Lolita

I have recently developed an interest in Japanese fashion. I am not Japanese, but I love manga, anime (Hayao Miyazaki is a god), and (of course) HARAJUKU! One of my favorite animes, Detective Conan, has an episode in which the main characters encounter a "Goth Loli". When my FAVORITE boy Conan-kun explained to his "Uncle" that Lolita fashion was based off of Victorian and Rococo fashion (but had a Japanese touch), I immediately perked up, as I am an avid Sherlock Holmes reader, and I am greatly interested in Steampunk fashion. I began to research:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita_fashion
http://www.lolitafashion.org/
http://www.harajukustyle.net/
When I realized that the purpose of wearing Lolita fashion goes hand in hand with how I dress "eccentrically" to express myself, I immediately took it on. I find it irritating that most women feel that they must expose as much skin as possible to feel beautiful or attractive. Lolitas dress for themselves, and not for men or for anyone else. Remember how 150 years ago, women wore petticoats and dressed much more conservatively than they do now? Lolita fashion serves as a reminder that women can dress modestly, but still feel beautiful. I purchased a "Wa Lolita" outfit (Lolita with a strong Japanese influence) with some of my Christmas money, and I decided to wear it to school today:







THANK YOU TO MAGGIE for taking my pictures. She quickly took my picture before I needed to rush home, and while I am not in my most flattering position in this picture (Maggie took a very high quality picture, I just had a creepy smile on my face because I had just come out of a math test), I think that it gives you readers an idea of the look. Though I started off in the morning with stockings (as it is considered quite scandalous for a Lolita to have bare legs), it soon became 75 degrees, so I took them off midday (of course I kept my drawers and petticoat on underneath^^).
Though I have fantasies of becoming a full-time Lolita (wear only Lolita 24:7), I do not think that I can give up my harem pants or my Bohemian maxi-dresses. However, I will occasionally wear Lolita, and I plan on adding more Lolita clothing to my wardrobe.
I received mixed reactions towards my outfit. Some girls told me "I love you" for wearing the outfit, and a teacher told me that I looked "gorgeous". However, I also received smirks, or bemused facial expressions. While I was on my way to the ladies' room (using all fanciful language right now), a girl saw my outfit and muttered "why would she wear something like that?". I cannot pretend that it does not hurt me when a person sneers at my unconventional outfits. Many people see fashion as just something that shows how "stylish" they are. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with being "stylish", as fashion is really how you express yourself, and if you want to look "stylish", hats off to you. However, I know that people do not understand that I treat fashion like how I treat all forms of art; it is a way in which to express myself. Just as I express myself when I dance, act, sing, write, paint, or draw, I show everyone how I feel when I dress the way that I would like to dress. A person commented how my outfits usually seem "uncomfortable". However, I would feel truly uncomfortable if I dressed the same as everyone else does. Though people may smirk or roll their eyes at my "style", and I know that dressing the way I do is quite risky, I feel a certain thrill in defying the current day's "standard of fashion". I do not aim to look "chic" or "fashion-forward", but I do stay true to who I am (I know this sounds quite cliche, but I cannot think of a better phrase to describe how I express myself through fashion).
All in all, I hope that I was able to help some of you learn more about Lolita. And most importantly, I want to let you know that if you dress differently from how others dress, there will probably be at least one negative comment that you receive throughout the day. However, remember that if you dress the way that YOU want to dress, you can just hold your head high. Fashion is a medium through which you can silently express how you feel, and your emotions can become instilled in your clothing, but no one should judge your emotions. Let any negative comments bounce off of you, and don't let the bullies get you down :)

I Heart Sherlock

During Spirit Week at my school, my school required that we one day dress as anything that starts with the letter "m". Being a Sherlockian, my thoughts automatically went to Professor James Moriarty. And when I wore my Moriarty outfit to school, I felt really bad-ass. My friends admitted that my outfit looked "very cool". However, as much as I think that Moriarty, as a character, is interesting, he cannot provoke in me the love that I feel for Sherlock himself. I have read all of Doyle's novels/stories on Holmes, but I never cease to be amazed at the spectacular intelligence and knowledge of the great sleuth. Therefore, I created an outfit quite similar to the Moriarty outfit that I wore to school, but an outfit that is meant for Sherlock.






coat (Koreatown); jacket (BeBe); button-down (Espirit); Sherlock brooch (Etsy shop called "karamboola"); harem pants (American Apparel); combat boots (Korea)
Being an avid reader, I have a great number of fictional crushes. However, Sherlock Holmes remains and always will remain at the top of my list, and just as he refers to Irene Adler as "The Woman", I refer to Mr. Holmes as "My Man" or "My Number One". I am in love with the literary version (or what my friend calls the "unbastardized version"), but I admit that the BBC version is great. For any Holmesian, I recommend that you watch the new "Sherlock" series on BBC. It is absolutely thrilling, and I think that this is the best modern-day interpretation of Doyle's stories up-to-date.
On a side note, I must say that STEAMPUNK FASHION IS AWESOME! :)

Circus Freak

I love the extravagance and the insanity of the circus. Though this outfit is a bit toned down (compared to a typical circus costume), I tried to go along with the dancer-esque feeling that so much circus clothing has:




shirt (my grandmother), blazer (vintage), petticoat-skirt (American Apparel), shorts (American Apparel), flats (either Payless or Target)
ps: I wear the shorts underneath as to avoid indecent exposure of my undergarments ;)

Autumn

I realize that this outfit is more suited for fall/winter than for spring, but this is one of my favorite outfits, and it is quite comfortable, too:

scarf, vest, t-shirt (all purchased in Korea or Koreatown); zebra-print belt (Target)
When I wore this to school one day, a girl in my English class told me that I looked like I came out of the Fall Catalogue. Yes, the Fall Catalogue. A long vest is very versatile, and can be worn as a dress or as outerwear. You can also wear one over a long-sleeved, formfitting dress. However, I suggest cinching the waist with a belt to define your figure, as I did with this outfit.
Comfortable clothes are the best :D

The Joy of Boisterous Hosiery

When I wear boots, I usually find myself giggling because of my secret. Most of the times, I wear socks that any sane person would never dream of wearing with what she considers a "nice outfit".







I suggest that if you are ever in need of laughter, purchase a few pairs of "immature socks", and wear them underneath a pair of fancy boots. No one will ever know except for you ;)

Of course, you can flaunt your socks, and add some humor to your everyday outfits. Laughter is the best medicine, after all, and I personally need at least a dose of laughter each day.

Semiformal

My winter semiformal was over a month ago, and I finally have the opportunity to post a picture of my dress:






I made the feather earrings myself, and I had to re-sew on all of the wooden beads onto my dress because they kept on falling off. I must admit, I had quite a number of puncture marks on my hands for the next few days.
The dance was overall quite fun, but my friend and I sat around and discussed some melancholy topics. For example, no matter how much we joked that we could be each other's "dates" and that we did not need boyfriends to complete our lives, it would have still been nice to be in romantic relationships... especially when the slow songs came on.
However, we also discussed some quite hilarious topics, such as what literary characters we were most like. We decided that my friend was Hamlet, and that I was Holden Caulfield (and that my tie skirt was analogous to Holden's red hunting cap).
Yet, my readers, I would like to tell you that you really do not need that "special somebody" to make your life better. If you're the type of person (like me) who has never been in a romantic relationship before, I would like to tell you that someday, you might find somebody absolutely perfect for you. At least, that is what I tell myself. As for now, I am focusing on my own life, and am aiming to go through each day working hard on schoolwork, but also to have at least a teensy bit of fun. Life should be worth living, and in this vast world (that we call Earth ^^), the opportunities are endless.

Exam

Greetings, my readers,

I apologize for not posting in a very long time. Being placed into a blender of SAT prep and schoolwork has proven to be quite strenuous for me.

...sooo, in honor of the stress that comes with school, I decided to post a final exam outfit:




I am officially addicted to my harem pants. I wear them when I jog, dance, take tests, go to sleep, and eat out. They are the most comfortable pants that I have ever worn, and I suggest that you readers invest in a pair or two.

I wore a sequined top because I wore this outfit on the last day of midterms. I went out somewhere afterwards.

I will now catch up on my posting, and have a wonderful Presidents' Day! ^^