Poll Result! Contest VI- Motif A:Lolita in Tradition

[awa]

All Designs of Contest VI:
http://www.fan-store.net/contest/contest06.htm <--- Poll result here

The Winner is 6A01, from Noke;
*The final votes based on this IP check, for same IP votes can only be accounted once.

Poll Timing Arrangement ♣ February ~ March, Current Design Contest VI, [Design Collecting Period: Feb 27- Mar 15 ended, Polling period: Mar 19- Mar 27 ]
Lolita in Tradition (orient Wa/Qi Loli, or other national culture Lolita, such as Gypsy Lolita, French Lolita, lady outfit only);
Lolita/Gothic in Future (Cyber, Industrial, Metal Lolita and Gothic style, the outfit can for lady or man or unisex, please chose only one of them to design)

This winner design would be sent to produce next month, and all competitors would receive a Fanplusfriend web shop VIP e-card next week.

THANKS ALL !!!

[Ruin-HCI]

This one is so hard to chooseeeeeee. Everything is pretty much hit or miss with me; it's either just great or completely misses the lolita shape/contest motif.

I think I'd go with 6A01. It's really simple, but it's the perfect lolita shape and you don't see chinese-style lolita too often. I think it's something you could really make your own with the right accessories.
Plus I always love Noke's designs. <3

I probably would have considered 6A36 more, but the cleavage area was a bit of an instant turnoff for me. Other than that the pattern and details was really pretty.

6A22 was such a cute idea, but I think the colour and design on the dress could have been chosen better.

6A23 has a really pretty pattern. I wish they did a bit more with the design though.

And even though 6A35 doesn't really follow the lolita-shape, I still think it's so cool! haha, maybe it's because I have a huge soft spot for stripes and corsets and bloomers. cx

[wonderduchess]

I like the desings, and it was a hard decision, but I love 6A23! <3 It's so delicate and nice, colors looks well, definitely pretty. I hope it wins =D

[RoxyKatz]

these were all so cute; it was hard to choose!!! in the end i had to go with 6A04 because it reminds me of Norwegian Bunad style dress...which i'm not sure if the artist was going for, but that's what i felt! i wanted to enter this one, but i couldn't come up with anything good X_X

[ElaineEmant]

I know there should be some room for outside the lolita silhouette since this calls on different traditional aspects, but personally I think some of these completely miss the mark. I kind of expected as much since I was wary about how most people would apply the 'traditional' motif, but I think it's fully possible to use the motif and still look lolita, or at least be as close as possible. I think some people would have done better if they had kept in mind that it's supposed to be LOLITA with a dab or two of a country's(or...whatever else fits in the catagory) traditional look, not the other way around.

Just to be careful, I want to note that everything I say is just my own personal opinion. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, but some people want honest critque to help them better succeed in future contests, and I'd like to help with that. To everyone else, please just take this with a grain of salt.
: )
And as much as I'd like to get to everyone, there are a LOT of entries, so I'll avoid an even bigger WALL OF TEXT then what I'm already going to make and just go over the ones that stick out to me/I have a lot to say about.
If I skip yours and you want me to add it, just ask.

6A01- Chinese lolita (Qi) is pretty common as far as 'lolita in tradition' goes, or at least the concept. Personally I haven't seen it around so much, especially compared to it's other azn counterpart, wa-lolita (which has been beat to death; most wa-loli entries here I judged harsher because of that). My favorite part about this design is the hair-piece. I usually associate chinese-style things with certain flowers, so it works well that they're part of the bow. I was a bit miffed at how really simple the dress is, but at the same time it's not too busy or impossible to wear (something Noke brought up herself in a different post). It has the bell-shape, around-the-knee length, and the puffed sleeves are cute. I like the gold trim and the embroidery/print is really lovely and a bit different from the usual placements of prints. I'm thinking she could have included a smaller pattern to work it's way around the dress near the bottom to make the whole thing look less plain though.
TL;DR, It's really cute, but a bit too simple; I think she could have worked in just a little more of the 'chinese' aspect.

6A02- I think in theory, this design wouldn't look half bad. I like the hat. I think the size of the puffed sleeves is too strong. All in all I think the illustration distracts from the actual design. My advice is don't use lined paper; it makes your work look sloppy and quickly put together. And unless you have really great skill with high-quality artists markers, I wouldn't use them to colour either. Cheap markers are harder to control and to get the colours you want. You don't need to be a god of photoshop or anything; instead try opting for coloured pencils.

6A03- I'm not really sure what tradition this is supposed to be. I think I would have liked a lot of these designs better if they had simply wrote what they were shooting for instead of having me guess and getting the wrong idea. I like the bow on the shirt and the double-layer skirt, but this needs a serious petticoat lift to get the bell-shape lolitas have.

6A04- The drawing is great, but again, I have no idea what tradition this is trying to be. I keep thinking silly things like 'ice queen' or 'elven'. It looks a bit too cosplay-y and fantasy based; the fault being the jagged ends, I think. It's a really pretty design, but to me looks more reserved for the cosplay section of F+F. If the skirt lost that blueish draping overlayer, the jagged ends, and maybe skipped the skirt-beads, I think this would be gorgeous.

6A06- I imagine this is a gypsy-wa look? If so then I give props to you; I personally always wanted to see a gypsy lolita. I like the rings attached to the ribbons. Nothing about the design REALLY catches my attention though; I'm not really sure why.

6A08- I keep thinking this could be something like 'wench-style'. It's not very lolita, it's moreso gothic (if even that).The image itself confuses me because it looks like an edited photo.

6A11- Personally I thought this was cute, but again, I have no idea what 'tradition' it's shooting for. The skirt is really really short, but at the same time I'm one of those people who just likes the look of bloomers. (some lolitas think it's taboo for too much of them showing). The blouse details are adorable. The whole outfit isn't really something I'd wear and call lolita though.

6A12- I'm guessing gypsy style? I think the design itself is really cool, but not the shape for lolita. It looks a bit costume-y, or something I'd see at a reinassance fair. I really like all the layering though. The headband thing is cute.

6A15- I thought this was an adorable concept. People always compare some lolita shapes as cupcakey, and this really takes it literally. Cupcakes don't make me automatically think of america though. I think if it was better illustrated and maybe the colours changed here and there (I find the red top too strong a colour, and the green ribbons on it wouldn't be my first colour choice), it would stand a stronger chance in this contest.

6A21- Cat stuff is generally looked down upon in lolita; it looks too cosplay-y. I personally don't have too much a problem with bells and cat prints, but the ears+tails are too much. I like the gypsy top and sash though. It's a shame this isn't coloured. (coloured entries > non-coloured )

6A22- The concept, I loved. I didn't expect anyone to do an oldschool western style. The sailor-like top, but as a scarf, was so brilliant. I also love the paired pinstripe vest/waistcoat. The little hat is also too cute. I think you could have gone with better colours though, and I think the biggest turn off for me with this design was the bullet print. It's just a bit awkward looking and probably would have been a better idea if the whole bullet thing was an accessory and not part of the dress (bullet belts anyone? I'd love to see a lolita sporting a bullet belt : ) ). I think if you were going to use a print, it should have been simplier (like the print on the scarf) and along the ends of the dress.

6A23- This design was pretty and rather simple. I'm in love with the print and the hat. I'm not the biggest fan of the overlaying sheer fabric though. Overall I really liked this one, so it won my vote.

6A25- The hair ornament is gorgeous and is my favorite part. I like the pattern on the outfit, too. I don't really like the collar area or the shape of the bottom-front though.

6A34- I wish you showed both pieces of the dress separately as well so we could get a better idea of the design. The rose print is cute. I don't really like the split sleeves though; the whole thing looks a bit too 'airy' for me. The bag is cute; most people don't include bag style ideas so I liked that you included it. Not outfit-related, but I think her face could use some work.

6A35- I thought this was cool; not very rori, but still a neat design.

6A36- I like the pattern and most of the shape. I don't really like the open cleavage area (someone said the same thing, I believe), but maybe I'm just too modest. The back design is cool, and I like the colour options you gave. I wish you gave more ideas for accessories or hair pieces.
Somewhere deep down I'm thinking 'oh but Jeze ALWAYS wins...'

6A38- Cute; I love the french-look. But overall I find it too simple and it's probably an outfit you could go out now and put together. That purse is so adorable (I almost didn't notice it!). I like the buttons on the sleeves of the blouse, too.


And that's it for now (oh and there's still the motif B to go over; writing these takes so long)
Again, please don't take these too personally; it's just my personal opinions and you can take it or leave it. If I sounded rude or cruel, trust me it's because it's hard to express much emotion in typing (without the use of a bazillion emoticons anyway, but I don't really like using them) ; I don't mean to sound like I'm attacking anyone.

Best of luck to everyone!

[Kyoko]

I did 6A15! Thanks for the critique, I agree that my colors are weird. My original idea was an entirely red dress, but then I thought "I never see red cupcakes" and started to do the skirt pink instead. And then I did the weird green color because it reminded me of a cherry on a cupcake.

I can't draw very well, and also next time I think I will go over it with pen and use colored pencils instead of trying to use photoshop, which I have no experience with. I never expected to get any votes, let alone win, I just wanted to enter something for once.

The only one I had a particular issue with was 6A38. It's absolutely cute, but it is very stereotypical. I feel like the person gave no thought to what is actually French, but took the old stereotypical image and made it into a lolita dress. The French have a very rich cultural history, but this is what they think of a French person.

Of course, that should be taken with a grain of salt coming from someone who drew a cupcake. XD

[ChaoticRose]

well I did 6A02
that was don't way back!! when i was still high school lol I was bored in class! and decided to draw to keep awake! back then i didn't even know about gothic lolita!
i'm actually re-drawing it!, to make it better
i hate photo shop cuz! for the love of me its like reading chinese to me, can't understand it!
besides i like drawing by hand, its really fun for me!!

but believe me! next contest my design will worth while u can count on that

[ElaineEmant]

Originally Posted by Kyoko

I did 6A15! Thanks for the critique, I agree that my colors are weird. My original idea was an entirely red dress, but then I thought "I never see red cupcakes" and started to do the skirt pink instead. And then I did the weird green color because it reminded me of a cherry on a cupcake.

I can't draw very well, and also next time I think I will go over it with pen and use colored pencils instead of trying to use photoshop, which I have no experience with. I never expected to get any votes, let alone win, I just wanted to enter something for once.

The only one I had a particular issue with was 6A38. It's absolutely cute, but it is very stereotypical. I feel like the person gave no thought to what is actually French, but took the old stereotypical image and made it into a lolita dress. The French have a very rich cultural history, but this is what they think of a French person.

Of course, that should be taken with a grain of salt coming from someone who drew a cupcake. XD

Oh, I see now about the top trying to be a cherry.
My advice for that is, keep the skirt like it is; as the cupcake. The shirt would probably be better as extra 'frosting'; white (vanilla frosting) or a darkbrown (chocolate frosting), or even a pink would work. Probably any colour really since frostings come in many colours. For the cherry on top, I would make that some kind of hair accessory; anything from small hair clips with cherries to bigger headwear like cherry themed bows and hair peices. That way you can also switch out the cherry theme for other things like strawberries, etc.
Just some ideas. : )

Personally, I think artistic talent makes up only a small percentage of what a person looks at when deciding their vote; you really just need to be able to get your ideas across in your illustration. So it's not so much that the prettiest picture is the favorite, but generally someone who can draw fairly well can better illustrate their design idea than someone who can't. So just do whatever works best for you in terms of what you draw and how you colour it.

I noticed some people in these contests can get their designs drawn perfectly well enough, but aren't that great with actually drawing people; it shouldn't be that big of a deal since this is a clothing design contest, but at the same time a poorly drawn face/anatomy/etc can distract the viewer from your actual design. That being said, if anyone feels that any of those things might be distracting from the design, it would probably be best to just not include it.

Just my two cents there on the artistic quality of entries.

Oh and I think entering just to enter is a great mindset to have in these kinds of things. It's when people get over competative that most of the fighting and drama breaks out. Then no one has fun. A little competition is perfectly fine, but not when it gets out of hand. The same with entering with REALLY high expectations for winning; then if you don't do as well as you thought it can really bring you down. (which is also no fun)

[novacain]

Please note that these are my opinions.

6A02: Is that thing at the neck a jabot, or pleating? Also, the skirt is a little longer than I'd want it, just for the fact that I prefer the right-at-the-knee hemline, but other than that I can see this turned into a very cute dress, I just wish I could see it in other variations...
6A04: It's too busy, it looks like it would be very expensive to make and probably a little time consuming. It would be great for a one-of-a-kind dress, but not necessarily one that was mass produced.
6A05: Why are there patches on this? The colors are a little too contrasting to me, and I don't like the half skirt overlapping the longer half skirt. It also lacks alot of lolita elements like bows or lace, so the dress doesn't scream lolita to me...
6A08: I have some questions about this: how long is it (I assume floor length?) and is it a photoshoped picture of a gothic-rennissance dress?
6A09: I think this is very cute, like a gypsy meets alice in wonderland
6A11: the skirt is a little too short (unless you're going for ero), but otherwise I'd wear it.
6A16: I just think this is a little too maid-ish, and a little fetish especially with the bare shoulders.
6A25: I would buy this if they recreated the fabric
6A28: I'm only mentioning this because...why did you put card captor sakura's head on the croquis...?
6A38: I wouldn't wear this because if I did people would think I was dressing like a french sterotype, and thus it makes it very costume-y
6A45: I would wear these seperately, but not together, so if they made this as a jacket and skirt seperatly it would rock my socks.

I voted for 6A25 because out of all of them I could see myself wearing it.

[ChaoticRose]

Originally Posted by novacain

Please note that these are my opinions.

6A02: Is that thing at the neck a jabot, or pleating? Also, the skirt is a little longer than I'd want it, just for the fact that I prefer the right-at-the-knee hemline, but other than that I can see this turned into a very cute dress, I just wish I could see it in other variations...
6A04: It's too busy, it looks like it would be very expensive to make and probably a little time consuming. It would be great for a one-of-a-kind dress, but not necessarily one that was mass produced.
6A05: Why are there patches on this? The colors are a little too contrasting to me, and I don't like the half skirt overlapping the longer half skirt. It also lacks alot of lolita elements like bows or lace, so the dress doesn't scream lolita to me...
6A08: I have some questions about this: how long is it (I assume floor length?) and is it a photoshoped picture of a gothic-rennissance dress?
6A09: I think this is very cute, like a gypsy meets alice in wonderland
6A11: the skirt is a little too short (unless you're going for ero), but otherwise I'd wear it.
6A16: I just think this is a little too maid-ish, and a little fetish especially with the bare shoulders.
6A25: I would buy this if they recreated the fabric
6A28: I'm only mentioning this because...why did you put card captor sakura's head on the croquis...?
6A38: I wouldn't wear this because if I did people would think I was dressing like a french sterotype, and thus it makes it very costume-y
6A45: I would wear these seperately, but not together, so if they made this as a jacket and skirt seperatly it would rock my socks.

I voted for 6A25 because out of all of them I could see myself wearing it.

6A02: yes it is a jabot tie! i wish i had made it better too