Monthly Haul: May 2026

 Hello my frilly friends~

    Earlier this month, I moved apartments and cities to live on my own for the first time! So suffice to say frilly purchases have slowed down. Given my current financial situation, I need to be strategic with what I choose to add to my collections. My wardrobes in all styles are fairly sizable enough that I could justify not needing anything else. To be able to say that is such a luxury in this era of high tariffs and shipping costs. 

    That being said, I do think I have been lacking in my EGL media collection lately. Someday I would like to own every Gothic & Lolita Bible that was ever published, but for obvious reasons, that will take some considerable time. So to fill my spring days as I unpack box after half-smooshed box, I have been scouring Lace Market for any editions of GLB that need a home on my shelves. With great luck and determination, I dare say I have been successful! Let us take a look at all the little bitties I bought in May.

New additions

    Some clothes that I did justify buying were on my wishlist. The JSK I bought as an impulse buy because I am weak for chocolate prints.

• 2 head pieces (1 classic in ivory, 1 sweet in brown)
• 1 blouse (classic in ivory)
• 1 JSK (sweet in brown)
• 1 pair of tights (gothic in black)
• 1 handbag (sweet in dark brown)
• 1 pigtail wig (brunette - works for any style but purchased mainly for sweet)

    Those are all the clothing I bought, but I also acquired some mooks as mentioned. I bought a bundle of four mooks (GLB Boudoir, Vol.19, Vol.41, and a copy of Gothic Lolita & Punk). I do not much care for the GLP issue but Saboten is coming up in the summer so I might have an opportunity to sell it. I am not familiar with that mook; there is no articles or comics or add-ins. Just flatlays of brand's new collections. That would be nice to look at but does not serve me personally. In a separate bid, I also won an issue of GLB Vol.52. So that is five volumes of lolita mooks!

A very modest May haul

Coords of May

Casual sweet coord to go mattress shopping with my parents

Old school sweet coord for summer ILD; we watched Kamikazi Girls!

My makeup and wig for summer ILD

Casual kuro coord to go see Backrooms in theaters

Wishlist Progress

    Only three items out of all my purchases were on my wishlist. That is 43% of my entire haul. Not great, but could be worse honestly. My classic wardrobe is severely lacking, which is why the blouse and bonnet were so crucial to have. The wig is for experimenting with hair looks. Late last year I got color typed as a deep autumn, so brunette is ideally my best hair color. Unbeknownst to me, I have pitch black hair right now! So while I figure it out what to do with my natural hair, I want to play around with a brunette wig. 

EGL Goal Progress

I'm sad to say I did not make much progress in my EGL goals this month. 

• Sell anything that does not fit: I have a giant pile of lolita and normie clothes that need to be sold or donated. Actually I am a bit overwhelmed by it. I set a goal of posting three items per day to sell, but I haven't been sticking to it. Eventually I need to buy a couch, which will go against the wall where my "mountain" is so if I want to have friends come over and be able to SIT, I have to prioritize this soon. 
• Host more meetups: This month was busy with moving and planning what to bring to the ILD potluck (I made it easy for myself and made a charcuterie board). I will forgive myself this month.
• Decorate a lolita-esque room: Definitely want to do this, but I have been slow to unbox. I will decorate as I empty boxes. 
• Learn to sew a rectangle headdress: I asked my mother if she still uses her old Singer and turns out she does not and agreed to pass it down to me! The bobbin has been broken for a while, but honestly I used to be pretty crafty with a sewing machine. Once she digs it out of whatever cabinet its been lodged into, I might be able to fix it myself (and YouTube).
• Be more consistent on blogging: Well I am posting today, aren't I?

    As summer approaches, I am feeling the draw of sweet country lolita ebb closer. This year I am focusing on building out my sweet and classic wardrobes. It might sound shocking to my readers who know me as a true goth through and through, however it has been fun playing with bright colors and pastels! Anyone who knows me personally knows I like to change my appearance every six months (a hyperbole but also, not really). Call me a cameleon if you will, but I like exploring what fashion has to offer. Let's see what's in store for this summer. Happy ILD everyone!

AYWI30C #3: Something OTT

 Dear my fellow frillies,

    The theme for today is something OTT. Now this is my favorite category so far. I love wearing OTT because I am going to get looks wearing lolita in any mode, so I might as well dress as silly and frilly as possible! I had so much fun putting this one together, as it uses pieces I rarely utilize in coords. 

    When I first purchased this dress, I was so worried how I would coord it. It has so many different colors that I do not own pieces in so I thought I was going to sell it. It was not until my birthday that I decided to coord it using what I had plenty of: black basics! Now I am not afraid to try new ways to pair items and I am excited to see what else I can create with this lovely piece. 

    With my sweet and classic capsules growing, I may need to consider purchasing some OTT items in those colors some day. Although impractical, I do adore Triple Fortune bonnets. One in ivory could be useful. As for sweet, I tend to see twin tails with piled headbows and clips for OTT coords so perhaps I should look into more variety of headbows. I currently only own one pink headbow ㅜㅜ

Bonnet: Triple Fortune

Cape: Marble

Blouse: Enchantlic Enchantilly

JSK: Innocent World

Tights: Estrellas

Shoes, Gloves: Metamorphose temps de fille

Belt: Eat Me Ink Me

Love & Lace,

♱ Sara ♱

AYWI30C #2: Something Casual

 Dear my fellow frillies,

    Welcome to Day 2 of my Around Your Wardrobe in 30 Coords challenge! Today's prompt is something casual. This may be even harder than yesterday's prompt. I do not often wear casual lolita. But I did my best with what random black blouses I have (I do not own any sweet cutsews). I would wear this at home and watch Netflix. 

Blouse, Shoes: offbrand

Headbow: Morun x Muuna Stoik

Skirt: Sheglit

Socks: Marble

Love & Lace, 

♱ Sara ♱

AYWI30C #1: Your Trademark Look

 To my fellow frillies,

    I want to start the new year in an ambitious way. I struggle with coming up with what to write so I have been stockpiling lolita challenges to use as ammunition for some new blog posts. One of my favorite lolita bloggers, Roli's Ramblings, has a wonderful 30-day coordinate challenge I want to try for the month of January. I think it will be a good test of endurance to see how long I can stick to a task. Any other neurospicy lolitas out there?

    Day 1 is your trademark look. Now this prompt really made The Curator ponder. Right out the gate and I am already stumped! Do I have a trademark look? On first thought, I would honestly say I do not. I am only one year in lolita fashion and I am still exploring my style in all the substyles I wear so it is hard to pick just one "signature" look. When members of my comm see me, what sort of style do they think of? I have been described as a "dark Sailor Moon" by one member. I think that is just because I had a period of only wearing this one old long black wig with all my coords and often braided it, giving it a Sailor-vibe. That was my very first wig so sadly it got ruined in my fruitless efforts to learn wig styling.

    On most days if I am not wearing something specific for a meet, I lean towards casual gothic. So I picked my favorite pieces that I grab often, as this felt like a good definition of "my trademark look". With this coord I would wear my natural hair in braided pigtails and do a simple makeup. I would probably wear this running errands (groceries, pharmacy, etc). In retrospect I think lace gloves or wristcuffs would work well with this, but I honestly forgot to add more accessories ㅜㅜ I'll keep that in mind for Day 2. 

♱ཐི ʕ.•ﻌ•.ʔ ཋྀ♱

Blouse, Corset, Skirt, Headdress: Atelier Pierrot

Shoes, Tights: offbrand

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié

Love & Lace, 

♱ Sara ♱

2024 Winter ILD

 Hello my dark darlings~

   Happy International Lolita Day~! For winter ILD, my comm decided to go see ZooLights. For those unfamiliar, it is an interactive walk-through light show held at the Phoenix Zoo every holiday season. Despite living in Arizona majority of my life, I had actually never been to ZooLights! That, or I have when I was a young baby bat and I do not remember. Either way I was extremely excited to see the dazzling lights and spend some quality time with my beloved friends. 

    If you ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend it! It is best seen with friends or family ❤︎ But heed my warning, it is a VERY popular holiday attraction so be prepared for big crowds and long lines for food. Luckily the parking situation is not all that bad. There will be employees guiding you to empty lots. If you purchase your tickets ahead online, it will only be $30 ($35 at the gate). 

ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo (photo taken from zoo website)

    Surprisingly it was not that cold. I planned for a very chilly night, so you'll see I wore a coat. Honestly I was just really excited to wear a coat. You truly get so few opportunities to wear anything heavier than a cardigan or sweater here in the desert. So to say I was disappointed at how warm I felt is an understatement! As the night went on though it did get cooler. 

    Deciding a coord for such an important meet-up was a difficult task. By now, I have accumulated quite the gothic wardrobe. And I did have a specific gothic dress in mind: Baroque Sleeping Lily OP. I thought of doing a "Charles Dickens" inspired Victorian look with a bonnet and granny boots. But the OP is one cotton layer, so it's not very warm. 

    I do not own any gothic lolita-appropriate jackets yet (you so rarely need one in Arizona). So I looked to my newly created choco-lita capsule wardrobe. I have been following Roli's Capsule Wardrobe Building series to create a sweet capsule that focuses on bears and chocolates. I was able to find an adorable brown bear-themed coat to fit the capsule. And I (perhaps wrongly) assumed it would be freezing. So I opted for a sweet coord. It just so happens that it was my "sweet debut" as I have never worn sweet in front of my comm before. Suffice to say my readers will be sure to see more of The Curator's sweet side in 2025 ཐི ₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ཋྀ

My hair & makeup, inspo taken from GLB Vol.35

In the Glow Garden~

All hail the octopus!

Do not perceive the black petticoat peeking out; quality pettis take time to ship!

Rupert did not appreciate being sacrificed to the lions >:(

♱ ཐི ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ ཋྀ ♱

Love & Laces, 

The Curator ♱

Pointy Fangs & Pointe Shoes: An "Abigail" Movie Coord

 I hosted my 2nd ever comm meet yesterday to go see the vampire horror movie, Abigail. I was proud of how many people showed up. Admittedly it was not a lot, but it was much more than my first hosted meet. Planning at least a week in advance is crucial, I have learned.

 Just wanted to make a quick post to show my coord. The theme of the meet was "ballerinas and vampires" (obviously ha) so my idea was to wear every bat-themed item I owned. I love how it turned out. 

OP: Enchantlic Enchantilly Rose Castle ~Invitation From The Duke Of Bat~

Headdress: Antique BeasT Black Cat

Choker: Atelier Pierrot Ladder Lace

Rosary: Néant Glass Coffin

Brooch: Atelier Pierrot Rose Corsage

Earrings: Moi-même-Moitié Crystal Candelabra

Wristcuffs: Peacock Alorum Star Enchantment

Bag: Moi-même-Moitié Bat

OTKs: Enchantlic Enchantilly Duke of Bats

Shoes: Sentaro Yellow Wine Vintage Cut Boots

One Frock, Four Seasons - Rose Castle ~Invitation From The Duke Of Bat~ OP

I own the Enchantlic Enchantilly Rose Castle ~Invitation From The Duke of Bat~ OP. Now try saying that five times fast! It is my favorite dress I own right now (but I do not own many dresses to begin with haha). It is a empire-waist, 110 cm bust OP with short puff sleeves. It is perfect for plus-size gothic lolitas like myself! 

The waist ties are detachable and can be tied in the back. There are neck ties that can be either tied like in the photo below or tucked into the neckline to hide them. There have been several releases of different colors, the most recent one in 2020 had "Red Night", "Night Sky" (black with a glittery waist tie), "Jade Night" (green), and "Blue Night" versions.

I love the all of the intricate details, from the roses, to the gate filigree, the castle tiling, to the lovely bats flying or hanging everywhere. The print just screams vampiric! Plus it even has a one pocket! Not sure why just one, but even one pocket is so rare in lolita releases that I'm just happy to get even that XD

Duke of Bat Skirt

Red Night colorway

My one complaint about the print is why does it only have one bat have a face? The bat in the center front and center back of the skirt has a little face and he's wearing a ruff collar but all the other bats on the dress are just... wings?? And I mean that literally. Just body and wings. I do not see the point. Was it too much work to give each bat a cute face? I would pay GOOD money just to ask the designer why they made this choice. I want to look at cutie patootie bats and this dress was not cheap!!

What a distinguished gentleman ^_^

A flying rotisserie chicken

I still love this OP so much due to how stretchy and comfortable it is. I tend to wear it around the house in casual coords. That being said, I thought it would be fun to see how I can style this OP for each season. I might make this a series with my other main pieces. Let's start with summer. 

♱ཐི ʕ.•ﻌ•.ʔ ཋྀ♱

Summers in Arizona are b r u t a l. It is common to get in the triple digits (in Fahrenheit, sorry Europe; get good). I like my gothic lolita to be vintage inspired and vampiric in a sense, so I tried to keep that in mind when styling all of these looks. 

Look #1: A Vampire in the Sun

Next is spring. I really tried to emphasize the roses in this print to bring out a romantic floral vibe. Spring brings rain and some chill so I added a parasol and a ruffly cardigan but otherwise kept it pretty neutral for rain or shine. I love how elegant this turned out.

Look #2: Strolling Through the Rose Garden

Next is autumn. I originally wanted to do a witch-inspired coord, but pairing a witch hat with a black dress is way too easy. So I tried to get creative with this witchy jacket and a different kind of hat to make what ended up feeling more like a magician's outfit. I added the La Luice Bunny Bag to fit that vibe. I actually really love how it turned out!

Look #3: For My Next Trick...

Finally we come to winter. I had to go with a full Victorian look, with so many delicious gothic-looking mantles out there. A mantle is like a long cape that was common during the entire Victorian era. I have been dying to re-create a Victorian evening look with long opera gloves, an elaborate bonnet, and a dainty chatelaine bag. I could see this person walking down a foggy London street, on their way to see the symphony.

Look #4: 'Ello Gov'na!

♱ཐི ʕ.•ﻌ•.ʔ ཋྀ♱

Love & Lace,

♱ Curator ♱

An Introduction

Hello and welcome~!

You may call me the Curator of Cute! I am also curatorofcute on LaceMarket.

I first discovered lolita fashion in high school, but at the time I did not have a disposable income to start collecting pieces. It was not until 2021, when I was finally able to buy my first dress, which was Atelier-Pierrot's Labyrinth Lace JSK in the black colorway. Sadly, this dress is a h e a f t y b o i. And as I live in a hot climate, it was impractical to actually wear. I was so discouraged from wearing it, and I eventually found myself losing interest in the fashion altogether. Alas, I have too many hyperfixations and not enough attention span. In December 2023, I went to a local horror convention and met a sweet lolita girl there, of all places! She unintentionally rekindled my love for lolita.

Atelier-Pierrot Labyrinth Lace JSK. I miss you baby~ ㅠoㅠ

It is my first "official" year in lolita fashion. When I think about what lolita means to me, I remember a favorite quote by Takemoto Novala, author of Kamikaze Girls.

“An existence in reality is truly loathsome…; These are the battle clothes of the precious ones, the few chosen to fight the many who lack the power to see dreams.” -Takemoto Novala

Lolita is my escape from adulthood. When I put on a beautiful dress, I am transported through time. I am a character in a Jane Austen novel. I am a bride of adventure (anyone seen Anne With An E??). I am a queen in a far off exquisite land. I'm just a pretty little lady in a dress! I feel better about my myself when I'm in lolita. I am just beautiful maiden who attends tea parties and visits friends and has all sorts of domestic hobbies. Delulu is truly my solulu.

So why am I starting a lolita fashion blog? It's a question I have asked myself a lot. Honestly I just think it would be nice to record my journey into the fashion I have admired for so long. It feels like a culmination of so many years of longing to feel like a princess. Then this year I finally get my wish and join such a wonderful community. So I want to savor this moment. Plus, doesn't it just make sense to have a blog if you wear lolita fashion? 

I am learning how to coord as I go. I get a LOT of input from my local comm. We have a discord where I post all my CIPs (coord-in-progress) to get feedback. This first coord was born though our team efforts. The second coord was all my own innovation. Not bad for a beginner :)

My first coord <3: Metamorphose Pintuck Tiered JSK, Neo-Ludwig The Whale Bones Bay Blouse, Hail Corsetry Corset Belt, Atelier-Pierrot Rose Lace Headband, Triple*Fortune Rhinestone Garter Tights, Madden Girl shoes

My second coord (same shoes as above, not shown): Enchantlic Rose Castle ~Invitation From The Duke Of Bat OP, Marble Long Gloves, Triple*Fortune Doll Bonnet, Morun x Muuna Stoik Rose's Thorn OTKs

♱ ཐི ʕ.•ﻌ•.ʔ ཋྀ ♱

Love & Lace,

Curator ♱