Panels and Petticoats: My First Convention

The weekend before last, I finally went to my first convention, and it was a great experience for me. I really enjoyed spending time with my friends. The cosplayers I met were lovely. The people who asked me for pictures were very polite about it. The panels I attended were (for the most part) full of respectful people; two of them were worth mentioning specifically.

On Saturday morning, I attended a panel on the use of classical music in anime which was hosted by two professors. The chat before the panel was focused mostly on word usage and other nerdy things, and the panel was basically an overview of the use of classical music in anime and the composers who wrote the music in question.

The very last panel I attended was on Revolutionary Girl Utena (which, as you will remember, I am rather a fan of). It wasn’t so much a panel as it was a guided discussion of the series attended primarily by people who had a great deal of passion for the series. I got along very well with everyone there and it was a delightful close to the convention.

And, since this is a fashion blog first and foremost, I've got clothes to show you.

Saturday's Outfit

My outfit for Saturday was the first chance I’ve gotten to wear this lovely little retro dress from Rock Steady. It’s not really Lolita, but it’s certainly loliable. This outfit was definitely on the casual side and very comfortable. I fully plan to wear it again when I get the chance.

 

My only real disappointment with this outfit was that I couldn’t find a straw hat that looked right on my large head and didn’t have time to make a beret. My head, as a result, looked rather underdressed. The bow, while large and well-matched to the bow on my dress, just isn’t enough for my taste. Other than that, though, I’m pleased with how this outfit turned out.

  

Outfit Rundown:

Dress: Rock Steady
Petticoat: Malco Modes 580 (two worn)
Purse: Ebay
Cardigan: Candie's (purchased from Kohl's)
Hair bow: Claire's
Bracelet: Claire's
Brooch: Vintage
Shoes: Vintage
Tights: Kohl's

This also made me look rather like a shoujo manga heroine. As a result, here is a picture of me as a pining manga heroine.

 Sunday's Outfit

Sunday was the Lolita panel, so I turned my frills up. Unfortunately, I’ve lost a fair bit of weight since the end of last year so my corset of choice didn’t fit properly. I ended up having to wear a crappy cheapo corset from Ebay which looked nice but was not particularly sturdy.

The hair clips (sorry for blurry photo) are mostly from Claire’s. The bird, though, was a fun last minute addition. I had a tiny crown floating around, and then happened to find a set of doves on clearance at the craft store. A little glue and an alligator clip later and I had a tiny dove prince. There are two doves left in the pack, so I am considering doing a few more little bird clips.

This ring was a lucky find at a shopping trip a few weeks back, and was actually the piece that inspired the entire outfit. This picture doesn’t really do it justice, but my camera isn’t good enough to show the details. It’s intricate and downright imperial in person.

These shoes. I need to take a moment to talk about these shoes. My old Mary Janes died last summer and I have been searching for a replacement pair for a while. These are oil-proof, non-skid work shoes, but they are the most comfortable thing I’ve worn in a really long time.

And I broke out my vintage jewelry for this outfit. I have a lot of pearl jewelry, so it was actually kind of hard to decide which jewelry to wear.

Outfit Rundown:

Blouse: Worthington (purchased secondhand)
Corset: Ebay
Skirt: Princess Pearl Designs (purchased secondhand)
Underskirts: Vintage
Petticoat: Malco Modes 580 (two worn)
Shoes: Payless
Tights: Kohl's
Lace headband: Claire's
Hair flowers: Claire's
Bird hair clip: Homemade
Bracelet: Vintage
Pearl drop earrings: Vintage
Rose earrings: Claire's
Cameo ring: Charming Charlie's

Lone Lolita Meets Panel

Of course, one of the highlights of the convention for me was attending the Lolita panel hosted by the moderators of the local community. It was a very basic overview of the style, so it wasn't particularly new information for me. However, it was fun to see people who want to get into the fashion asking questions and getting genuinely excited about the style.

I chatted with a mother and daughter pair before the panel actually started. We chatted about how I got into Lolita and about the mother's worries about the name. The mother actually stopped me a bit later to thank me and to mention that her daughter had decided to get into the fashion. I was proud to be a part of that.

After the panel was done, I took a moment to chat with the other Lolitas present and take pictures with a few of them.

As you can see, black and gold was a popular color combination that day.

All in all, it was nice to finally meet people involved in Lolita, and even better to spend a weekend with my friends.