winter nostalgia.

Digging around my harddrive I found some old photos my photographer friend Lauren took of my this last winter. Thought I'd take the time to post them. Gosh, look at all that snow...funny to think about snow when the weather is 90 degrees now~ *___*

Outfit rundown:
Blouse, Skirt, Purse, and Hat: Bodyline.co.jp
Fur Stole: vintage from my grandmother♥
Jewelry: pearl and cameo necklace from Forever21, silver choker bought on Mallory Dock in Key West, and candy bonbon ring (which is a Chocomint replica) bought at the Temptations accessory store in the mall
Tights and Boots: offbrand, from DSW and Kohl's (I think...)




Learn more about my photographer friend Lauren Phil. . . .
Tumblr.
Deviantart.

♥ 'Precocious Princess' for summer. ♥

Sources:

little girl at the pet shop gif, on deviantart, bunny print granny panties, candy hearts, lavender scrunchie, magical girl shojo illustration, candy-colored balloons, Lily Cole for playboy, Allison Harvard, Angelic Pretty satin sleeves, girl climbing tree, seashell bracelet, Angelic Pretty bustier ♥

I feel the weather is slowly starting to get warmer here in New England, and the several feet of snow we've had is starting to slowly melt away. And, of course, every fashion magazine all over the world is already stressing spring/summer trends. I only have about three or so months left before I graduate highschool, and it's become harder and harder to stay focused on schoolwork...summer is already on my brain. And, with that being said, I'm already planning summer outfits to wear out-and-about and for playing in the woods like a fairy again...I've been collecting images for mood boards and playing out little stories in my head. This is just a preview of the ideas I've been soaking in like a sponge lately~ ♥ I'll do a more official blog post on this 'precocious princess' vibe I've been infatuated with lately, I was just so excited that I wanted to share some of my inspiration pics with you all~ :]

Stay lovely, dreamchildren~~ ♥ ♥ ♥

"DreamV" gyaru webstore on Youtube! ♥

I have amazing news for those of you dreamchildren who are gyaru-inclined: the adorable gyaru webstore "DreamV" has started a Youtube account, showcasing its products! I'm not a hardcore gyaru myself, but I think DreamV's products are adorable, and its new Youtube channel is the epitome of cute~ ♥ DreamV caters to many kinds of gyaru sub-styles, from the romantic floral prints and delicate lace of "himegyaru" (princess girl) to the sexy black lace and bow-covered numbers of "ero-kawaii" (erotic cute...a.k.a. sexy cute), to even children's clothing, pajamas, and cute lingerie for the bedroom...

DreamV's videos provide an excellent look at many of their product, with beautiful clear videos of their detailed garments, and looks at each color each product comes in. And the models--oh the models--are adorable, and super-inspiring for any Japanese fashion enthusiast! ♥

Because the Youtube channel has over 200 videos at the moment, I've chosen some of my favorite product videos to share with you all, to make your video-searching easier~! DreamV's infamous heart-shaped heels are given a lovely spotlight on the Youtube channel...They come in a ton of different colors, from pink, to black, to even mint, so that you can match them any way you like! ♥ Very cute--perfect for himegyaru, and maybe even sweet lolita! Also, if you like these, check out this version with an extra pound of lace and diamond rhinestones---gooorgeous~! ♥


An adorable himegyaru coat, with a cute fur collar with giant fluffy pom-poms...looks nice and warm--a perfect way to stay looking sweet even during the winter! ♥ Also, cute model is cute~ :3

This"sexy cute" style blouse is classy, but still with a pinch of adorable sex appeal~ ♥ The ruffle in the front and the sheer lace open back is charming! Lady-like and sophisticated while still perfect for partying the night away... ♥



This adorable sweater dress is sexy and cute for both himegyaru and other style gals...The gathered front is very flattering, and the big bow and the layered lace skirt is just so cute! Love it!! ♥



Here are some sexy versions of DreamV's heart-shaped heels, decorated with lace and delicate fake roses~ They look hot in black, don't you think~? ♥

This flirty onepiece with the open lace back is perfect for a sexy party girl. Unfff. The model here is really stylish, too~ ♥

A sweet, floral print dress in the style of gyaru brand Liz Lisa...just precious! I love the bow--it looks as if it's detachable, so you can pin it wherever you like on the dress. Cute! ♥



This sexy, plaid print mini skirt has the best "rock" vibe! I love the gold chain detail and the lace trim...I think there might be little shorts underneath it too--which allows for easy-wearing, and no worrying about panty flashes! Haha! :]

For more DreamV...
♥ Official website ♥
♥ Official Youtube Channel ♥

I had this dream the other night. . . {part one.}

Once upon a time. . .

There was a girl wandering alone through a large crowd of people. There was a grand celebration happening that day--thousands of people had shown up for the event, dressed in wild costumes and causing a great commotion...it was quite a sight.

The girl wasn't sure how to feel about the chaos of the celebration. She wanted to be a part of it, but at the same time, part of her knew that she didn't belong there. She decided that she would make her way down to the shops instead, in hopes of escaping the wild celebrations and finding something more interesting.

And so she made her way down to the shops, where the bright stall lights and colorful banners made her very curious. She weaved her way through and observed all the different goods being sold--jewelry in the shape of pastel-colored sweets, mirrors covered in pink rhinestones, and lovely frilled dresses made out of rainbows and pink glittery chiffon. She was drawn to the luxurious things, picking them up eagerly, but she sadly found that her wallet was almost empty, and decided that if she were going to buy something that night, that it would have to be magical.

She wandered deeper into the market, as the sky grew darker and darker. Night was beginning to set, and the air chilled her skin. The town was as wild as ever, as the celebration went on into the night. There was the thrill of excitement in the air, as the girl entered the maze of black tents where more of the shops were held.

The tents were lit by dim fairy lights and little white candles, and each stall was decorated with all kinds of wild fabrics and carpeting. The girl wandered the dark maze of shops, each one of them lavishly decorated in its own unique way, one filled with fake silk roses and feathers and another filled with antique dolls and ornate lamps. She found herself becoming lost inside the billowing tent walls, the path between the shop stalls bending this way and that, and every shadowy hallway becoming a dead end. She made polite talk with the shop vendors who called out to her as she made her way through, but worried about finding her way--would she ever see the night sky again?

She soon found herself running through a dark, deserted section of the huge tent, where almost no stalls were set up, and the only things lighting her path were the small fairy lights near the tent ceiling and the flickering white candles by her feet. She ran, ran, and ran...

Until the hallway she was in took an abrupt turn, and she almost tumbled into a very mysterious stall.

A man with long dark hair and pale, ivory skin stood behind a table draped in red velvet. Dark rings of black paint sat around his, and his crimson lips quietly beckoned the girl over. She obeyed nervously--she found him strangely beautiful, and found herself yearning to learn more about him. She approached his little stall, becoming more and more curious. What interesting things he had! Beautiful porcelain figurines of bleeding carousel horses, golden crosses encrusted with rubies, and elegant broaches made from bird talons.

His long, pale fingers pushed forward an intricate music box. He opened it as the girl bent her face down to observe it more closely, enthralled with the beauty he had unleashed. Inside the music box was a teeny-tiny little stage, looking like it belonged in a miniature opera house. Golden cherubs lined the red curtains that were trimmed with gold fringe. As the curtains parted, a little mechanical doll took the stage. The tiny porcelain girl was dressed in a dusty pink gown with a wide, gathered skirt decorated with black roses. Brunette hair tied up with ribbons curled over her shoulders, as her long lashes batted over black eyes. The doll made a flourish, and opened her tiny lips to introduce a sad love story of a prince being forced to marry, in order to stop a dreadful war that was plaguing his kingdom...

The girl looked up to the beautiful dark gentleman of the stall and asked the price of the music box. She believed that this music box was going to be her magical find of the night.

Suddenly the music box shifted and changed into what seemed to be a mechanical picture book, the miniature stage folding away like parchment pages and opening up to grassy green fields spattered with daisies, and then to a quaint little town full of red brick houses and growing street lamps, as the soft tune of the music box bells chimed on...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I had this crazy dream the other night and it struck a chord with me. I haven't updated this blog or several of my other websites in a while (lookbook...*cough* haha), and I've been struggling with a horrible creative block the last few weeks. It's been so annoying. I think this dream is a good sign, though--hopefully it means the end of my creative block! ♥

Anyway, this is only part one of my dream. Sorry if all this personal stuff is annoying...I just felt like this was really special and that I ought to share it with other dreamchildren...It has a very 'dreamchild' vibe, don't you think~? :]

Want some mood music for while you read?
I wrote this listening to...
Watashi no Gakudan -- Kokusyoku Sumire ♥

C is for 'Choco Nyan' ♥ {The ABCs of Japanese Fashion.}

C is for 'Choco Nyan'. ♥

Not much is known about the elusive Choco Nyan. She doesn't have a blog showcasing her daily outfits and activities, like most fashionable girls these days do...But that doesn't stop her from being an incredibly inspiring lolita icon. Her pictures appear often in the Gothic & Lolita Bible and KERA magazines, and she's been seen once or twice in Japanese fashion documentaries and chatting it up with the occassional foreign celebrity....But no one really knows any of the nitty-gritty details about her. How on earth did such a hard-to-track girl become so popular?

Choco Nyan and her parter-in-crime Jun strolling with famous burlesque dancer and model Dita Von Tease. Oh my! Too much awesome in one picture! ♥

What we do know about Choco Nyan, or 'Ayana' (the other name she uses for herself), is that she is a young, up-and-coming fashion designer herself, and is often photographed for street style spreads in magazines for gothic and lolita styles. She is either seen by herself, or sometimes with her also-dressed-up boyfriend (or ex-boyfriend, so I've heard) Jun. Her outfits are very memorable and unique, usually mixing classic and gothic lolita elements, making her a style icon for girls in Japan and all over the world.

Choco Nyan and Jun dressed up in matching tartan and cute green berets~ ♥

It's really hard to say anything else about Miss Choco Nyan. Not much else is known. But her pictures really speak for themselves. ♥

Choco Nyan and a friend looking elegant in classic lolita.

An entire spread on Choco Nyan and her matching boyfriend.

Choco Nyan getting experimental in a gothic and ero-loli inspired outfit. Fun! ♥

The ABCs of Japanese Fashion...

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A is for Angelic Pretty ♥ B is for Baby, The Stars Shine Bright ♥ ...more coming soon!!

"X O X O" ♥ A visual circus with Miliyah Kato.

So I had this Jpop song on repeat the other night. I'm not one to really listen to Jpop, unless something really catches my attention...and somehow, this did. A golden carousel horse opens up the video for what becomes a Queen of Hearts-style, circus-esque scene. The quirky but fascinating singer belts out a cute pop ballad, accompanied by her equally wild-looking backup dancers with some wacky choreography, as if the video was some kind of Asian Lady Gaga short. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the whimsical show that is Miliyah Kato's "XOXO".

I remember Miliyah's name being thrown around a year ago, when she was just becoming a recognized in the music scene. Gyaru magazines locked onto her immediately and began documenting her unique fashion style. She became a style icon for months to come for gyaru gals everywhere. I, too, was fascinated by Miliyah's quirky, experimental style, even though I didn't really know any of her music...

Until recently, it seemed that Miliyah Kato had become rather quiet, and I had not heard anything new from her in a while...No new music video singles, no new magazine spreads...Until now. I caught wind of her new single "XOXO" and looked it up out of curiosity. I was pleasantly surprised with what I found! Miliyah is just as beautiful and inspiring as ever, in her wild outfits in a color scheme of gold, red, and black--I especially love her soft curled bob with her fancy pirate-style hat...Looks so cool! ♥ And of course her little curly buns sticking out from the sides of her head, paired with striking red lips...soo lovely~

The rest of her video is just as visual as she is. Her giant costumed animal friends and the circus-style pedestals are a very nice touch...I especially like the last scene--with her and her dancers posed around the golden carousel horse, wearing black face masks--slightly dark and sooo cool-looking! ♥

All that being said, Miliyah Kato is a trendy gal with enough personality to keep anyone interested. As a singer, she definitely delivers--she has a beautiful voice that's ranges from soft to powerful, and full of emotion--definitely worth checking out! ♥

B is for 'Baby, The Stars Shine Bright' ♥ {The ABCs of Japanese Fashion.}

B is for Baby, The Stars Shine Bright.

(I apologize for my font randomly changing sizes. Blogspot likes to give my trouble whenever I make a big post....)

Like many lolitas, I have a soft spot for the novel/film "Kamikaze Girls". Written by the lolita cult-classic author Novala Takemoto, Kamikaze Girls tells the silly but sweet story of unexpected friendship between a dedicated, Rococo-loving lolita girl and a tough Yanki biker girl. Much of the story revolves around the lolita girl's love for a fashion brand called "Baby, The Stars Shine Bright", which is actually a real lolita fashion brand that many girls have been wearing since the 80s. . . ♥

Baby, The Stars Shine Bright is another lolita brand that stared sometime in the 1980s by a man named Akinori Isobe and his wife. Like in the last 'ABCs' article I did, Baby is another brand that caters to the "sweet" lolita style, putting out dresses covered in expensive lace, all in pastels, and often using printed fabrics portraying delicate floral prints and cute food items. Unlike its rainbow, glittery, "deco loli" counterpart Angelic Pretty, Baby makes more subdued, but equally "sweet" pieces that are more delicate and soft-looking compared to Angelic Pretty's loud colors and wild design choices. Baby is considered a very classic "old-school" sweet lolita brand among girls of the lolita fashion scene--the brand still has a very innocent, girly, princess feel that is similar to lolita style back when it started in the 70s, making it stand out from the in-your-face colors and extreme overload of cuteness that is the modern-day sweet lolita world. Despite this rather "out-of-date" sound, the brand has a huge following of very dedicated fans all over the world~

Novala Takemoto, the infamous frilly author that wrote Kamikaze Girls and many other lolita-themed stories and poems. He's quite dapper when he's not dressed in girl's clothes, I swear. . . xD

Baby is probably one of the most famous lolita brands outside of Japan--it has set up shop in both Paris and the United States, and plays a major role in both Novala's Kamikaze Girls, and also the up-and-coming short film "Mr. Rococo"-- the story of a lolita girl who has spent her whole life loving only "cute" things, and ends up falling in love with a professional wrestler who only loves "tough girls"...thus starting her journey of becoming a frilly wrestler! (I don't even know....lol! from the looks of it, though, the movie looks pretty amusing, despite the bizarre storyline...)

Several collaborations have also been done with this brand, from accessories made with Hello Kitty's pet cat 'Charmmy Kitty', aprons and purses in the shape of Gloomy Bear, and many other things. Novala Takemoto himself even designed a line with Baby called "Pour Lolita", with the memorable catchline "God Save the Lolita". Unfortunately, the cult author's line got canned after Novala got arrested for smoking marijuana...which caused a bit of a scandal in the lolita world, though he continues to still have a huge following....myself included~ ♥ xD

A darling magazine advertisement for Alice and the Pirates. Check out that treasure chest purse! ♥

Baby has another separate clothing line under it's wing, titled "Alice and the Pirates", that makes whimsical nautical-themed lolita clothes with a punk-pirate twist. The brand concept is literally "Alice in Wonderland meeting a bunch of cool pirates", which is quite fitting. Fanciful blouses with frilled jabots, long trenchcoats with oversized collars and dripping with golden chains, and cute purses in the shape of tiny treasure chests are a common sight for this line. Different from the sweet lolita vibe of the original Baby line, Alice and the Pirates is slightly darker, and is popular with girls who are more interested in the gothic side of lolita.

The designer of Alice and the Pirates, looking elegant in black and red.

Overall, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright is a memorable and iconic brand that is considered very special in the hearts of many lolitas around the world. It is known as one of the very first lolita-style brands, famous for its huge lace accents and beautiful, elegantly-sweet designs. Baby creates a whole new world for girls to divulge in--a world of sweets and soft fairytale princesses. And a little pirate-edge, of course. ♥

Let's see more~! ♪

**Links...
♥ The official Baby, The Stars Shine Bright website. Mostly in Japanese, because Baby doesn't have an official English web store. But it does ship overseas! ♥

♥ One of the various shop blogs of one of the Baby, The Stars Shine Bright stores that are across Japan. All in Japanese, but includes great pictures of newly released products!

♥ Another Baby shop blog. More great pictures of new products~

♥ The shop blog for Baby, The Stars Shine Bright in San Francisco. Finally, a blog in English! Get info on the shop's newest releases here, along with shop events, pictures, etc.~

♥ Baby, The Stars Shine Bright on twitter. In Japanese, but often posts cool behind-the-scenes pics of models, new products, funny pics that the Baby staff takes, etc.

♥ Baby, The Stars Shine Bright (US) on twitter. The twitter for the Baby San Francisco store. In English, and also posts important store info, new releases, etc.~ sometimes posts cute customer snaps too, which is cool! ♥

♥ The official website for the in-the-works "Mr. Rococo" movie, that's being filmed in a real Baby, The Stars Shine Bright store and featuring real Baby clothing. Really nice website--the layout and graphics are really cute, and the trailer (though in Japanese) is right on the front page.

♥ The official website for Novala Takemoto Mostly in Japanese, though there is a badly-translated Engrish section under his "Novala" page. Thought it would be worth including though, because of all his past involvement with Baby~

**Videos...
♥ Part 1 of the San Franscisco Baby, The Stars Shine Bright fashion show. It's really nice to see Baby getting some overseas attention, though the girls in this show are a bit...tedious. Beautiful clothes though--and also a quick appearance from famous lolita model Misako Aoki! ♥

Misako Aoki joins American lolitas in modelling for Baby, The Stars Shine Bright overseas.

♥ Interview with Baby's latest designer, Kumiko Uehara, during the Baby event in San Fransisco.

Kumiko Uehara being a cutie during her Q&A in San Fransisco~

♥ An internet special featuring popular lolita-style musician Nana Kitade and a visit to Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. Nana Kitade brings her host to a Baby store and explains lolita fashion to him...and he attempts the look himself. It's a very silly and charming video--it's so nice to see someone male being genuinely curious about the fashion and not just "hurr durr you're going to be raped by a pedophile". very sweet~ ♥

Punk lolita singer Nana Kitade explains lolita fashion to her interveiwer.

♥ A short video taken in the Baby, The Stars Shine Bright store in Paris. Darling room decor...and, of course, beautiful clothes + accessories!! ♥

A screencap of Hannah's favorite thing---shoes!! ♥

♥ The first scene in the Kamikaze Girls film adaptation that features Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. The translations aren't a 100% perfect, but they're pretty close. It's still a nice look at this silly and charming movie~ ♥ (Also, for those interested, you can buy the DVD--that includes English subtitles--and the original novel by Novala Takemoto both on amazon.com...I own both and I love them so much!! ♥ )

The lolita herione of Kamikaze Girls explaining how she discovered the Baby brand.

♥ A wonderful in-depth look at a Baby, The Stars Shine Bright store, where lolita model Misako Aoki interviews a Baby staff-chan about the brand's latest releases. Beautiful video quality, and both Misako and the staff-chan are too adorable!! ♥ Even though the translated subtitles are a little...off, it's still a very entertaining and informative watch!

Hehe..."race".... xD

♥ The trailer for the lolita-themed short film, "Mr. Rococo", that is now being filmed. This version has English subtitles, so the story should be a little more understandable to English-speakers. xD

The ABCS of Japanese fashion...
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A is for Angelic Pretty ♥ ...more coming soon!!