RuffleCon: An Upcoming US Alternative Fashion Conference

Have you ever ventured into something that's incredibly exciting, but also incredibly scary? That's exactly what happened over the summer with me and Christina of Ramble Rori. It happened as all big scary exciting things happen, while chatting on Facebook.

We were talking to a mutual friend about Lolita and anime conventions, and how a lot of anime convention are cutting out Lolita and other J-Fashion panels and events from their schedules. Our mutual friend from Germany, Tralala, is lucky enough to have a lot of large scale Lolita events and even Lolita conventions in Europe that she has the opportunity to attend, and after a bit of complaining from us about lack of any fun events (of course, this is outside of Frill! Which was unfortunately much to far for most of us in the Northeast to travel to) Tralala simply asked "Why doesn't someone start a Lolita convention over there?". At that moment lightbulbs probably flickered on over both mine and Christina's heads and we rushed to PM to discuss exactly why no one did and who should do something like that. After some serious consideration, and some really amazing dedication on Christina's part, lawyers were called, LLCs were filed, and RuffleCon was officially born.

So, what exactly is RuffleCon all about? After thinking about it for a bit, it was decided that a strictly Lolita convention isn't the way to go. After all, a lot of the people we wanted to get involved with building the event had a lot of different and amazing personal styles that were not necessarily strictly Lolita, so with that, we decided to expand RuffleCon to encompass other alternative fashions as well and decided we were really more of a conference, than what one typically thinks of when they think "convention". We wanted to provide out dream fashion weekend of shopping, fashion shows, stage events, and even panels. Our "big three" fashions are Gothic, Lolita, and Steampunk, but the list doesn't really stop there!

Just part of the staff for RuffleCon 2014!

I was lucky enough to go with Christina to visit one of the potential hotels to host the event at, the Omni in New Haven Connecticut, and we walked into the lobby and were blown away by the elegance of the place. The aesthetics of the hotel perfectly fit the shared aesthetics of the fashions we wanted our conference to represent. It was decorated in a very lush and inviting Victoriana style, even the panel rooms had wall sconces and chandeliers. It was about a million miles away from the white walls and abstract neon carpets of your average convention center. Connecticut might seem like an out-of-the-way spot at first, but the hotel that RuffleCon will be at is less than a mile away from from a train station that connects directly to Grand Central, as well as pretty much anywhere Amtrak (and a number of bus lines) runs!

We have an Indiegogo up and running to help fund this project and make it even better. While we currently have a fair share of guests, some extra funding can help add even more guests, as well as lowering ticket prices for attendees! If you want to help out even further, and are already making plans for RuffleCon, we're always looking for volunteers as well as people interested in presenting panels or other events. Even just helping to spread the word by sharing the Indiegogo link would be a fantastic way to help. The Indigogo page even has code for a widget for your blog's sidebar!

One of the biggest ways you can help make this event even better than it's already going to be is to donate to our Indiegogo fund! Check it out here!

So far, this whole project has been the making of a dream come true. It's seriously something that I know a lot of people have dreamed of for years. As scary as all of this is, it's really amazing to be a part of something like this! You'll definitely be hearing more about this from me, but in the mean time you can check out RuffleCon's website or facebook for more info!

Shironuri Inspiration for Lolitas

Minori in Shironuri

One of the longest and most lasting don'ts in Lolita has always been "Don't wear whiteface!". This don't has a pretty solid history of half-hearted Mana cosplays, bizarre Geisha misinterpretations, overly enthusiastic Visual Kei inspired crossovers, and over emphasized Goth interpretations of Lolita to back up the reason why. A "Very good try!" could quickly turn into an "Oh god what have you done?!" with a sloppy layer of white facepaint and some creative eyeliner doodles. However, the tides have begun to turn with the rise in popularity of Shironuri.

Perhaps the most famous Shironuri artist is Minori. She takes heavy inspiration not from the creepy and grotesque, but from nature and creates a soft and ethereal look that is a fresh take on the style. It is all at once girly and otherworldy, even beyond just the makeup, the hair and fashion choices look to be inspired by current Dolly Kei, Cult Party, and Mori trends. Layers of soft vintage chiffons are combined with faded flowers and vines!

While it's Minori's version of Shironuri that most people think of when they hear the word, there are many different Shironuri styles, as a quick glance at the infamous White Face Monster Party will show you, many of which are inspired by more traditionally grotesque looks.

How do you make this look work for Lolita? Personally I think the answer to this question is largely to master the makeup. The old "rule" still holds true, sloppily applied makeup will ruin whatever sort of look you happen to be going for! Luckily for us all, Minori has a pretty well done video on how she applies her makeup.



After a coat of white face paint, the Shironuri style is really so varied (afterall, Minori's ethereal look is just one of many possibilities within the Shironuri style) that you can basically do as you please, and that's exactly what people have been doing the world over since this look took off in recent years! However, there are a few trends that I've noticed within the style that seem to compliment the Lolita fashion very well. Please keep in mind that these are not "official" style names, and I am absolutely not the authority to go around dishing out names to these styles, I am merely pointing out the different types of stylings and themes within the Shironuri fashion, and even then, only the ones that I think mesh particularly well with the Lolita fashion.

Circus/Clown

Chrysalis Batlace

There are so many dresses within Lolita that are heavily inspired by the circus that this particular styling is just too perfect for Lolita! Think a black and red color scheme and even clown-inspired eyemakeup. I would go overboard with a style like this and add touches of gold, a ruff, harlequin patterns, and a bold red sash to an outfit featuring this type of makeup.

Ethereal

Minori

Minori's more ethereal stylings would go perfectly for some of the more desaturated floral print Classical Lolita dresses out there crossed over with a bit of floaty pale chiffon. Think longer dresses with an all over floral print paired with a long chiffon blouse and layered tulle underskirt in a dusty ivory, covered up with lots of layers of antique lace with some scattered vintage jewelry and a gorgeous lace and faux-flower hair corsage tucked into a teased pale colored wig.

Doll-like

Taikutsu

If the more elaborate makeup isn't exactly for you, and you have little desire to color coordinate your lipstick to your wig to your dress, a more simple and doll like style of makeup goes very well with any number of Lolita dresses. Personally, I love this style best coordinated with old school Gothic Lolita dresses! There's just something about black and white dresses that pair perfectly with spooky doll-like makeup.

Ghostly

Gama

This is a bit similar to the ethereal Shironuri stylings, but less colorful and a bit more creepy. I would go with a completely white coordinate with something like this, especially something with distressed details, think of older h.Naoto pieces, or even something a little Alice Auaa inspired. White Cobwebby tights, tangled white wigs, trailing torn chiffon white overskirts. A little bit of color can be added with the addition of some antique styled jewelry, to make the perfect focal point and to create the perfect ghostly illusion.

Of course, none of these are really "everyday" looks, but that's really the beauty of fashions like this. You don't have to wear it every day for it to still be something special, a way for you to express a maybe more elaborate and extreme aspect of your style or personality. I know with things like this a lot of Lolitas cry "But it makes it look like a costume when you wear that with Lolita!" which I always thought is such a silly cry, because your average person thinks we're in costume already, why hold back on something you really want to do for the sake of their opinion?

You can find more Shironuri inspiration on the tumblr, Shironuri Wonderland. I would also really recommend this article about Tsunoshi, another well-known Shironuri. What do you think of this style? Do you think a coat of white paint is enough to ruin any Lolita outfit, regardless of how well it's done, or are you as excited as I am to see people take the term "over the top" to the extreme?