A Close Look at Angelic Pretty's Dream Marine JSK

This isn’t so much a real “review” as much as it is just a closer look at this dress! Whenever I was interested in a dress, I would also want to see more images of it, or people just talking about  their thoughts on it. I also wanted to see more details of the dress - dresses always look so much better in real life, so it’s nice to see information about it online as well.

Today’s review is going to be Angelic Pretty’s Dream Marine

I have the white colorway, in the JSK cut.  Personally I got the white colorway because I think it makes the print pop out the most. I think navy would be in second place for best colorway.  I originally wanted the OP, but the tiered skirt of the JSK cut won me over. I’m always a sucker for a tiered dress ♡.  Something about them just looks so princessy!

The Dress

Here’s a first look at the dress.

The dress has sparkly chiffon, similar to the one AP used in Fruity Lemon.

The shells are so pretty, and I really love it as a simple, marine motif! The lace on each of the tiers is also very simple, but I think it is effective for this style of dress. The lace almost mimics the scallops you see in the shells.

The bow is really large, and has pearls droplet beads on the ends (shown below).  There are also pearl droplet beads on the ends of the waist ties. I’m not a giant fan of the material of the big bow, and I almost wish it was not so shiny.

Thoughts on the Dress

I really, really like this dress! It’s very airy, and I think it works well as a summer dress. The chiffon was a good choice for a summery vibe. The only thing negative I have would be that this dress feels a teensy bit itchy. I am someone with sensitive skin, and the chiffon halter neck can feel uncomfortable on the skin. Other people with sensitive skin may want to that this into consideration, but to be honest, it doesn’t bother me that much. It’s enough for me to tolerate.

Other Info

Here is the Lolibrary Info for the Dream Marine JSK!

This dress was rereleased a couple times, and came in a skirt and OP cut, as well as the JSK of course. The first release came in more solid colors such as white, navy, sax, and lavender. There was another release which was called “Brilliant Color” which had gradient colors, and came in pink x sax, navy, and lavender. In a 2018 rerelease for Dream Marine, it came in two new colors - black, and green.

I really love this dress, and it’s a great addition to my collection of marine themed dresses :D I really like it as a non-border print type of dress. I usually prefer border prints over these, but this one particularly caught my eye. What’s even better is that I like how it looks on me despite being a high waisted dress.

Thank you for reading!

Lady Grey 

Virtual Meet Ice Breaker Questions

For some of us, meets have mostly gone virtual, and sometimes that leads to awkward moments of silence. Here are 50 prompts and questions you can use for your next meet to keep the energy going:

1. When and how did you discover lolita?

2. What style did you first fall in love with?

3. How has your style evolved from when you started to now?

4. What is a style you like, but were too afraid to try for any reason? 

5. What is your dream meetup?

6. Do you remember the first time you've seen a brand piece in person? What was it?

7. If you are not a lonelita, describe your first meetup? Last in-person meetup?

8. What was the best compliment you got from a stranger while out in lolita?

9. What was the weirdest/worst comment received while out in lolita?

10. What is your current style/wardrobe goal(s)?

11. If you could design a print, would it be?

12. Show us your favorite main piece.

13. Show us your favorite accessory.

14. What main piece do you wear the most? 

15. What main piece have you worn the least?

16. Show us your oldest main piece (either by age of the piece or longest you've had it).

17. Show us your latest purchase(s).

18. What was the weirdest thing you've done while wearing the fashion? 

19. What were the best and worst meetups you've been to?

20. Name a pet peeve you have with the fashion.

21. Name your favorite thing that you love about the fashion.

22. How long does it normally take for you to get ready in lolita/ouji?

23. What's something about you that seems very "un-lolita"? (Ex: hobbies, interests).

24. Name a very "lifestyler" hobby or interest.

25. If any of us were to visit your hometown right now (assuming there's no pandemic), where would you take us for a meetup?

26. What are your non-wardrobe lolita goals? (Ex: meeting Misako, going to Japan, hosting your first meet, going to a lolita con, etc.).

27. How do you dress outside of lolita/ouji?

28. Do you have an in-person meetup plan when things are safe again?

29. What is your favorite afternoon tea menu item?

30. Do you have a favorite kind of tea or tea brand?

31. What brand tea party have you attended? If you've yet to attend, what brand tea party would you like to go to the most?

32. What dead brand would you like to see come back from the grave?

33. Show us a "red-headed stepchild" wardrobe piece. 

34. If you could give one lolita advice to your babbylita self, what would it be?

35. Name one thing that would be different about your life had you never got into lolita.

36. How does your family feel about the fashion? 

37. What is the most common motif in your wardrobe?

38. What color(s) dominate your wardrobe?

    

39. What's your favorite lolita related video on YouTube?

40. Who is your favorite lolita YouTuber?

41. If you were to do a PowerPoint presentation on anything you're most interested in outside of lolita, what would it be?

42. How have you obtained most of your wardrobe? (Ex; second hand, taobao, BNWT, handmade, indie brands.).

43. What normie celebrity would you love to see wearing lolita or ouji? 

44. If you had to start your wardrobe all over again, how would you go about it? 

45. What is your “getting ready in lolita” routine like?

46. Have you ever gotten anyone interested in wearing the fashion?

47. What is your favorite era in fashion?

48. What is a lolita trend you wish came back in fashion?

49. Show us your favorite coord (whether your own or someone else’s).

50. Describe your dream coord. 

    

Feel free to use any or all of these for your next meetup (whether in-person or over a video chat). You can randomize the questions or go through the list. Let us know in the comments if you have any suggestions for ice-breaker prompts and questions, or if you found this list useful!

Thanks for reading!

Mocha

Kamikaze Girls and Versailles: Part 3

In the story Shimotsuma Monogatari, renamed Kamikaze Girls in the English translation, the main character Momoko expresses her adoration for 18th century life in Versailles. I often revisit this novella and the movie when I want to get in the lolita spirit, but as a self-proclaimed history buff, I tend to have a hard time getting through the parts where Momoko imagines what life was like. In this series, I’ll do my best to dispel and explain the bits that Momoko, and to that extent, Novala Takemoto got right – and wrong about life in 18th century France.

On page 8, Momoko explains that people of the Rococo period would style themselves in the most outrageous manner - tightening one’s corset in order to make their waists impossibly tiny, so that when they had even the smallest shock, they’d have to be carried off to recover - which was considered attractively lady-like. They would also pile their hair higher and higher with elaborate styles. It would have taken their servants hours and hours to help their mistresses get ready. Their hair styles doubled their height, so that even on their knees, they’d be unable to get through the door.

There’s so much wrong about Momoko’s assumptions, but from reading on, I gathered that this misinformation is the author’s way of explaining Momoko’s philosophy in which sometimes being reasonable doesn’t guarantee happiness. That being said, let’s learn about what ladies’ fashion was really like in pre-Revolutionary 18th century France.

Corsets and corset-like pieces have had a long history with evidence dating back since Minoan times, but when we’re talking about 18th century France, these structured undergarments weren’t always called corsets, but rather they’re referred to as “stays”. The shape of this garment was made so that the torso appeared conical and flat while pushing the bust up and the back erect.

Stays 1770 – 1790 red damask, Courtesy of Victoria & Albert Museum.

Unlike what Hollywood wants you to think about corsets, these structured undergarments weren’t terribly uncomfortable. Women, and sometimes men, of all classes wore them between a chemise or shift (a cotton or linen undershirt that protects the outer clothes from oils and sweat) and their outer clothes. An overwhelming majority of the population were from the working class. People who wore the corset or stays found them useful in supporting their backs from back-breaking work, and they would have been made with more comfortable fabrics such as leather. Wealthier wearers may use more luxurious fabrics, such as decorative silk, but it still would have been relatively comfortable due to clothes being bespoken to fit the wearer and made with natural materials (as synthetic dyes and fabrics weren’t invented yet).

Tight-lacing was heard of, but only practised by the privileged few, and would have been difficult to achieve because metal eyelets were not yet invented in order to pull the lacing tight enough without breaking. Poorer wearers couldn’t afford a servant to help them into clothes and generally corseted themselves from the front with a garment called “jumps” by spiral lacing in enough to fit the body. Jumps were made with less boning thus were softer and more comfortable for everyday wear while providing breast support. The comfort and convenience of this garment proved quite popular among women and the medical community of the time who criticised heavily boned back-lacing corsets for being less healthy.

Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum

It’s very likely that images depicting an aristocratic woman being tightened in her corset with assistance were satirical bits from men who were making fun of fashionable women or an image of sexual fantasy, however, it is true that the wealthier the person was, the more cumbersome the clothes got. For further reading on 18th century stays, click here.

John Collett

Tight Lacing, or Fashion Before Ease [1777]

© Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University

While one of the main points of corsetry is to mold the body in a socially attractive shape, the appearance of an impossibly tiny waist is an illusion of many components, including a stomacher, pannier, bum roll, and many petticoats. A stomacher refers to a decorative triangular panel of stiffened fabric which would have been pinned onto the front of the corset.

An 18th century stomacher. Pins were applied on the side tabs.

Here what appears to be a travel neck pillow tied around the waist is a bum roll or Farthingale. This contraption has been around as early as the 16th century and helps add volume under the skirts. The bum roll was a casing stuffed with cotton, wool, or other fillings (known as bombast), and was sometimes wired. This was mostly used for robe à l’Anglaise (English dress) and robe à la Polonaise (Polish dress) which featured a softer, rounder silhouette that was more practical for everyday wear.

Robe à l’Anglaise

Robe à la Polonaise

The extreme 18th century silhouette of a wide skirt is credited to the invention of the side hoops or pannier, which is French for basket. In spite of the French popularity, its origin is Spanish and was developed after the popularity of the Spanish farthingale. It’s usually made of wood, cane, metal, or whale-bone, and made to widen the sides of the skirts to create an illusion of wide hips and a tiny waist, but flatten the front.

Hoop petticoat or pannier, England, 1750

Fashion historians argue that this garment was not a novelty and was worn throughout the 18th century, but width and changes in silhouette occurred over time. These were worn among all classes, however, poorer ladies would have worn panniers that were smaller and less cumbersome and/or made of poorer quality. When these were at the height of fashion, the wealthiest of ladies were known to strut the court in panniers as wide as seven feet!

Friend: We’re having a little get-together, dress casual
Me:

Robe à la Française, 1750s

Another extreme look from this time is of course the ostentatiously tall hair-dos. Unlike the use of the panniers, this was a short-lived trend practised by wealthier circles who could afford to sit down a few hours with a hair dresser. The look was achieved through an accoutrement of pomade and powder, wigs (though only worn as add ons as whole wigs were reserved for men), hair rats, and toupés, hair cushions, pins, and a fair amount of teasing. The pomade was made of animal fat that would have been washed and perfumed to remove the meaty scent. It would have been coated onto hair strands and then powdered, usually with a wheat or potato based starch.

A chemical reaction would occur and cause the hair to be easily sculptable. The hair cushion had something of a ski-slope shape. This would have helped support the ornaments on the hair, as well as made the hair look much bigger from the back. If you’d like to learn more about hair and makeup in the 18th century, I highly suggest pausing to watch this video filmed by Bernadette Banner, featuring Lauren Stowell and Abby Cox of The American Duchess. For a more in-depth look into this period’s views on beauty, read The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty: 40 Projects for Period-Accurate Hairstyles, Makeup and Accessories.

It’s difficult to find evidence that those who wore wide-crinolines and huge hair ever experienced being stuck outside of the party they spent hours getting ready for. I do believe that Novala/Momoko’s assumptions would have been mostly incorrect. For one, this was a short -lived fashion from the mid to late 1770s, mostly practised by the more daring ladies at the court trying to outdo each other, including Queen Marie-Antoinette. Palaces and manors would have had large doors anyway, and the most elegant way of entering a more difficult doorway would involve sweeping into the room sideways.

This period also saw a lot of architectural sprawl. Parklands were a popular destination to see and be seen, and naturally, many social events would have taken place out of doors. If you did an image search of 18th century hair, it is likely that you’ve found satirical images of mostly women with hair of impossible heights. There were rumours of Marie-Antoinette’s hair being as tall as 36 inches, evident in her mother’s letters to her, but generally the hair would have been styled about ¼ to ½ of the length of one’s face.

Hairstyling was more susceptible to trends, but for the most part was not very extreme. In the first half of the 18th century, hair was usually styled closer to the head. A popular hairdo of the time involved tight curls closely pinned to the head, and was referred to as “tête de mouton'' or sheep’s head. Powdering and pomading was primarily part of the French toilette that didn’t really take the rest of Europe by a storm until the 1770s. Once the revolution took hold, gravity defying hair quickly fell out of favor for the “hedgehog” in which the hair was frizzy and wider than it was tall with tails at the base (sort of like an 18th century mullet, if you will).

What do you think about French Rococo fashion? Would you ever try wearing a tall hairdo and wide pannier? If you have worn a history accurate costume, tell us your experiences in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Mocha

More sources and further readings:

- Meet Marie-Antoinette’s personal dresser, Rose Bertin

- Watch how 18th century ladies got dressed

- On 18th century panniers and gender

- Part One on Baroque vs Rococo

- Part Two on Prolific Ladies of 19th Century Versailles

Jumping Into the Frilly Life

One day you discover Lolita fashion. It could be through a random post on Tumblr, browsing through tags on Instagram or a friend who already wears the fashion. The important thing is that you have seen the lace and frills and you want them NOW.

You might think that going from zero to jumping into a pile of frills like Scrooge McDuck is your highest aspiration as a newbie lolita, but I’m here to suggest why it might be better to wait and chill a little before buying every piece of lolita clothing you set your eyes on.

Seriously, wouldn’t this just really hurt?

When I started wearing lolita fashion my only requirements for buying a main piece were:

• It fits
• It’s affordable
• It’s cute

I happened to have a very good paying job at the time with minimum life expenses, and also learnt to navigate the world of Taobao and secondhand sales from Japan at a very early stage so I bought many main pieces early on. I thought I would be happier with a bigger wardrobe but all I ended up with were more main pieces I didn’t wear, the hassle of having to sell them and most importantly- experience, which I will try passing on to you.

So while the points above are very important here are some more things you should consider when starting to wear lolita, and before buying each item:


Where will I wear this to?

If you’re just starting your journey into lolita fashion or if you already have a few main pieces- it’s important to decide how you are going to wear this new item. Is it casual and can be worn on a more day-to-day basis? Is it a full on OTT dress full of lace and ruffles that can only truly shine when worn to a big tea party, and do you plan on going to such events often enough to warrant buying that kind of piece now? You don’t have to be a daily wearer of the fashion but like with any piece of clothing there are different levels of formality and having the dresses you paid good money for just sit and gather dust can be pretty sad.


Is it a colour I feel comfortable wearing?

Of course nothing should stop a person who usually wears goth fashion from wearing pastel sweet lolita, but when buying the piece (especially if it is your first main piece) consider if you will be comfortable wearing it. Lolita is a fashion that attracts attention no matter which colour you wear, but having it be something familiar and comfortable really helps.

Additionally, this will also help you avoid buying dresses that don’t work well with your skin tone. It can be tempting to buy a dress in a colour you don’t wear, but if that colour doesn’t look good on you when you wear it in mainstream fashion, then the same colour on a lolita dress most likely won’t suit you either. Think of it like this- If you don’t like pancakes you probably won’t like waffles either because it’s the same batter in a different shape.

Though AP loves some pancakes

Do I really like the theme?

One of the great things about indie brands (including the indie brands on Taobao) is that sometimes they can take more of a risk then established brands with a set aesthetic that their fans expect from them. This means that you can find main pieces with more unusual themes such as animals other than cats/bunnies/bears/deers, food that isn’t sweets/fruits and even meme inspired dresses

Before excitedly buying the piece because it’s something you love, take a moment to look at it a bit closer; Is the print well executed or does it look like something quickly slapped together in clipart? Is the cut going to be flattering on you? And is it a theme you would be comfortable wearing outside?

If you want to wear a meme from 2013 for the lulz no one is stopping you, but will you really wear it?

Will I be able to coord this piece with items I already own?

It’s really depressing to work hard on saving money, waiting until the dress arrives and being unable to wear it because you have nothing to coord it with. You don’t have to have the perfect capsule wardrobe but I do recommend sticking to 2-3 colours in your main pieces and accessories along with a base colour that will suit them.

For example, if you are building a classic wardrobe you might want to have brown and navy as your main colours with off-white as your base colour. Lilac, pink and sax with a white base could work well for a sweet wardrobe and you can always choose to just stick with everything in one colour (such as having everything in black for a gothic wardrobe, though it is important to remember that black doesn’t automatically mean it’s suitable for gothic, there are other things to look at as well such as theme and cut.)

This doesn’t mean that you can’t have more than 2-3 colours in your wardrobe! Just take your time before chasing the rainbow 🌈

You might still experience FOMO from not getting that one popular dress at a great deal, or you may decide to completely change your style in the future but for now it’s best to just work on cultivating the lolita wardrobe that you will be able to enjoy to its fullest.

Thank you for reading my ramblings so far,

Milk Tea

Kamikaze Girls and Versailles: Part 2

In the story Shimotsuma Monogatari, renamed Kamikaze Girls in the English translation, the main character Momoko expresses her adoration for 18th century life in Versailles. I often revisit this novella and the movie when I want to get in the lolita spirit, but as a self-proclaimed history buff, I tend to have a hard time getting through the parts where Momoko imagines what life was like. In this series, I’ll do my best to dispel and explain the bits that Momoko, and to that extent, Novala Takemoto got right – and wrong about life in 18th century France.

In the last entry, I’ve deconstructed the first page of Kamikaze Girls and explained the differences between Baroque and Rococo, and its significance in Western art history. In this entry, I will share my research on several prolific ladies of 18th century Versailles.

The second page of Kamikaze Girls talks about Queen Marie Antoinette and how she infamously told her starving subjects, “Let them eat cake!”. According to Smithsonian Magazine and Lucy Worsley’s PBS documentary on the doomed queen (among many publications I’ve poured over), there is no evidence that the unfortunate queen ever said such a thing. 

Portrait of Queen Marie-Antoinette by Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun
There are several possibilities for this phenomenon. The phrase was originally written by French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his treatise called, “Confessions”. Historians argue that it is possible that he has turned the expression himself, or that the words were originally said by Princess Maria-Theresa of Spain who married King Louis XIV more than a century before Marie Antoinette set foot in France. It was also alluded to by Marie Antoinette’s aunts. Either way, there is no significant proof that these words were written or said by Marie Antoinette herself, who was quite known for being a tender-hearted queen. It is likely that this phrase was used against her by political enemies who sought to scapegoat her for her spend-thrift habits and pro-royalty stance during political and economical upheaval. Perhaps it was easier to blame bad harvests and high taxes on a foreign woman on the throne than it was to acknowledge deficits on the wars France involved themselves with abroad. 

An interesting note on the phrase, “Let them eat cake”. Apparently this isn’t the original phrase, but rather, “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” - Let them eat brioche, a type of thick-eggy bread. There is an old French law that required bakeries to sell the more expensive brioche at the same price as the regular bread when supplies of the latter were out. Unfortunately, this law had put the poor peasants at the short end of the stick when bakeries chose to save themselves by selling very short supplies of the regular bread. 

I guess “Let them eat an eggy-bread” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue well.
Marie Antoinette is an interesting and complicated figure whom I believe deserves more credit and humanity than old history books have said about her. If you’d like to learn more about the doomed queen, check out these links below:

https://tinyurl.com/lworsley-mantoinette
https://tinyurl.com/historymantoinettescandals
https://tinyurl.com/mantoinettesmithsonian

Portrait of Madame de Pompadour by François Boucher
Momoko/Novala goes on to praise Madame de Pompadour for starting life from a low-social standing to working her way up the ranks and becoming King Louis XV’s favorite mistress, thus controlling the throne behind the shadows. Once again, Momoko/Novala are only half right. Born Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, she was the daughter of François Poisson, a financier, and Madeleine de la Motte. There are rumors that Jeanne was an illegitimate daughter of another financier, either Jean Pâris de Monmartel or Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem. Whoever the real father was, François was exiled for fraud throughout her childhood and Le Normant de Tournehem became her legal guardian in 1725.

Painting of Benjamin Franklin visiting a salon in France
Jeanne-Antoinette wasn’t exactly from a low social standing as Momoko/Novala claims. Typically, the French particles d’, du, and de in a surname indicates nobility. Perhaps she was not born to nobility, but she was born and raised by a very well-to-do family and was extremely fortunate to have started off her education in an Ursuline convent in Poissy (she would later return home due to poor health, but still received the best education for her time).

Her adopted father brought her up for high society and arranged for her to marry his nephew. She married and moved to Château d’Etiolles, just outside Paris at the age of 19 in 1741. Her marriage gave her access to the salon scene of Paris where she would have been introduced to many great figures of the Enlightenment and where she honed the art of conversation. She’d later cultivate her own private salon at Etiolles for the cultural and intellectual elite of her time. This involvement in the great Parisian salons helped put her foot at the door of Versailles.

In true Capricorn fashion, Jeanne-Antoinette was ambitious and wanted more in life than to be a wife and mother as expected by society. There are accounts that her mother sought out a fortune teller who predicted that Jeanne-Antoinette would win the heart of a king, but I suspect the unfulfilling and rigid gender roles, her involvement in the salons, and perhaps even loss both her children influenced her to cast aside societal expectations and launch a career in the royal court. 

Whether the prophecy was true or not, it was known that she would deliberately ride on horseback during the king’s hunts hoping to catch his attention, and was later invited to a masquerade ball where he had declared his affections for her. Needless to say, it did not take long for her to move into the palace with her own apartments above his, and she was determined to remain his favorite mistress. Jeanne-Antoinette then arranged for a formal separation from her family and the king entitled her Marquise de Pompadour. 

It was not uncommon for royal mistresses to wield influence behind the throne, but Madame de Pompadour was unusual in her ability to control court, domestic, and international affairs, and she was unapologetic about it, much to her peer’s chagrin. She was also quite controversial among Church officials. Madame de Pompadour was a strong supporter of creation of the French Encyclopedia which the Catholic Church worked to have it banned. With Voltaire being one of her closest allies, Madame de Pompadour challenged the legitimacy of the current world order and promoted scientific thought. This assertion of control eventually became her Achilles' heel when she convinced the king to end their alliance with Prussia and to support Austria instead, and thus, she was indirectly blamed for France’s humiliating defeat during the Seven Years War. Due to the king’s declining popularity and her own poor health (she had previously suffered many miscarriages and eventually died of pneumonia), Madame de Pompadour wisely lessened her influence in political affairs.

What really made Madame de Pompadour a Rococo icon is her influence in the arts. She was a notorious patron of commercial art. When she acquired her many lodges and châteaus, she’d decorate them with works made by artists like Charles-André van Loo and Boucher. Everyday objects were made with luxury in mind. The effect was so that she and the king could enjoy their privacy together among beautiful surroundings. She was especially known for her love of porcelain and was an important promoter of French manufacturing, transforming the Sèvres porcelain and Gobelin tapestry fortunes.

Example of an 18th century Gobelin tapestry

A piece of 18th century Sevrès decorative porcelain

On the French Salons of the 18th century

https://tinyurl.com/18thcenturysalons

More on Madame de Pompadour
https://tinyurl.com/ukgallery-mdmdupompadour
https://tinyurl.com/francetoday-mdmdepomadour

Now, the person who was certainly of low-standing and worked her way up behind the king’s throne is Madame du Barry, the last royal mistress of King Louis XV. There are many conflicting and biased statements on the life of Madame du Barry, but I will do my best to tell her story. Born Jeanne Bécu, Madame du Barry was also an illegitimate child, although born into the servant class; her mother was a seamstress  and her father was (possibly) a local friar.

Madame du Barry by Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun
Similarly to Madame de Pompadour, Jeanne was afforded the luxury of a convent education through some strange luck - her mother was a cook for Francesca, an infamous Italian courtesan and mistress of a Monsieur Billiard-Dumonceaux (he was possibly the father of Jeanne’s half-brother). The mistress was very fond of the little girl and lavished her with gifts while Dumonceaux funded her education.

When Jeanne was a teenager, her mother eventually married; without Dumonceaux’s financial support she left the convent, and they had moved out of the courtesan’s home. Her mother’s new husband had less income and so in order to support herself, she held a number of odd-jobs including selling trinkets in the streets of Paris. Allegedly, during her teenage years, she was unable to hold jobs very long for her beauty had often attracted meddling affairs. With little financial prospects and no adult protections, Jeanne eventually resorted to entertaining at a casino-brothel. Her beauty caught the attention of Jean-Baptiste du Barry, a high class pimp/procurer who instilled her as his mistress and brought her up to become a courtesan for the wealthy elite. During her stint with le Roué (the vile), as compte du Barry was often known as, she caught the attention of the king while running an errand to Versailles (for she had many lovers and clients within the king’s closest circles). Le Roué noticed this and planned to use her to gain favours from the king. Her presence at Versailles ruffled feathers as she was mingling with people far above her station -  it is protocol for official court mistresses to be someone of nobility. This was remedied by an arranged (false) marriage between Jeanne and the compte’s brother.

Unlike Madame de Pompadour, Madame du Barry was not very politically inclined nor ambitious, preferring to use her status as the king’s new favorite to live in the lap of luxury as she had in her childhood. Her costly love of decorating and fashion, as well as her status made many enemies among the court. Unfortunately for Madame du Barry, the king was getting on in years, and as soon as he died of smallpox, she was quickly banned from ever returning to court.

More on Madame du Barry:
http://thisisversaillesmadame.blogspot.com/2013/04/jeanne-becu-madame-du-barry.html
https://tinyurl.com/digitallibraryduberry

Let us know what you think about these ladies in the comments below. Could you endure life as a royal mistress?

Thanks for reading!

Mocha

PS: If you missed Part 1 of this series, please go check it out, and Part 3 is up as well!

You've Been Posted to an Imageboard. Now What?

“They said I farted at the meetup and that I smell like a hamster...”

It's never a good surprise to realize you've been posted on an imageboard. You're browsing, and next thing you know,you see a picture of yourself with a not so pleasant comment. Maybe some people even seem to agree with it, maybe they're even spreading rumors about how they heard you did ‘this and that’. Now, you might panic at the sight of your reputation being seemingly tarnished, but not to worry, here is what to do:

Step 1: Chill out
Think about it rationally. Those people are more often than not just strangers on the internet that you don't know or care about in the first place (in case you suspect you do know some of them, now is a good time for a cleanup). Would you care if a random passerby thought you looked weird? No? So why care that some random person on the internet thinks your coord is ugly, or that your teeth are crooked? For all you know, they might not even be actual lolitas, and the comments agreeing might even be the same person posing as different people. Point is, it's not always as bad as it seems to be.

Step 2: Thou shalt not whiteknight
When you get posted somewhere, it can be tempting to defend yourself (or whoever has been posted for that matter,especially if it's someone you know and like). Don't do it. Don't even talk about it on social media. All it will do is draw more attention to you and drag this situation out. The more you ignore it, the quicker it'll go away. If you feel the need to talk about it,talk about it with trusted friends (and tell them to not defend you either).

Step 3: Close the tab and move on
I can hear you say "But what if I'm anxious, and keep refreshing and going back to check?" and to that, I raise you this: At the end of the day, no matter what you do, someone will always be talking smack. Here, you just happen to be able to see it. There will always be people that don't like you for seemingly no good reason, but you can't just obsessively check all image boards every single day to make sure nobody is talking about you. That'd be irrational. The best kind of thing to do if you can't keep your eyes away is to find something to occupy your hands and your mind. Play a video game, watch a movie, make art, do something. Image board discussions go by quickly, and in one week no one will even remember it because they’ll have moved on (and so should you).

Extra step: Think about it
Being posted is not always bullying or vendetta. Sometimes it's valid (although harsh) criticism. It all depends on how it is formulated. Sometimes, you need to look at it objectively: Maybe they are right and those shoes could use a little clean up, maybe you should style your hair next time, maybe you should pay more attention so your dress isn't overstuffed or wrinkly, and so on. Even if they come off as rude, some comments can give you something to think about to improve yourself.

That’s about it for now, see you!

- Biscuit -

A Comprehensive List Of Lolita Socks & Tights on Taobao

 If you are looking for lolita socks and tights, there are a lot of Chinese brands that make their own original designs these days. We’ll introduce you to some of them today!

Let’s begin with some of the popular options~

Roji Roji

Taobao: https://rojiroji.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/5859333371

Roji Roji is currently one of the most popular shops for sweet socks and tights. They have a large selection of designs that are relatively cheap and always in stock. There are cotton socks, glass socks, lace tights, gold stamped tights, and more. The over the knee socks are said to be tall friendly as they are very very long.

Yukine’s Box

Taobao: https://shop126844055.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/5620516038

Yukine’s Box has emerged as another popular place for sweet lolita socks. They have a small selection of cotton socks in either ankle, calf, and over the knee lengths and also currently have two ankle/wrist cuff designs. Their releases operate on preorders, but they sometimes have ready stock after each preorder period is done. Their most popular design is the striped macaron color socks that come in a variety of colors and go well with many Angelic Pretty prints.

Yidhra

Taobao: https://yidhra.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/yidhra

Yidhra is best known for their glass socks and gold/silver stamped tights but they also have a few printed designs. They have great options for those looking for more subtle or versatile socks in their wardrobe. The designs lean more gothic but they have recently been making more sweet designs. Be warned that glass sock designs in general are not very plus size friendly.

Red Maria

Taobao: https://redmaria.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/2992803700

Red Maria is a brand that is consistently well known for their tights but they also make cotton socks. They have plus size friendly printed tights that are very stretchy and have decent thickness. The tights are printed on white fabric so any dark or black prints will become whiter where it stretches. The newer cotton socks are a bit more narrow and don’t stretch as much as their tights. For printed tights, Red Maria is a very good quality and trusted brand to buy from.

Hymn Originals

Taobao: https://shop209914248.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/Hymnoriginals

Hymn Originals is one of the newer brands on this list that focuses on socks. They don’t have many available designs at the moment but do have future releases planned. Their current sock designs are calf length cotton socks available through preorder, although ready stock is sometimes available after the preorder period ends. Their newest release at this time is a pair of waffle printed socks. How cute is that?

Ruby Rabbit

Taobao: https://shop126104842.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/5137262583

Ruby Rabbit is another brand that has been around for a long time and has been well loved. They offer a decent collection of printed and gold stamped tights. The sheer tights with a white stamped print on them are delicate and should be handled with care as they are easy to ruin.

Stellar Winds of the Universe (星风宇宙)

Taobao: https://shop33343052.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/7084432213

Stellar Winds of the Universe isn’t as well known as some of the other brands on this list but they have a variety of printed cotton socks in ankle or calf length, glass socks and tights, and a few printed tights or over the knee socks. The cotton socks are mostly available in sweet prints but the tights may be suitable for other styles.

Reina

Taobao: https://shop108333718.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/5888353847

Reina specializes in gold or silver stamped tights and over the knee socks in several designs mostly on black or white. The store also sells other general socks and some underwear for some reason.

Sweet Migo

Taobao: https://shop220123994.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/2671812965

Sweet Migo has a few original sock designs but also resells other socks from time to time. Although they don’t have as many designs as other stores, the socks are nice quality. The gold stamped socks are glittery and thicker than many other shops that have gold stamped socks.

Sheep Puff

Taobao: https://mianyangpaofu.tmall.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/7409419002

Sheep Puff is originally popular for their bags and shoes, but they have started to branch out into offering socks as well. Their socks are generally ankle or calf length cotton socks. Some designs are meant for JK (nanchatte) but can work with lolita as well.

Mu Fish

Taobao: https://mu-fish.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://weibo.com/mufish2012

Mu Fish has been around for a long time. When the English speaking world first found out we could order lolita from Taobao, Mu Fish was always one of the shops recommended for lolita socks and tights. The selection has dwindled over the years but they still offer great options for printed tights. Since Mu Fish is the same company as Lovely Lota (a popular shop for cute bags), you may see some of the same socks and tights on both Lovely Lota and Mu Fish storefronts on Taobao.

Waguir (袜贵人)

Taobao: https://shop112468007.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/5287205816

Waguir is a good source for generic lace socks and solid tights. The socks and tights you will find here will be a bit on the plainer side but they are more versatile. This is also the place to get lace topped ankle or knee socks. Some of the designs may not be great for lolita but they are always releasing new designs. Since the newer stock photos tend to be taken with a filter, checking their Weibo account is a good way to see customer or model photos in different lighting.

Arancia Lolita

Taobao: https://shop108541433.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/ljsdcz

Arancia Lolita has glass and gold stamped tights. Not much differentiates it from other shops that sell similar tights. However, it is worth a look for some different designs if you are searching for these types of tights.

Tomato Shop

Taobao: https://shop236734026.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/7457132186

Tomato Shop is a relatively new brand that has popped up. They currently have two designs of printed cotton socks in calf and ankle lengths but have more releases for socks planned in the future.

Loli Loqi

Taobao: https://shop71130893.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/6253091673

Loli Loqi is yet another new brand that has popped up selling original socks and tights. They have a few simple designs currently in stock on Taobao.

Mao Mao (呜啦啦喵)

Taobao: https://mao233.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/3199113852

Mao Mao (呜啦啦喵) sells a lot of other things including underwear and non-lolita socks, but they have a small selection of printed tights and socks.

XHL Lolita (溪浣霖)

Taobao: https://shop108641797.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/3942386002

XHL Lolita appears to have made a few different designs in the past, with some being collabs with other brands to match specific dress releases. There isn’t much in stock right now, but what they do have is quite cute and may work for sweet or classic.

小小的开心

Taobao: https://shop143947009.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/7124748389

小小的开心 roughly translates to little happy. They seem to have one original design at this time and resell a lot of other cute cotton socks suitable for sweet lolita. Please be aware that the socks they resell are mainly in children’s sizes.

Lily酥 (Lily’s Lolita)

Taobao: https://lilysu.taobao.com/

Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/6319334235

Lily酥, or Lily’s Lolita has a very small selection of tights and resells some generic socks, but their most popular item are these patterned lace ankle socks available in white or black.

This is the end of the list now and yes, it is quite long! Are you surprised by how many options are available now? I hope you’re able to find something you like among all these brands.

May you always have the perfect socks for every coord~! ♡

Chrysanthemum Tea