Review - Lily of the Valley Designs Custom Sash

Ever since I had the pleasure of meeting the mind behind Lily of the Valley designs, Tyler H, I have been in love with her work! I love her attention to detail, from the bodice design on her recent Mushroom series, to the inordinate amounts of lace she puts on all her accessories. For my upcoming Fleur Antoinette OP I plan to wear to tea soon, I decided to commission a custom sash from her.

Ordering it was easy. There is a custom sash listing on etsy which you just need to buy. Before checking out, make sure to specify which main piece you are coordinating with. That way she will be able to custom make the sash to your coordinate. The sash in total for me was 45 USD, 5 USD for shipping, bringing it in total to 50 USD. 

Timing/Shipping:

I ordered the sash on June 17th, and she sent it out on July 3rd. This was a processing period of approximately 16 days (12 working days). I think this is very reasonable for the quality you receive, as she hand makes each one individually. The sash came in a bubble wrapped package which I think is suitable for the piece.

Communication:

To be honest, it was a bit of a surprise when I saw the shipping notification. I think she has a lot of creative energy and loves to make her creative decisions when making the sash. I did indicate to her which main piece I wanted to coordinate with, and had absolute trust in her so this was ideal for me. For others who may want more communication though, I would shoot a message to her after purchase.

Design:

The sash consists of a rosette that attaches to a wide sash. Both are made of grosgrain ribbon and two types of lace - cotton beige lace for an intricate design to break up the blue ribbon, and a gold metallic trim lace to finish the edges of the sash. The cotton lace has the additional detail of a darker blue ribbon woven through the middle. The flowers are standard craft artificial flowers (likely hydrangeas?) that adorn the rosette. Additional details include the sash being finished with a briolette bead on each side, and a tassel off of the rosette. 

Personally, I could not have asked for more. At first, I was nervous that the sash would not match the dress, but it actually matches up very beautifully so! It reminds me of how members of royalty often have a distinctly colored sash, usually blue. 

Construction:

For the most part, the stitching is very straight. There were some parts where you can see the sewing becoming ever so slightly uneven, however it does not impact the overall design as the thread was carefully matched, and is not noticeable unless you're looking in very closely. There is no puckering of the sash along the seams (the waviness is from the excitement of opening the package and not ironing it yet). The rosette is backed by a piece of felt, with her logo attached to it, as well as a safety pin and a clip. It appears to be glued however is very sturdy. The sash drapes very nicely when pinned together. 

Quality: 

The grosgrain ribbon seems to be on par with other grosgrain ribbon I've purchased in the past from ribbon specialty stores. While it is not soft, the structure allows it to drape across nicely without looking too limp in my opinion.  The cotton lace is quite nice soft and very suitable for the sash. The flowers, as mentioned before, are dyed well and look realistic and not too plasticky.

Overall opinion:

I think for the price, you receive a very well made product with quality materials. The design is beautiful, and you can have the assurance that someone with a background in both lolita and clothing design has put a lot of thought into this. I would highly recommend this to anyone who needs that extra oomph for a special event. For people who want more input on the sash, I would suggest messaging her for in progress pictures during the process. Overall, I am very pleased with what I have, and I cannot wait to wear it out soon!

Innocent World: Plain OP

 I first bought this OP in 2018 ish for its comfort and versatility. It's a very comfortable for casual events, and is easily cleanable to boot! I also love the teal color. I wish Innocent World made more OPs like this these days. 

7/2019

    Outfit rundown:

        OP: Innocent World
        Bag: Victorian Maiden
        Hair clips and socks: offbrand
        Necklace: Handmade
        Shoes: Cobb Hill

Innocent World: Little Dot OP

 I'm not going to lie I look up to Fanny Rosie and yes I did want the OP after seeing her style it in so many ways. I have yet to style it in as numerous ways as she did, but it is an extremely comfy one piece with a simple but beautiful lace collar that evokes some 1970s dress collars. 

4/7/2019:

    OP: Innocent World
    Jacket and Beret: Mary Magdalene
    Brooches: vintage and peppermint fox
    Tights: offbrand
    Shoes: Hotter

Innocent World: Georges Rose JSK

 One of my favorite releases from Innocent World, Georges Rose features a border floral print that runs down in stripes. While the bodice is not my favorite, I love the lace on the bottom!

3/2019:

    Jacket and beret: Mary Magdalene
    JSK and socks: Innocent World   
    Blouse: offbrand (vintage from taobao)
    Purse: Vintage
    Shoes: Cobb Hill

3/03/19 - A case study in what happens when you wear a single layer in subzero weather. Oh, and we cooked squid too.

Winter continues into spring, and puts me in the mood for wool. However, I probably overstepped my confidence into my tiny wool JSK.

Continuing my affinity for wool, I chose this simple Tweed Rose JSK by Mary Magdalene to wear today. It is quite clearly an older dress, as it showcases a shorter skirt and less room for a petticoat. I paired this with a lacy chiffon blouse from the same brand, and doubled up on 'sweater stockings' and knit OTK socks by Innocent World.

The chignon was from a video tutorial by Fanny Rosie, and paired well with the Victorian Maiden floral corsages. A fox holding a book by Mulberry Chronicles seemed like the logical brooch to add, mostly to showcase my surprise that animals even survived the -65 windchill weather from three weeks ago.

Being cold was an understatement for posing in sub zero weather.

While the tweed JSK was a smart choice, the blouse was much less so. After approximately three seconds, it did nothing but blow cold air into my arms. Pretty soon I couldn't feel anything. And then after 3 or so minutes I couldn't breathe.

Never again.

Afterwards, we went for some obligatory Pokemon Go raiding. I wish I had taken a picture but at one point there were a group of us standing in the middle of little used park, stamping our feet in foot deep snow, trying to catch a Pokemon. It was absurdity.

That night however went somewhat better and more thought out. We had bought some squid tubes from the fishmonger (in the Midwest, I know right?) the other day, and I had wanted to attempt ikameshi, or squid filled with sweet rice. We followed a Cooking with Dog (rest in peace Francis) recipe.

Here is the squid before we cooked it.

And here it is, all cooked!

While some rice spilled out after cooking, the squid was surprisingly intact, and delicious. While it definitely could use improvement, I feel that it would be a great bento box addition! The recipe link is both above and here if you want to try it.

What sort of lengths have you gone to to get nice pictures?

3/2/2019 - It's still snowing, what else is new

Today, instead of complaining about the snow like I usually do, I decided to make the most of it by wearing one of my many Mary Magdalene wool pieces.

This particular tartan piece has more of a December feel, but honestly it still feels that way with temperatures still hovering slightly above 0 F (-17.7 C for the sensible countries).

I also love the grommets in the back. While most pieces don't need this detail, it makes the lacing a lot sturdier, and gives me confidence it won't split during my brunch binge!

I also wore an Axes Femme cutsew, and after a lot of trying hats on, decided to go with a simple rosette (also by Mary Magdalene) instead. The Peppermint Fox pieces were a nice addition, if not a bit out of season as everything is dead outside and thus she can't actually go out collecting mushrooms.

We went to brunch at the Boiler Room, a nice little cozy joint in downtown, located in a downstairs basement. I resisted the whole gimmick of making my own Bloody Mary and had some coffee instead. It was all right, a little burnt but I got free refills which was greatly appreciated.

My boyfriend decided to not be square and get a stroganoff. Since I love conformity with brunch norms, I got a crabcake hollandaise, a spin on the classic eggs hollandaise.

Yes, that was 16 USD, plus tax and tip.

My boyfriend got a much more generous serving of pasta for the same price, probably because it costs less than crabcake.

Overall, it was a decent meal. Despite my gripes about the size of my serving, it was quite filling. I still think it's overpriced for what it was. The crabcake was a little tough and dry, and the sauce was quite cheese heavy. I did not taste the stroganoff, but my boyfriend called it "a good balance of meat and starch. It could have used more mushrooms." All in all, I'd give the place 4/5 for atmosphere, 3.5/5 for food. As a new American place and as brunch place, I've had much better food. But it does have a 'quiet noisy' atmosphere, clean tables, and even in our small high table, we felt at ease and relatively secluded in the place.

Afterwards, we went playing Pokemon Go with a few other familiar faces. For those of you living under a bigger rock than me, Pokemon Go is a mobile game based off the wildly popular franchise. Their gimmick is attaching pokemon, gyms, and even legendary pokemon battles to landmarks. I've learned a lot about my city this way, and I actually have become much better at navigating!

I tend to have very low key weekends. I wake up quite late to begin with, and lolita can sometimes take a while to get into. But I think the most important thing is to be relaxed and have fun, especially if you have tough weekdays! What are your weekend days like?

Innocent World: Ribbon Bouquet Skirt

 I've actually found this to be one of my most versatile skirts - I need to wear this more often! I often also wear it without a petticoat as well. The skirt features beautiful burgundy lace and tiny floral bouquets that work surprisingly well. 

2/2019:

    Coordinate rundown:

        Skirt: Innocent World
        Blouse: offbrand (taobao)
        Cape: Jewelry in Sunrise
        Hairclip: offbrand
        Tights: Sakizo original print
        Shoes: Fluevog

Innocent World: Innocent Rose Gather Flared JSK

 I actually have this in two colors but only wore this in one color so far. Sometimes I debate if I want to sell one of the JSKs, but it is pretty hard to as it is actually quite flattering and is cotton lined with poly, something that Innocent World doesn't do much these days. The bouquets are also quite detailed and intricate. 

    Outfit rundown:

        JSK and Bolero: Innocent World
        Blouse: Taobao
        Brooch and hat: vintage
        Tights: offbrand (likely TJ Maxx lol)
        Boots: Cobb Hill

Boat Neck Tuck Flare OP

 A versatile one piece made with a dotted textured fabric and subtle lace. A nice twist on the usual boat neck dress. I actually use this dress quite a bit with all my Kiki cosplay lol. 

1/2019:

    OP and socks: Innocent World
    Jacket and beret: Mary Magdalene
    Purse, brooch, scarf: vintage/thrifted
    Boots: Cobb Hill

10/2018:

    

    OP and headbow: Innocent World
    Shoes, tights: offbrand

Juliette et Justine: Le Premier Cri de Prophête JSK

 Ah, the infamous "Dragon Chan" dress. I first saw it on someone from a tea party in Europe I believe? It was gorgeous in the photos, and I was hooked since. After all it is a freakin' dress with dragons.

When Juliette et Justine released this dress I leapt upon the opportunity to get it. 

While I hear that the dress's print quality is not quite as sharp as the original, I still am in love with the gold stamping on velvet, something brands do so rarely nowadays. 

1/2019:

    JSK: Juliette et Justine
    Blouse: Krad Lanrete
    Headdress: handmade flowers strung on a lace ribbon
    Necklaces: handmade and vintage
    Socks: Modcloth
    Shoes: Fluevog