The Grand Embassy Event Report

On Saturday November 17^th Hotel Tryp Atocha in Madrid Spain welcomed the finest crowd of lolitas. Dressed in their best Russian-inspired outfits – or just their best frills – they flocked to The Grand Embassy event for the day.

Organised by a team called Amor Barocco, The Grand Embassy was everything one could want from an international lolita event. It had wonderful special guests, a splendid fashion show, delicious buffet, great shopping and an amazing raffle. What’s more, the event also gave attendees the time to socialise and make new friends by not overstuffing the programme.

The name ‘Grand Embassy’ came from a diplomatic mission across Western Europe, which Tsar Peter the Great carried out between 1697-1698. Because this theme was quite vague, it allowed for great freedom of interpretation. That in turn meant that no matter your preferred lolita substyle, you could create a coord matching the theme. From folk dresses and royal attires to quirky and kitschy nods to Soviet Russia, no Russian avenue was left unexplored.

Do you recognise Anastasia Romanov in her nautical outfit here?

And how about now? Maybe this image of the Russian princess is one you know better?

Russian folklore was a big inspiration, from more OTT coords like this one…

… to simpler yet just as stunning ones! Because you can show your theme through a few distinct pieces as well as through lots of smaller ones.

The gentlement also represented and showed up dressed to the nines!

Of course, the more military or aristocratic inspirations are for the ladies as much as the gents.

Amor Barocco made a conscious decision to celebrate indie designers at this event. Therefore, the main guests were all prominent lolita brands from Russia: L’esprit de la Noblesse, Faerybird Tale, My Inspiration, Miss Danger and Lovely Lotta. If you don’t know any of these, make sure to check them out. And follow them on their social media, because based on the previews from The Grand Embassy they will bring some exciting releases!

The day kicked off with a fashion show. It was a great choice, as it maximised the space, but also allowed everyone to truly focus on the show. No distractions like shopping or another thing in the programme. More than 20 brands were showcased in the fashion show, representing a wide variety of styles. Some creations received gasps of wonder and awe when they entered the stage, they were so gorgeous! Below is but a small selection of some of my favourites, as can be seen on the photographs by the wonderful and talented Rocio Ponce. To see more of her work, check out her website, Instagram and Facebook accounts. Moreover, you can find more photographs from the event on the Amor Barocco Facebook page, as well as under the #thegrandembassy hashtag on Instagram.

Both models are wearing Jacq the Rimmel creations and caused the first gasps from the audience.

Merkades and Isis, the team behind Amor Barocco, modelling for I Do Declare. This was more than mere runway – this was performance art.

This stunning silk Madame De Pompadour gown from Enchanted Dream Wear comes in four colours.

Fidel David‘s creation exude class and elegance from a bygone era.

We know Miss Danger Shop for their accessories, but now prepare yourselves for these stunning creations!

L’Esprit de la Noblesse opened their runaway with something very different. This dress features illustrations by Ivan Bilibin, although unfortunately, preorders for it have now closed.

Then they presented this wonderful dress inspired by Natalia Pushkina. This is a dream of every Classic lolita, so if you like it, keep an eye out on the brand’s social media. Then you’ll be the first one to know when this is released.

Finally, L’Esprit de la Noblesse designers themselves came out, presenting these jaw-dropping creations. The dress is inspired by the Romanov dynasty, while the prince outfit symbolizes the Russian Orthodox Church.

Faerybird Tale presented designs that will appeal to the Gothic lolitas out there. Elegant, timeless and truly beautiful!

My Inspiration collaborated with Eat Me Ink Me, creating designs representing the four seasons of the year. Here My Inspiration’s designer presents winter through a brief performance.

After the fashion show we enjoyed a much needed break with a delicious buffet. The organisers arranged some traditional Spanish delicacies for everyone to try and enjoy. While there are many opportunities to try manchego cheese and serrano ham when in Spain, it was delightful to be able to try other treats such as the croquettes and salmorejo soup. The dessert section included some healthier options, like fruit and yoghurts, as well as mini French pastries and cakes. Everything was delicious and the guests had an option to choose an alcoholic (wine) or non-alcoholic drink with their food, which truly catered to everyone.

It is at this time during The Grand Embassy that many were able to socialise. The buffet took place in a different part of the hotel, with more soft seating options, which created a very relaxed atmosphere. The Spanish lolitas were the majority, however, the Russian community represented very strongly at the event too. Furthermore, there were also lolitas from Portugal, France, Germany, the UK and even a few from the USA!

White and Black Swan sharing the stage. Also, what a wonderful twinning idea!

You don’t have to match each other to be a squad, as can be seen by this beautiful trio.

Although this squad went so far as to design their own print series just for this event – #squadgoals It features all the stereotypes about Russia. Many asked about the possibility of a release, so keep your eyes open…

Events bring together friends from far afar. Of course, when you and your friends look this fabulous, you have to take photos together, that’s the rules!

And don’t forget to take plenty of selfies during the event too!

And always have your friend’s back when they need help with their outfit.

Once the food and wine settled a little, the vending has opened to all guests. Judging by how fast people ran to the most popular stalls, you would think that Angelic Pretty was in attendance. Even the MC’s had to urge everyone not to run! The Grand Embassy organisers provided everyone with a map in their event tote bag. Together with sneak peeks from the previous part of the day, it helped to identify which stall was where. This was a simple, yet incredibly helpful idea. Thanks to that, you could reduce wandering time and make a beeline for your favourite brand’s stall. Afterwards, should you forget where a purchase was from, you could refer to the map and jog your memory. Genius!

Miss Danger Shop setting out their fantastic accessories for sale.

Event staff and volunteers were working hard in order to make sure everything was ready.

I Do Declare was one of the stalls that very quickly got busy with customers.

Summer Tales Boutique brought an amazing range of accessories and clothes to suit every style.

Deciding what to buy was sometimes the hardest decision on the day. (P.S. Can you spot yours truly amongst this crowd? Don’t worry if you can’t.)

These stickers were (rightfully) incredibly popular and were flying off like a Cat’s Tea Party re-release. Too soon? Regardless, these were from Lovely Lotta, one of the other invited guests at The Grand Embassy.

That feeling when you can treat yo’self and live life lavishly at a wonderful event like that.

The atmosphere was relaxed throughout The Grand Embassy. Amor Barocco have thought of everything and provided plenty of extras for our comfort. There were seats in the shopping area to rest, a secure cloakroom for your belongings, a special photography set for those beautiful outfit shots… The Grand Embassy MC’s even made the effort to do the announcements in Russian, as well as Spanish and English.

The Grand Embassy concluded with a raffle, selecting the best dressers and a group photo to commemorate the occasion. For those hardcore enough there was the afterparty that same evening – The Dark Embassy with more raffle prizes, DJs and exclusive cocktails. For the rest of us, we simply cherished all the new memories and friends. Amor Barocco can be proud of themselves as they made The Grand Embassy an incredible event. In other words, if you ever organise another event in the future, count on me to come again!

The first, and probably biggest, prize of the day was this dress.

And the lucky winner could not be happier. Congratulations!

So many winners during the raffle!

Best dresser as chosen by L’Esprit de la Noblesse designers.

L’Esprit de la Noblesse designers with their chosen Best Dresser.

My Inspiration designer selected someone who, as she said, inspired her for the Best Dresser title. The winner had embroidered her dress herself!

My Inspiration designer with her chosen Best Dresser.

That awkward moment where you know who to award the Best Dresser title, but all you know is that she was dressed all in black.

After gathering all attendees dressed in black, the winner was found.

Faerybird Tale designer with her chosen Best Dresser.

Thank you, Amor Barocco, for organising The Grand Embassy. We had the best time and loved the event!

Paulina Pejka

She/her.
29-year-old Capricorn, Polish-born, UK-based and in love with Japanese fashion (predominantly Lolita). I enjoy a good bargain, OTT coords, cats and baking, and when in Japan I’m a self-confessed purikura addict. When I don’t blog, I work in the education sector, overseeing international exchange programs, and sometimes I get to do some exciting freelance translations on the side.