Presenting Dentelles Fanzine 3rd issue!

Today, I want to talk about something really important to me: the French Lolita fanzine, Dentelles! It is a fanzine created by Lolita friends and I was lucky enough to be part of it since the very beginning! It's a lot of time to release a fanzine and all artists who helped making it real made an amazing!
First of all, here are some links where you can learn more about Dentelles:

Dentelles' Tictail page where you can preorder the next issues or download the old ones!

Dentelles' Facebook page

The very first issue was about all the different Lolita styles, the 2nd issue was about colours in the fashion and the 3rd one was about trends! As I am a graduated illustrator with a Bachelor degree, I was super happy to be able to share my love for Lolita fashion through my artworks, so of course when they asked me to join this adventure I immediately said yes!
For my first participation, I illustrated Classic Lolita style:

For the 2nd issue, I was super happy I could illustrate my favourite colour: yellow!

And for the 3rd issue, I didn't make only one, but two artworks! I also made most of the texts and translations (the fanzine is both in French and English! How amazing is that?)
I illustrated "Galaxy print" and "Retro Lolita", which I both really love! I am glad I could each time choose a subject that talks to me!

 

I am always a bit worried about how my illustrations will turn out once printed, as I only paint traditionally and have to scan my artworks and I never really manage to exactly get the same colours... but I recently received my printed copies of Dentelles and THEY ARE PERFECT! The colours, printing and layout are all perfect! And of course it is filled with gorgeous drawings made by Lolitas from all around the world! I shouldn't be surprised as Lolita is a creative fashion, but I am always amazed by how many talented people I met in the community!

Also, I had quite a mentally straining week at work and I wanted to relax by wearing some frills! I had some time for mysel this afternoon and decided to put an outfit together! I made a simple coordination that is great for summer I think with the crew socks and the boater hat! What do you think?

♥ Angelic Pretty Elegant Marine ♥ 

Boater hat: Offbrand
Roses: Claire's & H&M
Seashell earrings: Paris Kids
Bolero: Offbrand
JSK: Angelic Pretty
Socks: Zara
Shoes: Axes Femme
Bag: Angelic Pretty
Wristcuffs: Angelic Pretty
Bracelet: Claire's
Rings: Claire's & Zygomatics

I really think Elegant Marine deserves more love! It's such a pretty, detailed and comfortable dress! And so much poof! ♥

Angelic Pretty Doll's Tea Party

Hi everyone!

I am back with a new entry... and a new dress! I recently fell in love with the new Angelic Pretty x Kira Imai print: Doll's Tea Party. Kirai Imai is one of my favourite illustrators and I wanted to own one of her prints for a while now (well, I used to have Perfume of Wonderland but sold it because the dress didn't fit me back then... I have so many regrets...)
Unlike past collaborations (I am looking at you, Cat's Tea Party!!), I don't think this one was very popular mostly because of the infamous bear!

The infamous Rushton bear!

Actually, the bear is what sold this print to me! Well, yeah, it's kind of creepy... but actually if you visit Angelic Pretty stores, they are always featured there! I think I read about how the owner loved these bears and wanted them to decorate the shops. So for me, Rushton bears = Angelic Pretty.

AP Paris shop also displays Rushton bears and antique toys!

Same in Osaka!

I hesitated about the colour: I really liked the lavender colourway and also the ivroy one but in the end I went for the black one! I thought it was more mature and casual and had more items I could coordinate it with!
I ordered it through the Paris shop, as I wanted to avoid the struggle of a release of the Japanese website. Everything went so smoothly with Paris' staff. They are the best! It costed me more in the end as I had to pay customs for Japan-France and then for France-Switzerland, but I am glad I could support the French shop!
So, I got the dress today and I love it even more now that I have it in my hands! The print isn't really vibrant, but more of sweet pastel colours which I actually really like! It has a casual/otome vibe and is very easy to wear! It features cake, teapots, cutlery, macarons, roses and plates.

OK, I will get a bit personal here... but I actually cried when I received this OP and tried it on. Why? Because it fits! I fit into non-shirred AP dresses, which is very unreal to me. I still don't really understand how, but it does. Since I started wearing Lolita fashion, fitting into non-shirred AP always had been an unattainable dream. I finally feel "worthy". It makes me happy, but also I feel a bit sad about it as my weight has never defined who I am... but I can't help it even if I think there's something really wrong here with how I perceive myself. 

Anyway, back to the topic! I haven't worn Lolita in more than a month so I was quite eager to wear my new dress! I decided to go for a very casual look with black and pink accessories. I like how it turned out! Do you like it too? :)

♥ Angelic Pretty Doll's Tea Party  ♥ 

Headbow: Angelic Pretty

  OP: Angelic Pretty
 Bag: Maison de FLEUR
Socks: Angelic Pretty
Shoes: Montreal
Keychain: Kira Imai
Wristcuffs: Angelic Pretty
Bracelets: Claire's
Rings: Angelic Pretty & Zygomatics

What about you? Do you like Angelic Pretty x Kira Imai prints? If so, which one is your favourite? Do you own it? Let me know! ♥

Angelic Pretty Otome Tutu Doll - A photoshoot by the lake (again)!

Hi everybody! I hope everyone is enjoying the first day of Spring!
It has still been quite cold these past few weeks here in Switzerland, but finally we're getting some sun and a warmer weather! I really can't wait for Summer!

Anyway, some weeks ago I fell head over heels in love with an Angelic Pretty dress: the Otome Tutu Doll JSK in pink (but honestly... that name... hahaha). I immediately contacted Tenshi Shop to get it for me, as I knew I'd barely have any chance to get it online as it was planned to be very popular.
As usual, Tenshi Shop did an amazing job and got everything I wanted: the pink JSK and a cute matching ribbon (which is actually not matching the dress at all... but it's cute and I'll wear it anyway so that's fine!)

Isn't that dress gorgeous?!

The "matching" ribbon!

I quickly received the dress and let me tell you: it is amazingly gorgeous! I could totally get married in that dress! I love the different layers of chiffon and satin, the velvet ribbons and the cut which is really elegant! I was already thinkng about how to wear it when I suddenly found a cute pullover that would perfectly go with it at a random shop here called Zebra (that pullover has such a larme kei feeling!)

Also, on one of the French-speaking Lolita group I follow on Facebook, the admin suggested a theme of the month challenge, and that theme was "Spring" so I was also inspired by it. I wanted my outfit to have flowers, but in a discreet way, to show that winter isn't that far yet.

♥ Angelic Pretty Otome Tutu Doll  ♥ 

Roses: H&M and Claire's
Hair ribbon: Angelic Pretty

  JSK: Angelic Pretty
Pullover: Zebra
Tights: Offbrand
Shoes: Bought on Ebay
Bracelets: Claire's
Rings: Violet Fane & Zygomatics

This brooch is a gift rom my Japanese relatives ♥ it matches the dress so perfectly!

As I had some days off for Easter and just had bought a new camera, I thought "why not go outside and take some lovely pictures by the lake?"
I hired my mom as my photographer and there we went! On the way, many people in cars honked at me... As it is a tradition here when people are getting married, I think they thought I was a bride? Haha. I could have been. I agreed with my mom that if someone was asking anything, we'd reply it's my wedding to avoid long explanations about what Lolita fashion actually is. XD

I really like when my mom takes pictures of me. I don't have much self-confidence actually, but I always find myself pretty on pictures she takes. She says it's because she is taking them with the eyes of love, because for her I am the most precious person of her life. How sweet is that? ♥

This is my favourite picture of the day! ♥

If you read my blog, maybe you noticed I already had pictures taken at that spot (you can read about it here)! I think it's a great place, because it's quiet and you have the city and the moutains in the background!

Getting a whole series, and in different colours?!

Hello everybody! Long time no see! I wanted to write this entry a while ago already, but my camera decided to die recently after 7 years of good services... I thought it was the battery so I simply bought a new one, but nope it was completely dead ;___;
Some hundreds of Swiss francs later, here I am with a new camera and of course, a new entry!

Last month I made an impulse buy: there was a very cheap Angelic Pretty Sugar Pansy skirt in mint for sale on Lacemarket (It was only 50$! How could I resist?!)
Sugar Pansy is a print that  I already own and I always told myself I would never buy the same print in different colours. Well, never say never I guess! Haha
I actually own the whole series in yellow (OP, headbow, bonnet, wrist cuffs and also the socks in both pink and yellow) and now the mint skirt joined my collection! Sugar Pansy has a special place in my heart because pansies are my favourite flowers but also because I bought the OP during my very first trip to Japan in March 2011 (that actually didn't end very well with the Tohoku earthquake).

My whole collection: socks in pink and yellow

My whole collection: headbow in yellow

My whole collection: wristcuffs in yellow

My whole collection: bonnet in yellow

I was surprised that a print can look very different according to the colourway you choose! While it is exactly the same print, the yellow OP and mint skirt have totally different vibes! Which one do you prefer?

I think AP prints from 2011 are my favourite! They used to be so detailed!

I'm not really used to wearing skirts... so I'm actually still experimentating on how to coordinate them. I decided to go for an early Spring casual outfit, matching my new skirt with an Axes Femme pullover and yellow/mint accessories. I quite like this look and could wear it everyday!

♥ Angelic Pretty Sugar Pansy  ♥ 

Beret: Listen Flavour
Hairbows: H&M

  Skirt: Angelic Pretty
Pullover: Axes Femme
 Bag: Maison de FLEUR
Socks: Angelic Pretty
Shoes: CS T&P (Harajuku shop)
Keychain: Kira Imai
Bracelets: Claire's
Rings: Maison de Juiletta & Zygomatics

And I wanted to end this entry by sharing my love for this cute tote bag from Maison de FLEUR. I actually never heard of that brand before, but my brother bought me accessories from them for my last birthday and I looooove them! I also recently saw more and more Japanese Lolitas having bags from them, so I thought I would share :) Check Maison de FLEUR out!

Aren't these frilled handles the cutest?!

What about you? Is there a series that you entirely own? Or pieces that you bought in different colourways? Let me know!

Welcoming 2018!

That's it, we're officially in 2018 now! So first of all:

☆★☆ HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018 ☆★☆

On the last days of 2016, I had written an entry about my resolutions for 2017 that you can read here. It's funny how I was saying that 2016 was a bad year, while 2017 was definitely worse as a whole... except for Lolita fashion! My Lolita year 2017 was definitely better than 2016!
So what were those resolutions? And did I keep them?

1. First resolution: reduce the size of my wardrobe.
Well... I didn't keep that resolution...
While I sold some things, I bought many new ones too so in the end I even think my wardrobe has even grown bigger. I think I'm quite hopeless about it, so I won't make that resolution again for 2018.

2. Try some different styles. I think I also failed on this one. I mostly wore Sweet Lolita and didn't make any experiments with my style. I made some modest attempts at Otome though, as I bought my very first Leur Getter dress and a new Emily Temple Cute JSK too! I like how Otome is more casual and comfortable than Lolita and it's great that I can wear it without a petticoat (because let's face it, wearing a petticoat for a whole day is torture more than anything else! Haha!)

3. Go to local events.

I went to some big events in 2017 like the Angelic Pretty Tea Party in Paris or Dream Masquerade Carnival in London, but I unfortunately only went to one event in my own country. It was a tea party at Ladurée's new tea room in Geneva. Many events were actually organized, but as I usually work on saturdays, so I couldn't attend. I have also been way too lazy and tired to try to organize anything by myself...

4. Wear Lolita at least one time per month.Ok, I actually didn't wear at least one outfit per month, but in the end I wore Lolita fashion 17 times in 2017, which make a ratio of  1.4 outfit per month! Haha. Of course, some months I didn't wear it at all, while some other months I wore it several times. I quite happy I managed to keep this resolution somehow! I had only wore Lolita 8 times in 2016, so that quite shows that I'm more motivated about the fashion again :)

Those were my 4 resolutions for 2017 and while I didn't really keep them, I feel like 2017 has been funnier, happier and better regarding the fashion! Let's make a timeline of this last year's outfits:

My style didn't change that much. Well, maybe it became a bit more simple ans casual? I bought my first OPs and a skirt too, that's something new!

For 2018, I won't make any resolutions, except maybe one: be happy! If I feel like selling things, then I should. If I want to buy new things, that's fine too. If I attend events, that's great! But if I don't have time or motivation for it, then I'm OK with it too. I want to be kind and indulging with myself in 2018!

What about you? Did you make resolutions for 2018?

Highlights of 2017!

Hello! 2017 is slowly coming to an end and I have been reflecting on the year already. Let me tell you what I was thinking: 2017 was a shitty year for me, like really. I felt sick most of the time, which was scary and tiring. I spent a loooooot of time seing doctors, made lots of tests and in the end... nothing! We still don't know what's wrong with me. Fortunately I feel better recently, the worst months (the period between march and june was especially awful) are behind me!

Anyway, so as I said I have been reflecting on the year and I told myself that of course there was some really bad stuff going on but also really happy things! And I wanted to write an entry about the happy ones then!

Let's have a 'happy me' picture from last summer first!

 
- I travelled the world again and went to many events!
I was lucky enough to be able to travel a lot in 2017 again! I even started the year by visiting Vienna with my mother, which is one of my absolute favourite cities! I swear if my German wasn't that bad I would totally move there!

In march, I also went back to Japan and I managed to enjoy it even if this is exactly when I started to feel sick. I wasn't able to eat for days, but I love Japan so much and was so happy to be able to spend time with friends and with my brother's family-in-law that it was all worth it! I visited Tokyo again of course, but also went to Osaka for the first time which I really loved! I definitely want to go back to explore Osaka more as I only had a short weekend there.

I was so lucky to meet my dear friend Marie in Tokyo again!

Visiting the Angelic Pretty shop in Osaka was a dream come true!
Read about it here!

I also travelled to Paris for the Angelic Pretty Tea Party and visited Disneyland with my dear friend Marie-Lou for the first time of my life! Hope we can do that again in 2018 because it was the best trip ever!I love how easy things are with Marie-Lou! She is such an easy-going and caring girl! I enjoyed every moment we had together in Paris, even the ones when we were just litterally lying in bed watching stupid videos on Youtube!

Read about our adventures in Disneyland here!

At the Angelic Pretty Tea Party ♥

And in August I went to London all by myself to attend Dream Masquerade Carnival event. I was at first a bit disappointed to go alone, but it made me realize that I actually love to travel alone! I could meet with lots of old and new friends which definitely added magic to the trip!
I was also especially happy to spend this two-days event with Rosalynn! It reminded me of 2013 when we went to so many events together. I have so many happy memories with her! I was a bit afraid to not be able to as close to her as I used to be, but she is the kindest person on earth and she helped me have a really great time (and I hope I did too for her in some ways!)

Dear Rosalynn, Nicole and I ♥

Rosalynn and I at DMC Tea Party

-  I finally met Kira Imai, one of my favourite illustrators!
I can now happily say that I met with all my favourite artists (John Howe, Alan Lee, Range Murata and Kira Imai then). And Kira Imai is such a sweetheart that I will dearly keep the moment I met her in my heart! I also proudly to give her one of my original paintings too and she seemed genuinely happy about it! She even posted it on one of her Instagram stories!

I will cherish this pic for the rest of my life ♥

Illustration I gave to Kira Imai as a gift!

- I lost a lot of weight!
This one is a bit tough. I feel better in my body now that I can say I lost more than 17kg, but knowing that I lost so much weight because I was feeling sick and wasn't able to eat anymore is a bit conflicting. I have a BMI of 22.1 now which is healthy and perfectly normal, but I didn't ask for it and I really felt like I was going to die so I wouldn't want to go through all of that again. Though, I am more confident now and I can wear Lolita clothes that I couldn't before (Yay for non-shirred OP and skirts! And for Emily Temple Cute dresses!) That's definitely a highlight and I wouldn't want to go back to my old weight again (and don't worry, I eat normally again and I'm closely looked after by doctors).
Only downside: I had to buy new clothes as they were all 2 sizes too big now! Haha. But I love shopping, so.... xD

October 2016 me VS november 2017 me.

When I see all the pictures where I am smiling with friends, it really makes me think that 2017 wasn't such a bad year in the end, uh? I am blessed to have precious friends who always manage to cheer me up! I am also lucky enough to be able to travel, enjoy my hobbies and passions, have a loving family and a job that I like!

Now I wonder what 2018 will bring me?

What about you? How was 2017 for you?