I went full on inquisition instead. It's more or less on theme, right?

Here I'm with the most awkward smile ever.

Coord Rundown

Skirt: Ophelia withou Eye (Czech Indie)

Blouse: ??? (Loligals)

Cardigan: ??? (Vinted)

Headdress: Margaretha Head Bow (BtSSB)

Jewellery: H&M, Primark 

Shoes: ??? (Vinted)

My bangs are horrendous on this picture, but I already got them cut again
As we were taking this photo, some strager started taking photos of us. The girl in the black dress behind me asserted that we do not appreciate it by loudly asking him if we gave consent and how would he like if we did the same thing to him. 

He wasn't even able to answer and walked away quickly. It was cool to see so much assertivity.

. 

Coffee Prints

Hi!
I think it´s safe to say that most of us need coffee to survive. Without them, our mornings feel incomplete, moods ruined, days feel bleak. This addiction is even a common joke. 

I feel like there is this fight between fans of tea and fans of coffee - you are either one or another. The same goes for bars and pubs, there is this often-used sentence "I don´t like drinking, I´m more of a teahouse/coffeehouse person". There are stereotypes of usual enjoyers of all beverages. It´s strange if you think about it, but I´m not here to spark a discussion about our view of mundane choices and the need to be in a group. 
Lolitas are usually associated with tea. Tea is elegant, healthier and doesn´t tend to leave such horrendous stains. I don´t know anyone who feel awful after tea, while coffee makes a lot of people dizzy - all those low caffeine or lactose intolerant folks have good reason to avoid coffee. I have a friend that becomes paranoid after drinking just one cup. This may be the reason why there are seemingly so little coffee themed pieces - only two pages worth of content on Lolibrary. While that´s not so much, it would still be too much to review all of them. That´s why I´m cherrypicking my favorites.

One of them is this amazing Q-pot Coffee set. It contains two necklaces and a ring. I don´t even know why I like it so much, but it made me check out Q-pot for the first time. They have so many cute accessories, now I can´t stop scrolling. I usually prefer casual/classic, but they are able to turn me to the sweet side.

Lately, I have been obsessed with Emily Temple Cute. Maybe I finally realised that I´m not cut to be every day lolita but I still want to incorporate my pieces to my everyday life and that made me appreciate more casual brands?
ETC´s Coffee Break Camisole JSK is one of their less flashy pieces. Just a print, nothing too dramatic in construction, yet it still seems well-made and comfortable. I can imagine just throwing cardigan over this and going to a coffeeshop. It comes in three colours, pink, brown and cream and has an OP counterpart. That one reminds me of Tootsie too much.

As soon as I saw the name of this one - Fleeting Moments ~Mysterious Coffee Shop Under the Moon - I knew it´s gonna be Alice and the Pirates. It´s a part of series and while I like the atmosphere (those grim colours are the personification of November for me), I´m not so keen about the print. When you take a closer look, it´s cofee, of course, but it´s little blurry and too delicate. In motion, I wouldn´t probably register what is going on with the skirt. 
Still, overall design is nice to look at and I loved all the colorways - dark brown, green caramel and black.

There is not too much going on with Coffee Time JSK (Infanta). Design and print are nothing to write home about, yet it´s still kinda charming. It´s like an old cartoon. I would probably change bodice as the straps seem too wide and the neckline doesn´t look right either, but it fits together. 
I wish there was a little more refined rerelease, I would definitely buy it.

Honorable mention goes to Cafe Latte Tiered JSK (AP), which is simple but elegant, very original Eat Me Ink Me´s Matcha Latte Skirt Set and the brand Kaneko, which dedicated a whole series to Pumpkin Spice Latte. It´s really more pumpkin than latte and I´m not so fond of colors, but it´s cute nonetheless.

Just for fun, I tried to put together my own coffee inspired coord. I haven´t found the right app yet, after years of using Photoshop, nothing seems quite right to be honest. I will try another outfits next time, hopefully I will get better at my editing game. 
This is inspired by cappuccino. I had fun searching for those pieces, but I now seriously need that dress. 

Coord Rundown

JSK: Macaron Lace JSK (Emily Temple Cute)

Blouse: Haru-chan's Wish Weaving Flower Embroidery Blouse (BtSSB)

Accassories: Coffee set (Q-pot), CharmsOnThings, CosmicCreatedMagic

Bag: Sweets Scallop Ribbon Pochette (BtSSB)

Tighs: Lace Off White thighs (Jiuguva)

Shoes: Vintage (???)

On the (Ice Cold) Film Set

 Hi!
Last weekend was packed. I had two schifts (me and my odd part-time jobs are theme for another day) and I finally got to actual filming!

It´s not for lack of trying that I didn´t get many experiences in the industry. One or two years ago, I wanted to make a film. I had script, actors, camera, everything was ready. Except it was not. Two actors who dated broke-up (very badly), main actress started to hate me (still don´t know why), camera refused to actually work, and overall, I feel like we were hexed. 
I also volunteered to help with a horror flick filmed in my hometown, but nothing (not even the movie) ever came out of it.
And I shot, wrote and directed commercial for an imaginary coffee, but I wouldn´tput that on a CV.
So yeah, the experiences weren´t best. 

This time it was better. I was asked by a friend to be a producer and I also dubbled as a clapperboard girl. Honestly, we were kinda unlucky, because both actors left, which was fine as we had to a month to start filming at the time, but two members of our staff followed them two days before the first take.
Director´s boyfriend had to jump in and take a camera, happily, he already studies film as well, but still. If I was a real producer, I would give them hell for such a last minute flunk. 
At least I managed to replace the actors with my friends, which both showed unexpected talent and dedication
 So when we actually met at Zlín Střed, there was five of us (director, cinematographer, actors and me). I came straight off a shift, selling cheese at a Christmas market. It was 16:35, already cold as hell, and we had just one night, I had to go by 5:45, straight to another shift. 

This is how filming looks like from far afar. Why was so I so distant? Well, somebody had to guard our things so they wouldn´t get stolen. Other than trying to secure our belongings, I had to make people somehow quiet during takes. 
Director (Tris) sent me to a couple of guys that looked absolutelly baked. I asked them to be quiter for a few minutes until we finish one take. The weirder one didn´t like my idea. He started talking how he don´t believe us, doesn´t want to have it on camera when he hurts someone ("Uhm," I told him, "So don´t hurt anyone?") and that we are bitches. He atributed all of this to the fact that he is from Ostrava. 
I studied here. I did not get paranoia with my high school diploma. His friend got fed up by him, so by the time our cinematograph (Erik) arrived to save me, he dragged him out of train station. 

After that, there was not many people, but when there were ay, they were drunk. The train station we filmed on had a pub built in, which didn´t make filming any easier. 
Still, we were working hard, so even with a kebab break (Matěj, main actor, insisted on it and we agreed it would be nice to get somewhere warmer) we finished around 1:00 AM. I didn´t feel like spending a few more hours on that place, so Tris and Erik let me sleep at their place. 

I still haven´t seen the finished product, but I think it will be good. More dramatic moments are pretty funny while filming, but once you see them on camera, they look great. Everything looks better on camera. 
That´s why I love the medium. Tris is excited abou getting to put her picture throzgh colouring programs, and I can see why. I will update you when it will be ready. Those (circa) 10 minutes costed us 9 hours of live, but it was a great 9 hours. 

Almost every big director will tell that film school is a waste of time and that you just have to grab a camera and your friends and go filming. Actually, you can make most of this in film school. Most companies wouldn´t hire you without official experience anyway, and that´s pretty hard to gain without you parent´s money or film school. 
Also, some of my classmates are already pretty skilled, so I can learn a lot just from spending my time with them.
College, in my opinion, is most important because of networking. It´s what everyone makes out of it, and I will try to make the most.

That´s all for today, bye!

An Another Angelus

An Another Angelus is a Japanesse brand. They specialize in elegant clothing with retro feeling, usually fitting into its season´s concept. They are very poetic in their presentation, trying to evoke the old charm as much as they can. 
I think I can leave then to introduce themself:

"A small hideaway quietly nestled in the back streets of Paris.

When you open the door. .. .. 』\

Expressing a nostalgic but new retro feeling like a lady,

Suggest an adult female wardrobe." 

I found out about them through Vinted, one dress I bought was made by them. It was an awesome loli-able jumperskirt in green tartan.

As of now, I don´t have a better picture of it (this one is by the seller), but I will wore it to the Christmas teaparty I atteded last year. It was be my first bigger event. It´s made out of plushy wool, making it very comfortable. I was told several times it makes me look like a Christmas Fairy or Victorian lady, both being nice vibes :D. 

Because of this pleasant experience, I looked into the brand little more. While they don´t cater to lolitas, their vintage, romantic style can easily blend into every wardrobe. And honestly, I feel like at least for Autumn and Christmas, everyone should have at least one piece like theirs in their wardrobe, regardless of style. Most of their products look nostalgic and cozy.
I can see them going well with otome.

From their Twitter

They release a new collection every season, with looks inspired by various decades of the 20th and late 19th century, those pieces being mostly solids, tartans or plaid. Sometimes, there is print, too, usually all over. I think my dress is the only one with a border print I saw.
They won´t let you freeze in winter, since they sell many coats, sweaters and even furry cuffs. Their last year's collection named Kaite, with theme of British holiday. 

The theme is "British holiday"

. Kaite's winter wardrobe will be developed in a busy British town during the holiday season.

You can enjoy shopping at a long-established department store with retro packages, or prepare for presents... ♪

Don't miss the season's key colors such as British green, gold, and red.
(Webpage)

But they aren´t afraid of experimenting, for example, they carry denim jumper skirt. Flowy, long and in two colors - indigo and orange.

From their web

This was last year, but it was my favorite collection so far. This year, their vision is Passage Marilou.

The theme is “Going to the “Passage” in Paris to prepare for winter”

"A bookstore with art books, a candy shop, miniatures and embroidery,

Visit unique shops such as yarn specialty stores and find your favorite...♡

Set in a passageway with a landscape that makes you feel like you've traveled back in time,

Unfold Malilou's winter wardrobe.
(Webpage)

Honestly, I´m not so excited about it. It lacks color (other than greys and whites, and a little bit of moody accents) and just overall looks unhappy to me. On the other hand, they have other fans that are able to actually shop in their store, and if they are happy, that´s all what matters.

Source

They are one of the brands that writes model's height under every photo. It´s very helpful, especially if you are of an unusual height like me. I hate having to shorten everything I buy, mostly when I think it´s going to be good. Now I wouldn´t have false expectations and wouldn´t end up disappointed.
(No, really, I am just a little bit shorter than their shortest model - their clothes would probably fit me perfectly :D.) Their page also carries many coordinates.
They also promote their staff with their styling on Instagram. Each one has a different style. At least they didn´t sacrifice their quality, still being proud about their original textils.

And if you are a hat person, they won´t let you down. I think hats are seriously underrated by the majority. Not just berets, those are pretty common, but cloches, straw hats, etc. At least bucket hats are having their moment 

But their clothes aren´t just for ladies. I probably made it look like they make dresses just for tea parties and cricket. Their clothes can easily be styled in a more youthful way. I know stating that something is youthful makes it even older, but please, trust me.

I think that I will have to get more clothes from them, because they seem like great opinion for career. I can imagine myself attending... ehh... meetings? Or any other stuff film producents do. I like they can be both casual and dressy, depending on the context and stylization. 
So have a nice day, bye!

I wrote this article for my old blog, but updated it and rewrote some parts. I love this brand, so I couldn´t help it but promote them. They are not well know, which is a shame. For some pictures, I couldn´t find a source, but they are all from the official website.

Quick Snap; Tartan Drop

Hi!
One of the things I don´t really enjoy about living in dorms is having to worry about my roommates dropping in whenever I do something that needs more focus and less embarassment. I feel silly when anyone sees me taking outfit photos. I should probably work on it, but as for now, I will continue snapping my coords fastest way possible. None of them came out too focused, but nevermind. 
I will get better as soon as I figure out the right angle, or get someone to take photos of me. How I miss my high school friend Klárka, my dear personal paparazzi. 

The one when you can see everything
I had better poses, but photo came out best
I have long way to go here

The blurry one I prefer

I definitely had some pirate/punk inspiration with my tartan west, I´m thinking about adding more accessories and tricorn and having it as a pirate lolita for Animefest 2024. We will see how it goes.
Until then, I swear, I will get better at posing :D.

Coord Rundown

JSK: Physical Drop

Blouse: ??? (second hand)
Headdress: Handmade

Vest: ??? (second hand)

Shoes: ??? (second hand)
OTKs: Shein

 

Crocheted Headdress

 Hi
Some time ago, I wrote about a headdress I made. Well, it turned out to be too big to be a headdress in traditional lolita sense, but I still like it and wear it with more vintage-y outfits. Of course, I´m going to wear it with lolita too, at least until I make something more fitting :D.

Here it´s being worn

I had to change settings a little bit so you be able to actually see anything, but I think I did a good job. It´s something I will definitelly wear, unlike all of those others crafts I did just because I though they looked cool.

I look forward to making more accessories, I just wish there was more crochet/knitting patterns for lolita. I´m glad that experiments are more welcomed in EGL modern community, I love wearing my creations with coords.

Do you make handmade accessories? If so, what is your favorite? 

Until next time!