(((NOTE: I was working on this post early this morning [6 December 2013], but had to go to bed and this may not post until what is technically the 7th. And I also am not in the mood to change the context of some of my sentences~)))
So, first thing is first. :) Happy Sinterklaas Day! And in Dutch (I hope this translated correctly), "Gelukkig Sinterklaas!" I am 1/4 Dutch, my mom is 1/2 Dutch, and my Grandfather is Dutch. I don't know a whole lot about my Dutch ancestors, to be honest, except that there were fisherman somewhere in the line. (No pun intended. xD But it made me chuckle anyway~ Because, fisherman use fishing lines. Get it? Ha..ha.. Okay.) I think I'm going to try and do some research today. :)
Anyway, a family tradition my mom started after my parents got married was to celebrate Sinterklaas Day by putting out our shoes and having Stamppot. ^_^ I will explain. The night before, children set their shoes outside and fill them with grass. The grass is to feed his white horse, and then he leaves a gift in the shoes if they have been good. Er...if my memory is serving me correctly, that is. >///> And then Stamppot. Stamppot is just...MMM! <3 We do potatoes mashed with carrots and onions and mix in cooked...meat. I don't know how to spell it, but it is a kind of sausage. So yummy! <3 But you can mash in several vegetables, and together too. That's just how we do it. :)
So Happy Sinterklaas Day to any Dutch readers or Dutch enthusiast readers or readers in love with someone Dutch! :D :D
And secondly, and unrelated, dresses. Mostly. I think this is the influence of the Loli Blogs that I read. But.. I started taking photos of myself (admittedly, not great ones) when I like how an outfit turns out. Or...when I note interesting reactions in people when they see me. And after taking seven of these, I realized I was doing absolutely nothing with them. And then I thought, 'Why not?' "'Why not', what Bryn?" I'm glad you asked, dear reader! Why not post them here, thus giving me something somewhat regular to post about in the future, and also making me feel better about taking up storage space on the computer? Now, don't worry...this is not me fishing for compliments. I absolutely detest compliment-fishing. This isn't self-obsession either...I sometimes feel like that is how I look....
And I'll try to tell about the outfit to make it interesting. Like, if it is a Loli outfit, for example, I will tell about which subculture it is from, why I enjoy that subculture, etc. Or I will tell about reactions I got from people, if any are noted. Or if the outfit was inspired by some kind of a mood. Sometimes I get broody and use clothes to express how I'm feeling inwardly. (<--I'm a believer that this is healthy!) And...sometimes it's a, "What the hell?" kind of a day where I toss something together that I wouldn't otherwise. I'll do that briefly here today too. :) So...from time to time in the future, you will get to see some of my personal fashion taste. And~! I will definitely have to talk about thrift shopping and piecing together outfits from there at some points. :D Thrifting is a favorite past-time of my cousin and I. ;)
Aaaand...without any further (very nervous) ado~ Me: o///o Ah..ha..ha..ha..
Early September
Half-Loli Inspired
This was a "What the hell?" outfit. I literally just rolled out of bed about 20 minutes before and realized my cousin and her roommate were coming over for dinner...and I hadn't done any laundry. XD Quite literally, this was my only clean skirt. So I added some bows because I was going through this major bow-obsession at the time (I still use bows frequently, but at the time I thought it wasn't an outfit if there weren't at least 2 bows. Seriously), put my petticoat underneath, put on a blouse, tied some ribbon around my neck, and slipped on my ruffled heels. :) I felt pretty satisfied with the look. ^_^
Late September
(And now coming out of the bow obsession.)
Loli
Ahh...this. :D This is my first Loli dress from Fanplusfriend Garden. I absolutely LOVE it! <3 So, to me, this dress seemed like it could work for Gothic Loli (of course), or Hime Loli (Princess Loli). I decided to do it as a Hime. :) I found a better headband later that day (though don't have a picture with it, I don't think) that gives off a tiara feel without actually being a tiara. I have another pair of fingerless gloves that go with it too, and then...honestly, I should probably be wearing nylons for this to be considered "true Loli". However~ I have solid colored black tights (and Loli socks), solid colored white tights, black lace tights with flower pattern, and white fishnet tights. None of those really go, so. *shrug* :) This was good enough for me. Plus, I enjoy the white fabric making my legs look not as white as they actually are. >///>
Anyway, so Hime Lolita is the Princess-y subculture of Lolita. Ah, and for those readers who do not know, Lolita is a Japanese street fashion dedicated to all things frilly, ruffly, and feminine. NOT in any way, shape, or form, related to the disgusting American novel or movie. When first getting into and researching the Lolita fashion, I found the wikipedia entry rather helpful (Click here--> Lolita Fashion) and have since started following a number of Blogs, etcetera, dedicated to the fashion to continue learning. :) Anyway, I'm rambling a little bit. I'm actually intending to make a separate post about why I love this fashion on another day. And on that day, I will provide links to some of those Blogs and things. ^_^
Anyway...as I was saying before my ramble...rant...thing. Hime Lolita is the Princess-y subculture of the fashion. Basically, look like a princess~ Black and white can work, but typically Hime involves white and pastels. Usually Himes wear tiaras or jeweled headbands, gloves, and high heels to accessorize. I believe there is also a hairstyle that is particular, but...*shrug* And I'm not 100% sure on that (still new to the fashion as a whole, and only just discovered the Hime subfashion a couple months ago), so.... >///>
So, for me: As I said, I found a headband that gives off a tiara feel without actually being a tiara; I'll get a picture up of it sometime, but for now just a headband. Long gloves (fingerless for me, thank you) that I thought looked pretty. A pearl necklace (...my parents told me that this is some sort of "right of passage" marking womanhood. This is honestly the first...second time in 5 years I felt I had a legitimate reason to wear it, haha). And a dress that could maybe be princess-y. Admittedly, this may not count to other Lolis. But to me it looked princess-y, so I decided it counts in my little world. :) I wouldn't be surprised if I'm technically doing it wrong, but it makes me feel pretty nonetheless. ^_^ I'm pretty positive whenever I wear Loli, I'm only half-way meeting the standards, though, so I don't stress too much as long as I feel comfortable and happy. XD
I dunno. Anyway, that is that for this one. :) Sorry that was so long. And if a more legitimate Loli stumbles across this and wants to provide the correct information, it would be much appreciated. ;) :)
Mid-October
This was a, "...We're going to the store where the cute guy works?! WHAT DO I WEAR??!" outfit. I hadn't thought to put my jean jacket with that dress until that day, and tried it because of...you guessed it, lack of clean undershirts. ;) I wear pajamas most days, so I don't keep track of my laundry like I should. Anyway, I'm glad I did. I thought it turned out well. :) Again with ribbon tied around my neck. I seriously...just...can't even...RIBBON. <3 You have no~o idea. xD My love for ribbon borders on obsessed. It would be obsession if I had the money. ;~; By the way. That dress? Scored it at the thrift shop for a couple of dollars in basically brand new condition. :D I mention that because there are a fair amount of people that think clothes at the thrift shop are worn out pieces of junk and "No way would I ever shop there unless I was dirt-broke!" It's a sad attitude, really. If you have the patience and the eye, you can find really great stuff there. It can be a cheap way to look nice. :) Translation: If you haven't given thrifting a try, GO TRY. It can be a lot of fun! :D Especially if you go with a friend or cousin that has a sense of humor! My cousin and I love to go to the thrift shop and play this game. We find out each others' sizes for blouses, pants, dresses, and shoes. Then we each get separate shopping carts and go off for a while, putting together several of these ridiculous outfits for each other that are grotesquely mismatched...or just plain-old horrifying. XD And then we meet up at the changing rooms and give each other the outfits and enjoy the fashion show. ;) So much fun! And sometimes we'll find an article of clothing that we go, "Hey! That actually looks pretty good on me!" She found a cardigan and I found a blouse that way. :D Super fun! I imagine that could be a fun date-night too, but...well, we won't get into my date life. Or, lack-of date life. >///>
Late October
Yeah. So. I was up all night and thought I would be going to bed the next morning and sleeping all day, so I put my hair in braids. And then I was reminded that that was the day we were taking my cousin to the airport. ;) It was a long, tear-filled experience. She missed her plane. More specifically, they wouldn't let her on because they changed the time she needed to be there at the latest by, by five minutes. It all got worked out, though. ^_^ However, I had a lot of people that were looking over at me with very confused expressions. So..? It was the braids, wasn't it? Or...the flats with army pants.... It's a comfy outfit though~ And those are my dad's old army pants. ^_^ You know how sisters steal each others' clothes, brothers borrow each others' shirts, etcetera? Well. My brother never had a brother, and I never had a sister. I was also larger in girth in High School than I am now, while my brother was a muscular stick in High School. Initially, dad passed the pants on to him. And then I discovered I could wear them too. ;) And after my brother went on a mission and came home and got married, the pants became mine. Sort of. I still consider them my dad's pants, so to me they are just borrowed. And I can only imagine how messed up that must have sounded. XD
Mid-November
PURPLE! :D Purple is my favorite color. :) And that is my first and currently only Loli wig. ^_^ <3 I'm not sure entirely what this outfit is...I put it together the night before while in a fairly sleep deprived state. I was feeling cold and thought a sweater sounded nice. And I wanted to wear those new boots that I scored at...you guessed it, the thrift shop. ;) They are a little worn, but I love the look it gives them, and they are in sturdy condition, ready for a number more years' wear. :D Anyway. I found this skirt in the clean laundry that I had forgotten I even had. I think it was a birthday present from when I was 15 or 16, and I hadn't seen it since I was...16 or 17. >///> Yeah. I-I'm not really sure how that happened.. I think it got lost when I was moving rooms and then got found and tossed in the wash or something. Anyway. The wig fades to a darker purple at the bottom and has a brown-ish tint to the whole thing, so that brings in the boots, and then purple. So, of course...MORE PURPLE. :D Yeah. Needless to say, I've worn this 2 or 3 times now. :D
Something that I LOVE about this wig is that the color seems to change with the lighting. Sometimes it looks brown with a tint of purple, sometimes it looks very purple, sometimes it looks like an even blend, and sometimes...it looks grey. Yeah. Seriously. Awesome. <3 Hee hee~!
Late November
Loli
Yeah...so I didn't have my shoes on for the picture. But I do have cute shoes that go with this coord. And technically a red bracelet too. I'm not sure what subculture this fits into, honestly. And I did post the outfit before, here --> Red Loli Coord~ My reason for posting again, is because I liked how my hair and hair ribbon turned out this day. :) And also because after I got off work and was walking around the mall, I noticed a lot of people look me up and down and then smile at me. When I got home, I looked in the mirror and was like, "I almost look like I walked out of some Fairytale." wherein my dad told me that, to him at least, I still look like Little Red Riding Hood. Mom said that for the time of year, I look like I could be one of Santa's helpers. So... XD I dunno. I enjoyed getting smiled at, though. ^_^
Late November
Loli Inspired
This is more heavily Loli-inspired. Not technically Loli, but very inspired. :) I initially pieced the outfit together with my green cardigan (the dress on its own without the black skirt over looks great with it! I'll have a picture up of that one sometime) and my Loli socks. Aand my blonde hair. XD But the green didn't look right to me. I decided that the black was drawing out the navy in the dress more than the green, and so needed a cool colored cardigan to keep the look. And then...well, here it is. <3 Now, I was still planning on my Loli socks. I had put them in the wash (I didn't have time to hand wash before going to bed), or so I thought. When I took them out to drip-dry...I could only find one. I tore through the wet clothes several times, scouring for the other sock so it wouldn't get randomly ruined and couldn't find it, only to discover 4 days later that it had gotten sucked into a different pile of dirty laundry. =/ By now, dear reader, you're probably figuring out one of my greater house-keeping flaws. ;) Anyway, I did tights instead. :) And then the wig...I was really nervous to do with the outfit. But...okay.
So. I take 45 minutes to shower. I'm not just sitting there soaking up the water. My hair. My hair is at least 3 heads worth of thickness. Really. You could divide my hair between three people, and they would all still have thick hair. My hair is also very curly. And long. 30-35 minutes of showering is dedicated to shampooing and conditioning my hair, rinsing, and not repeating.
Now I can explain. ;) I didn't have time before work to get a shower. However, I felt disgusting and was convinced you could smell me a mile away, though I was told that was not the case. "But wait!! I could wear my wig, and if I put my hair under the wig cap, I can not get my hair wet and shower!! YES." So I did this and then got my outfit and then eyed my hair warily. I decided to put on my make-up while I thought it over. What choice did I have, really? None of my hats would match, plus I didn't know if hats are even allowed at work, and I hardly wear them anymore. BUT what if the wig doesn't look good?! Well, it isn't like I could just wear the wig cap and call it good. Sure, I work with food, but that is taking the lunch-lady look to the extreme (I mean no offense there - I worked in the school cafeteria for years and have a great love and respect for the lunch ladies I worked with). But...but...*suppressed sob*...what if it doesn't match?
Yeah. I have interesting conversations with myself. Inside my head. Anyway, I put the wig literally a minute before running out the door, realizing I didn't have the luxury of time on my side to consider and change the matter. Luckily, it turned out looking pretty good. :)
Early December
Apparently Loli Inspired
I...love ribbon. LOVE IT. The pink around my waist isn't part of the dress, but is actually a long, thick ribbon that ties off in a nice, big bow in the back. :D Anyway. This is a well-beloved dress. ^_^ After getting the picture, I was looking at it and I turned to my mom and went, "I hate to admit it, but I might lean towards that 'sweet' style.." I have two white bows attached to my shirt, by the way. I don't know if you can see them. Anyway. I wasn't doing Loli Inspired with this initially, but after looking at the picture, I realized that there were some influences. I don't have anything against the Sweet Lolita style. But...some of the Sweet...just.... Really? But then I realized this probably had Sweet influence to a degree. >///> OH, oh. :D And speaking of ribbon. I had a white ribbon tied in a bow to hold back my hair~<3 I have a ribbon addiction. ;~; I've had it for years now. That was part of the appeal for Loli for me; ribbon. ;) And lace. And ruffles. AND ANJLKFJKADJ;GSJKL
Loli. <3
Anyway. This isn't Loli. Just inspired. Sort of. It wasn't initially.
But my outfits change with my mood. Or my state of mind. Or lack of clean clothes. If all of my clothes are clean at once (because, that does happen) and I am not seriously sleep deprived (because that also happens), then it is usually influenced by my mood. Sometimes that makes for...interesting...outfits. Interesting, never-repeated outfits. ;)
My favorite part of this outfit is the necklace. :) My brother sent it to me while he was on his mission, and whenever I have worn it, lucky things have happened. :D The necklace is...just...ahh. <3 The biggest examples I can recall right now:
>>I got set up on a blind date and was really nervous, so I wore my necklace because it was like my big brother was there to reassure me in a way. That was the most fun I had ever had on a date, or around people in general, in my life. I have a really hard time with people, so that is saying a lot. :) I couldn't stop smiling for days after.
>>I wore the necklace when I went with my sister-in-law to look for her wedding dress. She wasn't planning on getting it that day initially. But then the PERFECT dress came. She put it on and everyone knew that that was the one. She looked...wow. Gorgeous. Perfect. Okay, so it turned out that the dress was discontinued and that was the only one in her size. But, then she was able to get it at a discount. Her sister found her bridesmaid dress that day too, and was able to get it at a ridiculously good price (half off, or something?).
>>A customer came to my work while I was wearing the necklace and placed an order for $1000 worth of caramel corn. I calculated it out and I'm not even kidding. My mind is still a little blown from that. XD
>>The day I wore this outfit, I was feeling really nervous and confused about something and needed comfort. I turned out having a good night, and then that night/next morning we got 6 inches of snow...and snow...snow always gives me the best comfort. I...every time I need reassurance or comfort or both in the Winter, for whatever reason, it snows. On my mom's birthday, I needed comfort and it snowed that morning. It melted away by the end of the day, but even still. Anyway, so this was the first big snow fall of the year, and the biggest snowfall we've had in a few years and...I just.... <3 (I took the picture before the snow, otherwise my expression would have been a huge grin with dream-dazed eyes. Yup. Have fun picturing how that works. ;) )
So, that is my lucky necklace. ^_^ While my brother was still on his mission, I made sure that whenever my family went to see my sister-in-law's plays (either she was in them or stage-managed), I would wear the necklace so that it was like he was there with her too, and so that it would offer extra luck. :) Good things always happen where I wear that necklace. <3
So...that is that. Wow. I did a lot of talking. *shakes head and chuckles* Dresses...are more important to me than they probably should be. But...that is another post for another time. Anyway. So, sorry I'm not smiling in most of those. xD Anyway. Dresses are fun. Fashion is fun. :) And yeah~ I apologize if that was a terribly boring post for you, dear reader, and...if you made it this far, I am highly impressed. Here is a picture of a cookie that I would give you if I could. --> Chocolate Chip Cookie. :)
Have a delicious day (because that cookie looks...*dramatic pause*...delicious), dear reader~
Love,
Bryn
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