Now for the second weekend of February. I couldn't pass up an opportunity for a Galentine's Day Event. I was intrigued by the nature of a local business called Tea and Tarot in Madison, Connecticut. I knew from my friend Ave that they sell witchy and metaphysical supplies as well as offering a variety of intuitive based readings from select readers on staff. Normally this shop is only open Friday-Sunday afternoons, so to get the opportunity to visit it in the evening worked much better with all of our schedules. The Tea and Tarot After Dark event promised us "an evening of saucy sensuality, honoring the Divine Feminine at its finest, complimentary tea-inspired mocktails, spicy Tarot & Palm readings, and all things Magickal!" 

Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect. The event required pre-registration, and I wasn't sure if you had to be there the whole time. The actual shop is located on the second floor of the Abigail Meigs House (1794) in downtown Madison.  Every inch of the space has intentional design and is carefully curated. Fresh cream walls stand out from a variety of plants, decor, and small bottles of homemade tinctures as soon as you ascend the stairs. To the left of the stairwell you will find all varieties of objects for sale like books, bags, incense, tea, stones, jewelry...but there's a lot of intention about it. All of the teas for sale were blended in house, as were all of the tinctures and other incense and salt blends. Behind the shopping area is a little kitchen and area for small private classes. 

We were able to sample two different tea blends while we shopped during the event, and they were both delicious. We were served, "A Queens Confidence", (White Chocolate Raspberry with Green Rooibos and edible gold Glitter) in the fluted glasses you see pictured above.  Of course I was going to purchase some of their tea blends, and a few other things. We didn't end up getting any readings because at this point in my life, I'm more content to buy $55 worth of consumable stuff than get a reading.

(I've also been reading tarot myself for more than 10 years. I used to do readings for strangers. But nowadays I only do it for myself or my friends. Reading tarot for someone can be intense because you'll suddenly become privy to someone's life. It could be a wonderful exchange of energy or a sudden cathartic exchange on the person being read.) It sounded like the readers of this particular event were prepared to be saucy and sensual, if we had only chosen knowledge over objects!

My outfit this time was what I would consider a casual sweet lolita outfit. I took my outfit from last year (a strawberry button long sleeve blouse, strawberry and bow pink petticoat skirt, and pink and white heart cropped cardigan) and went with different accessories. At first I was going to wear the pink head bow with the white and pink bow ribbon over the knee socks and white platform shoes...but my legs just were not having the socks that day. (They were brand new, and I forgot to pre-stretch them by wearing them for a few hours the day before). Plus I was going to the hospital to visit a family member in this outfit that morning.  I needed to be able to walk and stand around for awhile, so I actually wore a white beret, snag bunny tights that are violet and white, and grey and black sneakers. I absolutely had to have the pill over the shoulder purse for both occasions. And lastly I wore my holographic wing harness to Tea and Tarot (but not the hospital). Even wearing a casual sweet outfit to a hospital feels like community service when your family member is tucked away in a depressing limited access ward because there are aren't enough beds in a more generalized area. One of the nurses on call said that I looked like a doll. Nailed it!

Honestly it was so refreshing to get out with friends and to try out this outfit in two different types of places. I'm always much more confident in Classic or Gothic styles, but sometimes Sweet style is the best choice. 

Ah finally February 2024! Every weekend in February, I went to some amazing event in a special outfit. The first Saturday of February, Pahl and I dressed in our Renaissance best for the Frost Moon Feast. The Frost Moon Feast is an event that my friend Colleen had found out about, and when she saw the beautiful dress that Pahl had purchased for me at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire last fall, she insisted that I must wear it to this event.

The Frost Moon Feast was located at the Hollow Bridge House, which is a rustic tavern in the middle of a campground in northeastern Connecticut. The event included a three course banquet, vendors, actors that interacted with guests, as well as some live fencing entertainment. It was funny to me because where I live, the snow from the week before had already melted, but there really was frost and ice covering the grounds and driveway to the place, so they really weren't kidding about the frost.  The Moon and stars were very visible from this location, I honestly had never experienced them so bright. And the Feast was excellent. They had catered the feast and it included several delicious options and you could go back for more if you were still hungry. 

The acting was interesting. They had both humans and Fae who interacted with guests. One of the human actors asked me my name right away and I was immediately known as Lady Schmitt, and Pahl, never even got to name himself...he was just known as my consort.  The Fae actors really never broke character. They were very friendly, but if you asked them for help taking a group photo, they would ask things like, does this device also capture your soul?

After the main feast, the human actors handed us several riddles and they would give you a special coin (that apparently was only currency in the Fae realm) if you could solve the riddle. I did not exactly solve a riddle, but my answer was somehow better than the actual answer to a riddle, and I earned a coin anyway.  It was really cool to have something to do with the people at your table after eating and before the fencing entertainment, but it was a little random and the fact that you couldn't exchange the coins for anything was a bit lackluster. But, from the little I knew about the event and its prior incarnations, they had had it at venue people use for weddings in the past and the Hollow Bridge House was definitely a camp building that's probably not normally used or open in the winter time, and I think that aspect alone required a lot more labor and work to execute. That being said, it was overall an excellent and fun time and I feel I got my money's worth, especially with the frost, the moon and the feast. 

The event said to wear Renaissance Faire type costumes, so of course Pahl had to be the Knight. This is very similar to his last Knight incarnation, except now he also has some kind of warm vest that protects his arms and torso under his real chain mail, and his leg armor. I'm sorry I don't know all the names for the parts of a Knight outfit. But his outfit has gotten increasingly complex and is physically heavy. I am glad that he wore all these layers of metal, leather, and fabric, as without him I had a lot of difficulty walking around on all the ice in the parking lot and up to the venue entrance,  and as a result of all the weight, he was very sure-footed and steady. What a perfect Knight!!

I was wearing a full length Renaissance gown that is primarily green, gold, beige, and brown. I wore a long sleeve green t-shirt under it as it was very cold and I needed an extra layer. Several people asked me where I got my wonderful head dress. I got it from 42 Lolita of course---it is the Foxcherry-Palace Retro Gorgeous Lolita Headdress. For about $32, I got the beige headdress and the matching beige veil (with gold celestial stamping pattern on it). I thought it was going to be difficult to put on, but it is very easy. It fits like a KC (head bow) and is extremely lightweight and comfortable and perfectly holds the veil in place. I never would have thought to wear it with an EGL outfit, but it really helps drive home the regal Queen aspect I was going for in my Renaissance look. Since the head dress has white flowers, pearls, and lots of celestial charms, I also wore it with a white choker I got from 42 Lolita, the Sakuya Lolita-Whisper of Stars Sweet Lolita Choker. I initially purchased the choker for a completely different outfit, but I noticed it went along with this one, and nicely added a little bling to my neck. Lastly I wanted to be the kind of Queen that was intimidating, and a little bit scary, so I ordered a half set of delicately formed gold finger armor from an independent artist on Etsy. 

I had so much fun doing my makeup for this event as well. Moss green and brown eyeshadow blended together with a gold overlay (like the gold on my dress). I also used a warmer coral blush and lipstick, which is a refreshingly lighter look than the dramatic gothic makeup I seem to do for most other events. 

I am excited to wear all these pieces again in warmer weather, as even though it looked great at the feast, I'm sure it will look even better worn in actual sunlight without a heavy coat over everything. 

One fine Sunday at the end of January, I decided that we should visit the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, Connecticut because my former Alternative Process Photography professor Jessica Somers had artwork in the (RE)WORK IT! WOMEN ARTISTS ON WOMEN'S LABOR current exhibition. I had never been to the Mattatuck Museum before, even though I had heard of it. The Mattatuck Museum is an art and regional history museum on the Green in downtown Waterbury. The museum collects and exhibits American Art and cultural history with a focus on the Naugatuck valley and Connecticut artists. Their galleries display the work of American Masters associated with Connecticut including Anni Albers, Alexander Calder, and Frederic Church. They present more than 12 changing exhibitions every year, AND are regionally known for a button gallery displaying more than 10,000 miniature works of art donated by the Waterbury Button Company in 1999. 

The Sunday that I chose to visit the museum, happened to co-inside with the opening of the Mixmaster exhibition, which is a juried members show. Basically if you are a Member of the museum, and an artist, you can submit your work to their annual call for entries. This particular visit was very exciting because I not only got to see my professor's work, but I also got to talk to other local artists in an adjacent gallery that happened to be at the museum for the opening. 

I had no idea that the day I went to the museum was such a big deal, but I dressed to impress. An oil painting themed jsk in the style of the Old Masters at an Art Museum seemed like the best thing to wear. This set is from the Chinese indie brand, YingLuoFu and is called Cloria, Classic Oil Painting Print Lolita JSK. It includes the jsk, the matching blouse, a choker along with a matching printed headbow KC. However, it was January and the bow was just not warm enough, so I swapped it for a classic wool beret in the light tan color. I wore red lace printed tights under my knee high leather boots that you can't see. Alas. Again the weather was very cold, and I needed to be properly outfitted if it started snowing (which it did). The YingLuoFu set is very comfortable, in fact the XL is roomy on me. Many people asked me about my outfit and it was much admired. I love being the intersection where art and artists mingle. 

Pahl also dressed like an artist, wearing a double breasted paisley corduroy coat, black jeans, a black fisherman's cap, and his Stacy Adams brogues. I'm sure he was also wearing rings, we just can't see them.  He honestly could have gone with gray-blue, red, or cream accents to match my dress as well, but hey it's a real versatile piece--I'll wear it again sometime and we can try for a different look!

The museum has a pretty strict no photo policy in the current exhibitions, so you can only take photos in the permanent collections. This phone booth is part of the Orton P. Camp Jr History Exhibition on the first floor. It's a very engaging historical gallery that shares the transitional moments in Waterbury's past.

Overall, my visit to the museum was a really fun time. I scoped out the Upcoming Exhibitions to plan a trip with my fashion club to try to dress up around the theme of one of them. Stay tuned for our second visit to the Mattatuck Museum...

Periodically my local EGL community will host a swap meeting to sell gently used clothing pieces such as jsk, blouses, skirts, dresses and accessories to each other from known brands as well as indie brands in the EGL category. Community members looking to sell their pieces will sign up ahead of time if they want to sell items and how many tables they might need or a rack and decide how it is best to pay them. The rest of the community members come ready to shop with all of their PayPal, Venmo, and cash ducks in a row. 

It was my second time attending a swap meeting (my first time was way back in April 2022 when all I owned was a Bodyline JSK I purchased from the shop owner the meet was held at). The room was filled with many jumper skirts to blouses and all kinds of accessories (like headpieces, purses, jewelry, socks, some shoes, and some sellers even had old Gothic Lolita bibles as well as Lucky Packs that they made because the meeting was held in January! (A lucky pack is kind of like a mystery bag...the amount of the item you receive is usually much better than the cost you put in). A $15 lucky pack may include some accessories. A $60 lucky pack might include a blouse and an accessory. A $100 lucky pack may include a special outfit that is only available to purchase in a lucky pack. These prices really vary by brand, with the Chinese Indie brands kind of plateauing at $65 but the Japanese brands capping around $150~200. 

My friend Clover was the one who organized the swap, and I told her that "I am only coming out of hibernation to come to this meeting", so I dressed like a bear. Even thought the jsk is brown and cream which are considered more Classic colors, this entire outfit is definitely sweet EGL. The jsk is relatively simple with its two different colored browns, but it falls just above the knee (very common for sweet) and has soft bear head pockets. I paired it with a cream colored cutsew, winter white tights, cream and brown suede booties, a brown beret with a bear and bow headpiece in front of it, and a cream and brown teddy bear bag. I didn't bother with makeup---I just woke up from my winter sleep for a mere afternoon--I didn't want to bother putting it on or taking it off.  

I wasn't even sure if I needed anything at the swap. When I looked around the first time, it was mostly pieces that complimented sweet pastel looks (which I admire, but don't own that much of). However, a second go around I did find a few things that I decided to try on. Firstly, I tried on a cream cherry print shirred dress from Baby the Stars Shine Bright. I wasn't sure if it was going to fit me (I assumed basically all Japanese brands except for Metamorphose were not made large enough for my bust), but it DID fit. The seller was selling it for about $125, which was a lot less than it is listed on Lace Market. There was nothing wrong with it--it was just not their style. What a steal! But I also tried on a Lady Sloth dress called "Where's the Bat?" which is light gray with very well articulated graphics of several sphinx cats and a few bats with silver and black accents that FIT ME PERFECTLY.  Getting both was not in my budget, so I went with the Lady Sloth piece. (You could easily spend $200 or more at a swap meet if you're picking up genuine Japanese brand pieces or accessories, depending on the condition). It can be expensive...so if you know your community has a meet coming up, you want to save your coins because most people are not going to take credit cards as a form of payment, (as they want to avoid the fee), so it is usually friends/family PayPal, Venmo, or CASH. 

When I arrived home, I noticed that the holly tree was in bloom. (Last year the holly tree had berries that came and went in NOVEMBER, so I could not miss this opportunity in January!) I am modeling the Unideer Casual Lolita Wool Winter Coat that I purchased from 42 lolita. I had wanted to purchase it originally in the navy color, but that was already out of stock back in November, so I settled with the Storm Blue. This color is so versatile and in the right lighting, perfectly matches my eyes. It's really an exquisite piece. Not only is it wool, but there's also down between the layers, detachable deer colored fur cuffs and neck piece, functional pockets and SNAPS, you heard that snaps, which become completely invisible when you close the coat. The thought that went into the design of this coat is impressive. It's so warm, comfortable, and easy to get on and off, I've even worn it to work at the office a few times.  The XL does fit me, as long a I don't wear a thick sweater underneath--but who needs that when the coat is so warm on its own!!

I liked going to the swap meeting and seeing what everyone had to offer and socializing. I also really like being able to try on the pieces that are being sold. I think that is my favorite part--being able to see myself in a mirror and check if something fits my body and my style.