Making Old School New Again: Priere

Chunky platforms, bloomers peeking out the bottom of a skirt, yards upon yards of lace, lacy headdresses tied under the chin—all things we tend to think of when we reminisce about what Lolita used to be. But what if it was all back again, and with an updated look that was cutting edge and even trendy? That's exactly what Japanese indie brand Priere is doing!

Taking inspiration from antique dolls, Yukarin of Priere has created an angelic vision that harkens back to what Lolita was in the 90's, as well as the Victorian revival of the 1970's that brands like Gunne Sax popularized. Japanese pop culture is experiencing some serious 90's nostalgia at the moment (perhaps all the 1980's Fairy Kei girls have grown up and the girls who grew up in the 1990's are taking their place as queens of street fashion?) and is coming up with ways to reinvent the looks of the decade in fresh new ways. 

Perhaps the best way to make coordinates like this cutting edge is the way they're styled, gone are the bare faces and simple hair of early Lolita, and in their place are the currently trendy looks that seem to borrow heavily from moe pop culture. High bright blush, berry red lips, and flawlessly natural looking hair, often with professionally dyed unnatural colors, give a finished look to the old fashioned layered dresses.

One thing I particularly love about this brand's stylings is the use of mixed off-whites, with only touches of brown or gold, and yet most of the looks are paired with darker shoes, something that was very frequently seen in old Lolita street snaps. I think that the pairing of lighter frilly dresses with dark shoes has such an endearing look, and reminds me so much of sepia toned antique photographs of little Victorian children.

While Priere is not a Lolita brand, the aesthetics are very similar and I think that anyone interested in Lolita, particularly the current Classic Lolita trends, can find a lot of inspiration from this up-and-coming designer. The bell sleeves, the peeking bloomers, the layers of sheer lace, these are all things that elicit a strong sense of nostalgia from most Lolitas who've been in the fashion for a while, or even new Lolitas who know their roots, and it's exciting to see a new designer put a fresh face on the older designs.

Priere is a very new line and currently only has an Instagram with the promise of a future webshob. But you can also follow Yukarin's personal Twitter and Instagram for more. Tokyo Fashion also features an interview with Yukarin here.

Panda Fuzz Review

Over the summer I was sent a few items from the Fairy Kei shop, Panda Fuzz, for review. Since my blog has been on a long hiatus since then, I'm only now getting the chance to post the review!

Shortly after being contacted by Panda Fuzz, I was sent a package that was sent priority and only took a couple days to arrive. Packaging was very neatly done and everything was wrapped in pink tissue paper and the accessories were confined to baggies to keep them from rolling around the box. Panda Fuzz surprised me with a very high quality printed tee shirt that I was totally not expecting (The shirt is the image in the background of the review header!). I was very impressed with the print quality on this shirt, as it appeared to be screen printed, and the illustration on it was just adorable! Anyone familiar with the style will tell you that cute and unique tee shirts in pastel colors are an indispensable addition to a Fairy Kei inspired wardrobe. 

 The rest of the items were Fairy Kei essentials, such as this kandi styled charm bracelet. It's on an elastic cord, which feels strongly secured and comfortably stretchy, and look extra cute paired with pastel lace wristcuffs in Fairy Kei x Lolita coords!

I thought that this heart lollypop cell phone strap was particularly cute and a subtle way to add a little bit of kawaii to your life. Unfortunately, I was afraid of the fragility of this piece, as the lolly pop stick is the real deal and the resin set so that it was more rubbery than plasticy. The rubbery resin isn't necessarily a flaw, it was by no means sticky, just something to take note of and I believe has since been worked out. However, all of the other resin pieces were perfectly set!

My favorite piece was definitely this very excited star hair clip! The face on the star is too cute and the color gradient was very cute. It featured a pink glittery plastic chain and charm dangle, that would look extra cute mixed in with your curls!

 The final item I received was a large statement charm necklace, featuring the same pink glittery plastic chain as on the hair clip. My favorite part about this was the little heart and star charms, as they reminded me of the sort of linkable charm necklaces that we used to make growing up in the early late 80s/early 90s. Definitely the right kind of nostalgic for Fairy Kei!

Overall, the items I received from Panda Fuzz were well made and were just what you would expect from the photos and the price range. The designs are cute would be a nice addition to a Fairy Kei inspired Sweet Lolita wardrobe!

You can find Panda Fuzz a few places online:
Etsy

Storenvy

Facebook

Ball-Joint Doll Style Tights

To continue my theme of "things I have been obsessing with over on Tumblr", I'd like to talk a bit about these ball-joint doll styled tights that have been popping up quite a bit lately!

Dangerous Nude's "Nude Sox"

Lolita has always had a bit of a connection to both the slightly creepy side of things (of course, not all Lolita in general, but it's undeniable to say that for some Lolita styles and trends "creepy" is as much a part of the fashion as is "elegant" or "cute"!) as well as dolls, so it's not really an uncommon occurrence when trends or stylings pop up that are heavy on the creepy doll aesthetic! So, just in time for Halloween, I am all about these BJD style tights!

Tableau ball-joint tights. Buy them here, if they're in stock!

According to what I can dig up on Google, and through translated sites, the original pair that started the trend are made by the small indie brand Tableau and are sold via Selfer (Potentially NSFW). The originals are made in small batches by an independent artist (I believe the artist is Koh Ueno) and are typically pretty difficult to get their hands on because of that.

Quite possibly even more difficult to get your hands on, because of the whopping ¥3,990 price tag (that's just over $50 at the moment) and the fact that I don't believe you can order them internationally (see their shop-via-blog page) sinceI've only seen them on their blog, are the Dangerous Nude ball-joint tights. However, if you're willing to spend a bit and hunt down a shopping service their own sock line called "Nude Sox", and DN has a plethora of stunning ball-joint styled tights to choose from! Just check these out:

Not only do these feature ankle and thigh joints, but they come in a variety of options! The "plain" pair comes not only in white but in "Dolly Pink", and the other two are grunged up in a couple of different ways, Google translate tells me that's "Resident Evil" up there in the middle, and "Steam Punk" on the right!

If either of these pairs are out of your reach, all hope is not lost! If you're desperate for a pair of BJD tights (and I know you are, I certainly am!) there are a number of other, more easily obtainable and cheaper, options for you! If you're even a bit crafty, there are a couple tutorials out there how to make a very similar pair yourself. The best part about making these yourself is that you can include the ankle join that's missing from the originals that sort of irks every BJD collector out there, or even switch from black to a dark brown for a more naturally shaded look.

If you're looking to make a pair just like the Tableau pair, check out this semi-tutorial. It's all pictures, but the pictures are pretty self explanatory if you're capable of using stencils and an air brush. If you're not so handy with an air brush, here's a somewhat easier tutorial over on FairyTale a la Mode. The acrylic paint ones don't look so pretty off your legs, but they look just fine worn, and acrylic paint is often used to customize your tights.

Beadborg's custom airbrushed tights.

If you're in search of another shop that sells these, because let's face it, like any of us are ever going to get to our craft to-do list, you also have a couple options. Lockshop is currently running a preorder for a subtly styled pair of ball-joint tights here, and the Etsy shop Beadborg offers a more intensely painted pair of air brushed BJD style tights here. I'm actually really loving the Beadborg pairs, because of their custom color options and the detailed paint job! Unfortunately, the one thing the Beadborg tights lack is the back ball, but I've messaged them to ask about it, and was told that for $10 more, to cover the extra work, they can add it. However, if you want more up-to-date BJD tights (as most BJD's in production now rarely have a visible front knee ball) you can pretty much just wear them as-is backwards if you ask for an elastic channel to be painted on the joint.

If you really don't have the room in your budget for ridiculous doll tights, and really only just need the look for a costume (Halloween is right around the corner, and "creepy doll" is definitely a perennial favorite for the lazy Lolita!) there's an old cosplay trick I have heard of that basically just involves a number of black rubber bands of various sizes worn around the joints, see what I mean:

No idea who this is! It's a Shinku cosplay that's been floating around the web for years!

It looks convincing and is cheap and easy, just remember to take them off after a while so you don't end up losing circulation!

If you want to check out some more looks with these stockings, punch in 球体関節ストッキング to Google and you'll end up with a ton of results! I have noticed a weird trend of wearing the tights backwards, with the elastic slot in the front. As someone who has a number of BJDs, this is sort of irritating to look at, because I know that the vertical slot means that's the channel the elastic goes through to bend, meaning that their legs bend backwards! So if you do manage to either make or purchase your own pair of these and jump on this trend, remember that the vertical line on the ball joint goes behind your knee!

What do you think of this trend? I think it's currently a love it or loath it sort of thing due to the high creep factors. Like I've raved about this whole post, I'm seriously in love with the look! I'm a big fan of ball-jointed dolls, and of being sort of creepy, so these are definitely a trend I'm loving!

Vierge Vampur

In the past few months a few pictures from an up-and-coming Japanese indie Lolita brand, Vierge Vampur, have been making the rounds on Tumblr. Like the hundreds of other people who have reblogged these pictures, I'm completely blown away by these pieces! Take a look at what I'm talking about:

 

Not only are the dresses fresh and innovative, but the styling of the photoshoots is phenomenally creative! Unfortunately, one of the dresses I am most fond of, the one featuring the legs along the bottom, doesn't seem to have a worn photo to go with it.

What I, and many of the other people who are completely loving these designs, am very impressed with is the level of detail these pieces have, as well as the quirky designs. The cutlery dress features tiny spoon charms on the cuffs, complete with tiny bows, and on second glance the red and white striped dress is screen printed all over with various Victorian illustrations such as swallows, teeth, and scissors. To me these dresses are a mix of the decadence of Juliette et Justine, the cuteness of the Angelic Pretty releases that are reminiscent of old school designs, as well as the quirkiness of Otome brands such as Jane Marple or Emily Temple Cute.

One of the things I was most impressed with was the fact that these dresses didn't rely on the "traditional" custom border prints that many brands use now. These, instead, are very creatively screen printed, which is a process I've always loved more than printed fabric because I feel that it often adds an interest to the fabric, despite the fact that it relies on just the one color of ink! Especially when paired with velvet or an already patterned fabric!

Price wise, they are pretty typical of most Japanese Lolita brands, as their dresses tend to be between $250 to $300, thanks to the current high rate of the Japanese Yen and low rate of the US Dollar. Thanks to a heads up over on Twitter, I was just told that if you email them, they can do custom sizes for you!

So what do you think of this indie brand's designs? Creative and unique, or a little too out there for you?

You can find Vierge Vampur a number of places online:

♣ Official Website ♣ Facebook ♣ Blog ♣

Interview with Tyler of Lily of the Valley

A while ago I got the chance to interview Tyler from the indie Lolita brand Lily of the Valley. I've always been a fan of Tyler's work. Back before I had a fairly large Lolita wardrobe, I used to download her KiSS dolls to give myself a Lolita dress up fix!

Tyler's brand, Lily of the Valley, is a brand that often focuses on historical inspired designs and prints, and has a very charming, somewhere between Sweet, Classic and country styling, with touch of old school Lolita. Her recent print, Sweet Matryoshka, is a little bit Otome, a little bit Mori, and a little bit Sweet. I am definitely a fan of the versatility and blurring of the edges between styles that her designs feature!

Besides being a talented designer, Tyler is also a very prolific seamstress. She sews nearly all of her Lolita clothes! All of the coordinates from her in this interview feature clothing she has made for herself.

How long have you been into Lolita? Since 2003, so err 7 years. I kinda feel like an old fogey sometimes. Like when someone asks about "old" Angelic Pretty dresses like Sweet Macron, and I'm think: "wait didn't that come out not too long ago? ...oh it's been a couple of years!"

What are your favorite styles? Most probably classic, although I like to try many of the styles and mix them. My current style is something like classic/sweet/mori/otome/natural-kei. haha. I enjoy wearing a lot of layers and using vintage accessories. I still have a place in my heart for old school sweet, although I can't seem to stop adding more and more layers and accessories.

Tyler in a dress of her own creation.

How long have you been sewing and wearing your own clothes? Since the beginning. My first lolita outfit was an off brand blouse with a blue rose print skirt remade from a longer skirt I got at a local thrift store. In the early years of lolita on livejournal making or remaking your clothes was really the only way to wear the fashion. None of the brands shipped out of Japan, and even "In the Starlight" didn't exist yet.

Another reason I think I make my own clothes has to do with my childhood. My mother is a fine arts jeweler and my Dad is an electrical/systems engineer. Growing up around a lot of crafty and DIY people, I heard quite a bit of "Oh, you don't need to buy that, I'll show you how to make it yourself." Once you get used to being able to make a lot of your own things it's hard to go back to buying things that aren't exactly how you would have done it. The only brand I currently own are some very lovely socks!

I think this delight in versatility of design is why I try to allow my customers as wide range of custom choices as I can with my lines and hats. I would like them to have a dress or hat that feels like theirs, rather then something just off the rack.

Tyler in a dress of her own creation.

You seem to make a lot of your own accessories and use a variety of different handicrafts in your pieces, do you have any favorite handicrafts? Oh that's a really hard question. I'm always trying new techniques. Well to start off; jewelry has always been something I've been interested in because of my Mom; it's a nice break from sewing. I am really hoping that the Sweet Acorns jewelry line does well, because I want to continue to offer matching jewelry for my lines.

Tatting is something that I have picked up this year. I enjoy it a lot because it's something you can do on the fly; pull it out during car trips or while watching movies. Also tatting is very fussy and feminine, and that appeals! It's almost a lost art, when I was trying to learn it I couldn't find anyone to teach me how. To this date I haven't found anyone outside of the internet who does it too. I really love old needlework techniques and like to do my own part to keep them alive. I wish it was something I could work into my lolita lines, but it's so time consuming it would be exorbitant!

When it gets down to it I think my favorite handicraft is making hats. There is something very exciting and satisfying about making one. The stiff lines and structure, figuring how how to trim it just so. Plus you can put a lot of trimmings on hats that you could never put on a dress! Feathers, silk flowers, birds! I have a bag of straw braid taken from a thrift store hat stashed away for when I have a time to make it into a spoon bonnet. I'm really looking forward to (and dreading) soaking the straw braid in hot water and seeing if I can fight it into a hat shape!

When did you start your own brand, Lily of the Valley? My first line "Keys to the Kingdom" was released in 2006, but before this I had done quite a few commissions. The line was skirt with a castle screen printed around the hem. It sold well, but not as much as I would have liked at the time. The continuous print was very hard to do and my friend who was doing the screen printing had real trouble with it. We filled the orders but ended up with a lot of misprinted material and frustration. That left me feeling a bit discouraged about future lines.

Keys to the Kingdom

So instead of trying a new one I came up with the idea for the Admiral Tricorn hats. They went over very well, and I still get a good number of orders, even 3 years later. This really encouraged me and I got used to taking several custom orders at once. Looking back to the "Keys to the Kingdom" line; while I think I was ready to do it, I don't think I had a good idea of what doing it entailed. I over reached; something that was feasible to do for one skirt was trouble for several. It was a good experience and really taught me that you have to be circumspect when making such large plans.

In 2009 I decided to make another go at it, putting up the Lily of the Valley website and my inaugural line "Excerpts from a Victorian Cookbook". I am very happy with how it came out and the response. It is great being able to get custom printed fabric in small amounts. I had considered getting fabric printed with my own designs before but it was never possible because of the very large amount you had to buy.

Tyler in a dress of her own creation, the Sweet Matryoshka print fro Lily of the Valley.

What are the ideas or aesthetics behind Lily of the Valley?
I am inspired by a lot of different things, so this is a very difficult question to ask! I'm rather influenced by fairy tales and their beautiful illustrations, I grew up reading them rather then watching the sanitized Disney versions, and I think they are really delightful, and sometimes quite dark. I remember reading the story "The Red Shoes" when I was little and being horrified for months because of it. That sort of thing appeals as well, because life is like that, it's very bright and rather magical; but there are those dark places that make the bright parts that much brighter.

Haha, I guess I haven't done many prints yet that have that feeling, I have so many ideas and it's hard to decide which ones to do. But I think I want my prints to invoke a feeling or story. "Excerpts from a Victorian Cookbook" was inspired by the illustrations from "Mrs Beeton's book of Household Management", and I was delighted by the idea of Victorian confections. When making a cake or pudding was time consuming, and strictly for special occasions; so they molded and decorated them until they looked like something fairies would make. While my newest line "Sweet Matryoshka" reminds me of a walk in the woods as a child. Birds to be looked at in delight, flowers and berries to be picked, mushrooms to be examined for pixies, and acorns and other treasures stuck in your pocket to be enjoyed later.

In all this I want my pieces to be very wearable. To be able to be dressed up to the nines as lolita, or dressed down with a little cardigan to stroll around town in. I hope I am successful at this!

What's the most difficult thing about having your own brand?
The scrutiny of being an independent brand in the both very large and rather small English speaking online lolita community. If I do something that flops, it's a much bigger deal for me then the established brands. I can only put out one line at a time, and pretty much have one customer base; who mass communicate very easily and quickly. If the Japanese brands put out something that the EGL community doesn't like, they still have the Japanese and other markets; as well as other lines. I don't have that luxury.

I do think that this really pushes me to work that much harder and try to think outside of the box; come up with motifs that haven't been done before, or haven't been done in that way before.

Tyler's illustration for her Excerpts from a Victorian Cookbook print line.

What is your favorite thing about having your own brand?
I think hands down my favorite thing is seeing my dresses being worn and enjoyed, it's a kind of excitement that's hard to describe. I remember years ago when I was taking commissions; seeing one of my dresses on a girl at Otakon and thinking "I don't remember that Baby dress..." before realizing it was something I made. I wanted to break out into dance I was so happy!

Being able to design the prints for my pieces makes it that much more special. I drew for years before I started sewing. The prints are almost a kind of story, in colors, symbols, and emotions. When someone decides to buy and wear a dress that I designed; they are sort of sharing that story, like we both read and enjoyed it. Hopefully in a non-cheesy way!

Where do you see, or where would you like to see Lily of the Valley in the future?
I would like to be able to come out with more lines more quickly. I have at least 20 different design ideas clamoring in my head and I'd like to make them all! This of course depends on how quickly I get orders and fill them. My current day dream is for my lines to sell out the day they are released!

I just got an embroidery machine so I am planning some embroidered lines. I'm really excited by the idea of doing a redux of the "Keys to the Kingdom" line as an embroidery, or a variation of the very popular prototype "Admiral Pirate Set".

Excerpts from a Victorian Cookbook

I guess in short I would like to see Lily of the Valley become a more prominent brand. I don't expect to mass produce like the Japanese brands, but I would like to have a comfortable niche, for those who appreciate the options and aesthetic Lily of the Valley is offering them.

You can find Lily of the Valley's shop page here, or check out her blog!

I have a dress set made by Tyler, I actually got it second hand and snapped it up pretty quickly because it was a really good deal and made by someone who's work I've always enjoyed. It's definitely a gorgeous piece! The design is awesome and the construction is just perfect. If you're looking for an indie brand, especially an indie brand with prints that are both Sweet and Elegant, I would definitely recommend Lily of the Valley!

Lief's Sacred Night Print

Lief is a Korean indies brand that has been around for a few years now but have just recently started pumping out gorgeous print after gorgeous print. Their newest print is called Sacred Night and instead of being a custom printed fabric, as are their other prints, it's a screen print on velveteen.

Their newest print comes in 3 colorways, black on ivory, gold on ivory, and gold on black. This print is available as either a skirt or a JSK and is only available in tea-length (about mid-calf length) which is an unusual length for Lolita but also a very elegant length that the more classically inclined brands often use. The print itself is just gorgeous! It's definitely very wintry looking, covered in stars and snowflakes, but those take a back seat to the gorgeous castle featured on the print, so you can probably get away with wearing this skirt any time that wearing velvet is appropriate.

The first thing that I thought of when I saw this print was that it looked like Moitie's Divine Cross only much more elegant. Yeah, I know Moitie's print has the word "Elegant" (along with "vampire" "romance" and "aristocrat") right on it, but I just am not a fan of this Moitie print. It looks too much like Christian clip art to me, and the print placement looks too awkward to me. As much as I love religious themed prints, what I do not love are glowing crosses exploding forth from my loins.

If you're interested in getting your hands on the Sacred Night print you can pre-order it on Lief's livejournal. Pre-order actually starts tomorrow and the dresses should be released (I assume that means when they will be shipped) on the week of January 23rd. Provided they are actually shipped on that date, as I do believed they had quite a delay with one of their other prints, the Sacred Night print looks like the perfect addition to a winter wardrobe!