Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Degrassi Next Class Netflix Review

I don't often write about TV series, but in the rare moment  - when the moon is in the right spot - I get that itch to give you some thoughts on some current TV I am giving a try. This time around, I'm talking about Degrassi. No, not the 80's TV series, nor the early 2000's reboot - I'm talking about Netflix's Degrassi Next Class. Why yes, dear readers, incase you had no clue, Netflix recently got the rights to produce and stream the new season of Degrassi, the same time it comes out in Canada. And rather than waiting each week for a new episode, you can stream the entire season, from start to finish, in all its overdramatic brilliance. 



Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Galentine's Day Meet Up: Roses, Roses, And More Roses

This past Saturday, my lovely friend Crystal ran a fantastic meet up at the famous Rose House in Flushing, Queens! This has, and will always be, one of my favorite tea rooms in all of New York City. The place instantly smells like roses, and has the kind of charming, fairy tale like atmosphere that I am a complete sucker for. And, of course, it brings out my inner Beauty and the Beast geek like crazy - so many visual and delicious dreams come true here.

So since this was to celebrate Valentine's Day and roses, we were all told to dress in accordance to the theme. For my coordinate, I chose to go a little outside of my comfort zone: I wore, for the first time in my entire Lolita Fashion life, a piece from Alice and the Pirates - and let me tell you, it felt great. Though I can't say it is the color scheme that I love the most, it embodied the feeling of romance and adventure that I get from going to Rose House.

 



The dress I picked was one of the big birthday presents from my parents, called Dancing Roses of the Dark Night. A lot of people dismissed this print as something just "typical AatP", yet if you give it a closer look, you can see that it is actually a Beauty and the Beast print. How? Well, the most obvious clue is the Rose in the Bell Jar, just like the iconic image from the Disney adaptation. Next, you can see the staircase is covered in roses, much like 2014 live action version, and the silverware on the table is very Disney mixed with Jean Cocteau specific imagery. And if you know anything about this blogger, you know that anything related to my favorite fairy tale is a must have in my collection. The minute I tried this JSK on, I felt this instant connection to it, like it was meant to be. And spoiler alert: It totally was.

So in keeping with the Rose theme of the meet up, I felt it was time to show off this pretty new piece of mine. I was so nervous about wearing straight up Classic/Gothic Lolita, a sub-style I haven't really dabbled in too often. Every time I had, I felt like I wasn't being myself, and got that sort of sheepish feeling. But this time, I think I finally cracked the code on how to rock this non-pastel sparkly side of myself. Incase you're curious, here's the results below....

Picture taken by Parfait Doll

I wanted to achieve a super princess look, so I chose to wear my new Atelier Pierrot blouse underneath. The veil is from Lily of the Valley, who make tons of other beautiful accessories and dresses too! The lace on this piece is actually snowflakes, and though some would feel that could be a weird choice to compliment the rose print, I thought the veil could represent the snow going on both around this time of year and in the Beast's castle, specifically during the Disney version. The cross necklace is from Forever 21, and though I wasn't trying to evoke any religious imagery, I guess I sort of ended up looking like The Virgin Mary! (I swear it wasn't on purpose!)

Rose House Tea Set - Picture by Parfait Doll
Rose House of course was lovely, as it always is. Me and my dear friend Victoria of Parfait Doll, shared a really yummy tea set. At first it looked small, but by the end we were both very, very full. My favorite dessert that we got was the chocolate cake that reminded me a lot of the movie The Road to El Dorado for some reason - mostly because it had these Aztec patterns on the bottom ring of the cake. And since my tea set partner in crime is a blonde, and I'm a brunette, I guess that makes us Miguel and Tulio - frilly style!


After some flower themed games, and laughing with friends, I got to spend the rest of the day venturing around Flushing - an area I don't know as well as I'd like to. I even got to see the local Sanrio store, and get my hands on one of the Japan La Little Twin Stars shirts I wanted - for half off! Leapin' lizards, that was a good deal my friends. 

Our frilly crew then parted ways, and I have to say this was one of my favorite meet ups in a really long time. Being in Lolita Fashion for almost 12 years (#Scary) I've been getting a little jaded when it comes to meet ups - but this one still had that super special feeling that I loved from my past frilly adventures. But more importantly, I love getting to see my friends sparkle and shine in these moments - we might have tough days here and there, but these meet ups are a great way to enjoy our friendships (new and old) with each other. 

Love my Gals and all the Galentines they provide! 

So what did you do/are going to do for Valentines Day? Are you having a themed meet up, or just some special time with that certain someone in your life? Are you doing anything for fun for yourself? Comment below and gimmie the scoop!



Monday, February 1, 2016

Magic Princess - Castles, Scepters, and Black Rings - Oh My!

Hey readers!

I've been pretty busy since my last legit blog post here, catching up on all things from the Holidays, Lolita Events, and more some. But, as I don't like to disappoint, I thought I'd write a little bit about something I am excited about - and it is frilly - trust me.

I don't often get the chance to purchase things when a big new brand release happens - but when the opportunity presents itself, I always attempt to do so! This time around, I noticed that Angelic Pretty was releasing a new collection - and not just any - but one that spoke to my inner pastel royal. What dress might that be? Well, if you couldn't guess, it's Magic Princess!


The print is covered in sparkles, tall pastel castles, and beautiful Magical Girl inspired scepters. Seriously, this dress is my everything for so many reasons. From the variety of colors it comes in (I truly love every one of them for different reasons) to the detailing on each of the three cuts (the underbust JSK being my personal favorite design) this collection is one from my dreams. 

When many of my friends saw that I had purchased this dress, many of them immediately were like "Well of course you got this, it is so you!" which made me really happy - since (in all seriousness) this is definitely the kind of image I want people to think of when they are thinking of me. Pastels, castles, elegant but nostalgic pictures of royalty - this is definitely my kind of print. 

There are many reasons why I fell in love with this print, but mainly it is due to a key memory it tapped into for me. Many of you know my love of all things 80's/90's (since that is when I indeed was a child) and as such, one of the things I was obsessed with as a kid was the board game Pretty, Pretty Princess. 


For those of you that never got to experience this "masterpiece" of game design, let me go ahead and explain the basic "plot" or point of this 90's relic. Essentially, you and your fellow friends, who I assume are supposed to be poor folk, happen upon a box of magical princess accessories, including a crown, ring, necklace, bracelet, and earrings - each in specific colors. Your objective is to collect all of the items (in your designated color) so that one of you will become "The Pretty, Pretty Princess" - who, let's face it, is the one of you with the most bling by the end of the game. Oh how times have changed - imagine if the US president could win their seat in the White House based on how many color coordinated pieces they collected? Would sure be a different world, right? 


I can't say I remember much of playing a complete round of the game, but I do remember the accessories that came with it. The colors and images were pretty iconic in my mind, and though the objective of the game at the end was a bit silly (your reward was looking at a mirror? *shrug*) it still was a piece of my childhood that I will never forgot as a whole - specifically the one time I got the infamous "Black Ring" and felt the weight of the Pretty, Pretty Princess world on my shoulders. Trust me, when you had that thing on your finger, it was bad news. Of course now, my inner teenage goth kid would be proud to wear that piece - oh the irony!

                                          

So, now returning to our time machines from our past board game adventures, I'm sure many of you are curious to know which version of Angelic Pretty's Magic Princess I ended up purchasing. Well, as much as I loved the look of the underbust JSK, I decided to go for comfort and pick the fully back shirred JSK cut, with the super cool and interesting military style buttons on the front. The color I picked was the Sax colorway, which was the one that stood out the most to me. It showed off the print the best, and made the gold details pop better than any of the other versions did. Currently, it seems the Yellow version is the most popular, which I can totally see why - it is very unique, and a nice warm yellow instead of an annoying canary type that most AP yellow prints come in. 

Sadly, I couldn't afford to get any other items from the collection on release, including the coveted crown purse. But, in all honesty, having just the JSK is fine by me. I think it is absolutely perfect, and I hope I can rock it in a super romantic coordinate for Valentines Day. I know it is breaking tradition for me to not wear red and pink together on that day - but the call of my Pretty, Pretty Princess sisters is strong, and I must answer it by wearing this masterpiece. 

I'll be sure to make a post (and video!) when I receive this! So, did any of you get Magic Princess? Which color and cut is your favorite? Comment below and tell me all about your purchases! 


Wednesday, October 28, 2015

NYC's Lolita Community Halloween Tea Party 2015


The spoopy season continues, especially in New York City's Lolita Fashion Community! We just had our annual Halloween Tea Party, hosted by the queen of spoop herself, Yanise of KawaiiLIFE. This year's party took place at King's Carriage, a location we went to for a similar get together years ago. The staff loves us, and always is super friendly, even remembering specific frilly ladies whenever we return. The place was perfect for a spooky themed party, with the burgundy walls, creaky floors, and other little touches.

Yanise set up a lovely, down to earth event, which included a Jack-o-Lantern contest that was beyond cool. The creativity of the contestants was so inspiring, especially Amy's Pokemon pumpkin and Ashley's Baby Head pumpkin. Each of the winners got three awesome prizes: two small Baby The Stars Shine Bright wallets, and one large white one as the big grand prize. There was also an honorable mention prizes, which was a free digital copy of Crystal's book.



As for me, my outfit was a bit of a last minute effort. I was pondering for weeks what I could wear to the event, but finally when I asked Crystal what her coordinate was gonna be, I decided to twin with her. The general look of my outfit is inspired by 60's Mahou Shoujo series like Sally The Witch, with some touches of cute silver and blue accessories to make the colors in Magical Etoile pop! My favorite item I added was my Beast Disneybound hairbow clip (from Extra Sweet Bowtique), putting a little bit of a Disney element into my otherwise Magical Girl coordinate.

If you're curious to know what fun was had, my first new vlog in forever (which is also on Magic Ala Mode's official new YouTube channel, yay!) can be viewed below:


Like what you saw? Subscribe to the YouTube channel, which will be updated frequently!

Until next time, keep up the magic!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Keepin' The Peak: Movies To Watch Before/After "Crimson Peak"

So, the movie that was #1 on my most anticipated list for 2015 finally came out, and its name is Crimson Peak. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, this gothic romance has truly taken my heart, buried it into a pile of frills, melodramatic acting, Tom Hiddleston hotness, and everything else that peaks my spoopy interest this Halloween season. But incase you haven't seen the film, or are curious to see more films related to Crimson Peak, I thought I'd come up with a list of sorts (inspired by my friend Cinema Doll's blog post) to help satisfy your cinematic cravings.


Now, onto the list, in no particular order.... 


Sunday, October 11, 2015

RuffleCon 2015

Sorry for the radio silence, folks! The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of insanity. From my D23 trip (which I will write about soon) to meet ups, I have been one busy lady. But if you can't tell from this post, I am gonna focus on one particular event that truly took over my life: RuffleCon 2015.

RuffleCon took place at the Sheraton Stamford hotel, in Stamford CT, only a little over a week ago. I was part of the 2015 planning staff, which consisted of the major players that helped bring the fashion conference to life. I was in charge of Media Management, essentially meaning I was the one that edited all the promo videos prior to the conference, and helped organize all the photographers and videographers, to make sure they got to where they needed to be, to get the most coverage.

I also helped run a charity Instax booth for RAINN, a cause I hold close to my heart. If you'd like to know more about them, click here. I was lucky that I got to see a ton of awesome faces throughout the conference, and got to meet some new ones too. I loved being able to capture so many beautiful individuals, ones that otherwise might have felt that they were going unnoticed.

Throughout the conference, I wore a couple of awesome coordinates. Friday I was able to rock two! The first was an Ariel inspired coord, which would have been worn at D23 Expo, if the weather wasn't so hot. RuffleCon was the perfect place to wear it though, as I was presenting that day a Nerd Lolita panel with my lovely friend (and GRO), Angela. I then quickly changed into Angel of Music, as the designer (Haenuli) was a guest, and a group of us wanted to wear the print in front of her during the masquerade.

Ariel Coordinate Photo - Credit to Xiaoyu 

Angel of Music Group Photo - Credit to Yanise

Saturday was all about looking Spoopy, and in keeping with the spirit, I rocked my first ever Witch themed coordinate. I found a mini hat from Target, and did some DIY magic with a off-brand bow I had been given years earlier. I matched it with my Putumayo cat series JSK, Forever 21 blouse, and paired an off-brand hippy skirt from H&M that works perfectly as an under piece. Finished that off with my TUK Cat Shoes, and some cat themed glasses, and I was the Spoopy princess of my dreams. 

Beautiful photo by Xin Lolita Photography

That day, I had another responsibility: Hosting the first act of the fashion show. Man, was that a challenge. I haven't been that nervous in a long time, but amidst everything, and even with the small hiccups, I think we all made it work pretty well. I'm glad I was able to put some comedy into it, and if I ever get the chance again, I'll sprinkle more jokes in there. 

When Sunday came around, I was pretty tired, and did a pretty standard coordinate with Haenuli's Planetary Dreamer, my favorite print she's ever made. No matter how many times I wear it, it is beyond comfortable. And it was a good thing I wore something that comfy, since I was running around a lot that day, and had to tame some intense raptors (photographers/videographers) too!

Me and Victoria, thanks to KYOPLAY Photography

Evidence of my taming skills 

Overall, RuffleCon was an incredible experience! I have said this many times, but this community is my family. For years I felt like such a social outcast, and that I would never find my true calling. Alternative Fashion is my calling, and showing its beauty is a purpose I know I am meant to do, for as long as it will let me. Major shout outs and love to my Maple Coven (media team), the Planning Staff (you know who you are) and all my friends I made during the conference. Every single one of you are incredible individuals, and I am one lucky lady to have been in your presence. 

So did you go to RuffleCon 2015? What did you wear? Are you coming next year? Let's discuss all the RC fun in the comment section below. 

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Prepping for D23 Expo - Part 2 - Ariel Coordinate

Welcome to another edition of Prepping for D23 Expo! This week, we're gonna focus on my second coordinate for the event. You saw my Anna snowflake covered get up, but the other princess I am paying tribute to is much more sunny and water friendly. And if you guessed Ariel, you'd be correct! With my recent purchase of Marine Kingdom, I've been dreaming of doing as many different mermaid themed coordinates as possible - The Little Mermaid herself, included.

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