Loveless: Meadham Kirchhoff X Amazon.co.uk

For me one of the most exciting design talents on the catwalks at the moment is the dazzling duo of Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff. There's something so enchanting about all their collections, from their super kawaii pastel confectionery of SS12, complete with smiling heart aprons perfect for fairy kei, to the exquisite historically inspired embellishment of SS13 with rows of Rococo-esque bows.
With my fangirling heightened as such, you can imagine my glee when I found out about their exclusive sweatshirt collaboration with Amazon.co.uk and was kindly given a sample for my own wardrobe. Next time I think I'll play up the juxtaposition of the casual and the elegant further with an OTT costume jewellery necklace and maybe take afternoon tea.
Each design within the collaboration, which can be found here, captures a little something of that unique Meadham Kirchhoff magic and sense of joy.

Baroque

One of my favourite recent trends in fashion, both on the catwalks and the high street, is Baroque. It's an opulent trend harking back to a time of grandeur in the history of art.
I was kindly offered the chance to review a piece from Fuse Fashion, an exciting new e-boutique which launched in November. Fuse hosts a lovely range of exciting labels including beautiful plus size and maternity fashion ranges. In the jackets section I loved how the brand Beloved was taking the Baroque trend and creating some gorgeous cropped jackets that were just that extra bit fabulous to make chilly days a bit more special.
I thought the look would be especially lovely combined with lolita fashion, as of course the Japanese street style I so love is itself inspired by historical costume. The details on the jacket from the zips on the sleeves to the little epaulettes on the shoulders are so lovely, but it's the layer of gorgeous lace that really makes this a striking piece- perfect for adding a little luxury to your wardrobe.

Sparkles at Selfridges

Whilst it may have been a SS13 trend presentation I attended at Selfridges in the Bullring, Birmingham last week, this magpie gets easily distracted and there were so many sparkly things in store, showcasing my favourite trend of the season.
Down on the ground floor Paperchase delighted as ever with its cheerful coloured Christmas trees (my little neon pink one is up again this year) and the new range of animal baubles is so full of character you can't help but grin at them.
Then there were the accessories! From Ted Baker to Jimmy Choo and Vivienne Westwood X Melissa to Dune these goodies are sure to dazzle whether you pick out a glitterfied clutch or make like Dorothy and add a sequinned spring to your step.

Ladurée Larks

I had a really wonderful time in London today. Having been invited to the Dune Group press day I arranged to meet up with a lovely friend beforehand and we headed on an adventure to see the BP Portrait Award exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery which offers an intriguing mix of artistic styles. Afterwards we set off in search of scrummy refreshment, and maybe it was my Macaron Towers Bodyline skirt but somehow I felt in the mood for Ladurée!
If I'm honest I've been craving the beautiful Saint-Honoré Rose pastry ever since I first tasted its creamy goodness back in March as it is simply divine, then the roasting weather called for ice tea. Meanwhile my delightful companion opted for a salad which we weren't expecting to come in such a generous portion! She also had a rose milkshake and it was extremely yummy- oh I do love Ladurée! Everything they make is both delectable and oh so photogenic.

Hyper Japan!

I was such an incredibly excited bunny to wake up to the morning of Hyper Japan February 2012. I'd been looking forward to it ever since spying tweets during the last one and hearing how amazing it was! Arriving at the event my curiosity was immediately piqued by so many stands of intriguing things!
The spectacle which is Hyper Japan is a J-Culture event on a huge scale in London and spanned three days from Friday to Sunday with exciting performances and fascinating panels happening each day! Sadly I could only attend on Friday which is a real shame as I missed both the fashion shows and cosplay parades! The next event has been announced for 23rd-25th November and I'm already such an excited bunny looking forward to it!
My afternoon started with modelling in the Sake Awards with other lolitas, which was both fantastic fun and an honour. Hyper Japan is a wonderfully social occasion and it was lovely to have a good chat with fellow blogger Faye, see some lolitas I already knew from the Midlands and North-West communities and meet others from around the country! Everyone was so friendly and I met some really lovely people.
Soon I was off exploring the stalls and frequently having major Hello Kitty geek outs. I bought some really lovely things which deserve a blog post of their own, though the accessories have already been creeping into a lot of outfit posts! I hope you'll enjoy my snapshots of the day and hopefully I will see some of you in November!

Pocky munching was definitely required and the Tofu Cute stand hosted an array of yummy looking treats.

Adorable rings from Two Bad Bananas from jelly babies to flowers.

The opportunity to have a photoshoot in a stuning kimono!

Hard to resist lolita goodness from renowned brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright.

Stickers of an epic nature at Artbox. 

The V&A Kitty and the Bulldog panel discussing the exhibition.

Amazing hair accessories from Now, Voyager.

It was hard to tear myself away from the delights of the Little Mizz Kitty stall of kawaii hair accessories and jewellery.

A lolita art installation by lovely Fine Art Sculpture student Memz.

Roxie Sweetheart cuteness with smiley brand owner Michelle.

It was wonderful to get to see Bunny De Coeur's full gorgeous range in person!

My lovely lolita friend Joanne who designs some amazing clothes at Rocking Horse Fashion.

Moodboard in Pink and Lavender

♥ Luella heart shoes from SS09

♥ Hello Kitty figure- a treat from from the supermarket but also found in toy stores
♥ Bodyline lolita blouse, jumperskirt and bow

♥ A fluffy DIY which is going to become a clip

♥ Gothic Lolita Wigs pink and lavender split

♥ My favourite stickers featuring Hello Kitty ballerinas

♥ More Luella goodness, well they are my dream shoes. ^_^

Pink and lavender are my two all time favourite colours to put together, they just make me so happy! This post full of pretty things is inspired by a new acquisition this week. I spotted one of my Gothic Lolita Wigs wishlist items brand new on a lolita sales page, which I was extremely happy about as I had been disappointed just days earlier to find it had sold out. It's a pink and lavender split and I can't wait to wear it! I've already got many outfit ideas in my head and am planning to wear it to the MCM Expo Manchester event next month, which I'm really looking forward to.
What colours make you happy?

GIVEAWAY: House of the Fickle Queen

One day I received the most wonderful email which put a huge smile on my face, it came from the magical jewellery company  House of the Fickle Queen. Intrigued, I hopped over to their Etsy shop and was immediately enchanted with the delightful items for sale from a laser cut horse drawn carriage necklace to a row of mother and baby ducks on a clip.
From pop culture references to literature such as Alice in Wonderland every piece has a fantastic sense of fun, wit and humour to brighten up any outfit and add some cheer to a day. I also think they're perfect to go with the lolita look and other Japanese street fashions. Some pieces are very much kawaii and others are more gothic in nature.
I'm especially impressed with their laser cut range in a series of whimsical, intricate and very special designs. I was kindly offered the chance to review some pieces and was delighted to receive a box of carefully wrapped treasure.
The very cute duck brooch makes me laugh, as do the sweet little sprawled frogs on the delicate earrings, the octopus clip is in a whole other league of awesome and the Hello Kitty cameo ring is excessively pretty but also substantially made. Then there's my Pegasus necklace which was cut especially in this beautiful light blue colour, there's so much vivacity and life in the silhouette. I'm really impressed with the quality of everything and with prices starting at £1.50 House of the Fickle Queen is reasonably priced with items that make a very lovely treat.


The exciting giveaway part: 
When my gorgeous Pegasus necklace was cut the lovely team at House of the Fickle Queen also cut one more shiny new one which is patiently waiting to wing its way to one of you! The giveaway is open internationally and will close at noon UK time on Monday 28th May, giving you two weeks. There are up to three simple entries to be gained.
1) To enter this giveaway simply leave me a comment on this blog post including the word 'enter' to let me know and make sure to leave me an email address so you can be contacted at if you win.
2) For an additional entry like the House of the Fickle Queen Facebook page.
3) For another optional additional entry follow the House of the Fickle Queen Twitter @_FickleQueen.
However many entries from 1-3 you do be sure to let me know in a comment!