Bibliotheca: Scents

 Happy October everyone! The current Bibliotheca theme is scents, and I decided to take a direct approach for once-- this post is about the olfactory experience of wearing lolita. It's short and silly, but I needed to get something out!

social consequence, subculture community, and capital

For those who want light-hearted writings to keep you content: skip this one entirely. 

I'm still writing about the lolita fashion community here, but more abstractly and dispassionately than usual. 

This is still a blog post, though, so no proper citations unless y'all specifically ask.  

The Illness Called Nostalgia

I blame this post entirely on Avina and Beby. Go check them both out; they're cool and stylish people who will enrich your life. 

Note that this post, unlike most of what I write, is not entirely (or even mostly) about J-fashion. It's about an essentially global supertrend which envelops almost the whole cultural zeitgeist, from film to advertising to music to clothing. It's also pretty high falutin' language-wise: this is me going hog wild. 

Nostalgia rules contemporary fashion. With the current polycrisis, history seems to be an out for many, from kids just dipping their toes into fashion to the mature creative directors at the helms of established fashion houses. 

Bibliotheca: Sprout, or On Modship

The Bibliotheca prompt this time around is sprout, and the idea sprouted from my personal experiences in Chicago before and after the Great Lace. I have a little recap post for the event itself, but this post here is completely ancillary to those happenings. This is about sanctuary and how I strive to provide it. This gets really dense and grim, so please do not read if you're unprepared for serious matters.  

The Great Lace: A Chicago Daydream

After giving myself a couple weeks to let things sink in and rub some of the gild off my awe for the gilded 19th century, I've decided to go over my experiences at The Great Lace. In short: I had fun! In long, well. . . 

Last Minute Halloween Costume: frillSquid

Hey lolitas, need a last minute Halloween costume? That's not very OTT of you, but I get it. 

Why not dress up as another lolita, one with a consistent(ly bad) coording style?  

That's right, this is the one and only guide to dressing up as me for Halloween! I have no idea why anyone would want to dress as a total unknown, but it's your choice, and I respect that.  

Bibliotheca: Defiant femininity

And, right under the wire, it's the Bibliotheca post! This theme is defiance, which has a lot of pertinence in the current moment in D.C. I'm going to ignore these relevant reasons and instead focus on something simpler: how can femininity be rebellious? 

Is handmade worth it?

Recently (by which I mean a couple months ago), I finished sewing a dress and headdress set that I'd started sometime in autumn last year. Sewing makes me ask plenty of questions, including: why was I born? What cruel force of fate would make my bobbin thread run out like that? Why does my machine sound like the shopping mall version of industrial music? Where the hell did I put that pattern piece? 

The most important question, of course, is the simplest one of all: is sewing my own lolita clothing even worth it? (Spoiler: it depends). In documenting my sewing project, I'd like to take you along on my personal decision making process to see if sewing is the right choice at all. 

Bibliotheca: Baggage

Here's my first theme post for Bibliotheca since my extended absence. 

I'm not too keen on the theme of baggage, really-- I like being playful and creative with my interpretations, and the allegorical meaning of baggage is far from cheery. I also don't vacation much: my trip to The Great Lace was the furthest from home I'd been in ages. But I'm no coward, so here's a post about what to carry. Since I don't travel much, I'll focus on everyday items. 

Return of the Fool

 Hello! 

Reports of my demise have been slightly exaggerated. I've just been in a bad place (the Washington DC metropolitan area) and not in a great mental space to post. 

Anyway, here's a recap of major stuff I missed writing about.  

Lolita Skills

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. 

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: 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.

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: 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: 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.

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

Bibliotheca: Spooky Summertime

 This month's Bibliotheca prompt, in honor of Obon and summer camp, is about scary stories in the summer heat.

How to Take a Break

 This month I'm skipping out on my tutorial themed Bibliotheca post. I've been hella busy, so I won't be teaching much of anything. Instead, I'll talk purely about myself.