June is Here!? Frilly Entertainments to Get You In The Summer Mood!

Summer has officially arrived and with that it's time to bring on those long summer days of relaxing, dreaming and watching tons of fun things of course to continue your imagination in the most Lolita of ways. Here are a list of Summer must sees and haves that'll get you wanting to frolic through the bright hot days!

The Little Mermaid (70's and Disney TV Series)

I've mentioned this one on the blog before, but is probably one of my favorite animated pieces ever. I can't really call it a complete film, but more like a ridiculously pretty television special. It's the Hans Christian Anderson Version told in the shoujo Anime style of the 70's/80's (my favorite time period in anime). It's absolutely beautiful, colorful and full of emotional development. I recommend it for a good snuggle movie with your prince, mostly because you'll need his shirt as a tissue afterwards.

But on the other hand we have the Disney Little Mermaid TV Series, one that is so full of fluff it will mend any broken bit you have from the previous movie. There are multiple episodes that incredibly adorable that eventually you might find yourself wanting to walk away that you can't handle it, including the music - but then there is a big catch with episodes that actually are incredibly interesting. The stand out episodes in my mind are "Whale of a Tale", "Stormy" and my personal stand out favorite "Metal Fish". This episode is one of those weird "breaking the fourth wall" kinds that features a character named Hans Christian Anderson (if that name rings a bell, it should! Thats the person that wrote the original fairy tale.) who eventually after Ariel saves him goes and writes the same exact story! Whichever you chose, you'll certainly want to splash into one of these adventures.

Fairy Tale Theater

If you grew up only a mere 20 or more years ago, you probably know about Fairy Tale Theater. If for some reason you don't I say with love and devotion, shame! Fairy Tale Theater is the work of everyone's favorite cheese-ball Shelley Duvall, where she would produce these mini movies of famous tales (she would also star in some of them too!) and get big stars of the time to play important roles. I have a couple of favorites to mention such as "The Frog Prince" (Robin Williams), "Beauty and the Beast" (Susan Sarandon) and "The Nightingale" (David Bowie) just to name a few! But if you get a chance, see them all - they'll bring you to a clean fresh world of fantasy this summer!

Yu Kimura's EP "Transcendent Harazyuku girl revolution"

I'll tell you a little secret that actually isn't little in the slightest, my favorite model and idol is Yu Kimura of Kera/Angelic Pretty/Fairy Kei fame! She was the Ambassador of Cuteness in 2009 and is now fully going into an epic and adorable singing career. I got the chance to see Yu this past weekend and let me tell you, she's got the making of something great. She's got the whole package of adorable personality, spunk and fashion sense along with really catchy tunes. Though maybe not something you'd bring about to your frilly ears, I definitely recommend checking this girl out and is the perfect set of tunes to lighten up your summer!

Jem returns to TV on The Hub

A few of you Nostalgia freaks like myself might be in the know, but if you don't know the most totally cool news on the block this summer then let me tell you: Jem and the Holograms is back on TV! I've already discussed Jem in one of my Iconic Love Letter articles, but if you don't know a thing about Jem or just have heard the rumors of this pink beauty then I absolutely demand you to see this! It'll be on in the mornings and late nights on The Hub, the greatest new channel on TV with tons of other nostalgic and soon to be nostalgic TV shows! (Look out for another Jem related post soon!) If you need something that can give you fun music, silly moments and total fashion inspiration look no further then Jem!

Scented Cooling Mists

I can't hide it, I'm someone who gets hot and burns really fast (I suffer from being ridiculously pale and Irish). The Summer for that reason isn't a joy for me in the slightest - that is until only a few weeks ago! I just discovered the rebirth of the Cooling Mists and now this new creation at stores with Scented versions! My favorite comes from Bath and Body Works with their name Coconut Mango collection. If you are looking for the most perfect thing to have this extremely hot summer I can't recommend this enough and how it is 100% a Lolita must have!

So those are some of my recommendations for this summer - it beats the heat and adds a splash of new inspiration! What is something you girls recommend for the summer? Let me know!

Dress Up Time #11: Some Kind of Wonderful

Recently today I decided to pop in one of my favorite movies ever that I haven't watched in a couple of months: Some Kind of Wonderful starring Eric Stolz and Mary Stuart Masterson. Though not exactly anyway or shape frilly related, it some how puts me in a great mood and thought it would be fun to make a Dress Up Time post on it (I've missed making these!)

The plot of Some Kind of Wonderful is your basic high school behavior: The outsider loves the popular girl but can't seem to get her. Keith (Eric Stolz) is a less then cool student at his high school - He's poor, a painter and works at his Dad's Car Repair shop (But he's so my kind of guy, le sigh!) On the other hand we have Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson), the most popular and prettiest girl in school. She has everything - the hot popular boyfriend, tons of beautiful friends and a sweet bitchin' wardrobe to match.

Yet there is one character who is in the middle of these two, Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson). Watts is by far my favorite female character in film history, truly my hero and basically who I was in high school with a slightly more girly edge but only slightly. Watts is an independent and free speaking girl, who never questions her actions or her opinions. She's Keith's best friend and Amanda's worst enemy - yet there's one thing she can't seem to be honest about: She's in love with Keith. I can't spoil the entire movie, but this slightly conventional story is actually super unconventional and I love it for that.

Now, how do you exactly embody the whole style of this little movie into your own frilly side? Let's take a few cues from Watts and see what happens!

First I chose a JSK that was with a darker tone with a tiny print. I also had to Musical style especially since Watts loves playing the drums. Watts also has a thing for Men's clothing, including jackets and hats. The Jacket and hat are from Forever 21 and happen to go very well with the dress in my opinion. The leggings bring in a super punky and 80's feel, and I can't explain how much I love these Sex Pot Revenge ones. The boots are Steve Madden, which are a Watts trademark along with the fingerless gloves. The finale touch is a pair of Rhinestone studs, which are a symbol of the movie and something Watts dreams of getting as her own. There's a lot of ways of taking this sort of outfit in different directions, but anyway it can be tons of fun!

So definitely look into Some Kind of Wonderful, the most underrated John Hughes movie and you'll see just why it's so incredible - you'll share in the inspiration if you try and outfit out like this!

Lolita Day - Summer 2011 Edition

Loli-Day is fast approaching and I am beyond excited! I'm always curious was to what my readers plans are, so give them to me! Are you going out with friends or spending a lovely day pampering yourself? Maybe you're going to a meet up or just a date with a special companion? Are you doing any fun activities or trips? Let me know!

For me personally I have two big goals: Baking delicious Homemade Oreo Cookies and listening to a ton of my favorite Lolita wearing inspiration tunes! Here is a list of my current favorites that maybe you could find inspirational too:

1. Glamazon - RuPaul

I can't explain exactly what it is, but RuPaul has this ability to make me instantly like anything he creates musically and everything new tune is beyond addicting. Glamazon is currently my favorite, mostly because even though it has nothing to do with Lolita lyrically it has this confidence boosting sound and has great motivational messages "She's taking names and kicking ass", thats how I want to and eventually feel everyday in Lolita! I also recommend "Main Event" which is so disco fabulous I can't even.

2. One in a Million - Private

Private is one my favorite music finds ever. Every single song of theirs is a great deal of "catchy" that is hard to exactly put a point on why it works. Think about all those great 90's dance hits with a modern twist and you have Private. One in a Million is probably my favorite next to "Crucify My Heart" - but the reason why? Simple, cause it makes me feel special. Isn't that enough to understand?

3. Alice in Wonderland - Lisa Mitchell

This somewhat sad tune is not exactly like the others but has this beautiful atmosphere it creates. Of course it's speaking of Alice in Wonderland, everything Lolitas favorite - but more importantly the music itself is delicate and very Lolita appropriate. It tells a great story through lyrics and melody. You'll truly never want this song to end, at least I never do.

4. The Spell - Alphabeat

I've spoken of Alphabeat before, but I can't get enough of their Euro-Pop energy. The Spell is one of their singles and is perhaps my favorite. It grooves and moves like no other and will definitely get you in that magic like mood for Lolita.

5. Gumdrops - The Smittens

Though short, "Gumdrops" is one of the cutest songs in history and probably my favorite song to whistle in the elevator these days. It has an equally cute video to match and overall The Smittens can light a room with their happy go lucky sense of music. This is the sort of happiness I love getting when wearing Lolita and "Gumdrops" just puts me in that frame of mind.

What songs make you ready to frill? I need more tunes to get my going so tell me.

This Lolita Day I also plan on wearing something extra summery and probably wearing my favorite dress, Meta's Cherry Gingham. But maybe I'll change my mind? Probably but for now thats the choice! Oh Lolita Day, what fun you'll be ~

Otakon 2011: Are You Going?

Now that the suppose threat of "The Rapture" is over, I can talk about this with pride! My favorite time of year is coming ever so fast, Otakon: The East Coast's Premiere Anime Convention (July 29th - August 1st!). What does one do at Otakon? The answer is simple, have a blast beyond compare. This convention seems to celebrate both the newer anime fans and the older anime fans (like myself) and also, for those who read this blog, it's very Lolita friendly. For awhile, it would have the occasional Lolita related event, last year was a turn for the epic where everyday had something Lolita related. Now this year definitely has some shoes to fill, but we can dream that it could be better or just as good.

For me, I will hopefully be presenting a panel about "Lolitas in the Media", so please keep your fingers crossed that this happens. It will be a hilarious look at the idea and I hope that if it does happen you'll come, and get prizes if you do come!

Also, it seems an old favorite will be back as well, a fashion show perhaps? I believe so!

So curious, any of you East Coast Lolitas coming to Otakon? I want to meet any of you readers if you are!

Iconic Love Letter: Paul Williams

Last couple of posts have either been about a songwriter or something nostalgic, and this post is going to have the amazing combination of being about both! Today I'll be discussing probably the most underrated songwriter ever, one that you probably know more then you think and will probably want to dig into right away after reading this (or that is my hope). I give you an Iconic Love Letter to my favorite songwriter, Paul Williams!

Now, just like your reaction might have been to Rufus Wainwright: What the hell does this guy have to do with Lolita Fashion? Simple, just like Rufus he provides a great soundtrack. But unlike Rufus's sad and more moody music, Paul provides a variety of emotions and types of lyrical stories within his songwriting abilities. Now you're probably scratching your head going "I don't know anything this guy has worked on." You'll be surprised to know that you probably do more then you think. For instances, ever wondered who wrote the song "The Rainbow Connection" from the Muppet Movie? Paul did. Paul is actually responsible for many of the songs from the Muppets catalog, my favorite being his work on A Muppet Christmas Carol.

Paul is no stranger to many genres, related to movies or just music as a whole. My favorite work of his overall would be "Phantom of the Paradise" (if interested, check out a review I did of the movie on the blog Twenty Four Lies Per Second) for which he wrote the entire soundtrack and played the villain Swan. He also wrote a ton of songs for the Carpenters and was almost cast as a member of the nostalgia group The Monkees (for whom he also wrote songs for!) Paul's also a bit of an actor, starring in the film mentioned above along with "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" and in all of the "Smokey and the Bandit" films! He also wrote the scores for many children's movie, including one of my favorites "The Secret of Nimh"!

But the best part of Paul Williams is just when he is indeed himself and brings about a sort of silly charm that is so attractive in so many ways. It's the kind of charm that I find myself loving about Lolita, it's oddness is it's overall appeal. For example, Paul is one of the shortest men in music, which he mentions a lot when he made his appearance on the Muppet Show in Season 1. He seems like someone that wouldn't be that interesting, but in fact is so complex that you can't stop being interested in him. I think this is the sort of reaction people get when they find out normal looking people like ourselves have this life where we wear Lolita Fashion, which is so interesting beyond even our own understanding.

Paul carries that very similar idea that like Lolita Fashion, he's very surprising and not one to judge right off the bat. No one could believe the guy that wrote songs for The Muppets also wrote songs for The Scissor Sisters and Dexter's Laboratory! So for that alone Paul Williams is by far someone you should check out and feel that he is in fact one full of interesting surprises. This month on LVF, you'll hear some of his songs pop on here and again along with some other Muppet's related classics (Is that a hint I hear of a future post?...maybe!)

But how does one go about and bring a bit of Paul Williams into your Lolita life? Here's some tips!

Paul seems to have a thing for big glasses! Pick up a cool pair of your own. I'm personally in love with any vintage looking shades with big frames like the ones on UrbanOutfitters.com.

That ipod feeling a bit boring these days? Why not invest in a record player and buy yourself one of Paul's albums in vinyl. I can't express how much better music sounds in this form, really it's an experience. Check out these old school styled babies.

Buy yourself a vest in a dust color palette to go with your usual outfit that needs a bit of love and spicing up! I can't get enough of the ones on ModCloth.com! Granted they might seem a bit more on the Mori Girl side, but why not add something a bit different to the mix?

Why not have a musical themed picnic meet up! Go to your favorite park (that is music playing friendly of course!) and have everyone bring their favorite CD to play and make a special meal themed to their favorite music. Maybe you can surprise your friends and bring a Paul Williams album and make "Rainbow Connection" cookies with M&Ms and sprinkles?

So I'm pretty sure by now you have to be digging some aspect of Mr.Williams and his amazing career. Paul's lyrical power of whimsy and fantasy really makes his music amazing and really is catchy in a way that is good, unlike most of the music that comes out these days. It's playful, sometimes dark, but always intelligent and fun to listen to. Go check out Paul's stuff, and trust me you'll love it.

May of Epic! LVF's upcoming events!

(First of all, apologies for having little to no posts the last two months - I'll be graduating in a month and school, along with the Tribeca Film Festival here in New York, has kept me very busy. But now LVF is back baby and it missed you a lot!)

This May is going to be one of the best months for myself, ever. Why? Because of some epic events coming up for myself that I just have to talk about here on LVF.

First up, May 1st was the recording of something special: Glacee's (the upcoming lolita zine) Podcast Series! I also believe this to be the first official Lolita podcast, unless there is one going on that I haven't heard of (anyone?). Hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, this will be published on iTunes for everyone to enjoy. I can't give all the details out yet, but expect the release of the first episode to soon after the recording!

But what am I even more excited for? The Animal Party Meet Up on May 21st. Oh boy, is this going to be awesome. A group of us are getting together to go to the infamous Bronx Zoo, covered in our best animal inspired coordinates! I personally plan on going as My Little Pony's Pinkie Pie for pastel fun all around. There will be tons of prizes and lots of photo opportunities! Can't wait!

So now the question, what are you doing this month? I hope it's just as exciting for you! Look for more and more posts to make up for the lack in the past months. How about a nostalgic movie review?

Iconic Love Letter #5: Nostalgic Toys

Oh Nostalgia, how I love to visit the realms of this magical kingdom every chance I get. From everything that came of my childhood like music, movies and books - the thing that rings the most nostalgic for me is the products of childhood itself: Nostalgic Toys. Now I don't know about you, but I grew up in the 90's and enjoyed the entire decade to it's fullest. At the time though, I still was embracing the toys of the 80's that were still cool and adorable as heck.

So which toys caught my fancy and still ring a happy bell in my heart now some 15 years later? Let's take a walk down the pastel colored play room and check out what we find in the toy box! (This also will include nostalgic commercials for the toys!)

The Huggabunch

Imagine if you would a world of such fluff it would make Mickey Mouse almost throw up in fear of just how ridiculously cute this world is. Which world is this? The world of the Huggabunch of course! Huggabunch was a line of toys based on the idea of these little creatures that were powered by hugs. There were tons of different Huggabunch characters, my personal favorites being Huggins and Tickles (Ugh, what I would give to have a fluffy purple afro).

Though interestingly enough I never owned a real Huggabunch, I actually was more impacted by the Huggabunch TV Special as a kid. My mom would rent the tape over and over again for me as a kid. With the fear of a Grandma being "put to pasture" and a scary Wolly Mammoth (yes, this is all in one movie), Huggabunch had the unique quality of putting the fear of god in me AND making me ridiculously happy. Now I'm on a quest to own an actual Huggabunch, for nostalgic purposes.

My Little Pony

Did you really think I was going to not mention My Little Pony? A staple for girls everywhere of the 80's, 90's and still today - My Little Pony is one of the most successful toy franchises ever. Personally I wasn't the biggest My Little Pony girl on the block, but I had a few and really appreciate how they cater to my pastel and sweet things that I love. I'm personally a big fan of Pinkie Pie specifically, though she's one of the newer ones. Either way, you can't go wrong with My Little Pony.

Magical Girl Anime Toys

I can't express more how much I love toys of Magical Girl anime series. Sailor Moon is a key example of the epic level one can produce toys, the best being those super rare RPG toys. I am lucky enough to be the owner of at least one of the original wands from the first run of the series, but I am definitely on the hunt for more of these buggers regardless of their ridiculous price tag. I also have a small collection of similar toys from Magic Knight Rayearth and Cardcaptor Sakura. I'm also a big fan of collecting the keychains and figures from the series, and I have a few dolls also. Overall these toys make me want to go on adventures and dream, as it seems many Lolita's agree with me since I see a lot of sweet girls carrying the same items!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

All right I'll admit it, Power Rangers were my favorite toys out of all these mentioned. I had a thing for shows where young teens/kids could beat up bad guys and save the day. So unlike my other female counterparts at school, this is where I took a turn and did my own more tom boyish thing. Power Rangers gave me an interest into martial arts and girl power all around. Kimberly and Trini were perhaps the coolest girls in the world to me and I wish I was them back then more then anything. Now I still love Power Rangers, and I still look for all the cool toys from the show that I can. My boyfriend just gave me a huge figure of the Falcon Zord and I can't explain the huge grin it gave me big time.

So now that you've gotten a huge douce of nostalgia, how do you incorporate these toys into your Lolita wardrobe? First off, it's best to look at Lolita and see what happiness it brings you, just like your favorite toys from your childhood. Just like your toys, you can feel yourself growing old from Lolita - but also like these toys they'll creep on back into your life and you'll never want to let go. Lolita is something that even some who grow apart from, but can't you forget it once it comes into your life. Remember the magic it brings you and you'll never want it to go away! Bring the love that these toys gave you into every aspect of your life, even your fashion sense!