My Other Hobbies ;)

So...along with being completely obsessed with Lolita fashions...I am also into Cosplaying & with that, manga & anime ^_^

Growing up, I was at first only familiar with the anime series that were shown on tv: cardcaptors, sailor moon, dragon ball, etc...but I really got into anime around 2006 or so when I was in college & I could download all the subbed eps I wanted ^^

After that, I slowly gravitated toward japanese culture, listening to less american music & opting for jpop/anime songs instead XD  I also started slowly building my collection of manga when they started appearing in bookstores ^^  I also went to my first anime convention, Kawaii Kon, which was in it's 2nd year at the Ala Moana hotel.  A classmate & I took the bus after our classes were over & stayed for a few hours & then went back to campus...it was short & super crowded, but I had fun anyways & vowed to keep going every year...if they had it.

Luckily, they eventually moved the convention to a much bigger venue, the Hawaii Convention Center  ^_^  So, the next step? To cosplay, of course XD

The first couple years i went, i didn't cosplay, but i would wear somewhat anime~ish looking outfits & maybe cat ears if anything...but by 2008, after meeting other anime enthusiasts, i wanted to try actually cosplaying ;)

I was taking sewing in college by then, but I still wasn't very confident in my skills...so, I ended up buying one outfit...a VERY well known & popular one...& I partly made/embellished the other 2.

From the super popular series, Naruto, I was Hinata & my friend was Sakura ^^

 My first "made" cosplay: Real Mayer from the anime, Ergo Proxy

And, just an embellished school girl dress I got from Hot Topic ;) 

I guess this was my first attempt at the Lolita trend as well XD

I ended up having LOTS of fun dressing up & it was exciting when people wanted to take pictures of me & my friends XD 

here's a few more pics over the years at Kawaii Kon ;D

 This was my first mini group cosplay with my friend ^^ Me as Lukia & Gina as Mary Weather from the manga, Godchild...& This was my first ALL HANDMADE by me cosplay...I even cut my hair to be like the character ;)

By this time, I also kept experimenting with Lolita items I had bought or found(the white dress was a garage sale find)

Along with dressing up at Kon, I had met a bunch of Photographers through mutual friends & started doing random cosplay & non-cosplay photoshoots ^_^

 The first 2 were from my very first Photoshoot with 2 other models...I was kind of thrown into it by my friends, but it ended up being lots of fun & probably was the start of my "modeling" life ^^

Next, are some pics from the Mass Open Cosplay shoots that I always try to go to ^^ These really helped me to become more comfortable in front of a camera...especially when u have a lot of photographers trying to take ur picture at the same time ;)

I've done a lot of one on one shoots as well, including re-doing shots of older cosplays...my Real Mayer again ;D

And now...I just want to keep cosplaying & doing photoshoots ^_^ Plus, I'm STILL very much into anime & manga...even branching out to games & fashion trends, which of course includes Lolita XD

As always, there IS  a downside & that is that cosplaying can be a VERY expensive hobby...but when the outfit is complete & people actually recognize who you're trying to be...it all makes it worth it ^_^  I've also started thrifting my cosplays & altering outfits to look like the character instead of buying or making ^^ But, I really hope I can keep cosplaying as the years go by & I'd like to one day visit other anime conventions as well ^^ I also hope that i can continue doing more photoshoots...like the one this weekend ;)

Finally, last, but not least...more random pics from various photoshoots/photographers...featuring old & new cosplays, handmade or not, lolita & other fashions ^^

MORE RED DRESSES!!

Otherwise called: Red Dress Obsession Part 2 ^_^
Actually, I should clarify that the color I REALLY like is Bordeux XD
A beautiful dark red that gives that vintage, classic feel...& I already have various accessories of that color, so matching will be fun ;)

On to the list: 

First, I just saw this today & INSTANTLY FELL IN LOVE ^_^ It's AP's new Gloria skirt & this has officially jumped to the top of my wishlist XD

Next is IW's Antique Book JSK(or skirt) in Bordeux ^_^

Plus, I already have the socks XD

And last is VM's Rose Check JSK ^^ I really like the style of this dress & that vintage feel with the check pattern ;)

Then, along with these, i've been wanting to expand my Classic Lolita collection of items...in particular, bags ;) & to be more exact, VIOLIN SHAPED BAGS ^_^

I've been off & on with this trend, but since i've been leaning more toward classic printed items, the "shaped" bags seem to be my favorites ^^

I believe these are both Taobao brands, but they look just as nice as the brand ones to me...I especially like the contrasting colors in the top pic...& the brass details in the 2nd one XD

And, maybe it would be fun to have this too...

IW's Violin JSK 

It comes out next year, so we'll see...I kind of wish it were more embellished though...

My "Xmas" Lolita Wishlist ^^

I was hoping that this post would be the unveiling of my new Juliette et Justine dress...but as it turns out...i may have to wait even longer :/

Here's the email I got today:

Thank you for your shopping at Juliette et Justine.

We would like to let you know of the shipping schedule of your order.

The dress 12-018【ラノンシアシオン】 has been behind the schedule to come in store due to some fault found on the fabric.

We are re-making the dress right now and the shipping date has not been decided yet.

We are sorry to keep you waiting for so long. Please give us a little more time.

If you have planned to wear the dress for a certain occasion and would like to cancel your order because it will arrive too late, please let us know.

As soon as it is ready, we will contact you.

Thank you.

Juliette et Justine

Mari Nakamura

On one hand, i'm glad they emailed me saying that there would be a delay...but on the other, that means I might not get the dress in time for xmas...sigh...oh wells :/  I won't cancel & I shall continue to wait patiently until it is as perfect as they want it...BUT...the wait is driving me crazy XP  sigh...

Anyways, in the meantime,...not getting new Lolita items has caused me to keep adding to my wishlist album...especially more red dresses, which is perfect for the holiday season ;)

  At the top of my "red dress" list, is Mary Magdalene Elodie JSK ^^

 I kept seeing it in a bunch of my Gothic Lolita Bibles, so eventually, it kept growing on me ;)

 I really like the vintage feel of it , the beautiful lace trim & the bow at the waist XD

  Then, there's MM Bisque Doll Op, which is also a dark red & has the waist bow belt...but this one's long sleeved, which isn't very practical for the weather here in Hawaii ...but I love the 3 ruffle tiers as well XD  

 And then, for a real Christmas~y Winter dress, I really like BTSSB Milk Chan Snow Strawberry JSK in Red ^^

I recently got a cute doll & I could somewhat match her with this dress...plus, I just bought a really cute bunny eared capelet that would match perfectly ^^  I've found that I'm more of a Classic Lolita type, so as much as I love this, I would even be satisfied with a replica version, which i found & just need to save up to get ;)

 I also REALLY want a cute Lolita coat one day...even though i'd probably melt in it ;)

Anyways, while i wait patiently for my dress, i'm also planning to do another pretty big purchase, but i'll write about that after it goes through...the hint is...It's from Innocent World ^_^

NEW LOLITA PURCHASE O_O

Since I've been buying so many Lolita items lately, I don't always do a blogpost, but instead just post pics on my fb...but...for this particular purchase I felt I HAD to make a post ^_^

Basically, almost all my Lolita inspirations come from one source: the Gothic & Lolita Bibles XD
And now, I try to buy them as soon as they come out (btw, vol 46 comes out this weekend) ^^
So, when I look in the mooks, i mainly look for new prints/coords, different styling ideas & of course...Wishlist Items ^_^  

Normally I would stay away from the REALLY EXPENSIVE brands & sometimes I don't really obsess over their prints, but from the glbs vol 44 & 45, I fell in love with 2 of them...One was Juliette et Justine's L'annonciation, which I have purchased & i'm now waiting for it to come XD

I bought the bordeux version & I've also JUST gotten the matching tights ^^

In "beige" to match the dress when it comes ^_^

The other print I fell in love with was this Stained Glass print :D

 The problem is it's the "SUPER BRAND": MMM or Moi meme Moitie, designed by MANA SAMA himself..., who's pretty much the originator of the Lolita fashion, so i knew it would be SUPER EXPENSIVE O_O  So...I decided to put that on a pretend wishlist, thinking i could never get it...

Until...

I was perusing the Lolita Sales when I saw someone was selling the underbust version of the print...&...for a not so bad price ;D  But then, looking up the USD conversion, it was SUPER EXPENSIVE, so instead I decided to purchase a necklace the seller had & just expressed interest in the dress...

And then...the seller was SUPER NICE & let me "haggle" with her a bit on the price b/c I wanted 2 items instead of one...Also, during this time, I was selling a bunch of my own items that I haven't or rarely wore, so I managed to collect some extra funds that could possibly go toward this purchase...

SO, after going back & forth a few times, we came to an agreement & I BOUGHT THE JSK & NECKLACE(which was brand as well: AATP) for a Really decent price ^_^ It still left a huge dent in my bank account, ESPECIALLY with the conversion...but...I paid for the items in 2 payments, she shipped it out last week & then this past Monday, I received my package XDD

Unfortunately, i was sick sunday night/mon morning, so i didn't get to open the box until today when i got home, but now...i'm DEFINITELY glad I decided to get it ^_^  It's probably the most expensive Lolita item I will ever purchase, but I think it's Totally worth it XD  & now...PICTURES!!

 Big box it came in ^^

 Extra paper to make sure nothing gets shifted around XD

 And a lovely thank you note from the seller on paper with an MMM print ;D

Items look secure &I love that the necklace was in it's own little bag ^^

 

I was in awe when I laid out the dress...And the fabric is absolutely gorgeous XD

 The print too ;D

 And then...moment of truth...YAY! IT FITS ^_^  & it's actually not too tight...the laceup front can tighten or loosen the waist & bust, so you can choose the type of shape you want ^^

As what I always do...I quickly put together a random coord with the JSK, rosary necklace & my new JetJ tights...now...if only I had the shoes i'm still waiting for...it would be perfect ;D  

*I may update this blog when i do XD *

Lolita Challenge ^^

I have a friend who does the weekly Lolita Blog Carnival challenges/themes...so when she told me last week's one was to make 5 outfits using one main piece...I HAD TO TRY IT XD  

And...it was a little hard, but i'm overall happy w/ what I came up with ^^

Piece I chose: AATP Victorian Card print JSK in green ^_^

1) Otome~ish coord ^^

~as said by a fellow lolita~

My theme for this was "Gold" & I wore the jsk w/ some gold boots, whitexgold coffin purse & gold jewelry XD

"Loli-Dolly"

I am a HUGE fan of Dolly-kei, & my latest passion has been to combine dolly-kei & lolita

I chose all the staple elements of dolly kei: bird headdress(handmade), vintage blouse, brown oxfords, patterned shawl & OF COURSE, a pair of Verum tights ^_^

 3) Classic Lolita

I focused on using Ivory/off-white pieces, but i don't have an ivory purse, so i used a typical item for classic loli...a book shaped bag XD

 4) Pirate Themed ^^

I haven't actually tried to wear the blouse over the jsk, but i'd like to think it would work ;) & my JetJ tights weren't open(at this point), but I figured it would look good with the coord XD

 5) Umm...not sure what to call this...it could be classic too i guess...or Otome i suppose ^^

So, I repeated a style, but a friend gave me the idea that the detachable collar from my Atelier Pierrot dress would look good over this one...so, i tried to work with that idea & I LOVE IT!

I also had another idea including doing an "old school"/EGL coord w/ bell sleeves & RHS ;D

Overall, this theme was hard, but lots of fun ^_^ AND, I've been expanding my collection of other lolita items, like socks, bags, blouses, shoes...so that made it A LOT easier to come up with outfits ^_^ Also, I am almost CRAZY when accessorizing, so you'll notice all my different jewelry pieces for each outfit ;D

Japonica Review ^^

My other recent purchase was also a first for me...My friend & I bid on something on MBOK using Japonica as the service.  I've never done it before, but my friend had...& she understands Japanese A LOT more than me...so, she sent me a copy of the order form & told me where to put my name, paypal & address...& I emailed them right away.

They invoiced me, I paid the deposit & then, within the next 2 days (around halloween), I got an email saying WE WON THE BID ^_^ 

I then got an email from Japonica saying they'll send the final invoice after the item arrives at their office, which was Nov 4th...but...i actually didn't get invoiced until the 6th...which according to my friend was not usual...She said they're usually on top of things...but I just figured they were busy with orders (there's a sale of 50% off commissions going on) ^^

The order was shipped out on the 8th & technically arrived on the 10th, saturday...but then...Monday was a holiday, so the package came today ^_^

Anyways, the whole experience was pretty interesting...&...I don't think I could place a bid myself, but everything worked out in the end & our order arrived in perfect condition XD

 Nice, big, secure box ^^

 They even taped a cardboard piece to make sure things don't move around ;)

 & our items were completely wrapped in bubble wrap, for extra protection ^^

 Even the little hat arrived in tact ^^

 

 My friends purchase: AATP Lock the Pandora's Memories JSK & matching hat ^^

 My purchase: AATP Twilight Circus skirt in ivory

 I've been eyeing out twilight circus for a while now & it's on my Lolita wishlist, so when my friend wanted someone to join in her order, I jumped at the chance ^^  Plus, she's also getting the skirt in another transaction, so now we can twin ^_^

And, I have to admit, I was REALLY worried about the fit, but Lo & Behold! IT ACTUALLY FIT ME...like, I could zip it up & everything ^_^  It is rather tight though, so I could probably lose a little more weight ;P

And now I want to find a lovely brown blouse to wear with it ^_^