No socks please, we're in our 30s

This self-taken outfit photo using a friend's iphone is so bad that I'm embarrassed to put it up. BUT it is the only photo of my coordi from last Saturday's loli get-together so here it is:

Just a simple summer coordi, really! Meta's Wonder Silhouette OP and a pink cardi with no socks *gasp* The older I get, the more unfond I seem to get of socks paired with a loli coordi...while I do know they're an integral part of a complete loli look, I tend to eschew them in favour of a more mature-centric loli ensemble nowadays. I'm not sure if I can be 40 and still carry off knee socks then, frankly!

For the loli meet, we went to Chris' Tea House, an off-the-beaten track little place situated in the heartlands. It could be they are trying to cultivate a quiet and condusive atmosphere for tea-lovers as no photography was allowed (we only found out this no photos rule when we arrived). No kids under 6 or so allowed too in the cafe! I did like the ambience and decor of the place but not so much on the service which bordered on incompetent for the staff who served us most of the time we were here.

Photos taken from the cafe's Facebook page

As you can see from the pics, it does seem quite inviting and a nice place to chat with friends. A plus point is they have pretty tea-sets and excellent scones. Downside is the no photography rule and bleh service. And I would still visit the place though, probably just not in loli!

Oh and we took our coordi shots in the cafe's bathroom and ONLY in the bathroom as we're a law-abiding bunch of lolis, hurhur.

AATP Adventures in Chinatown

There's this very rundown and shabby textile centre at our local Chinatown. But looks can be deceiving! Despite its rather unsavoury outer appearance, the centre possesses several shops that sell anything from cottons, satins, organzas, silks to novelty fabrics in all sizes, colours and prices.

I went there yesterday to source for something suitable to make a Regency dress for attending the Jane Austen Festival and at one particular shop, my attention was suddenly riveted to a bolt of cloth, with a very familiar print and logo indeed...

Name of the Rose print complete with Alice and the Pirates logo!? Sneaky photo that I took with my hp on the spot.

I was vastly amused to find a well-known lolita brand print in a small little Chinatown textile shop to say the least. The quality of the cloth is actually pretty good and so is the printing so I have a suspicion that this might really actually be the same cloth that AATP used for their Name of the Rose series and not a replica. Furthermore, the shop carried the black/red and black/blue colourways PLUS another AATP print...Alice's Never Voyage print in grey/blue/black! Another print! 

In case anyone is wondering, no I didn't buy any, lol. I might have, if only for the fun of owning an loli print found in a local shop, although after buying, it probably would have just sat around my room. And the cloth doesn't come that cheaply either. It's about US$18-20/metre.

As for copyright issues and brand ownership, they've been discussed to death on the egl comm so I won't go into it. Some people are okay with replicas and some aren't. But if you do decide to wear a replica, just be prepared to accept any criticism or hostile flak that might come your way from doing so.

Amazing what one might discover in one's Chinatown, eh?