Finding your own style within Dolly Kei

The fastest way for a style to get stale and boring, is when everyone starts looking the same. Dolly Kei may be fairly new, but it runs the risk just as any fashion does.

Everyone admires the coords of the Grimoire staff, and it's very easy to want emulate them, wear what they wear, and style yourself accordingly. But when you look at Hitomi, Kaori and Heri, do you notice how differently they each wear the style? Hitomi with her elegance, Kaori looking like little prairie doll lately, and Heri with her layers and layers. All Dolly Kei, all very different. Not to say that one shouldn't look to them for inspiration, incorporate a bit of their style or follow any Dolly trends. I just think it's very important to find your own style, and to let your own personality shine through.

Some hopefully helpful suggestions:

~Other styles: I personally like to have a bit of Lolita in my outfits.
~Make your own accessories. No one else will have your pieces.
~Have style icons outside of Dolly. Mine are silent film starlets, 90s Courtney Love, Amanda Palmer, Helena Bonham Carter and Florence Welch.
~Don't be afraid to experiment. You might not always love the outcome, but you might create something amazing.
~Take concrit and suggestions to your coords with a grain of salt. Dolly Kei has very little in the way of rules, if you love it and it's you, it's not wrong.
~Don't feel like you need 100 layers for your outfit to be considered Dolly. Layers are a part of it certainly, but it's not the end all be all. Note that Hitomi's coord posts lately haven't had a whole lot of layering and instead have really been relying on one amazing dress or piece.
~Wear something unexpected.
~Don't worry about everything matching. Maybe your hair piece doesn't go with your skirt. So what?
~Your hair and make-up: again, there's no real rules for this. Some styles are definitely popular, but you can do what you like.
~I watch a lot of fashion shows. I find that a lot of the time couture lines will be doing some interesting things I can incorporate.
~Think of how you would want to describe your look/the way you want your coords to "feel".
~Wear what makes you happy and what you're comfortable in. Don't wear something you don't like just because it's "Dolly".











From a personal perspective, I think my coords are visibly recognizable as Dolly Kei. But I also like to think that I've put my own personal mark on it. I'm wearing Dolly Kei, but i'm not wearing it like everyone else. I've got a little lolita going on, I use a very dark colour palette, I make my own accessories, and I go for very doll-like from my make-up and hair to my silhouette.

Certainly parts of the style are intrinsic and going to be seen through-out anyone's coord. And there are definite themes that are going to be prevalent. It is a fashion after all, and there are always going to be similarities. I'm just saying: take the style, make it uniquely your own.

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Finds: Necklace and earrings from H&M

If you're on the more prairie/western side of Dolly, I think these are going to be great pieces for. And even if you're most into the eastern european side of the style (like myself), you still can make them work.




So firstly, the set of four pairs of earrings for 4.95$: you get some little faux-suede bows, little horses, small ovals with amber-look stones, and some tiny filigree hearts with amber-coloured gems. Adorable, and they all have that great vintage air to them.





Next, a set of three pairs of earrings for 6.95$: kind of large gold spheres, round amber-look cabochons, and some great dangley feathers. Honestly, I just wanted the feather pair, but I can probably make use of the cabochons.






Lastly, fabulous faux-suede necklace for 9.95$: it has a large feather, tassels, amber piece, a sort of medallion thing and a smaller feather as well as a gold-tone metal feather. You can definitely wear it as is, but I'm going to be doing some alterations to mine.






Another little update: Internet issues still here, but like I said, I'll still be on the Dolly Comms and updating my Tumblr :)


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Another update!

My internet has been down, and while I do have the iPhone BlogPress app, it doesn't allow me to do the big/in-depth posts I've been working on. Hopefully I'll have it back soon, and in the meantime I'll still be on the Dolly Kei LJ Comms.


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Updates, Tumblr!

Still deciding what purple polish to go with (lol), so in the meantime I set up a tumblr account here:

Dolly Macabre

It's Dolly Kei but also any other images or quotes I find interesting/inspirational but may not be suitable for this blog. I'm still in the process of making it look decent.

Do you have a tumblr? Let me know here/link so I can follow you!

And now a little music:
(this is the "clean" version of the video, but a little of the imagery may be questionable to some folks)

Quest for purple nail polish

I'm very picky about my nail polish. I only like certain brands (OPI, Essie, MAC, Gosh and Anna Sui). And I only like certain colours. Despite my picky-ness, I probably own over 100 polishes. And...none of them are purple. I probably own every shade of red and navy, every jewel and mint green, a bunch of blacks and many grays and pinks. But not one purple.

So my quest today: find the perfect purple!

Easy right? NOT AT ALL.

I'm still not sure how many stores I looked in, how many brands or shades. The problem: purple polishes right now seem to be very eastery (aka pastel or too pink), or almost brown. I want something dark/ jewel-tone, but still closer to a true purple.

I had about given up hope when one of the delightful employees of Pure Beauty found me not one, but two purple polishes! Both by OPI, "DS Mystery" and "Louvre me Louvre me not". "DS Mystery" looks black, but it's actually a dark purple with teeny gold flecks in it that give it a sort of Russian feel. "Louvre" is more of a traditional plum, but without the brown tone a lot of plums have. 12.95$ and 9.95$ respectively.

I'll have an update later tonight or tomorrow with better pics and a picture of the polish on :)




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Shoe find!

Amazing shoes from Aldo, on sale for 40$, regular price 79.99$. So for this price I bought both the black and the red. Completely usable for my Lolita coords as well.












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Some new Polyvore coords

Just some new coords, and some that are old but I hadn't posted yet. Enjoy!

Wrong Side of the Woods by MolotovCupcake featuring a flower necklace

Gloomy Valentine's Day-after by MolotovCupcake featuring vintage style necklaces

Reddest Shoes by MolotovCupcake featuring fringe vests

Garden Day Dolly by MolotovCupcake featuring a ruffle cocktail dress

Paisly Fairytale by MolotovCupcake featuring circle jewelry

Émilie Simon - Desert

Creepy little haunting lovely :)

Finds! (delightfully inexpensive)

Today I found some amazing lace print tights at H&M. Lace tights are pretty common, but these ones have the print running horizontally, and the lace looks scalloped. THE BEST PART: they're only 6.95!



I bought them in navy blue and black, but they also come in a pinky cream colour that would be really well suited for Cult Party. I can hardly wait to wear these in a coord!



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Dolly Kei Essentials: Silhouette and Colour Palette

I was writing up my "Essentials" about Layering, and realized that before I did that, it was probably a good idea to touch on some of the "basic basics" of Dolly Kei.

A lot of people throw Dolly Kei in with Lolita, Mori and newly, Otome. While Dolly Kei has some small similarities to these styles, it's not the same, and is extensively different and seperate.

So far as the silhouette of Dolly Kei, you'll notice there's a lot of flexablility with things like shape and hemline.


The hem can range from the very short to floor-length. Medium and floor-length seems to be the most common, but it's definitely "allowed" to go shorter (I myself, prefer knee-length or a little shorter).



The same can be said for "shape". Outfits can range from very bell-like (similar to the shape you'll see in lolita), a-line, to flowy and more streamlined. However, as flexible as all this is, avoid pencil skirts, and tight mini-skirts, really anything that is super "form-fitted", with the exception of your ights of course.


Pants are also an option, but noticably not as popular within the style. When pants are used in Dolly Kei, they tend to be almost knicker or bloomer-like (almost kodona-like), or harem -style.


The colour palette for Dolly kei tends to be dark, jewel tones, earthy, deep colours and subdued/muted colours. The colours can be vivid, but not what you would call "bright". You'll want to avoid florenscents and limit most pastels. THAT SAID: There are exceptions to every rule, and you will see some coords comprised solely of white/lighter colours/incorporation of pastels.


So there are some "basic basics" for you. I hope it proves helpful :) And as always, I'm up for any discussion, question and/or comments :)

(AND, I'm looking for some better pictures of pants in Dolly Kei. I'd appreciate any help in this matter :) )

Next installment: Layering!

2NE1 - It Hurts ( I love this music video!)

Gorgeous stuff, had to share before I went to bed.

Finds

Some great finds this weekend!

From Costa Blanca, I think this is going to make a great layering peice:


A close-up of the pattern and lace:


Also from Costa Blanca, I'm not a huge fan of the neckline, but I'll probably pin it shut with a cameo or another brooch. I do love the pattern and waistline though:


Close-up:


Tassels, second-hand. I already used the brown ones in my last coord:


Neat picture frame brooches from a dollar store, I can do so much with these!


And lastly, some huge iron keys from Winner's HomeSense. I'm not sure if I'm going to use them for decorating or make them into jewelry:

Some lovely little songs...

Just some music to listen to while I get my new post up :) Also orking on my "Dolly Kei Essentials: Layering" post too :)

Cat's Eyes - I Knew It Was Over (Performed Live at the Vatican)


Tegan And Sara - Call It Off


Tiësto feat. Tegan & Sara - Feel It In My Bones


Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)

DIY Open-Locket heart Ring

This is sort of a tutorial, it's very easy but the finished product looks very polished.

What you will need:
~A ring base
~A locket that is big enough to stick some tiny items into.
~Heavy-duty glue (I use Bead Fix)
~Some tiny items. I used two small paper roses in muted jewel tones, three pearl beads, some tiny feathers, and a small charm shaped liked scissors)
~Tweezers (to place your items more precisely)
~Metal snips (you don't need these persay, but they will help make your finished item look "cleaner".

The first thing I did was to snip the metal loop from the top of the locket. If you don't want to do this, or if you don't have metal snips, you can always glue a bead, or attach a charm to it to cover it.

Turn the locket (closed) facedown and glue your ring base to the back. Let the glue dry 24 hours.

Decide how "open" you want your locket to be. I sat the locket open in a few different positions on my finger to decide. Once you've decided, put a tiny drop of gue on the hinge to keep it from moving later. Let it dry for an hour or so.

Now you need to decide how to place your tiny items inside. I propped my ring between two books and sat my little items inside the locket a few different ways before I did the final glue, just so I could see how they would sit. Once you've decided, glue your items inside I suggest over-lapping them a bit). If you have any spaces, you can always fill them with tiny beads.

Done! Let it dry 24 hours before wearing it :)

Vote for Kaori!

Kaori of Grimoire fame has been nominated to possibly be in the Drop Tokyo x Tokyo Dandy street snap book, "The Reality Show". Support her by voting ("like" or "retweet" by her picture) HERE

You have until Feb. 3rd to cast your vote! (tomorrow).

Thank-you!!

A coordinate for staying at home in a snowstorm.

There was (and is still) a huge snowstorm raging away outside today, so I ended up not going into work. So I also ended up not finishing this coord (which is also why there are no make-up shots today). Here's some pictures anyhow:

The tights are actually much brighter and more "eggplant" than it shows here:









Dress: Sirens
Fur collar: Actually a faux-fur shrug from Misselfridge.com that I wrapped around my neck
Tights: Betsey Johnson
Shoes: Payless
Cameo brooch: H&M
Necklaces: Handmade and altered Claire's
Vest: Altered H&M
Tassels: Second-hand

Better pic of the dress, for actual colour and close-up of pattern:




And the vest (it's still "under construction", so far I've removed the plain black buttons and replaced them with cameos):




As always, I'm always open to suggestions and comments :)

Updates <3

I spent the day altering clothing to make them dolly suitable, crafting up some accessories, taking photos, and consuming huge quantities of tea in the process. Now I'm writing up drafts for some upcoming "Dolly Kei Essentials", watching the snow fall and still drinking vast amounts of tea, hehe. What should I cover next in essentials?






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