December Outfit Recap: so many fun holiday events!

December was a busy month for Lolita events, with International Lolita Day (the biannual "unofficial" Lolita holiday) and multiple Christmas meetups. I also had a chance to dress up with my family for the holidays! It was also a really busy month for sewing, but I'll save that for another post.

Pacific Media Expo 2014: Sunday ~ Fashion Show

I had the privilege of modeling in the PMX Fashion Show again this year, this time for Alice and the Pirates. It was basically a dream come true being able to model my very favorite brand, and getting to dress up as a pirate no less!

My wonderful husband got tons of great pictures of everyone on the runway, so it's thanks to him that I can share all of these with you. This is a very picture-heavy post; you have been warned, but I hope you forge ahead anyway!

Pacific Media Expo 2014: Saturday

This last weekend was Pacific Media Expo, the fashion-forward Japanese pop culture convention of Southern California, and it was tons of fun! The ladies in the fashion department outdid themselves again this year with the tea party, and we all spent a lot of time just socializing in the boutique.

October Coordinates

October means Halloween, and Halloween means themed coordinates, right? I had a couple of opportunities to dress up this month, and definitely had fun taking advantage of the ability to do themes and get a little more costume-y than usual.

Read on for three outfits and their breakdowns~

Sewing Project: Melisandre from Game of Thrones

For Halloween this year, I wanted to do something that was fairly mainstream, but still relevant to my interests, and still a legitimate cosplay. So I took the plunge and did my first television cosplay--Melisandre from Game of Thrones!

More pictures and construction notes under the cut.

Bodyline Shoe Haul & Review

Bodyline recently had a sale on shoes, and for a few weeks of the sale they also offered free shipping! I took that opportunity to stock up on some new shoes to replace worn out ones, and also to add some more variety to my wardrobe. I spent just under $100~ for five pairs! Read on for a mini review.

Sewing Project: Halloween Damask Underbust JSK

Hello everyone, I'm finally back and busy after an amazing vacation. I've had the sewing itch for the last few days, so I got started on a few different projects, and finished one today! I fell in love with the fabric when I ordering a for a commission a while ago, and I'm so glad that I got it.

This time, the design was inspired by Innocent World, since I love what they do with overall printed pieces. I'm planning to wear it to Disneyland in a few weeks as part of a Nightmare Before Christmas coordinate, but until then, here are some more pictures and construction notes~

Sewing Project: Cranberry Shantung A-line JSK and matching bonnet

I've had four yards of beautiful dark red poly-blend shantung hanging out in my sewing box for months now, and while I had an idea of what I wanted to do with it before, it wasn't until the long holiday weekend that I actually managed to get off my butt and do something with it!

I ended up making an a-line Classic jumperskirt and a matching bonnet! It was my first time making both of those things, so it was a lot of fun trying some new stuff (especially the bonnet!). I also had a chance to wear all the new things to a meetup this weekend. 

August Outfits

I actually was able to wear Lolita four times this month, but only took pictures at three of the meetups, so you'll just have to use your imagination for the last one (I wore my handmade black and ivory harlequin skirt)! Lots of Gothic-Classic hybrid coordinates, as always~

Commissions @ Otakon 2014

Earlier this summer, I did two commissions for Otakon attendees, and now that the con is over and people have had time to recover, I got some pictures back from both of them! I love seeing happy clients--it's so much fun to be part of a collaborative effort to make great-looking cosplayers.

The two cosplays were Sailor Snow White, based on Drachea Rannak's fanart, and Kiritsugu Emiya's overcoat from Fate/Zero. More pictures and my construction notes under the cut~

SDCC 2014 3rd Annual J-Fashion Walk

We decided to stick with the walk again this year, since it was so much more fun (and easy!) than the picnic we did once. This year, we didn't have Sanrio sponsorship, so we went to Seaport Village from the hotel rather than down past the convention itself. The destination was the carousel and sweet treats at Ben & Jerry's! We had a good-sized group that was a mix of out of town convention attendees and locals. Not everyone had badges, but we could all enjoy the waterfront together.

About halfway through the walk, we stopped for pictures and a small raffle, with prizes donated by the community moderators/organizers. My husband took lots of pictures for us, so enjoy!

July Coordinates: SDCC + casual community meetup

Since July was mostly taken up by Anime Expo and SDCC preparation, I was busy basically non-stop! Somehow, I was able to wear Lolita several times, which was a nice break from cosplay. Early in the month, we had a last-minute meetup at our favorite tea shop, and then I wore Lolita for two days of SDCC. I also wore a casual coordinate at AX, but never managed to take a picture (it was my Rapunzel cutsew OP, for the curious).

Sailor Moon @ Anime Expo 2014 [Part II]

Saturday of Anime Expo, or "Sailor Moon Day" as we started calling it, was not only the day that we did our photoshoot (see the previous post) but also the day of several different Sailor Moon meetups! There was the huge official VIZ one, and then there was also a slightly smaller (but still large!) one for Cosplay.com, hosted by yours truly. There were some location issues, but eventually we were able to find a place large enough to accommodate everyone.

Read on for many, many more pictures!

Sailor Moon @ Anime Expo 2014 [Part I]

A lot of my friends have affectionately nicknamed Anime Expo 2014 "Sailor Moon Expo" because of the huge amount of Sailor Moon events! Saturday was the most concentrated, with tons of different panels, meetups, and more, so of course that's the day that we all wore our Sailor Senshi cosplays. We somehow managed to squeeze a small photoshoot in there, and here are the results!

Brian Calilung was the photographer again (same as last year for Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune), and we were able to get quite a few really lovely shots from it despite the heat and limited time! Unfortunately, we were unable to get a full group picture due to scheduling conflicts, but we're planning to do another set of photos soon! Until then, read on to enjoy what we were able to get from AX 2014.

Kill la Kill @ Anime Expo 2014

Anime Expo 2014 was an amazing, busy weekend filled with cosplay, panels, and hanging out with friends. One of the things I did during the convention was help host a Kill la Kill cosplay meetup before the big special event panel and concert! It was my first time running a gathering, but it was a lot of fun (and I learned a lot for next time). I didn't have anyone there with me to take pictures, but reddit user noodleknight (tumblr) was kind enough to let me use some of his photos from the event! You can see his full album here.

I also worked with some great people, including photographer Eric Millan (tumblr) and cosplayers Aira Masquerade and Toshiyasu Cosplay.

Lots more pictures following the cut!

Anime Expo 2014: How to Find Me!

If you're going to Anime Expo this year, look for me in the following cosplays!

Thursday (Day 1): Nuriko from Fushigi Yuugi
Friday (Day 2): Satsuki Kiryuin from Kill la Kill

Saturday (Day 3): Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon

Sunday (Day 4): Lolita coordinate

June Coordinates & Lolita Weekend in Tijuana

June has been so busy for me with cosplay, so I was really glad to have a few opportunities to dress up and relax. Lolita Weekend with Misako Aoki in Tijuana was a wonderful break from Anime Expo preparation!

Read on for three outfits and a few quick snaps from the event!

Satsuki Kiryuin [Photoshoot]

Fear is Freedom! Control is Liberty! Contradiction is Truth!

Listen well, you pigs in human clothing and submit to that reality!

I was able to work with the talented Eric of 3slycePOP again for Satsuki, and it was at ton of fun with great results! Read on to see my favorites from the shoot~

Review: Mystery Garden Chiffon Bonnet

I've been wanting a plain black bonnet for a while now, so when I saw an advertisement for Polish indie brand Mystery Garden's new chiffon bonnet design on one of the Facebook communities, I figured it was a good time to go for it!

(Super Overdue) A/P Golden Week Lucky Packs!

So... I meant to post about this weeks ago. No really, I had it all planned out and everything! I'm not really sure what happened, but hey, better late than never, right?

For Golden Week, Alice and the Pirates/BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT released small happy packs. They were surprisingly easy to buy--I ordered mine with my mobile phone!--and quite cheap. It ended up being quite a lucky pack indeed, since I ended up keeping three out of the four items. Keep reading for more pictures and ordering notes.

May Coordinates: I'm going through Lolita withdrawals...

This month was crazy busy, and I didn't have any chances to dress up until almost the very end of the month! Not that I wasn't out having fun, because I was, but I definitely start to feel a little bad when I can't wear Lolita for long periods of time. Three weeks is too long...

There were only two meetups, so only two outfits this month.

Cosplay Construction: Satsuki Kiryuin

During the process of making Satsuki's dress "Junketsu", I took more progress pictures than usual (read: more than zero) so that I could get feedback from various places. I realized that this meant I could share those process photos with all of you, so that you can see a little bit of what goes into making a cosplay from scratch!

There are still a few tweaks to be done before Anime Expo, and I'm still working on perfecting the eyebrow makeup, but here's a little peek into how I get things done.

April Coordinates: Lots of Gothic, and a little bit of trying something new

Somehow I ended up wearing a lot of more Gothic coordinates this month. I mean, I wear a lot of black anyway (considering over half my Lolita wardrobe is black) but usually things end up looking more on the Classic side. Then, at the end of the month, I tried to wear something more colorful and a bit out of my comfort zone. Go me!

March Coordinates: Boystyle, Pirates, and More

photo courtesy happiimilk.net (used with permission)

In March, we had two swap meets, a pirate-themed meet at the museum, and an indie brand tea party in LA. It was a pretty laid-back month, not too busy, but it's really just a lull before the storm--April and especially May are going to be pretty crazy!

Review: Lief's Carousel Theater Skirt

My Carousel Theater preorder from Lief finally came in. I decided that in order to help give Lief more exposure, I would do a review, so I took a ton of pictures of the unpacking process and the skirt itself. I hope this is helpful to anyone who may be on the fence about this wonderful Korean indie brand!

February Coordinates: Berries and chocolate and clocks, oh my!

February was another busy month for Lolita, with a photoshoot, a couple of meetups, and Dapper Day at Disneyland! I've started sharing my outfits on Tumblr, and it's a lot of fun to see how far they go there. You can follow me at konekoanni.

I think my wardrobe transition from Sweet styles to Classic/Gothic is very nearly complete--though I did bring out some sweeter outfits for Valentine's Day. Keep going for the outfits~

The Raven [Photoshoot]

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

Back in January, I worked with the really lovely pixeldot at the park. Between the wedding parties vying for space and the fading light, we didn't get very many photos, but the finished ones are lovely! Keep going after the cut to see a few more.

Regarding Time [Photoshoot]

`Of course you don't!' the Hatter said, tossing his head contemptuously. `I dare say you never even spoke to Time!' 

`Perhaps not,' Alice cautiously replied: `but I know I have to beat time when I learn music.'

`Ah! that accounts for it,' said the Hatter. `He won't stand beating. Now, if you only kept on good terms with him, he'd do almost anything you liked with the clock. For instance, suppose it were nine o'clock in the morning, just time to begin lessons: you'd only have to whisper a hint to Time, and round goes the clock in a twinkling! Half-past one, time for dinner!'

In my city, there is a park with some lovely late 19th-century houses--they make the perfect backdrop for Lolita! I got to work with photographer 3SlycePop (Flickr) at this lovely location. The coordinate features the Alice and the Pirates print "Alice and the Secret of the Clock Tower". Read on for more!

January Meetup Round-Up: LIEF Event, The Getty Museum, and more!

This month was surprisingly busy for Lolita! There were two casual meetups with the local group, and two big meetups--one with the LA Lolitas and one with the TJ Lolitas.

On January 12, there was a meetup at the Getty Museum in LA, which lots of girls went to! Then on the 18th, the TJ girls did a collaboration event with the Korean brand LIEF and the Mexican Lolita association My Lolita Style. We also had a last-minute cafe meetup early in the month, and the usual monthly meetup at the end.

Keep reading for photos and event summaries!

January Coordinates: Hello, 2014!

This year, I was inspired by tumblr to start taking pictures of my coordinates before I put them on, so that it's easier for people to see the details and accessories. I really like doing it this way now, so hopefully I can stick with it for the rest of the year as well!

I'm also really starting to have a thing for bonnets, in case you couldn't tell... If you follow me on tumblr, you'll have seen these already, but keep on after the cut for five outfits~

2013 Year in Review

I wanted to do a "Year in Review" post, highlighting some of my favorite events from 2013. I picked out twelve photos from various events throughout the year that I feel represent my best fashion and cosplay memories.

November: Modeling for Haenuli at PMX

Read on for my choices!

Cosplay Plans for 2014

It seems like my year is pretty evenly split between cosplay and Lolita--Lolita takes up most of fall and winter, and cosplay the spring and summer. January is when I start to seriously plan the year's cosplays, including research, reference image collecting, tutorial reading, and budgeting.

This year, I have three new costumes planned (well, really closer to two and a half), plus last year's classic Sailor Uranus will get some time as well. I'm really excited about all of these! There's something new, something old, and of course my favorite Senshi.

Read on for more details.

EGL Wardrobe Theme 2014

For the last four years, the main EGL Livejournal community has done a Wardrobe Theme for the month of January, where members take pictures of their clothes and organization schemes and share the with the larger Lolita community.

This year, I participated again, and as always it was so much fun to see how my wardrobe has grown and evolved over the last year. You can check it out here!

To see the past three years, check out last year's post.