The past couple of weeks have been rough. As a trans person in the thick of U.S. politics, I haven't felt this concerned about domestic policy and its immediate ramifications for my friends and family in a long while. Fashion is a solace in this trying time-- moreover, it has given us all important skills for the future.
Halloween: Foolishness and Fashion
I'm here for a surprisingly timely post to celebrate my favorite season: Halloween. Today, I'd like to share a little about why Halloween is the most lolita holiday.
Bibliotheca: Mirror
It's Bibliotheca time! Between High Holy Days and various October occurrences, I've been forgetting to blog; that's on me, and I'm now going to budget time for it just like how I budget time for appeasing the Duolingo owl's endless hunger.
For the post of mirrors, I'm reflecting on lolita's role as what I'm calling a "documentary fashion". I'm not sure whether or where I've heard this term before, but if the (chunky-soled, bow-festooned) shoe fits, we might as well strap in.
Bibliotheca: Banana for Scaled Production
The Bibliotheca theme has shifted to being bimonthly. Due to my ongoing health concern (hopefully fixed at the end of July), this schedule shift is pretty darn helpful. So, when asked for ideas for prompts, I threw out a silly one: banana for scale. Because my fellow bloggers are also goofballs, now a bunch of Real Fashion Experts are writing about bananas and scales. Putting my own twist on things (as usual), I've decided to write about the scale of production for lolita.
Bibliotheca: egg
Welcome to egg, where I talk about egg.
People unfortunately seem to like my themes, so it's time for egg.
Note that this is a trans-themed post as well.
Bibliotheca: Femininity
I'm late for this, but it's time for Bibliotheca, with the theme of femininity.
I've been getting ready for a move and dealing with a series of large work events, but I'll be able to blog more after! With that in mind, this post will be shorter and less well-cited than most of my posts, but I hope it's up to snuff anyhow.
Anyway, this is a great time for me to expound on one of my favorite topics: I am not a woman but I respect women a lot.
Bibliotheca: Time Loops and Jokes
My good friends, I have made the mistake of jokingly suggesting Groundhog Day as this month's Bibliotheca theme. This joke became the actual theme, and now I am faced with the consequences of my actions: having to write a damn Groundhog Day post. However, I stand stalwart in my insistence on continuing to be a silly little guy in public, because every village needs an idiot, every court needs a jester, and every class needs its clown. It is my fated duty to goof, and goof I shall.
On the topic of Groundhog Day, I think the easiest interpretation for me is that of a time loop or recurring event. This dovetails nicely with my biggest February event, Katsucon.
Bibliotheca: Dreaming of Dresses, Praying for Pieces
It's a new year, it's Bibliotheca Time, and the bosses at the Content Factory (where I have been imprisoned for skipping a month of blogging) have given me the admirable task of writing about Wishin' and Dreamin'. And for what do lolitas wish, and of what do they dream, if not Wishlist Items and their Dream Dress?
Bibliotheca: My Favorite Flexible Dresses
It's Bibliotheca time once more, with the theme of versatility. It's also the end of November, that golden time when Americans are mostly recovering from the feast of Thanksgiving and preparing ourselves for the abject gluttony of the office holiday party. Personally, I'm bringing Krispy Kreme donuts.
Bibliotheca: The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known
It's Halloween, it's Bibliotheca, and like the shriveled monkey's paw of a human being that I am, I have to put an unexpected, cursed twist on every wish and prompt unfortunate enough to come my way. More specifically, the prompt of the month is Horror. I'm pretty good with typical horror-- I don't scare easy, though I do startle at loud noises and fascism. But what really scares me in my lolita life is visibility.
Material Matters: An Introduction to Organza
The specifics of fabrics can often be confusing for lolitas, even experienced ones. Lolita material discourse typically centers around the primary polyester vs. cotton divide, with adherents on both sides. Rarely does the discussion cover the specifics beyond the fiber content. I've covered the basics of lolita fabric in my old school post series, in which I divided the identity of a fabric into four components: fiber content, weave, all-over dye, and print. Any fabric can come in any color or print, but weave and fiber content define a fabric.
Organza (and organdy, which is a variation thereof) is a tricky fabric to deal with. Despite having been a minor part of lolita since its inception, and having many uses, it's a real pain to sew with, and can fail in new and interesting ways that small-scale brands may have trouble managing. Because of this, organza was seldom used until after the OTT sweet boom. So, this unique textile is a perfect introduction to why fabrics are more than just an aesthetic choice.
Bibliotheca: Fruits of Fall
The end of the month approaches, so it must be Bibliotheca time. September's theme is "Fruits of Fall". Normally, I'd tortuously transform this into an ode to pumpkins and gourds, but it's not the month for that. Both Jewish High Holy Days fell in September, so I'm feeling a little bit more earnest than usual, and the (currently upcoming) federal government shutdown has the entire D.C. area on edge. As such, I'll talk about my feelings on the two fall fruits in my wardrobe and one I would love to see.
Bibliotheca: What I Did On My Summer Vacation
It's Bibliotheca time and also the beginning of the school year. This month's prompt (lounging around) doesn't really mesh with my current lifestyle, so I've decided to regale the internet with a school-style essay instead, because it really does feel like I missed the summer homework assignment until the last minute.
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