Fancy Lolita Tea Time - Royal York's Champagne Afternoon Tea

For October's Lolita meet we decided to go back to the Royal York's Library Bar since the majority of the group did not attend the previous meet up there in April. I found my previous experience there was very enjoyable and their accommodations were very good. 

While looking up the Library Bar's information to make the reservation, I noticed that October and November had a special featured 'Royal' menu to celebrate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit to Canada this year. Below is the menu~

Royal York's Library Bar

In celebration of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit to Canada, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will launch a special A Royal Champagne Afternoon Tea series for the months of October and November.  In collaboration with Chef Darren McGrady of Eating Royally, visitors to select Fairmont locations, including Fairmont Royal York, will have the opportunity to experience a menu fit for a Queen, including favourites of Prince William and the reigning monarch 

Royal Afternoon Tea

Sandwiches

Smoked Scottish Salmon Gravadlax with Suèdoise Sauce

Sage Derby with Tomato

Coronation Chicken with Mayonnaise Bridge Rolls

Roast Beef with Golden Beetroot and Horseradish Crème Fraîche

Potted Shrimp with Warm Melba Toast

Jam Pennies

Additional Sandwiches

Selection of Pastries

Warm Scones with Clotted Cream and Fraise des Bois Compote

Vanilla Bean Shortbread

Raspberry Tartlets with Lemon Cheese

Earl Grey Fruitcake

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Caramel Banana Cake

Battenberg Cake

Some of the savory and sweet items for afternoon tea.

The day that we all met up, because it was an overcast day and the table was set up in the middle of the room, the lighting was not ideal for taking pictures. We don't have very many pictures of the food or us in the restaurant due to the poor lighting. 

I quite liked the savory items in the menu and did not eat too many of the sweets. Unfortunately, the Royal York forgot my dietary requests that I initially provided in my e-mails, but our waiter was quite accommodating and found me some fruits and sorbet to substitute for the chocolate items. 

Since they lost my request, they also missed my special request to celebrate my birthday during our afternoon tea. I wasn't that disappointed since I did not want to make a fuss about it, but their lack of organization this time around was a bit odd.

Tour of the hotel

Part of the afternoon tea experience at the Royal York comes with a tour and we all opted to join it, I was more curious to see what new areas we would see or not see in the tour. This time around we did not visit the kitchen galleys or the executive suite levels, but got I see more of the large dining rooms and the ballroom. I didn't know that the film, Red, was filmed in locations inside the hotel. We also were allowed to go into the "smallest bar in Toronto", the York Station, that is run by one staff member named Alina. 

Our tour guide mentioned that they only do tours of the roof garden during the spring and summer months. 

Overall, it was a good experience at the Royal York. I prefer the standard afternoon tea menu rather than this special one since I found that all the desserts tasted very similar and sweet. There were some mishaps with the dietary requests and the restaurant lighting but the food was still very delicious and they provided great hospitality. For future reference, I will have to email them a few days prior to confirm my reservation and any special requests so that this does not happen again. 

For this month's Lolita meet, I wore Alice and the Pirates' End of Immortal Eden.

All photos are courtesy of Kimi.  

Until next time, 
stay fancy!

Fancy Lolita Tea Time - DT Bistro

We skipped having a meet in May since Anime North was happening and we had a lot of other things to do with Cafe Delish. By some random occurrence of the lolita gods, this meet up fell on the weekend after I was admitted into the hospital for appendicitis. Of course if it happened to be that weekend, I would've insisted that the other girls follow through with the plans and be fancy for me while I was feeling not so fashionable my in hospital smock. (Although I have to say, they are very comfortable...!)

DT Bistro

I had a week to mostly recover and come to June's summer lolita meet up. It was also to celebrate a belated International Lolita Day (summer edition) which usually falls on the first Saturday of June (the other being in December). This month, I chose for us to go to DT Bistro, located in downtown Toronto along Spadina and Harbord St. I came across it in pictures and was delighted to learn that they also serve afternoon tea on weekends from 2-5pm. 

The interior of the restaurant is very open, lots of natural light streaming in and they had set up our table for afternoon tea beforehand. They also have a brunch/lunch menu that you could order from, but I opted to tell them that our group was coming there for afternoon tea when they called me to confirm the reservation. 

They have a shorter tea list, which sometimes makes it easier to choose what kind of tea you would like. They have afternoon tea options, one being the normal one and the other being deluxe, which includes a DT Bistro special cocktail along with the pot of tea you would get in the normal tea option. 

Our waiter kept mixing up our tea orders and poor Keiko had her pot of tea replaced four times, and I still think it wasn't correct after the fouth try. They also ran out of mint tea for Tenshi, so she had to order camomile instead. Archangeli's genmaicha was missing the gen mai, it just tasted and smelled like regular green tea, with no puffy rice bits, so really she just ordered sencha. Their tea selection has some interesting choices, but I would stick to a tea you're familiar with before they mix it up with something else by accident. Our server was trying to convince me that my jasmine tea was chai when it clearly did not look like or smell like chai tea. You got to stand your ground for your tea especially when you know it's the right pot you have!

Afternoon tea

The savory plate was really appetizing, however the cornbread and tomato soup were a bit of an odd edition. There was this amazing braised beef with melted cheese, I would eat a whole plate of those, they were delicious! I was so stuffed I couldn't even eat my scone, not that I did not want to! I just find my stomach capacity to be less after surgery. I'm sure I'll be a food heathen soon enough again!

Each tier had a slightly different dessert plate on top. I actually forgot to mention I preferred no chocolate...so I just didn't eat any of the chocolate items, except for the fruit tart and one of the macarons.

DT Bistro has a lot of potential and it's great that they take reservations. Their afternoon tea sets start at $30, which I think is a very reasonable price point. If only they served sugar cubes instead of packs of sugar, it would definitely elevate the experience. They also did not have enough tea pots with infusers for our group, so half of us had tea bags in our pots, a slight detail I took notice of. 

Some of the patrons who were coming in for a drink were very enamored by our group, I think most of them have not seen lolita before? Lots of subtle smiles and curious glances were thrown our way. A lady on the street, rolled down her car window to yell, "You girls look adorable!" while Keiko and I were making our way to the streetcar. Gosh, I love Toronto. 

Photo credit: Archangeli

Photo credit: Archangeli

This was also Naoko's first lolita meet up! I didn't realize that she was interested in lolita until the month prior.  I invited her to come to this meet up to wear one of her only lolita items she purchased while in Japan. 

Naoko-chan! You're more than welcome to visit Machiko's Lolita Closet Rentals! 

Please don't get any tea or stains on rental items though. You will be subject to dry cleaning fees and eternal tears from Machiko if stains don't come out.  (>o<;;)

I opted to wear something with a high waist so it wouldn't bother the area that had been operated on. I definitely was not able to wear a petticoat. I will have to wear this print again sometime to give it some justice!

For this meet, I wore Angelic Pretty's Dreaming Macaron.

Until our next meet, 

eat some more scones!

~*~

Bonus:

Derp lolita?

Hahaha!

Fancy Lolita Tea Time - AnnVita Tea Room

It's been quite time since I've blogged, my last post being in 2013, but I think it's time that I come back to this in order to record the things that happen in my life. So many things have changed in the past 3 years, so let's get blogging!

I find with lolita, you have ups and downs. You are passionate for the hobby and then after you're satisfied with your wardrobe, you decide take a break. I took a break and when I came back to it earlier this year, I saw many things I had missed in the past few years. I never stopped loving lolita fashion, but with other things happening in my life, I just didn't have a chance to wear it very often and lolita took a back seat.

My friend, Whitefrosty, kept suggesting that I organize some meet ups so that we could wear our outfits. Dust off the frills and be fancy! 

It was also a coincidence that one of my other friends, Hiroko, was interested in lolita...but had no lolita items, so I told her to come over and have fun with my wardrobe. I said, "Pick whatever print interests you and I'll dress you up!" 

 ~~~

Previous AnnVita visit with my friend.

My brunch!

I organized a meet up at AnnVita Tea Room since I knew they had a lovely ambience and had some very nice drink selections and offered two types of afternoon tea sets. It was also around the time of Whitefrosty and Keiko's birthdays, so I figured it would be fun to celebrate in lolita.

I had previously came here on casual dates with my girl friends and with Whitefrosty before. I'll try to find some pictures of the tea room. It's quite lovely. One side has lots of natural light that streams in, which can be harsh on your eyes depending on the time of day and the amount of sunlight, and there is another side near the entrance that is a bit more secluded. For our meet, we were seated behind the entrance wall partition, which provided a bit more privacy for our group.

Scones!

When we arrived, they were serving brunch! I was really surprised...(and hungry). So the few of us who were there early decided to order some food while the rest of the group arrived.

I ordered the classic breakfast set for brunch and it was a generous portion and the price was quite reasonable. (I believe it was around $10-12?) I find with AnnVita, their tea and drink list is quite expensive, but the amount you are served is quite deceiving. The cheapest drink you can order is $11.99 if I recall. It looks like a little amount, but 4-5 cups later, you're bursting! On this occasion, I ordered the rose milk tea. It has lovely hints of rose and a creamy texture to it. It was served with a cute dessert...that none of us could figure out what flavour it was. Guava-mango?

Their afternoon tea sets are around $40 per person. One is the Victorian tea set and the other is the Jane Austen tea set. A few of us ordered the tea sets to try, but since I had brunch, I opted for an order of scones instead, they're small, but so filling!

Rose Milk Tea

Victoria Tea Set

If you're looking for a place to spend a comfortable afternoon at, AnnVita is a lovely choice. They take reservations and the staff are very friendly. They do not rush you or give you a time limit on your seating. I do prefer their teas and the a la carte menu for scones or biscuits. The tables are small so you have to be careful when moving your plates or pots around while in lolita.

At this meet, I wore a coordinate featuring Metamorphose's Happy Ending Story.

This is a first of a small series of group meet ups for tea time and wearing lolita.

Let's be fancy!

Until next time <3

~~~

All photos were taken by Archangeli.

 ~~~

Bonus:

 Welcome to the dark frilly side Hiroko... ;)

Lolita Closet: AatP Princess JSK Shirred

My first Alice and the Pirates post, even though it is not my personal Alice dress from my own closet! My sister recently ordered a dress set from Baby's online site and even though she had it for a week, she didn't open it. She knew that I would like to document everything about it, so I ended up taking it home with me one day last week and opened it in my room.

Initially I helped her put the order through on Baby's site because their shopping cart is a bit ridiculous and she could not be bothered to try to read the 'help' page on their site. I have to say, it is a bit nauseating to look at and it helps that I can read some of the Japanese kanji...

If you ever order anything from Baby, the wrapping tissue they use is pink, and if you order from Alice and the Pirates, the tissue will be blue. Something cute that I noticed ^__^"

Alice and the Pirates

They wrapped the dress beautifully and I love the ribbons and stickers...so I added the sticker into my collection. (Haha, I'm such a dork >__<;; ) The package included the plastic and paper shopping bags as well. I love the attention to detail...♥

AatP Princess Jumper Skirt

The JSK is really nice and simple and I quite like the floral print. It looks really busy in the picture for some reason, but when you look at it up close or in person, it is very pretty. The neck ties are not removable but since they are just ribbons, you can just tuck them on the inside of the JSK and it won't create any bulk. The dress is made out of cotton and has a polyester lining.

AatP Princess JSK front

The front bows are really cute, but they are not removable for washing, however the ribbon for the corseting is. The trim is nothing extraordinary or custom, but it's simple, neat and adds some visual texture and highlights some of the design lines in the dress. I like how they've used it to accent the hemline and it also matches the headband.

AatP Princess JSK back

One of the reasons my sister purchased this dress was because the back is a fully shirred panel and it stretches quite wide. One of the not forgiving things in the lolita hobby is that not all the dresses are made in different sizes and can be somewhat limiting. (-__-")

The waist ties are removable and I really like the ruffled tiers on the back of the dress. It's quite adorable and gives the silhouette some extra poof. It's definitely princess-like ^__^"

Headband

The matching headband for this set is quite simple and versatile. You can use it for a lot of other coordinates and it's always nice to have headbands (in my opinion~). The bow has a wired structure so you can shape your bow to your liking and it is made out of cotton.

I really like this dress, when I opened it I was really taken back by how nice the floral print was. I looked nice on the site, but in person, it just really grows on you and it's really lovely. The construction is not as detailed as some other Baby or AatP dresses but I suppose it's because it is a simpler dress. Overall, it's simple and has some lovely elements and I can't wait to see my sister wear it! ^__^

Until my next closet post!

Take care~!

♥

V&A Lolita Exhibit

Last month on my trip to London with my sister, we popped by the Victoria & Albert Museum to check out the Hollywood Costume exhibit. My sister had been waiting two years for this exhibit and some of the costumes we saw were really amazing and it's so different seeing them in life rather than on the movie screen. (My favourite has to be the Dolly Levi gold dress from Hello, Dolly!)

There was a 45 min to an hour wait to get into the exhibit, so my sister and I walked around the gift shop and planned to head into the gem room, because we love sparkly things~! However, on our way there my sister got side tracked for some reason while walking by the Japanese antiquities room. I knew that the V&A had a small exhibit dedicated to lolita fashion and how British culture has influenced it, but from what I knew, it was on display from March until August. However, the museum has extended the exhibit until February 2013! So, if you visit the V&A museum before then, you'll see the lolita exhibit in the Japanese section on the main floor! You can't miss it because the displays have pink windows!

Kitty and the Bulldog: Lolita fashion and the influence of Britain

Kitty and the Bulldog explores the way in which British fashion – notably Victoriana, Punk and Gothic – has influenced the development of Japan’s ‘Lolita’ style, a cult fashion movement whose defining feature has been its preoccupation with cuteness, or ‘kawaii’. The display features nine outfits recently bought in Tokyo for the V&A's permanent collections. - http://www.vam.ac.uk/

My camera couldn't make due to the dim lighting in the room and the contrast between my coat at the displays was too great, so the lighting was off! So, I must apologize for the quality of the photos (>_<;)

Left: Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Alice and the Pirates    Right: Innocent World

Examples of Sweet lolita, that venture into classic and a bit of gothic for the AatP dress.

I really love the styling they used for all the mannequins. I also noticed that all the wigs used were from Priscilla. Good to know they didn't cap the budget on wigs since Priscilla wigs are quite expensive. I really like that bag on the BtSSB display. . . Oddly it was on the outlet page on Baby's online site, but it was sold out. (-__-;)

Left: Moi-Meme-Moitie     Right: Putumayo

I'll have to admit I'm not expert on Gothic lolita, but I love looking at Moi Meme Moitie's clothing. There are minute details that you have to see up close that I couldn't capture on film, but the custom lace is gorgeous and the simplicity makes the overall outfit very elegant. 

Putumayo! I don't own anything from the brand, but I always like looking at their ads in my Kera magazines. Their branding is geared towards punk lolita. I also like the Hangry & Angry stuffed doll that's part of the styling!

Left: H.Naoto's Sixh. and MINT Neko    Right: Mamechiyo

H.Naoto has so many lines, I can't remember most of them. Apparently the outfit is inspired by Vivienne Westwood and falls into the punk and visual kei category. 

Mamechiyo has some lovely contemporary works that modernize the kimono. I've known of the designer for awhile since Magic Pony exhibited some of her work many years ago here in Toronto! The description for this display categorized the style as "Japanese Lolita" and is more demure and explores Japanese traditional dress.

I'm really happy that I got to see this exhibit before it went away. It was purely by accident since I didn't know it was extended. It's just interesting and fun to see a fashion/hobby that you're devoted to in a display at one of the best Art & Design museums in the world. 

Also, it also brings lolita to a broader audience and hopefully more people see it as a fashion rather than a costume. 

♥

Happy International Lolita Day!

Just came back from my trip to London with my sister earlier in the week..so I have more things to blog about. All in due time! 

There are 2 International Lolita Days every year. One in the spring/summer and the other for autumn/winter. They fall on the first Saturdays of June and December. To commemorate this day, I'll post the coordinate I wore for Hyper Japan Christmas 2012 last weekend! I'm sad that I missed all the lolita fashion events that were on the Sunday, as I went only on Saturday. 

I got stopped a lot for pictures since some people thought my sister and I were in costumes. I made it a point when people asked "What costume are you wearing?" to state I was wearing fashion, and not a costume. (^__~)*

Pic credit: Archangeli

I decided to bring Alice and the Pirates' The End of Immortal Eden with me on our trip. I haven't worn it during any occasion at home, so I figured, why not wear it for Hyper Japan?

Since we were staying with my cousin (who owns many shoes and handbags), a sudden revelation hit me to ask me to borrow her handbag because it was a similar color to my dress. She was kind enough to say yes when I asked *o*!

Dress: Alice and the Pirates
Headband: Alice and the Pirates
Blouse: Bodyline
Shoes: Bodyline
Jewelry: Betsey Johnson, Off-brand, mix of lot of my personal collection
Handbag: Louis Vuitton
 

Until my next post! 

See you! ♥

Lolita Fashions - Pt. 4 (featuring Alice & the Pirates)

From my last fashion post regarding Baby the Stars Shine Bright, I'll talk about their sub-brand, Alice and the Pirates. Featuring many pirate and nautical motifs, Alice and the Pirates is the inspiration behind the pirate lolita style. Their colorways are much more rich and dark compared to the collections of Baby the Stars Shine Bright. Let's explore some of their most intricate and beautiful prints!

As implied from their brand name, most of the prints have a pirate theme to their prints, or the prints might link to Alice in Wonderland. Common motifs you would see also include roses, crowns and more macabre themes. Don't let that think that's all they have though, because some of their print designs are quite lovely and can cross between kuro-lolita, shiro-lolita and gothic lolita. The prints designs often feature some unique design features such as different silhouettes, cuts and bustle skirts. 

AatP Vampire Requiem JSK

Details of Vampire Requiem

One of their most popular prints is Vampire Requiem. It has been so popular that it was released again earlier this year. The story of this print is that the Vampire Lord has once again gone and capture another innocent victim. You can see the Lord flying away with his victim in the detail picture on the right. I really like the designs of the gates along the skirt and the coffins placed within the gates and along the top of the the print design.

There is an Alice and the Pirates shop in the Laforet in Harajuku, Japan. At the time I was in Japan in October, I didn't see anything I liked in particular in the collection, but the store was very cute and charming. One side is devoted to AatP and the other has Baby the Stars Shine Bright. The 'store' is better described as a large showroom/booth since Laforet is a department store. On that floor they also have many other lolita and gothic brands.

AatP Mid Summer's Night Dream JSK

One of their more lovely prints is the Mid Summer's Night Dream. The silhouette is a bit different than traditional lolitas, since the print motif starts along the hip line rather than the waist. However the window designs are stunning. They feature roses, butterflies and the moon. The fabric on the the bodice also has a unique motif on it also. It's so charming in my opinion, and I think the black colorway is the best. The navy shows the details much better but the waist tie is a lighter blue and it's not that flattering in the overall look.

Sleeping Beauty's castle.

Another very popular print, is Queen's Coach. I really love the use of chiffon in this dress, it makes it look even more delicate. Here is a good example of Alice's asymmetrical designs and it doesn't take away from the over feel of the dress. The bodice is well designed and is complemented by the full skirt. The motif is comprised of small portrait windows that have crowns, roses and the Alice and the Pirates logo integrated into it.

 

AatP Sleeping Beauty JSK

Sleeping Beauty print

Highly sought after is the Sleeping Beauty print! In my opinion I like AatP's version of Sleeping Beauty rather than the BtSSB one. The design itself is similar to other dresses by AatP (such as Scent of Rapunzel), but the illustrated portraits are very beautiful. I really like the thorny roses that run along the hem line. One of the pictures I could not find of the windows is the one where the prince kisses the princess! They didn't release an official photo of it, but there are some owner photos on the web.

AatP Milky Rail Train OP

Part of the autumn collection this year, the Milky Rail Train is really interesting to me. It has some steampunk qualities to it! The dress uses velvet and satin fabrics, which in my opinion is a nightmare to wash and screams "Dry Clean Only"! The bows on the sleeves are a bit much, but I really like the neck line and the buttons details with the chains. It's a bit military, nautical and gothic all at the same time. We see some more asymmetrical lines in this dress as well, accented with the waist belt.

Here are some videos of Alice and the Pirates new collection which is currently coming out on their website. Right now it's reservations only though!

I can't share personal opinions of this brand too much because I don't own anything from it. If it's anything like Baby, I would think it is of great quality and design. Perhaps in the future I shall own something from AatP. Through my research of this brand I find that some of the prints are very familiar to me, and I'll bet it's because I've seen some of them in person in Closet Child or in Laforet! I'll have to pay better attention to this particular brand in the future.

Until next time! ♥