Barbie!!

SO sorry about not posting for forever... I FINALLY got a job and started school recently, so I've been pressed for time to do anything on the internet, let alone write a blog post! Now that I have a job though (in case you're wondering, I'm a cashier... nothing too exciting xD ) I can afford the more ridiculous things on my wish list... like cat tights and ridiculous bows :P
Anyhow, I have a tendency to obsess over certain characters, which change every season or so. When I'm obsessing over this character, I'll buy products with them all over it, jewelry that reminds me of them, or maybe even change my blog layout to match my current obsession. Last spring, it was Mickey Mouse. After that, it was My Little Pony. I've had an ongoing unicorn obsession for a while, which doesn't technically count as character obsession but still.
Recently, I've been totally into...

I loved loved LOVED Barbie as a kid. I had a TON of dolls of not just Barbie herself, but all her friends. I remember asking the mall Santas for Barbies EVERY year (did anybody else have parents who made them do that? xD ), despite the fact that I was terrified of those guys as a child... but I braved it anyways to increase my chances of getting a Barbie.
When I fell into my "tomboy" phase, I regrettably threw away all my Barbie merchandise, which I'm pretty depressed about after seeing all the cool Barbie body parts jewelry on Etsy. I think almost every girl went through at least one "Barbie phase," whether they like to admit it or not :P
Recently, with the 80s revivalist movement that's been going on, I've been seeing more vintage-y Barbie items going around. T-shirts with the old-school logo on them, bling with the logo, cameos rings and necklaces with a vintage-style Barbie adorning the frame... Maybe it's been going on for a while and I just haven't noticed it, but for whatever the reason, Barbie seems to be gaining popularity once again!!
It's not just on alternative sites like Etsy or all those "kawaii' jewelry shops either; I've seen these items circulating around Hot Topic and even department stores like Kohls! Here's a list of Barbie-related items, both online and offline, that I've been loving recently:

I got this dream from Pretty Pop Designs a while ago, and I love it!! Unfortunately, it looks like Pretty Pop has closed down, but hopefully they'll re-open again someday!

These hoops and the tee are both from Hot Topic. While I don't really care for the colour of the tee, I just LOVE the image on it!! The hoops are adorable, and they also had a ton of other bling-tastic jewelry featuring the same logo (a couple of necklaces and a few rings, specifically). The only problem here is the price, especially for the quality you get. Personally, I'm going to wait until this fabulous stuff is on sale to snatch it up!

There's a multitude of cameo necklaces like this going around Etsy, but I think this one is my favorite... if only for that super cute dress Barbie is wearing in the picture!!

Like all trends, this Barbie trend might be short-lived, but nonetheless I'm loving it right now!! So, all you Barbie lovers out there stock up on merchandise now, while our favorite blonde is still popular :)

The Time and the Place

There has been a post similar to this at Sniper Nyan's blog- which, I have to admit, I enjoy reading immensely despite her past in the Lolita community), so think of this as an extension to that post, if you will.

I really think a location can make an outfit. I don't necessarily believe it can break it (except in a few cases; ie wearing shiro Lolita to a wedding or OTT sweet to work) but if you think about it, most of the best photoshoots take place in areas that compliment the model and her outfit (though I have to say, shoots where the location purposely contrasts the outfit are very cool too!). Country Lolitas in flower fields, pirate and sailor Lolitas in the middle of the ocean on a boat... it's all very romantic imagery, isn't it? With summer vacation coming up, many people in the US at least will have a lot of time on their hands to go to all sorts of places- meaning lots of locations to dress up to!!

Here's a list of common summer locations and specific dresses or general looks I think would look simply lovely:

The amusement park:

Of course, the first thing that pops to mind is the infamous Sugary Carnival!

In the summer heat, however, I wouldn't recommend going all out with the pastel wigs and brand socks and what not. Rather, I think that the Sugary Carnival skirt with a cute cutsew and possibly bare legs and cutesy sandals or flats would look good. For accessories, I'd say anything goes for rings and nails and such (as I don't believe you'll find yourself doing much manual labor at the amusement park!!) but if you're going to be riding roller coasters, I personally would keep a small headbow. I've personally never worn a HUGE OTT bow to an amusement park before, but I can imagine the wind would blow it off rather quickly. I'm also imagining a cute beret, though again if you're structuring you're hair style around it and don't want to take it on and off for roller coasters I'd say go for something smaller. For hair, I 'd say light curls would be the way to go! I'd personally recommend bringing a parasol if you're going to be doing a lot of walking and waiting in line unless there's plenty of shady places (you wouldn't want to damage your beautiful skin!) or maybe even a fan. Be sure to drink plenty of water and use sunblock!!

The beach:

Isn't it obvious? Sailor Lolita will always be super cute for the beach!!

The OP would look simply darling with a couple of small hair accessories, or if you want to protect your delicate skin maybe a huge, floppy hat (I feel like this would work especially well for more classic-style dresses!!). If you want to walk around near the sea but don't want to burn and feel a hat wouldn't work for you, a parasol is always a good choice (and sunblock, but that's a give ;P). You could break a few rules and pair your OP with white sandals (which I always find to be perfect for summer!). If you want to swim, BABY released some frilly bathing suits a couple years back, but if you can't fit into those or just don't want to drop $150+ on a bathing suit just look around for suits with cute patterns. I recently saw a super cute black and white polka dot bathing suit that was very retro at a local store!!

Ice cream parlor:
Victoria Suzzanne of Lolita Charm recently did a post on the recent trend with super cute pastels that almost resemble ice cream that MILK is doing. In my opinion, these prints and items are simply darling!! They aren't strictly Lolita, sure, but are could easily be coordinated into a Lolita outfit (I would LOVE to use that cardigan in a sort of fairy-kei style Lolita outfit, or that bag, or those earrings...!). And what better place to wear these super-sweet dresses so reminiscent of ice cream than to an ice cream parlor?

Unfortunately, as I'm posting this from school and have rather limited web access I was unable to obtain a better picture of the Bodyline skirt, but if you could see it better I'm sure you would agree it's just perfect for a sweet Lolita to wear to an ice cream shop!! It has all sorts of creamy treats featured in the print near the hem, and the color itself is reminiscent of ice cream. The two MILK pictures are coords I pulled from the website and while the cutsew in the first one might not work too well for Lolita, the accessories certainly would!! Pretty much everything about the second one could easily be incorporated into a Lolita outfit, the the black on the t-shirt makes it say less "ice cream" and more "retro." Still, absolutely adorable nonetheless!! :)
If you want to go a step further, it'd be super cool to even coordinate your ice cream with your outfit! I love all flavors, so I'm totally guilty of doing this- specifically, I've gotten strawberry when I was wearing pink, and mint when I had some mint accessories. I think a group picture of Lolita with the aforementioned Bodyline print, each with a flavor of ice cream that corresponds with the color of the print their wearing, would be simply darling. :)

Of course, there are plenty of other places people could go during the summer- picnics, museums, the city- but I feel this post is long enough as it is so I'm going to cut it here. Perhaps I'll do a part two later, or maybe even something similar to this for other seasons? If you have any ideas for prints/dresses to wear to certain places, please suggest it in the comments!!