I finally got my hands on an Angelic Pretty Cinema Doll set and just had to take some fun pictures with it!
I feel quite bad I made my husband take a ton of photos but I had a great Saturday afternoon without the stress of leaving the house haha! 💦 I had the urge to wear the outfit all week but with the current health scare going around I didn't quite feel like forcing myself to go anywhere specific (there wasn't anything great going on in and around LA either) and then my sweet husband suggested he could just take images of me at home instead! What a genius! I got to experience getting dressed without time constraints which was very relaxing at made the whole process more fun!
Now for the topic at hand, the Cinema Doll Angelic Pretty Lolita dress! My gosh I've been in love with this print ever since I laid my eyes on it back when I first got into Lolita. Of course I got into the fashion about 3 years after this print was released, and back then I had other dream dresses I wanted to acquire first.
But over the years I acquired those and my list got shorter. I actively started looking for this dress for a while in 2018 but then I kept finding it without the head bow and I didn't want to deal with that (haha the irony) so I passed on it.
And then Cat's Tea Party was announced for re-release at the end of 2018 for the Angelic Pretty Museum event but waiiit ~ So did Cinema Doll!
This post gave me a heart attack when I first saw it!
Priorities first though, I went with Cat's Tea Party in my preferred colorway. That was a release I JUST couldn't miss. I'd get Cinema Doll some other time. Haha little did I know... it took FOREVER to find it. I kept missing it on the Japanese second-hand market over and over again, until a few weeks ago, on February 3rd I checked right before bedtime and voila! There it was for a decent price... WITHOUT A HEAD BOW OFC!!! Whatever, this time I really had to have it!
So, I purchased it and went on the hunt for the head bow. I had my SS ask the original JSK seller if they still had it to no avail, and inquire on another persons JSK + head bow listing if they would be interested in splitting their set that had been sitting on the app for literal months and the bow was damaged as well - but they were not interested.
Queue to two weeks later, it pops up for sale on it's own - for a ridiculous price. At that point I just caved in, I didn't want to spend my days begging people to split their sets apart and in the end I would have needed to offer a ridiculous amount for anyone to go for that anyway. I am the type of collector that isn't happy until they get all items of a particular set (as you can see I collected the bags that Angelic Pretty released of the same print as well) and I know it would have eaten away at me until I obtained it in the end. So - that's basically how I justify my spending habits in the end lol.
Overall I'm not unhappy with the price I paid for all the Cinema Doll pieces I've gathered so far. I got such good deals on the socks and bags that it evened out the cost of the head bow. The last Cinema Doll items that I'd really like to acquire, are the shoes in lavender and the umbrella. While the jewelry is cute, I would only get it if it's really low priced, since I have real pearl jewelry that I can use instead.
Don’t talk to me or my child ever again!
To be honest taking these pictures was partially a trial run for a future photo shoot I have planned with my cat... yes, you read that correctly, a cat photo shoot! I‘m still working on my bedroom decor but I think it’s almost ready now! Last year during Catcon I met the most talented Cat Photographer Erica Danger and purchased a at-home photo session for my cat and me but I decided to hold off until I was happier with my weight. I've reached that goal and my bedroom is at the point where I'm happy enough to have it as the backdrop especially since I don't want to put my cat through the stress of driving to a studio - she doesn't do too hot in cars.
In the end it really surprised me that she was so relaxed and how long she stood next to me and generally vibed with what I was doing lol! We got her onto the bed after taking most of the pictures and just woke her up from a nap. She might have just been too sleepy to really mind what was going on but hey, I'll take it! For the actual shoot I will definitely stock up on treats and snacks so I can bribe her if she doesn't want to play along heh...
I also need to not scratch her head while taking pictures because it makes her face look REALLY weird...
Now I really wanted to spare a moment to share a picture of my accessories as well!
The corsage is one of the first black pieces I ever made! It has a medium sized velvet ribbon and a large vintage Camellia flower combined with one medium sized feather plume! It’s a very versatile piece because I can simply clip in the top of the feather to size it down if I feel like it or I can add a little jewelry brooch to spice it up!
The large initial ring is an heirloom of my late great grandmother. It’s a D and an H and I like to believe that it fell into my hands by fate because my maiden name started with a D and my last name now begins with an H. So the intertwined D & H really makes my heart flutter and I absolutely love owning a piece of my family’s history!
The single pearl strands are also real heirloom pieces which have the most magical glow to them when you look at them in person! The multi strand piece and bracelet I found at an antique store many years ago.
I have a small ever growing collection of Tokimeki Gabriel items and the tongue-out cat ring is my absolute favorite treasure! I got lucky enough to have my SS pick it up at Design Festa in 2018 after missing snagging one at the last Rufflecon! Speaking about Rufflecon 2018, that’s where I grabbed the cute ribbon shaped ring!
I actually got my nails done in anticipation of my dress arriving and the final result just makes me so happy I needed to share it! I am so excited that I found the perfect lavender color match for my nails! My nail artist really went all out on the design as well when she worked out the design with me.
I have to say I started frequenting Marie Nails in Los Angeles about two months ago and I have never been happier with my nails! Everyone working there is so nice, sweet and talented! The level of pampering I receive there is unreal! Hey if you are interested in going there and want a discount - let me refer you lol!
Here is my favorite outtake ~ very descriptive of my overall mood! I had too much fun!
Outfit rundown:
Headbow: Angelic Pretty Cinema Doll Headbow
Corsage: @ainiwaffles (me!)
Dress: Angelic Pretty Cinema Doll JSK
Feather sash, pearl necklaces, earrings, ring: Vintage
Rings: Tokimeki Gabriel
Blouse: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Shoes: Tibi
Nails: Marie Nails LA
Bags: Angelic Pretty Cinema Doll cosmetic bag, Cinema Doll shoe bag
Fan: Unique Vintage Marabou Feather Fan