Artist Inspired Outfits

So this post is actually a couple of months old, but I completely forgot to post it at the time. I hope you all enjoy it!

Taobao brands love to throw the odd curve ball now and then. It usually gets given a lot of 'ha ha' reactions when it gets posted to Lolita Updates on Facebook and you will get a few who love it enough to actually go ahead and buy it.

My initial reaction to seeing Vincent Van Goat by Cherry Bomb was to laugh. The idea of an artist depicted as a goat seemed like such a bizarre thing to put on a lolita dress! And yet, I find it weirdly endearing. It could certainly be worked in to a serious lolita outfit without looking too comical. It also reminded me of the Juliette et Justine painting dresses, but this dress is a much different take on art inspired lolita.

As I saw this dapper goat dressed as Vincent van Gogh I wondered to myself how various different artists would look if they were to wear lolita. So just for fun I have created outfit collages inspired by different artists. This is how I imagine the artists themselves would want to wear lolita.

Degas

I couldn't do this post without including my absolute favourite artist (there is a new exhibition in London on his work soon and I am very excited!). As he painted a lot of ballerinas, that was the obvious direction to go in here. I initially was going to do an outfit with the Emily Temple Cute Toe Shoes JSK, but I didn't feel the available colours truly reflected Degas. His colours are more soft and muted. So I decided to choose a dress that is soft and floaty with a lot of movement to represent the dancers. Therefore, I went with this Juliette et Justine chiffon dress. The rest was relatively simple. A lot of the ballerinas in his works feature floral hair pieces, but nothing too big (they have to be suitable for dancing in, after all). The tights may not be very practical, but I thought plain tights were a bit too bare.

Klimt

I will be honest here- I have never been a fan of Klimt, but I happened to stumble across the dress in this collage at random. When I saw it I instantly thought of the backgrounds of a lot of Klimt pieces. His work features a lot of black and gold. There is also a lot of swirls and trees. I tried to imagine what his muse from The Kiss would wear. For a Klimt outfit I think an up do is best for the hair and maybe some coral lipstick.

Roy Lichtenstein

The first of two Pop Art artists I am looking at today. Lichtenstein's works feature loads of polka dots. Dolly Dot felt like the most obvious dress choice. I tried to keep the retro and kitsch vibe going throughout the outfit. I think the key thing here is bold, yet simple. And lots and lots of dots!

L. S. Lowry

I included Lowry because I studied him when I was in primary school! For those of you who don't know his work, he is from Manchester and he painted a lot of industrial scenes. The figures in his paintings were also known for wearing clogs, hence the inclusion of them. He used a lot of muted, neutral tones and browns. As business men in suits feature a fair bit, it seemed fitting to include a bowler hat and bow tie! I was going to include a briefcase as well, but I was unable to find one that matched well enough. Hopefully you get the general gist of what I was aiming for!

Monet

I remember when Baby's Labyrinth print first came out that I instantly thought of Monet when I saw it. It features a scene by water and the details are a little bit blurry ( which I feel reflected his short-sightedness in later life). This outfit was inspired by what I felt a young maiden walking through his paintings would be likely to wear. I imagined a massive floppy bergere hat, a parasol to protect them from the sun and extravagant sleeves. Also, I finally found a pair of sax blue shoes which are not tea parties, so that was a personal achievement as well!

Warhol

Finally, I decided to do an outfit for Andy Warhol. I think Warhol would have leaned more towards Otome. You can't really have a Warhol outfit without a cool beret and thin turtleneck. The look is very 60's art scene. Whilst fruit-wise Warhol is probably better connected to bananas, alas this is not a theme which appears in Japanese fashion very much! So I took the safer option of going for cherries. The dress features fruit cans, which is a small nod to Warhol's famous soup can work.

So that is what I came up with. I tried to do artists which were a bit different to the typical painting dresses we are used to seeing in the fashion. My favourite is the Warhol outfit (I bet you all thought I was going to pick Degas!). Maybe it is because the Warhol outfit could be worn casually and I could see myself actually browsing a gallery whilst wearing it. From time to time you will see smaller indie brands release dresses with famous paintings on them. I purposely didn't go a Van Gogh outfit because a dress with his Starry Starry Night already exists. These are a bit different from your typical Juliette et Justine painting dresses too. But at least there are many different options out there if you wish to pay homage to your favourite artist.

September 2017 Haul- Unexpected Dream Item Edition

Today I have another haul to share with you all, which is mostly accessory based with a bit of artwork thrown in for good measure. This was not meant to be a 'Big Spending' month for me, especially after DMC, but fate decided to chuck a wishlist item in my direction. I also really like Halloween, which as you will see below heavily influenced my spending.

First is a pair of postcards I got from Polyrillustration on Etsy. I have a bad habit of buying anything remotely bird themed lately, but these are no ordinary birds! They have been drawn by a lolita called Elizabeth and their wings feature a lace pattern. So I guess you could say they have been slightly lolitafied! But I wanted to include these in my haul post because I really think Elizabeth is talented and as an added bonus, she is really lovely! Please go and check out her Etsy.

As well as an envelope covered in the most amazing bird stickers (which I have cut out and kept, even though they are no longer sticky) Elizabeth wrote me a thank you note. Apparently I am her very first customer! I really loved the bird drawing she did for the note. I would be interested to see where she takes her art in the future. Perhaps she could offer to draw customer's birds? (hint hint...)

Next is a Spooktacular haul from H&M. I went looking for Larme-able stuff, and ended up raiding the kid's section. Aside from the moon and star clips, everything came from the kid's section. I have to admit that so far this Autumn I have not been impressed with the very slow trickle of Halloween merchandise available here in the UK. It is not really that big a holiday over here and I was sad that H&M relegated Halloween to the kid's section. 

But I was very glad I took a chance and went to check the kid's bit out (I do this every time I go to H&M) because these accessories are so adorable! I absolutely love the bat clip. All the clips are quite firmly glued on. I am also pleased to say that the chokers stretch enough for an adult to comfortably wear them. The skeleton hands do indeed glow in the dark, but they are not that vibrant. I mainly got these for their spooky vibe. Also, these hand clips are quite popular in Japanese fashion but they can be very expensive. So being able to get them on the high street was a big bonus.

I also got these fluffy scrunchies because I thought they looked cute, but also because I could incorporate them in to my larme wardrobe. Despite being in the kid's section, they have a reasonable amount of stretch to them. My only complaint is I had to buy 2 lots so I could have matching colours if I did twin tails. Who am I kidding, I would have brought them in both colours anyway!

Finally, I got both the necklace and bracelet from Baby's Twinkle Constellation series! You may have seen me use this necklace in a load of outfit collages on here, and now I actually own it! These have both been on my wishlist ever since the series first came out, but they very rarely crop up on the second hand market. Then Closet Child Harajuku got both of them. I had to use a shopping service for the necklace, so I used Muuh Tokyo SS. She replied super quick and within minutes we had arranged for her to go to Closet Child the following day and pick up the necklace for me. I was sent photographic proof of the necklace and receipt. The necklace was also very well packed. I would wholeheartedly recommend her service if you need a speedy shopping service.

Both the bracelet and the necklace were in like new condition. The design which I have coveted for so many years was definitely worth it. The rounded star shape is so cute. It does remind me of candy, as do the frosted beads. The star chains interwoven in to the design are a nice touch as well. I did notice that the star charms were a little stiff and don't have much movement to them, but this is only a minor complaint. The necklace has lots of space on the chain to adjust the length, but the bracelet is firmly one size only. I did find this meant the bracelet slipped quite far down my arm. I suppose because of the bracelet design it would have been difficult to make it adjustable without compromising on appearance. But overall, I am super happy to finally tick these off my wishlist. I don't have that many items left to go now, which is exciting! I do wonder how (or if) my wardrobe will expand after I get everything else.

So those are my new items! Despite the necklace really taking me by surprise and screwing up my socialising funds for this month, I don't regret getting it at all. It is a really cool design and now I am probably going to bore you all by wearing it constantly! The other items were all cheap and well worth the money. I really like it when you find little surprises on the high street. Primark, didn't have the fluffy bag I wanted, but otherwise my shopping trip left me satisfied. There is more stuff on the way to me in the mail so hopefully there will be another haul post in the near future.

My Dream Painting Dresses

Okay, so I am feeling very excited about the Tea Party Club's Juliette et Justine event this weekend! Ahead of this massive event, I thought I would further my excitement by doing a JetJ inspired post.

Juliette et Justine are probably best known for their painting dresses, such as Amour d'amants. Whilst they have also released a lot of other beautiful pieces, it seems the painting dresses have become very popular. However, JetJ have to use paintings that are part of the public domain. This is due to public domain pictures not being subjected to copyright.

But let's just say for a moment that JetJ could use any painting they wanted? Which paintings would you like to see them use? Here are my choices.

Ballet Rehearsal On Stage- Edgar Degas

Degas is my favourite artist, so he was always going to be on my list! JetJ could use any Degas painting and I would snap it up! But the reason Degas is on this list is because of the way he captured dancers in some of his most well-known works. I always picture ballerinas as being elegant, graceful and beautiful; qualities that could be appealing to lolitas as well. And when it comes to pictures of ballerinas, it has to be Degas! I feel his paintings captured the movement and grace of ballerinas the best. I could have chosen a number of Degas paintings, but I selected this one because I felt it would be the most suited for JetJ. It really feels as though you are standing at the side of the stage, watching the ballerinas rehearse.

Starry Night Over the Rhone- Vincent van Gogh

It is not as famous as the shorter named Starry Night, but I personally feel this one is more beautiful. The scene is so romantic with the glowing stars, the reflection of light off buildings in the water... I wish I could go to Arles and see this scene for myself. Night scenes are also very appealing with the deep colours. However, I admit that this painting would probably not transfer well to fabric. It is still gorgeous though.

The White Water Lillies- Claude Monet

A bit blurry, but I think it adds to its charm. I just think it is such a beautiful and peaceful scene, and that is why it got included on my list. It is the kind of scene where I could imagine seeing a lolita walking across the bridge. I love the use of colour too.

Sistine Madonna Two Angels- Raphael

It is an image I have already seen on multiple items of clothing! Angels are a popular theme in lolita and when I think of angel paintings, this is the first one that comes to my mind. The image is romantic and I can really see it fitting JetJ. 

Birth of Venus- Botticelli

A very famous image! Out of all the paintings in this post, this is one of the ones which I would most love to see JetJ do. It is not too hard to imagine how the finished dress would look. It is very classic and beautiful, the sort of thing I could imagine lolitas snapping up instantly. In fact, it would probably appeal to an even wider audience. 

Salisbury Cathedreal, From the Meadows- John Constable

I blame my mum for this one! I grew up seeing Constable paintings on a frequent basis. My mum owned coasters, table mats and pictures of Constable's paintings. In fact, I think I even saw a painting of his on a biscuit tin once. His paintings have so much detail to them and again, I wonder if this would come out well on fabric. Cathedrals or religious buildings are something we are used to seeing in lolita, usually with gothic lolita.  I feel this painting is a slightly different take on cathedrals than what we usually see. It is also framed well by the trees and river in the foreground and the rainbow in the sky.

Ophelia- Millais

I have been championing Shakespeare themed prints for a very long time and this is the scene I most want to see make it on to a dress! It depicts Ophelia singing in the water, just before she drowns. Yes, it is a bit grim, but for me it is one of the most iconic Shakespeare moments. And the painting depicts the scene in such a beautiful way. The foliage is so life-like and Millais put a lot of effort in to using the "language of flowers" and also putting Shakespeare's description of the scene to good use.

To be honest, there is a load of painting out there which could work with JetJ. As you can probably tell, I like impressionism and also scenes which I feel have a romantic, beautiful look to them. Some of my choices are probably more obvious than others, but I made this post based on my own opinions. I would be very interested to hear what other paintings people think would make a good JetJ dress. The possibilities are endless.

Edgar Degas, Laduree and a new banner!

Friday the 14th October 2011- This day will always be special to me. I finally managed to make one of my life goals come true, and it is thanks to lolita!

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a lolita meet. The idea was to visit the Royal Academy of Arts in London for an exhibit about Edgar Degas. As soon as I saw the word Degas, I started to hyperventilate. Edgar Degas is my favourite artist of all time. I first discovered Degas when I was about 7. My dad had purchased our first computer and he got me this set of computer games to celebrate. In one of the games, you had to stop a burglar from stealing paintings from 3 artists. One of these artists was Degas. When you finished the game, you got to see the paintings. I instantly fell in love with Degas. I kept researching him and discovered more of his beautiful works. I find it hard to explain why I love him so much. Degas painted a lot of dancers and ballerinas, and it is these paintings which he is most famous for. The dancers look graceful, and I love the way Degas captured their effortless grace. The exhibition in London focused on the way Degas captured their movement. I sometimes wonder what Degas would have thought about lolitas and how he would have captured lolita in his art. If I were to pose for any artist, it would definitely be Degas. And I only found out about this exhibit because I was a part of a lolita facebook group!

Despite being unable to attend the lolita meet, there was NO WAY I was missing the chance to see some of Degas' most famous work in person. The Royal Academy of Arts was buzzing with excitement and there was a bit of a queue to get in.

The lolitas going to the meet are in for a treat! If you are reading this post before the 11th of December 2011 and would like the chance to see the exhibit in London, you can find details here- http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/degas/

There was one particular part of the exhibition that I was really excited to see-

This is Dancer Posing for a Photographer (sometimes the title for this painting varies a little bit). This is my absolute favourite painting by my favourite artist. This painting normally hangs in a gallery in Russia. Considering how unlikely it is that I will go to Russia, I simply had to see this painting. It was one of my life goals to view this painting and now I can say I have seen it. When I first saw it, I felt my heart clench with excitement. It is so beautiful. I can actually feel my eyes tearing up just remembering this special moment.

I spent ages in the gift shop looking for my favourite painting. I was hoping for a print (in fact, this has now gone down on my Christmas wishlist, so I am holding out hope of at least getting a poster). Sadly, I could not find Dancer Posing for a Photographer but I did find this print. I am now trying to figure out where I should put it. I also got a few postcards and the Royal Academy's magazine. I did spot a beautiful umbrella with a Degas print on it (it would look beautiful with classic lolita) which cost £30, but I decided I would be sensible and so I saved it to buy a few Christmas presents. I would have snapped it up in an instant if Christmas wasn't coming up!

I also decided to go to Laduree for macarons. Laduree macarons are famous so in the interest of research, I went and got a box of 8!

This is the macaron tree which greets you outside their shop. I went to the Burlington Arcade branch because it was very close to the Degas exhibit. Inside the shop, it is like a sparkly grotto. In this photo you can see the gold underneath the macaron tree. The entire shop is covered with this gold decoration. The shop itself is small, so it is best to go in very small groups or by yourself.

This is the box my 8 macarons came in. I think this is their standard packaging which in itself, is still very pretty. If you want a fancier box I think you need to buy more macarons.

Left to Right- Rose, Lemon, Raspberry, Granny Smith Apple, Black Forest, Praline and Violet and Blackcurrant (I had already eaten another rose macaron). As expected, they were expensive but I can honestly say they are the nicest macarons I have ever tried. They have a wonderful crispy but chewy texture. The flavours in the store are varied with a few standard flavours such as raspberry, and the more exotic flavours like Green Apple. They also do special flavours from time to time. If I remember correctly, the black forest macaron is not part of the regular macaron menu.

My favourites were the Black Forest (perfect mix of chocolate and cherry), green apple (unusual, but in a good way), and the Violet/blackcurrant (simply amazing). But I was amazed by every single one I tried.

Finally, I have some new banner art!

This banner was made by the very lovely Beau. Beau based the banner on the outfit I wore to the October 2011 Oxfordshire Lolita meet with Meta's Fairy tale print. Beau has gone to a lot of effort to capture my outfit including the ivy wrapped around my leg, the print details and even my black Bodyline bolero. I absolutely love this banner! So a huge thank you to Beau for making this for me.

Showcasing the incredibly awesome Beau!

I am having a bit of a lazy day today because it is a bank holiday weekend here in the UK. It is almost mid-day and I am not even dressed yet! But I thought I would quickly share some art work with you.

My lovely friend Beau drew some pictures of me and I think they are AMAZING.

This is the original. I love all the little details! Beau remembered to include my multiple earrings in my right ear and she chose an outfit that fits my usual style. I have been drawn with my favourite Pokemon called Swablu. Outside of lolita, I am a Pokemon nerd!

This is the coloured version. The colours in real life may differ slightly to how they appear here. The skirt reminds me of my Alice skirt from Bodyline but it has ducks on it because if you have not already guessed, I am also obsessed with ducks!

I wish I could draw as well as Beau! If I could even reach half of her level I would be happy. Thank you so much to Beau for making this picture for me. I love it!