The Lolitas are coming! I really did not know about this Lolita tea party event until I was perusing through Cosplay.com's Member Gatherings forum. Megwa posted about The White Peacock's grand opening tea party. Though I do not frequent Lolita events, I thought this might be worth a shot because it's in my neck of the woods. I put on my best casual Lolita gear and decided to take one of my dolls with me. I really did not know what to expect.

The location is in a busy business part of Lomita. It is not far from a hobby shop, a Game Stop, and a McDonald's. My first instant reaction when I was pulling up to the parking lot was, "Wow! Talk about an overdose of pink!" The store's walls were a nice shade of baby pink. Even the bathroom walls were painted pink.

You may have seen The White Peacock at anime conventions around the United States. They are the Lolita vendors that have little tents set up along a colorful array of outfits to choose from. This is a dream come true for Rene Twaite, the designer and founder of The White Peacock. The Japanese street style boutique is the first of it's kind in the United States.

To celebrate the opening, The White Peacock held a tea party. Most of the food was homemade - cookies, cupcakes, tea sandwiches - all were scrumptous delicacies. The tea of choice? Old fashioned Earl Grey tea.

Of course, what is a Lolita event without Lolitas all dolled up? It did not matter if you had brand or custom Lolita apparel. All of us agreed that in the end, it's just cute clothes you put together to create your own unique style. This is what The White Peacock embraces - brand envy is overrated. Why not have a domestic brand catering to all sizes? As well as being nice to one's wallet. Prices for dresses range from $40 to $80.

I have to say, these ladies were very friendly and were not judgemental about what people wore. Though this was a Lolita event, we had a few people dressed up casually in jeans and a t-shirt. We even welcomed a Steampunker named Kevin!

How did I coordinate? I took a heandband that I got at Lolita Kisama, a blouse from Silhouette’s, a skirt by Pegasus Maiden, socks from Victoria Secrets, and shoes by Guess. Whether this can be considered a "true Lolita" is to the eye of the beholder.

I also brought my doll, Sherry (Custom House Choa). After all, some Japanese Lolitas carry their resin dolls around. It adds to the look. Rebekah was very nice to draw an anime version of Sherry. I always knew that Sherry was a demure, bookish, epitome of a meganeko (glasses girl), but I never knew she was into drawing! Megawa took some really cute shots of Sherry drawing in Rebekah's sketch book.

Overall, the event was very relaxing and very positive. It was great meeting new people. Some people came as far as Santa Clarita. It was very nice to be elegant and talking about anime and fashion over afternoon tea. I cannot get over how delicious the Earl Grey tea was. The tea party guests were very friendly and open to conversation. I'm very happy that though we pride ourselves over looking pretty in frills, we can still admit that we are all geeks in the end.

I want to thank Renee and her entourage for making this grand opening tea party special and enjoyable. On behalf of Traveling Valentine and Geek FM Radio, I wish The White Peacock the best in the future.

And if you missed out on the grand opening tea party, there's so much more to come. There will be tea parties held at the second Saturday of each month. Mark your calendars. Everyone is invited. Do you have a Merry Unbirthday to celebrate, or just want to chit chat with awesome people? The White Peacock is a great place for sweet treats and sweet people. So remember to stop by at the second Saturday of every month.

The White Peacock is located on 1741 Pacific Coast Highway in Lomita, CA (90717). The location is a hop, skip, and a jump from the LA Harbor Freeway (110). They are open on Wednesdays through Sundays from 12PM to 8PM.

You can also shop online at their cyber store. And if you're at an anime convention, look around for them! I've seen them at Pacific Media Expo, Anime Central, Fanime, and Anime Expo!

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