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.

Bibliotheca: Dolls

I have an antique doll, but just one. I'm ambivalent about them. Papier mache figurines share the shit out of me tho.

 Yeah so I've been working 7 days these past weeks and this is all the blog you're getting. Don't put it in the newsletter haha.

Bibliotheca: Picnics

It's Juneteenth, the Bibliotheca theme is picnics, and so I figured I'd talk about Southern U.S. food traditions (mostly Black in origin) a little. I'm not a 'real southerner'-- the D.C. area is barely on the edge of the south, and my family is urban northern Jews anyhow. I am grateful for every bite of barbecue I've eaten and every cookout I've been part of, and I want to honor that. For more on American (especially Southern African-American) food history and culture, I recommend Michael Twitty's works. Although the prompt was picnics, eating outside is always a joy, in any form, as long as I'm doused in sunscreen and insect repellent.

Bibliotheca: Royalty, Crowns, and Rebellion

This Bibliotheca theme of royalty has dwelled in my mind since it was decided. Royalty and accompanying imagery (like crowns and orbs) have a strong place in lolita fashion, which apparently goes against the rebellious tendencies of the fashion. But there's much more to the place of royal motifs in lolita (punk lolita especially) than there might initially appear. 

Bibliotheca: Cherry Blossoms

 Bibliotheca's month of florals is almost over, and I am personally 100% on board with this theme for April. Although I try to keep my posts relatable to people outside of my geographical area, I've lived my entire life (except for undergrad) in the D.C. metro area, and so April + florals = cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms shape the local culture and provide a D.C.-Japan connection, so I'm excited to explore this topic.

Bibliotheca: Headwear pt. 2: Who needs it?

For the second half of my Bibliotheca headwear themed posts this month, I'm trotting out an even hotter take than usual. 

I love headdresses, hats mini and huge, stupid little clips and cakes and bows that make people look like the most conspicuous shoplifter in Clair's. But with all that affection for headwear, I still don't think headwear is required. 

Bibliotheca: Headwear pt. 1: Mini Hats, Proportions, and a Defense of Camp

It's headwear time at Bibliotheca, and that means it's time for me to cart out the hottest of opinions. 

I am a serial mini-hat apologist. This will never change, because I am unashamed of my tackiness. But there's so much more behind the strength of my commitment to kitsch. 

Katsucon 2023 Retrospective

My main convention, as many people are aware, is Katsucon. This year's Katsucon, held the weekend of February 17-19, was my busiest yet; with attendance over 25,000, it was also the busiest Katsucon in general. Since my first convention (Katsucon 2011), a lot has changed. This post exists to help break down some of the major happenings of the event.

Bibliotheca: Living Spaces

 I've been experiencing post-con crash after Katsucon (more on that in another post), but I still wanted to squeeze in a Bibliotheca post for the prompt "living spaces", because the spaces in which I live are an important and difficult-to-navigate topic. This gets very personal and touches on mental health, so it may not be worth reading for everyone.

If I Started Again. . .

One of the more common prompts for lolita bloggers and video creators is starting over: what would you do if you magically lost your whole wardrobe and had to start again? After 8+ years in lolita (and how did that number get so high anyhow?), I think I'm past due to answer this question. 

My answer is complicated by my gender, the current economic situation, and the proliferation of indie brands with variable sizing. In simple terms, if I were starting my lolita wardrobe from scratch today, I probably wouldn't wear lolita at all. 

Bibliotheca: Challenges

 This month's Bibliotheca theme, unless I messed up, is challenges. Not Big Challenges (the unlaunched Sanrio mascot) specifically, just challenges in general. However, if there's ever a Big Challenges print, sign me the heck up.

the man himself