Paradiso: Decadence Adventure Report Part 1 (Picture Heavy!)

Hey everyone!

I am here to tell you about my time in Kansas City, Missouri as an attendee for Paradiso: Decandence.

It all started in January, when my friend Denise (Ruffle Road) and I decided to attend the event. We descended upon those General Admission tickets like rapacious birds of prey --by which I mean we unnecessarily waited for their release and bought them right away without knowing they'd be selling well into May.

We immediately made plans for travel arrangements. A cheap, red-eye flight to make the most of Monday, a well-located Airbnb to split with a third person (who ended up being another member of our comm!), and an itinerary later, we were ready for the trip somewhere between March and April. All that was left was to wait.

I never wake up early enough to see sunrises

Day 0

We arrived early in the morning and visited some food places and the Noir Oddities physical storefront. They had all sorts of antique and creepy items for sale, including fragrances and pagoda umbrellas, but I wanted to save my money for the main event.

Noir Oddities had some lovely display

It was also the night of the Pre-Party swap meet, where we met with the rest of our travel group that had driven nearly 7 hours to get there. The most lolitas I'd ever seen -a number that would change as the event happened throughout the days,- gathered at the designated swap space. There were brand, indie brand, offbrand, and handmade items from all styles. I was most drawn in by some oldschool skirts I was looking for for a friend, some decoden phonecases and resin jewelry someone made by hand, and Baby the Stars Shine Bright's Elizabeth OP in red. It was so cool to see that dress in person! I sold part of what I brought and got myself a black BTSSB umbrella that ended up being the night's MVP during our trip back to the Airbnb in torrential rain.

A comforting sign when we were lost

Day 1

Denise left early for the fashion show, leaving bat-or-sweets and I to get ready. Bat-or-sweet had been sewing all night and through her 7 hour cardrive, but she still helped me rip some seams in my apron to make it look better, and she also sewed up my parasol! Real MVP for day one. 

We made our way to Union Station around 11AM, where we got breakfast,coffee and saw the biggest group of lolitas I'd ever seen. Then, around noon, the exhibit hall opened and Paradiso began.

I was too busy furiously running from one booth to the next to take pictures of the merchandise. By the time I was done getting my haul together, it was time for the fashion show. An hour felt like enough time to shopo back then but, in retrospect, I realized I had missed several places I wanted to stop by. Fortunately, it wasn't a big loss, as my money reserves were exhausted pretty quickly.

We sat on the third row of the fashion show, which unfortunately made it difficult to see and take pictures because of all the bonnets and tall headdresses. If I had a suggestion for next year, it would be to look into raised seating. I will include some of the better pictures I took here. I unfortunately wasn't able to get good pictures of all the lines, much less particular outfits. But here is what I do have:

The Bloody Tea Party's models rocked their poses

Denise rocked her Ikemen Mode outfit!

Ikemen Mode did a denim ouji collection

Elegy Clothing's popular Albino Accord dress 

I Do Declare x Voodoodolly collaboration

I Do Declare x Voodoodolly collaboration

Chiropteran Garden by Mossbadger

Datura Doll Designs - Datura even made the bonnets!

Starry_Seiun modeling "Royal Bee" in a beekeeper look by Lily of the Valley

"Kitchen Herbs" by Lily of the Valley

Lastly, there were three Q&A panels with the participating designers from the fashion show. It was very interesting to learn where they drew their inspiration for and how they completed their lines for the event. After closing remarks, I met Tyler from Scarfing Scarves and took a picture with her. I was being painfully shy and she was an great sport anyway, so I'm really grateful I had the chance, even if I forgot to bring her her gift I had drawn.

At the end of day one, my friends and I went to have dinner at a barbecue place and returned to the airbnb to sleep. It was a late night and an early morning into day two. But that's another story altogether --another story I will continue on part two of this report.

Until next time~