Saturday 10 June 2017

🍒 International Lolita Day: Summer 2017 Edition! 🍒

This year's summer ILD fell on a gorgeous sunny day. I knew I didn't want to go to any official meetups, so instead I organised to hang out with some friends instead. I traveled up to Oxford to hang out with Sammi, Maddie and Nicola for a fun picnic in one of my favourite places: the Botanic Garden!

I've not been there in far too long, and I was particularly excited to return at a time when everything would be in full bloom. The place looked simply magical; we were surrounded by all manner of flora and fauna, and the weather was absolutely perfect for a picnic. I can't help but feel very inspired here, and ended up taking a lot of photos.

On our way there, we decided to stop off in the covered market in the city centre for some bubble tea from a place called Coba. I've never been a fan of the proper tapioca pearls, but I do love the bursting fruit ball version. I went for a pineapple fruit juice with mango pearls, and it proved to be very refreshing on this warm day, as well as a really yummy combination of flavours.

We eventually got to the entrance of the Botanic Garden, paid our entry fee and after a little walking to find the perfect spot, settled ourselves down under the shade of a tree, and began spreading out picnic blankets and unpacking our food. This was the best picnic I've ever experienced, and I know it's because it wasn't entirely composed of shop-bought foods from the supermarket's ready-to-eat section! Everyone contributed something: Sammi made her signature couscous and potato salad, Maddie made a range of sandwiches with different fillings, Nicola baked her amazing chocolate cake, and I prepared a pasta dish with mixed tomatoes and mozzarella. Overall, we had a pretty healthy spread, and everything I ate tasted delicious!

We chatted under the tree for a while, and Maddie and Nicola, the artists of our group, spent a little time sketching. The atmosphere was incredibly relaxed, and I couldn't help feeling totally content. Every now and again, ducks from a nearby pond would waddle over out of curiosity, before being chased away by a toddler from another picnicking group nearby! Other times, I would find myself watching the clouds scudding their way across the sky while we nattered about this and that. I live for days such as these!

A few hours flew by, and we decided we wanted to explore the gardens before it got too late in the day. We walked around, aided by our visitor's map, and enjoyed creating a lot of nature photography. My allergies were terrible (my eyes are so puffy and red in all the pictures, made more glaringly obvious by the fact I was rushing so much that morning I didn't have time to put mascara on!) but I couldn't resist getting close to the flowers, smelling roses used in perfumery, and watching bees buzzing around busily as they gathered up some pollen. I sneezed a lot, but it was worth it!
So many different colours!

It's incredible that such vibrant shades can be found in nature.

I find the greenhouse pond utterly captivating. Lily pads are so pretty!

I am really bad at group selfies but I did my best! 

I knew we couldn't leave without getting some decent outfit photos of everyone, especially when the light was so good! We wandered into one of the many greenhouses and found an open space filled with pink flowers, benches to rest on, and the perfect decor for some fashion photography!

Maddie has such a lovely smile! She opted for a casual, fresh pastel AP coord, complete with a cutsew that looked so comfy and cute!

Nicola didn't feel like wearing lolita, but I love what she wore instead! A super ethereal 60s inspired hippie look that I knew I needed to get a portait photo of! 

Sammi went for a relaxed AP coord, perfect for lounging around at a picnic and doing lots of walking! I love seeing her food prints!

Aaand, my outfit of the day! I went for a retro-inspired look with my Metamorphose Sweet Cherry jumperskirt, and kept things super simple for the warm weather. Also, my pink hair has made a comeback!

Seemingly out of nowhere, the day drew to a close! Nicola let me take home some of her lovely chocolate cake, and I boarded my train, smiling occasionally into the setting sun... which then turned into big, dark storm clouds. I made it home just before it began to hammer it down with rain! I slept so well that night, completely tired out from the day's adventures.

As you can probably tell, my International Lolita Day was a roaring success! It was one of the nicest days I'd had in a while, and was without question my favourite ILD so far! I regularly count my blessings because my life is filled with some truly wonderful people, and to be able to have these glorious outings with them is the icing on the cake.

Do you celebrate International Lolita Day? What did you get up to? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments! Thank you so much for reading and looking, and I'll see you next time ❤