Rainy Saturday

Hi Lovelies,

the weather is not very nice today, it's raining but at the same time it's too warm, which I really dislike, so I spend the day in front of my sewing machine (^.^)

I have not so much to talk about at the moment, so here are two outfits of mine:

Sweater: Lookhuman

I wore one of my new sweaters for this outfit, just something casual and comfortable for school. I hardly ever wear jeans, but I got those at a second-hand fleamarket kind of event and I quite like them (^_^)

Skirt: Baby, the stars shine bright
Blouse & underskirt: handmade by me
Alice band: Claire's
Shoes; PinUp Couture

I went to see Cinderella in the movies with friends, so I decided to doll up a bit for the occasion! I was very happy with this coord, I've worn this skirt before but I felt I couldn't do it justice then (and it deserves all the justice it can get, it's so gorgeous!).

Von der Muse geküsst

Hi dolls,

I've had my etsy shop now for quite a while, and I'm very content with how things are going. I can't complain about not having enough or too much work, and I have plenty of ideas for the future.
So far, I only used fabrics I found at the fabric store or online. Which is okay, as there are tons of pretty fabrics around. However, especially since it is a big part of Lolita fashion labels, I wanted to have a print of my own!
Since I love books and everything book-related, but most Lolita book prints are very dark (nothing wrong with that though), I had the idea of a pastel-coloured book print. I'm not good at drawing myself, so I looked for an artist to collaborate with. After looking around the internet, I discovered the work of Sherrae (check out her fb or deviantart!) and fell in love instantly. I was so happy when she agreed to make a print for me, and I think she did an amazing job:

I got the fabric printed at stoffn.de in Germany. They have amazing fabric quality and use organic cotton. I got it printed on cotton sateen, as it has a beautiful fall and a luxurious feeling to it...

I sewed a small collection, consisting of a jumperskirt, skirt, cutsew and headbow. I named it Erato, after the muse of lyric poetry in Greek mythology.

The background in the print fabric is not whte but rather off-white, so I used soft, off-white dotted tulle for embelishments.

I chose a rather simple design, because I wanted the print to stand out, and I think it's more versatile like this, it can be worn very casual, but also offers many possibilites to coordinate it with.

When the garments were finished, I also wanted to shoot them properly, with models and a photographer and everything, because I think they look so much better when actually worn by a human being instead of my crappy dressing form.

I asked Lea and Magali to be my models, they're also Lolitas from Switzerland and, most important, super photogenic. Céline Stucki took the photos, and she introduced me to her visagist friend Tanja Jungen who did make-up and hair. We did the photoshoot at the Hotel Belle Epoque in Bern. The location is so beautiful, decorated with great Art Nouveau pieces and I think the atmosphere matched the dresses really well. The staff of the hotel was so kind and generous, if you're ever staying in Bern I can highly recommend the place!

I was a bit afraid that something might go wrong with the photoshooting, as it was the first time I organized something like this, but luckily everything went smoothly. I was proud of myself for successfully going through with the whole project (especially for doing some scary phone calls xD).

I was really glad that both models I asked had the time to come. Don't they look divine together? Looking back, we should have at least done a scary-twins-in-the-hallway-like-in-the-shining-photo, just for fun, but Céline took so many gorgeous pictures, so I'm not complaining (^.^)

love this detail shot

When selecting the photos for this post, I couldn't decide, so you're being spammed. I posted more on Medusa Coutures Tumblr blog, if you're curious!

Material Girl

Hi dolls,

last year, I made the resolution to shop less. I didn't want to restrict myself to no shopping at all, there were some exceptions allowed. Despite that, I still broke my resolution a few times, but not too often, so it's still ok. It was a good experience, as I asked myself more often; do I really need this? The answer was usually no. In the end, I didn't spend less money, but instead of cheaply-made fashion I invested more in travelling, tattoos and concerts, and that's certainly a big improvement!

I really hope to keep this trend going in the future, but despite all efforts, I still love to shop, which already resulted in several purchases I made this year. Hooray for shopping haul posts! (^_^)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, limited edition for The Franklin Library, published 1979, illustrated by Herbert Trauss.
Probably the most expensive book I own (except for art and text books), but when I saw this treasure on ebay, I just couldn't resist.

Bound in leather, with gilt edging and gorgeous illustrations - the bibliophiles amongst you will definitively understand.

If you're less attracted by the beauty of books, it's still a great novel. Especially if you wear Lolita fashion, you should know it, not because it shares anything with it except for the name, but because many people still associate the fashion with the idea of the nymphomaniac nymphettes.

Also, it's kind of a classic and therefore should be part of general knowledge anyways.

 

Novala Takemoto - Kamikaze Girls.

I already own the paperback, but I definitvely wanted a hardback copy, simply because it's pretty, again. The book-jacket is super adorable, and if you remove it, the sophisticated black spine appears... asthetically perfect for the ultimate Lolita (talking about the fashion here again!) manifesto, right?

I already wrote about my trip to the Leipzig Bookfair, but not about the purchases I made there. I was especially smitten by the artist section in the manga/comic hall, that's where I found these treasures:

I already showed you the jellyfish necklace from caffecupcake, but it's so adorable, so here it is again!

Love - Der Fuchs by Fédéric Brrémaud and Federico Bertolucci.
There was a selection of comics of this series featuring all kinds of animals, but I fell in love with the fox story. There's no text in it at all, but the drawing and colours are so amazing!

Madeleine by Antonia Mahlke.
It's so cool how many of these talented artist that exhibitioned their work had little booklets and mangas printed, and I really like to support indie artists, they put so much time and effort in their work, but it's really hard to get recognition.
I fell in love with this booklet, it's again a story without text (I see a pattern here... but I love how pictures can tell a story, and sometimes a bad dialogue ruins all the art).

Box of dreams.

55 members of the "Milk&Chocolate" circle on Animexx contributed to this book with an illustration under the theme "dreams". It's an amazing collection!

Furthermore, I did some online shopping... I really like getting parcels in the mail, it's like you make a gift to yourself, since you have to wait for it to arrive (*.*)

Gothic Lolita Bible Vol. 54

Oak Tree Farm boots (I wore them on the last meet-up)

Laced bootees by Tamaris in bordeaux

Sewing patterns from Truly Victorian - my plans for the summer break are already settled!

2 swearshirts from Lookhuman. Stock photos because the actual sweater are in the laundry

Seems like a lot, I know, but hey, after all that's from the last 3 months!

What about you, do you shop often? What are your favourite purchases so far this year?

Book Challenge March

Hi cuties,

I'm a bit late with the update on the reading challenge for the month of March, but never late than never, right?

Uni got serious in March, so I didn't really got to read a lot of books (-.-)

Mark Ryden - Pinxit (English/French/German, 360p.)

As it's an art book, it can't really be counted as "reading". Despite that, it offers a beautiful overview of Mark Ryden's main works until now, and every collection is accompanied by an essay from a friend of Ryden, so there's still something to read. It offers a little insight into the work and life of this amazing artist, and I especially enjoyed the detail shots of his art; so much detail, it's breathtaking. I find his art extremely inspiring and I'd love to let it print on fabric and make dresses out of it! (^.^)

Neil Gaiman - The Sleeper and the Spindle (Illustrated by Chris Ridell, English, 66p.)

What happens, if Snow White sets off to rescue Sleeping Beauty, accompanied by three dwarfs and pursuited by sleeping zombies? The answer was quite surprising for me, and while I liked the plot twist, I'm not sure if I agree with the ending... of course it's important to be true to yourself and to follow your dreams, but you should still take your responsibilities seriously, no? Well, my opinion might be unpopular, and you'll have to read it yourself to decide (^.-). It's definitively worth reading, Neil Gaimans writing never ceases to  fascinate me!

Aristoteles - Poetik (Greek/German, 181p.)

- A book more than 100 years old

Although this edition was published by reclam just recently, the book itself was definitively written more than 100 years ago, so I'll just count that point (^.^). I had to read it for uni (more about that right below), and if you're interested in literature, it's surely a good reference.

And just like that, March was already over! I didn't really make a lot of progress on the challenge, unfortunately, and I hope I'll catch up soon...

Now, as mentioned above, a word about my studies. Some of you know that until recently, I studied business and economics. However, it became less and less what I had expected and started to make me quite unhappy, so I knew I had to make a change. I'm very lucky that my parents agreed to let me change my subject of study without finishing the other one first (which probably wouldn't have happened anyways), so this winter I changed to German literature and Media studies instead. I'm so glad I did this, as I'm much happier and way more interested in my studies now!

So for my new classes, I needed some new books too, obviously:

We don't have to read all of them, from certain ones we just read extracts or single chapters, and of course we read a lot of essays and texts that we get directly from the professors. I just wanted to post this here too, in order of completion.

Third Time's a Charm

 Hi my lovely Easter-bunnies,

I hope you're enjoying the holidays! (^_^)
I have some outfits to share with you:

Earrings: NeverlandJewellery on Etsy
Skirt: handmade by me
Leggings: Ebay
Everything else is thrifted or very old

Jsk & cardi: handmade by me
Blouse: Innocent World
Shoes: Deichmann

Jsk: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Cardi: handmade by me
Shoes: Deichmann