Metamorphose tea-party

Finally it’s time for the Metamorphose tea party post! I must say that I actually thought I took lots and lots of photos, apparently I didn’t… anyhow I’m happy to share the experience and the photos I have!

The tea party was held at Schick Hotel Stefanie in Vienna, a gorgeous hotel with really beautiful rooms and decor. Too bad I didn’t take any photos of how the hotel looked from outside (and inside lol). I didn’t have a VIP ticket, but one of my roommates did - so we were at the hotel early and had plenty of time to take outfit pictures and such.   

Let’s start with my outfit!

 (The lightning inside the hotel made the photos a bit yellow).

I fell in love with the print of this Metamorphose dress and bought it specially for the occasion. (Sadly it was a bit too big for me, so I decided to sell it after the event.) The dress series is called “Noble Tea Party“ and I thought that it was therefore really fitting to wear to a tea party. ( ^ u ^ )

The rest of my coord is based on the name of the dress - I tried to recreate a ‘noble girl going to a tea party’ kind of feeling. XD The main point of the coord is of course the hat! It took me 2 weeks to make and it’s 100% hand sewn (making my hands very sad, and me pretty proud of the result). I got lots of compliments, so it was totally worth making and I am super happy everyone liked it!

The VIP guests were allowed in an hour before the rest of us, so while waiting there was a lot of photo taking going on. We were just under 200 lolitas at the event (my speculation) and I’m sad I didn’t take more photos, both of people and with people. So many lovely outfits I don’t get to show you guys. ( ;___; ) 

Here are some cute lolitas taking selfies while waiting.

I also snapped some awesome outfit photos!  (In case someone don’t want their photo to be seen here please tell me.)

One of my room-mates! We were 4 girls living together, but sadly never took a group photo. 

Next time!!!

I talked a lot with these 3 girls. They were really cute and nice :3 The girl in the middle made the dress herself. Awesome!

2 more cuties! <3

I love all-black coords! Such lovely hat~

I think steam punk lolita is really cool and this is outfit is awesome. <3 

While waiting I also had time to have a coffee with rum and whipped cream. I forgot what it’s called, but it is supposedly a specialty in Vienna. The hotel bar was really pretty, hence I had to take a ‘I’m drinking cofee’ photo!

I must say, there was A LOT of rum in my coffee XD much more than I expected. 

When the time for the event to start came, there were pretty many lovely lolitas queuing in the vestibule. 

I’m pretty sure some oujis are hiding in there as well.

Then it was time to go in, mingle and of course grab some food. I am so used to the fact that no photos are allowed in shops in Japan, I didn’t take any photos of the stalls. There was not a huge amount of shops at the tea party, but there were a couple of indie brands selling their awesome wares and of course Metamorphose had a stall managed by the designer Taira Chinatsu and brand president Ryo Matsuoka. I greeted them welcome to Europe and managed to take a photo with Taira Chinatsu. ( // ^ w ^ // )

She was really nice and sweet!

Also the Japanese band Die Milch was guests at the tea party. They were both really nice. <3

Speaking of food, here is a part of the buffet table and my plate – with mostly sweet stuff on it. Haha

Cakes! <3

One of the highlights of the event was of course the Metamorphose fashion show. All the models were really great and I think there was a nice flow and choreography to the show! I didn't manage to snap a photo of all the models, but here are some of my favorite looks:

Here is a link to a short fashion show video I filmed: 

https://instagram.com/p/88lVQmJJ1S/?taken-by=deadxsweetness

It's the very end when all the models walk out again. 

All the pretty models and Metamorphose designer Taira Chinatsu.

After the fashion show there was also a ruffle with lots of nice prizes, a Q and A panel with the designer and Metamorphoses designer chose the 2 pretties outfits. I won a cute set of a ring and hair accessories from myauMANIA. Thank you! ( ^ w ^ )/

After the tea party was wrapped up, there was an after party. The Gothic Dandy and Lolita Music festival! It was really awesome that it was held the same day as the tea party and I am really happy I could participate. I have no photos, since I left most of my stuff at the apartment, but the bands performing were: Die Milch (from Japan), Lolita KompleX, Meinhard and Swansong for a Raven. 

They were all really great and the performances were awesome. There were also 2 dance acts, which was really fun! I was standing in the first row, waving at everyone and dancing. haha 

The day of the tea party was long, but filled with lots of awesome meetings and fun activities. I hope everyone has as fun as I did. <3 I am really happy I got to go and I can’t wait to see all my friends again!

To end this long post, here are 2 photos of me and the pretty piano in the lounge of the hotel. ( ^  ^ )

*Casually pretends she knows how to play XD

 There are more photos from the tea party up on Facebook if anyone is interested in seeing more. Here are some links:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1073429772681261.1073741895.287371247953788&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1072992236058348.1073741894.287371247953788&type=3

Vienna – day 1 Friday

Long time no posts, sorry guys! As some of you might already know, I was in Vienna for the weekend to attend the Metamorphose tea-party! ( ^ w ^ ) The week before that was super crazy for me, since I worked and had school every day – hence no posts. But now I’m finally home and have time to share my experience with you.

I came to Vienna on Friday afternoon and immediately got lost. XD Apparently there are many more train stations in Vienna than I thought and I was waiting for my friends at the wrong one. Haha So it took about 2 hours for me to meet up my friends and then it was off the apartment where we stayed to leave my bags and grab some food.

In the evening there was a small meetup at Prater and I got to meet many cute and nice people; which I am really happy about! :D

I don't have any outfit picture from Friday... but here I am looking derp with a cute train. Notice the driver making the V sigh haha

I love all the old building around the park! <3

It’s awesome that lolita fashion is popular in so many countries and that we get to hang out together! Sadly we didn’t take any group photos… but here is a photo of me and Alice aka kimchi pirate who came from Russia. My first time meeting a fellow Russian lolita <3  

Prater was a really nice amusement park. I like the fact that it is free to enter and you only need to pay to ride the attractions. We all got on the famous ferris wheel and actually fitted into one cabin (or a small house – which it resembled more). 

View from the top!

Before the entrance to the attraction there was a small exhibition of cute city landscapes. Here is a miniature ferris wheel  and a mini-tram:

Since I have never been to Vienna it was really fun to see a bit of the city, I’m just sad I didn’t  get to explore it more. I guess I’ll have to visit again sometime!

Outfit snap - very brown

I wore this simple outfit on a busy day, when I first had a morning lecture at my university and then met up with a friend in the evening. It was a bit hectic in the morning and I really stressed a lot, so I didn't have time to take photos. Therefore the photos were taken in the evening when I came back home and are pretty dark and yellow-brownish. Sorry! ( >__< )

Its getting cold in Sweden so wearing a jacket is a must now. I decided I could just as well take a jacket photo. ( ^  ^ )

I really like this dress! I have a weakness when it comes to prints with pretty cutlery, specially if the cutlery is antique. haha

Dress, socks and hair accessories: Innocent world

Blouse, necklace: BABY

Shoes: Emily Temple Cute

Jacket: Angelic Pretty (on the first photo)

Outfit snap - little bear's cafe going to cafe

I have been in school all week this week and I don't mean university, but real school-school - helping to teach grade 3 as a part of my education. As fun a it might be to be around kids all day, I didn't have any chance to wear lolita. Or at least until Friday when I finally was free enough to meet up with my friend Viktoria (aka dozingmind). We had a great time chatting at a local cafe, eating cake and then watching a movie at her place in the evening. ( ^  w  ^ )

I was alone at home so I took these photos myself, hence the strange angle and face expression. Also sorry for the crappy quality! XD

I piled up lot's of books on my cats scratch-post and was lucky enough to not drop my camera while doing so. haha 

First time to wear my Little Bears Cafe salopette~ I really love the print and the fabric, but I am not too happy about how the salopette actually looks on me, because it looks so short (even though I am only 160cm). ( ;___; )

Overall I wanted to make a casual lolita outfit, a bit inspired by school - since I have spent so much time there this week and I think it worked out pretty well. 

Salopette/bag/beret/accessories: Angelic Pretty

Shoes/cardigan: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Blouse: Wonder Rocket

Tights: Swimmer

Lolita fashion book - Translation 2 (Classic Lolita)

It took some time, but here we are again. Part 2 of the Lolita Fashion book - classic lolita!

Before posting I would I like to remind you about the following:
The book is Misako Aoki's copyright, this is just a fan translation.
I did not translate the contents of the book exactly as they are written - word by word. I translate in a manner that allows the text to keep it's original poetic feeling and nuance.

Lolita fashion book part 2

Classic Lolita 

About the classic lolita style

This style is a ladylike, elegant and refined lolita style, inspired by the Rococo and Victorian eras. It is called classic lolita and often shortened to kuraloli in Japanese. Even though all lolita styles take their inspiration in the Rococo and Victorian periods, the classical European fashion taste can especially be seen in this lolita sub-style. Classic lolita still has the girly elements characteristic to the lolita style, but also has a more adult, nostalgic atmosphere to it. One of the main characteristics of the classic lolita style are the colors and patterns used. Natural combinations of colors such as brown and dark red are preferred. Many patterns take inspiration from things like rococo lacquer-ware and wallpapers - roses and other flowers are often in focus. Around the year 2012 a picture-like, gorgeous textile was introduced and is now one of the standard features of the classic lolita style. Gobelin tapestry and jacquard fabrics have also become quite popular. 

If I would give a general description of the classic lolita style, I'd say that compared to a style like sweet lolita, it is a simpler, adult-like style, that often follows an antique color scheme. The collar, hem and cuffs of the dresses are usually the main points that are decorated with lace. Empire line type of dresses and dresses with a bit narrower, longer skirts (than in other lolita styles) are common, it is a a style particularly popular with older/adult lolitas. Another popular design in the classic lolita style is to have a  bustle design on the skirt, this is to give the rear part of the dress/skirt more volume.

A classic Lolita coordinate:

As the name classic lolita suggests, it is an adult-like calm lolita style, which is heavily influenced by classic and antique culture. The focus of this style is to recreate the fashion of a well dressed, ladylike European girl. Let's play around and make a calm coordinate, with overall smoky colors and with a color scheme of dark red and brown. 

Choosing a blouse with a stand-up collar gives an outfit an extra classical feeling. A bit longer skirt length is popular in classic lolita. One piece dresses with a schoolgirl-like, tidy looking feel are also popular. Skirts often have flower patterns. Instead of combining cute elements with the classic lolita style, I suggest adding chick elements to emphasize the classical atmosphere of the outfit. As for the hair arrangement, I would recommend accessories such as bonnets and headdresses/bows decorated with flowers. A bag shaped like a book or a violin gives a coordination that extra little something. It is better not to over accessorize, like in sweet lolita, but instead put the emphasis on fewer, well chosen accessories.

Point 1

Choosing gloves and shoes in darker colors helps to bring the whole coordinate together. 

Point 2

This coordinate is based on a smoky pink color with addition of brown/dark red elements. Accessories are chosen in the same color scheme. 

Point 3

Embroidery suits the classic lolita style really well. The collar on the dress is one of the places where roses are embroidered to give the dress an additional touch of elegance. 

Outfit snap - introducing a 40s beret

Yesterday I was invited to eat out with my family, so I dressed up for the occasion. ( ^  ^ ) I have recently bought a 1940s beret at a vintage shop and it was really fun trying to plan a lolita outfit with it.

I really like this dress, but it's a bit hard to coordinate with... so I just went for a toned down, casual look. It's not a very exciting coord, but I like the color combo. 

 I wasn't entirely sure of how good the beret would look in lolita fashion, but I think it looks just fine. ( ^ ^ ) Since it's made of pretty thick fabric, it really holds it's round shape and I think it almost looks like a bonnet!

Dress: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Socks: Innocent World

Shoes/bag: Emily Temple Cute

Beret: vintage

And a close up~

Sorry for the bad light, the pictures were taken in the evening. 

Lolita fashion book - Translation 1 (Sweet Lolita)

It's Friday and I am finally done with the first part of translating Misako Aoki's book "Lolita fashion". YAY! To be honest I have been done translating it for a while now, but too busy with my uni and job stuff to actually post the translation here. It did take quite a while to translate the article and it was pretty challenging to keep the structure and all the information intact while trying to make it sound good in English. I really hope it is understandable and doesn't sound odd. XD

Before posting the rest I would first I like to state following:
The book is Misako Aoki's copyright, this is just a fan translation.
I did not translate the contents of the book exactly as they are written - word by word. I translate in a manner that allows the text to keep it's original poetic feeling and nuance (I hope).

Lolita fashion book part 1

Sweet Lolita

About sweet lolita style

The style 'sweet lolita' is centered around the aesthetics of pastel colors like pink and light blue. It embodies a sweet, cute and girly atmosphere. It is thought that the style came to be called 'sweet Lolita' around 1990. At that time the 'gothic lolita' style was already established and defined by its black clothing. The style was often associated with degenerates and began to have a bad feel to it, therefore sweet lolitas wanted to break the prejudices of the 'gothic lolita' style and point out the difference between the two lolita styles. They wanted to divide the lolita genre and differentiate themselves from the gothic fashion trends. They started calling the new style as 'sweet lolita' and defined their style as "the opposite of gothic lolita fashion, a pure, angel like fashion". From that time the sweet lolitas have preserved the ideals and aesthetics of sweet lolita and kept the original ideas alive. 

Nowadays a common theme is sweet lolita are original prints with motifs such as sweets and animals. Some popular motifs are cookies, chocolate and other sweets inspired prints. Prints with plush animals are also very popular. Dresses and skirts in the sweet lolita style tend to be designed with lots of lace on the bodice and skirt parts. Wide white or pink sleeves with lace decorations for a romantic feeling are also in demand right now. Finding a friend with the same dress and 'twinning' together is another characteristic of sweet lolita. Getting together 3 friends and doing a 'triplet' coordinate is also popular. 

A sweet lolita coordinate:

Sweet lolita is a cute and pop lolita style with pastel colours as its base. Let's make a colourful, cute and POP coordinate~ I choose a dress with a print of animals and sweets. A coordinate with print x print (layers of prints) can be hard to pull of, but really cute; so let's take the challenge and try! 

In sweet lolita blouses with big round collars covered in lots of frills and ribbons are popular right now. 

Hair accessories and socks also come in many different patterns and have different motifs. There are many people who match the socks so they are from the same series release as the dress. As for the hairstyle, let's make an arrangement with layers, a head-bow or a bonnet can be layered on with additional ribbons and bows. A colorful wig also suits the sweet lolita style very well. 

Put on a fluffy pannier under the dress to give it a big puff, it helps to emphasise and show off the print of the dress. Bags with a theme of ribbons, hearts, sweets, chocolate and the like are a good choice to match this type of coordination. Also plush toy bags like a bear or a rabbit add another layer of cute to the girly feeling of the sweet lolita style. They also serve as the focus point of the outfit, so I really recommend combining them in your style. 

Point 1 

The color of the bow was chosen to match the point color (detail color) used on the details on the dress. It joins the whole outfit together. 

Point 2

The hem of the dress is cut in half circles and shaped like shells. This is a popular design. 

Point 3

The choice of accessories comes from the main color of the dress. In this case it is pink x sax blue.