Haul Post: Innocent World and Closet Child

This afternoon I finally received my parcel from Japan! I've been so excited ever since ordering, and when I heard the doorbell ring just today I literally squealed and ran downstairs to answer and sign for it! 
I'm happy to say that its contents did not disappoint me, as everything is perfect and everything fits well. The only thing that disappointed me was the customs fee I gained, which totaled at eighty pounds - almost as much as the items themselves - it was completely unexpected, as I was under the misapprehension that the shopping service I used (From Japan) would do its best to lessen the blow at customs by marking it down. Never mind though; we live and learn, and I'm completely in love with my items!

 I ordered Innocent World's "Cherub Angel Candlestick Bow Ribbon" JSK in navy as an early Christmas present to myself, as I cracked under how gorgeous it was and figured that seeing as the past few weeks have been tough, I might as well treat myself in an attempt to cheer myself up. I love it! It looks like a sister dress to my Three Archangels OP, as both feature angels as a part of their prints. This print also has candlesticks and stars on it, and for some reason that I can't fathom, it reminds me of A Christmas Carol (my favourite book), perhaps because of the Victorian styled candlesticks and religious imagery. It would make the perfect Christmas coordinate, though I'll wear it all year of course!
 

As well as that, I saw my dream print since my early days of Lolita on Closet Child - Star Chiffon skirt from Alice and the Pirates - and just had to have it, as I knew it would fit and it was going for a really cheap price (24 pounds!). Needless to say, the shipping and customs made it much more expensive than that, but I don't mind because it's so cute.
I hope the injection of navy blue in my wardrobe will make good on my promise for the New Year's Lolita goals! 

Here's a coordinate that I quickly put together for my meetup this Saturday, using my new dress.

Blouse: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
JSK: Innocent World
Everything else: Offbrand

Today's Outfit: Three Archangels OP

I've worn this dress an awful lot, it being my favourite dress, but somehow I haven't posted any coords with it to my blog. This is the outfit I'm going to wear this evening to see The Great Gatsby at the theater with my mum. Here's what I paired it with:

OP: Three Archangels by Innocent World
Bolero: off brand
Socks: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Shoes: off brand
Bag: Angelic Pretty

I think the white bolero gives the effect of angel wings when flared out, so it was perfect to wear with this archangel dress!

Innocent World's Three Archangels Tiered OP!

To treat myself after so much work and revision, I decided to save up and purchase a brand dress directly from the website. It was very exciting waiting for it in the mail, and I'm really surprised that my parents allowed me to do it! Usually they disapprove of Lolita fashion and ordering things from abroad, calling it impractical.
Naturally I pounced upon it when it arrived - ironically, after my Religious Education exam - and opened it so fast to see my beautiful new dress. It came with an Innocent World bag and a short but sweet letter with pink Innocent World stationary from the store, which I think could be hand-written. It was a very nice touch!

 

This angel is my favourite, and I'm pretty sure he's the angel Gabriel - the character I played in the Nativity when I was younger! The other angels are Raphael and Michael, or so I believe. What a beautiful print!

 

Isn't the lace just fantastic! It's so soft, too.

The dress itself is absolutely gorgeous, made from extremely high-quality materials. The lace is fantastic, with fleur de lis on, and the print is the most beautiful I've seen yet. And when I tried it on, it fit! I think it's my most favourite dress in my wardrobe, and I adore it! Even dad said it was worth the money. Innocent World is now my favourite brand and that dress, along with my Pullip Tiphona, are what my Lolita dreams are made of.

The brand concept says:  "Innocent World's designer, Yumi Fujihara, has created a new brand of clothing inspired by classical European designs that embodies the ideals of elegance and cuteness but is suitable for young women of the modern era. The brand name Innocent World brings to mind a simple world without dirt or blemish. We made this name to reflect the pure and innocent hearts of young women everywhere, at any age."

Elizabeth Rose Skirt

Finally, it is done! This skirt took absolutely ages, but I can't help but think it was worth it when I've seen these photos. It's a part of my Textiles coursework for school, and as Textiles is my favourite lesson it was a labour of love.

I made the design quite a while ago, yet it has changed a bit from the original look. For a start, I got rid of the ribbons on the front of the skirt and added a huge bow at the back. Not to mention, I changed the fabric a few times; I wanted chiffon, but as that was not available I settled for polyester taffeta instead, which I think works quite well. It gives it an interesting texture in my humble opinion. 

 

The brief was Japanese Street Fashion (lucky me!) so I got my Lolita brain on and immediately thought of a Classic Lolita design, as these days the allure of Sweet Lolita isn't so great. Hopefully the monotone gray rose fabric I chose embodies this sub-style; it was inexpensive and came from IKEA, which is great for school and so easy to sew with.

As for the pattern, that was drafted by yours truly and made up along the way, as I can't follow pattern instructions to save my life.

Although it's quite long on me, I'll look forward to wearing it sometime next year, as the school will take it away from me to be moderated.

Elizabeth Rose Bonnet

I made this bonnet recently with the supplies I bought in Maine. It's made of a straw hat base (18"), dove grey velvet, white cotton on the inside, three kinds of lace, grosgrain ribbon, and four white roses. This is the first hat I've made, so I'm satisfied for my first attempt!
 
I was going for more of a simple, elegant design in monotone colours, to match the name of the Queen of England. My mum said that I should have added more roses on the back, but I think it looks okay the way it is; I wanted it to be quite sparse anyway. Actually, it turned out quite different from the design I quickly sketched on holiday, but seeing as this was my first bonnet, I'm rather glad, as the other design seemed quite complicated to make.

I'm really pleased with how nicely the grey and white go together, as that was a last-minute decision. Also, the lace on the front looks very impressive worn. As for what I would change if I were to make this again, I think that the puckering on the crown of the bonnet looks rather odd - I had a lot of difficulty getting that to sit right, and in the end it still looks quite strange...

Whilst making this, sewing the lace to the brim, I listened to Jeeves and Wooster on the TV and drank rose tea - a really relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon! I'm really enjoying sewing at the moment, so I'm thinking of making items in grey and white to match, to add a classic element to my lolita wardrobe; perhaps a grey cape and a grey A-line skirt with roses...

Classic Lolita Polyvore Co-ords

I was feeling bored this weekend because I had a lot of French speaking revision and History essay to do, so therefore didn't have time to draw or write. But, I did make these in my spare time, so I suppose it's worth it.

Tartan Queen

Margaret's School

Lolita Print Themes I'd Love to see

Browsing through some lolita blogs recently, I've seen some interesting prompts for blog posts. One of them was about print themes, so I thought why not! :3

In lolita fashion there are dozens of themes in prints. Alice in Wonderland, Romeo and Juliet, Forest animals etc. I'd love to see some of these themes created (if they don't already exist)!

1) Titanic. It's a really sad event that actually happened in the 20th century, and last year it hit it's 100th anniversary. I really love the Titanic movie, and Jack and Rose as a couple, so I thought this print would be perfect! Maybe in navy blues and purples. Alice and the Pirates could pull this off very well in my opinion.





 2) The Flowers from Alice in Wonderland. Sure, Alice in Wonderland has been done a million times, but have the talking flowers? I think it would make a really nice classic or slightly gothic theme. Also I'm currently in love with pansies.

3) Koitsukihime I absolutely adore Koitsukihime dolls! Both my favorite bands/singers (Malice Mizer and ALI PROJECT) have had album covers with these dolls on - so I think it would be amazing for a dress theme! Actually I think this might have already been done... I'm not sure.  

Pullip Doll Tiphona

Yesterday my first Pullip doll, Tiphona, arrived from America!

 

 She's just so beautiful! I would recommend Tiphona to any doll lover, as her hair is so soft and her face up so gentle.
She's wearing clothes and accessories designed by Japanese lolita brand, Innocent World. The clothes are of immaculate quality with so much detail! If I had enough money, I would buy the human-sized version, even though I'm more of a sweet and gothic lolita rather than classic. The doll came with tiny shoes, a gorgeous headband and a really cute headband.

Her eyes can change direction rather than colour. The colour of her eyes look really natural.

I'm calling her Aika Takanaga after my favourite OC. 
 They look kind of alike, I suppose! :)

Aika (on the right)

 

 Aika is from the 50s, and she loves drawing comics and singing. She is half Japanese, half French, but lives with her rich and famous father and two elder brothers in Maine.
Her star sign is Gemini and she was born on the 26th May, 1945 (13-14 years old).
She is quiet, bubbly, friendly, fashionable and artistic. Aika likes spending time with her friend, Cherry Misaki.