#i bought a handmade leather and chain waist belt thing

[eonars]

my dad saw my new ragana longsleeve and was like "salmon AND lucifers?? how lucky can you be??" and also helped me print off a midnight themed crochet pattern i made while being like "why is everything always ROTTEN with you guys, all rotten all the time huh" and advised on proper upside down cross placement when i was painting my jacket. my mom was really curious to see what i got from the metal market thing i went to over the weekend and when i showed her this red coffin shaped pin with yet another inverted cross in the middle of it she was like ooh pretty and described my POST NUCLEAR SCUM wasteland riders shirt as "aww this is cute you should wear this more" because it's yellow like im sure SOME of you guys are only doing this to stick it to your strict parents but i always find it so jarring and strange when people assume that about me

#i feel like these last couple weeks ive really shifted into falling back in love with music #and i know that sounds stupid coming from the 20+ shows a year andy but like #with my baseline being different and keeping that in mind #ive really gotten back into loving the subculture and everything that goes with it #i bought a handmade leather and chain waist belt thing #added some small touches to my jacket #spent hours listening to bathory or venom back catalogues instead of just slamming my on repeat like alway #i used to live and breathe this stuff and had genuinely the time of my life doing it #im so fed up with myself and the amount of times ive tried to force grow up my look #and worry so much about the Ahah yeah i USED to be really into that shit when i was a kid type people #idk i spent the afternoon cleaning and listening to cornerstones of the genre and moving pins between jackets #and it got me in my feelings a little bit

[like-a-masquerade]

Coord Breakdown: July 1st, 2023

Now that I've got a dedicated lolita blog, I'll be posting and discussing some of my coords, starting with a few from the past. This one's one of my personal favorites, and very meaningful to me.

JSK: Handmade

Blouse: Offbrand

Waist cincher: Handmade

Headbow: Handmade

Veil: Fanplusfriend

Choker: Handmade (sort of)

Necklace: Offbrand indie

Bracelets: Offbrand

Socks: Offbrand

Boots: Offbrand

Full breakdown under the cut.

This coord is a big milestone for me. It's my first handmade JSK (not counting a failed attempt from years earlier), and my first time using my own custom fabric!

I designed the fabric in the summer of 2022, and had it printed via Spoonflower. It's themed around Castlevania, a favorite game series of mine (and one that has quite the interesting history with lolita! Did you know Mana composed a ringtone to promote Harmony of Dissonance that is now lost media?). Each of the stained glass windows depicts one of the subweapons used throughout the games (plus wall chicken), which are also repeated as a motif inside the stripes. If you look closely, you can also see the modern and retro Castlevania logo incorporated into the surrounding glass. Beneath the windows are gravestone-like blocks, each with the name of a game's protagonists and the year the game takes place. At the hem is a quote that has been attributed to a number of people, including Winston Churchill, but is notably said by Alucard and Richter at the end of Symphony of the Night. Finally, above the border print is a pair of wall-mounted candles, which can be found throughout Castlevania and destroyed to gain ammo or other upgrades. According to IGA, these candles contain the restless spirits of Dracula's victims, who drop upgrades as thanks for freeing them from the castle.

Here are some closeups, one of which is in the black colorway! I've got four different colorways available on Spoonflower, each inspired by a different character (Richter, Alucard, Juste, and Maria). You can find them here. The fabric I chose for my JSK is poly crepe de chine.

But enough fabric talk. Have at you!

The cut of the JSK is based on Bodyline's Skull in Wonderland JSK, which I've owned for years now; It's simple and fits me well, so I figured using it as a template would be the most effective way to make a good JSK for myself without too much hassle. Making clothes based on existing garments you own is a tried-and-true method in fashion design and home sewing.

I actually debuted the JSK about a month earlier while on vacation, with a different coord:

However, I couldn't help feeling that it was a bit lackluster. After much thought and advice from friends, I decided to spruce things up and give it another try at the then-upcoming renfaire.

This time I used one of my summer blouses, an offbrand peasant top I got at Rainbow forever ago- I think the brand is Ambiance? I also bought a set of bracelets (also from Rainbow, and they've now become a staple of my wardrobe), and a pair of black lace-topped OTKs in place of the plain black tights I'd worn before. For the rest of the jewelry, I wore a glittery purple bat necklace I'd bought from a renfaire vendor years ago (I wish I knew the name!! If anyone recognizes it please let me know!), and a scrap of black lace with a small safety pin through the back as a choker.

Finally, the remaining accessories. I made a wired headbow out of leftover fabric from the dress, with a beaded chain in front. I wore this over a veil from Fanplusfriend. As for the waist cincher, I made it out of stretch pleather and lace, along with black fabric to tie in the back. I used gold acrylic paint to add a nice patina to the leather, and hand-painted our pal Simon Belmont in a coordinating color scheme. My parents said it looks like a wrestling belt, lol.

Regarding the boots, I know damn well that the renfaire grounds are muddy and uneven, so I wore a pair of riding boots I originally bought for a Joseph Joestar cosplay way back in the day. Sometimes you gotta sacrifice a little bit for practicality's sake.

All in all, I'm very proud of how this coord came out. It was really amazing seeing something I designed come to life, and working hard to make it truly beautiful. I hope this inspires other folks to try their hand at designing and making lolita!

#Lolita fashion #Gothic lolita #Handmade lolita #EGL community #My coords #Hope I'm using these tags right. If I'm not feel free to let me know lmao