Harajuku Day Cologne

A week ago on Saturday I visited the Harajuku Day Cologne. It's a small convention which happens every few months. It is mainly for meeting people, so you have one big room with many tables and chairs, and you can play games, participate in cosplay/drawing/outfit competitions and some people are dancing or singing at the stage. And there are also a few stalls for buying stuff.

The last time I visited it was 4 years ago, but the target group is not mainly Lolitas, so I never visited it again. But this Saturday, some of my Lolita friends had their own stalls there and some other friends decided to visit it too, and I was interested in how this con have changed after 4 years, so I decided to attend it.

I went there together with Riina who was wearing Lolita for the first time. Usually she wears other J-fashions. I was wearing something J-Style-inspired, since I had a similar outfit for Lolita in mind but I don't own a black dress or skirt yet to create this outfit. So I used the black glitter dress which I bought for christmas.

Riina looks so unbelievable cute *____*

Picture by Takoto_Saionji

My outfit:

We took a group picture with nearly all Lolitas:

Some of my friends are selling Lolita clothing and accessoires:

After taking pictures we participated in the J-fashion outfit contest. Riina won the first place ^_^
Then I visited the Maid Café "Tales of Harmony" with another Lolita. We ordered 2 cupcakes. They were very delicious, I think the best cupcakes I ever ate in a Café!

The 2 girls also look very cute *_* And I look so huge next to them xD

It was a very nice day. 
Thank you for reading!
Miuko~ <3

New Year's Meet-Up

New Year started only 4 days ago and we directly had a meet-up! It was organized quite spontaneoulsy but in the end we were around 8 people.

We met in Düsseldorf and wanted to go to "Sugarbird Cupcakes". The store was surprisingly empty but when we entered the waitress told us that all tables are reserved... usually they don't take reservations on saturday?! Then we went to the "Relax" Café to find out they sell food only in the afternoon... so we only had a drink. We ended up in our usual chinese restaurant "Dschunke" because it is ALWAYS empty xD

We ordered a lot of food and had great conversations... well except when some people started to talk about medical themes... I always find them disgusting, when I only think about blood I almost fade xD

Before I left the house, I did a selfie with my christmas tree. It was really hard to do with my heavy Canon camera >_<

My outfit for the day:

Outfit of the other guests:

After this we went to the japanese supermarket and I found a lot of "Do it yourself"-candy!!! Maybe you can remember my old post about funny japanese candy and that I searched for it everywhere, even in London! And now our local japanese supermarket got a quite big order of such candies :)

Maybe I will make another post about them where I create the candies :)

Thank you for reading,
Miuko~ <3

Lolita Level Up 2.0

Just a few days ago, Caro from F*Yeah Lolita made a different version of the Lolita Level Up game. I made this one too for fun! I think both games focus on different aspects. So I would do both to get the best Lolita achievement overview xD.

You can find the original post here: http://fyeahlolita.blogspot.de/2014/12/lolita-level-up-quiz-20.html
Or a version which directly counts your points: http://www.beyond-kawaii.com/2014/12/f-yeah-lolita-level-up-quiz-20-form.html

All levels I reached within 4 years of wearing Lolita are bold:

LOLITA LEVEL UP

• You have a favorite brand
• You own a petticoat
• You own multiple petticoats in different cuts and/or lengths
• You own a parasol
• You own an item from a brand
• You own a novelty item from a brand (plates, mugs, stuffed animals, home decor, and other "non-wearables")
• You own an item from Bodyline
• You own an item from a Taobao brand
• You own an item from a Western indie brand
• You own an item you bought of eBay, Amazon, or a shady website and it came out okay
• You've bought brand directly from their official store
• You've bought a lucky pack
• You bought an item in reserve
• You own a complete Lolita outfit
• You've worn a complete Lolita outfit in public
• You've worn a complete Lolita outfit in public and it wasn't even on Halloween or at a convention

• You've bought and sold on an online Lolita community
• You've paid retail price for a rare secondhand brand
• You've paid double the retail price for a rare secondhand brand
• You've paid less than 20% the retail price for secondhand brand (ex: you paid $40 for a piece that originally cost $200)
• You've bought from a Japanese auction
• You've ordered from a shopping service
• You wear clothes you've made for yourself
• You wear a print you've designed yourself
• You wear clothes you've had custom made for you
• Have had brand pieces altered to fit your size or style
• You've been wearing Lolita for over a year
• You've been wearing Lolita for over 5 years
• You've been wearing Lolita for over a decade
• You have enough Lolita outfits to wear a new one every day for a week
• You have enough Lolita outfits to wear a new one every day for a month
• You've converted an interested friend to Lolita

• You wear brand with your "normal" wardrobe
• You don't have a "normal" wardrobe because you only wear Lolita
• You know how to handwash your Lolita clothes
• You know how to wash a wig
• You've worn a wig, circle lenses, or false eyelashes
• You've worn a wig, circle lenses, and false eyelashes all at once
• You own a pair of rocking horse shoes
• You own a pair of tea party shoes
• You own a purse shaped like something ridiculous
• You own an old school rectangle headdress
• You own a bonnet
• You own Lolita roomwear or pajamas
• You own a Lolita item that was released this past year
• You own a Lolita item that was released over 6 years ago
• You own a Lolita item that was released over 10 years ago
• You own every item released in a favorite print/series

• You've worn something on your head that was never intended to be worn on a head
• You've worn a trendy accessory (deer horns, halos, peignoirs, eyeballs, etc)
• You've worn Sweet Lolita
• You've worn Classic Lolita
• You've worn Gothic Lolita
• You've worn Old School Lolita
• You've worn Boystyle
• You've worn one of the lesser worn Lolita substyles such as Punk, Ero, Wa, or Guro
• You know the difference between a JSK and an OP
• You can name at least 5 prints
• You can tell which items are from which brand just by looking at them
• You can tell which items are from which brand just by looking at them, even if they're not a print
• You can tell which year a brand piece came from just by looking at it
• You've taken Lolita outfit snaps
• You've traveled to visit a fancy looking place just to take outfit snaps
• You've started a trend that others have followed

• You own a Gothic & Lolita Bible
• You own every single Gothic & Lolita Bible
• Your picture is in a Gothic & Lolita Bible
• Your picture is in a Gothic & Lolita Bible because you're a model for a brand
• You own a Lolita sewing pattern book
• You've made something from a Lolita sewing pattern book
• You've seen Kamikaze Girls
• You've read Kamikaze Girls
• You've met Novala Takemoto
• You've met Misako Aoki
• Misako Aoki has made you an official Lolita ambassador
• You've met one of your favorite Lolita designers
• You've learned how to sew/craft just so you can make your own Lolita clothes/accessories
• You've decorated your house/bedroom to match your Lolita wardrobe
• Your Lolita wardrobe is part of your decor (ex: you display your hats on a shelf, keep a mannequin dressed up on display, etc)
• You've been interviewed for a newspaper/magazine article for wearing Lolita

• You've made friends through Lolita
• You've made friends in foreign countries through Lolita
• You've celebrated International Lolita Day
• You have a separate facebook profile just for Lolita
• You're known by a different name when you wear Lolita
• You've twinned with someone
• You've tripleted with people
• You've been part of a group of clones
• You've taken purikura in Lolita before
• You have a purikura app on your phone
• You've had to explain what you were wearing to a stranger
• You've been called a princess by small children
• Old ladies have complimented you and remarked how nice it is to see young people dressed so nicely
• You've been called Bo-Peep
• You've been asked if you were in a play
• You've been asked what you were cosplaying as, or compared to an anime character

• You're a member of online Lolita communities
• You're active in online Lolita communities
• You mod an online Lolita community
• You mod an online community of over 1,000 members
• You've attended a meetup
• You've attended a tea party meetup
• You've attended a brand sponsored tea party
• You've traveled multiple hours to attend a meetup
• You've hosted a meetup
• You've hosted over 6 meetups
• You've hosted a meetup with over 20 attendees
• You've been to a Lolita swap meet
• You've attended a large scale Lolita event or convention
• You've been on staff at a large scale Lolita event or convention
• You've been to a Lolita panel at a convention
• You've hosted your own panel at a convention

• You've seen a Lolita fashion show
• You've modeled in a Lolita fashion show
• You've seen a brand fashion show
• You've modeled in a brand fashion show
• You own your own Lolita clothes/accessory line
• You've hosted your own brand's fashion show
• You have visited a Lolita shop
• You've traveled to another country just to buy from Lolita shops
• You own and run your own Lolita shop
• You're friends with a brand shop girl
• You are a brand shop girl
• You run a Lolita blog (traditional, tumblr, vlog, etc)
• You run a Lolita blog with over 1,000 followers
• You have been called "e-famous"
• You have been called "e-infamous"
• You've been featured on TV for wearing Lolita

RESULTS

I achieved 79 out of 128
That means I'm a "Experienced Lolita".


POINTS CHART

1-15 points: Curious Onlooker
It means you're familiar with the fashion and have taken an interest in all things frilly and Lolita. You've probably attended a few open events, maybe own a few pieces of Lolita, lurk the online communities, and you definitely are on your way to knowing your stuff! Your next step is probably buying the final piece for your first full outfit and finally headed to your first meetup!

16-40 points: Just starting out
It means you're just starting out in the world of Lolita. You may have been interested in the fashion for a few years but are just now getting involved in wearing the fashion on a regular basis and joining local communities. You probably have a couple full outfits but are still working on building a larger wardrobe. Alternatively, you have a larger wardrobe and definitely know your stuff, but you aren't very active in local or online Lolita communities and are perhaps more of a lone Lolita. Your next step is probably either finishing up adding a few more pieces to your wardrobe or to starting getting to know some other Lolitas.

41-60 points: Well-rounded Lolita
It means you're probably a very well-rounded Lolita. You have a fair sized wardrobe that allows a variety of outfits and some style experimentation, you have a few Lolita friends, and you've attended your fair share of meetups and even fashion shows. You probably have a few volumes of the Gothic & Lolita Bible hanging around your bookshelf and you've definitely taken an interest in Lolita hobbies. Your next step is probably to step out of your comfort bubble, try a new style you've always wanted to try, host your own meetups, or perhaps finally apply to be a model for a local Lolita fashion show.

61-80 points: Experienced Lolita
It is the realm of an experienced Lolita! You've probably been active in the fashion for a number of years, have a fairly large and diverse wardrobe, and have attended (and hosted!) your fair share of Lolita events. You're most likely well-known within your local, and online, communities. You're probably practically an expert on the fashion and have probably introduced, or at least guided, a few friends along the right path in the fashion. Your next step is most likely to do a closet cleaning or some wardrobe organization because you probably have a few years of accumulated clothes.

 81-100 points: Top of your game
You are at the top of the Lolita game. You've definitely been active in the fashion for a number of years, or possibly you've had a very intense first few years. You've gone out there and had the chance to do some pretty cool things that you always dreamed of doing back when you first got started as a Lolita. There's a good chance you're a leader in both your local Lolita communities and the online Lolita-sphere. Your next step is probably to kick a few more things off your Lolita bucket list! 
 
101+ points: Lolita royalty
You are within the ream of Lolita royalty. You probably have enough clothes to dress your own personal rufflebutt army, which you could very well easily raise with a wave of your very expensive burando scepter! You're well known by Lolitas both near and far, who are most likely green with envy at what you have in your closet, who you've met, and what you've had the chance to do. There are probably still a few items left on your Lolita bucket list that have been haunting you for a while now because you thought they've always been out of your reach for one reason or another (perhaps it's that long-distance shopping vacation, to complete your dream dress list, or to finally host the tea party of your dreams), but look how far you've come yet! Whatever it is you want to do, you can probably achieve it easily, or at the very least, you definitely have the patience within the fashion to stick with it for a while and work on getting it done.

Asu's Advent Cafe

A few days before Christmas I attended a small christmas party from my friend Asu. She organizes it since ~4 years and I already attended it in 2012. I was  very excited for this event to happen because it was my only christmas Lolita event this year. I couldn't attend other events because I have a temporary job and have to work every Saturday in December.

I drove together with Mabu who also lives in my city. I was glad that I didn't had to travel alone since we needed 2 hours for one way to Asu's apartment X_x. Because of this I was really unmotivated to go in the morning, but I told myself that it will be awesome and I was not disappointed :)

When we entered her apartment everything was beautifully decorated. I especially liked her christmas tree with a lot of disney baubels! She also decorated the tables very cute.

When everyone arrived we started to eat cake and cupcakes!
After eating we went outside to take a few pictures.

 3 guests are missing on this picture because they took the picture or came too late.

This was my outfit. I have worn "Innocent Rose" by Btssb. I was happy that many people liked my dress. It's currently my favourite dress because I'm more interested in Classic-Sweet styles at the moment.

Here a few selfies:

In the evening, we watched 2 episodes of "Shopping Queen" where my friend Asu was a part of it. Then Mabu and me had to leave.

It was a nice day and I could wear Lolita after a long break. In the last 5 months I only have worn it 2 times (Chocolate Meet-up and this event). But for january I already have planned 2-3 occasions to which I look forward to ^_^

Thank you for reading,
Miuko~ <3

Finding a super rare dress

Today I was browsing through mbok and I couldn't believe my eyes when I found a super rare dress I always wanted to own! And with rare I mean really rare, not that Angelic Pretty dresses who are only "rare" because scalpers are buying them.

I'm talking about the Ribbon Ribbon Hello Kitty JSK by Btssb. It was released in 2009 and I told myself if I ever start to wear Lolita, I want to buy that dress. I even had hope to be able to buy it, because the advertisement for this dress was at the Btssb frontpage for a quite long time and I thought, if it is on the frontpage it can't be sold out. How wrong I was xD

But since then it was always on top of my wishlist, not certainly because of the design, but because it combines 2 things I love: Lolita and Hello Kitty.

A few days ago I found that dress on mbok, however the price is too expensive for me. It costs 45.000 Yen and even if the Yen course is better than ever, it still would cost 300€ + additional costs. I think it's too expensive, it might be rare but it isn't that popular.

When it comes to money I can be really resistent. I don't want to pay ridiculous prices no matter how much I want an item and how rare it is. I want to pay appropiate prices, that means I have nothing against paying a high price for Puppet Circus for example. But in this case, 45.000 Yen is too much.

How do you handle such situations? Do you consider market prices or are you willing to pay higher prices if you really want a dress?

Thank you for reading,
Miuko~ <3

My Advent Calendar

Today I could open the first door of my advent calendar! In case you don't know what it is: it's a calendar with 24 doors and from the 1st to 24th december, you open a door each day to count the days until christmas! Behind each door are small pictures, chocolate, candy or small presents.

My mother gives me one each year and this year she found one with delicious cupcakes printed on it. It's so cute! And even the small doors have a cupcake shape *_*

Do you also have advent calendars in your country? I read that it is a german tradition but some other countries have it too, so if you aren't from Germany I would be interested if you use advent calendars :)

Thank you for reading!
Miuko~

No OTT outfits at Metamorphose Contest?! (not a request for votes ^^)

Hello my dear readers!

Today I want to talk about the Metamorphose A&W 2014 Contest. Currently the OTT trend is really popular and Sweet Lolita isn't the only substyle anymore that follows this trend. Classic and Gothic OTT
are even more popular today.

And for special occasions like such contests, Lolitas usually tend to choose their OTT outfits because they look most special and make you stand out more from the other people. But at this contest, basically noone entered with such an outfit.

Some examples of their newest collection

And I asked myself why. Maybe it's because I'm a huge AP fan that I always expect more overloaded outfits. But I think it's because Metamorphose has a huge "Old School", or should I better say, "Normal" Lolita  vibe. When I think of Metamorphose, the first outfit coming to my mind is a very basic one, where you wear a dark-colored skirt with a beret and a blazer. I think even if Metamorphose has sometimes crazy-looking dresses, it's just not the brand where you wear crazy outfits. Fans of Metamorphose like to wear Lolita in a casual way, in a further step I would even say it's the brand for Lolitas who wear this fashion everyday.

If you haven't done it already, you can take a look at the outfit contest here:
Metamorphose website
Facebook voting page

I'm very interested in what you are thinking about this topic? Do you agree or disagree with me?

I also participated in the contest. I don't know why but I'm happy that I can see my picture at the Metamorphose website, even if mine is the very last one of the contest ^_^'''''

Thank you for reading!
I would be happy to read your comments :)
Miuko~ <3