LBC: Your First Lolita Fashion Piece ^_^

I've been waiting for this topic for a long time...mainly b/c I just acquired something that goes with my first ever Brand Lolita Piece ;)

But first, how my first purchase came to be ^^

I had been collecting the English Gothic Lolita Bibles and slowly started finding the imported ones at conventions & on ebay XD

But then, my friend went to San Fran & bought for me the latest volume for Christmas that year (2010) ;D

It was volume 36

I couldn't wait to look through it, so after opening my gift, I quickly flipped through it & put post-its on the pages I liked ^_^  Along with wonderful coord ideas, it showed all the latest prints and this was before I started keeping up with releases online, so I was very excited to see what was out there at the time ;D

And then...BABY and A/P were having some AMAZING prints that I INSTANTLY fell in love with...In Particular, THIS spread piqued my interest XD

The one on the left mainly...b/c i'm not a huge fan of pink ;P

But YES! AATP's MASQUERADE THEATER in Red caught my eye ^_^

Mainly the print was tempting me...because I LOOOOVE Phantom of the Opera!!!

And, naturally, I wanted the OP, but realistically, I couldn't afford it...

So...after looking up the print availability on the main japanese online shop site...and contemplating with my friend, who got me the mook, if i should get it or not...

I DECIDED TO GET THE SKIRT XD

And amazingly, Red was still in stock, so I quickly added it to my cart.

It was my VERY FIRST purchase on a Japanese site, so luckily, b/c the brand is soo popular, there were English instructions I could follow ^^

After many confirmation emails and invoicing emails, my skirt was shipped out & arrived super fast (by ems i'm thinking...which i didn't know at the time ;P)

 And when it arrived, i took it out & was INSTANTLY happy I had given in & purchased it ^_^

I was working Part-time, so even buying one item is a big chunk out of my pay check, but it was totally worth it XD

here are some pics from when I first got it and tried it on ^_^

 A REALLY quick outfit idea with all offbrand items ;) 

A classic look with ivory (but of course i didn't know my style back then)

And I wore it this way to see The Beauty and the Beast play ^^

 And seriously, this print is sooo beautiful in person...the fabric is absolutely amazing too ^^

I even tried a darker look...but...i've never actually worn it this way yet...maybe i shall...

This is a picture from later on when I was going to use the skirt in a photoshoot...and so, after acquiring a few more pieces...I did the shoot ^^

 I wanted to make my look kind of "Christine~like" and even made a mask to match ;)

A cape would have really completed the look, but I also liked that somewhat "aristocratic" look b/c of my BPN blouse ^^

Even now I STILL love my skirt & i've been trying new ways to wear it, especially after getting more items to match ^^

Like this great bolero ^^ The red ribbon really matches the red of the skirt...and this red is a hard color to match, so I was really glad I found something even though it's not from the same print ;)

But...at the same time, even though I loved the skirt soo much...finding things to match was hard & the one thing i was missing was the EPIC matching bonnet XP  I had the headbow for a short while, but it just didn't match me, so I sold it & then I spent a while searching for someone who was willing to sell the bonnet

to me,but in the end i had no luck and decided to just figure out other hair accessories...

But then, one day I was looking at the (then new) BABY SF facebook page and saw that there was a sale and that there was a lovely red bonnet in the pictures ;D

Immediately, I emailed the store & asked if they thought it would match my MT print...but sadly they said it wouldn't... :/  I had almost given up when they emailed me saying that they DID find a different bonnet that would match the print...and they knew it would because...One of the Sales Girls was Wearing the MT JSK...IN RED O_O  I couldn't believe the odds & my luck XP

So, the bonnet they found was a beautiful Cream one, which does match well with the lace on the skirt:

And so i was happy, but still never wore the bonnet with the skirt (it actually matches Hymn really well though ;D )

After a while, I just gave up & took it off my wishlist...I would see it either in a different color...or only being sold as a set...until...just recently...I was casually looking through the egl comm sales...and then...Someone was selling JUST THE BONNET...In Red O_O  I quickly Pm'd the seller & after a few discussions on price & shipping...I BOUGHT IT ^_^

Then, just last week...IT ARRIVED!! 

I juuust took it out of the package, so I haven't put together a coord yet, but I love it sooo much & the seller didn't even wear it, so it's pretty much new...with tag still on...I couldn't be happier ^_^

Well, it's apparent that i've got lots of History with my skirt, so I will probably NEVER sell it XP

But instead, I can now have fun making a whole new outfit using the now matching bonnet...& maybe do another photoshoot ^_^

Now feel free to check out these LBCers first Lolita pieces ;D

A sweet Lolita's Disney Life 

Hello Batty

LBC: My Favorite Brand

I'm a little late in posting this, but "this week's" topic is Favorite Brand & I've changed my mind about my favorite many times, but I've finally decided on one...or 3 technically ;)

When I first got into the Lolita fashion, my all time favorite brand was 

INNOCENT WORLD ;)

I fell in love with the designs while looking through my Gothic Lolita Bibles & dreamed of going to the store one day & trying on the dresses ;D

But...sadly, that brand was not meant to be...the fit is not that great for me now and I starting being drawn to lots of Prints more than simple classic pieces ;) BUT! I STILL Love Innocent World's 

TEDDY BEAR PRINTS ^_^

I'm a huge fan of Teddy Bears, so I love how they have sooo many prints with teddy bears ;D

  Sadly, I decided to sell a bunch of Teddy bear prints I had accumulated: Museum Bear, Chocolate Teddy Bear & British Bear, but I'm pretty happy with my 2nd IW print: Sweets Teddy Bear ^^

 My Now small IW collection: IW Sweets Teddy Bear JSK w/ headbow I made to match (I used the free tote bag w/ the same print), Rose Lace book bag in black (bought off Tokyo Rebel), and then, I HAD to buy my Namesake dress: The Aileen OP (I love how it has a nice Alice look as well ^^ )

 And I LOVE INNOCENT WORLD SOCKS!! They're super comfortable and the prints are versatile for even every day wearing ;D

So, with Innocent World a little too small & classic for me, I decided to try other brands...until...I found the one that matched & fit me the most ^^

And so MY FAVORITE BRAND became: 

BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT & ALICE & THE PIRATES ^_^

I like to think of them as one brand b/c I have quite a bit from each...&...my collection is still growing XD

I have 3 reasons for LOVING this brand: 

1) The Fit ;)

out of all the brands, I can fit into MOST of baby/aatp...mainly the dresses though...the skirts are still too small, unless they're high waisted ;)

2) THE PRINTS!!

I really can't get enough of how intricate the designs are and the colors make it so much fun to create coords ;D

3) MIDORI ^_^

Yes, Midori is my all time favorite Lolita model & I've even bought several pieces that I saw her wear in the GLBs or KERAs...basically, if she's worn it, I start to want it ;)

Anyways, I wanted to do it, so...here's my collection of BTSSB & AATP items, ranging from clothes, headwear, jewelry, bags & accessories & just recently, shoes ^^

These were found on Closet Child, egl comm sales, fb sales, Mbok & ordering online through the San Fran site ^_^

 AATP: Victorian Card Print, AATP Hymn OP (ABSOLUTE DREAM PIECE), BTSSB Alice in Funfair OP (w/ Transparent Rose Bolero in Red)

Top Row: Paris no Mado w/ Raphael blouse in Lavender, Lace Frill JSK in black, Mirage in Paradox(Current Obsession) in Navy (w/ matching hair ties), Antique Wooden Sole Shoes in Blue

Middle "bag" row": Usakumya Pochette, Ribbon Heart Bag, Fairy Tales Pochette, Tent Bag

Bottom row: Double Lobelia JSK in blue, Masquerade Theater skirt in red(Another Dream Piece), Grimoire of the Moonlight Forest skirt in black, random bonnets, Gloria headpiece in red, random headbows ;D

 I've also been collecting some jewelry ;)

Hair pins & gold heart necklace & ring = mbok finds

Rosary, Usakumya ring: fb sales

Mirage pin: BABY SF online

Also can't forget my one brand parasol from BABY & some diamond otks in brownxivory

And here are some other pieces I forgot to take pics of  ;) 

 I forget the name...it's to match Mirage ;)

 Serenade Blouse in white

Lastly...b/c I could not afford the entire La Vert clair OP set...I settled for the Scarf, which is Absolutely Beautiful & it's a small tribute to Midori ;D

And now, b/c the collection is never complete...here are some items i'm waiting for...from my favorite brands of course...& interestingly enough...ALL TEDDY BEARS ^_^

Now here are more Favorite brands from the other members of the LBC ;)

Lolita Glamour

Geisha Baby

Snow Rose

F Yeah Lolita 

Le Boudoir 

Hello Batty 

Tangled Lace 

Pretty Little Habits 

pinklaceglitter