Innocent World's Seven New Pieces

Classic favorite Innocent World has updated with one new item for sale and half a dozen up for reservation. (Shopping service needed if you live overseas.) Please note all names are my unofficial translation from the katakana originals.

The new piece, available now, is the Margareta Blouse.

The six available for reservation now will arrive during the time listed after each one.

Rose Corsage Braid Hat (2/21- 2/28)
Strawberry Patch Animal Bloomers (3/6 - 3/13)
Madeline JSK (2/27 - 3/6)
Flower Embroidery JSK (2/21 - 2/28)
Tulle Lace Long-Sleeved Bolero (2/27 - 3/6)
Ribbon Frill Skirt (3/3 - 3/16)

Megan Maude Open for Custom Orders

This week Western brand Megan Maude opened up for custom orders. You can now create your own versions of designs already available (for example, you could order the Jonquil Jumper shown above in black instead of plaid, and in a different size).

Or, if you're a fan of their style but want an item they don't make, you can now send them a custom order request.

Meta's Rose Print Series Now On Sale

Metamorphose temps de fille updated their overseas online shop today with skirts, bustiers and dresses from their "Rose Print" series.

Another recent addition available to international shoppers as well as Japanese is their "Rose Flocky Print" series, and don't forget to check out their Winter Sale for some last-chance bargains (for example, the School Pinafore Dress, in red check, for 10,400 yen).

Victorian Maiden Pre-Order and Discount

Classic brand Victorian Maiden began accepting pre-order reservations at 7:30pm today (Japan time) for several new items (shopping service needed as they don't deliver overseas). You can place your pre-orders until 7:30pm on February 4.

The items, all available in a range of colors, are the Elegant Petal Frill Dress, the Petal Frill Bustier Dress and an Elegant Lace Blouse.

All three will be ready either mid-April or the beginning of May, and by ordering now you can get them at a special pre-order sale price (the price in bright pink: the price above it will be the regular one).

The Elegant Frill Bolero, along with a few other items, can also be ordered at this time but comes with no discount.

Baby the Stars Shine Bright Merry Sweet Castle Fair

And I'm back, after my computer woes! Thanks again for your patience. :)

Today Baby the Stars Shine Bright begins selling their Merry Sweet Castle line, which includes a skirt and S, M and L size JSK (bust up to 103 cm, waist up to 88 cm on the L size).

And to celebrate Merry Sweet Castle, it's novelty time! Beginning January 30, if your online order totals 30,000 yen or more, you'll get a cute three-charm Merry Sweet Castle necklace for free with your order. The last photo on the linked page, of the entire necklace, shows everything photographed separately all put together.

For those of you in Japan or using in-person shopping services, you can start collecting the individual charms by spending just 6,000 yen at any Baby store (you can choose the carriage or the pony charm). For 12,000 yen you get both charms, and for 18,000 you get the castle charm and necklace. For 24,000 yen you can get either the carriage or pony charm plus the castle necklace. And as with the online orders, for 30,000 yen or more you get the entire set.

As with all novelty items, these will only be available until they sell out.

Fruit Punch 1, Laptop 0

Due to a mishap with an entire glass of fruit punch and my poor laptop, I'll only have sporadic computer access for the next few days and won't be able to research and post here. (To Mac's credit, after a day of drying the computer does boot up and work, but for now the keyboard is only typing garbage.)

I hope to be up and running again by Tuesday, one way or another. I apologize for the delay, and thank you for your patience!

Mary Magdalene New Pre-Order Items

Mary Magdalene is accepting preorders until 11am (Japan time) on January 27 for its "Elodie Doll* Blouse", "Elodie Doll* JSK", and "Claudette One Piece". All three will be produced and ready by late April. Payment is due by February 6. (If you're in Japan and ordering through the Japanese site, your initial payment is due by then with the rest due by March 13).

For international Lolitas, they have a reservation instruction page in English for preorders (click "For Oversea"), and they also, of course, accept overseas orders!

(* The original name is "Erodido-ru" in katakana, so "Elodie Doll" is my unofficial guess at what that means.)

Marui Stores Remodel, Lolita Shops Relocate

Shinjuku shopping mall and Lolita mecca MaruiYoung/MaruiOne is closing down today, as well as other Shinjuku Marui locations, and will reopen February 27, while MaruiCity-2 will reopen on February 20. Update: Please note Marui City 2 has been renamed "Marui One" for its new opening, with the old, different Marui One now called Marui Curren.

A mass exodus will take place, putting nearly all the brands you know and love at the MaruiCity-2 location (to be called Marui One) in time for its February 20th opening.

Algonquins will be leaving the Marui stores for good, while Emily Temple Cute and Jane Marple will remain open during the remodeling through temporary stores at MaruiCity-1.

Here's the full list of Lolita, Goth and related brands:

Relocating to MaruiCity-2, and opening on the 20th:

-Alice and the Pirates
-alice auaa
-Angelic Pretty
-Black Peace Now
-Excentrique
-h. Naoto
-Jesus Diamante
-Kera Shop Arena
-Kera Shop Angel
-Metamorphose temps de fille
-Moi Meme Moitie (will reopen inside Kera Shop Angel store)
-Peace Now
-Sexy Dynamite London
-sixh (will be inside the h. Naoto shop)

Staying open through a temporary shop in MaruiCity-1 until opening late February in MaruiCity-2:

-Emily Temple Cute
-Jane Marple

Closing down for good (at least in connection to the Marui department stores):

Algonquins


For future shopping reference, here's an English-language map of the various Maruis around Shinjuku and more detailed information on how to get there with MaruiCity-1 and 2's current English-language store info brochure. Happy shopping!

Innocent World 30-50% Off Sale and Anniversary Party

Japanese brand Innocent World is having a winter sale right now, with 30-50% off JSKs, OPs, skirts and more. Fans of Classic and Sweet styles can find some great deals, and there are even a couple of Gothic-friendly items. (Shopping service needed if you live overseas.)

Also, if you happen to be in Japan in March, IW has just announced they'll be having a 2-year anniversary party at their Nagoya store on Sunday, March 15th. They're still working on the details and will announce them once they're settled.

Candy Violet's New "Paris Chic" Print

Pioneer Western brand Candy Violet has their new "Paris Chic" skirts up for sale. Available in pink, blue and black, the skirt features a cute original print and a yoke-style waistband for a slimming effect under shirts and blouses.



I asked founder and designer Vivien Hoffpauir to share her thoughts on Paris Chic: "For these new skirts I wanted to try something a little different, and came up with a shape that was still very Lolita, but addressed issues a lot of Western Lolitas felt in trying to keep a nice tidy waistline. They reflect my love of Paris, and I hope people will wear them as as sweetly or as chic as their own style dictates."

Image © Candy Violet and used with permission.

New Feature: Meet-Up Calendar

Lots of meet-ups go on every month around the world, giving Lolitas a chance to meet new friends and old in fun get-togethers with fellow lovers of the fashion. Many girls talk about how they never know about meet-ups happening in their area until it's too late, and organizers sometimes wonder how to get the news of their meet-ups to more people.

So I thought I'd try starting a new feature here at Petit Four Press, a meet-up calendar of sorts. It'll be a monthly list of upcoming get-togethers (which I will be happy to post updates to throughout the month as information is sent in), and the calendar post will be easy to find, linked from the side bar of this blog's front page. Like the blog itself, this will be an experiment of sorts, so we'll see how it goes!

If you'd like to see your February meetup listed next week (the last week of January), please send along the following information to petit.four.blog@gmail.com (leaving the dots in). Here's an example of what to send, and what will be posted:

Location (City/State or Province/Country): Houston, Texas, USA

Date: 2/14

Type of Meet-Up: Picnic/Formal/Casual/Going to See a Movie/You Get the Idea

Organizer/Contact: User "Bluebell_Icecream" on Livejournal.com (or an email address)

Extra notes: (Intro line or two about Houston meet-ups and organizer, or dress code, or reminder about venue ticket prices, etc.)

Please pass this along to anyone you think would be interested, and thanks for reading!

Metamorphose temps de fille Special Babydoll Offer

International fans of Meta, the brand has you in mind: to celebrate their new Shinjuku shop's February opening, the Japanese brand will be accepting orders for their Organdie Babydoll Dress Set at their physical Shinjuku shop and the English online site only, starting at midnight, February 20 (when the day changes over to the 20th).

Angelic Pretty Winter Sale, New Spring Line

Sweet Lolita favorite Angelic Pretty is having a sale on their winter items through their Japanese-language online shop. The sale begins at noon Saturday the 17th (Japan time) and ends on the 18th.

Also, if you haven't yet, check out the new Spring 2009 line here, featuring, among other items, their delicate "Maiden Rose Frill" (Otome Rozu Furiru) print.

Fanplusfriend "Holiday Arrangement" 10% Discount Begins Today

Budget-friendly Hong Kong brand Fanplusfriend is taking a month-long holiday from producing made-to-order items, and will not be making any from today until February 10th. They will also stop sending out instant-shipping items from January 23 to February 2.

If you don't mind waiting to get your order until they come back from holiday, they're offering a 10% discount on all online orders placed from today until February 10th. The discount can be combined with other discounts (such as VIP discounts or their "free shipping over $650" offer).

Juliette et Justine Happy Bags On Sale Now

Japanese brand Juliette et Justine, known for their detailed Classic looks, has two types of Happy Bags (lucky packs) available now! (Shopping service needed for overseas customers.)

One is a skirt set for 50,000 yen, which comes with a bolero, two cutsews (one a summer-style short sleeve), skirt, and an "original novelty". You can choose an M(1) or L(2) size and the overall color theme of the pack (Set A is khaki, Set B black).

The second is an OP set for 45,000 yen, and comes in the same color and size options. It includes a dress, bolero, two cutsews (one a summer-style short sleeve) and an "original novelty" item.

To see more of the items included, you can click on the blue links near the end of each page. ("Princesse dans forêt bolero", "Bourgeon de rose" and "Ruban secret jupe.") Each detail page also has a small paragraph in English describing the item.

Atelier Boz New Items Up!

Gothic Lolitas, Goths and Aristocrats may want to head over to the site of elegant Japanese brand Atelier Boz, where they've updated with four new items suited for darker styles: a white skirt/black overskirt combination, long fitted black skirt, and new long black coat/jacket in both a women's and men's version. (Shopping service needed for overseas orders.)

Mary Magdalene Spring Coat Pre-Order

Mary Magdalene is accepting preorder reservations from now until 11am (Japan time) on the 15th for its ""Alice Spring Coat", a great Classic item and available in several colors, including rose and ivory. The coat will be produced and ready later in the spring, in March or April. Payment is due by January 23rd. (If you're in Japan and ordering through the Japanese site, your initial payment is due by then with the rest due by the 27th).

For international Lolitas, they have a specific reservation instruction page in English for this coat (click "For Oversea") as it's a preorder rather than a regular purchase, and they also, of course, accept overseas orders on this and other items!

Community Feature: "Lolita 2009" Calendar

If you're looking for a pretty calendar for the new year, check out the Lolita 2009 calendar, a lush collection of photos from Spanish photographer and Lolita Irene Orozko.

The cover and two of the 12 monthly photos:

This week I had the chance to interview Irene about the calendar, Lolita, and her photography. Read on for Halloween scares, a call for collaborators, and more!

Your beautiful calendar features all Western Lolitas, and the international community response to it has been overwhelmingly positive. Did that response surprise you?

Usually, photoshoots have a very good reception among the international community, but I’ve been very surprised with all the support people have given to my calendar: I didn’t expect it at all. It’s the best reward when people like what you do.

How did you get into photography?

I think it was almost four years ago, around the same time I heard of Lolita. I’ve been into art since I was very little, and back then I was going through a time of changes and self-discovery, so for me, photography was finding a new way to express myself and my thoughts. I wanted to create beauty.

How long have you been into Lolita?

As I said, almost four years: I got into it when I was 15. Time goes by fast, no doubt about it!

What was the first photo you took that you were really proud of?

One of the very first pictures I took: My best friend was in it. But if I had to mention a more recent one, I think it’d be "Snow White," which is also featured as the November photo in my calendar.

This calendar came from a class project, you've said. Will you do more Lolita prints or calendars in the future?

I have no doubts about it! Lolita is undeniably tied to my life, and in a way, it influences my view of beauty. I’m very looking forward to working with more Lolitas in the future, so if anyone’s interested in collaborating with me, don’t hesitate to contact me!

Do you have any favorite photos or funny stories about any of the shoots that went into the calendar?

Oh yes! For the Halloween shoot we were inside the building I live in, and my friend Paola had to lie down on the stairs of the entrance hall. Apart from lights switching off all the time (that drove me crazy and had me running all over the place), every now and then a neighbour would come in and freak out, and I had to explain I was there taking pictures. I suppose a pink-haired girl playing dead, surrounded by sweets, is not something you see everyday. *laughs*

Do you have any advice for people who'd like to go to school for photography?

I just started school myself, so there’s little I can say about it yet. But for becoming a better photographer I know that working hard, researching, reading, trying and practicing a lot is the best advice I can give, I think.


Thank you, Irene! For more of her photography, you can check out her gallery here. Happy 2009!

All images © Irene Orozko (http://gurololi.deviantart.com/) and used with permission.

Baby the Stars Shine Bright: Mariage Poupet Pre-Order, 8 New Items and New Online Cart System

Japanese brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright will begin accepting online reservations for its "Mariage Poupet" line January 13th at 5pm (Japan time). You'll be able to reserve until February 5th at 1pm (Japan time).

They also have a new system for overseas orders, where you fill out the online form rather than send an email. You can read more about it here.

Eight new items have also been uploaded to the online shop, including a corset-style JSK, Poodle mini-hat and an Alice and the Pirates bag and tote bag.

Putumayo Winter Sale On Now!

Fans of cute and punky Japanese brand Putumayo will want to check out their huge 20%-off Winter Sale, running from now until the 19th! (Shopping service needed for overseas buyers.)

Victorian Maiden New Year Outlet Sale!

Starting this weekend, 1/10 at 12:30pm and running through 1/12 7:30pm, Classic favorite Victorian Maiden will be having an "outlet sale", where they'll be selling 2008 samples, "carry" items and rare goods, both in their Japanese online shop (shopping service needed as they don't deliver overseas) and at their Osaka "Press Room" location.

If you're in Osaka this weekend, you can go by the Press Room in person for the sale, but to avoid a rush of people all at once when the doors open they'll be handing out numbered tickets to allow people in, starting at 12pm on the 10th.

Peace Now's New Items: Jackets, OPs, Men's Wear

Japanese brand Peace Now (Black Peace Now) has updated their site this week with new pieces for 2009, all featuring a refined and elegant look great for Aristocrats, Gothic Lolitas or just plain Goths.

If you don't have access to a shopping service, they also sell older items through their page on the MaruiOne website.

New Baby the Stars Shine Bright Items Up!

Popular Japanese brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright updated their site today with five new items, including a hooded Usa-chan cardigan and a cutsew from their Princess Drop line.

Baby does overseas orders, and English instructions can be found here if you've never ordered from them before. Happy shopping!

Blasphemina's Closet Open for New Year, and New Line in March

American brand Blasphemina's Closet, known for its Classic and more refined looks, opens today for 2009 orders. A new line will also hit the site in March!

(image © Blasphemina's Closet/Samantha Rei, used with permission)

Suppurate System Happy Packs Now, and International Shop Coming Soon

It's not too late for Lucky Pack love! While most brands' Lucky Pack times have now ended, purveyor of dark and unique accessories Suppurate System has their Happy Packs available until 1/15 on their Japanese site only. There are two kinds, both 5,250 yen and one a special Web-shop only pack.

And for Western customers, Suppurate has good news: they'll be opening an international online shop soon! While the international site itself isn't open yet, you can bookmark it here.

Angelic Pretty Miracle Candy Series Pre-Order (Japanese Site Only)

Heads up, Angelic Pretty fans!

If you have a shopping service or Japan-residing friend handy, AP is now accepting pre-orders for their cute new spring '09 "Miracle Candy" series (on their Japanese site only). Orders can be placed from now until January 11th through the site.

The series, featuring a border print full of lollipops, bows and candy (though none walking on water or performing other feats of awe), is sure to please Sweet fans out there and includes an OP, 2 JSKs, skirt, handbag, socks and headbow.

Act Fast! MaruiOne New Year's Sparkling Sale Coupon!

MaruiOne, Shinjuku shrine to all things Lolita and Goth, is offering a 2,000 yen off coupon to anyone whose order totals 20,000 yen or more from now until January 6th. The coupon is good for future orders placed on their website on select brands. If you're interested, hurry, as you've got about a day left!

A few brands you can use the coupon on during your next purchase:

Moi-même-Moitié

Emily Temple Cute

Heart E

Welcome!

Welcome to Petit Four Press, a new blog that aims to be your one-stop shop for the latest Lolita fashion info!

If you don't know what Lolita is, the short version is something along the lines of "a distinctive and feminine Japanese street fashion that prizes quality and modesty."

For those of you who do know what it is (and who this blog is for), here's what this experiment is all about: For a month or so, I'm going to attempt to update daily or near daily with at least one current sale, update, or piece of news for a Japanese or Western brand, as well as the occasional "soft feature", like interviews, profiles, and so on. I'd like Petit Four to be a helpful resource for international Lolitas looking for bargains, news and info all in one place, provided by a Lolita for Lolitas. :)

Hopefully this blog will provide a unique service to the community, as with other Lolita blogs you tend to have more of a lifestyle bent, whereas you will hear and see very little of me and my life here (nothing wrong with lifestyle blogs, of course, but that's not going to be my focus).  Other Lolita resources, like magazines and emagazines, aren't updated as frequently, and the popular EGL community on LiveJournal isn't as filtered for news-only items.

Why am I doing this? I like sharing information and helping people out, and I need practice retaining the Japanese I've learned but no longer use. This may end up being way too much work, but I love a challenge and you never know until you try. :)

If you have anything you'd really like (or not like!) to see in this blog, feel free to comment and let me know. Please also let me know if someone is doing exactly this and I've missed it somehow, or if there are blogs, brands, or people you think would be interesting for me to profile here.

Thank you for reading and wish me luck!

Thank You!

Thanks for your donation!

I really appreciate it, and will always keep trying to make Petit Four Press better and more useful and interesting for you and other readers. :)