Wednesday, July 23, 2025

The Oldest Jane Marple Items on Lolibrary

 Hello!

    Today's post is going to be about the earliest Jane Marple items on Lolibrary! Lolibrary is a lolita fashion database. It's goal is to be an archive of every lolita fashion brand that has ever been, and every lolita fashion item that has ever existed. Due to this noble and far-reaching goal, it's not hard to imagine all the rare, old, and unique items that can be found in this extensive archive!

    My favorite long-standing lolita brand is Jane Marple - and they were founded in 1985 (which makes this year, 2025, their 40th anniversary, yay!). Though the brand was founded in 1985, the earliest items from Jane Marple on Lolibrary are listed un-specifically as "1985-1988"! It makes me wonder if the pre-1988 items are super hard to find! I wonder if they're archived elsewhere.. :thinking-emoji: (Spoiler: during the making of this post I was able to find an incredible blog that archives J-fashion magazines, check it out here: https://www.tumblr.com/ghostlieangel )

There are 6 items from 1988 on Lolibrary! Here they are:

ITEM 1:

"Bustier and Skirt" (Official name unknown)

It comes up in the search under the year 1988, but the year is listed as "between the year 1985 and 1988"

The details of this set: it's red with black piping, the skirt has 3 tiers (I wonder why the bottom tier is not piped with black?), the top is a corset top, which laces up the back.

The skirt is high waisted, and the bustier buttons up the front.








ITEM 2:

(Excuse the extremely crunchy quality of this image, this is from the Lolibrary listing and it's likely one of the only images of this item that exists.)

"Tartan Suit" (Official name unknown)

Skirt and jacket set. 

Released between 1985 and 1989.

The details of the set: It is a skirt and jacket, both with a red and black (?) tartan/plaid pattern. There is an influence from Vivian Westwood here with the velveteen black lapels. 



ITEM 3:

"Skirt" (Official name unknown? No official name?)

Released in 1988.

This item is an ivory-colored floral skirt. The floral pattern appears 3 dimensional? As if the flower pattern is sewn/stitched on. The skirt is poofy in an A-line shape, which foreshadows the typical lolita fashion silhouette. There is a frill around the bottom of the skirt that resembles a petticoat peeking out of the bottom of the skirt.

Fun fact about this skirt: it was featured in Lemon, a fashion magazine! That's probably why it has an official release date, based on the magazine's release date!









Here is an example of Lemon's most recent issue vs the page the Jane Marple skirt is on (credit to ghostlieangel on tumblr for the vintage Lemon scan)(I wonder if any of the other items on these pages are Jane Marple? Or if not, what brands are they from? They're all so cute..):



ITEM 4 & 5:

In this image there are two items which have listings on Lolibrary: the skirt, similar to the skirt above this one, just listed as "Skirt," and a blouse, similarly listed as "Blouse."

Both items were also featured in the 1988 issue of Lemon (and can be seen in the vintage Lemon scan featured in item 3's explanation)!

The blouse is has short puff sleeves and a peter pan collar. It is described as "Black x Offwhite" on Lolibrary, though it looks bright white to me .. :thinking-emoji:

The skirt seems to be pleated. It has both stripes and polka dots. It high waisted, and the hem is just above the knee.

Fun fact: It's hard for me to find polka dotted pieces that I like. I find polka dots to be tacky and childish, sorry! Especially when they're so big and high-contrast like this. 

I do really enjoy the cohesion of this entire outfit though. It seems that the blouse, skirt, socks, and scarf tied to the purse are all of the same pattern? Call me a stereotypical lolita the way I love perfect coordination! 




ITEM 6:

Similar to the blouse above, this blouse is just listed as "Blouse" in Lolibrary.

Released in 1988.

Item details: Short sleeved blouse in the color offwhite, with a detachable bow.

This blouse is quite plain, being a solid color and not having any frills. It reads as preppy to me! The signature cuts of Jane Marple pieces can be seen here which I think is so cool - the simple, clean aesthetic reminds me of their recent 2025 collection "Victorian Lace" (example below).

    And so, that's all the 1985-1988 Jane Marple pieces on Lolibrary! I had so much fun making this post, I feel like a historian~! Connecting the Lolibrary posts to the magazines they come from, and connecting the style of a 1988 JM piece to a 2025 JM piece were both so exciting! I want to do more research-y posts like this in the future!
    
    Looking at Lemon for this post reminded me - I recently purchased a subscription to a physical magazine as well! Though I don't particularly care about celebrities or trends, I've always loved fashion, physical media, reading, and now I'm a professional illustrator and graphic designer, so getting a fashion magazine in the mail each month is going to be so super fun!! Here is the first one I got:







(Kind of obsessed with the green dress ^)

    That's all for now! Till next time~

7.23.25

Friday, July 4, 2025

Short Sleeved White Blouse Fever

 Hello~!    

    Over the past few weeks by God...it's been summer in the south. Every day is between 85 and 100 degrees. Which doesn't bother me as much as it bothers some - I love the sun and I love being warm. However, with the season being so warm, of course dressing in an appropriate and comfortable way is priority! But!! I don't own any short sleeved lolita blouses!!!

    In this post, I'm going to go into super detail about a specific item I am seeking out to add to my wardrobe. The item is: a short sleeved white blouse! I have worn lolita a few times this summer, and every time I make a coordinate I find myself wishing I had a short sleefed white blouse! So it's obviously something I would wear often. So I want to look into what's out there - that way I can see what I like and don't like, and what I should expect to pay for it!

Blouse 1

https://egl.circlly.com/auctions/btssb-heart-lace-white-blouse. Lolibrary reference link: https://lolibrary.org/items/btssb-baby-doll-blouse-with-removable-sleeves-2012

This is a white short sleeved blouse. It is the brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright. It is called "Heart Lace White Blouse." It is listed for $105. This blouse was released in 2012. It is 100% cotton. 


Blouse 2

https://www.wunderwelt.jp/en/products/u16227

This is a white short sleeved blouse. It is the brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright. It is the snow dot blouse. It is listed for $104 on wunderwelt. It is on the San Francisco Baby the Stars Shine Bright website right now for $156. It is 100% cotton.

Blouse 3

https://www.mercari.com/us/item/m33945440784/?ref=search_results

This is a white short sleeved blouse. It is the brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright. It is listed for $125. The listing says it is from the Heisei era, about 15 years old. It is 100% cotton. 

Blouse 4

http://www.angelicpretty-usa.com/shopping/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=133&products_id=27570

This is a white blouse with detachable sleeves - so it can be long sleeved or short sleeved. It is on the San Francisco Angelic Pretty website right now for $209. It is 100% cotton.




Blouse 5

https://shop.baby-aatp.com/products/b49bl427-sheryl-lacy-blouse?_pos=4&_sid=b2e32f238&_ss=r

This is a white short sleeved blouse. It is the Sheryl Lacy Blouse. It is on the San Francisco Baby the Stars Shine Bright website right now for $148. It is 100% cotton.


    Looking at all of these blouses, I feel like I really have a sense of what I like in blouses now, the things I like being the old school look, the cotton lace, the peter pan collar, a classic-sweet look, puff sleeves. I also have a sense of what I can expect to spend on the blouse: $100-$125, to purchase a brand-name short sleeved white blouse secondhand. 

    Looking forward to purchasing a blouse in this style sometime this summer ~! I will make a post once I have one in my hands, look forward to it! 

    Till next time...!

7.4.25

Sunday, June 29, 2025

China OP



Hello~

    How does a dream dress become a dream dress? What about lolita fashion, and the types of people that get deeply immersed in it, makes having a dream dress such a common occurrence? 

    People who wear lolita fashion often have at least one dream dress. The dream dress is a piece that captures a lolita's heart and soul. It's a piece they fall in love with. Dreaming of how and where they would wear it. Searching high and low for it, looking everywhere they think it might possibly be - even enlisting their friends to help them search. They yearn for and pine after the dream dress, often for months, or even years.

    There's at least one way I know a dream dress becomes a dream dress, because I'm experiencing it! It's bittersweet...it all started when I saw this street snap from volume 12 of FRUiTS (1998). Street snap is on the left, translated outfit rundown is on the right:





    I've seen this street snap while reading through blogs about the history of lolita fashion. I've seen this street snap used as an example of what an old school coordinate looks like. I've seen this street snap in countless aesthetic tumblr posts and pinterest boards. I've saved this street snap as inspiration, for the kind of look I would like to achieve with my own lolita coordinates. I should have known at that point that I was going down the dream dress path...I just never expected to actually know what dress she is wearing here! 

    ...Until I did. The dress she is wearing here is called "China OP" and it was released by the brand Baby, the Stars Shine Bright in 1998. (The coord rundown above attributes the dress to "Pretty" - which was, I believe, a brand that spawned Angelic Pretty and Baby the Stars Shine Bright. I don't know the entire history, but I want to learn more there, and eventually make a blog post about it. But this post is about the dress itself, so, back to the topic!!!). The information on this OP can be found on Lolibrary, here: https://lolibrary.org/items/btssb-china-op . Lolibrary lists it as from Baby the Stars Shine Bright. Here are the pictures from the listing: 



    Both the street snap and the lolibrary listing make me fall in love with the dress. It has all the charming old school details I've come to love over my first year in the fashion. Raschel lace trims the collar and the cuffs. The solid color brings emphasis to the lovely details of the dress - such as the pintucks at the waist and the structure of the bodice. It is velveteen, which looks and feels so classic. This is not an exclusively old school element, but the two buttons on the collar must be where the name China OP comes from! 

    Well, other then these images, I haven't been able to find any other trace of this dress. I will continue to search for it. I love it! Having a niche dream item strikes a fire in my soul. It's exciting!

    Till next time!

6.29.25

Friday, June 13, 2025

Boarder Print Made of LACE?!

 Hello!

    Today I am going to go bananas over a few releases from the brand Jane Marple that I really enjoy. These series all share a similar style, and were released in 2010 & 2013. These items all have what might in modern EGL terms be called a "boarder print" (which is a term for items where the print wraps around the boarder near the hem of the dress or skirt.) These items are so unique and lovely to me because the boarder print is made of lace! 

    The items I'm dreaming of are: the Royal Velveteen & Alice Lace JSK and skirt (in any color), the Tea Party Lace JSK & skirt (in any color), and the Mad Tea Party OP or skirt (in black). All of these series have more items, such as the Alice Lace series - which features a long skirt, a lace tunic OP, and an apron OP. (information from Lolibrary). But the items I'm dreaming of are JSKs and Skirts!

Royal Velveteen & Alice Lace

JSK

Released in 2010

Colorways: Black, Navy, Wine/Bordeaux 

Cost when first released: 35,800.00 yen / 247 dollars

(Side note - the first pic of the black colorway was found on Mercari: https://jp.mercari.com/en/item/m40937767275, the pic of the navy colorway was also found on Mercari: https://jp.mercari.com/en/item/m81826630573)




Skirt

Released in 2010
Colorways: Black, Navy, Wine/Bordeaux
Cost when first released: 30,240.00 yen / 208 dollars
(Side note, the image I found of the red colorway is from this Mercari listing: https://jp.mercari.com/en/item/m87530396959 . I am going to try to add these pics to Lolibrary!)




Detail shot of the Alice Lace:



Tea Party Lace

JSK
Released in 2010
Colorways: Black, Brown, Gray, (Navy)
Cost when first released: ???
(Side note, Navy colorway discovered and picture is from this Livejournal: https://danslesalon.livejournal.com/58054.html . Brown colorway picture is from this Livejournal: https://egl-comm-sales.livejournal.com/21190505.html)
SKIRT
Released in 2010
Colorways: Navy, Brown, Gray
Cost when first released: 34,440.00 yen / 237 dollars


Detail shot of the Tea Lace:





Mad Tea Party

    This series is baffling, because it's clearly the same lace as the Tea Party Lace series from 2010. I have two hypothesis: 1. They had leftover of the Tea Party Lace and decided to create another series with it, or 2. The Tea Party Lace was so successful that they made more of the same lace, and slightly altered it by letting it hang instead of attaching it at both the top and bottom for the new "Mad Tea Party" series.

SKIRT
Released in 2013
Colorways: black, blue, gray
Cost when first released: 28,140.00 yen / 194 dollars

JSK
Release in 2013
Colorways: black, blue, gray
Cost when first released: 39,690.00 yen / 273 dollars

That's all for now! Till next time~!

6.13.25

Friday, June 6, 2025

"Point of Fashion"

 Hello!


    I recently applied to be in Neant Glass's publication, called "Le Vitrail." While filling out the form, there was a question I did not understand. The question read "Point of fashion, IYKYK" I was confused - so I asked my comm members - and they informed me that it is a phrase that was popularized by FRUiTS magazine in the 90s. So my "Current obsession" (another FRUiTS reference, haha), has become looking at these street snaps! They're so incredible, I wanted to collect my favorites into a post here.

Here is where I have found archives of the street snaps to brows through: 

LOLITA HISTORY . COM: https://www.lolitahistory.com/gallery/index.php?/category/12

TUMBLR TAG FOR "FRUiTS MAGAZINE": https://www.tumblr.com/search/FRUiTS%20magazine?src=typed_query


    The girl on the left above is wearing Jane Marple!

    The hair in the snap above ^ is EVERYTHING!






  The girl to the right above is wearing Jane Marple tights and carrying a Jane Marple bag. Possible that more of her outfit is Jane Marple as well! (Can you tell I'm having a blast looking through these photos haha..)

    Well...I could spend forever looking through FRUiTS street snaps, but I'll stop here for now. As you can tell, style was different back then (obviously!). One of the things that I tend to do as a fashionista in the 2020s is categorize everything, This isn't bad, necessarily, and it's fun for me. But the mix-and-match of aesthetics in FRUiTS snaps from the 90s and aughts, with "me" or "what I like" as the theme rather then "I'm a classic lolita" or "I'm wearing all vintage" or "I'm wearing this brand" is valuable and I love it.

Till next time ~!

6.6.25

Friday, May 23, 2025

Where to find Information on Lolita Fashion

 Hello!

(image of my coordinate, with each part labeled)

    This post is going to be a collection of resources where one can learn about the history and rules/norms of lolita fashion. Beginning with a disclaimer, there is a bit of discourse in the community about the importance of rules, and what the rules even are. As for the history of the fashion, it is more straightforward. Both are pretty complex and interesting! 

    Let's tackle "rules" first! Consider another subculture: goth. What are the "rules" of being goth? Do you have to wear all black? No, some goths wear all white, some goths wear colors. Do you have to wear heavy makeup? No, but some goths do. Do you have to listen to goth music? No (before the mobs come after me), according to goths in my life the music is not imperative. 

    Lolita fashion rules function much the same. Do you have to stan Mana-Sama? No (but why wouldn't you??). Do you have to wear brand? No, it's expensive as hell. But replicas are art theft, so you certainly can't wear those. It's complex! I will make a list here of the simplest rules as I understand them, and under each rule, I will give the exception.

1. Lolita fashion requires a certain silhouette, which is achieved with a petticoat. The petticoat can be A-line or cupcake shaped. (Exception: old school, aka pre-2008 lolita style, did not use petticoats of the same volume as are popular today, and sometimes did not use them at all.) (Exception: many classic, ero, punk, etc. lolita brands release items that cannot even fit a petticoat.)

2. Lolita outfits are called "coordinates" or "coords" for short. A "complete" coordinate includes the following items (listed in order from head to toe): headpiece, blouse, main piece (can be a dress - jsk, or skirt - sk, or salopette), wristcuffs, petticoat, legwear (socks or tights), accessories (necklace, ring, bracelet, hair clips, broaches, etc), and shoes that are lolita-approved - like tea parties or rocking horse shoes. (Exceptions to this are too many to name - of course not every coord is going to have every one of these elements.)

3. Lolita fashion is not sexual, and should not be traditionally "sexy" (yes, even ero coords!). Lolita is largely a high-coverage, feminist, anti-establishment, anti-fast fashion, fashion movement - created to empower the wearer without sexualizing them. (Ero lolita is an almost-excpetion, but I'll have to ask my friends who wear Ero more about it - maybe I'll even make a whole post about the Ero substyle.)

Now, here is a list of resources that elaborate better then I ever could on those basic concepts. These resources all have info on "rules" and "history" of the fashion, with lots of incredible photos as well.

LOLITA FASHION INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES:

Here is "Lolita Handbook" - a LiveJournal time capsule from 2011, but still relevant: 

https://lolita-handbook.livejournal.com/ . This LiveJournal covers history, explanations of what the fashion is, how to create an outfit, lolita etiquette, and even goes into substyles. It's a great resource!

Here is "F Yeah Lolita" - a lolita fashion & lifestyle blog: 

http://www.fyeahlolita.com/ . It has posts on topics including this amazing one that explains the beginnings of the fashion: http://www.fyeahlolita.com/2010/02/old-school-lolita-in-90s-80s-and-70s.html

Here is "F Yeah Lolita" - on Tumblr: 

https://fyeahlolita.tumblr.com/ . Same as the other blog, but with more tumblr flare - reblogs of posts from other lolitas, asks answering burning questions about the fashion, etc.

Here is "Lolita History" - another blog: 

https://www.lolitahistory.com/ . This site in particular has an incredible "collection of lolita stock photos and low quality scans of sections of out of print fashion magazines (most are over 10 years old). " In their own words - which can be found here: https://www.lolitahistory.com/gallery/

Here are some less history and rules focused blogs and otherwise that I enjoy. (aka these are just pages run by lolitas documenting their own journeys in the fashion, and they are wise and cute so much can be learned from enjoying their pages.):

COOL LOLITAS TO FOLLOW ONLINE:

https://cynicalneoprincessism.blogspot.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@PinkFakeFlowers

https://www.tumblr.com/fannyrosie

https://www.youtube.com/@EnyoBowBtch (plus sized lolita!)

    That's all the resources I have to share! We live in such an amazingly connected time, where all this information is easily accessible - yet it can be hard to find if one doesn't know where to look. I hope that this post can be a resource that can help anyone interested in learning more about lolita fashion!

Till next time ~


5. 23 . 25

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Jane Marple Spring 2025 Collection

 Hello!

    I have decided I want to review every Jane Marple release, for as long as they interest me!

    The most recent Jane Marple releases are her Spring 2025 Collections - of which there are two! My favorite pieces from the Spring & Summer 2025 01 Collection are the "Strawberry Books" pieces, and my favorite pieces from the Spring & Summer 2025 02 Collection are the "Regimental Band" pieces. 

    𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔

Here is the description of the series, from Jane Marple's website:

    "In medieval Europe when printing technology did not yet exist, illuminated manuscripts were often used to support people’s faith and to transfer knowledge and traditions to the next generation.

    Strawberry is a motif the brand has continuously worked on every spring, and this time, the renewed motif expresses a magnificent historical perspective in «Strawberry books». In addition to the series depicted with a sense of history on comfortable cotton lawn and cotton voile, we propose a skirt and a bag made with sheer fabrics that represent the current mood, dearly and beautifully conveying the tradition the brand has woven and its cutting-edge attitude."
    
    This series is so lovely to me because of the motifs! Books, religion, and berries, are three of my favorite motifs in fashion. I'm kind of blown that all three are present in this series. I'm not saying it's perfect in every way, but...just look at her:
   Strawberry Books Puritan Blouse          Strawberry Books Painter Dress
   Cost: $282                               Cost: $408                    
   Fabric: Cotton                           Fabric: Cotton                
                                                                        
    Strawberry Books Garden Dress                 Strawberry Books Tights     
    Cost: $476                                    Cost: (info not available)  
    Fabric: Cotton                                Fabric: (info not available)

𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅
Here is the description of the series, from the Jane Marple's website:

    "« Regimental band » is a series reminiscent of the dormitory style, which is our regular design of this season, derived from « ReLondon ». This lovely series comprises images of toy military bands uniquely depicted using cross-stitch embroidery on organic cotton poplin, which has a dry feel similar to that of washed-out fabrics. This style, formed in line with the idea of elegance and humor that the brand has cherished, encourages you to walk around proudly and joyfully, humming in a clear tune…"

    Who among us doesn't enjoy walking around proudly and joyfully, humming a clear tune? Haha :) More of my own biases are present in this series as well - I love love love embroidery, especially cross-stitch.

Regimental Band Dormitory Dress Regimental Band Blade-Trim Skirt
Cost: $373 Cost: $245
Fabric: Cotton Fabric: Cotton
Regimental Band Blade-Trim Shirt
Cost: $208
Fabric: Cotton

    That's all for the Jane Marple releases - but there was another release that caught my eye this spring! When I'm looking at Jane Marple stuff, I'm always able to imagine myself wearing it, and I see how easily it would fit into my wardrobe (I guess that's why it's one of my favorite brands!!). When I see releases from other brands, I enjoy them a lot, but can't see myself in them. The Angelic Pretty release I'm about to cover is one of those cases!

𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒚

    This JSK has one thing that I absolutely adore...and that is: the ties in the back. I think ties in the back instead of a zipper or shirring is so cute. It's so adorable - and unique! I've never seen a lolita dress like this before (though maybe there are others and I've just never seen them). It's certainly not common!
Above: Two close-up images of the back of the Romantic Symphony JSK.

    However, the rest of the dress doesn't suit my taste. I'm not a fan of the white section in the front. Also, the dress comes in three colors: pink, blue, and sax. If it came in all-over white, I'd be in trouble. But I'm safe for now!!
Above: Two images of the Romantic Symphony JSK, from the side and front.
This dress is 100% cotton, and is $444.

    Well, that covers my favorite releases from Spring & Summer 2025! Now I'm all excited for Fall & Winter 2025, haha. Till next time ~

5.14.25

The Oldest Jane Marple Items on Lolibrary

 Hello!      Today's post is going to be about the earliest Jane Marple items on Lolibrary! Lolibrary is a lolita fashion database. It...