My Lolita Timeline ♡ 2007-2016 ♡

It doesn't feel like it to me, but I've been wearing lolita for a while now. To end 2017, I went through all my old online accounts to find my lolita coordinates from when I first started the fashion.

I collected my pictures from my livejournal, from daily_lolita, from my tumblr, and various other places. Now obviously, these are not all good. But I think that makes it a little more fun ;)

In 2007 I turned 14, and in 2008 I turned 15. In 2007, I attended my first meet. I'm sorry to my comm, and thank you for putting up with 14-year-old Katie lol. At this point I was putting together my "coordinates" with things I was buying at Target and random stores. Also, check out my Razr flip phone, and on the right I used my dad's camcorder to take an outfit picture (yes really). The pink skirt was made for me by my grandma, who I tried to explain lolita to, but was just happy that I was getting interested in sewing like she was.

In 2009 I turned 16 and got my first real petticoat--one that my friend in high school had bought and was too big for her. I also was gifted a sewing machine and sewing lessons for my birthday this year, so the dress and skirt in these pictures were both handmade. And by the way, I would wear these to school. My mom absolutely hated lolita and didn't like when I dressed like this. Looking back, I think I understand why.

In 2010 I turned 17 and I discovered wigs. Around this time, wigs were getting popular in lolita, and I attended my first con where Arda Wigs was vending. I bought this long blonde wig (in a silky fiber they were discontinuing) and two black curly clips. I also first started buying from Bodyline this year. The picture on the right is my own hair, and it was also taken for my high school yearbook because I wrote for the school newspaper. 

In 2011 I turned 18 and graduated high school. I also first started buying brand! My first piece was the Milky Berry OP in mint by Angelic Pretty, my dream dress at the time. I was finally able to buy things online easily because I was able to make my own PayPal account. On the left I was at the now-defunct Wonder Northwest in a lolita fashion show. I also tried out gothic, and I was still making some of my own lolita (such as the black skirt). 

My two best outfits from 2011, both from the summer after I graduated high school. I have a large extended family, and a lot of them sent me graduation money. Being a responsible 18-year-old who had never had that much money at once, I used it to buy second-hand brand on livejournal. I later sold most of my dresses while in college because I needed the cash.

My least favorite outfits from 2011. At this point my hair was fried and had really dark roots, so I ended up wearing these unflattering wigs a lot. I was also still getting a grasp on accessorizing.

In 2012 I turned 19 and went away to college. I wore lolita occasionally, and had my roommate take photos of my outfits. This year, I started focusing more on cosplay than lolita. My makeup and hairstyling skills were finally improving.

In 2013 I turned 20 and didn't really wear lolita. I decided to take a break from school and moved back home.

In 2014 I turned 21 and started to wear lolita again. By this point I was working regularly and was able to start buying lolita occasionally. For my 21st birthday, Laura and I had a combined birthday lolita bar crawl! Angelic Pretty visited Sakuracon in 2014, and Danielle and I dressed up to go to their panel together.

In 2015 I turned 22 and I fell back in love with lolita completely. I started to cemented my personal lolita style, and reconnected with many of my lolita friends. During the summer I was prescribed glasses to help with my nearsightedness. I also quit working retail at the end of 2015.

In 2016 I turned 23. I started investing in my wardrobe and am now able to put together various outfits with all the pieces I have. I started attending school for filmmaking, and gained a lot of really close friendships. I also wore lolita more in 2016 more than any other year.

I've hit a lot of personal lolita milestones in 2016. It's really strange for me to look back at the pictures from all the way back when I first started trying to wear lolita, because the Katie back then would be amazed by the Katie now. I've figured out the colors, silhouettes, and motifs that I love best.

Here's an overview:

A lot of growth in my lolita style! It's so interesting to see my outfits over the years. Looking back at my older pictures from when I was a teenager, I feel like an entirely different person. I've grown a lot mentally, too. My life feels like it's moving forward, and I'm improving myself every day.

How has your style changed over the years? What's the oldest picture of yourself in lolita that you can find?

Before the end of January, I'm going to try to put together a wardrobe post. My wardrobe is still fairly small compared to my friends, but I think it's become a nice "capsule" lolita wardrobe!

xoxo
Katie

My Trip to AP USA's 6th Anniversary Party

Back when I first started following lolita fashion on livejournal, I was in awe of the girls who would go to the brand events hosted in San Francisco. This year, I finally made my dream of attending one a reality.

I traveled with three of my friends from Portland; Laura, Nicole, and Kim.

It was so nice to get out of Portland for the weekend; the day previous Portland shut down due to snow, and when we left everything was covered in ice. The 60 degree weather was a welcome change! (It's actually snowy in Portland right now too orz)

We arrived Friday afternoon after a delayed flight. I met up with one of my friends I hadn't seen since Sakuracon, and we generally took the night easy.

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to head to Angelic Pretty's store for lucky pack shopping!

We ended up standing in line for almost two hours, but even then, lucky packs sold out before we got into the store. Some people had been waiting three hours! That's dedication. 

I had never visited a brand store before, it was so magical! I couldn't stop looking at everything, and it took a lot of self control to not take pictures the whole time I was inside.

Asuka was in the store taking pictures and helping customers, and ended up helping Nicole and Kim look at some rings. The four of us wore matching jackets and shoes, which Asuka liked!

There was a special poster outside announcing AP's 6th anniversary, so I took a picture with it! It was really rainy which ruined my hair, but I managed to survive lol.

After visiting AP and getting lunch at Burger Bar, we headed to Japantown to visit the New People mall. We went into the shops, including Baby The Stars Shine Bright!

Nicole got a picture of all four of us outside AP on her Instax camera. She also gave me the free pins she received with her purchase!

Our hotel was across the street from a big shopping mall in Japantown, so we got to check it out as much as we wanted! This area is designed to look like you're walking down a traditional Japanese streets with izakaya restaurants everywhere, it was so cool! 

That night, we visited this amazing speakeasy in San Francisco called Bourbon & Branch with our friend Rachael. It's reservation only, and when you make a reservation, you get a password. You can only get in with your password, in true speakeasy style! The bar has a list of rules, one being no cell phones or photography. The entire bar was lit by candlelight, and we read the menu (which was enormous and only drinks) by holding a candle over it. We also got the chance to visit the Library, a smaller room in the back hidden behind a secret door. Our server brought us to a bookshelf on a wall, and suddenly swung it open to reveal another bar! 
There was a selection of non-alcoholic drinks too, which is what I went for. Even without booze, it tasted amazing! I also tasted my friends' drinks and loved them too! This place was so interesting, even though I don't have any pictures I just had to talk about it!

We went to bed early to prepare for the grand event, Angelic Pretty's tea party on Sunday.

On Sunday morning we walked to a local brunch place not far from our hotel. We waited 45 minutes, but it was amazing! On the way, I had to take a picture of the beautiful Victorian houses. House goals!

After brunch, we headed to The Ritz-Carlton for the party.

Laura and Kim!

Nicole's insane hat! She made it all herself! The candles were LEDs that flickered realistically, too.

It was so cool being in such a fancy hotel! The doormen opened the big double doors for us and welcomed us to the hotel, and we were greeted immediately by an employee who said we were in the right place and to relax until it was time for us to go in. The lobby was beautiful, but the ballroom that the party was in was somehow even more breathtaking.

Kim and Ariel!

Nicole and Laura!

Lily, Katie, and Lulu!

After everyone had been seated, we were presented with an exclusive fashion show of some of AP's 2017 dresses. No photos were allowed, which made the experience feel more intimate. Risa Nakamura was the first model, and she was just as beautiful as she looks in pictures. I think I may have fallen in love, lol. Most of the designs weren't my style, but there's one print that I'm excited for...!

Kim and I had been joking during the trip about "I want my Ritz-Carlton steak," but oh man... It was AMAZING!

Their vegan and gluten-free meals looked delicious as well! My steak was like butter, it was so tender and delicious. I kept looking around while eating, seeing all the beautiful lolitas eating a formal meal under chandeliers... It was a dream come true.

After we ate, we had time to mingle and get a photo with Asuka.

One of the walls was covered in mirrors, I loved it!

Nicole and Laura were ahead of me, and I caught Asuka taking a picture of them.

Myself and Asuka! I wasn't really interested in Rose Museum, but seeing Asuka wear it has made me want it.

I tried to talk to people but mostly just kept looking around at how beautiful everyone looked.

We got to talk with Vanilla Bear aka Ashlyn! I really like her style and that she wears glasses a lot like mine with lolita!

After meeting people, we finally had the long-waited raffle. There were a lot of prizes, starting with small ones and gradually getting bigger. The biggest prize was a Rose Museum set, and the winner was Nicole! Our whole table started screaming when we realized she won, and she was awarded the prize by Risa. So exciting!

After changing into leggings and sweaters, we decided to get dinner together. We got dinner at one of the izakayas across the street, and our entire tea party table ended up reuniting at the restaurant! After eating, some of us went to do karaoke and ended up having an adventure in a small Korean bar. We finished by doing face masks in our hotel room. A great final night in SF!

I ate a lovely apple pastry for breakfast on Monday morning before checking out.

AMAZING mochi/dango that Nicole turned us onto! The same booth had handmade onigiri that I'm still dreaming of.

After our final sweep of Japantown, we headed to the airport. However, after checking in to our flight, we didn't find out that we were delayed until we were supposed to be boarding... We had already arrived early and planned to chill, but we ended up spending something like five hours in SFO! We made the best of it though, making each other laugh the whole time.

Overall, we decided this trip was a success! We had so much fun, met new friends, wore lolita a ton, and got to experience SF for ourselves!

I seriously can't wait to visit again. I'm thinking of planning a trip in March for my boyfriend and I, I desperately want come back!

xoxo
Katie

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