Above: Coordinate for the party!
November 20, 2011
JSK, blouse, purse, boots: Angelic Pretty
Accessories: Angelic Pretty, 6% dokidoki, Yum Yums
Socks/Tights: Betsey Johnson
Despite the costs of flying up north, taxiing, and hoteling for only a weekend, I love attending this annual event, as it's the one time each year that I get to hang out with certain friends I never see (like Kari!) or those that I don't see as much as I would like (Liz!). It's also nice to see Maki and Asuka each year*, as it seems that they are always glad to see Kari and I, despite the enormous language barrier.
*(For those who are unaware, I was formally a member of Oneesan Inc., the organization that helped host events with PMX and then independently when Angelic Pretty was first introduced to the States. I worked with Oneesan for about 2 years and then helped Liz and some other former Oneesan members host Angelic Pretty at PMX once again. Ever since starting my full time career in Advisory in 2008, I stopped helping produce events and became an attendee instead. Even though it has been years since I've worked on behalf of Angelic Pretty, I am glad that I get to see them, even if only with my presence, as they typically never know what I am saying anyway and vise versa. T_T;;)
Above: (Left to right) Kari, Asuka, Maki, Me!
In all honesty, I shouldn't have made it to the party.
I decided to fly into San Francisco during the late morning on the day of the party so that I could attend the Chubby Bunny x SPANK! event being held in Los Angeles the night before. Rather than arrive a day earlier in SF as some of my friends had, I found myself trapped in John Wayne Airport when my flight was delayed not once, but twice(!) due to the rain and fog in SF.
Admittedly, at some point I just wanted to turn around, have Jon pick me up, and cancel my trip. But I'm glad that Liz talked me into coming even if I would miss half the party.
After the plane finally boarded for the second time, I arrived in SF, paid a taxi $50 to RUSH me over to Neiman Marcus, and then took the next 45 minutes dressing in the department store's bathroom. So instead of being 45 minutes late, I ended up being 1.5 hours late. (Who knew a full-wig and circle lenses could be so much trouble?!)
Finally! To the party!!
Above: Kari saved me a seat. She looks so calm here -- unlike me who had just panicked for the past couple hours
Above: It also turns out that no one really wanted to eat the tea snacks and sandwiches, so I did my part and ate all of the tuna sandwich ones, haha!
Above: Shacho, Kari, and I.
Kari and I purposely both wore Sugary Carnival to match.
Unfortunately, because I was so frazzled (not to mention overheating) by the time I arrived to the party, I didn't get very many photos. I tried to take some snaps of friends at the very least, so I apologize for the lack of outfit shots. There were some great coordinates and I always forget that everyone goes all out at these types of events.
Above: Liz, whom I had met during the previous AP events in San Jose and San Francisco during 2010
Above: Amber -- she drove up with a bunch of other SoCal lolitas the day before
Above: Angela and I
Above: This girl won a prize for one of the "best dressed" coordinates -- even her bunny was dressed! Apparently, I had missed this contest since I came in late. Oh, well. It spared me having to talk about my outfit in front of everyone anyway.
Above: Kim also won a "best dressed" award. I'm surprised she remembered me from past years.
Above: Lynda and I
Above: A lovely group that I managed to catch before they left
Above: It so happens that this girl's name is also Lauren and she lives in the Los Angeles area and was wearing the same dress as I was. Coincidence!!
Above: Time to wrap up the party! You can see the AP staff, Maki, Asuka, RinRin, Tara, and Amber in this photo.
After the party wrapped up and I had eaten as much cake and tuna fish as I could handle, Kari, Tara, and I decided to pass by the Angelic Pretty store, as I wanted to check out whether they had any good stock left. I ended up purchasing only a plastic bangle and Night Carnival carousel horse ring since I told Kari that I was saving up for an Innocent World Lotta JSK back home, haha!
Above: Maki was wearing the new print at the time, Decoration Dream. Fans were able to purchase this on reservation that weekend.
Above: Jessica ("RinRin") and I.
I like how she and the AP gang typically seem to use half wigs most of the time rather than full wigs since updo'ed hair always looks a little more "reallistic" this way
Above: A lolita I spotted on her way out of the store
Above: The cake topper from the party! Admittedly, this cake was pretty good!
Above: Angelic Pretty and Harajuku Hearts staff
And then it was off to dinner! Shacho treated us. ^_^
Things I Learned From This Event:
1. NEVER EVER book your flight to arrive only 2 hours before an event starts. Plan for the worst! (Murphy's Law, as my boss at work would say!)
2. Don't sleep in the plane with the window open, especially if you are in the window seat. I somehow got sunburned during the hour flight, which was increasingly evident as the day progressed. (I kept adding on layers of makeup to compensate.)
3. Circle lenses are kind of weird but give you a consistent look in every photo you take. I look back at my photos and I seem to have nearly the same expression in each photo because my eyes look the same. WEIRD!! (This was the first time I had worn them.)
4. That full wig only looked decent the first time I wore it for this event. Now it's a tangled mess!
5. No matter the trouble and cost of going up to SF every year, I love being able to spend time with my friends. Thank you to Liz, Kari, and Tara for the extended hang out times, which made this trip worth it even though I basically missed the party.
Nevertheless, I don't regret going up again this year. If I end up attending grad school in 2012, then it will be the first year that I will have to miss out on this, boo!!
aww your outfit is so cute *u* i hate getting flight delayed ToT
ReplyDeleteThanks! I didn't buy very many prints in 2011 so I'm glad I had this one to wear to the party!
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