Antique Beast review + try on

Dear all,

Yes, still here, still trying to make thing a thing again. 

The Portuguese Lolita community has always been tiny but lately there seems to have a tiny boost in energy. I won't like, I am not really a big part of that boost unfortunately because I just cannot cope with...much of anything really but it is nice to see new people join and the overall enthusiasm.

Part of that brought something we used to have and stopped for a while: group orders. Now I try not to go too wild because our customs is... abusive to be honest but when I can join, I do.

The last group order I joined was an Antique Beast order. 

For those who do not know the brand, it is quite old... 2000s dare I say? And the particularity is that they do not always accept orders, they open the opportunity to order until the slots are full and then they just do not accept orders until the next round. That makes it a bit inconvenient but also sort of makes you feel special when you do make an order.

I cannot fit into their clothes but I love the hair accessories so I jumped at the opportunity to add something else to my collection. 

I ordered two pieces:

白猫ヘッドドレス (bat headdress in white)

Treizeヘッドドレス

As this was a made to order and group order, I kind of "forget" I order things and when they arrive it is just a wonderful surprise again!

There were two fabric options for the bat headpiece, the regular fabric and fancier option but I already owned it in black and I like how it sits so I wanted to order the white in the exact same material. I guess i was scared it would be floppier or something.

Here's the black. I was surprised because the tag is red on the black but purple on the white. 

The items come in plastic bags and there are no paper tags on the items, just a small glued on home printed "sticker" which makes it feel as indie as it comes. I think most people just imagine all japanese lolita brands to be these huge businesses but this really shows the reality of things. As I have been to Japan I know that's not the case. If you are reading this: if you have the means, do support your favorite brands as much as you can. I wish I could do that more often these days.

I particularly love the fact that the ribbon has this flower print detail. It is lovely. 

I am also very happy I ordered something else. This piece is equally beautiful if not more, I am in love with it. I just hope I can do it justice. The ties are wide chiffon which adds some drama to it (who does not love some drama in their coords) and the ribbons have the same floral detail as the bat headdress even though they are a wider ribbon. There are little cute details everywhere. I really recommend that you get something from them if you love elegant gothic styles. 

I really could not wait to try something on so I decided to dress in lolita again this weekend to celebrate this order. I went with my Moitie white op which is literally the only white main piece i have. I do love shiro coords but because I am plus sized it makes me super self conscious and I rarely wear it or invest in new white pieces. This means that headdress matches very little in my wardrobe but oh well.

OUTFIT INFO

Cutsew: Maxicimam

Dress: Moi-Meme-Moitié

[fun fact: someone uploaded my photos to lolibrary so those photos are of this actual dress XD ]

Headdress: Antique Beast

Socks & Necklace: Metamorphose temps de fille

Tights, Shoes, Cross ring, bracelets, wristcuffs: Offbrand

Bag, rings: Vivienne Westwood

Coffin ring: Suppurate System

After this I sat in my small couch and just browsed an old Gothic & Lolita Bible (boy do I miss them!). I don't have them all but I wish I did. I may hunt them down some day... 

I love how inspirational they are. Did you know my favorite sections are always the "street snap" photos. I wish I was lucky enough to have been in one of these pages. It would have been such an honor. I am forever sad I missed the chance. 

Looking at these photos does also make me regret many things I sold over the years, I wish i had all my old Metamorphose blouses and my fully shirred dresses. I wonder where they are now. Some I still know. I hope one day they return to my closet. Who knows. It would make me happy to at least wear them again, just one more time. 

Do you have any sales regrets too? Do you think about it?

Hope you liked another rambling post, see you next time :)

Gobelin appreciation

2026

Time flies. In between my last post in 2017 and today a lot has changed.

I have been into lolita on and off but the love will always be here even if one day I do decide to stop. 

Age does make a difference so if you are young and you are reading this, wear all the clothes, live all the life, do it before you are trapped (in whatever way, let's not get into that now).

Anyway as you know if you follow me since the start... (how long as it been? An eternity now, right?) I am a huge fan of the classic lolita brands, and some pieces will forever have my heart but also cause me pain. One of which is my dream coat (which has never and will never fit me), the 

Victorian Maiden "Gobelin Coat With Fur". 

So, when Kurumi announced her collaboration with Shimamura and the Noel de Memoire Series and I saw that coat, I knew I had to get it... even though I shouldn't spend a penny on anything. 

At first it seemed super cheap but then adding shipping, taxes etc, it was still sort of expensive, like a second hand coat and there are some things I'd like to improve, we will talk about that later.

As always, I asked the best shopping service in the world for purchases in Japan for help. She was the best as always and helped me. I did not know what I wanted, if only the coat, if I needed the accessories too... it is not fun to shop on a tight budget. 

It took some months for the actual items to be made and launched (I made the order in August and they were ready in December?). I paid the remaining amount and she shipped it really quick. It arrived in less than two weeks and after dealing with customs, it quickly came to my door. I wanted to film an opening video but it had been a while since i got something and was too excited.

I knew what it was, first I was not expecting anything and the Calbee on the box and all the lettering gave it away, it got me really excited!

There was also something else inside. One day a relative who stayed over broke one of my novelty items which i loved and seeing me so sad this person said "find a replacement and I will pay for it". I did not know if i could but i posted about it on facebook and who contacted me? My shopping service saying there was one for sale on mercari. I bought it!

 

Broken box. (never found that missing piece)

New box! Yay!

And now for the main bit, the coat!

When I opened the box I was really nervous. When you are plus sized you always wonder if things will fit, what if it didn't? I did not want to go through the hassle of trying to sell this especially since I was not sure if anyone else would be so much into granny couch stuff that they'd pay over retail price (shipping and all the fees).

Looking at both here they look perfect, right? But then I tried them on and I have a couple of issues:

1. The length:

One could tell that it was long but I always assume that long on a Japanese person does not mean it will be as long on me, but this one is... I am unsure if it is far too long. Still debating on this.

2. The size:

That is my fault, I orderd a 3XL which means it is perfect on the bodice (bust/waist) but then the sleeves are super wide for me. I mean i can work with it but would prefer them to be a bit tighter. I just have one of those odd bodies... I usually say that being plus sized is worse than being petite because the issue is to have the garment actually fit you. If it is too big you can always get it tailored, but if it does not close... its not the same. So I am ok with this.

3. The cape:

Did I really need it or did I just love the coat on the model and wanted to look like her? I find it a bit useless now that I have it. Also it is way too long for my taste. This one I should probably have gotten in a smaller size. I really need to get it altered to wear it, I do not like how long it is at all. 

4. The quality and thickness:

Its not warm at all, it looks like a winter coat but it is more of a spring/ autumn coat which might not make much sense visually speaking. But at least that might give me some time to get it altered so I can wear it still this year? Hope so...

The quality of the lining and fabric isn't the most amazing thing I have seen but I was expecting that due to the price range. 

I have another cape from Victorian Maiden for reference but that one is actually too small for my large shoulders and its not from a coat but a piece to be worn over a top. Something in the middle length would work better for me. 

As you can see the print is more dainty on the VM cape and the one on the right is a bit larger. The lace is also extremely beautiful on the VM cape and very tiny on the larger cape. I am not sure if I should find new lace and add it to the trim as I will be making it shorter. 

Lining of my Victorian Maiden cape

                                                                  Lining of the Kurumi x Shimamura cape

And this is the length on me. As I said, I do not hate nor love it, I think I may be too attached to my dream impossible to fit Victorian Maiden coat which makes my brain think this shouldn't be this long. I am not sure. I did not wear the cape because I really dislike it as it is. I was just trying the coat on anyway.

Overall, I am happy I got the coat. I would probably not have gotten the cape maybe or would have bought two sizes down hoping it would be shorter. The good news is that with the extra fabric I'll probably be able to make a rectangular headdress out of the excess material. The bad thing is, I don't own a sewing machine and am too scared to do it myself so I have to find a seamstress (and I know 0) around me to help. 

If you are interested in looking at the entire line, here's a link to the complete collection. I also liked the beret, the scarf, the boots with the fur and the skirt. 

FEBRUARY

I have trying to get back in touch with wearing the fashion again. 

For various reasons I have not been wearing it as much or did not wear it as much last year. This year I plan to change that. 

The most important steps (and the ones I don't mind sharing) include:

- losing the excess weight (I went from a size 40 to a 46)

- improving myself stress wise

- putting myself first

- saving so that I can go back to buying nice things

- reconnecting with hobbies as a whole

Until I achieve that, instead of waiting like I keep doing, I have decided to at least wear the fashion for myself and post more in my accounts as a boost to want to continue. I need that stimulus otherwise i lose interest and just go back to being a couch potato. 

This saturday I decided I wanted to try a dress that fit me but I did not wear yet and just hang out with myself having tea and working on understanding a bit more about bullet journaling (hobbies). I started off with the dress, tried going without a wig but could not deal with lolita without bangs so I had to get some... and then to hide the gap I needed to add a hat but it looked silly on its own and i wanted to hide the braid elastics so I added some bows... and then more bows and then more cherries to fit the theme.... and suddently this ended up not being that casual at all.

I realised I cannot do casual lolita at all. Totally failed haha but I think it looks cute. 

This dress is VERY short however. I wish it was at lest a palm longer skirt wise. But I do love the dotts on the straps and Emily Temple Cute Jsks with full back shirring are the best dresses for people my size. I kid you not, totally recommend them. 

Outfit Information:

Hat: Innocent World

Shirt: offbrand (Primark)

JSK: Emily Temple Cute

Necklace: offbrand 

Cherry hair clips: offbrand 

Bunny / Ribbon rings: offbrand (Chocomint)

Cookie brooch: honestly do not remember...

Ivory hairties: BABY, the Stars Shine Bright

Wrist cufs: Alice and the Pirates

Bag: Angelic Pretty

Socks: offbrand 

Shoes: Emily Temple Cute

There's a lot I want to unpack in this photo but I won't, not yet. I will leave you with the lovely Bordallo Pinheiro tea set which I love and matching the ETC vibes perfectly. 

What about you, what have you been doing?

Also please leave your blog/instagram/etc links so I can support and follow you. 

Love always,

Jo

Telling Tales

On the 13th and 14th of February there was an event in the capital city of my neighbour country. So I traveled on the 12th of February to Madrid Spain where the event would therefore take place.
Once I arrived there I contacted my friend Isa who organized the event and she met me soon after. I ate donuts and a taco because there's none of that in my country haha which was kinda odd and we just chatted a lot.

We then walked around in the rain for a while, had lunch at a super cute japanese restaurant and then waited for my roomate to arrive. Yes because I decided to stay with someone I did not even know just because I thought it would be more interesting than being alone.

After I met with Daniela Isa left and we went to explore the flat. Once we arrived we realised it was actually not a flat but just a room and that it had only a double bed which could have been embarassing if either of us had issues with that. haha it was a bit of a shock to be honest but it was fine. I ended up rather liking the room anyway, it was confortable.

A couple of hours later we met Isa for dinner, for amazing Spanish food (at last).
We went around the area for a bit because it was raining a bit less but went back after that, we had to get up early the next day and Isa even earlier. I had a really good time that night.

Saturday 13th of February

We woke up and just got ready for the event. We got ready fairly quick both days but especially that day. Having nothing to wear other than is in one's bag is pretty much what does it get easier and faster, not like I can hesitate and stuff, right? Anyway since I was wearing my "lazy but elegant hairdo" this outfit was really confortable. A shame the dress is so oddly cut, we fought a bit with the straps at some point :P Thanks Daniela for the help!

We finally left and tried getting a place to have breakfast since we had some time... but that did not work out. We ended up going to the hotel where the event was taking place and we found that Merkades and Cristina were both there already and we all ended up having breakfast in the hotel restaurant. It was pretty much the lazy ppl option but I think we did the right thing ahah, it was cold out to boot. At some point Merkades took me to an atm and we met another girl on the way back, she was a bit lost and looked adorable in the Ap university gettup. <3



The event started later than announced but at some point finally we were allowed in. 
The Hotel looked very plain from the outside and even in the first flood but once we went up the stairs we found that it was far cooler there, Fabulous ceillings and this stained glass window area that made me elect it as nº1 spot for photos. I loved it.



First thing I did was get in the vendors room which has a couple of very cool things: Otome Dream, Must, Happy goth, Souffle’s Song, Ania de Oz, Violet Fane & Madame Chocolat anda non-lolita acessory store, Bahban. There was also a small Bring and Buy section. 
Unfortunately I am so bad with shopping that my first priority items were all sold out before I could get to them and I even got excited about something from Soufflesong but I tried it on and it did not fit which is never a good feeling but I still got some very nice things.

Vendors room

Violet Fane

Happy Goth

 
Otome Dream

Bring and Buy + Soufflesong

During the afternoon we also could attend a literary contest event with prizes, there was the fashion show, there was an afternoon tea service with delicious treats and of course a great raffle full of prizes. 

Food! Tea selection, milk, coffee, orange juice, water, sandwiches, donuts, cake variety, fruits selection. 

Everyone looking forward for the raffle prizes, crossing fingers!

And I chatted with a lot of people, took some photos and had fun trying to fit into the group photo. It was a very nice event. 

Ania de Oz

 Last but not least I leave you some photos of the attendees, some of my favorites but not necessarily all of them since I am too shy to ask people to pose for my camera. <3 Everyone looked amazing!

Lovely Maria & Diego

My beloved Cristina who is an amazing lolita and friend

My roomate Daniela who was amazing all weekend.

And because I have no photos of Merkades who was the queen that day (look at that hair acessory!) I will post this one of me, cris and her. <3 

 And this is what I was wearing. My theme was sort of a gothic lolita with spanish influences sort of thing. I was happy one person kinda said that it reminded her of that too because that means someone got it on their end. The cape had been a gift from a spanish lolita that went to the event so I really wanted to incorporate it to an outfit for this weekend. I like how confortable it was and how it looks in the end although the place was dark.

My beloved stained glass photo location. How grand is that?

Can you see the details on the capelet thing? Its see through chiffon ish material with velvet details. It is stunning <3

Other than the shirt from Millefleurs it is all offbrand. Soufflesong dress, the handmade cape, a necklace from china, tights from calzedonia and boots from bordello.

My Telling Tales haul:
-Soufflesong red heart bag
- Spanish lolita community calendar (raffle prize)
- Indrolita skirt (raffle prize)
Violet Fane pen, tights and 3 necklaces. 

After the event we all went "home" to freshen up and then gathered together for dinner at a pizza place and then also a small bar where I had portuguese beer which is amusing. It was a lot of fun! 

Sunday 14th of February
The next day we had to be at a designated place early but we still managed to get there on time despite kinda having to ask around because we were a bit on the lost side. hehe

The Tea Party event was hosted in a japanese pattiserie / restaurant called Panda. Basically we had to sort of pick a menu composed of a hot and a cold drink and two desserts, one of macarons and another one of our choice. I pretty much had matcha everything because of my matcha craze and the food was divine. 

We sat and chatted, ate, wrote valentine notes which was adorable and also took some photos. There was also another raffle in which someone won a fabulous pair of socks I really drooled over hehe. They really had nice prizes!

The lovely valentines notes the girls wrote me. <3 I will always treasure them. 

It was a lot of fun but unfortunately my camera did not take photos very well. Please excuse the quality of the photos.

After this some of the participants had to leave but the rest decided to go to yet another tea house, a place that they kept talking about called Sugar Factory.
When we arrived I understood why, it really was beautiful, like out of another era. It was ridiculously small but the colors and every detail was precious.

We wandered around waiting for a table, took photos, got asked by customers about our clothes and just hanged out. Me and Daniela fell in love with the display cake boxes and ended up buying some, yes, card cake takout boxes, I kid you not!

I was not really hungry but still ordered some Jasmin tea and a spinach tart. I wasn't feeling like having more sweet stuff after having eaten at Panda.

Anyway I wore my newest dress by Angelic Pretty, Chess Emblem. I forgot bloomers and was wearing socks that were too short because the dress is too short as always with Angelic Pretty so it became annoying after a while but I love this dress. 

My outfit: Ap dress and socks, shoes from china, axes femme shirt and triple fortune hat. 

Finally the time for my flight was approaching and I still had to change and pack so some of us left by cab (Merk and Cris gave us a ride in their cab!).
I left with Daniela, stressfully packed everything, said my goodbyes and left to the airport.
I arrived at my place late at night and had to wake up early to go to work the next morning. I was thrilled to kiss my sleeping daughter. I missed her.

And this was my weekend. I really hope I can attend more of these in the future even though it ends up being expensive and stressful. I wish these things would fall right in my holidays but they never do! Everything ends up right in the middle of a work week or some deadline. I am not very lucky in that department.

Hope you liked reading! Love, Jo