First Haul of the Year

A great way to start off the new year is starting it with receiving new things in the mail! Luckily I had quite a lot come in over the holiday weekend, but sadly, I did not have as much time on my hands to get around to opening everything and give it a good once over until now.

Here's a shot of everything together out of the packaging. It's a total of four packages hailing from Japan, Singapore, Canada and the United States. I kind of get the feeling my post man is always dumbfounded as to why I'm getting so many international packages. But at the same time my better half gets a lot of packages from a tailor in Italy and aclothier in London on a fairly common basis so I guess I shouldn't feel so bad as I'm not the only one int he house doing it. 

My first package was a trio of dragon crowns from VoodoooDolly. I had a couple of chances to get crowns from her before but I was absolutely enchanted with this particular style since I saw it as a raffle prize at Nightfall earlier this spring. She hasn't had this style for sale in a while and it was well worth the wait in my opinion. I can't wait to integrate them into my next outfit.

They are all metal and a bit on the bendy side but are a celebrated addition to my wardrobe since my tastes have been steadily moving towards more ouji and hime looks. As always her packages come with a wax sealed note which you only get with shipments, a great little goodie if you collect memorabilia.

My second package consisted of a singular dress, Juliette Justine's La Fleur Princesse in mint. A fellow lolita in Singapore was so gracious to sell it to me, aiding in my obsession of colorful chiffons from my favorite brand. The material is very reminiscent of Coppelia and Robe de la Danse.

Continuing on my streak of good luck, I placed one of my favorite blouses (it's also from Juliette Justine ) to see how the shade matched and it's almost identical! I'm pretty sure it's the same material but it's really satisfying for me when I find matching tones in similiar items as I'm a very matchy-matchy kind of person.

After giving the dress a look over for any tears or stains, I found I couldn't find the tag at all. I turned it inside out and became a bit frantic as the usual placements for the tag were nowhere to be found. It was rather odd as I finally found the tag near the bottom of the lining doubled over. I think this is the first time I've encountered a tag placement here from this brand. Has anyone else have this experience from JetJ?

My third package was from Divinity Doll, a Canadian seamstress and jewelry maker. I had commissioned this piece from her a month or so back and was really excited to see the finished product. I won't be going into too much detail about this piece as I'm going to do a separate write up for cage/hoop skirts later this month, but I'm terribly excited to work with this new alternative to petticoats.

My final and package was a Thaddeus Vest from Alice and the Pirates. I've been slowly collecting more and more boy style pieces and found this might become a staple piece in my wardrobe due to it versatility for both male and female coordinates. Upon inspection I've found the construction of this jacket is quite.. Interesting; and flawed would only be the beginning of my description for this piece. It's still quite wearable though, and I am rather fond of the jacquard fabric. For those of you that also have outerwear pieces from AATP, its the same as the Admiral Jacket and Captain Hollow.

Thanks for ducking in and checking out this first years unboxing. I hope you're as lucky in your finds this year as I have been and may the odds on auctions be ever in your favor!

Thoughts of a Millinery Collector : Atelier Angel and I Do Declare

Welcome to another installment in my millinery series! In this entry I really wanted to showcase more indie made items that go above and beyond in the handmade category. Both these women, are in my opinion, sensational and acclaimed in their sewing skills. But  as well as being accomplished in these fields they have been known to dabble in the millinery department and are quite astounding in that craft as well. So while I wanted to present some of their millinery works, I additionally want to touch on their main focus of their talent, sewing. I took great pleasure in being able to interview D.C. local, Atelier Angel, and Ney York native, I Do Delcare, so please enjoy! 

First headpiece is from I Do Declare, one of her handmade lace hats. I commissioned this piece after Rufflecon 2014 as I had instantly fallen in love with her pieces. I originally had no idea that she actually handmade the wide brim felt hats, but when I received my finished product in the mail I was so surprised. I had never imagined this was what she was doing and I was awestruck and immediately a devoted IDD fan.

The hat itself is a soft sturdy felt and looks pretty normal from the top. There is also a simple grosgrain ribbon attached and a bit of a curve on the top to tell the hat has been shaped. But when lifted, the hat has an almost halo-esque appearance due to the hand stitched lace on the underside.

You can see how the hat is hand cut for its length and the brim folded over and sewn in the top photo. There is also a hand sewn sweatband and haircomb to help keep it on your head in photos below. The hat is a great depth and perches well as a regular hat or tilted to showcase the halo look.

Her attention to detail and the craftsmanship in her hats are outstanding, but I feel that these are just a teaser to the amount of work she does with her clothes. This is easily one of my favorite hats that I own because I adore the wide brim and sleeper feel vibe it gives until you look up. I really hope to get another soon in a more muted halo one day. 
Hey Kelsey! Thanks for taking the time to do this Q and A. How long have you been into millinery and sewing?
I started sewing when I was around twelve. I had my mom teach me so that I could make my own Halloween costumes! I didn't like the ones that came in those plastic bags and was determined to do better.

What inspires you when you think about creating a piece, sewing, or otherwise?
I always draw from history. I'll be going through a book or visiting a museum and thing "ah that's a sleeve I have to try out" or "I've got to pleat something that way" nine times out of ten I'll build a piece around something like that. The rest just falls into place.

So do you sell at conventions, and are there other items or areas you are focusing on now?I do sell at some conventions. I always try to get into Otakon and Rufflecon, but I'm moving more toward doing custom pieces and working on having a piece or two produced in a factory. 

Tell us about your lolita sewing patterns, is there anything you have coming up that you'd like to share?
I've been working with a pattern maker in Cleveland to have my patterns made factory ready. My own patterns are ones I've made myself so I know their quirks, but you can't send that off to a factory! I'm waiting on the first factory made sample of process.my Enchanted Blade print to come back to me before starting the pre-order 

When drafting a piece together, whether it be millinery or dress making is there anything you watch or read to help with the creative process?
I always love to have some sort of background noise when I work on things. Old BBC documentaries are my staple but for the last collection I worked on I ended up listening to a bunch of old Bob Vila episodes! Quite a change from historians telling me about the Northern Renaissance.

Photo by Yanise

Are there certain materials that you like working with more than others when working on projects?
I adore heavy fabrics, velvets and brocades are my favorite! I also love working with silk taffeta and dupioni. I always want my pieces to have a really special feeling and there is something about the weight of a wool or a high quality brocade gown that has that. I also really like doing small hand sewn details. Things that can't be replicated by a machine especially. And having a lining in a surprising fabric is something I like too. Like a bit of lace trim on the inside of the dress that only the wearer sees; details like that make things feel special to me.

Photo by Xin Photography

Here is I Do Declare's facebook, and for latest updates be sure to also check their instagram and  etsy.




My second showcase is for the infamous halo bonnet by Atelier Angel. This bonnet was actually a piece she had made for herself and you can follow the process of its creation cataloged in her tumblr here, here, here, and here. As an avid follower of her sewing projects, her dabbling into bonnet making was really quite inspirational and wonderful to keep up as she progressed with its construction. It was a very rare opportunity to procure this one of a kind item and such a stellar piece of lolita millinery and to record date by far the crown jewel of my collection.

The bonnet came with a triple ribbon bow with pearls as well spare parts if any of the other pats should get lost or go missing. Such a doll! The amount of pinning, blood, sweat and hand sewing doesn't really show in the close ups but it had to be an unimaginable amount. The detail work is incredible and you can even see the where its hand sewn across the bottom of the brim.

The bonnet is actually three different shades of gold and with the way its constructed; it gives it a lot of textured depth when worn, especially with the accompaniment of intricate trim covered with varied sized of pearls. The back of the bonnet is equally as refined and you can actually see the texture created.

So while I'm happy to own this wonderful piece, it is a bit of a challenge to wear sometimes! The reason is, I believe the original owners head was a little bit smaller than mine so when worn properly, the bonnet actually kind of bows a bit awkwardly. I have to wear it really forward, but I guess if no one else notices it doesn't really matter, haha. I'm very very happy that I own this piece and sort of wish she would make more bonnet/hat items; but given the amount of time this one took, I totally see why she plans on not doing it anytime soon or any sort of mass production of such. I feel incredibly lucky to have such a huge lolita inspiration as a friend and to own a piece of her work makes it all that much more a special sentimental piece for me.

How long have you been into millinery and sewing?

I've been sewing since 2000. Mostly cobbled together cosplay costumes with high school friends. But I didn't get serious about apparel sewing until I became interested in lolita fashion in 2003. Japanese brands didn't ship overseas and going through a shopping service was quite daunting and expensive at that time. I've always liked working with my hands, so I decided to teach myself how to sew for real. Admittedly it was a lot of trial and error at first, but overall a very rewarding skill. Some people still remember my Antique Beast rococo OP replica I made from 2005 when I meet people even now. I tried my hand at millinery for the first time 2 years ago when hard brimmed bonnets came in fashion. With a wired under-structure, the piece becomes even more sculptural in nature and that opens up a whole different door of possibilities. I just hate all the hand sewing that’s involved. 

What inspires you when you think about creating a piece, sewing or otherwise?

I  tend to get fixated on a specific element or technique that I want to figure out. For example, for my red and gold Elizabethan dress, I wanted to try my hand at drafting slashed sleeves as well as constructing a fully internally boned bodice. It’s not historically accurate at all since I picked and chose which elements I thought were fun to make. I think of sewing as problem solving and I’m actually more drawn to the pattern drafting aspect than the finishing touches. Once I’ve figured out the puzzle, I tend to lose interest. So most of my larger pieces are one-of-a-kind because I never have the same level of motivation in remaking something.  That said, there are times that I just fall in love with a fabric, and I have to design the garment around it, like my gold and black Dolce Gabbana inspired dress. 

So you don't sell at conventions anymore, but are there other items or areas you are focusing on now?

I couldn’t keep up with the grueling convention schedule and the travel that it entailed, so I’ve been selling through the Lolita Collective, which I highly recommend in their professionalism and service. I’ve been also trying to transition my shop to mainly providing computer drafted lolita sewing patterns with western sizing and in english. It’s been my dream for many years and I’ve finally launched last year. The first two patterns are available on etsy for immediate pdf download – one is for a wired headbow and the other a smaller otome sized headbow. I’ve been very encouraged by the positive feedback I’ve received so far.

You mentioned starting to do computer drafted lolita sewing patterns, is there anything you have coming up that you'd like to share?
 I’m currently working on a detachable nun collar pattern as well as a bolero pattern. The bolero pattern will be for more intermediate level sewers and it will be graded in 5 sizes to start. The goal is to eventually release at least two new patterns a year with increasing complexity.

When drafting a piece together, whether it be millinery or dress making is there anything you watch or read to help with the creative process?

If the piece is historically inspired, I do research on the construction of the garment from museum pieces and paintings from that time period. Luckily a lot of the collections are now online for viewing, but I’m severely jealous of people who can just pop in on a weekend to the Victoria & Albert Museum. Any period relevant movies also help to get me in the mood. Right now, I’m obsessed with the huge sleeves and nightgowns in Crimson Peak and the huge Edwardian hats in Mr. Selfridge.

Are there certain materials that you like working with more than others when working on projects?I tend to use a lot of pearls, silks, and dot tulle. My friend calls dot tulle, Angel’s tears, because I love the look but working with it makes me cry.

Atelier Angel's facebook can be found here. Her sewing Tumblr and portfolio, and Etsy are also great things to follow. Watch for updates about upcoming sewing tutorials like her upcoming nun collar and bolero digital patterns as well as other neat things!

I'd like to take this time to thank both of these lovely ladies for taking the time to let me ask them some questions and feature their personality and wares. I hope you enjoyed this spotlight and look forward to more from these wonderful folks!

Thoughts of a Millinery Collector: Spotlight on VooDoooDolly

 A while back I was fortunate enough to procure a very special item and add it to my millinery collection. It was a handmade headdress by Mallory, owner of brand VoodoooDolly. I was allowed to commission something tailored after one of her one off test runs that I had fallen in love with. During the production time, I got to do a Q and A about her and her works and am happy to share my findings here with you. At the end I'll be sharing how my headdress came to be and the finished product. All professional and personal photographs have been so graciously donated by VoodooDolly and I again thank her for all of her time and effort!

Materials for a ooak tudor headdress

How long have you been into millinery? 
Millinery is actually a bit of a new world for me as far as my artistic endeavors go! I started playing around with buckram and wool felt after a hat making workshop at Dragon con three years ago. Since then, I’ve used my previous pattern making experience and sewing to play with hats! It was too much fun to not stick with.

What inspires you when you think about creating a piece?
When creating a piece, I have endless inspirations and thoughts constantly flowing through my mind. Even as the piece begins coming together my inspiration might suddenly change or something else will work so much better than what I had planned. I really let the inspiration come from anywhere! My favorites though are traditional costumes from around the world, and historical headpieces from the Tudor and Elizabethan time periods. I could look at Russian Kokoshnik headpieces forever and never run out of inspiration!

When drafting a piece together is there anything you watch or read to help with the creative process? 

I often times find myself putting on historical fiction dramas, or any of the Lord of the Rings movies or Harry Potter films. The historical fiction ones are for when I need some beautiful costume inspiration, and the others are pure background noise. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE lotr and Harry Potter, but I can recite the lines from memory and I think it helps to have a story, but not have to look at the picture on the screen. I had a marathon of The Tudors tv series while making my first headdresses and love any show or movie involving Queen Elizabeth I. Then there’s Salem and Oulander with its gorgeous dresses… I could go on forever!

Are there certain materials that you like working with more than others?

There are materials that I like for their versatility more than others, but I often times find myself experimenting with new things. Buckram, millinery wire, interfacing, and (lots of) beads are my go-to items, but that’s just for the basics. If a piece feels like it’s missing something, I’m not afraid to reach out of my comfort zone and try something new- that’s what keeps me going back to make more!

Handmade Crown

Tudor Headdress

So after getting the idea for a particular piece, about how long does it take from beginning to end? It really varies from piece to piece- but assuming I’ve already gathered all the needed materials, I’d say an average of two weeks. I work a full time job during the day, so as soon as I get home I get right to work. The weekends are my big chunk of time when the majority of the magic happens.

From the looks of some of the hand beaded tudor style headdresses the intricate beading alone looks pretty intense. What areas do you seem to get the most interest from?

The beading or the layering of patterned fabric, lace, and transparent fabrics. I love to make new ‘textiles’ through layering or by really packing beads next to one another. The patterns and play on scale I can create really peak my interest the most.

Some of the headdresses have gained a lot of popularity in the states, do you think you'll be evolving to other kinds of hats and perhaps bonnets in the future?

 I do! I’ve been experimenting a lot lately with more diverse buckram hat patterns and I’ve already got a few worked out J One that I’m excited about is a large brimmed Victorian-style hat with a low profile cap. The other’s are still being worked out to get the patterns juuuuuust right- but they’re almost there!

As far as bonnets are concerned, I don’t see myself making them. So many very talented people already make beautiful bonnets, so I don’t really feel like that’s a niche that needs more filling.  I’ll leave bonnets to the experienced bonnet pros! Also, my poor face looks so bad in bonnets that if I ever pattern tested them, I wouldn’t be able to tell if I’d done a good job or not!!

The Victorian Style Hat

Veiled Tudor headdress

My Headdress experience:

My headdress was very similar to this test run she did in the photo pictured below. It looked perfect for a certain dress I own, Sweet Devil, and it instantly clicked that this was something I needed to get my hands on. 

The Original Rough Draft Piece

My Commissioned Piece

Mallory was exceedingly helpful and provided tons of WIP photos and information. She even went as far as to give me wearing and cleaning instructions for my new piece when it arrived in the mail. The documents included these fantastic small touches like a sealed wax mark. And this was a little awkward to wear at first but with some successful pinning it was a dream and as light as most bonnets I tend to wear.

Below are some photos of the finished product of my headdress. In the first photo it looks like more of a rounded edge but it actually looks more like a heart in person. I got to wear this piece for the first time a San Japan in San Anotonio and it was a superb hit. Since then I've been patiently awaiting to obtain another to match more of my OTT pieces because they are a style all their own.

It was a wonderful experience and I'd like to hope her pieces gain in popularity as the craftsmanship is extraordinary. VoodoooDolly will be vending this year at Rufflecon 2015 in Stramford, CT so please be sure to stop by her booth in the marketplace! If you can not make this event, it I would advise contacting her through her many forms of social media that can be found here: VooDooDolly.

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned I have a few more reviews u my sleeve including Baroque's new tight release collaboration with Sakizo!

Thoughts of a Millinery Collector: Triple Fortune Bonnets

Hey there and thanks for stopping by. Today I'm going to shed some light on some of the popular bonnets that Triple Fortune produces. I currently have two of their older full style bonnets and three of the newer crescent half style bonnets. I know since the event at Rufflecon ( you can view my experience at the convention here ),  their own event Brilliant Star, and their appearance at La Vie En Rose; Triple Fortune has become intensely popular in the Western world as well as in the Japanese lolita scene. Now not only is this duo dabbling in millinery and clothing, they also perform!

These bonnets are bit on the elusive side, but are obtainable at their physical events, Atelier Pierrieot, and KERA online as well as purchase/special order at any physical KERA. And as always, secondhand is always an option, but the competition can be fierce. I plan on doing an in depth How to Buy Tutorial but I am still waiting on a couple of items from the various ways I have procured them, before writing this up.

So lets get started! First up is the older full bonnet style. 

This is a fuller rounder style of the two. The brim measures to 13.5'/34.5 cm across not including lace and 4.5"/11.5cm tall and the depth 2.5"/6.5cm for the back covered portion of the bonnet.

The brim of the bonnet is laced with gathered chiffon and accompanied by a flower rose assortment attached to the top right corner. It is usually decorated with three different types of lace that usually drapes down over the wearer as well as on and over the top of the brim. 

The back of the brim is usually adorned with feathers of various colors depending on the bonnet color you purchase. [ I have only seen white and black ] It is most common for there to be one single feather with the older style and it is usually white. As to why they put white feathers with cream bonnets, I have no idea why but I think it has more to do with stock and what is readily available during the construction process rather than personal preference.

The back of the bonnet is plain except for the gathered chiffon covering the back hood; three roses adorn each side of the bonnet with a chiffon bow which drapes rather luxuriously when worn. The six roses have always been a color to match the particular bonnet color and can be different from the front rose.

Under the lace, you can see the exposed seam of the gathered chiffon as well as the canvas that makes up the top brim of the bonnet. It's not easily seen with the aid of the lace but I wish it were also not exposed? This is the inside of the hood. A triple fortune label is placed just inside. The seams and sewing are all straight, uniform, and clean. Depnding on the size of your head this particular bonnet might be a challenge to wear as the hood is on the shallow side and may be harder if also adorning a wig. This style is no longer in production and is usually found second hand.

It has been my experience when wearing this style to butt the back part of the bonnet against the back of your head and press forward as much as you can. From there within the holes of the overhanging lace, carefully bobbypin the bonnet to your wig and head. You will usually have to pin it at the top as well as each side to keep it firmly in place. By doing this it ensures that the bonnet stays forward and upright and does not flop forward to look like you're wearing a weird hat.

Next up is the newer half bonnet style which is a little bit more versatile.

This is the taller style of the two. The brim measures to 12"/31 cm across not including lace and 5.5"/14.5cm tall from the base to the top ridge of the bonnet.

The brim of the bonnet is laced with gathered chiffon just as the old style and accompanied by a flower rose assortment; though it is placed on the left side. On the the top right corner there is a pleated ribbon embellishment with a crown on the right side. This particular one is  decorated with three different types of lace that usually drapes down over the wearer and over the top of the brim just as the other bonnet does.

Something to note about the ribbon decoration is that it is actually glued into the bonnet so these items can't be removed or moved about on the bonnet with ease.

This bonnet has two feathers that are white and fastened to the left side. The base is similar in the aspect that it too has a bundle of three roses attached to each side of the bonnet. With all three of the new style that I own, the back flowers have been this peachy cream color and there has not been much variation in the flower colors in regards to the color of the bonnet. I think the only time they might be different is if it is black.

The back of the bonnet being a half, is open and there is an additional ribbon a well as some lace to further decorate it. I think it's a nice touch but I'm not so sold on the satin on these in comparison to the chiffon used.

These photos are of the inside of the bonnet to show the exposed bottom of the gathering of chiffon thats usually hidden under the front part of lace. All the sewing and lines are pretty clean and you can tell that someone has hand sewn the comb into the top part of the bonnet. Under the comb you can see the Triple Fortune brand tag, very similar to the previous one, just a different color. 

These bonnets are a lot easier to wear. They pop on pretty easy and the added comb helps to keep them in place if wearing them with your natural hair or with the added thickness of wearing a wig. I usually end up pinning the bonnet on the sides though just for added security and have never really had any problems with keeping this particular style rigid and upright during the course of a day given they are taller than their counterparts. 

The breakdown: 

 A notable difference between the old style and the new style are the hood portions which are nonexistent in the new, and the lack of ribbon accompaniment which is usually located on the right side with the crescent version. The newer versions when worn come down to points like a half moon while the full style ends at an abrupt angle and squares off just at the jawline. The older style is also a bit thicker so it sits higher when stored as well because of the added backing.

There is use of chiffon in the older style which is replaced by satin with the predecessor; this is also seen in the use of the bows on the back style of the bonnet. I do sort of think the satin looks cheap in comparison to the chiffon though, but I like the fact that the brim is taller with new ones so I feel that is an even trade off. The flowers of the older series have a lot more color and depth as the newer versions are much more plain.

I really feel like the newer style is a lot easier to wear but the elegant touches of the older version holds a lot of sway with me so I feel these are evenly matched. I guess it just depends on what your personal preference is with stiff brim bonnets and I'm pretty adaptable so I'm content with both.

I have included photos wearing both the new and old style. You can see with the newer bonnet it has a defined crescent shape while the other is much more rounded and blunt at the bottom that resembles more of a halo..

The old rounded style

The new crescent style

Which style do you ultimately prefer?

Bonus: Bonifide Bonnet Storage : 

In addition to this I figured it might also be interesting to show I store my bonnets, as these are not the only ones I own. A friend once asked about this on Rufflechat, if I remember correctly a while back, and I actually have a worthwhile answer now. 

It has been in my experience bonnet stacking is a rational way to store your bonnets, but if you want a more realistic approach I would strongly suggest decorative boxes. With these I can fit three Triple Fortune bonnets nicely with room for other millinery items. I usually stack two new style to every one style on top so as to give the full bonnet that added rise it needs to not smash the back during storage.

So far I have about three of these boxes just for bonnets and they've held up quite nicely. You can pick them up at your local craft store for next to nothing if you watch the sales. I have also tried looking into hat boxes, but most of the ones I'd found in stores can't accommodate the depth needed to store as many as these boxes do while still keeping the cost down. 

I hope this has been informative to those of you interested in all the rage that are Triple Fortune bonnets. Check back again with more reviews and rantings from yours truly!