Country Lolita, Old School: Looking Back at Some Basics

The egl livejournal community's monthly theme for January is "old school," which means looking back on lolita's earlier periods as a fashion (late 80s through the early 2000s) and revisiting some of the aesthetics and trends popular way back when. I thought this would be a great opportunity to look back on country lolita (back when it was more about coordinating sweet lolita a certain way than its own little subset). As I looked at old Gothic and Lolita Bible pics, Kera snaps and brand ads, I made a few notes about the recurring themes and elements within the outfits. Here we go, *cues Dr. Who theme music*:

Click on the image to see the larger version.

1. Frizzy Hair and Pigtails, especially with curls or bangs. Pigtails are a very casual hairstyle, but very cute overall. They can be worn plain or poofed up/frizzy or in ringlets or braided with flowers or berries in them. Even wear them in "Gretel" style like the Angelic Pretty model in 4th image in.

2. Straw Bags, Totes, Picnic Baskets, Boaters, Mini-Hats and Bonnets are the most common ways of accessorizing a country outfit even today, but the straw bonnet and mini-hat seem to be the chosen accessories of yesteryear. These were decorated particularly with small flowers or berries, and might fasten on the head with pins or with neck-ties. A straw/wicker bag or basket really completes the look.

3. Gingham, Berries, and Pastoral Pastel Florals are the prints of choice. Popular berries are strawberries and cherries, popular ginghams are red, blue and pink. The "old school" dresses are mostly puffy sleeved with bell-sleeve extensions and front ribbon "corset" detail, not to mention a LOT of lace, ribbons and even embroidered appliques as seen in image 3.

4. Grab Your Parasol and Capelet, but Let Your Legs Hang Out because bare knees and calves are common in the country stylings of yesteryear and in the country subset of classic/sweet lolita today. Since the aesthetic conveys the sense of being outdoors, elegant stockings with lacey motifs don't quite fit. The most common socks worn (as seen in many of the examples) are plain white knee socks and ankle socks--often decked out in little crocheted and embroidered berries, keeping with the outdoorsy motif. The most common shoes back then? Red, white or pink platform mary janes, usually that lace up the leg partway or that have one small strap at the ankle. I didn't see a lot of "country" examples rocking the black platform mary janes that were popular back then, nor did I see any boots which I personally like with country loli.

5. Neutral Make-up Palette with a Rosey Cheek is your weapon of choice, as seen in image 8 on the second row. A nice rosey blush on the apples of your cheeks fits in with the idea of being outdoors, as opposed to the pale, porcelain make-up of other lolita styles. But contrary to the sometimes very made-up look of today's sweet lolita, country make-up has remained neutral--minimal eye makeup, blush, and light-hued glossy lips are pretty much all that's needed. Your main color palette should be browns,pinks, light pastels and soft sunny gold tones--maybe a kiss of berry red.

Thanks for joining me in a walk down memory lane. I made up a little coordinate inspired by old-school country style in honor of this little time trip (Below the cut):
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Straw mini-hat and basket, muted pastel florals, white knee socks with white mary janes, front corseting on the skirt, long poofy sleeves, minimal makeup, pink lips, rosey cheeks and frizzy, curly hair with bangs (you can't really see in the photo too well, but my hair is falling in loose, wavy ringlets). Plus my trusty parasol of course ;-)

Monday at The Movies: "The Seventh Seal"

Since I found the dvd of this Ingmar Bergman film at my local library the other day while browsing, I thought it would make a nice break from the princess-y movies I've discussed lately to talk a little bit about one of my favorite films of all time: The Seventh Seal (in Swedish: Sjunde Inseglet), starring Max von Sydow of later Exorcist fame. Seventh Seal is considered one of the masterpieces of modern cinema. Premiering in 1957 in Sweden and quickly rising to popularity across global cinema, the scenes of this extraordinary tale blend Medieval allegory with modern existentialist dilemmas about faith, life, and more importantly, death. Indeed, Death is himself personified in the film and is one of the main characters. Similar to Faust, this is a perfect film for those interested in Gothic and allegorical motifs, but if you are a lover of film in general, I would urge you to see this movie. It is a triumph.

Note: Some images taken from this fan site for the film.
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Iconic scene: Antonius Block plays chess with Death.

Because of the vast amount of critical material regarding this film, I'm only going to briefly synopsize and save you the elaborate commentary: The story follows Antonius Block, a knight who decides to try and cheat Death by playing him in a chess game for his life. Block does not fear Death, but he wants to know whether or not there is something after, if the Paradise promised him for his Crusades is real or not. Traveling with him is his more worldly squire, Jöns, whose way of getting around the death surrounding them (the story is set during the middle of the Bubonic Plague) seems to be through hedonistic pleasures (drinking, brawling and women). Along their travels they encounter a troupe of Medieval players (a manager, an actor and actress, and the latter two's young son), and Jöns "rescues" a young maiden from certain peril (I put the "rescue" in parentheses due to the fact that he acts quite like he owns her afterward--more happy in his vengeance against her attacker--an old rival--than in her newfound safety). Images of life and abundance--visions of the Holy Mother, theatre and merriment, sex and leisure--are constantly being juxtaposed with the bleak reality of ever-present death. His figure appears literally, in Medieval artwork, in the faces of those killed by the plague, and in the horrifying pageantry of the Flagellants (a fanatical religious movement whose members would whip and torture themselves in contrition, seeing the plague as punishment from God):

The Flagellants arrive with the promise of Death to all sinners.

I won't give away anymore about the film or the characters since I'd like you all to go and see it for yourselves, but I will discuss the history of the famous motif--the Dance of Death--used in the Seventh Seal. The film has made this motif and that of the knight playing chess with Death well-known (so much so that Bill and Ted engage in the same chess game in their Bogus Journey). The Dance of Death in Medieval art depicted a personified Death leading a troupe of dancers from all ages and walks of life (a king, a monk, a peasant, a child, etc.), symbolizing Death's ultimate power to end any person's life at any time regardless of their youth, wealth or spirituality. This certainly fits well with modern existentialist views of the irrational man and chaos that Bergman explores throughout the film. Here is the Dance of Death in the film and its Medieval counterpart, a nice juxtaposition of modern and antique media:

Former: Dance of Death in The Seventh Seal, Latter: Dance of Death from a Medieval cathedral in Tallin, Estonia.

Hope you enjoyed this little homage to a modern classic, and if you like this film I recommend seeing some of Bergman's other works (I ADORE his Magic Flute, as one suggestion).

tata,
beatrix

"If it were up to you" meme from EGL

Lolita meme time! Keep in mind these are my own personal preferences as to what I would/would not wear (you might hate some of the ones I like and love the ones I hate, lol). This is just for fun! ❥

If it were up to you, what trend would you:

1. Perpetuate forever: Rectangular headdresses. I just love them and the nostalgia of wearing them. I don't even pay attention to the "maxi pad" comments.

2. Kill off immediately: Leopard/zebra/any "see it on a Safari" animal print. Don't care if it's in style, I think it looks ridiculous. I would never wear a faux print of an animal whose fur is never worn (legally) in real life--I like faux fox, rabbit, mink and ermine fur, for example, because they have been worn quite frequently historically. Zebra and leopard not so much methinks.

3. Raise like a zombie: Bare legs with lolita. As long as the skirt is long enough or it's appropriate, I say go for it. It's one of the reasons I love country loli so much XD

4. Dance on the grave of: OTT sweet prints of pastries and cakes. I like fruits and berries, but all of these ice cream macaron parfait puppy jsks are WAY too much for me--I like simple prints moreso than the ones that appear to have been attacked by the patisserie.

5. Jump on in a heartbeat: Calico print prairie-style dresses in lolita! This huge gunne sax fan would have a field day (no pun intended).

tata,
beatrixx

Monday at the Movies: Disney's "Tangled"

I'm keeping this review as spoiler-free as possible for those of you who haven't had the chance to see Tangled yet, promise. Now, when I first heard about Disney's working on a Rapunzel film, I was actually pretty shocked. You see, I'm a firm believer that there are just a number of fairytales which are simply not Disney-able. Of my top-two of those, first is Bluebeard and second is Rapunzel. I mean, seriously, go read the actual fairytale--it's crazy, starting with two peasants stealing radishes (rampion, from which Rapunzel is named) from a witch next door, and ending up with Rapunzel pregnant with twins in the desert after having been taking advantage of by a prince who eventually finds his way back to her over many years, blind. Reading it, I just couldn't imagine how the folks at Disney were going to handle this amount of crazy. But to my pleasant surprise, their adaptation is quite successful.

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First, the stolen radish becomes a magic golden flower with the power to grant eternal youth and heal, and Rapunzel is born a princess who is stolen because of her magic hair by Mother Gothel. This, and the prince is now a rogue thief by the name of Flynn Rider. I won't give away anymore for those who haven't seen the movie, but I will say that I am VERY impressed with this adaptation. I loved Princess and the Frog, but this was even better in my opinion.

Now, before I can go into the film itself, I have to talk about the marketing of Tangled. First, as you'll obviously notice, the title of the film is not Rapunzel, and there's a very specific reason for that: Princess and the Frog was successful, but not as much as Disney had hoped, and this was due in majority to its being marketed to audiences as a princess (read: for little girls, melodramatic romance) movie. The androgynous title combined with the focus on humorous/action scenes and the male lead over the female in most trailers led to Tangled's marked box office success (hey, it outsold DEATHLY HALLOWS at one point!). I can vouch for this--when I saw the film, there were fathers with their sons who went to it all by themselves, not with their sisters. This movie successfully reaches all genders, as well all ages--Disney got the coveted 15 and up age range via some amazing youtube promo campaigns, including one making use of the infamous Double Rainbow viral video. If you'd like to learn more about the marketing campaign, I'd suggest watching Nolstagia Chick's newest vid about it.

On to the movie characters!

Rapunzel is voiced by one of my favorite singer-turned-actresses, Mandy Moore, who does an excellent job of getting into her character vocally. A lot of people might be put off at the idea of a well-known pop-star/actress like Moore playing her, but I've always loved Mandy Moore as an actress (Saved, Walk to Remember, and yeah, even American Dreamz). The other Disney movie musical with a famous actress playing the lead female role that I can remember is Hunchback with Demi Moore, but she never sang her own part. Mandy Moore does all of the singing, and with Alan Menken working on the songs (which are catchy without being overly cheesy) this all adds up to awesome. In addition to sporting Moore's spunky, enthusiastic voice, Rapunzel's character is a welcome departure from past Disney princesses in that she can defend herself (and does, frequently, with her handy dandy frying pan XD) and really isn't out looking for love--she's seeking out the world and trying to put together the puzzle of her identity. She's trapped in a tower, yes, but she's well-educated, skilled, and quite independent. Tiana was very similar, but there was still a lot of pointless debate about whether or not her character was empowering. With Rapunzel--the Disney canon version--I feel no such debate is warranted. If you see the film, you'll be more than likely to agree. Oh, and her animal companion? A super cute chameleon named Pascal--looks like the reptile animal bff continues (PatF's animal companions include a firefly and an alligator, and Mulan had a dragon and a crickett).


Here comes the smolder.

Flynn Rider is a roguish thief on-the-run who becomes entangled (no pun intended) in Rapunzel's world. He is voiced by Zachary Levi of Chuck fame, who does an excellent job and, holy crap, I had absolutely no idea he could sing. But he does, quite well actually! I really enjoyed Flynn's character, and I'll say one thing for Disney--leaving his past open was a crucial step in preserving the intrigue and drama of the story, and Disney played their cards right here. Rider is a bit of a Han Solo/Indiana Jones type male lead: he's too sure of himself, and is cocky, but not in an offput-ish way. He's a lovable anti-hero, similar in many ways to Aladdin (who was probably the last Disney male to be as appealing to young boys, including Levi, Flynn's voice actor!). Interesting fact: to get the right amount of "smolder" and good looks for Flynn Rider's appearance, the animation crew gathered all the female Disney employees in the studio and had them go through pictures of hot guys and pick out the sexiest features. No joke, and I think they did a really great job! Thanks, ladies!


Mother Gothel is voiced by Donna Murphy and is a fabulous villain, very much like Frollo from Hunchback (consequently also about a dark adoptive parent figure who locks their "child" in a tower). We aren't sure if she really loves Rapunzel or is just using her, and she throws us because of this. She isn't one-dimensional or as predictable as some of the run-of-the-mill evil-for-evil's-sake villains.

I can't really say anymore without giving it all away, but I can tell you that you should see this movie: The animation and visuals are breathtaking, the story is well-written, and the music stunning. It's perfect Disney magic, and you'll get a new favorite Disney princess out of it. The last time I remember this much thought and effort being put into a Disney princess film, it was Sleeping Beauty. And coming from the biggest fan of that film, that's saying a lot. To paraphrase Rapunzel, best. movie. EVER.

Happy New Year and a Look Back

Since I started Smoldering-Rose last New Year's, this marks its one year anniversary! It's time then to look back on my first resolutions and to make some new ones.

Here it goes---last year's resolutions:

• Plant a garden - I actually kind of did this with mother! It died though :-( I grew salmon pink geraniums, just like Loveday in The Little White Horse.
  

• Go to college - I graduated from college, lol.
  

• Write a novel - Nope. Keep working on it I guess. I did write a 50 page thesis on United States national personifications (Columbia, Brother Johnathan, Uncle Sam, Alfred Jones--just kidding about the last one :-D), but critical writing isn't creative writing for the most part. Guess I'm cursed to be the reviewer never the author XD
  

• Lose fifteen pounds - I actually think I lost about twenty pounds, thanks in part to being incredibly ill this holiday season and not eating all the fatty holiday food. But I did workout 5 times a week or more, so that probably helped. I have the slowest metabolism of anyone in my family thanks in part to the meds I have to take daily since age,like, 9, so I'm there working out while Mom sits and eats french fries. It sucks :-(
  

• Finish the whatsitcalled book series - On Harry Potter, book 4. Getting there. I read them out loud to my cat, actually, cause I'm weird like that. He likes Harry Potter though. I read a lot of other books too, though, which I'm quite proud of. Put down the periodical, pick up the novel!
  

And now that that's settled, on to my resolutions for this year. This year was doozey and I've had a lot of hard times, but some good ones too, so all those experiences factor in here:

• Get a local job: This one isn't here for lack of trying. I live with my mother in a VERY VERY small town right now and it's just not happening in the job market. I'm looking at finding a part-time job in the nearby city now. But I haven't had a real income (read: non-discretionary) in almost a year, and with the mounting living costs also considered, I've kind of quit on lolita fashion recently. Hence lack-o-photo posts. In fact, most of the photo posts have been a bit older and don't even reflect what I look like anymore O_o
• Get into Grad School: I've applied, got my recommendations in, and GRE-ed up, and I will find out soon. Needless to say if I don't get in, it's not going to be a very happy new year. I'm extremely hopeful though that it will go well, since I've worked very hard and have been very dedicated.
  
• Go Shopping!: Something I will only get to do if the first two bullets are accomplished, but I'd love to go out and shop a little like I used to ages ago before all my personal and familial financial issues. I've definitely never had a "name of store" hoard post XD But mostly, I'd love to be able to shop for others, not myself. It sucks to constantly be on the receiving end of gifts (feels like a charity case sometimes), and I would like to be able to give back to those I care for this year. Dream purchase: IW Annette JSK.
  
• Blog More: I want to update more regularly and add more content, both here and on my tumblr account. I craft all the time now and plan on showcasing that from now on. I have some hot links and cool projects to share soon enough :-D
• More lolita/otome-related stuff: both online on the blog and offline in my personal life. I still have plenty of time to think up loli-related crafts, literature/movie recommendations, and decorating ideas, but I'd really like to get back to fashion. Just depends a lot on my income. Grr, income issues..............
  

There it is, Happy New Year!
Tomorrow I'll have nice review of Disney's Tangled up for everybody.

Yuletide Greetings and an Update

Sorry for the delays in updates, everyone! I am finally done with the GRE and the holidays et al and should hopefully be back to blogging more often. I do have a tumblr account now for those of you also sucked into the tumblr world, lol. My tumblr blog is called Maiden in the Fire. It's just a little something for pictures/vid/quotes.

I'm working on a review of Disney's Tangled for Monday, Jan 3 (Happy New Year for those on the Jan-Dec calendar), since I was fortunate enough to have a get-together with one of my dear fellow Disney Princess addicts from college (she's actually Women's Studies too, not just English/Art Hist/Hist like me, so we're all types lol). We saw the movie and even had a little Disney Princess themed brunch. It was the one break I got from the craziness of the GRE XD

Monday at the Movies: "Faust" 1926

This week's feature is actually in the public domain, so you can watch it online for free. Perfect for the dark and spooky aura of Halloween, this week's film is the 1926 German expressionist silent masterpiece Faust from director F.W. Murnau. Murnau is famous for another spooktacular film, Nosferatu, but since it's well-known I thought I'd discuss Faust instead.

As many of you may know, the legend of Faust is very old. In Elizabethan England, Christopher Marlowe wrote a darkly comic play based on the legend. However, as Murnau is German, it makes sense that he uses Goethe's Faust in his adaptation. In the story, a good doctor named Faust finds himself the subject of a bet between the powers of light and dark. The devil (called Mephisto) is after his soul and grants him all his worldly desires: fame, youth, power, and all the women in the world. But when Faust lusts after an innocent young maid named Gretchen, he begins to see the error of his ways.

The faces of Mephisto

The film itself is super-innovative for its time period and pioneered techniques filmmakers still use today. The plot is well-written and visually captivating, so even those not used to silent films will probably enjoy this. One of my favorite films of all time!

Just look at some of these stills--this film is most certainly a work of art! Top, Gretchen gazes into Faust's eyes; Bottom, The Archangel rebukes Mephisto.

Oh, and a little adviso: the soundtrack has been re-done and re-recorded (several times I believe), so don't be surprised if you find a version with modern, electronic style accompaniment. The linked version I've provided has said music, but you'll also find earlier orchestral recordings out and about. I actually enjoyed the dark style of the modern music with the expressionist style of the film.

Notice: yes, I had to backpost this because I had a lot to do the last few days. I visited the campus of the grad school I've applied to and was in Louisville with family, so my blog took a secondary position. I'll probably be on a hiatus soon while I focus on the GRE, but I certainly will continue the blog as soon as I'm all finished with the crazy studyfest :-)