Lolita blog carnival: Defining lifestyle lolita

I have always thought myself as somewhat of a lifestyle lolita and yet kept my mouth pretty shut about what I think that means. How do you even begin to define a lifestyle?

Stereotypical lolita lifestyle has been seen as something confining an limiting. You have to have tea, be polite, have only loliable hobbies like sewing or painting or so on. Anything and everything you do must be lolita related. And naturally you have to do it alone as Novala says.

"A maiden does not need things like friends. Maidens are sublime and aloof by nature. In stories, the male heros will form cliques and carry out their activities together. Like in Tom Sawyer, Tom, Huckleberry Fin, and Getalobe, joined together and the three of them made the “15 boy’s drifter chronicles”, and then the 15 had to be together; they weren’t adult at all. But young ladies are different. Alice went through the perils of Wonderland by herself, and Anju helped her brother escape from the bandit’s mountain and was abandoned herself." 

(From here)

But here is where I'd like to argue with Novala. Alice may have gone to the wonderland alone but that doesn't mean her friends didn't hear all about it as soon as she climbed out of that rabbit hole. And though Novala probably meant this to be encouraging for girls who for one reason or another have not friends, it has become the cliched version of the lolita lifestyle. And while I can see some merit in his ideas I believe that everyone has the right to define their own lifestyle.

The other big cliche about lifestyle lolitas is that they (or we) wear lolita everyday. And though I have been very privileged and lucky to been able to wear lolita to most of my workplaces I am aware that it might not be possible in the future. I don't believe that this defines a lifestyle lolita.

To be honest I think of lolita lifestyle in the same way many think of goth. It's just the way I decorate my home, the clothes I wear, how I enjoy culture around me. To me it's always seemed a bit silly to say lifestyle lolita. No one is saying that there are lifestyle goths or lifestyle punks. They are just goths or punks. And I feel the same should be true with lolita.  And like in the mentioned examples I feel there are many ways to be a lolita. Or a lifestyle lolita if we stick to the topic.

Lolita lifestyle for me is first and foremost an appreciation for beauty. And as perspectives on beauty are as varied as people are, it can mean anything from antique furnishings to filling ones house with My little ponies. It's an all encompassing principle to surround one self with things one finds beautiful. Audrey Hepburn once said that to be beautiful is to eat, look and read beauty.

I enjoy the idea of refining my talents in lolita and in other things. I feel that lolita to me is a symbol of becoming a better person, learning more and trying new things.

In my case this means seeking knowledge of things that interest me like tea or antiques or honing my skills in sewing or crafting. I might even try something new once in a while ( I still want to learn to play the piano). Lolita motivates me in ways many other things have not.

To put it shortly a lolita lifestyle is a very personal matter. Novala speaks of independence and in this I feel he is right. Lolitas are very independent by nature and thusly are responsible of making their own rules, even about what lolita lifestyle means.  

Tl;dr: Go define your own lifestyle and stop bugging me about it.

Lolita blog carnival facebook group

Other participants

Heart's sound
Poppy noir
Art du noir
Lace jail

Madame Parapluie

Halloween teaparty at Kata's

Last saturday I took part on Halloween party at Kata's The theme was dolls and everybody had created awesome doll outfits! The food was delicious as usual and we had a lot of fun.

Kata has such cute teacups.

Kata and me

Sanni, me and Lauren

The Bonnet brigade.

And now we shall commence the epic Chili spam as Kata's little kitten Chili absolutely stole everyone's heart by being utterly adorable.

I guess she wanted some treats too. 

I wore

Bonnet, dress: Handmade by me
Blouse: Dear celine
Bonnet decorations: From here and there.

Wristcuffs: Atelier pierrot

Ring: Lahden Kultasepän talo (My wedding ring :p)
Shoes: Wonders

Thank you to Kata for hosting the teaparty! I had such nice time and hope to meet all of the girls again soon.

Madame Parapluie

My first very own tea blend

Today I finished the second batch of my very own tea blend which I call Mist over the Hills as it becomes rather misty in the cup. The blend has some lavender and toffee mixed to a black tea.
 I decided to try making my own blend when my favorite autumn tea ran out (and after I had discovered that it had also been discontinued). I think Mist over the Hills came out quite nicely. It has a very nice flowery taste with some creaminess from the toffee.

Madame Parapluie

On Etiquette and Espionage

 Etiquette and Espioage is the first book in the Finishing school-series by Gail Carriger. I read it recenty and fell in love. It reminded me of the first time I read a Harry Potter book. Naturally I can not wait the next instalment which will be published on November.

The series is set on an alternative Victorian age with a lot of Steampunk influences. As the series name suggests it takes place on a finishing school whic will teach you to poison, stab and spy with the utmost cordiality at the Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing academy for young women of quality.

The story begins when Sophoronia Temminnick is send to the academy by her mother. Of course the mother doesn't know that the academy educates young women to be not only ladies of quality but also top notch spies for the Great British empire. Sophronia has been spotted by a academy alumni as covert reqruit.

The relationships between Sophronia and her friends Dimity Plumleigh-Teimgnmott, Lady Sidheag Maccon, Agatha Woosmoss, Vieve and Soap are pictured lively and are definitely one of the best parts of the book. The adventures they get into are made better by this.

What I must add is that the book has absolutely brilliant lore about vampires and werewolfs that I shall leave for you to find out when you read this amazing book.

Oh and heres the books website from which I took the pictures. It's hilarious.

Mademoiselle Parapluie

Lolita blog Carnival: Five books every lolita should read

Kamikaze girls by Novala Takemoto

This book is on my list simply because it is the lolita book. Novala has a great writing style and the characters are very likable. To me this book taugth  lot about what lolita is all about and I absolutely love it. If you haven't read it yet please, go do it now. And then remember to watch the movie too.

The little princess by Francis H. Burnett

Little princess is such a charming tale about how good behaviour and kindness can triumph over almost anything. Sara's characer has charmed readers for generations and of all ages. It truly is classic that everyone, not just lolitas should read.

The queen of fashion- what Marie Antoinette wore to the revolution by Caroline Weber

Now, this is in a way a biography but it is a lovely one and a must read for outfit inspiration and othervise too. After all Marie Antoinette is such an icon in the loli world that knowing more about her fashion choices should be interesting.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Oh look another classic. Well personally I find classic literature very inspiring and Jane Eyre is one of the most inspiring among them. It is a very traditional novel as it has three stages but it only adds to it's charm.

It's vintage Darling by Christa Weil 

Okay this is the odd one here. Yes it's about another fashion style and yes it has nothing to do with lolita. BUT it has a lot to do with clothing making it supremely useful. Need to get a tea stain out of you 300 euro dress? This book tells you how. Want some vintage flair to your wardrobe? Go no further, this one will help you with that too. It has everything from telling fabrics apart to cleaning many kinds of different stains and history of 20th century fashion. Trust me it's positively unputdownable. 

Lolita blog carnival facebook group

This weeks participants:

Let them eat cake ~ A lace jail ~ Palace of frills ~ Sparkling girl

Ice Age ~ Carnivale Salt ~ Minimalist lolita

Mademoiselle Parapluie

Chocolate Christmas!

Last Sunday the lovely Mari hosted a chocolate themed Christmas party. We had a winter picnic on her living room floor which was very enjoyable.

As usual we had lovely food. Mari asked us to bring things that could be dipped to chocolate and we followed her suggestion. I made some sugar cake and cut it to pieces for easier dip. 

Here is our group. On the upper line myself (lurking as always) Mari and Tiia. On the lower one Serina, Susanna, Sanni and Kata. 

Sleeping lolitas.

Here is my outfit:

Headbow and belt: Made them myself
Blouse: Consignement find
Dress: Juliette & Justine
Bag: Innocent world
Tigths: Lindex
Shoes: Offbrand.

Here's me and Sanni heading home.

Mademoiselle Parapluie

Lolita blog carnival: My lolita playlist

This week Lolita blog carnival subject was lolita playlists. My taste in music is quite wide. I listen to classical, melodic metal, movie soundtracks and even pop so it was rather hard to pick out my favorites.

Niccolo Paganini is one of my favorite composers. I especially like his work for violin. For some reason I really really love violin music. It has a romantic gothic element that I enjoy. Plus violins are very pretty...

Kokusyoku Sumire is one of my favorite bands. They are so quirky and dark.Their music inspires me. Oh how I wish they would come to Finland.



Lotr soundtrack is the thing I listen to while traveling to meet my friends. It's the best traveling music ever. So epic. Makes every train trip that much better.

Other music that I like to listen to are Malize mizer and Moi dix mois, Nigthwish, Embacy of silence, many many classical composers, Lolita complex and many other things.

 What exactly is this lolita blog carnival thing?

Lolita blog carnival is a group of lolita bloggers who agree to write about the same prompt every week to hear many opinions about things related to lolita and also to promote eachothers blogs.

Other participants this week:

Kira kira shoujo
Geisha Baby

Ramble rori

Sweet lolita doll
Sweet and simple
Swirly purple and green crayons
Parfait doll

La petite princesse
Pop*Princess
Dollhouse diaries
Princess Palace
Le boudoir
Commercially alternative 
Stranger and stranger 
Hello Batty

Mademoiselle Parapluie

Give away: Tea time! CLOSED!

In honour of my 200th post I am hosting a give away!

Prize

Tea of course. Winner will receive two different blends.

Darjeeling: The champagne of the tea world, gentle flowery black tea.
Geisha tea: A black Ceylon tea flavored with passion fruit, green tea and quova.

Rules

1. Be a follower of my blog. 

2. Answer this question: What is your best memory about tea?
3. The winner will be announced on 31.10.2012.

Good luck.

Mademoiselle Parapluie

My perfumes

Dior, Laura Biagotti, Guipure.

I love perfumes. A lovely scent can make a dull day feel magical and who wouldn't want to feel magical occasionally. There are so many different scents and feels to choose from. A girl can feel dark and mysterious as easily as she can feel quirky and fun by changing her perfume. To me perfume is a part of my outfit. It is the last finishing touch.

I have a few perfumes I use regularly. Most of the time I trust in my Guipure Silk and Rose scent. Unsurprisingly it is a rose scent and very feminine and romantic. Rose is a very classic scent and will work with most outfits and that's why I prefere to wear it as an everyday scent. My everyday scent used to be pure vanilla but I seem to have grown out of it.

Other of my everyday scent's is Laura by Laura Biagotti. It is definitely super girly and very sweet.  I wear it more rarely than Guipure silk and Rose. Laura is more of a summer scent.

When I am feeling more fancy I wear Dior's Pure Poison. It's dark and mysterious and perfect for those more Gothy days. Pure Poison is my most glamourous and elegent scent and I have noticed that I combine it with certain more glamorous dresses.  It makes me feel almost sensual.

I always test my perfumes before buying them. It is really a rather simple prodecure. First you take scent tags of a few perfumes. After picking your favorite just put some on your wrist and wait for a couple of hours. Scents change on your skin and so it's important to keep it on for sometime to see if it's as lovely as when you first tried it. If not go back and start over.

Perfume is one of the most luxurious things in life. The ornate jewel-like bottles, the hard work that goes into making a topnotch perfume and the moment you put a little (A Lady never reeks of perfume. It's not very polite.) on your skin, give an air of new born aristocracy.

Mademoiselle Parapluie 

My vanity table

"What is decadence, if not one's vanity table?"

Mademoiselle Parapluie.

Helsingissä.

Kävin Kukkaisvarkaan kanssa tapaamassa Maria Helsingissä ja tässä on ensimmäinen asuistani (Pyydän jättämään derppaavan naaman huomiotta). Mekon ja päähineen tein itse, paita on Thalesilta, kengät Parikalta, kaulakoru Kaleva Korun ja loput haalittu mukaan sieltä sun täältä. Kävimme ostelemassa vähän teetä ja tarkoituksena oli piipahtaa Götan maailmassa mutta emme loppujen lopuksi osanneetkaan sinne ( ja se olisi ollut kiinnikin). 

I visited Mari with Flowerthief and this is the first of my looks. (Ignore the derp face please). I made the dress and the headthingy, shirt is by Thales, shoes by Minna Parikka, Necklace from Kalevala koru and everything is random. We went to shop some tea and were supposed to visit Göta's world (an Antique shop) but unfortunately our map reading skills weren't quite good enough.

Ostamani teet.

The teas I bougth.

The Ouncen laput ovat niin ihanasti kirjoitettuja.

The tags at my favorite teashop are so lovely.

Tällaista minulla oli ylläni kun kävimme Madteaparty:n ja Ludmillan järjestämässä miitissä. Miitti oli järjestetty Elenan Suomen vierailun kunniaksi. Yllättäen veimme hänet käymään The Ouncessa (Suomen lolien virallinen hangout?) ja Minna Parikan liikkeessä. Oli tosi mukavaa nähdä kaikkia ja toivottavasti tapaamme pian uudelleen.

This is what I wore to a meet up organized by Madteaparty and Ludmilla in honor of Elena's visit to Finland. We naturally oo  her to The Ounce (The official Finnish lolihangout ?) And to Minna Parikka. It was lovely to see everyoine again and I hope we shall meet again soon.

Ylläni oli/ What I wore

Päähine/Wreath: Seppälä

Leninki/Dress: Carina et Arlequin

Sukkahousut/Stockings: Cubus

Kengät/ Shoes: Minna Parikka

Hansikkaat/Gloves: Vintage

Korut/Jewlery: Lahjoja / Gifts

Virallinen ryhmäkuva

Official groupshot

Lopuksi muka taiteellinen kuva ruusunnupusta teessä.

To finish an "Artful" picture of a rose bud in tea. 

Mademoiselle Parapluie

Doll house

 

Nukkekotini on noidanmökki jota asuttaa rouva Amalia Sääskimäki, kuuluisasta Sääskimäen noitasuvusta. Hän on erinomaisen lahjakas juomien keittäjä ja tällä hertkellä huolehtii neiti Keijuheinän terveydestä. Hänen lisäkseen mökin vakiasukkaita ovat kissa Hassutassu ja hra Hämähäkki.

My doll house is a witch's home who's occupant is madame Amalia Mosquihill from the famous witch family of Mosquihill. She is and excellent potionmaker and is currently taking care of the health of miss Fairyweed. Other occupants of the cabine are cat Sillypaws and mister Spider. 

Mademoiselle Parapluie