Lolita Trip to Yokohama (part the second)

Hello readers! It's time for the second installment of the Yokohama trip.

After the exhibition, we visted the Yamate district. Regular readers might recall that I went to the same area earlier this year, and I really recommend it! 

On this day, we visited one of the buildings I didn't go to before, Bluff 18 Ban-Kan.

There was a wedding fair being held inside, so there were a lot of lovely floral arrangements displayed.

These remind me a little of my outfit that day!

A cosy looking room....

We took outfit shots in the house, but we had to wear slippers inside!

After that, we walked down the famous Motomachi Street. That area had a big boom during the Showa era, and there are many foreign shops and boutiques located there which you won't come across elswhere in Japan. 

To be honest, it was such a strange feeling walking that street! The style of the buildings and the names of the shops were in many cases identical to ones in England. I felt as if I was walking down an ordinary English high street on a Saturday afternoon. Except all the shoppers were Japanese!!

They have Next! I never thought I'd see that in Japan....

A mock-Tudor building, what could be more ordinarily English?

It was great to visit somewhere outside of Tokyo for a change, I had a great day with the other lolis!

We took purikura after returning to Tokyo.

Thanks for a lovely day, everyone!

Sapphira

xxxx

Lolita Trip to Yokohama (part the first)

Hello readers! I'm going to split my photos from last weekend's outing into two posts, so here is the first:

So, last weekend, the Tokyo International Lolitas travelled to Yokohama to see an exhibition about the life of Marie Antoinette. Here's our group!

Many thanks to Sarah for the photo! I loved her tricorn hat and perfectly rococo hairstyle <3

The exhibition was very nice indeed, with a varied selection of things related to the queen, including portraits of her family, prints and engravings recording events of the time, small items like jewelery boxes and watch chains, some rather puzzling 'almanach des erotiques chantantes' (something like that) and some gorgeous reproduction dresses, which we were allowed to take photos of. I'll share them here!

I want to make this dress! The embroidery and textile work was so detailed and interesting.

An "English style" dress. Much more subdued and dignified compared to the other dresses on show. I can imagine wearing it quite comfortably. I'll take it!

Chemise a la Reine. I based my outfit on this style (see below). Marie Antoinette requested 'something simple' to wear at her retreat, Petit Trianon, and her dressmaker came up with this. At first people were shocked at such unqueenly attire (it looks a bit like 18th century underwear or 'chemise', which is how it got it's name) but the style really caught on and was worn throughout Europe. I absolutely love it! I'll take one of these too~

Super duper fancy dress! I could not fit in my apartment if I wore it :(

Now I'll show you my outfit:

Inspired by the chemise a la reine, I went for a pink and white colour scheme. My make-up is pink too, and I pencilled on a couple of beauty spots. Rococo ladies used to stick on silk ones, called mouches. I think I read somewhere that they also stuck on eyebrows made of mouse skin, but don't quote me on that one....

Full outfit:

~Rundown~

Headdress, onepiece: Handmade

Others: Offbrand and vintage

Here's a close-up of my headdress. I like the little spray of pearls! I can feel them waving about when I walk, haha.

I hope you enjoyed the photos! Look out for part two, coming soon~

Sapphira

xxxx

Starlight magazine interview

Hello dear readers!

I was recently interviewed by Danish online lolita magazine Starlight. The interview was published in this month's issue.

I hadn't heard of this magazine before, but I had a look at the back issues, and they're so nice!

Danish lolitas are amazing and beautiful :D

Here's my page in September:

It's cool to see my words in Danish!

The interview was conducted in English, so I thought I would share the original here so that English speakers can also read it:

Hello! My name is Sapphira. I am 24 years old and I've been interested in lolita for about seven years. I'm originally from England, but I live in Tokyo. My favourite style is classic lolita.

How did you find lolita, what gave you the final "push" to start? 
I first heard about lolita fashion when I was 17 or so, through listening to the band MALICE MIZER. I felt very inspired by their style, and I started to incorporate some lolita and visual kei taste into my everyday clothes right away. It was not a sudden change for me, but over the years as I found out more about the fashion my style gradually changed to being more and more lolita.

What was your first lolita purchase? 
It was a lucky pack from Metamorphose, containing a blouse, pink skirt, bloomers and socks. I still wear the blouse and bloomers sometimes, I gave the socks to a friend and I'm keeping the skirt for memories, or to give to my daughter if I have one. It's too sweet for my tastes now!

What is your favorit lolita style and why did you choose that one? 
It's definitely classic. I like to see lots of different styles, but classic is the one that makes me happiest. I love historical clothing and classic lolita is very historically inpsired.

Where do you find inspiration for your outfits and style? 
From many places, such as magazines, films, animation, music, books, and from other lolitas whom I admire.

How does Lolita affect your everyday life? 
I think it changed my perception of the value of clothes.... for instance I feel very shocked by the prices of jeans and t-shirts! Lolita clothes are so beautifully detailed and lovingly designed in wonderful materials, how can we be expected to pay so much for plainer clothing? I think a lot of lolitas feel the same!

What is your favorite activity "outside" of Lolita? 

I love music, especially visual kei, classical, and songs from muscials. I'm always searching for new music to listen to. I love writing my blog too, but I think that counts as "inside" lolita.

What is your favorite thing about living in Tokyo as a Lolita? 
Of course, number one is the shops! The other nice thing is that there are lolitas from all over the world living, working, studying, or holidaying in Tokyo, so I've had a chance to meet a lot of new and interesting people.

Do you have any advice for both newbies and oldies in the style? 
If you are just starting out in the fashion, my advice is to take your time and enjoy developing your personal style. Lolita has brought me a lot of happiness, and I hope it will be the same for you too! For experienced lolitas, I think we occasionally feel a bit tired of the style for one reason or another. If it happens to you, take a break from wearing lolita, or read a magazine about another type of fashion. Soon you'll remember what made you fall in love with lolita and find your inspiration again. 

Doing the interview was really fun, and I'm so happy to be featured in this lovely magazine. Have I really been into Lolita for so long? I can't believe it! I should be better dressed by now XD

You can read the magazine online here!

http://issuu.com/starlightmagazine/docs/starlight_sep

See you next time,

Sapphira

xxxx

Giant katsudon!!

Hello dear readers!

Do you like Japanese food? I love it! How about katsudon? How about.... GIANT KATSUDON??

OK, it might not look so huge at first, but compare it to the other plates on the table. It's pretty big!

This restaurant is in Takashimaya, and I really think it's the best katsudon I've ever had. So delicious! 

Here's my coordinate for the giant katusdon day:

Hat: corgi-corgi (KERA shop)

Necklace, JSK: Innocent World

Cutsew: axes femme

Cuffs: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

Socks: Kutsushitaya by Tabio

It's finally cooling now here in Tokyo! I'm looking forward to putting together some nice autumn coordinates soon.  Before that though, I've got a frilly and fluffy coordinate in mind for the Marie Antoinette meet up with the other Tokyo International Lolitas!

Sorry if I made you hungry!

See you next time,

Sapphira

xxxxx