Les Bourdons – Review of Victorian 3 Strap Booties

Today I'm going to review the new lolita footwear brand, Les Bourdons. This brand uses leather, so please be aware of that before we go any further. Les Bourdons translates as The Bumblebees, and is run by Nina of Lockshop Wigs.

Hello 2017!

In 2016, despite promising myself I would blog more often, I just didn't get around to it, and I regret that. I worried too much about what to post, whether anyone would find it interesting, and what I wanted to write about. So the only thing I ended up writing about was Wicked and Whimsy in the summer. I know I keep saying it, but this year I want to change that by having a better plan. I have a blog writing app on my phone now, which I'll use to make drafts and notes; I have a better camera to use; and I have a list of "lolita lifestyle" and creative activities to give me inspiration; as well as talking about my pursuits in the world of illustration. So I'll split each post into two halves, and you can read either, both, or neither!

Wicked and Whimsy, London

I've decided to return to blogging again, as I miss the pace of it, and being able to write more than a caption next to a photo, and there is something so much nicer than Facebook about it. For example, you know that the people reading it are genuinely interested, and not some bemused aunt or acquaintance running into it on their newsfeed. What better way to start again than by writing about Wicked and Whimsy? I apologise in advance for clumsy writing, as I'm out of practice. I'm also thinking about replacing my camera, as it doesn't pick up light well, and it's tiresome to edit every photo, which I haven't done here.

Chocochip Cookie Lolita Bag and Lolita Bow Corsage Tutorial

Gothic & Lolita Bible 58* has a super cute pattern for a lolita bag by Chocochip Cookie, and I had to make one for myself. As the instructions are all in Japanese, I thought it might be helpful to post a walkthrough for this pattern. I followed the colours in the photo but of course you can choose your own to match different coords. You can also swap the flowers for other decorations, or leave the bows plain. The corsages also make great accessories on their own. I would love to see what you create, so please leave a link in the comments if you decide to make one.

Marie Antoinette Lolita – style inspiration and sewing patterns

OTT Classic lolita has been very popular for the last couple of years, and it looks set to continue, with both Angelic Pretty and Baby, the Stars Shine Bright producing spectacular Marie Antoinette themed designs. While rococo inspired styles already exist within OTT Classic and Hime (Princess style) lolita coords, this year they are very much the focal pieces. I wanted to explore this in more detail, and look at different styling options and sewing patterns that you can adapt yourself.

Halloween

For Halloween, I didn't dress spooky but wore my handmade Alexandra Henry x Ghastlies cat skirt and my new Cherie Cerise cutsew. I went for a vintage/retro black/grey/white theme.

October Round Up

I felt as though I didn't have a productive month as there were many things I wanted to do and did not get around to doing, but looking back I have made some personal achievements, and it is time I focused on the good things. Too often I think, "I don't practise drawing enough", "I don't wear lolita enough" and mostly "I wish I didn't have a headache/migraine/lack of energy/pain". It's strange really because apart from my health issues, the things I beat myself up about are the things that I take the most joy in and are important to me – art and lolita. Although I lament not drawing every day, I did more sketching than usual, and I completed an illustration for a the Regalia contest winner. I planned out and wore my Halloween coord, even if my event didn't go to plan (I had to cancel it as most people couldn't make it), but I made the most of Halloween anyway by enjoying pizza and classic movies with my best friends. I finished a corset-vest sewing project that I had been working on for a long time, and I went to the Alexander Palace Knitting and Stitching Show in London, where I stocked up on pretty fabrics and got a lot of inspiration for new projects. I also finally got around to writing two long blog posts that I had wanted to do. So thinking about all of that, I feel a lot better about things and positive that I can be even more productive in November. Here are my favourite finds from October, including coords, shopping and new releases – enjoy!

My favourite releases from October:

Baby the Stars Shine Bright x Sentimental Circus Collab. I love the phases of the moon and stars in this print, but I'm not so keen on the bodice. It's a shame they didn't release a skirt!