fairykeidust - Tumblr blog

[fairykeidust]

This is the fairy outfit I wore to a meetup with a fellow fairy to go shopping for fairy clothing ^_^

Fairy Shopping Meetup

Silver Sequin Bow: Claire’s ~ $1 Bow Clip: <$1 Rhinestone Studded Glasses: Claire’s ~$3 Han Solo Shirt: Urban Outfitters (on sale) Petticoat: Hot Topic (full price) Black w/ Silver Polka Dot Tights: Target (full price) Socks: Target (full price) Shoes w/ Plastic Beads added by me: Keds (gift) Plastic Bead Bracelet: made by me Popples Button: offbrand bought on Ebay (gift)

[fairykeidust]

My fairy kei with a cult party kei twist coord that I wore to a lolita birthday party

http://fairykeidust.blogspot.com/2014/07/fairy-at-lolita-birthday-waffles-meetup.html?m=1

[fairykeidust]

Fairy Meetup

Dear Fairies, About a week ago, I planned my first "official" fairy kei meetup. I planned to go back-to-school shopping. Although only one girl, Jazmine, could make it out of the group, but we had a lovely little time ^_^ First off, we went to a thrift store to see what we could find. Jazmine bought quite a few things including a very cute 80s retro sweater in pastel yellow and pink with ribbons on it. I had seen this sweater on the rack first, but I decided to give it to Jazmine since she's new to the fashion and needed something super cute to add to her fairy wardrobe. As for me, I only bought two tops. One is an 80s/90s purple floral blouse with a cute scalloped collar. The other was a handmade shirt made of a sprinkles fabric which I liked a lot and decided to use as a reconstruction project. Next, we decided to go look around a bit and saw two other resale shops. I didn't find anything I wanted to buy at either place, but Jazmine bought three sets of cute pastel hoop earrings in pink, purple, and blue as well as a bag. Of course, every place we went into people were curious about our style XD While driving to the thrift store, I saw a frozen yogurt place which looked interesting, so I proposed we stop by and have a bite. It's a local frozen yogurt company called Monster Yogurt.   When we walked in, all the walls and the floor were lime green. Also, while the yogurt and flavors were pretty standard, I had never seen so many toppings to put on frozen yogurt before! Not only was there a standard bar of toppings, there was a wall and a half of candies, nuts, and cereals. The picture below is about 2/3 of  the toppings that were on the walls. On top of that, there was not a whipped cream can but a whipped cream machine.  I got a lovely strawberry yogurt and topped it with white chocolate chips, strawberries, whipped cream, strawberry and cherry syrup, a heart gummy, and the perfect touch was some really awesome chocolate sort of things that looked like pearls. I brought Prize Popple with us too~ The yogurt here was very good, had an awesome selection of toppings, and the price was perfect! I only wish there was a Monster Yogurt in my area. I got a little photo of Jazmine with Prize and my new Hello Kitty bag.   Our last stop for the day was a little cosplay shop that just opened in a new location called Cosplay N Charm (click for their webshop!). We ended up getting a bit lost before actually finding but we made it! Cosplay N Charm is more than just a cosplay store. Not only do they sell cosplay costumes, but anime merchandise, cute accessories handmade by the owners, and clothing/accessories from Korea and Japan. It was quite a cute little store with a wide variety of things from the fashionable to the anime geek. The quality of the items seemed to vary from brand name to offbrand/unknown. There was a Baby Biscuit lolita bag which Jazmine told me was definitely a real name brand item. Although I'm mainly fairy kei, I sometimes dabble in classic lolita, so I looked through some of their lolita style clothing and found a cute, good quality offbrand blouse from Korea to go with a lolita skirt I'm going to get soon. I went to the dressing room to try it on. The dressing room was super cute I had to take a picture. I just loved the drapes and mirror.  The blouse was lovely, so I decided to buy it along with another sale item for only $8: green colored contact lenses!The shop sells Magic Color contact lenses. This was the first time I have bought colored contact lenses. While we were there, one of the owners was working on sewing a little panda plushie. She said that she will soon make it into a vampire panda complete with bat wings to sell at an upcoming anime con. Although I didn't buy a whole lot of items, I had a lot of fun with Jazmine, was lucky to find such good deals on stuff, and we discovered a couple of cool places. So, onto what I actually bought! At the thrift store, I bought two shirts. The first is a cute retro 80s/90s blouse with cute little machine embroidery flowers and butterflies on the collar for only $1. The collar is also slightly scalloped on the edges. The second is a handmade shirt made of a cool sprinkles fabric for about $1.50, which I thought would be good to reconstruct.

At Cosplay and Charm I bought green Magic Color contact lenses on sale for $8 I also got a Korean offbrand white long-sleeved lolita style blouse with clear sparkly buttons on sale for $10 This is great quality for offbrand as the fabric is nice, there is careful detail including darts down the back and front for a good fit. I just adore it! AND a bonus My NeighborTotoro button! Cosplay N Charm was having a promotion where they were giving free anime buttons to customers. This was definitely a lovely cherry-on-top. The button is a little bigger than an inch with a good quality plastic backing. Ideally, I'd like to start accumulating more Studio Ghibli merchandise since they are the pinnacle of anime.  What I Wore Silver Sequin Bow: Claire’s ~ $1 Bow Clip: <$1 Rhinestone Studded Glasses: Claire’s ~$3 Han Solo Shirt: Urban Outfitters (on sale) Petticoat: Hot Topic (full price) Black w/ Silver Polka Dot Tights: Target (full price) Socks: Target (full price) Shoes w/ Beads added by me: Keds (free) Bracelet: made by me Popples Button: bought on EBay (free) ~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

[fairykeidust]

Strawberry frozen yogurt, white chocolate chips, strawberries, whipped cream, cherry syrup, strawberry syrup, gummy heart and... edible pearls? XD

[fairykeidust]

Confession #9: I Think Fairy Kei Shouldn't Have to be Expensive

Dear Fairies,

Yes, fairy kei can be and is much more cost effective, practical, and efficient than many other alternative fashions. This is one of the main reasons I love the fashion~ The 80s/90s kitschy aspect of fairy kei makes it easy to get clothing from thrift stores, vintage stores mainstream stores, and DIY.

Although many have tried to make excuses as to why they could never afford a fairy kei wardrobe, I beg to differ. While there are brands and stores that sell fairy-esque clothing and accessories that can get a bit pricey, they are by no means necessary in creating a super kawaii fairy look. This is similar to the “lolita on a budget” argument, except likely less expensive, with a wider scope, with more possibilities, and maybe with less leg work.

Think about a veteran street fashion like punk. Vivenne Westwood may be the most awesome punk clothing, but punk thrives on being a fashion that is solely DIY. My friend, who’s a glamorous punk doesn’t know how to sew but DIYs and thrifts like a beast and she looks amazing all the time. Only when it’s on sale and a must-have item does she splurge on Westwood.

I love shopping for vintage and thrift finds that are inexpensive online and in-store. Also, when I hit up the mall or any other mainstream stores, I always head to the sale racks for any fairy kei-able pieces. I love getting crafty and creative in designing and making my own accessories with inexpensive fabrics and odds and ends. To me, finding more ways to save money actually lends itself to the very kitschy little girl look. I love the fact that fairy kei is quite easy to shop for and doesn’t have to cost over $100 for a single outfit. I have learned to trust in my abilities to create my own look creatively on a budget. Not to mention, fairy kei is also easy to sew things for. A simple skirt or tutu with an elastic waistband or a simple empire or shift style dress could do the trick in many cases with the right fabrics.

Basically, I just love that getting “cheap” makes me think outside the box by look for fairy kei pieces in places like antique shops, flea markets, dollar sections, young girls’ sections, and even my mom’s old clothing! But remember that inexpensive doesn’t have to mean lower quality. Just try to find good deals on good quality items.

Because of all the possibilities and wide scope of fairy kei, it makes it easier to find pieces on a budget. Check out this post I put up last for a little list I compiled for “cheap” fairy kei links.

This is a typical fairy kei outfit I might wear on a given day which is comprised of items I bought from several different places. Not including the price of shoes (which are usually the most pricey items I own), this outfit cost a little less than $40 altogether (Including shoes, it comes to about $100). A Japanese brand shirt alone could cost $40 or more!

What I’m Wearing:

White Ribbon Bow w/ Pink Trim: Antique Mall <$1

Ponytail Holder: <$1

Rhinestone Studded Glasses: Claire’s ~$3

80s Pink and White Sparkly Sweater: Thrift Store ~$4

Tutu: Hot Topic ~$14

Tights: Target ~$6

Cuff Socks: Target 4 pair~ $5

Old Shoes: Asics ~$60 (on sale)

Bow Shoe Toppers: Made by me ~$2

Necklace: Made by me <$1

Scrunchie: Made by me w/ old fabric ~$1

Princess Ribbon: Dollar Store $1

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

[fairykeidust]

Dear fairies,

I just recently went shopping with a fairy friend~ We went thrifting and to a new cosplay/anime/JFashion store which opened in our area called Cosplay N Charm.

Here is what I wore to our little outing~

I will now try to price some of my clothing to give you a vague idea as to how much I may spend on a single outfit. I didn’t save the prices on most of the clothing I’ve bought up to this point, so some pieces may go unmarked. But I may specify if I bought it on sale or full price or was free as a gift.

What I’m Wearing:

Silver Sequin Bow: Claire’s ~ $1

Bow Clip: <$1

Rhinestone Studded Glasses: Claire’s ~$3

Han Solo Shirt: Urban Outfitters (on sale)

Petticoat: Hot Topic (full price)

Black w/ Silver Polka Dot Tights: Target (full price)

Socks: Target (full price)

Shoes w/ Beads added by me: Keds (free)

Bracelet: made by me

Popples Button: bought on EBay (free)

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

[fairykeidust]

Do you have any links for a starter out fairy to places that sell cheaper fairy kei clothing? Thanks ^^

Dear Fairy,

This is a tricky one, I must say. Of course anything from Japan is going to cost a fortune, especially with shipping involved. So, the only other options are independent sellers or THRIFTING. If you know anything about shopping for lolita, it's basically the same for fairy kei, except better because you can't exactly find lolita dresses at a thrift store.

I highly recommend thrift shopping at your local thrift or vintage stores. Look for good condition clothing/accessories that emulate an 80s/90s sweet style, young girls' clothing, pastel clothing. Even going to mainstream clothing stores now is a good venture with 80s/90s styles coming back into fashion or looking in the young girls' sections is good too.

Though if you are looking for online sources, Ebay and Etsy have many things for sale which are good for fairy kei. Etsy has lots of independent sellers who make very nice fairy kei style accessories and clothing of varying prices. Also, Etsy is another good source for cheap vintage clothing. You can easily find lots of cool 80s/90s stuff for cheap. Retro Magic Store is a cool store that sells retro graphic tees with My Little Pony, Popples, anime, Disney, etc. for one good price across the store. Below are some links to community sales where you can find good priced secondhand fairy kei/lolita pieces, as well as a general shop list.

http://popkei.livejournal.com/ (LiveJournal Comm Group)

http://80s-cuties.livejournal.com/ (LiveJournal Comm Group)

Fairy Kei Sales (Facebook Group)

Fairy Kei Sales N' Swap (Facebook Group)

http://fairy-tips.tumblr.com/shops (General Shop List)

Where to Find Lolita Sales on Facebook (Lolita Facebook Group List)

http://egl-comm-sales.livejournal.com/ (LiveJournal Comm Group)

I hope this helps a bit and that it isn't just a rehash of what you already know haha ^_^ Later on I hope to keep updating posts with my personal fairy kei finds and recommendations, so keep an eye out.

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

[fairykeidust]

Dear Fairies,

I got a lovely bunch of gifts from my mother when she went to France. Laduree is a famous sweets shop in France that specializes in macaron and Uniqlo had a line of collaboration shirts with Laduree. I got three shirts from Uniqlo and a Marie Antoinette tea from Laduree. The Uniqlo shopping bag even has a bunch of macaron on it.

Laduree unfortunately has locations in only one city in certain countries, so the only one in the US is in New York City. I hope to go check it out next time I'm in the big city though.

The tea is wonderful and I love the shirts. Uniqlo definitely has some of the best quality clothing.

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

[fairykeidust]

Dear Fairies,

I've been watching Full House for the past few months and realize why Spank! likes this show. A lot of the clothing, especially from earlier episodes, is quite nice for inspiration in fairy outfits.

So, next time you watch this ridiculously whitewash clean cut show, keep an eye out for cute ideas. Scrunchies, poofy bangs, oversized shirts, large print sweaters, jumpers, overalls, etc.

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

[fairykeidust]

college japanese street fashion show!

Dear Fairies,

Wow, I've got so many posts which I probably should have posted ages ago, but I'll post them anyway!

So, a little while back I was invited, by a lolita friend, to participate in a Japanese street fashion show at a university. All I have to say is I was so excited for this!! It was so great that these students were getting together to basically inform the student body on the different street fashions of Japan.

Photo Taken by Brian Lee Trewitt

It was just like a real fashion show! We had a little runway, loud music, cheering people, flashing camera lights from all the photography students... It was awesome! This lovely little show was put together by the lovely Crystal and Jacky of the wonderful Japanese Student Association on campus.

Photo Taken by Tania Raharja

Of course, I saw this as an opportunity to get fairy kei more recognition by wearing fairy kei in the fashion show. In fact, no one in the fashion show seemed to know what fairy kei was so I was happy to explain the fashion to everyone! It was also a wonderful opportunity to meet new J-fashion fans and make friends.

The fashion show consisted of lolita, visual kei, gyaru styles, and decora/kawaii styles. Looking back on this show, there were many of us who had plushes XD It was a coincidence that I decided to take Prize Popple with me!

Two friends I made modeled decora in the kawaii style group: Aaron and Caroline. Even though I wasn't even a student at this college, I felt extremely welcome and so happy to be among fellow Japanese culture enthusiasts ^_^

Photo Taken by Tania Raharja

Photo Taken by Tania Raharja

Not only did I wear fairy kei, but since I dabble a bit in lolita, I decided to be an addition to the gothic lolita group by dressing in aristocrat style. My friend, Vivan, lovely musician and lolita, rocked the catwalk with her Vampire Requiem replica skirt, bonnet,and black parasol. I wore an "offbrand" (LipService) Victorian style gown with a lovely hat I found at a Claire's once a while back (staggering, I know >.<).

Photo Taken by Gaby Trisna

Photo Taken by Tania Raharja

Watch the whole show HERE

See my fairy kei intro at 13:06 and aristocrat at 4:25

What I Wore

Bow: Made by me  

Shirt: Popples from Retro Magic Store 

Petticoat: 50s Vintage

Underskirt: H&M

Cardigan: 60s Vintage

Tights: Offbrand

Legwarners: Offbrand

Shoes: Keds (w/ added bows)

Glasses: Hello Kitty  

"HUG" Heart Necklace: Spank! 

Earrings: Made by me

Scrunchie: Made by me

It was so fun to be a part of my first ever fashion show and on top of that wearing fairy kei~ 

Until next time, fairies~

~Sparkling Ga Eul

  Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

[fairykeidust]

Dear fairies,

Celebrities in lolita dresses... Lady Gaga, Hayley Williams, Li'l Mama, Katy Perry, Jessica Simpson and Nicki Minaj...

I'm sure some of you are aware of this recurring phenomenon where celebrities will randomly choose a lolita dress to wear for one reason or another. Just have some thoughts on this...

Li'l Mama didn't seem to know what to do with her dress and Jessica Simpson seems to mock the fashion by showing off her bloomers like they are a novelty. Many times, not following the lolita "guidelines" can lead to a less than desirable look.

BUT with that said, I've heard many lolitas say something along the lines of this "Don't call it 'lolita' if it's not really lolita." So, technically, just because all these women decided to wear lolita style and brand dresses doesn't necessarily make the style they were going for "lolita." Obviously, most of them just found the dresses cute enough to wear for whatever reason, obviously unaccustomed to the style. Yet, I think Gaga pulled off the look here well.

Personally, I think if you wear a lolita dress, and "lolita" is not your primary style, then it shouldn't matter what or how you wear it. Hayley Williams looks absolutely adorable and Nicki Minaj is simple and quite nice in her own style.

If you are "lolita," then, of course, you should dress in a way that would define you as such. Reason being that the lolita style is extremely difficult to maintain and learn, so naturally, it would probably be your primary or only style. Sometimes a lolita dress is just another part of someone's wardrobe and they use it for their own style.

In the end, these celebs probably just want to express their taste and style by wearing lolita dresses.

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

~Sparkling Ga Eul

[fairykeidust]

Dear fairies,

I need to post more of my outfits! I've been wearing much much more fairy kei and never find the time to take a picture it seems. This coord doesn't have any of my awesome vintage pieces I've bought of late, but it is definitely an outfit to wear in the extremely hot weather!

AND I cut my hair!

What I'm Wearing:

Pom Pom Bow: bought at an anime convention

Shirt: Urban Outfitters

Skirt: Gap

Socks: Target

Shoes: Keds

Pearl Bracelet: Claire's

Necklaces: made by me

Buttons: one from Snog Yogurt in London and the other Hot Topic

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

[fairykeidust]

Review #1: Retro Magic Store Popples T-Shirt~

Dear Fairies,

Again, it's been so long and I'm busier than ever! I had finals for a few weeks before summer and then I was working as a costume designer on a show in New York City about Tchaikovsky (www.tchaikovskyplay.com). I do have a life!

I've been wanting to do a review on a Popples shirt that I bought a while ago, so here it is ^_^

I found a wonderful little site that sells T-shirts with retro graphics on them called 

Retro Magic Store!

They have graphics from: 

My Little Pony, Barbie, Creamy Mami, Jem, Rainbow Brite, and more~

http://www.retromagicstore.com/

    PRICE

It's pretty affordable

Everything is about 15.90€ or $20~$25

Also, Retro Magic Store only lets you pay with PayPal

PROS

The quality of the actual shirt is quite nice. The fabric isn't too thin, is very soft, and the size seems to be pretty standard. Actually, I ordered a size medium, which is a size up from what I usually get for a loose 80s style fit. The graphics are also very colorful and don't seem likely to fade anytime soon.

CONS

When I ordered the shirt online, the color I chose was described as "salmon pink." Looking at the photos online, I assumed that the color would be a sort of orange-y pink. Yet, when I received the shirt, it was really just a light baby pink. It wasn't a complete let down, but I would have liked it to be more "salmon-y." 

Overall, I'm pleased!

 I've worn it many times already and I'll definitely be buying from Retro Magic Store in the future~

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

[fairykeidust]

I just wanted to tell you that the people calling you a special snowflake and to leave were kind of really mean ;w; Your feelings are valid and understandable, some people lack empathy. Stay rad, lady

Dear fairy,

Thanks very much you’re a very understanding person~ I just have to say in my defense, I still love fairy kei, but I’ve ALWAYS been someone who doesn’t like wearing or doing what most people do. I’m just saying that it’s something I’ve always done and I like doing. I do often struggle with doing what I truly like doing and doing what is popular. I don't know why.

Not to mention I wrote this on a whim. People every once in a while say they want to die (because of the stress of daily life) but that doesn’t mean they will go kill themselves. Similar idea here.

To be honest, I think what does set my own views of fairy kei apart is that I emphasize the 80s/vintage, thrift store, DIY aspect of it the most. I’ve always been an 80s child at heart. I don’t take these girls’ comments seriously at all because I know what I meant. (what’s sad is that this has the most notes than any other post on my blog)

Also, my friend made a good point that it’s good that so many people like it so that we can have friends to talk about it with, etc.

~Sparkling GaEul

[fairykeidust]

Wow...Fairy Kei is Everywhere...

Is it just me or is fairy kei exploding everywhere?? Somehow I feel like it's less special of a style now D: I've always been someone who doesn't like to dress like everyone else (including the J-fashion community).

And now that so many people are wearing fairy kei I almost don't want to do it. It's more popular than decora seems to have ever been. I think it's in  part because of the sweet lolita community

*edit* PS I still LOVE fairy kei and this comment is kind of a joke, is not personal to any fairies, and was a passing thought I had while looking at my tumblr feed :b if it makes you feel better, I know that my own spin on fairy kei sets it apart from most people in the fashion anyway (though there aren't pics to show for it because I'm a little busy with life)

~Sparkling GaEul

[fairykeidust]

Love this photo! So 80s and a wonderful example of incorporating bold colors ^_^

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

~Sparkling GaEul

Model; CHOCO

Photographer; CNO