Rufflecon 2014: the Year of the Lolita

2014 was a big year for Lolitas on the East Coast.

While you can mostly find Lolita related panels and content at anime conventions, Rufflecon was a convention solely devoted to alternative fashion.

A group of fans of Japanese fashion and alternative fashion in general took their passion and turned it into a 2 day event in New Haven, Connecticut.

Having stayed at the Omni Parker House in Boston, I was brimming with excitement learning that it would take place at the Omni New Haven in Hartford, Connecticut.

It was a small convention of a few hundred girls and guys but they were avid fans from all over - I had spoken to people from Atlanta, New England area, Los Angeles, even as far as Canada. Rufflecon was not the first of it's kind; it's non-affiliated sister, Frill was a small event that is held in Atlanta. Still it was a first having brought over the faces behind Triple Fortune as their Guests of Honor.

Guests of Honor: Kaie and Babi of Triple Fortune.

It's very hard to think what Lolitas want in a convention, but Rufflecon provided it all: a location that provides a great background to a fabulous outfit; a marketplace with various goods; panels that cater to interests beyond a 101 introduction; a fashion show with Japanese and indie designers (a rare occurrence); masquerade like after party; and of course, a grand tea party to end it all.

I had never been to a convention at the beginning, but going to several across the Tri-State area I find I prefer smaller conventions. I get to be more personal and more focused with discovering Lolitas - then again this was convention dedicated to a Japanese fashion inspired by European Rococo and Victorian fashion.

Ultimately it was like attending a very large meetup lasting several days which what everyone wants: