Harajuku Fashion Walk/Vampire Cafe

Hello dear readers! Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I've been busy, but I will try to catch up from now on! I have lots of nice posts I want to write :)

This post about Harajuku Fashion Walk is very belated, because I wanted to time it with the broadcast of Cool Japan, who were filming it. It turns out that they didn't feature the walk very much in the program though, but there is apparently a glimpse of my friends so I will watch it later.

Here are members of the Tokyo International Lolitas that attended the walk (photo wickedly stolen  from Tokyo Fashion)

We all tried to go for a vampiric theme in honour of Ni (the beautiful gothic lady in the centre) as it was her last Fashion Walk before leaving Japan to continue her studies. I miss her!

I don't have much gothic in my wardrobe, so I tried a sort of retro/aristocratic look instead. 

I did something slightly different with my make-up too. I usually do a 'cute' look but this time I tried to make my face look sharp. I angled my brows a little upwards and drew thick winged eyeliner without any shading on the lower lid, to focus attention upwards. I also put blusher only on the outer part of my face to look a bit paler, and used red lipgloss for a vampiric look.

Well, I have to admit I don't particularly look like a vampire, but I quite liked this outfit!

Hat, stole, gloves: Vintage

Earrings: Vivienne Westwood

Onepiece: Handmade

Others: Offbrand

Here we are all walking down Omotesando:

And near the station, which is the first meeting point:

Top hats! 

Amazing ladies! I want to frame this picture to always remember how wonderful Lolita can be <3

The camera crew filming:

After the walk a couple of us got crepes. This was the first time I had eaten a crepe in Harajuku, can you believe it?

It was Ni's farewell party at the Vampire Cafe that evening. It was too dark for my camera to take good pictures, but I have to say it wasn't the most fantastic place I have ever been. Apparently we weren't in the best room, but I don't know that it would have been a great deal better. Also the waitress almost set me on fire by creeping up behind me with a flaming desert that ended up tasting of lighter fluid or something....

The menu was a bit unimaginative too (they just added 'vampire' to the name of the dish, or set it on fire it seemed), but at least my pasta was yummy! It had a tortilla bat on it. You can also see the coffin-shaped drink menu in this photo.

It was a very nice day, even if the restaurant wasn't quite up to scratch and even if we are not famous tv stars now! I hope you enjoyed reading about it.

See you next time,

Sapphira

xxxx

Black and brown coordinate

Hello dear readers! How are you?

I went to Shinjuku the other day, and decided to try out a black and brown outfit. For a long time, I didn't like this combination, but recently I started to think it looks very pleasing and elegant if done nicely. It also gives me a chance to wear my black items which I seldom use, like this chiffon blouse with tiny imitation mother-of-pearl buttons.

Headbow, JSK: Innocent World

Necklace: Chocochip Cookie

Bag: Metamorphose

Others: Offbrand

It's pretty simple, but I think I got the colour balance right. 

I went to a restaurant in Lumine Est, I'm afraid I forgot the name but it specialises in udon, soba and pasta. You can choose your main dish, plus two side dishes and a drink. I chose two desserts as my side dishes!

Warabi mochi (the one on the right) is my favourite! My friend went for rice and pumpkin. They were good too!

The main dish was cold noodles with yuzu soya sauce and mentaiko. It was really refreshing! This was actually the day of the dust cloud so it was good to eat something clean and healthy tasting after all that yuckiness.

I also got some fake glasses at 3coins, I've been thinking about getting some for a while since they look so good on Japanese girls here. The popular huge ones don't do much for me though, they are basically the same size as my face and look a bit mad. These middling seized ones are quite big enough I think.

I poked the lenses out when I got home. After all, if they are fake, you may as well make no pretence at all! I don't know if I will wear them often but it was fun to try them out for 315yen.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! See you again soon,

Sapphira

xxxx

Science Fiction Double Feature

Hello dear readers!

The first thing to say is: Happy New Year!

I hope this year will be a good one for all of you, and thank you very much for all your kind seasonal greetings on the previous post.

On to today's post! I'm still getting over my cough and cold, which turned out to be a very bad one, but I did make it to the theatre the other night. I have said before that I'm a big fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and my friend got tickets for us to see the stage show!

We both wanted to dress up, and at first I thought we could be Riff-Raff and Magenta, or Brad and Janet, or the couple from the American Gothic painting that Riff-Raff and Magenta dress up as at the church, but it was all a bit difficult to coordinate being in two different continents as we tried to plan it. So, we were Transylvanians!

We hunted so hard for cummerbund sets, and then a couple of days after the show I walked into a second-hand shop and there were millions of them.

I don't have an outfit shot of my friend, so I put me twice, haha! Sorry about the messy background.

I really enjoyed wearing this boyish outfit, especially the cummerbund! One of my lolita resolutions this year is to try to put together an aristocrat outfit, a manly one I mean. 

The show was great fun, although the poor actors' attempted American accents proved difficult to keep up. Every time Frank-n-Furter's slipped he replaced it with a new one from somewhere else. Still, I enjoyed it all a great deal and it made more sense than the film- I suppose they had to cut some things out for the film? The narrator was really good, and dealt very well with the audience shouting things out, even though it wasn't supposed to be one of those performances where the audience joins in.  I'd like to go to one of those some day!

Have you been to see Rocky Horror at the cinema or on stage? Did you dress up? Who should I dress up as next time do you think?

See you next time,

Sapphira

Tea Party at Sumire no Tenmado

Hello dear readers! How are you?

Maybe you have heard the sad news about Sumire no Tenmado closing?  Yes, they will close in January :(

Since many of the Tokyo lolitas wanted to make sure to visit before the closure, yesterday we went there for a tea party!

It's rather hard to find, tucked away in a part of Shinjuku that is all narrow streets and tiny bars and live houses.

We did find it in the end though! 

Hooray!

Menu outside with the halloween decorations still up.

Inside. I like the piano shelves!

There about 13 of us, so it was a bit of a squeeze to say the least. We had a choice between various types of cheesecake plus carrot cake. I chose the black cheesecake (on the bottom right). It was sesame flavour, and very delicious! There were edible rose petals sprinkled on the cakes too.

Pretty tea cups!

Me and Alice. I love this nostalgic set from Meta, and she really truly looks like an antique doll in it.

Obligatory photo of Tim Burton's drawing.

These helpful instructions were provided in the loo (as well as a poster of Johnny Depp as the mad hatter, which was a bit unnerving).

This was outside. Not sure what it is, but it surely is cute!

I was really happy to finally meet Shinobu from Mexico! She's reading my blog, and I'm reading hers (with the aid of google translate). I always enjoyed reading her comments so I'm glad we could talk in person. I'm looking forward to seeing her at the next meet up!

After the tea party we met up with another group of lolitas at Marui and did some shopping there and at Closet Child. Since it was raining we ended up having snacks at the British pub next to Closet Child! I always wondered what it was like in there, finally I know. It was pretty accurate apart from the smell, which is considerably more like centuries of stale beer in the real thing. 

Here's my outfit shot, courtesy of Aviva:

Hat: Vintage

Cutsew: franche lippee

JSK: Emily Temple Cute

Bag: Metamorphose

Others: Offbrand

I wanted to go for an elegant and aristocratic look with this outfit, and also to try wearing darker colours to suit the season. 

Although it was rainy, it was a really nice day, and it was great to meet a lot of new people too. Hope to see them all again sometime soon!

****

After saying goodbye to the lolitas, I went to eat sushi. I haven't eaten any for a while, so I really fancied it. This was actually the best sushi I've had so far I think! 

I haven't tried the kind with crab before, it was really good!

The dessert was so pretty! Fruit jelly with an autumn leaf for decoration.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures, there were ever so many. I also hope that everyone who wants to will be able to get to Sumire no Tenmado before it closes.

Thanks for reading, 

Sapphira

Otona coordinate

Hello dear readers! Hope you're all well.

Did anyone catch the last episode of Kawaii International? They showed my picture a few times during the competition segment! I was so excited when I saw it, and luckily my father happened to be in the room when it was on and saw it too! I was super happy that he got to see me. Also, I realised how cheerful and smiley U Kimura is! I always thought she was cute, but after seeing her personality I'm a big fan of her now.

Today's coordinate is very simple and quite mature, which is why I chose the title 'otona'. Otona means adult, and Japanese fashion magazines use it to describe sophisticated, mature style. 

~Rundown~

Blouse, skirt: Vintage

Fur chou-chou: Mikazuki Momoko

Shoes: Offbrand

Although it's simple, I chose items with volume and texture to add interest to the outfit (fur, ruffles, pleats)

Well, I certainly won't dress like this all the time, but now and again I'll try something different and think about how I can incorporate a new style or item into a lolita outfit. 

Thanks for looking and see you next time!

Sapphira

xxxxx

Rock x Classic.... maybe?

Hello dear readers!

Thank you very very much for all the lovely comments on my last entry. I was so happy to read them all :D I'll keep you posted on any further news!

Today I have a new coordinate to show you. I really want to try some new things with my style, and try to incorporate different influences into classical kei lolita.

Now, I really love rock music, but my image is very much a that of a 'good girl'. Not just my image in fact, but me! Yes, I'm definitely a goody two shoes, not rock'n'roll at all. However, I think I can find a middle ground that I'm happy with, and try my version of rock style....

~Rundown~

Pierce, lace tights- Vivienne Westwood

Jacket- Topshop

Blouse- Vintage

Skirt- Metamorphose temps de fille

I wore a skirt with a classical print, and coordinated with a blazer for a masculine edge. I also wore a vintage blouse with deep ruffles for a gorgeous effect.

I made an attempt at mori (voluminous/piled up) hair; my natural hair has a fluffy texture anyway, so I did an easy version and just pinned it all to one side. I like the effect actually, if I do it again I'll aim for more volume at the top and add some hairspray.

On the 'hairless side' I pinned one pale blue and one dark blue rose to match the ones on my skirt. 

So readers, if you were in a rock band, which part do you want to be? Vocal, guitar, bass or drums? 

Personally, I'd like to be the vocal! And I would like a mic stand decorated with blue roses..... What a shame I have no talent at singing!

I hope you liked my coordinate.

See you next time!

Sapphira

xxxx

Jane Marple 60s Dolly Oufit

Hello dear readers!

Today I have just a simple coordinate snap for you. It's the first time I've posted a picture of me in this dress! It was a present from a dear friend of mine and I love it very much. Because of that, I wanted to make sure that when I posted it, it would be an outfit I'm proud of.

So, here it is:

~Rundown~

Hair ribbons- Metamorphose

Blouse- Anna House

Necktie- Vinatge

Jumperskirt- Jane Marple

Tights, shoes- Offbrand

The mini-length and graphic style of this Jane Marple jumperskirt reminds me of the 1960s right away. These days we might think of free love, psychedelia and drug-taking when we think of the 1960s. Personally though, what I like about that era are it's more innocent aspects, and in fact there are quite a few! 

Some of my favourite movies were made in the  early '60s: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady. As well as that, the popular women of the 1960s had a more girlish air than that of the previous decade; slim and delicate creatures like Twiggy and Audrey Hepburn. In fact, it was a time when girls could be girls, and were free to express their cuteness! That's a bit in common with our Lolita spirit, isn't it?

With this outfit I tempered cuteness with primness. Black accents add a bit of hardness to the baby-doll cut of the dress, and while the blouse is frilly the necktie is formal.

I hope you liked my coordinate! What are your thoughts about the 1960s? I'd love to hear them!

See you next time,

Sapphira

xxxx

Happy Birthday, Elegant Poupée

It's Elegant Poupée's first birthday!

I can hardly believe it was one year today that I started this blog. It has gone very quickly. I also can't believe how many followers I have now. Thank you very very much to all 195 of you! It means a great deal to me to think that there are so many people from all over the world who read my words and share my love for Lolita fashion. It's been wonderful to get to know you through your comments and your own blogs, and I hope we'll continue to get to know each other in this way!

I love blogging, and I hope I'll get better at it as time goes on. I feel quite proud that I have kept it up for a whole year, and now it feels as if blogging is part of my everyday routine. Thank you for your suggestions on improvements- I have a list of aims and a list of posts to write now, which I'll be working on. Thanks for all your support, which keeps my enthusiasm going and inpires me.

Today I have an outfit to show you! I must say, I quite like this one. I went to a maid café event yesterday, and I decided to dress up a bit. Black and white and ladylike was my inspiration!

~Rundown~

Hat- Vintage

Onepiece and sash- Handmade

Everything else- Offbrand

I've long admired those 18th century ladies with classical white dresses and black satin sashes, so I had that sort of an image in mind, which is why I added the hat. I also wanted to use black and white striped socks to add something a little unexpected.

I tied the sash in a bow at the back and fastened it with a brooch:

It would have been nice if the sash was longer! 

I had a pancake and tea at the café. The cute and lovely maid, Merry, wrote my name on the plate in chocolate sauce.

I'm very impressed that she did it so beautifully, since my loooong name must have been quite a challenge! We did a spell to make the pancake more delicious- "Oishikunare, moe moe kyun!" It seemed to work quite well.

Thanks again for all your comments, follows and support over this past year, and here's to many more years of Elegant Poupée!

Sapphira

xxxxx  

Brighton Japan Festival

Last weekend I took part in two Lolita fashion shows as part of Brighton Japan Festival!

~coat is by Innocent World~

I arrived at the festival quite early somehow! I had a chance to eat some takoyaki before the show. I don't know if it's my absolute favourite food, but it must be somewhere in the top ten! I'm really fond of Japanese mayonnaise too. All mayonnaise is good, but JP mayo is more eggy, and therefore the best! 

Now you know how greedy I am, on to the first fashion show! This was the "Sweet Lolita Catwalk"; you've basically seen my outfit before but for the show I changed my hairstyle to a shoulder-length wig and my shoes to the plain white mary-janes, to make it even more ama-loli!

JSK- Metamorphose

Bow- Handmade

Everything else- Vintage and offbrand

My lovely friend, ichigo_shock, who organised the catwalk, also provided us with these cute balloons!

I always get nervous about this sort of thing, but once I was on the stage I really enjoyed myself! The audience were very smily and nice, so I think that helped. 

All the Sweet Lolita models came out together at the end. The other girls all looked so amazing, and I loved how everyone had their own style! I felt very inspired seeing their wonderful coordinates, and I want to try harder with my own, especially with accessories.

You can see the wonderful Herajika in the picture above, looking as usual as if she leapt from the pages of GLB! In the strawberry dress is azura_mel, one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen <3  

There was a gap between this show and the later one. I took the opportunity to look around the festival. There were quite a few things going on. and a fair few people, though the weather was rather grey and dreary. This somewhat mis-matched couple came to soak up the atmosphere:

Too cute!

On to the second show, the Gothic Lolita Catwalk! This one was also really fun; I tried to channel a bit of 'vampire romance' into my walk.

OP- Juliette et Justine

Tights- Vivienne Westwod

Corsages, sash- Handmade

Everything else- Vintage and offbrand

I don't really have many strictly Gothic items, but I did my best and I think this coord could be called "Classic-Gothic" at least! A bit difficult to see in these pictures, but I wore a sheer blouse, chiffon sash and lace tights. Please use your imagination!

I changed my wig too! I haven't worn wigs before, only extensions occaisonally, so I was a little apprehensive of them falling off my head into the terrified audience. Luckily they stayed on! And they kept my little head nice and warm too. 

With beautiful Herajika again (she made that bonnet! So talented!), and you can just about see a glimpse my friend Wing's fabulous gold shoes.

I had a lot of fun at the festival! I hope you enjoyed the pictures. See you again soon!