Discover the origins of crepe fabric and how it has evolved over time, gaining popularity in the fashion industry. Gain a deeper understanding of the weaving techniques used to create different types of crepe fabric, such as crepe de Chine, georgette crepe, and satin-back crepe.

A Late Breakfast

~Toji wakes up hungry~

CW: Smut, Oral sex, F receiving, afab reader.

18+ only

My reqs are open btw!! DM me if you'd like. The fandoms I write for are pinned at the top of my blog.

Buy me a coffee?

.-.-.

Toji eyed you as you leaned over the stove. The sound of sizzling could be heard throughout the kitchen, and you pushed at a pair of eggs in a pan with a spatula. Beside you, a pot of tea was being brought to a boil. When you heard him behind you, you turned to greet him, still in your pajamas.

The air crackled with a newfound tension as Toji’s gaze lingered on the tantalizing sight before him. The revelation that you weren't wearing a bra beneath the clingy shirt sent a jolt of desire through him, and his eyes hungrily traced the contours of your exposed curves. The soft fabric seemed almost translucent in the dim light, accentuating the swell of your breasts in a way that left little to the imagination.

His attention then shifted to the bare expanse of your legs, showcased by the daring choice of tiny black shorts that could barely be seen beneath the shirt that hung past your hips. The suggestive length of the fabric left him imagining the possibilities, and a mischievous glint danced in his eyes. The image of your legs wrapped around his head as he indulged in the intimate act you hinted at sent a thrill through him.

Toji, never one to be shy, leaned in with a smirk, his scar stretching with the motion. "Well, well," he purred, the low timbre of his voice carrying a magnetic allure. "Seems like someone's out to play this morning."

The room seemed to shrink in reply to the charged atmosphere between you two. He loomed over you,  fingers lightly traced the exposed skin along your waist, the touch sending shivers down your spine. The unspoken invitation hung in the air, and the anticipation of what might come next only added to the intoxicating allure of the moment.

As he leaned in closer, his lips grazing your ear, he whispered, "Maybe today, I'll make those fantasies of yours a reality." The promise lingered, and in the hushed space, the air seemed to thicken with tension.

You quirked a brow. “Toji, it’s 9 am. I’m in the middle of making breakfast.”

“I’ll take you out for breakfast. We’ll go to that crepe place you love.”

Before you could reply, he lunged, lifting up your body and laying you across the kitchen table.  He grabbed your shorts, and when you felt them rip you let out a squeal. It quickly turned into a whimper, then a moan, as you felt calloused fingers thumb over your slit.

“No panties?” Toji tsked. “Naughty girl.”

He licked his lips, hiked your thighs over his shoulders, and dove between your legs. In a matter of seconds, you felt a hot tongue lave over your pussy once, then twice. After that, you lost count, too lost in pleasure to focus.

As Toji’s lips brushed against you, the atmosphere crackled with anticipation. His tongue, hot and skilled, danced over your pussy with an expertise that left you breathless. The world around you seemed to fade as pleasure surged through your body, each lick a tantalizing wave that carried you deeper into the realm of ecstasy.

The rhythm of his movements was a mesmerizing cadence, and you lost yourself in the sensations that enveloped you. The warmth of his mouth against your most intimate parts, the flick of his tongue on your clitoris that sent shivers down your spine—every touch was a symphony of pleasure, each stroke a note in a melody that only the two of you shared.

The room echoed with the soft sounds of your moans, a harmonious counterpoint to the intimate dance unfolding between you. Toji’s devotion to the act was evident in every sensual movement, and time seemed to stretch as pleasure built with an exquisite intensity.

You surrendered to the ecstasy, your fingers tangling in his hair as he continued to explore the depths of your desire. The sensations were relentless, a cascade of pleasure that pushed you to the edge of bliss. In the throes of passion, you lost track of the food, the world narrowing down to the intoxicating swirl of sensations that Toji skillfully orchestrated.

When Toji pushed his tongue past your labia and into you, you almost screamed.

The sudden intrusion sent a shockwave of pleasure coursing through your body, and the almost-scream that escaped your lips was a raw, unfiltered expression of the intensity that gripped you. Toji's skilled tongue explored the most intimate recesses of your desire, and when you glanced down at him his gunmetal eyes glittlered, the bottom half of his face that you could see slick and shining.

The room seemed to vibrate with the echo of your moans, a testament to the pleasure that Toji expertly coaxed from you. Each movement of his tongue was a revelation, a skillful dance that pushed you further into the throes of passion. The boundaries between pleasure and vulnerability blurred, and you surrendered to the heady rush of sensations that engulfed you.

As his tongue continued to explore, the pleasure built to a crescendo, and you found yourself teetering on the edge of release. He pushed his tongue impossibly deeper, but the thing that finally sent you over the edge was when he pressed a calloused thumb against your slit and growled. It felt as if the vibrations ran through you completely, richocheting up and down your body. You choked on a sob, and could do nothing but throw your head back and ride it out, cradled in Toji’s powerful arms.

When you came to, you could smell something burning.

“Well,” you said. “There goes breakfast.”

Toji only laughed.

No. 13 - 2012

Character: Ryougi Shiki (ARC Drive ver.) Series: Kara no Kyoukai by TYPE-MOON

Cosplayer Credits: - Kouma: My brother

Photog Credits: - Lauren - Kirky

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This was another costume ~mostly~ for my brother. He really wanted to be Kishima Kouma from the game Melty Blood (he also features briefly in Tsukihime), and showed me Ryougi. I had always wanted to make a kimono and really liked her overall design so I put a lot into this costume!

==========

I chose to use an Le Tigre Long from Arda Wigs in Dark Purple (023) because I'm using the very detailed figurine as my main reference source and it's hair is faintly purple. In most lighting, it will look dark brown or black.

I used Simplicity's kimono pattern (4080) for the cotton under kimono and main, silk, furisode kimono. Sadly, I couldn't find perfectly matching fabric for it, but I hope it's close enough (it's a poly silk). I'm not using any pattern for making the obi (brocade) though I learned how to tie the obi into a tateya musubi knot which is the knot on both the figurine and from what I've seen in her anime. I also got material for the obijime (cord from eJoyce), obiage (scarf; crepe), and obiita (simple cardboard with yarn ties).

The sword (Kanesada Kuji) is made out of pine (hilt and blade) and balsa (guard) and spray painted. Hilt is wrapped in ribbon. My dad helped me with the cutting and sanding.

For my brother's... I used the Chinese pajama pattern from Folkwear and simple black cotton. Which was also used for pretty much everything else... pants and foot wraps. We actually burned the bottom of his pants because I wanted the effect that he could actually produce fire, like in the game. I used black spandex for the gloves and just traced his hand to make a pattern.

I actually made the clasps from faux pearl buttons and scrap fabric. I kept complaining about how ridiculous Kouma's clasps were and how they don't work like normal Chinese clasps so I just set out to make them myself. And the wig is a Shaggy Wave Wig with Long Bangs in Shadow Blue from Shop Cosplay (Cosplay.com's wig shop).

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Ryougi: Cost: $124 Time: 7 hrs

Kouma: Cost: $79 Time: 12 hrs

1924 A Chanel Little Black Dress of black silk crepe, no fastenings, with double-tiered skirt. The bodice is slightly blousing and there is a back panel, draped loop of fabric from shoulder to waist, the back with two floating scarf-like panels. From Kerry Taylor Auctions.

Le Petit écho de la mode, no. 10, vol 23, 10 mars 1901, Paris. 4. Toilettes de ville. Ville de Paris / Bibliothèque Forney

I. Corsage en soie glacée bleu ciel de Nice. Ce délicieux corsage est composé de plis creux montés sur un empiècement carré en satin blanc recouvert de grosse guipure Cluny encadré par une patte entourée de petits galons d’argent. Cette patte se termine à gauche par un bouton fantaisie. Les plis sont réunis à la taille sous une ceinture en étoffe pareille; entre les plis, petites pattes en velours même ton. Manches plissées sur crevé de velours garni d’un parement rayé de galon d’argent.

I. Nice sky blue ice silk bodice. This delicious bodice is made up of box pleats mounted on a square white satin yoke covered with large Cluny guipure framed by a tab surrounded by small silver braid. This tab ends on the left with a fancy button. The pleats are gathered at the waist under a belt of similar fabric; between the folds, small velvet tabs of the same tone. Pleated sleeves on velvet trimmed with a striped silver braid facing.

Mat.: 4 mèt. de soie, 0m50 de velours, 0m60 de guipure.

—

II. Costume tailleur en drap jersey coque de noix. Jupe souple non doublée, garnie au bas d’une bande piquée, formant des dents, des pattes piquées plus étroites garnissent le haut. Boléro court avec revers. Col et pattes piqués. Manches unies avec revers piqués. Gilet croisé en soie mauve surmonté d’un col droit rabattu. Ceinture ronde en drap. Toquet en taffetas noir orné de plumes noires. Gants blancs.

II. Tailored suit in walnut shell jersey cloth. Soft, unlined skirt, trimmed at the bottom with a stitched band, forming teeth, narrower stitched tabs garnish the top. Short bolero with lapels. Stitched collar and legs. Plain sleeves with stitched cuffs. Purple silk double-breasted vest topped with a straight turn-down collar. Round cloth belt. Black taffeta hat decorated with black feathers. White gloves.

Mat.: 5m50 de drap, 1m50 de soie.

—

III. Toilette en crêpe de Chine gris étain, velours cerise, satin blanc et guipure. Jupe plissée par groupes, montée sur un empiècement découpé en velours entouré d’un entre-deux de guipure. Boléro bouillonné encadré de guipure et d'un dépassant de velours. Ce boléro, très ouvert, laisse voir un gilet de satin blanc croisé sur un plastron de guipure surmonté d’un col droit en guipure et de petites oreilles de velours. Ceinture en velours. Manches bouillonnées. Fond de jupe séparé.

III. Ensemble in pewter gray crepe de chine, cherry velvet, white satin and guipure. Skirt pleated in groups, mounted on a cut-out velvet yoke surrounded by a guipure insert. Bubbled bolero framed with guipure and a velvet overhang. This very open bolero reveals a white satin vest crossed over a guipure bib topped with a straight guipure collar and small velvet ears. Velvet belt. Bubble sleeves. Separate skirt bottom.

Mat.: 11 mèt. de crêpe de Chine, 1 m. de velours, i m. de guipure.

—

IV. Costume en drap léger bleu toile, velours même ton et mousseline de soie. Jupe plissée à petits plis sur les hanches donnant l’ampleur au bas. Tablier plat devant. Cette jupe est montée sur un fond de jupe. Corsage-veste plissé à plis lingerie très fins formant une petite basque bordée de velours. Le haut, décolleté en rond, est garni d’une berthe en velours terminée par un nœud; petits nœuds retenant les devants. Chemisette plissée en mousseline de soie blanche avec col rabattu en velours. Ceinture en velours. Manches ouvertes du bas sur un petit bouffant en mousse line de soie serré par un poignet en velours.

IV. Suit in light blue canvas cloth, same-tone velvet and silk chiffon. Pleated skirt with small pleats on the hips giving fullness to the bottom. Flat apron in front. This skirt is mounted on a skirt base. Pleated bodice-jacket with very fine lingerie pleats forming a small basque lined with velvet. The top, with a round neckline, is trimmed with a velvet berthe finished with a bow; small knots holding the fronts. Pleated white silk chiffon shirt with velvet turn-down collar. Velvet belt. Sleeves open at the bottom to a small bouffant in linen silk foam tightened by a velvet cuff.

Mat.: 6 mèt. de drap, 1 mèt. de velours, 1 mèt. de mousseline de soie

—

V. Costume en cover-coat « café », velours même ton et guipure. Jupe avec tablier plat, garnie de petits plis prenant des côtés entourant le bas. Corsage-blouse plissé en travers croisé de côté sous un revers fantaisie en drap recouvert de velours. Le haut ouvert laisse voir un gilet en guipure surmonté d’un col droit. Cravate de soie noire. Ceinture ronde en velours. Manches garnies de grands revers de guipure.

V. Suit in “coffee” cover coat, same-tone velvet and guipure. Skirt with flat apron, trimmed with small pleats taking from the sides surrounding the bottom. Bodice-blouse pleated crosswise crossed on the side under a fancy lapel in cloth covered with velvet. The open top reveals a guipure vest topped with a straight collar. Black silk tie. Round velvet belt. Sleeves trimmed with large guipure lapels.

Mat.: 6 mèt. de drap, 1 mèt. de velours.

—

VI. Costume en lainage bleu militaire. Jupe ronde unie doublée de soie ou d’alpaga. Corsage-blouse ouvert devant sur un gilet de satin blanc. Le haut du corsage est garni d'up col fantaisie entouré de petits galons d’or. Coi droit garni de galon d’or. Ceinture ronde unie. Manches avec revers garnis de galon d’or. Petit bouffant en satin blanc retenu par un poignet rayé de galon d’or. Chapeau en paille maïs, orné de plumes blanches, soie maïs et roses roses.

VI. Military blue wool suit. Plain round skirt lined with silk or alpaca. Bodice-blouse open in front over a white satin vest. The top of the bodice is trimmed with a fancy high collar surrounded by small gold braid. Right side garnished with gold braid. Plain round belt. Sleeves with cuffs trimmed with gold braid. Small white satin bouffant held by a cuff striped with gold braid. Corn straw hat, decorated with white feathers, corn silk and pink roses.

Mat.: 6 mèt. de lainage, 1 mèt. de satin. 10 mèt. de galon.

Something Lost and something Found

[About 8 Months after the KFC breakup, cause ya'll know that shit still hurts me and I can't look at a kfc]

Staring at the people on the street walking aimlessly to their 9 to 5 jobs, low grade curses hanging onto and from most of them, without even knowing though feeling the burden of them and blaming others for their own pitiful lives. Squinting your eyes as you turned away. "Pathetic" you muttered to yourself. Cries from a soft sob caught your attention, it was coming from the back alley of one of the convenience stores you frequented. Looking around you followed the trail of sniffling.

Scanning the dark corners, your eyes landed on a little girl, she was small with short black hair. She must've been 6 maybe 7 as your best guess. Crying softly in the corner of the alley hugging her knees while clutching what must've been the leg..or arm? of an old fabric doll.

You walked closer to the girl, no one else around even bothered to help her nor spare a glance in her direction. You sighed, kneeling down in front of her. 'She must be lost…' The little girl finally looked up with her tear stained face, she looked even more scared, moving back against the wall. You reached out your hand showing you mean her no harm. "I'm not going to hurt you. Are you lost?". You frowned softly to yourself 'What the hell did they do to you?' She quivered and shook her head shortly up and down after weighing the words as if not believing them fully.

You looked at the scared little girl, teary brown eyes looking up at you, puffy from all the crying. "What's that you got there?" you asked pointing at the piece of fabric she had clutched in her hand. It looked as though she was going to start crying more from the question.

Reaching into your bag you pulled out a small stuffed doll. You looked at it sadly for a moment. It was the last thing Nina gave you. The doll looked like a little stiched up sack puppet, it was a puppet she made just for you. You breathed in a heavy breath and offered it out to the little girl, "Someone very special gave this to me when I was scared and alone, so he'll protect you just as he did me", hoping the doll would bring her some comfort. She looked at you with big doe like eyes unsure, taking the puppet from your hand she immediately hugged it to her little body. A little piece of your heart ached at the sight but you knew she needed it more than you. "So what's your name little lady?" you asked in a soft tone holding out your hand to the girl to help her up. She looked at you once more as if trying to assess if its a trick or not. She slowly took your hand, her tiny hands were freezing. "M-Mimiko…" a voice said just louder than a whisper. You smiled softly at her, standing up. "My name is Teng Shika, but you can call me Shika" Mimiko nodded ,standing next to you, one hand holding yours and the other holding onto the doll for dear life. "Who are we looking for?Mommy?Daddy?" The girl stayed quiet for a little moment before answering, "Daddy…"

You offered her a smile for reassurance, "And where were you last with daddy?" "….at the crepe shop…with Nanako" "Good, then we'll start there." You stated ,leading her to the street As soon as they reached the busy street with people walking from all directions Mimiko grabbed onto your pants, clinging to you as though to not let her go.

You looked down at her scared face, "Want me to pick you up…?" You studied her face, you were just as unsure as she was. You've never really been good with kids…

Mimiko looked up at you nodding softly burying her face against your pants Well okay then…no going back now I guess

Picking up the little girl, you scanned the area for a crepe shop. All the way on the furthest side of the street you saw the colorful doors of a little shop peeking out. 'That must be it then, we'll start there' You weaved through the crowds of people, occasionally looking at Mimiko. She had her face buried against your chest holding on to you, she refused to look at the people around you. 'How the hell am I supposed to find your dad when you won't even look at the people kid…' you thought to yourself frowning. You couldn't really blame her though, she was just a little kid and scared, what was she supposed to do?

"Is this the place Mimiko?" You asked stopping at the shop. It had colorful tables littering the seating area. Mimiko peeled herself from you and looked around quickly. It should definitely be the place judging by her reaction. "Can I put you down so we can walk around to look?" She shook her head quickly grabbing onto the fabric of your dark green sweatshirt. 'So that's a no then' "Alright let's take a look around, if you see him. Tell me okay?" "Okay" she answered softly. She was still scared and quite a shy kid you could tell.

You walked through the whole shop and to any person still near the shop waiting for any word from the little girl but still nothing. 'It's probably useless looking here now anyways, the guy must've started looking around for her by now' "What about we look a little further" You said walking through the little alley behind the shop leading to the other stores. You stopped quickly as Mimiko grabbed onto your sweatshirt and gasped. You looked at what spooked the little girl. It was a curse? Seems like she can see them too then…It was still a low level curse maybe a semi grade3 at most. You looked at the creature which looked something like a monkey had a weird bastard child with a naked mole rat. It wasn't attacking yet but rather climbing awkwardly around the dustbin to get a better look at the pair of you.

You stared at the spirit and looked back at the scared little girl. You had no choice but to exorcise it….Usually you'd go about your day ignoring them ,pretending they didn't exist just like any other 'normal' person. You put that life behind you and decided not to make it your problem anymore.

You sighed. Placing one hand on the back of Mimiko's head holding her close to you. Blood manipulation, piercing blood! With one quick slice the blood pierced right through the Cursed spirit's head. Quickly it evaporated into the familiar black smoke. "Guess I can still do that."

"Mimiko!" The voice rang out. Your head shot up to look at the source, must be her father.

A tall man approached you, he had mid back black hair half tied up in a bun and dark brown eyes. He looked on the defensive, you raised your hand to signal that you're no threat to his kid. "Master Geto!" Mimiko squeaked excitedly The man looked relieved that the girl seemed unharmed. "You must be the dad" "Something like that…." The man reached out his arms to take Mimiko from you

You lifted up the girl to give her to the man , she still had a tight grip on your sweatshirt. She looked at you and gave you a soft smile before letting go. It was the first time you saw any other expression other than fear or sadness on the little girl's face. "It's okay Nanako, you can come out now" the man said in a calm voice and another little girl appeared, she had had blonde hair tied up in a bun with bangs framing her face. She shyly hid behind the man's leg.

"Are you okay, Mimiko?" the man asked the little dark headed girl The little girl nodded, "She stabbed the bad bad with her blood!" You stared at the kid blankly not entirely knowing what to do or what you were going to say "Is that so? She exorcised the curse using her blood?" he said, back to looking defensive.

"Sorcerer?" You shook your head "Not any more"

The man visibly relaxed again "Anyways, I should get going…" You stated, though it was a lie you didn't really know what else to say to the man.

"No wait, I'm sorry. Thank you for looking after Mimiko and protecting her. How can I repay you?"

You smiled softly with a tinge of sadness, looking at the little girl who reminded you so much of her. "It's really nothing, anyone should've done the same." you said slowly walking away

You felt a little hand grab yours, "Shika…" her voice was just above a whisper

"But they didn't" You turned back to face the man, looking at the little girl's desperate face

"At least let me thank you with some tea" The man offered, "I don't live far from here"

You considered his words for a moment then looked at the girl practically begging you not to leave just yet. "My name's Teng Shika" you stated staring at the man.

He gave a soft smile bowing his head to you. "Getou Suguru"

So let me know what you guys think and if you'd like more because I have quite the few ideas for this story!

Today's The Blue Castle research is Valancy's green crepe dress. So first, here are a collection of descriptions of the dress:

She got a pretty green crêpe dress with a girdle of crimson beads...

She felt so miserably undressed in its low neck and short sleeves. And that low, crimson girdle around the hips seemed positively indecent.

Above it her eyes had looked like odd brown jewels and the girdle had given her flat figure an entirely different appearance. 

It was nonsense to feel so—so—naked—just because her neck and arms were bare.

There's been a lot of talk about how the timeline of this book is a little all over the place. I found a collection of fashion sketches from 1912-1950 from the Brooklyn Museum that gives a wide range of fashion from the time. Here are some drawings that I think with some adjustments could match Valancy's dress, or at least parts of it. I will say I'm not a seamstress so I'm not sure if these would work with crepe fabric.

First up: 1914 dress goes to show that a lower waist still did occur in the 1910s, even if it was more rare than the empire/natural waist. Imagine it in green with the sash around the hips being replaced with the "girdle of crimson beads"

Here's an evening dress from 1915 that can also with some adjustments could fit the description. The tie at the waist here could very much match the "beads" as it looks more narrow. The skirt is likely more full and embellished, but I do like the top as Valancy notes that her "neck" is showing but nothing more than that.

An afternoon dress from 1916 that will require a bit of imagination with colors as this is all black.

1918 day dress that might be my favorite. The colors would have to be switched, but overall this has the right shape to it to me. Plus there's a hat that works with the hat Valancy has!

1920 day dress. I like that this one is a bit more simple, which makes it feel a bit more likely an ordinary person could have a dress like this, again with a change of colors.

1920 evening dress. This one is fun because it's green just like Valancy's crepe dress. I think the only note is that the girdle would be red and not quite as voluminous at the side. This is another one of my favorites, maybe because the model is giving Valancy vibes.

1921 day dress. This is a bit more of a toned down version of the previous one, again with some imagination about the sash being red and beaded.

1921 day dress. I think with just some shorter sleeves, this one works well with the description given. I know she doesn't have flowers as her belt, but also I wouldn't be mad if this was the design for a movie.

do u have more details on your mourning veil(s)?? i am not in mourning but i have been wanting to wear veils in everyday life (probably not in black) and i also plan to dress in some kind of modified mourning when i next experience a death in my circles. im curious about whether u wear it over your face ever (im autistic and thats pretty much why ive been wanting to start wearing veils, apart from the aesthetics of it ofc lol), and also curious about the logistics, like what shapes they are & how opaque they are?

Mine is a 1930s (?) French veil; it's a large (34 x 60") rectangle of sheer material that seems to be black silk crepe. A short stretch of fabric in the center of one of the long ends (5") has two threads drawn through it to gather it together, producing a sort of half-circle of negative space where the veil may be attached to a bonnet; when worn, this causes the two corners of the rectangle nearest the head to fall down somewhat lower than the shoulders, while the two corners further away fall over the back and down to the knees: here's a link to a French mourning veil that looks similar.

1930s French veil laid out over a table; close-up on the ruching.

A bunch of writing from the 19th and early 20th centuries decries the expectation for widows to wear veils over their faces, claiming that the veils were heavy, stifling, and difficult to see and breathe through. I haven't found that to be the case with this one—even with my muscle disorder (like, my neck can only briefly and painfully support the weight of my head), the weight of the veil alone is negligible. It's very sheer and not too difficult to see and breathe through.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend wearing an antique veil (on the rare chance you find one—mourning clothes are harder than most antique clothing to come by, since the dye doesn't tend to wear very well, and crepe in particular had a tendency to shed and break down) over your face! You don't know for sure what kinds of dye or fixatives were used on it, and some of the more popular ones are things that you should not be breathing in.

Re-creation mourning veils intended for re-enactors can be purchased online—you may also have some luck looking into things marketed as Goth wedding veils. The only veil I occasionally wear over my face is a modern recreation. However, I found it difficult to come across one that didn't include satin trim or lace (both prohibited in English deep mourning). If you have some basic sewing skills, it shouldn't be hard to get a rectangle of sheer fabric (silk gauze or cotton voile might work; I have some 100gsm black linen on hand so I can tell you that it's a bit difficult to see through) and hem it on all sides.

You will need a hatpin or something similar to attach your veil to a bonnet or other headwear, or else it will blow right off. Headwear with a brim has the advantage of keeping the veil a few inches away from your face. The veil can be worn covering the entire bonnet and falling down over your face, or you can throw it back (so that it's folded over the back half of the bonnet, still held in place by the pin) to reveal your face. If you place the pin or pins about halfway back, you can make this adjustment on the fly. You could probably also just sew the veil to the bonnet if you're never going to wear them separately.

Short, modern veil worn over an 1860s-style bonnet to cover the face; the same veil worn over a bonnet to partly cover the face.

This veil makes everything look a bit darker and more grainy and gives a slight halo to light sources. It's not too noticable and I wouldn't say it impedes vision for the sake of any everyday task you would need to do.

When I'm forgoing the bonnet, I put my hair up into a bun, leaving some hair off to the side to make a braid; I pin the veil into my hair by putting bobby pins through my hair and then around the edge of, not through the fabric of, the veil (so that one half of the pin is between the veil and my head, and the other half is on top of the veil); then I take the braid and pull it over the area where the veil meets my hair, securing it with the halves of the bobby pins that are on top of the veil, and using another few pins to secure the bottom of the braid (the part closer to my forehead than the back of my head). There's no historical precedent for this, but it keeps the veil secure without damaging it, and keeps me from needing to wear a hat inside.

You can get a lot of variation in style by doing this:

1930s French veil worn directly in the hair with one large braid covering the join;

Ditto, with one large braid covering the join and one small decorative one across the head;

Ditto, with two twists of different sizes in stead of the braids;

Ditto, with the hair drawn into two buns at the side of the head under the veil, in stead of into one bun at the back;

Ditto, with one bun and one braid covering the join, with additional hair pinned into decorative swirling shapes on top of the head.

The mourning suit. This is the costume that instantly made me go "WHAT? oh, no" Because look at it. It looks like it's made of wool. This is the moment it appears, half way through episode 33. What.

There's no embellishment, no shine of any kind, no transparency unless it's backlit. I can't tell what the material really is, but it looks like a fine dark grey wool with a subtle richness of shade in the weave, and a sort of crepe edging (which the sleeves also have).

That seam along the top of the shoulder is surprising: visible seams hardly happen in his other costumes, except when they're revealed by patterns, and specifically not there.

None of these high-necked, imperious undershirts. No glitter. No train. No storm-clouds of gauze, no explosions of gold, no river of velvet in five shades of honey, no roots of the forest, no flames, not even the black satin or the silver moonscapes he wore in the human realm. Just a leather belt on top and skin underneath. Not even a buckle.

The total effect of he way the sleeves hang, the textures, and the composition of the shot above, is to make him look tiny in relation to Shangque. Our eyes are invited to abandon the delusion that he is tall or imposing, and recognise the body of a dancer.

The headpiece points down more than up, and hardly even shines. It could be jet, and you can hardly see it from the front, it just makes absurd little antennae above the ears.

It's ankle-length, and there's no train at all; the shape is relatively practical, like the hunting dress, or like Shangque's outfit.

Of all the costumes, I think this has two other outstanding, and contradictory, properties:

it's the one that can only be created instantaneously out of the fabric of fantasy spacetime by the character's state of mind. In the previous scene, in the same location, he was still wearing the Fire Gown. What purpose or occasion could possibly explain this having ever been made for him? It's intentionally unclear how either clothes or bodies are supposed to work in-universe, but can you imagine this sitting in a sandalwood chest in Moon Palace waiting to be magically summoned? It's a nope from me.

It's the one that's most explicit about someone having made it. There's a visible shoulder seam, and another that joins the sleeve.

This outfit is an extreme contrast of visual texture with every other thing the character has worn, up to this moment.

And, to my Western eye, the colour and unadorned texture, not to mention the lapels, bring an association of ideas which I will call on the art historian Anne Hollander to explain. She's writing about the genesis of the modern Western suit, about 1810:

"Formerly the play of light on rich and glinting textures had seemed to endow the gentleman with the play of aristocratic sensibility, and made him an appropriate vessel for exquisite courtesy, schooled wit, and refined arrogance without having to reveal the true fibre and calibre of his individual soul any more than that of his body. ... ... Brocade and embroidery had once indicated the generic superiority even of quite inferior individuals, and had displayed the beauty of the costume, not the man. Careful fit witout adornment, on the other hand, emphasizes the unique grace of the individual body - indeed creates it, in the highest tailoring tradition. The man's rank, or even his deeds, are irrelevant to the fine cut of his plain coat; only his personal qualities are shown to matter. ... ... The perfect man, as conceived by English tailors, was part English country gentleman, part innocent natural Adam, and part naked Apollo the creator and destroyer ... expressed not in bronze or marble but in natural wool, linen, and leather, wearing an easy skin as perfect as the silky pelt of the ideal hound or horse, lion or panther."

Anne Hollander, Sex and Suits, pp 90-91

As a visual comparison, here are three actual suits being worn in masterly fashion by (l to r) Tony Leung, Wang Yibo, and Eric Wang in the trailer for Hidden Blade (2023), which happens to be on my dash:

You see Hollander's point about the panther, right?

I also think it's a great illustration of another point she makes: the similarity of these three different suits focuses your attention on how different these three men really look. But that's another story.

I should spell out here that it's possible, and likely, that my association of ideas here was mostly a coincidence based on the very first glimpse, and the mood they were really going for with this costume is nothing more than humility and grief. The concept of a suit is not just texture and colour and visual simplicity: the complicated, multi-layered inner construction that uses the unique structural properties of wool cloth to create that illusion of panther-like simplicity is important, and tailoring is not being used in that way for this costume, at least not visibly. Other costumes have more fit-and-cut going on than this one.

But, either way. The drastic visual contrast is telling us that we are down to business now, the setup is over, it's all unwind from here.

So, I called this the mourning suit, since that's what he's mostly doing in this series of scenes, and I can't resist the opportunity for a pun that goes with the colour scheme.

And I felt like I was being told: now we find out who he really is and what he does when the chips are down. I for one was delighted to see that "who he really is" still includes "hilarious bitch", among other things. Pour one out for Lady Chiedi. Changheng is right there. The grey underlayer has a subtle pattern.

He continues to wear this right through episodes 34 (this beautiful scene where he tries to be a dick and then silently concedes Shangque's point). The dark top layer is split at the sides, which creates this cute fanned-out tail, like a bird.

Shangque is such a good friend.

The breakdown in Ep 35. This was the nearest I could find to a full-length view of this outfit that's close enough to see anything.

It's still with us when a revelation triggers "RTFM: The Comeback" (see this):

In another visually shocking departure from everything we've seen before: there's no long under-sleeve covering the wrists. The big sleeves just fall back as the 'rescue' theme rises in the music.

The goodbye snog. This grey underlayer actually seems to be two layers, which brings this to the usual number of visible layers, it's just that the inner layer hasn't got the high neck we were seeing before, and the top layer goes under the belt rather than over.

The dramatic exit - and I was delighted to see that as well as "the bitchy part" and "the part that Reads The Fucking Manual and compares it with the data", we also still have "the dramatic flouncy part" of his personality.

Minus glitter, dramatic eyeliner, rivers of velvet or clouds of gauze, he's still backing himself to seize the situation by the throat, and I love that for him.

After this, it isn't worn again.

Anyway: the point of this costume is to pack an emotional punch by its contrast to everything else, and it does that very well.

The DFQC costumes master post is here.

Shibusan was also selling Boueibu merch in August, including Ikaho collab merch until the end of September. Details here.

September 17th was Nanao's birthday. If you wanted this cake + cupcake set + macaron set in time for the day, then it should have been preordered until September 10th. This came with a bonus badge with the same design. The cake (which comes in 2 sizes - size 4: diameter: 12 cm, height: 5 cm and size 5: diameter: 15 cm, height: 7 cm) is in chocolate/chocolate cream and sponge/whipped cream varieties, with strawberries or yellow peaches inside for both (customer's choice), and the design is printed on to a sheet. The ink has a chance of running if you aren't careful. There are also Atsushi (preorder deadline: September 28th), Taishi (preorder deadline: September 29th), Kyotaro (preorder deadline: November 21st), Io (preorder deadline: December 10th) and Yumoto (preorder deadline: January 19th) versions. The cupcakes have a diameter of 8.4 cm, a height of 6.5 cm and come in a set of 4 - the cream on the cupcakes has matcha (green), chestnut (yellow), strawberry (pink) and chocolate (brown) and you can choose between black tea and orange peel/chocolate chip flavours for the cupcakes themselves. The macarons have a diameter of 4.3 cm, a height of 2.3 cm and come in a set of 6 - they come in strawberry (red), pistachio (green), orange (yellow) and chocolate (brown) flavours.

There are also Christmas cakes + macarons (preorder deadline: December 17th if you want it by December 24th) and Valentine's Day cakes + macarons (deadline: presumably February 7th) which come with badges (2 possible designs, 1 can badge that matches the design of the cake you chose). The Christmas cakes only have strawberries, as opposed to the strawberries and yellow peaches of the Valentine's and birthday cakes. The cakes only come in size 5. The badges are 54 mm in diameter. There was also a 5% discount applied to preordered Christmas cakes between November 6th and November 12th 2023.

The Shibukawa collab finished in September 2023. The crepes and drinks sold well. The collab page doesn't exist anymore, but there is a message from Shibukawa City: "To all the fans, thank you very much for coming to Ikaho time and time again. Look forward to the day we can hold another collab✰."

There was an online lottery on sale from October 20th at 12:00 pm - November 6th 2023 at 11:59 pm (all dates/times JST), with items estimated to be received in mid-January 2024. 1 attempt was 880 yen (tax incl.).

For said online lottery, if you won the A prize (probability of getting: 4.1%), you could pick which of the 2 fabric posters you wanted:

The B prize was a set of acrylic stands (probability: 13.8%, random out of 10 different kinds):

The C prize was acrylic keychains (probability: 20.5%, random out of 10 different kinds). The Anime Bako account (which is posting these tweets) recommends attaching them to a bag when you go out:

There are also D prizes (1 of 10 random square can badges, probability: 27.4%) and E prizes (1 of 20 random Polaroid-style cards, probability: 34.2%):

On January 1st 2024, the Boueibu official Twitter (X) account wished everyone a year overflowing with love and happiness. Please remember the Boueibu series this year too.

(Update: In terms of fruit, the Christmas cakes only have strawberries, while the Valentine's Day cakes have the choice of strawberries or yellow peaches.)

US Vogue March 15, 1961

Loose coat in fawn yellow wool velvet worn over a close-fitting dress and bloused in black silk crepe (Bianchini fabric). Contoured bell in sewn silk surah. All signed Norman Norell. Beauty note; A rose gold lipstick, Safran d'Orlane.

Manteau ample en velours de laine jaune fauve porté sur une robe près du corps et blousée de crêpe de soie noire (tissu Bianchini). Cloche profilée en surah de soie cousue. Le tout signé Norman Norell. Note beauté; Un rouge à lèvres en or rose, Safran d'Orlane.

Photo Horst P. Horst vogue archive

The first outfit Phryne wears in the Christmas special "Murder Under the Mistletoe" (Season 2, Episode 13) is a lovely grey tweed coat, lined with white fur at the collar and cuffs, worn over a white blouse and pants with a large white fur cap to top it off.

Her coat is made of hand-dyed silk and linen woven cloth to create a beautiful multi-colored tweed, hints of red, green, blue and pink atop the black and white threads. Similar in cut to her other tweed travel coats (brown tweed - 2x08, 2x11; black and white tweed - 1x05, 2x11, green tweed - 2x10), it creates a dramatic silhouette and wide flare at the hem. It is held together with two white buttons with wide notched lapels. The top of the collar is topped with same white faux fur that accentuates her sleeve cuffs and matches her eye-catching hat.

"This fabric is rare and makes a sensational coat because the silk woven in this manner has a gorgeous drape to it. The fabric has a lot of give and the side panels and thin inserts on the body of the coat allow each section to acting independently. Coupled with the weight of the fur this gives great movement to the coat." - Costume Exhibition Catalogue

Underneath her coat Miss Fisher wears her white crepe blouse with a matching tie held in place with loops, falling over the scooped neckline. This is the fourth time we've seen it; it's used twice in 2x07 and once in 2x12. She pairs it with her white silk faille wide-leg pants, and grey suede t-strap heels, and a pair of white carved flower earrings.

To accompany her gorgeous opening look, Phryne wears a large 'Dr. Zhivago-style' hat that was made to match her tweed coat. The felt was sourced from a Melbourne millinery, and the stark white of the fur almost drips into Phryne's black hair as a contrast.

A white fluffy handbag, hung on the end of a folded long white rope handle, was made of the same white faux fur to finish off the outfit. When Marion was in fittings with Essie, they discovered that they could the bag as an instrument of death.

Season 2, Episode 13 - "Murder Under the Mistletoe"

Screencaps from here, promotional photos from the official Facebook (x, x, x) and various sources (x, x), costume exhibition photos from various sources (x, x), hat photo from the official Pinterest.

Letters From Watson: Scandal in Bohemia

Part 1, the fun bits: - There are (at least) three major cases between Watson's marriage and this case. - Watson has returned to private practice: presumably he has recovered considerably in the last eight years and has the funds (possibly due to his marriage to Mary?) to set himself up in a practice. - Holmes doesn't give a shit that he's got a client coming, he's not wasting the chance that Watson came to visit. - There were apparently reference books listing out companies: some sort of yellow pages equivalent for an era where you had to write to a company to order things? - Astrakhan is a fleece, or a fabric made to resemble fleece. A vizard mask is a plain black mask that covers the upper half of the face (there are also ones that cover the whole face but this one is not one of them.) - A two year guarantee of secrecy would expire in March 1890 (if given on the canon date in 1888) but if my proposed timeline holds, a date of march 1889 wouldn't prevent publication in 1891. - Holmes' scrapbooking clippings for name recognition reference really feels like a wikipedia assembled out of period newspapers. - If Irene was born in 1858 she's either 30 (1888) or 31 (1889), very close in age to Holmes (Who by my estimate was born some time in 1857-1859) - I always love it when a client buries the lead - you came to ask Holmes to burgle you back that photograph, Ormstein. You should have started there! - Ormstein has had people burgle Irene's house twice, had her luggage stolen, and had her "waylaid." Without the presumption that Irene was an unrepentant blackmailer, how would Holmes and Watson have reacted to that admission? - Here's that fictitious king of Scandanavia again. Presumably, if this is referring to the same person as referenced during Noble Bachelor, his reviews of Holmes' work were good enough for other european nobility. - Spoilers, but considering the timeline: If Irene did threaten to publish the photograph on the day of Ormstein's engagement announcement, we have no evidence that she did not do it after at least one attempt on Ormstein's part to have it stolen from her. After all, what we learn of her motivations and present circumstances (getting married and leaving for America) directly contradicts the idea that she's at all interested in Ormstein's future so long as he leaves her alone. - One thousand pounds (total) to start the investigations is more than 100,000 pounds (120,000 ish USD) today. Fuck it, I'd take this case for that. It's not sketchy enough from this description that Ormstein couldn't be telling the truth. - The pancake recipe attached in the Letters from Watson mailing sure sounds like crepes.

Coord Breakdown: July 1st, 2023

Now that I've got a dedicated lolita blog, I'll be posting and discussing some of my coords, starting with a few from the past. This one's one of my personal favorites, and very meaningful to me.

JSK: Handmade

Blouse: Offbrand

Waist cincher: Handmade

Headbow: Handmade

Veil: Fanplusfriend

Choker: Handmade (sort of)

Necklace: Offbrand indie

Bracelets: Offbrand

Socks: Offbrand

Boots: Offbrand

Full breakdown under the cut.

This coord is a big milestone for me. It's my first handmade JSK (not counting a failed attempt from years earlier), and my first time using my own custom fabric!

I designed the fabric in the summer of 2022, and had it printed via Spoonflower. It's themed around Castlevania, a favorite game series of mine (and one that has quite the interesting history with lolita! Did you know Mana composed a ringtone to promote Harmony of Dissonance that is now lost media?). Each of the stained glass windows depicts one of the subweapons used throughout the games (plus wall chicken), which are also repeated as a motif inside the stripes. If you look closely, you can also see the modern and retro Castlevania logo incorporated into the surrounding glass. Beneath the windows are gravestone-like blocks, each with the name of a game's protagonists and the year the game takes place. At the hem is a quote that has been attributed to a number of people, including Winston Churchill, but is notably said by Alucard and Richter at the end of Symphony of the Night. Finally, above the border print is a pair of wall-mounted candles, which can be found throughout Castlevania and destroyed to gain ammo or other upgrades. According to IGA, these candles contain the restless spirits of Dracula's victims, who drop upgrades as thanks for freeing them from the castle.

Here are some closeups, one of which is in the black colorway! I've got four different colorways available on Spoonflower, each inspired by a different character (Richter, Alucard, Juste, and Maria). You can find them here. The fabric I chose for my JSK is poly crepe de chine.

But enough fabric talk. Have at you!

The cut of the JSK is based on Bodyline's Skull in Wonderland JSK, which I've owned for years now; It's simple and fits me well, so I figured using it as a template would be the most effective way to make a good JSK for myself without too much hassle. Making clothes based on existing garments you own is a tried-and-true method in fashion design and home sewing.

I actually debuted the JSK about a month earlier while on vacation, with a different coord:

However, I couldn't help feeling that it was a bit lackluster. After much thought and advice from friends, I decided to spruce things up and give it another try at the then-upcoming renfaire.

This time I used one of my summer blouses, an offbrand peasant top I got at Rainbow forever ago- I think the brand is Ambiance? I also bought a set of bracelets (also from Rainbow, and they've now become a staple of my wardrobe), and a pair of black lace-topped OTKs in place of the plain black tights I'd worn before. For the rest of the jewelry, I wore a glittery purple bat necklace I'd bought from a renfaire vendor years ago (I wish I knew the name!! If anyone recognizes it please let me know!), and a scrap of black lace with a small safety pin through the back as a choker.

Finally, the remaining accessories. I made a wired headbow out of leftover fabric from the dress, with a beaded chain in front. I wore this over a veil from Fanplusfriend. As for the waist cincher, I made it out of stretch pleather and lace, along with black fabric to tie in the back. I used gold acrylic paint to add a nice patina to the leather, and hand-painted our pal Simon Belmont in a coordinating color scheme. My parents said it looks like a wrestling belt, lol.

Regarding the boots, I know damn well that the renfaire grounds are muddy and uneven, so I wore a pair of riding boots I originally bought for a Joseph Joestar cosplay way back in the day. Sometimes you gotta sacrifice a little bit for practicality's sake.

All in all, I'm very proud of how this coord came out. It was really amazing seeing something I designed come to life, and working hard to make it truly beautiful. I hope this inspires other folks to try their hand at designing and making lolita!

Beaux-arts des modes (New York, Paris, London, Milano, Wien, Bruxelles), no. 2, mars 1922. 117. Toilette de Casino. Bibliothèque nationale de France

(117.) Toilette de Casino en crêpe marocain noir. Corsage plat, retombant, a échancrure droite. Bandes d'étoffe retombant en forme de longues coques. Ceinture de tissu. Jupe à broderie d'or chinoise.

(117.) Casino ensemble in black Moroccan crepe. Flat, falling bodice with straight cutout. Strips of fabric falling in the shape of long shells. Fabric belt. Chinese gold embroidery skirt.

New Commission! Espeon Knight, based on Evee Knights by @sunsetdragon Soft ombre crepe fabric in ombre sunset colors, stretch knit stop and leggings. The armor is a combination of black worbla and foam! Wig not a part of the commission, I just threw it on the mannequin 💀