Frills of Bath

Yesterday was the Bath meet...finally! I had been looking forward to it for ages as I haven't had many opportunities to dress up over the Summer.


I ended up missing my bus though...and walking 2 miles in rocking horse is rather hellish. As it happens, I got to the meeting point at the same time as the bus anyway, but I'd have rather saved my feet a little! As usual got stares and comment on the way. Some girl made her mum come OUT OF THEIR HOUSE to point and stare at me. I was stared at by a dog. Honked at. 'You don't see many of those'. And later in the day when I was alone again, I was outright laughed at by some shitty little preteens. It would have gotten to me more, but I was really happy with my outfit so I could ignore it a little more that day. Still so rude though =/


Anywho, we met at the station before going to the tea shop! That's the best group picture I could find so far (not many people have uploaded their photos yet), but not everyone was in the photo...and I look forever alone in it because I don't like standing too close to other people!


My outfit! Mostly Wonder Story series. Pretty much everything is Angelic Pretty apart from the BTSSB cardigan, H&M hair roses, Metamorphose locket, Bodyline clock necklace and Antaina Shoes. I love my cardigan (the hood has bunny ears!) but it doesn't stay on my shoulders at all, which is why it looks so untidy!


We spent a long time at the tea shop for lunch, although we had to sit outside as there were too many of us to fit indoors! I was boring and had a Diet Coke instead of tea, since I needed something chilled for my throat (still a little bit ill).

Afterwards we went to the Holburne Museum for a look around! It was a nice place, but I was really not in a museum mood that day so I got a little bored...I'll have to go back another time though.

We ended up going into a fabric shop on the way back, and I wish more than ever that I had a sewing machine! I was drawn to all the Christmas ones, mainly because I love the colours and some of them had glitter =D I'm pretty sure I'm going to go back for some forest animal fabric as it was so beautiful and would make a lovely classic lolita skirt. I need to find a tutorial for making one first though...and man up because I'd need to hand-sew it!

I had to go home after that and miss out on going to the Hob because I didn't want to miss my bus again and my feet we in agony! I managed to twist my ankle getting off the bus and now my knee feels funny =[ Other than that, it was a good day though!

Now I need to decide whether to go to the South lolita meet next week or not. Train & entrance fee alone will cost £30, and that's before any food or drink. And the fact that I'll miss out on going home again...and I miss a quiz my family is going to. I love quizzes =[ HELP MEEEEE why can't I be in two places at once?

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole: Wonder Story

The last few days have been very stressful!

The parcel disappeared off tracking twice, and then it claimed to have been delivered on Thursday and it wasn't here when I got back. Cue panic. Thankfully it turns out that Parcelforce left it with my neighbour. I only found this out however by looking at Parcelforce tracking (I'd been using the USPS link Angelic Pretty gave me) and noting that there was an unmarked cell which had a 4 in it. My house is number 5, so I just had to figure it out for myself. They didn't bother leaving me a note or anything, so I'm still pretty annoyed at Parcelforce!

Anywho, on to the interesting bit!


Once again, packaged nicely. And this time I have a big Angelic Pretty bag containing the order details! It was just a small sleeve bag last time.


My items! Getting excited at this point.


The apron skirt! I was worried that I didn't like this colourway as much as the blue and black, but I remember why I picked this one now...it's stunning!


Adorable card suit buttons! I love the velveteen ribbon...I wish they'd included more velveteen on this piece.


Print and lace details. I didn't even realise that it was an Alice In Wonderland print until I looked again. 'Eat Me' cakes, bunnies, pocket watches, books and cups of tea...so adorable! There are also beautiful keys, so I'm going to search really hard for a matching necklace as I've always wanted a key necklace anyway (so I could pretend it was one to the secret garden ^_^'). Also I think the rose petal in the tea looks like a little birdie!


I don't think these are the proper matching socks, but they're cute and go really well anyway!


I find it odd that the bow doesn't have white lace like the rest of the dress does, but I love the new placing of the label! As it's a little more understated, it means I should be able to wear it with other red items once I can acquire them.

Once again the USA website was easy to use. I was really lucky, the items I bought all disappeared from the site the second I placed my order! However customs were a nightmare and are unavoidable when using this webstore (buying from Japan often works out cheaper as shopping services may mark the items down...but after that lost item scare I'd be unsure of doing it!). The total cost was just over £300, which is pretty steep. But the items are gorgeous and the apron being detachable means it can be worn in a few ways so I think it was worth it.

The only trouble is, I want the matching bag which would be another £80 + shipping + customs. I've always wanted a book bag though, and I have items waiting to be shipped from Japan anyway so I could ship it with that stuff. However, I can't decide between blue and pink! The blue is cuter and matches the dress better, but I have a lot more use for a pink one as I have pink shoes etc to coord with it. However, the pink on the print is much darker than on the bag. Such a tough decision!

I'm so happy with my purchase! Did anyone else buy anything from this series?

Wonder Story! And a Spot of Shiro.

I just ordered it!

I'd been unsure whether to or not for a while, but I've decided I really REALLY want a dark red piece because I know red suits me and it's just a gorgeous colour. I was really looking for a BTSSB or AATP print, something a little more mature, but every time I bid on something on Japanese auctions I get outbid, or my bid gets turned down. I posted a WTB on egl_comm_sales, and a girl said she'd be happy to get Wonder Story for me next weekend when she's in San Fran.

I was a little torn between the collar JSK and the apron skirt, so I posted Rob a link and asked him which he preferred. So I was checking Facebook to see his reply (skirt, because he 'likes the shoulders'...I suppose it must be as there's a bit of a maid vibe to it. What a perv haha) and was writing a reply back to the girl saying that was what I wanted. Then I scrolled down Facebook...and there was a little status from AP USA saying they'd just put the items up!

So I dashed to the website, shoved in the skirt, headbow and socks in wine, logged in, changed my addresses, put in my payment details...the whole while my hands were shaking like mad and I felt like I was about to have a heart attack. But I got there! When I'd finished checking out I looked back and all the items I had just bought were gone. So I must have gotten the last set of that! I was paranoid they'd email me to say there was a mistake, but I've had a confirmation email so hopefully that won't happen. I'm so lucky!




I've only now realised that those aren't the matching socks. I didn't have time to inspect closely...oops haha. But the colour matches, so that's all good! It's just that I have Rose Lace socks instead of Sealing Stamp ones (which weren't even posted onto the US site yet). No biggie. I'm not sure I like the headbow, but it'll do until I can get a matching bonnet =3 I'll post photos and a mini-review when they arrive (although they'll arive when I'm away! BOOOOO).

Definitely have to start saving up some money though. I'd like to buy the book bag to match Wonder Story when it comes out, but I said I'd be happy once I had a bordeaux dress so I'm going to try to stick to that. Once my last few items have arrived with my SS I'll ship out and then no more of that nonsense either! Look forward to that post, it'll be EPIC.


Also yesterday I went to Gloucester to meet up with Sophie! Sadly Annie didn't turn up, but it was good fun nonetheless (though I was a little miffed that I'd stayed up until 4am finishing her birthday present and then didn't get to give it to her!).

We went for a chinese buffet first, which was delicious! Irritatingly I wasn't very hungry (this is something that only ever happens at all-you-can-eat buffets D=), but I got to try new things, such as some yummy noodles and pineapple fritters (I don't even like pineapple but YUM).

Afterwards we went to see Harry Potter! Even though we'd both seen it already. It was still really good though, and I'm glad I got to see it on the big screen again. I noticed things I didn't notice the first time around too (like the fact that Lilly says 'always' as well!...and the fact that Percy is randomly there in the background despite the fact that he hasn't had a line since the first movie). And I still cried like mad ^_^'

I was supposed to have been going to Cheltenham afterwards for Annie's party, but since I don't know my way around Cheltenham and don't have Annie's number I decided to just go home. This turned out to be a wise decision as my headache ended up getting worse. And as evening approached I began to feel ill...it was either food poisoning or a really strange coincidence (I'm never sick unless there's been dodgy food or masses of alcohol beforehand). But it only lasted the night so I'm right as rain now, though still a little shaky!


Nosy herring gull at Gloucester station.

On to the outfit! I tried shiro for the first time. I'd always thought the look a little boring, but now I love the simplicity of it. I had to mix in a bit of gold as I had no white bag, but I feel it balances out the rocking horse shoe wedges.


Close-up! I was wearing gold eyeshadow, but it doesn't really show.


Standing on a toilet like a boss (I really need to buy a mirror for this place!). Can you see the big bruise on my knee? I got it going down a fireman's pole xP


I ought to wear these shoes more often, they're so fun!


Details! My nail varnish ended up looking really green next to the gold things.

My dress and blouse are Angelic Pretty, necklace is Metamorphose, bird hairpiece by Now, Voyager, roses from H&M, bag by Vivienne Westwood, socks and gold jewellery from unknown (I found all the gold in my jewellery box, I guess it must have been passed down to me from someone) and the shoes by Montreal.

I'm definitely going to do more coords with this dress! White is so versatile. I'll just have to remember to keep a napkin handy when I'm eating and drinking. I only got away with it this time as I had one, used a fork instead of chopsticks and stuck to drinking water.


I set off for Reading festival on Wednesday, so unless I manage to scavenge those photos off of Rob between now and then this will be the last post from me until I get back. So until then...

Coveted Cuties ~ Wonder Story, Twilight Circus & Night of the Masquerade

This month is going to hell for many lolitas who don't have cash...or so is my prediction.

I personally am still reeling from the Chess Chocolate fiasco, where the new rules meant I lost my chance at reservation and missed out on the print entirely. My chances of buying second hand are currently zero since everyone's hiked the prices up so much. Stupid how they changed the rules to avoid prats buying for resale, but I think it just made the matter much worse.


Anywho, on to the new prints!

ANGELIC PRETTY


I've loved Wonder Story ever since I first saw photos on Tumblr. The colours are gorgeous...I would love the red as I know the colour suits me and it's pretty unusual for Angelic Pretty. The powdery blue is so elegant and delicate too. Everything about this print fills me with want as I adore books, and I suspect a pink book bag will follow the release which is really exciting as I really want one of those things. However I wouldn't be able to decide between colours or styles even if I had the money (which I don't). Going to have to be one to put on the long-term goals list.

Alice and the Pirates


Alice and the Pirates's Twilight Circus is up for reserve this week, and the style of that middle JSK is so awesome! I love the piratey/military edge. However, I'm not convinced by the print or the colourways. Leaning towards the brown, but the skirt part would be white and that wouldn't last long. Which is a shame, because it's the only colourway in which the print looks tasteful! While the burgendy shade is kinda nice too, the black just looks awful, and that OP is a total trainwreck! I think this is one to admire from a distance for now until I see better pictures.

Metamorphose


I've probably mentioned numerous times already that I am not a fan of Metamorphose. However, Night of the Masquerade has me eating my words. I love everything about this! Again with a military edge (which now makes all 3 of these brands putting out military designs in the past month) which offsets the frills and bows nicely. The colour and print are really nice too. The only thing stopping me from getting it (other than money) is the brand I'm afraid...I've had too many non-fitting Metamorphose pieces to risk it right now.


The only other thing I have to report is my despair at failing to get the Swan Lake JSK that I found an auction for. The seller blocked all the bids put in by my shopping services bid IDs. The dress is unsold, but I can't afford to start using a different shopping service. Obviously I'm a little upset, this was my original dream item and now I'm missing out on such a rare piece! Also since I already paid a ton of money to my SS and getting a refund would lose money through currency conversion and Paypal fees, I'm likely to fritter it away on crap I'd have otherwise not bought and spend even more money I don't have. Maybe someone should take the internet away from me =|


So what do you guys think of the new prints? Will you try to buy any of them? What about your recent purchases or near-misses?