Chicago Trip: Misako Aoki, Deadlift Lolita, and my First Tea Party!

Hey everyone!

Keiko here~

I am back from the Windy City and ready for some blogging action. It was a busy weekend full of panels, shopping, and even a tea party!

On the first day, I met Misako Aoki, the Japanese Lolita Ambassador. As expected, I was out-kawaii'd  by her. My impression of her was that she was definitely down-to-business. She kept her cute persona on the whole con quite well, and seemed to measure her words carefully at the Q&A session. As expected of a carefully preened model~

While she is not my favorite model for several reasons, it was still cool to meet her in person rather than see her in a postcard. I even got her to sign some of the merchandise I got at her signing session!

 During the Q&A session, I got the opportunity to ask her what her favorite dress was. She said it was probably My Favorite Ribbon in pink, which did not surprise me, since she helped design it herself. Additionally, I got to ask her whether or not she would be participating in the new release of Melt. Regrettably, the answer was no. She is already tied up with Kera, so we won't be seeing her in the new Mook.

On the first night, Ladybeard and Reika performed as the dynamic duo Deadlift Lolita. It had 'lolita' in it so, naturally, I had to check it out! I was happy to find that their songs suit my tastes --think the tough-cute balance of Babymetal. I had seen some of Ladybeard's previous work peripherally before, and I made sure to check Deadlift Lolita songs out beforehand to make sure I knew I was getting into, but watching them perform live was extra fun. They had a wrestling match in the middle of the concert! Unfortunately, none of the pictures or footage I took were good enough to post. But I have a polaroid I took with them at their signing session the next day~

Cute and tough make a great combination!

The second day was also when the fashion show took place. Unfortunately, only one of the two designers could make it. The prints were interesting, but not really my style, so I skipped buying anything lolita-related. Still, it must have been cool to have Misako model for them as an indie brand designer.

The designer answered some questions at the end and, though they tried their best, I couldn't help but feel a bit underwhelmed by the fashion show as a whole. The second designer was sorely missed, but perhaps next year they will have better luck.

The last day was reserved for the tea party. It had been one of my yearly goals to attend a lolita event of that nature, so I was naturally quite excited.

Here's what I wore to the occasion:

And here are some pictures of the Tea Party~

This lovely picture comes courtesy of Kassy Caldwell from Chigothloli - Chicago Convention Connection

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Have you been to a large tea party before? Or perhaps you've met a famous lolita? What's the most exciting event you've attended to? Feel free to share in the comments below~!

Keiko out!