LA CARMINA GOTHIC LOLITA STYLE BLOG: ONE YEAR RETROSPECTIVE (PART 1 OF 3).
How time flies! In two days, La Carmina (the blog) is about to celebrate her first birthday! That fateful first post on 09.12.07 literally set my life on a new path – a cute and decadent one! One year later, I’m packing my bags for TOKYO, where I’ll be working on my two upcoming books and fashion line… hot on the heels of a front page newpaper profile and NYC Fashion Week adventures. Bless you, Al Gore, for inventing the Internet.
I’m going to take the next few days to sit back and flip through the archives. There were hits and misses, but I’m proud of the work I put into this blog. Above are some early shoots with Westmend dresses (the Vancouver shop is now closed) and leather gloves (I forgot I owned these! ) My styling and photography have undoubtedly improved. I no longer pose with stuffed toys…
…because I have a real one: Basil Farrow! My Scottish Fold kitty-chan came to live with me last November, after growing up with his father, Ronan of The Committee. He made his debut in a highly-commented post about cat motifs in Loli clothing. A writeup on Vivienne Westwood Rocking Horse Shoes also became a reader favorite.
My favorite (and most popular) posts were the ones where I waxed rhapsodic about some aspect of Lolita fashion (as opposed to bare-bones reporting). I smile at my playful spiels about Lolita brands named after literary heroes and the misuse of French words by Visual Kei bands. (New readers may have missed these early gems.)
In December 2007, I introduced two recurring features: Visual Kei band profiles and the popular Gothloli of the Week style interview. We’re at number 38 and counting!
I’d include my posts on Gothic Lolita weddings and receptions on my “Greatest Hits” album. One of my biggest pet peeves is the cookie-cutter wedding; why on Earth do girls dream of strapless white A-line gowns and slideshows set to Green Day’s “Time of Your Life”? I know I’m not alone in my vitriol; I’ve become friends with Kat, who runs an awesome blog called Rock and Roll Bride, which chronicles her offbeat Goth wedding and honeymoon in Tokyo!
What are some of your favorites posts, and what would you like to see more of?
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LA CARMINA
29 Comments
Happy Birthday. I haven't quite been with you the whole year, but lurking around for probably about 4 months.
Hope the blog keeps running through its awquard teenage years and on until posts of loli-OAP's.
LOL at OAP! Geriatric Lolita, here we come.
Happy Birthday. I haven’t quite been with you the whole year, but lurking around for probably about 4 months.
Hope the blog keeps running through its awquard teenage years and on until posts of loli-OAP’s.
LOL at OAP! Geriatric Lolita, here we come.
The Rococo series is my favorite….
And for celebration's sake, here are some scans of GothLoli-esque looks from a 2007 issue of Zipper. I know my interpretation of the word “GothLoli-esque” is somewhat broad, but what the heck… They're lovely and creative anyway.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gothicsummer/sets/…
Looking forward to more inspiring thoughts and creations from you!
Oh, these are lovely! I can't wait to flip through Japanese fashion magazines in Tokyo. :D
I loved the interior design posts – I never even imagined that you could get such gorgeous furniture! o_o; That was definitely an eye opener for me! (must-get-rococo-style-bed/vanity…)
The “How-Tos”, make-up advice and general advice/idea posts are very useful as well! ^.^ I really liked the make-up posts with all the different ideas for brands, colours, etc.
I'd like to see posts about stockings and parasols, perhaps also variations of footwear or something similar!
The Rococo series is my favorite….
And for celebration’s sake, here are some scans of GothLoli-esque looks from a 2007 issue of Zipper. I know my interpretation of the word “GothLoli-esque” is somewhat broad, but what the heck… They’re lovely and creative anyway.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gothicsummer/sets/72157607222356962/
Looking forward to more inspiring thoughts and creations from you!
Oh, these are lovely! I can’t wait to flip through Japanese fashion magazines in Tokyo. :D
I guess I want to see a little bit more lolita =) Doesn't neccessary have to be sweet lolita, but yet lolita =) I also would like to know your favourite movies =) I havn't been here since you started but when I first found your blog I looked through the archives (didn't read all tho, but I enjoy looking at the pictures =)) The entry about lolita brands named after literary heroines is very interesting.
Have a nice day and take care! =)
I'll soon have Lolita coverage and photos straight from Tokyo!
I really like the parasol idea. I also have some makeup collaborations in the works… excited to be working with some of my favorite brands :)
I loved the interior design posts – I never even imagined that you could get such gorgeous furniture! o_o; That was definitely an eye opener for me! (must-get-rococo-style-bed/vanity…)
The “How-Tos”, make-up advice and general advice/idea posts are very useful as well! ^.^ I really liked the make-up posts with all the different ideas for brands, colours, etc.
I’d like to see posts about stockings and parasols, perhaps also variations of footwear or something similar!
I really like the parasol idea. I also have some makeup collaborations in the works… excited to be working with some of my favorite brands :)
I guess I want to see a little bit more lolita =) Doesn’t neccessary have to be sweet lolita, but yet lolita =) I also would like to know your favourite movies =) I havn’t been here since you started but when I first found your blog I looked through the archives (didn’t read all tho, but I enjoy looking at the pictures =)) The entry about lolita brands named after literary heroines is very interesting.
Have a nice day and take care! =)
I’ll soon have Lolita coverage and photos straight from Tokyo!
I like everything about your blog, which I visit on a daily basis. I'm fairly new but I've read through the archives quite a bit. I like the fact that you tackle many subjects with always a great sense of humour so that your posts are so fun to read! And also I'm happy that you are more on the goth side, because many blogs about Lolita are on the sweet side so this is nice for a change!
I think that maybe, I'd like to see a post similar to your makeup posts, but for hair. I don't remember if you already did this. As you did with the makeup you could make a listing of brands who sell crazy hair accessories, hats, extensions and the like. I think hats could be a lovely subject!
happy birthday!!
aww! thanks darlin' bless you :o)
i was bored yesterday and googling japanese street fashion..made me want to go back SOOO much!
a bit of blog love back at ya…
http://rocknrollbride.blogspot.com/2008/09/happ…
more street fashion please! love it!
I like everything about your blog, which I visit on a daily basis. I’m fairly new but I’ve read through the archives quite a bit. I like the fact that you tackle many subjects with always a great sense of humour so that your posts are so fun to read! And also I’m happy that you are more on the goth side, because many blogs about Lolita are on the sweet side so this is nice for a change!
I think that maybe, I’d like to see a post similar to your makeup posts, but for hair. I don’t remember if you already did this. As you did with the makeup you could make a listing of brands who sell crazy hair accessories, hats, extensions and the like. I think hats could be a lovely subject!
Thank you, Saya,! ^_^
I’m oh-so-fond of hats… I’ll be looking out for them in Tokyo. I did a few posts on hats in the past:
http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/119/TOPSY-TURVY-DESIGN-VICTORIAN-GOTH-AND-MARIE-ANTOINETTE-HATS
http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/47/GOTHIC-LOLITA-HATS-FROM-ETSYCOM
happy birthday!!
aww! thanks darlin’ bless you :o)
i was bored yesterday and googling japanese street fashion..made me want to go back SOOO much!
a bit of blog love back at ya…
http://rocknrollbride.blogspot.com/2008/09/happy-birthday-la-carmina.html
more street fashion please! love it!
Thank you, Saya,! ^_^
I'm oh-so-fond of hats… I'll be looking out for them in Tokyo. I did a few posts on hats in the past:
http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/119/T…
http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/47/GO…
Adorable cat what type is he or she?
Thank you!!! Basil Farrow is a boy (albeit a girly one), and he's a Scottish Fold. His photo is on the Wikipedia page!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Fold
Thank you!!! Basil Farrow is a boy (albeit a girly one), and he’s a Scottish Fold. His photo is on the Wikipedia page!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Fold
Adorable cat what type is he or she?
Thank you!!! Basil Farrow is a boy (albeit a girly one), and he's a Scottish Fold. His photo is on the Wikipedia page!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Fold