Gertie and Lolita

I don't know how many of you are aware of my obsession with Gertie's blog. She does a ton of sewing tutorials and has three separate pattern books out (two of which I own) and a line of patterns with Butterick. The best part about this is that she designs these clothes based on her own measurements, which means that the proportions are for more average-sized ladies than your usual models. Don't match up with Gertie's measurements? That's fine, she teaches you how to alter your patterns to your own size!

So... what's this got to do with Lolita?

Well, nothing, really. Gertie is very focused on vintage (largely 50s-60s style) clothing. But she has a number of pieces that work really well for Lolita, and I thought I'd share some of my favorites, and some ideas about how to work them into your wardrobe.

Note: I am in no way affiliated with Gertie. I just love her blog and her style.

Sailor Dress:

This one is pretty self-explanatory, I think. This comes from her newest book, and it's a cute sailor-inspired JSK. The only changes that would need to be made is perhaps making the skirt fuller and (depending on your preference) maybe bringing the neckline up an inch or two.

Bow-tied blouse:

This blouse comes from Gertie's first book and is, without a doubt, my favorite pattern. It uses knit fabric, so it's super comfortable, and you can make it button up in the back for some adorable details. I have made 3 blouses out of this pattern and I love them all to death. It's my favorite casual lolita top.

Also, each of her books contain different variations for the patterns, so you have 3 different ways to make this blouse, one of which includes a pan collar!

Fitted Cardigan:

From her second book, this cardigan is simple but it's a great base piece, especially for the winter wardrobe. Adding a lace collar (or a cutsew with a lace collar beneath it) is a great way to make this more loliable. Basic, yes. But also very cute.

Fancy Blouse:

I personally love the style of this blouse. It reminds me a lot of the brand Mary Magdalene. This blouse/skirt combo in particular:

For the smaller-busted ladies:

This dress features a gathered portion at the top, which is a cute touch. Unfortunately, these tend to look a bit odd on most of us with a larger bust, but it's a nice detail otherwise. The only change I'd recommend here is making the straps wider. You don't usually see such thin straps in Lolita.

Wrap jacket:

I'm personally in love with this jacket style. It's super cute, and if you want you could add some ruffles around the ends of the sleeves to give it a more lolita look. Ditch the shoulder pads, though. They've never been flattering.

What do you guys think of Gertie and her patterns? Loliable or not? Do you have a favorite? Is there anyone you draw inspiration from when it comes to sewing?

Lolita 52 Challenge: #4 - Favorite thing to put on my head

This one is laughably easy. Hats, of course! I adore hats of all styles, colors, and sizes. I have a face (or a head?) that works with pretty much any hat, which certainly helps. I actually want to get into millinery eventually, but at the moment I don't have enough money to invest in getting hat blocks and things.

I do have materials for making fascinators, but it's something I haven't gotten around to just yet. My to-do list of crafts and sewing is so ridiculously long it hurts to think about.

All of the hats I have are from vintage or thrift stores, and the most expensive one was $10. My best friend got me this hatbox as a Halloween gift (I love Halloween), and it's super sturdy and lovely and useful.

I made a hatbox myself and, although it isn't super pretty it protects my hats. I really want to get a bunch of pretty hatboxes for storage, though.

Here are my collection of beige-y hats. As a classic Lolita, you can never have too many. Creams, off-whites, and ivorys are super easy to match, and if you want to bring in some extra color you can change out the ribbons or add some nice flower clips along the sides.

My fanciest hat is a wedding hat a friend bought for me from Goodwill for about $7. It has beautiful beadwork and a soft tulle train. The brim is nice and wide, and it looks super cute on the underside too. The only problem with this hat is that the fabric is satin-y, which can be frowned upon in this fashion, but I don't mind.

So pretty

And here are the rest of my hats:

The green one is my absolute favorite. The feather is something I added to make some brown fit better in a coordinate, but it's easy to remove. I got this hat for $3 at a little vintage shop. It's velvet and has pearls and green netting and I absolutely adore it.

I would really like to get my hands on some Mary Magdalene hats. I've accepted the fact that accessories are the only thing of MM's that I'll be able to wear, but it's all still so expensive. I particularly love the style of this one:

I think that about wraps it up for this post. What do you guys think of hats in Lolita fashion? Yay or nay?

50's Inspired Outfit

Originally posted August 21, 2013

I was finally able to take some decent pictures of my finished outfit! Dezzi and I went out for a shopping adventure (because I needed new shoes) and I still haven’t had to use another get out of jail free card for the Wardrobe Refashion pledge! I’m proud of myself.

I did my hair in victory rolls again, because it’s pretty much my favorite hairstyle right now. I also bought some lip liner, which helped my lipstick stay on. Who knew?

The top has handmade continuous bis tape around the collar, sleeves, and bottom. It’s made out of the same fabric the skirt is, so it matches perfectly. I originally had 1 inch bias tape but thought it looked too thin, so I made some 1.5 inch instead. I’m happy I did.

I used a T-shirt pattern I’d traced awhile ago and did some alterations so it would work with a non-stretch fabric. I did cut this on the bias so there’s a tiny bit of stretch. It’s a bit tight around the boobs still.

The bust dart isn’t nipple-y or puckering at all! (Sorry if the picture is upside down. WordPress keeps putting it in like that no matter how I rotate it.)

The bias tape meets up at the back of the collar and it doesn’t look too bad. Not perfect, but I’m pretty happy with it.

The skirt is self drafted with the help of Design it Yourself Clothes (review coming soon). The sweep is 100 inches and it has 4 belt loops (made from some of the left over bias tape) and an 80 inch long belt.

The back zipper is not perfect, but it’s turned out much better than my previous ones!

That picture is pretty awful, sorry. It’s not that wrinkled anymore. Anyway, besides the very bottom I really like how the zipper turned out. And, of course, it has pockets!

And since my pinking shears finally arrived, I was able to finish the seams. Here they are after being washed:

I mentioned my new shoes earlier. I’m still breaking them in. They were a little tight so I tried the freezing method and that helped a little, but I think the only way to make them comfortable is to wear them.