Life with Frills: July Lolita Mega Meet-Up and More

In comparison to the previous month, July hasn't been filled with quite as many frilly outings. (Though I believe this to be due to the fact that many of the local guys and gals have been filled with business - working and/ or taking classes.) But this past weekend's event made up for the last of wearing lolita: it was Chicago's first annual Midwest mega meet-up. This meant that whomever was interested in lolita fashion was invited to show up for the day's events~

The day itself started quite rainy and I was worried that, given the 100 people who had RSVPed, we all wouldn't be able to fit into the location everyone was supposed to meet at if the weather was bad. Though, thankfully, the skies cleared up before noon and the sun continued it's weeks long desire to cause all Chicagoans to melt. (I believe it got up into the higher 80's during the meet.)

Knowing that the prospect of cooler weather would be an impossibility, I tried to dress practically yet still keep with my desire to express a more old-fashioned style within my lolita coordinates:

(Photo taken by my roommate~ Sorry for the silly face...)

JSK&Tote: Metamorphose

Hair Corsage: Mary Magdalene

Parasol: BABY, the Stars Shine Bright

Blouse, Socks & Shoes: Off-Brand/ Thrifted

I found the meet-up itself to be enjoyable despite the heat. I was able to see many friends that live far away, and also those I hadn't seen in a long time. Overall, I think the meet-up accomplished it'd goal of bringing the Midwest lolita communities together in a casual and fun environment - my only hope is that the next year's event will happen when the weather is cooler.

Oh!

I almost for got to mention that, earlier this month, my friend Alice and I thought that a day filled with hanging out and wearing frills was in order. So, since July seems to be the month of tartan jumperskirts for me, here's what I wore during a day of visitation:

(I'm still not a fan of mirror photos even after this one...)

JSK: Metamorphose

Blouse&Hat: Bodyline

Socks: BABY, the Stars Shine Bright

Shoes: xhilaration

The most amusing thing about wearing this particular outfit and hair combination was that it was a break from being nicknamed "Little Bo Peep"... Instead, I became "Anne of Green Gables" or "some kind of American Girl" to my classmates and on-lookers - which I can say I prefer~

Food&Cooking: Urban Foraging and Sour Cherry Pie

One of the things that I always thought was out of the question in a city-scape was foraging for food. Now, I'm not talking about wandering through back-alleys and hoping some type of fancy restaurant has tossed away a perfectly good, yet slightly cracked batch of tasty macarons. What I am babbling about is the prospect of "urban foraging". This involves identifying trees and plants throughout the local area that are edible - from what I've seen, there are a lot of people who plant fruit trees or bushes that merely like the way it looks with no intention of eating anything from it, or that they perhaps moved into the house/ building and don't know of the existence of particular plants' wild bounty.

For me, my first experience was brought about by my roommate's excited chirps of, "There's a sour cherry tree!" This resulted in the two of us wandering down the street and picking two full pounds of the shimmering red fruit - which I found to be a thankful thing because no one, not even the person living in the lot the tree was growing in, wanted to eat these cherries! (And the gentleman told us himself by saying, "They're sour. You can pick all you want.")

(The pie before it was baked - I used a fork to decorate the edges.)

These cherries were a kind of gift as I was able to make a delicious sour cherry pie with the help of my awesome roomie. The recipes used are slightly modified versions of those from The Essential Baker by Carole Bloom (one of my favourite cookbooks by far!).

The Crust

3c all-purpose flour

2 T sugar

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz unsalted butter, chilled

1/4c sour cream, full-fat

3-4T ice water

The Filling

2 lbs sour cherries, washed and pitted

1.5c fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2in pieces

1c granulated sugar

1/4c firmly packed brown sugar

1/2c cornstarch

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a stand-mixer, place flour, 2T of sugar and salt. Then add butter (sliced into small pieces) and mix with paddle attachment till a crumbly mixture is achieved.

2. Add sour cream and mix until just combined.

3. Add ice water gradually (you may need to add more of less depending on the moisture content of your ingredients, the air, etc.).

4. Once a smooth ball is formed - it may be slightly sticky - place it into plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple hours. (You may want to divide the dough into two portions and flatten into disks for ease of rolling later on, as well as to quicken the chilling process.)

5. While waiting, mix together fruits, sugars, zest, and vanilla in a large bowl. (You will be waiting till the dough is ready before adding the cornstarch.)

6. Once the dough is chilled properly, dust the surface with all-purpose you'll be rolling your dough on. Divide the dough into two equal portions (if you haven't done this already) and then roll each one out to fit the size of your pie pan before placing it into the pie pan itself. Once placed in the pan, cut the overhanging edges off.

7. You will now notice that your fruit mixture will probably have a lot of juice. I recommend scooping draining off a good quantity of the juice before sifting your cornstarch over the mixture and mixing everything together. Once this is done, put the fruit and cornstarch mixture into the pie pan.

8. Now roll out your other half of the dough and cut into strips, shapes, or whatever suits your fancy. Then arrange the pieces of dough on top of the open-faced pie.

9. You'll want to preheat your oven to 425F. Bake the pie on a cookiesheet for about 15 minutes before reducing the temperature to 350F and baking for another 40-50minutes.

And my finished pie looked like this!

Life with Frills: Metamorphose Lucky Pack, Summer 2010

In all of my years dressing in lolita fashion I've never purchased what's known as a "lucky pack" or 福袋 (fukubukuro). I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to do so, but the fact still remains that it wasn't until encouragement from my roommate that I felt as though I should. Also, since I am very much of the mind these days that a person should try everything at least once in their lifetime, I threw caution to the wind and participated in the craziness surrounding lucky pack purchases.

Lucky packs themselves are often like a "grab bag" of items with each type of back having a particular price tag. I've seen that most lolita brands who sell them have a cheaper option as well as a higher priced one. For lolita, these sets are promoted as being good for beginners or as expanding one's wardrobe for a discounted price. The beginner lolita can often find themselves with a blouse, bloomers, a skirt/ JSK, and some accessories - items depending on particular brands or what each brand decides to put into individual lucky packs. Either way, lucky pack sale times are an opportunity to acquire basics and then some.

The craziness that accompanies these sales is what you might normally assume when a company puts about $450+ worth of merchandise in a grab bag for half the price - everyone willing to purchase them ends up refreshing websites in the wee hours of the morning in hopes of being able to order the type of lucky pack they most desire. For me, this time around I participated in Metamorphose's summer sale and hoped to acquire what they were calling their "quiet" pack/ Pack A but had to settle on a Pack B - a set with brighter, more vibrant colors. (I wasn't interested in the third option which was a skirt set.)

After much anticipation, I received my lucky pack in the mail today:

I'd been hoping for something red or plaid and was happy to be greeted with a red plaid jumperskirt with matching bloomers and hair bows. The blouse was the type of which I like - where most of the details are sewn into the fabric of the blouse itself instead of being added lace accents - and the socks, though not matching the other pieces, will match my other pink, classic-styled pieces. The item I was most shocked by was the sparkly tote which came with all of the Metamorphose lucky packs this summer. I did expect it to be as big, yet I was happy to see it has a zipper at the top and would be great to carry items to and from places because of being so sturdy.

In addition to the main pieces, these packs also had jewelry pieces - one being a set of two differently colored plastic stars on a hairclip/ pinback; and an Alice in Wonderland themed ring and necklace set - which would match the plaid well enough, though I'm unsure how it'll react to metal allergies...

Overall, I am extremely happy that I was able to have such luck with my first lucky pack~

Travel&Events: Into the Woods

This past weekend proved to be a perfect experience filled with experiencing and doing new things that I'm not able to do within the confines of city life - traveling up to the north woods of Michigan and staying in a cabin. This trip greatly contrasted with the previous cabin I stayed in and resembled more the years when I went to summer camp - only, this time, with no running water or electricity.

So, it was back to Nature with this camping trip with friends!

I cannot say that I am the type of person who is used to staying in the woods and doing things such as chopping wood, cooking over an open fire, and swimming under the moonlight... But all these wonderful things were had in a few short days! (Even though the many type of flying insects tried their best to deter fun from happening.)

This trip was able to help me get closer not only to Nature, which I'd been feeling very disconnected with due to living more among concrete and steel these days, but also to friends new and old. We all had to band together and discover which of us had the necessary know-how to build a fire, or pump well water - and I think we all can agree that it was a wonderful feeling being able to take care of daily necessities with bits and pieces of survival knowledge that seem ever so impractical within large cities.

Not only was camping able to be had, but there was also the chance to sample local produce. In the largest fruit and vegetable store in the closest town we discovered fantastically juicy dark cherries which were perfectly ripe and sweet. But this store also had a collection of old antique items: a barber's chair, a wheelchair, cabinets, telephones, and, my favourite, a stove from 1858.

I'm ever so thankful to the wonderful aunt and uncle who allowed us to use their rustic little cabin, and also to the friend who arranged everything. Thanks to them, I've been able to feel a renewed spark of life.

Life with Frills: June Lolita Coordinates

The month of June/ end of May was filled with so many wonderful events and proved to be a sort of "coming out" for me since I hadn't attended many of the local lolita fashion meetups for some time. Soon enough, I, quite happily, discovered that there were so many new smiling faces to meet and chat with! (I'm so overjoyed and proud of the local community here in Chicago. There's such a warm and accepting atmosphere these days that makes even the simplest of meetings something to remember~)

This particular time of year is also when the weather turned from icy cold to never seeming to get below 80 degrees - which made wearing multiple frilly layers a challenge. But one of the great things about lolita clothing is how versatile it is if you don't get caught up on so-called "rules" - it's more than long sleeves and having to be completely covered at all times. There's always the option of creating just as wonderful a coordinate without sacrificing too many frills or parts which make an outfit indicative of the lolita style. Unfortunately, there is always the idea that one cannot be "properly" dressed without a blouse with JSK combination or an OP (one-piece dress) with the possibility of a blouse beneath it too. These combinations don't take into account weather variations or comfort of the wearer during the hot and humid months of the year - and I dare say that even the Victorians with all their layers had specific variations deemed more appropriate for warmer months. Thus, I always find a way to put together outfits that either have blouses made of light cotton, or do away with a blouse altogether. That way, warm weather can be enjoyed without discomfort~

(Me, alongside some beautiful pink roses.)

Outfit Summary:

JSK: Mary Magdalene

Hat: Victorian Trading Co.

Boots: Mudd

Parasol and Socks: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

At the close of May, one of the local girls was nice enough to arrange a shopping trip to a local LUSH store - followed by a visit to Vosges. This mini-meetup was a wonderful chance to catch up with some people I don't get to see often, as well as seeing the hostess again - someone I hadn't seen since I first visited Chicago some years back!

Despite the meeting of friendly faces new and old, overall, it was also an opportunity to sample some delicious local sweets.

I was able to try a flavor at a small ice cream store called "anniversary cake". It was bright yellow in color, had sprinkles and small pieces of white cake mixed in - the flavor and taste reminded me, quite happily, of a favourite flavor of mine called "birthday cake" which is a cheerful powdery blue color. But, more than the ice cream, I adored the floral-themed truffles from Vosges that I was able to try~ (Which, unfortunately, they don't happen to have listed on their website any longer... So sad!)

(Myself [left] with my friend Alice)

Outfit Summary:

JSK&Necklace: Metamorphose

Hair Accessory: Candy Violet

Purse: Vintage

Blouse: In the Starlight

The fifth of June marks "International Lolita Day". This is a time of year when all of those who wear lolita fashion meet up and celebrate their love for the frills and pintucks - and let's not forget poofy petticoats! Since this lolita holiday was declared, I don't recall ever being able to attend any of the local festivities. So, this year, I made a distinct effort to attend a picnic and walk through the zoo planned by my friend Alice.

It was a wonderful experience as, again, I was able to meet so many new people! (The local community has grown so much since I last attended meetups! It really warms my heart to know that lolita love is spreading~) The most exciting moments came when we watched one of the zoo's polar bears for what must have been a good fifteen minutes... He was so cute! (But in the wholly dangerous kind of way~)

(Me with an ice cream-selling penguin.)

Outfit Summary:

JSK&Necklace: Metamorphose

Socks&Parasol: Baby

Shoes: Angelic Pretty

Hair Corsage: The Diva Pinup

The last meetup for the month was another celebratory event~ Since my roommate had returned from a month away in Japan and a handful of us had June birthdays, one of the local girls arranged a formal tea at her apartment. I was shocked to see the wonderful spread on the table upon arrival! Cucumber and mint, and watercress and black apricot open-face tea sandwiches; shortbread cookies; pumpkin spice bread; fresh fruit; scones with Devon cream; meringues; and a delicious salad of avocado, strawberries and baby greens with a balsamic vinaigrette... All alongside a mellow Earl Grey tea~

This was an inspiring experience as it made me think about how more of the local community needs to arrange such elegant gatherings that don't rely on hotel tea service fare - there's always a sweeter taste that a touch of home-made caring while cooking/ baking adds to food~

Life with Frills: Rococo/ Georgian-style Makeup

I have a fascination with home-made beauty items. And this is something that was inspired by researching historical beauty in general. Through this, I discovered the various rituals Victorian and Georgian-era women went through to achieve what they found to be a beautiful complexion.

In this post, I'm only going to discuss the rituals of beauty surrounding makeup in the Georgian/ Rococo era. What I'll be discussing is focused on beauty in France and England during the 1700s so other countries' will not be mentioned. (Maybe at a later time though.)

When one thinks of Rococo makeup, what comes to mind? Ladies with pale faces, rouged cheeks and painted lips paired with various beauty marks. Makeup has come a long way since this era in time, but I find it helpful to know makeup skills of old if one would like recreate the look of a proper lady during the time of Marie Antoinette.

Cosmetics came in the form of pomads, and red and white paints. To scent these items, scented waters similar to rose and orange water were added. But, all makeup came in the form of a powder. Mixing into a solid form often made the product spoil quickly. So powdered were packaged into pots or into solid pellets. But if a more creamy texture was desired as that for a lip tint, it was mixing with items like lard or cocoa butter.

Sadly, much of the makeup of the Georgian woman (or man) wasn't very safe to use. The white paints and powders were filled with metal oxides. Commonly found pigments were: bismuth white, mercury white, pewter white, and lead white. Unfortunately, safer substances that provided the needed coverage weren't available.

Red paints were safer but this safety often disappeared since most people at the time didn't want a the bright red of the pure pigment and mixed it with white powders. The red paints were the equivalent of modern blush or rouge and made from more natural sources than their white counterparts. These rouges were first only available in powders. Eventually, they were made into solid lip paints and then into lipsticks (where they were mixed with plaster of Paris).

There was nothing in the way of mascara, powders available in skin-colored shades, and eyeshadow. And, it was actually considered attractive is one's skin has a slight shininess.

Despite the lack of these products, there was something like a Georgian blemish covering makeup. Many Georgian peoples suffered from pockmarks so there was a need to cover them prior to makeup application. So many opted for affixing small pieces of silk, taffeta, or sometimes leather to their skin. If one didn't want to do this, they always had to option of applying a thick layer of the lead-filled powder.

Since some of you may be curious, here is a recipe for the lead-based powder (which I do not recommend using as use would result in lead-poisoning):

"several thin plates of lead
a big pot of vinegar
a bed of horse manure
water
perfume & tinting agent

Steep the lead in the pot of vinegar, and rest it in a bed of manure for at least three weeks. When the lead finally softens to the point where it can pounded into a flaky white powder (chemical reaction between vinegar and lead causes lead to turn white), grind to a fine powder. Mix with water, and let dry in the sun. After the powder is dry, mix with the appropriate amount of perfume and tinting dye."

But there are some, safer non-lead-based recipes for Rococo makeup out there.

(For talc white...)
"Pick out the best and whitest pieces ofthe talc, which is a kind of soapstone, and grind them in a warmed brass mortar, and passed through a silken sieve or let it dust through dense linen fabric. Hereafter, you pour distilled vinegar over the powder in a stoppered bottle, shake it well, and let it stand for some weeks, shaking it well a few times each day. Then you let the powder settle and decant the vinegar. Then you pour clear water over the powder, shake it well, let it settle and decant the water - rinse it thus 6-8 times. When it is all white, let it dry, and pwder it in an agate mortar and store it. Should the powdered talc be too shiny, anneal it in a crucible."

(For red lip gloss...)
"Into a clean copper pan put half a pound of fresh, unsalted butter, and two ounces of beeswax, let it melt over mild heat, add some ounces of rinsed, dried and squashed raisins, and one to three loth alkanna root, and let everything simmer gently for 10 minutes. Then pour it on a mounted piece of dense linen and let the liquid run off, and when it begins to cool, add a spoon of strong bitter orange flower water. Stir until it has completely cooled and keep it in a well-covered pot."

(For carmine red paint...)
"The most beautiful and excellent red is the real carmine which must be prepared with great care it if is to turn out well. Take two ounces of powdered cochenille and boil for 5 minutes it in a pure tin pot with 4 maaßdistilled water, or simply rain water. The water must be brought to the boil before you add the cochenille. Now add a drachme of powdered Roman alum, take the pot off the fire, and strain the liquid through a cloth into a clean porcelain bowl. Put it in a cool place and cover it with blotting-paper. Now add 2 drops of tin solution every two hours, so that all in all 16 drops of tin solution go into it, and let it rest for some days. After such time, the carmine will have settled on the bottom and the sides of the vessel. Carefully decant the clear liquid, let the carmine dry in the vessel, and brush it onto smooth paper with a clean feather. Zwo ounces of cochenille usually give two drachmen carmine."

But one doesn't have to use these historical recipes to achieve the same look. There are numerous modern makeup manufacturers that make all shades you could possibly need in the form of lip tints, pace powders, and blushes. You may find that getting the perfect pale tone you are looking for may require with use of a liquid foundation also.

Here is what you would need to complete your Rococo look:

• red lip tint/ lipstick
• red-based pink blush
• white/ pale powder
• (optional if your skin is already pale) white/ pale foundation

(I find that the best shades of white come from Amphigory. They offer a line of pale foundations and powders in the Illusion line. Also available from them are equally pale powders. I have used their Illusion White foundation and it goes in silky smooth without being too greasy.)

Image from MadamePompadour.com

Food&History: Marie Antoinette and Chocolate

I was once asked about chocolate as it relates to Marie Antoinette. (I will first be writing about general chocolate information within the 1700s and then it will be followed up by a paragraph about the French queen as well as some additional information on making your own Marie Antoinette-themed chocolates.)

Firstly, when thinking on chocolate within the 18^thcentury, one must put aside what they view to be common and popular forms in the modern day. Most chocolate today seems to be in the form of molded candies or dipped truffles. But, during the 1700s, chocolate was primarily consumed as a beverage. Yet the chocolate drink that was consumes was not the hot cocoa of today- one should also note that there is a significant difference even today between hot cocoa and hot chocolate, the primary difference being that hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder, lacking the fat of cocoa butter, and hot chocolate is made from melted chocolate bars mixed with cream. Hot chocolate became famous soon after the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI introduced chocolate to Austria when he relocated from Madrid to Vienna. The style and type of drink presented in the following modern recipe is similar to one that would have been drunk in the 18^th century:

* Make a hot chocolate, let cool slightly;
* Add half an egg yolk per cup;
* Whisk over low heat until thickened, being careful not to let it boil;
* Serve hot, topped with a spoonful of whipped cream.

This rich chocolate drink was drunk primarily in chocolate houses and mostly by the rich upper class. The rich were the primary consumers since chocolate was extremely expensive- costing about three times the price of a cup of coffee. Chocolate was one of the many items that helped to make clear the divisions of class during the 18^th century. The division of class could be seen not only in who could afford to consume this chocolate beverage, but in who was preparing it. Maids to the rich were required to labor though the perpetual whipping process that kept it frothy, rich and smooth. Chocolate's social divisions even came into play in something as simple as breakfast. While noblemen dined on it for their morning meal, the classes below had to resort to coffee.

As I mentioned before, many of the chocolates we seen in stores today come in the form of molded confections and bars. Molded chocolates existed within the 18th century, but they were not popular due to the high price tag. In fact, most of these molded chocolates were actually a combination of cocoa paste and sugar that was molded in chocolate houses to make storage easier. But it is Italy that started promoting chocolate as something other than a drink.

18th century Italian cookbooks contained recipes for main dishes, desserts, ices, dragees, marzipans, biscuits, creams and some mousses. Specific recipes even included fried liver dipped in chocolate, polenta with almond and chocolate breadcrumbs, and chocolate soup (made with milk, sugar, chocolate, cinnamon and egg yolks) served over toast.

But this is not to say that chocolates as we know today were not eaten by a figure such as Marie Antoinette.

Queen Marie Antoinette greatly disliked the taste of medicine. So, to solve this problem and since chocolate was considered as a healthful item at the time, the royal family chemist, Sulpice Debauve, created the Pistole de Marie Antoinette- coins of 99% cocoa that were flavoured with almond oil, bitter coffee, vanilla, Orgeat cream, or orange blossom- amongst these flavours it is said that the Queen favored almond milk and orange flower blossom. (These chocolates are still available today, but many of us probably are not willing to pay the $200 price tag.)

So, since I was asked about a Marie Antoinette themed molded chocolate, I think the best option is to buy molds with a Fleur de Lis pattern, like these:
-Square Fleur de Lis mold
OR
-Oval Fleur de Lis mold

Then, using a favourite chocolate candy recipe, infuse the ganache with almond or orange flower blossom.

For a Marie Antoinette-themed chocolate party, one could serve the 18^thcentury hot chocolate along with things like the molded chocolates above, mini chocolate tarts, and- even though I would not say it is historically accurate- chocolate Parisian macarons.

[Recipe for Viennese-style hot chocolate is from this website.]
[Marie Antoinette chocolate can be purchased from Debauve and Gallais. ]

* Also, for those interested, the disks of chocolates with fruit and nuts embedded within them are called "mendiants". Recipes for these tasty confections can be found here, here. For those who enjoy white chocolate, recipes can be found here and here. But by far the most informative article on these chocolates is the one I have linked from La Tartine Gourmande- which goes into the history of these chocolates and their relation to Christmas.