Loving indie lolita fashion brands is a dangerous game. On the one hand, indie brands are often the lifeblood of their communities. They organize and participate in events, they make personal connections with j-fashion fans, and they can respond to trends within their local community. On the other hand, that makes it feel like a personal attack when they make something that is clearly targeting you.
Romantic Serenade
On May 23, 2023, California indie brand Romantic Serenade teased a finished skirt and matching mob cap in green print in a post on Instagram. That print, faithful reader, was a variety of dog breeds. Obviously, I had to have it.
If you’ve talked to me in person or stalked my social media, you might know that I am forever salty that cats get so much love in lolita fashion and dogs get far less attention. A quick search on Lolibrary reveals the tag “dog” has 22 pages of items on, whereas “cat” has 109. Such an injustice can only be solved with more lolita brands making dog prints!
On the way to Fanime
Romantic Serenade reported in their post that one of the skirts had already been sold to a local buyer but that another would be available at Fanime Con in San Jose. I knew I’d be working the convention, so I plotted my plan of attack carefully. The first day that j-fashion marketplace was open, I found Romantic Serenade and luckily, the skirt was still available! I also purchased the matching mob cap for a grand total of $273.
The skirt is made from a Japanese cotton/linen blend with an elastic waist and two pockets. It is trimmed in antique lace, which was unique on each skirt. The mob cap was made from the same place and cotton. The skirt is slightly longer than knee length on me, and comfortably fit my 78 cm waist.
Twin tails
My excitement for the skirt was infectious, because the person who purchased the other dog skirt found me and asked if I wanted to twin the next day. (Ironically, her name is also Jenna.) Of course I said yes! I was a little nervous because I had to make a coordinate from the clothes that I’d brought on my trip to San Jose and I hadn’t planned on wearing a green skirt! My taste in clothes and accessories is so predictable though, that I not only had tights and a blouse to match, I even had a dog brooch that went perfectly with the skirt.
The dog skirt and the dog skirt twins got plenty of attention on Saturday. I received so many compliments on my coordinate. Multiple people asked Romantic Serenade if there were going to be anymore of the skirts made. I’m not sure she anticipated that reaction when she created the original two!
As I wore my skirt throughout the day on Saturday, I realized that the generous pockets encouraged me to really load them up. As a result, I noticed the skirt sliding down my hips as the day went on. I mentioned this to Romantic Serenade and the designer generously offered to modify the skirt to make the waist smaller. I think I would have liked the skirt without the modification. The fit is so much better with less elastic and I’m glad I mentioned it to her!
Romantic Serenade has announced that they have ordered additional fabric, including a new blue colorway. Keep an eye on Romantic Serenade’s social media for additional details and to see what other garments they create!
Guilty cat person here but I love the dog print!! Hopefully this is the beginning of a lolita doggo revival!