Style Guides: Gothic Lolita

Image via Kawaii.i International

To start off the new Style Guide section, we begin with a favourite of mine, Gothic Lolita.

I first personally discovered Lolita as a whole (there are many sub-styles of Lolita, Gothic is just one of them) way back in 2005, but it has existed for much longer.

Lolita itself began in the 1970's, the Gothic substyle reached the height of it's popularity in the late 90's to the early 2000's thanks to the influence of Mana Sama (formerly of the band Malice Mizer, now in Moi Dix Mois), who now has his own Lolita fashion brand Moi Meme Moitie.

Image via Japanese Streets

What sets Gothic apart from the other styles of Lolita is the dark colour palette and themes such as religious icons, crumbling buildings and climbing roses.
Be warned though, while it is occasionally possible to make a Gothic outfit using a Sweet dress, it is pretty rare, and just using the black version of a print doesn't automatically make it Gothic.

The bare essentials

The absolute minimum of items you'd need to dress in Lolita are:

 An OP or "Onepeice", basically a Lolita dress that has sleeves, meaning that you could wear it without a blouse (it's pretty bad form to wear a JSK without a blouse, sometimes it's ok to do so, but generally it's rather faux pas and should be avoided if possible).

A petticoat to provide the correct shape.

Knee high or over the knee socks (these should co-ordinate with the OP, if you cannot get any that have the same pattern make sure they at least use the same colours as the OP).

Suitable shoes. These don't need to be rocking horse shoes, so long as they match the "cute" aesthetic you should be good to go, so for reference stripper heels = baaaaaaaaad, doll style shoes = good.

A hair accessory, you could use a large bow that co-ordinates with the colours of the rest of the outfit.

Basic Lolita by louisemarysmith featuring happy socks

Where to buy

Moi Meme Moitie
Atelier Pierrot
Chantilly
Triple Fortune
Atelier Boz
Suppurate System
Miho Matsuda

Surface Spell Gothic
R-Series
Classical Puppets
Ichigo 15
Infanta
Kids Yoyo
Yolanda

Rouge Aerie Designs
Fan Plus Friend

I'd add some of my own photos, but I wear Lolita a lot and you've seen all of my photos so I don't want to keep posting repeats.

An Introduction to Style Guides.

Style Guides is a new section on Queens of the Wild Frontier, the aim is to introduce and promote alternative fashion styles.
Some styles already have a large following, others not so much.
With Style Guides I aim to:
• Describe a style.
• Talk about it’s history and origins.
• Provide pictures of the style.
• Where possible attempt it myself.
• Describe the basics needed for the style.

Sound like fun?
Here we go!

Whoops! Bare with me!

One of the cables that provides our Internet snapped at the weekend and thus I'm currently having to use Kev's iPad to get any Internet. I think there might be a tiny bit of credit on my old dongle so I a m going to attempt to write some posts in word and then upload them using the dongle but if I don't mange that then I'm sorry and should be back at the weekend.

Just a little note to say, I'm not dead, just floating!

Cat and Mouse

I had some photos taken for the Kawaii.i Otaku photo contest :)

Tips for buying original vintage clothes on the internet

Buying vintage clothes over the internet should be one of the most enjoyable and easy experiences any online shopper could have. Firstly items are typically very difficult to find; which makes finding exactly what you were looking for a rare and joyous moment. Secondly more and more vintage websites are popping up every, each with increasingly efficient focus on ecommerce.

However as with buying anything online there are some pretty hefty potholes, which if not considered could result in you being left unhappy & out of pocket. This article aims to provide a brief guide to buying vintage clothing online, hopefully preventing you from having a miserable vintage shopping experience.

Vintage Inspired Vs. Vintage

Image source: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2718/4489283530_7efe1bd34f.jpg

With the rise in popularity of vintage clothes has come the rise in ‘vintage inspired’ clothing manufacturers. Original vintage clothes are typically hard to find, both by the fashion buyer and subsequently you the enthusiast. As a result clothing manufacturers have started copying cuts and prints of original vintage clothes and selling them as ‘vintage inspired’. These imitations are therefore easier on your wallet but will not satisfy the purists among you.

Check & double check sizes

Image source: http://www.marionsmerryminis.com

Buying vintage clothes requires a tape measure and some patience. Firstly the sizes indicated on the labels obviously do not translate to the same size in today’s standards. Therefore never buy an item of original vintage clothing based on label size alone. Most reputable vintage clothing stores will give you precise measurements of various parts of the item you are buying. You will need to have your tape measure at the ready to compare these against your own.

Discover the condition

Some of the items you are looking to purchase will have been around for the best part of a century. Over this period they will have been worn and stored, which will undoubtedly have resulted in some amount of wear and tear. Always keep in mind the fact that your item may not be “perfect” when you take it out of the box. All good retailers will have either a condition scale guide; ranging for example from “good” to “unworn”. Alternatively they will describe each issue on the product description page. If unsure ask questions.

Check the returns policy

Due to the issues mentioned above there is a higher likelihood of you having to return your purchase. Make sure you read the returns policy before making the purchase.

This article was brought to you by Mela Mela Vintage, a womens vintage clothing boutique in South West London. Mela Mela stocks a huge range of vintage clothes including vintage 1940s dresses & skirts.

Testing, testing...Is this thing on?

TaDa!

New layout are go!

Everything should be working fine now other than the "Alt Snap" and "Style Guide" tabs in the navigation bar under the new banner as I don't have anything in those sections yet so those two tabs will just re-direct back home until I fill them.

If anybody finds a bug or has any problems with the new layout, please let me know.

Zelas Ghoulqueen Lookbook - Crazy Day

I saw this look by Zelas Ghoulqueen on Lookbook and thought I'd share. I really like how she coordinated her accessory with her hair colour.

A couple of bits and bobs I just realised I hadn't gotten around to linking too yet.

Kev's review of day one of this year's M'era Luna Festival for Dominion Magazine

Day 2

His photos (public Facebook album)

Some of UnArt Magazin's Mera Luna pictures (this gallery has a photo of me, and also a photo of kakuidori!)

Up Coming Changes!

A couple of changes in the pipeline to make things around here even bigger and better!

I'm approaching my second bloggerversary, and it's time for a little spring cleaning methinks.

I've taken more of an Alt Fashion and Beauty turn with this blog of late, that's going to continue but I'm going to start focusing on other people instead of just photos of the back of my head.

Hair of the day will still be a thing, but I also want to start featuring the styles of other people that I meet and other bloggers, more on that soon.

I think it's also time for another layout change because I've had this one a while now.

I want to make the layout easier and more user-friendly, it's going to be a little bit of work so bare with me if it's a little buggy at first!

Horizontal Rope Bun Tutorial

And here's ArrowOdenn's original:

Hair of the day - Marie Antoinette - Ladies of the Court

Based on a style worn by a lot of background characters.

Hair of the Day 22/08/2012 - Marie Antoinette, Madame Victoire Hedehog Hair

Today I attempted the "hedgehog" style Madam Victoire wears her hair in the first time we see her in Marie Antoinette.

It didn't work out all that well, but if you want to give it a try here is the tutorial I used.

POSTCARDS!

Die andere schönheit. Industriekultur In NRW/ The Other Beauty, Industrial heritage in NRW.

From Colina in Germany via Postcrossing

CUTE DOGGY! from Tia

CAT IN A HAT! also from Tia

Picked up my post this morning, Gary Numan staring blankly back at me from the top of the pile...WTF must my postman have thought???

The Santa Caterina Hotel in Italy, from Susi, this one came with a letter too :)

Hair of the day 21/08/2012 - Marie Antoinette Blue Dress Style

My hair is too long and too thick just to curl the whole lot so there is a section at the back that is French twisted.

Iconic

Sitting patiently

Today I visited The Sanctuary Artspace in Gateshead for the first time in ages (I keep meaning to go along, but keep getting side-tracked).

Anyhow, until Thursday, the Artist in residence is Gina Crowley, with her show "Iconic".

Gina at work and some of her paintings

Iconic is a collection of paintings and poetry that examines what makes us human. There are lots of Religious themes re-imagined using sometimes using Gina and her own family and friends as the Saints and heavenly beings. I was rather fond of the "Madonna and Child" painting, featuring the queen of pop "stealing all the African children".

She is also painting portraits of  visitors to the exhibition and I volunteered for this :)

This is the initial sketch of me, I don't want to give the whole idea away quite yet, I want to save something for when it's done, so I won't yet tell you which Saint I'm being!

I really like the re-imagining idea, and it's something artists have done through history. If you look at religious iconography from the middle ages and the renaissance, the people in them are people of those times (in clothing and surroundings) rather than historically correct people from 2,000 or more years ago.

It's a nifty idea, I like it, and if you're in the area I highly recommend popping along before Thursday :)

Hair of the day 20/08/2012 - Pinned Rope Braids

Just two rope braids pinned at the back of my head and one of my vintage combs to add interest :)

Hair of the Day 19/08/2012 - Corset Braid

Not the world's greatest ribbon but I think with some nicer ribbon and a little practice this could be really cute :)

Based on Ladollyvita33's tutorial :)

New Hair Toys :)

My circlet that I bought at Mera Luna

On my head!

With the Spiderweb veil I made :D

New clip that I got at a market yesterday :)

In a super lazy updo!

Postcards :)

Chinese Zodiac Card from my Penpal Yini

This week I have had four postcards arrive, one from my penpal in Shanghai, Yini and three from Postcrossing.

This one came from Lotty in Belgium and it is my favourite Postcrossing card so far...It's beautiful! :D

This one is the Museen Der Stadt in Nurnberg, it came from Yana in Belarus. It's a little strange that I got a photo of somewhere in Germany from someone in Belarus, but still it's pretty and I am grateful :)

This one is "Bathing a Horse" by Valentin Serov, and the card came from The State Russian Museum in St Petersburg. It came from Valeria in Russia.

I like arty postcards :)

Get the Burlesque look

Image source

Get the Burlesque look

The last few years has seen the popularity of wearing vintage and 1950’s fashion soar, meaning that naturally, and burlesque style in in, big style. Women all around are getting back to grips with their sexy and sultry style.

If you’ve never worn a burlesque style before, it can be hard to know where to start to create a look that has the desired effect. Here we take a look at how you can achieve that look relatively easily…

Make-up

Burlesque make-up is all about being sultry with your make-up, but it’s also important to keep it clean and fresh. It’s important to get a good base with a quality foundation, and go for the matt look as opposed to bronzed. For the eyes, add a sleek line of eyeliner on the top lid- with a flick if you like- and then add generous coats of mascara.

It wouldn’t be a burlesque look without some bold lipstick. The traditional colour would be red; however, bright pinks and bold purples work well too.  Finish off with some pink rouge and you’ll have the perfect make-up look.

Hairstyle & headpiece

When choosing a hairstyle for the perfect vintage look, think 1950’s glamour. Think curls, waves and finger waves, constructed into neat and sleek styles to give you a look which says you’re sophisticated but sexy at the same time.

Keep all curls close to your head- the current big hair styles including back combing and volume aren’t burlesque. Keep your hair sleek and shiny to ooze glamour.

Head pieces are also a big part of burlesque fashion. Fascinators are a great way to dress up your outfit and give you a big of pizazz.  Any which add a touch of glamour or are synonymous with the style, and can really complete an outfit.

Headpieces with net that covers part of the face are good choices; they help to add an air of mystery.

Corset and stockings

No burlesque look is complete without a corset and stockings. A corset will help to give you the perfect feminine figure, including a smaller waist and an ample cleavage. If you really want to go burlesque, go for black, red or purple. Any style will suit, including under bust corsets, ones with straps and any material will do. And of course, if you go for an under bust corset, it’s worth investing in some nipple tassels for behind closed doors…

Stockings are vital to achieve this look. A burlesque dancer will make a statement by removing stockings in a very suggestive way. Stockings can be very sexy, and make you feel a million dollars.

Go vintage

Burlesque isn’t all about flaunting your underwear. You can still wear the 1950’s sex siren look without being overly sexual. Invest in some vintage tea dresses and some peep toe shoes to get that 50’s look. This teamed with hair and make-up can still make a burlesque look which is suitable for everyday wear.

You could even wear the corset and stockings underneath your dress to keep your confidence high. And only you will know about it.

This is a guest post written by Becki Hall from corsetsupplies.co.uk

To find out how you can guest post on Queen's of the Wild Frontier please click here

Remaining Mera Luna silliness!

Just my silly tourist snaps remaining to post :)

Look at this giant beer! Why we no have these in the UK???

Kev and a giant beer :D

The Arabic Cafe as viewed from the tower!

Kev at the top of the tower :)

Kev with a mouth full of shisha smoke 0.o

(I feel like I should caption it "Govenment Hookah" because he is a Lady Gaga fan lol)

The Hookah Smoking Caterpillar 

Kevin was a naughty boy!

And I was imprisoned for crimes against fashion!

Mera Luna 2012: Sunday

Kev and I with Martin and Katha from Mono Inc :)

On Sunday I woke up in need of new feet, and decided to wear flat shoes.

The first band we saw on Sunday was Les Jupes, who are Canadian (I suspect French Canadian from the name), they were quite a nice, interesting start to the day, sort of similar in sound to Arcade Fire.

Next to the hangar for Eklipse who were FANTASTIC, they are a four piece who play classical arrangements of rock and pop songs with violins and cellos.

I have total hair envy of one of them because her braid reached her hips! One of the other members of the band resembles an Imai Kira painting!

Next I FINALLY got to see Lahannya!

I managed to miss her play in my local area twice in the past few years because of university, but it was worth the wait, she is rather good.

Kind of Goth metal-y, sound I like very much.

We then had a small break, and headed to the medieval village for a nice sit down and some juice.

While there we ran into Kakuidori again and I took a photo of her pokemon tattoo sleeve:

Seriously, how cool is that? :D

Next were Down Below back in the hangar. I really enjoyed Down Below's first album, and the two since then have been quite enjoyable too (although I do prefer the first one, I suspect that might just me being "lazy English woman" though because the first album is in English and I can understand it without needing to google things, the two albums since are in German and I am not as sure what they are about yet...I will improve my German though!).

Live they are good too, a little bit "HIM-y" in ways, it's obvious they have a lot of female fans, and it's obvious they know this, and play on it a little.

We stayed in the hangar for The Beauty of Gemina, who were great as always, and it was much better to see them without the pouring rain this time (they played Mara Luna last year too and I got soaked, as rather ironically just as they began to play Dark Rain the heavens opened!).

After that we headed to the Zillo Magazine stand as there was an autograph signing with Mono Inc (who Kev and I really like), the queue was very long, my feet hurt like crazy and I really needed to eat, but it was worth the wait! :D

These were a way brighter green in real life!

After that I bought some neon green samosas to eat and then sat and watched Eisbrecher who were very enjoyable, but I wished I had more energy to really enjoy them.

New Model Army were excellent, and another band I have somehow managed to constantly miss up until now, I also sat on a hill with my juice to watch NMA too as my poor feet still hurt.

The last band of the weekend for us was Hocico, who in my opinion was the best band of the entire weekend (Kev joked that the hangar should have been re-named "The Erk stage" because he owned it all weekend).

I have to admit that during Hocico I managed to somehow forget how sore my feet were and got very dance-y, in fact it's the closest I have ever been to doing what Kev and I affectionately call "The Industrial Macerena" (you know that dance that Cybers do that looks a bit like The Macerena but a bit more violent?).

And then? That was it for another year, I hope to go to Mera Luna again next year as one of the firstr bands announced for next year is The Cruxshadows :D

MONO INC. Fan TV Folge 12

Kev and I are in this :D

I am on my own around 55 seconds in and then again having my photo taken with Kev and Martin and Katha from Mono Inc at around 1:59 :) 

Mera Luna 2012: Saturday

The stage as photographed from the tower

Saturday was fun :)

First of all I got to meet Kakuidori and her friend (Lenore? Don't remember if this was her name) before any of the bad rushing around started, which was awesome :D

Next Kev and I found ourselves a nice spot for Symbiotic Systems, who were actually a pretty good opening band, nice female vocals, kind of goth metal-y.

Next we zoomed over to The Hanger for Noyce, who I really enjoyed. They're kind of like a slightly more upbeat version of Kraftwerk musically. From an artist point of view I really enjoyed their visuals on the screen behind them, and please, who couldn't love a band who have a musical saw? (Musical saws are one of my favourite bizarre, not often used instruments).

Back to the mains stage for Invaders, while I did quite like them I found their placement a little odd. They sound a little bit like Incubus's early stuff, and after a little bit of metal and electronic music I struggled to really get into them at the time (but like I say they were pretty good, I just feel like the timing was wrong if you know what I mean?).

Next we had a little gap when we headed off to the medieval village that springs up just outside of the main festival area during Mera Luna. This year it was twice the size it had been the last two years (I guess Game of Thrones may have helped with this, as one of Kev's friends told us last year that the village had originally sprung up when Lord of the Rings came out and Mittelalter, the German equivalent to Battle Metal, suddenly became very popular).

This year there seemed to be a lot more food stalls, more hand made things (so many hair toys!), archery and axe throwing, and the Arabic Cafe (Chai teas and Shisha) had doubled in size!

Afterwards we headed back to the main stage for Heimataerde, who rather helpfully have a song that repeats their name several times, presumably for those of us in the crowd wondering how to pronounce it!

Heimataerde are a band of un-dead crusaders, dressed in Chainmail with swords, shields and a stage with horse traps (basically the dark age answer to speed humps), they're really quite imposing, and it's a little un-nerving to see them performing in amongst smoke and the smell of a nearby barbecue stall!

Musically they are a spectacularly bizarre mix of old and new...Electronic Hurdy Gurdy? YES PLEASE!

Roterfeld were pretty cool, their album is actually one of the catchiest ones I've listened to this year so I was looking forward to them. I was not disappointed, they were seriously good!

I was also rather impressed by their vocalist's jacket, it was very nice, but OMG the pattern matching on the fabric! So well made!

Next came Faderhead in The Hangar, nice set, fun times, Sami always knows how to get a crowd bouncing. This was the first time I had seen them as a four piece, it worked quite well in my opinion.

An amusing moment came when Adora BatBrat, Jenni and Hanna managed to troop through the crowd, right to the front by waving a unicorn hobby horse around to clear space before the unicorn ended up on stage with Faderhead!

Still in the hangar were Rabia Sorda, in my opinion the best of the hangar bands we saw on Saturday, musically great, performance-wise I wonder if Erk drinks only Red Bull because he seems so full of energy!

He seemed pretty delighted that some Mexican's made it to the front of the crowd and threw him a Mexican flag.

Next we headed up to the top of the tower, it's only from up there you can really appreciate how HUGE the festival is!

Now I wonder with over 20,000 people around how I managed to keep bumping into people I know? I must be luckier than I thought!

Next we caught a little bit of Fields of the Nephilim before deciding that food was probably a good idea and headed off back to the medieval village for falafel where I managed to amuse the falafal man by asking for garlic sauce whilst wearing fangs (I'm a Vegetarian Vampire...Like Count Duckula...Pass the ketchup!).

Last but not least were Placebo, who were every bit as wonderful as the last time I saw them, two years ago.

It's a shame that they don't play so much of their older stuff any more, but I am a huge fan of the Meds album, when it came out I was having a very bad time and listening to it made me feel better, so it was great that they played three songs from that album.

Getting stupidly emotional to Placebo?

Cliché, but yes that's me...

Afterwards we chose to walk home rather than get a taxi so that we could watch the meteor shower, some of the roads were pitch black and a little scary, but the shooting stars were worth it!

Lots of good wishes made :)