Dolly Kei Swap - Finished Handmade Items and More!

Dolly Kei Swap items: the elusive Baroque HUE tights, handmade headpiece and handmade upcycled aboriginal hunted fur with removable bow and chains. 

I finally completed my Dolly Kei Swap items! My besfriend, Aya has been looking for those HUE tights since we saw it on the Anthropologie website. We've tromped though some of Toronto's best and high-end legging stores in Yorkville (3-4 stores to be exact) and never found it. It wasn't until we went to the iconic Bay on Queen-Yonge that we found a few pairs. Aya, Em, and I bought them out. Scary - herd mentality among friends. I bought two pairs: one for my Swap partner because she wanted tights and since we seemed to have similar tastes I went ahead with the purchase. It was a really really good sale. (You'll hear this a lot on here because it's my sad attempt to justify my spending habit). 70% off the original price. These are expensive and limited edition tights so it was really worth it. 

I just finished her headpiece since she liked Mori Girl (like myself) I thought a small and subtle headpiece would be good for both Dolly and Mori Girl. Finally, the epic fur tail. She requested for accessories and wouldn't mind fur. It's upcycled fur - it's not new nor vintage. It's aboriginal-hunted and it's a true wild fox. I cut the tail in half and gave her the top part. I hope she likes it. She stated maroon as one of her favorite colors. Since, I like that color too I had really expensive Mokuba (Japanese-imported) ribbon with a medieval feel, made a rose, and added some Dolly Kei-esque charms and viola! Done. The bow and chain is removable so she can use it in her Classic Lolita outfits, too. Versatility is key to whatever I make. 

Here are some close-ups of the handmade items:

 

And...some pictures of the process of making my flowers:

I hung out with a friend and we went to Zara. He ended up buying a pure leather jacket for a awesome price of $59.99 - so jealous! I bought that pink top and the teddy bear top on sale, also. $6 and $10, respectively. The skirt was an early 2011 buy for $10 at H&M which I knew I could coordinate into Dolly Kei. Oh, and there are my pair of Baroque tights by HUE from The Bay. 

 Lastly, a picture of my coordinate for yesterday. I toned down the eyeliner and I forgot to put on my glasses as I had by sister take this picture with my iPhone before she went to work. Tehehe. I have a fatty face and I'm beady eyed without my glasses. One thing I can say about this coordinate is that playing with 5 colors in Mori Girl is hard.

Headpiece: Handmade by Marionette - my brand 

Cardigan: Costa Blanca

Necklace: Handmade by Marionette - my brand 

Ruffled Lace Top: Shopruche.com

Long Shirt Dress: Shopruche.com

Skirt: Pmall

Belt: H&M

Tights and Boots: Aldo

New Handmade Creations, Buys, and Outfit Shots!

I tend to do my posts in a giant conglomerate of my whereabouts, buys, and creations every so often. Which, isn't quite that often. I've been ill a lot recently with frequent trips to doctors. Let's hope the blood test today I will be doing will tell me why my immune system has been so lacking of the late. I may have cut back on some shopping it hasn't stopped me from adding to my Dolly and Mori Girl wardrobe. Been shopping SALE areas of my favorite stores and gathering inspiration from what I see around me. Lately, the inspiration been from texture, soft Spring colors, and pompoms. 

  

Here is one of my first buys for 2011. I found a Gunne Sax looking 60's dress at CTS (a local vintage store located at Spadina-Queen) for $9.99. You could have imagined my joy at the fact ALL their vintage dresses were $9.99 and I found one that fit me perfectly (except for the height part) and was the same era as my Gunne Sax dress. It's a Canadian brand called Shamash & Yofi which used to be sold at the Eaton Centre during the 60's. It had slight spot stains on the netting but it all came out during a light hand washing. I tried my best to coordinate it and it came out pretty Mori Girl with my new bag especially.

Here are some of my next purchases. The bag is from a local strip mall I found for $10 flat. A nice brocade with gold thread weaved dress from Urban Outfitters on sale for $29.99, a butterfly headband on sale for $4.99, a lace tanktop from Dragon City shop in Chinatown for $19, and organic yarn for my mom at $15. All of which I coordinated in the outfits below:

This outfit is my 2nd attempt at Dolly Kei. The first one can be viewed here: Dolly Kei Coordinate. This one has a non-Lolita silhouette. Items used:

Headband: Urban Outfitters

Necklace: Curious Oddities

Cardigan: Anthropologie

Scarf: Gift

Dress: Urban Outfitters

Bag: Random store in strip mall

Puff: Marionette - my brand

Tights: H&M

Shoes: Aldo

 

This outfit is one of my many attempts at Mori Girl. At least I photographed this because I didn't have a tripod until recently - yet another 2011 buy. Haha. Mori Girl plays on textures, layers, and softness. I have always loved the first kind of Mori Girl that uses excessive layers of creams with occasional use of other colors. The dark beige ham sleeved cardigan was bought two days ago at the sale rack of Costa Blanca in Yorkville (PATH Mall) for $4.99. Usually, not a fan of acrylic but for $4.99 and 10% lambswool I think it was worth it. Oh! And those khaki colored boots are from Aldo purchased 2 days ago online for $19.98 on sale down from $70. :D Awesome!

Headpiece: Marionette my brand

Scarf: XXI

Necklace: Curious Oddities and Marionette - my brand

Cardigan: Costa Blanca

Chiffon Blouse: Pmall

Lace Tanktop: Dragon City

Belt: H&M

Skirt: Pmall

Tights: H&M

Boots: Aldo

Finally, I got my Xmas gift from my mom. It's a fox stole made from yarn. I saw one on the Anthropologie website for a whopping $380 CDN and got my mom to make me a similar one. I LOVE IT. It's a shame I lost the acorn scarf she made me or else these two scarves would be friends in my wardrobe. I am so glad I have such a talented mom who gave me her talented genes. :D I'll coordinate it once I can find a way to incorporate more gray into my wardrobe. My mom has already begun making me a new acron scarf but I want my next one to be made of godly materials and not acrylic. It'll cost me a leg but it will last forever. 

MARIONETTE SAMPLES FOR...

Ofelia Ljuv is one of my brands under Marionette Atelier. Marionette is owned by my best friend, Aya and I. But we have such distinctly different tastes that it conflicted with our visions. So, we split to sub-branches. I have a more gothic, nature-inspired, and vintage theme going on. While her tastes can only be described as super girly la-la land to me. Lately, I've been on this crazy hyperactive Mori Girl and Dolly Kei sewing bug and here are my most recent results:

Necklaces made from wool, chiffon, Japanese imported lace, pearls, chains, ribbons, and crochet flowers!

Detailing

A side headbow, a convertable pompom necklace that turns into a brooch, and a headpiece that can be used for Mori Girl and Dolly Kei. 

Detailing

A picture taken upon completion of the headpiece, yesterday.

Handmade: Little Wool Beret Hat

I've been making a crazy amount of wool headbows. I'll post those pictures later! But, I think wool is so awesome. Some people are allergic to it - but it's so easy to work with because it doesn't fray. It's textured, it can be re-felted (have to learn that), and it feels natural. I love it!

I made this little beret hat headpiece from small wool scraps I bought from King's Textiles. Which reminds me. I should really go back and buy more wool - their student discount is great. I also need some pompom trim - I wish Mokuba had tiny pompom trim. But, they don't. Which surprises me. 

I plan to make more little wool hats like this but in different colors and embroidery.