2021 Wish/Need/Replace List

With each passing year, with each Reassessment Post that I do in the meantime, I’m amazed at how much more “complete” my wardrobe becomes. Not complete in the sense that I’ll stop getting new things, no-one ever gets to that point with fashion. I mean complete in the sense that the actual gaps are becoming smaller, both size-wise and cost-wise. And yet the list of things I’d like to get, replace or that I actually need doesn’t get noticeably smaller with each year - it only gets more specific. Whilst I get more picky (or better at procrastinating and distracting myself with shinies). Will 2021 be the year that I bridge these gaps and don’t find any new ones? Only time will tell.

Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

REPLACE

My replace list is not seeing much change from where I left it. I decided to replace the white Peacockalorum wrist cuffs that I have with a nicer quality pair and replace the fur capelet I sold. As much as I love Peacockalorum’s creations, their wrist cuffs can be a bit hit and miss, and the lace on my white ones is not the nicest (whereas the navy ones have great lace!). I would like something with a little bit more volume, as well as softer lace, but still neutral enough in style that it would work with sweet and classic coords equally. And the capelet is not a priority in any way, just something to throw on for that extra winter flair. The wrist cuffs are most likely to be either a second hand brand purchase or an indie brand one, whereas the capelet I’ll search amongst vintage things before turning to second hand brand.

The other two items, the pink bolero and the navy bonnet, remain as they were. I’m still looking for IW’s Millefeuille bolero in pink to pop up somewhere in size L for a reasonable price, and I’m still looking for a navy bonnet that will match my criteria (half, tall, stiffened, neutral theming, the right shade). Having said this, only three items in the run up for being replaced is not bad going. It’s a sign that my wardrobe as a whole works for me, both in terms of the quality and cuts/fit, which means that I am more likely to keep, wear, and love everything that I own. And that is the ultimate goal, right?

• Pink bolero
• Ivory/offwhite faux fur capelet
• Navy bonnet
• White wrist cuffs
  

Stock pictures to give an idea of what I'm looking for, not necessarily these exact items.
Click to enlarge.

NEED

As already mentioned, the actual needs, the genuine gaps in my collection, are really tiny at this point. Most of the pieces on this part of the list are accessories, and fairly specific ones too. This is what happens when your wardrobe spans several styles, not everything will work with everything. Sometimes things may be the right colour, but the wrong substyle or theme - or the other way round. Until you start putting outfits together, there is no way of knowing how things will go for you. But if all I need to fill the gaps is one piece of jewellery, then we really are in a good place. As such, everything listed here I will aim to get either from an indie brand or second hand (vintage or lolita-specific). Since I’m not in a rush and I want the right piece, not the first available piece, I’m happy to wait until I stumble upon the right creator or get to the right second hand outlet (online or in person).

• Sweet jewellery in navy - at least a necklace, maybe a ring and brooch too. Neutral shapes/themes only, so bows, hearts, maybe a moon/star.
• Classic pink shoes (heels) - mid-height, light shade, a simple and elegant design would be preferable, but I’ll see what I can get.
• Classic necklace in sax blue - shorter length (collarbone), neutral motif e.g. hearts, florals, generic shapes etc. Something sparkly or pearly would be ideal, I’m also open to Michal Negrin-style jewellery.
• Sweet brooch in red - preferably looking for something versatile, thinking about things like a bow, a heart, a teacup, maaaybe a cat or something like this, but there’s a little bit more room to play.
• Neutral flats/walking shoes in white, blue and red - this one could be too optimistic, as it assumes that I will need shoes for walking outside, e.g. to meetups. They don’t have to be flats, as long as they are genuinely comfortable to spend a whole day in walking.

Stock pictures to give an idea of what I'm looking for, not necessarily these exact items.
Click to enlarge.

WISH

Lastly (and at last) we get to spicing something up a little. Whilst this section will still include the usual collage/list of the lolita dresses that are on my wishlist, with time I realised that this was getting a bit too far from true representation. After all, there are still pieces that I want that aren’t needed in my wardrobe, that aren’t filling any gaps, but that I simply like enough to want to own them. So for clarity I’m dividing this into dresses and everything else.

Dresses I’ll keep to just a photo, this is quite self explanatory, really. As before, they are colour coded into red for highest priority, amber for items I have a set budget for (usually around £120) and green for lowest priority (the cheaper the better, most likely to change over time).

All dresses here bar the very last one are the exact cuts and colourways I'm after. The last one is more of a representation of what I'm after. The numbers on the first two dresses indicate colour preferences.

For everything else, just like in the need section, I’ll say a few words of explanation.

• More layering items - I’m thinking things like underskirts, overskirts, overdresses, decorative corsets, belts, vests etc. I likely won’t get something from each of these categories, but as I don’t have a set thing in mind, I’m keeping my options open. Still need to decide on colours though so as to not end up with too much by getting one of each in each colour I own.
• Innocent World Millefeuille boleros - I’ve accepted that at this point I’m a collector of these, so lets officially add them to the wishlist: black and preferably cross-lace (though pure smooth would also be acceptable); shell lace in any colour, which I’d then replace for one of my current ones (brown would likely be the easiest); and the new rose lace one in mint.
• Black and cream/beige ouji shorts - knee-length and high waist, the more Tudor-esque (or that I could fake to be so) in cut the better, velvet would be ideal, but not necessary.
• Blazer - cropped length and long sleeve, something for cute school uniform-esque looks. I’d love a vintage one, like a rowing blazer, but I also don’t want to spend too much on it, so I’m open to things that are the right cut and colour, but may need sprucing up with a bit of DIY. For now I’m mostly looking for ivory, navy or red, potentially open to tartan or subtle stripes.
• A few more shirts for more historical ouji looks - I realised that I rely on that Infanta Swan Lake blouse every time I wear ouji and I’d like alternatives. My priorities are sleeves (big and poofy, bishop would probably be ideal) and neckline (either high neck with some ruffles, like the Infanta blouse, or a little more open a’la the Generic Pirate Shirt). Colour-wise I could do with a black and red/wine to go with the ivory one I already have, but I’m open to options.
• Vintage hats - a black wide brim, a wine red pillbox/percher, and something elegant in navy.
• Antique Beast Bat Headdress in white - I could probably do with both white and black, but let me start with just one to see if I like it and will use it as much as I think I will.
  
• Elegant bracelets - I could probably do with more bracelets generally, which I may look for suitable beads for. However, plastic bead bracelets aren’t always as elegant as chain and sparkly ones, which is what I’d like. Preferably in pairs, but I realise this isn’t the common thing to do in Western fashion, so I’ll take things as I go.
• More earrings - although I am yet to overhaul my earrings collection, I know that I would like more. A more specific list is therefore pending, for now I know that a neutral sweet pair in red is something that I could do with. Given the nature of earrings, I’ll most likely be looking at indie brands before turning to second hand items.
  

A non exhaustive collage of various stock photos to give an idea of the sort of things I have in mind.

I tried to make sure that I think of as many things as possible and get this list as complete as I could. Having a detailed wish/need list is a godsend when trying to avoid impulse buys, as well as when looking for items in unconventional places. With second hand or vintage purchases you have to check regularly and expect nothing, and patience pays off when you do finally get the right piece. Of course, for the foreseeable future my hunt is still confined to eBay - as much as I’d love to go to charity shops and see what people in my area have been giving away, it’s not a sensible option for the time being. Hopefully this list won’t be expanding with too many things. I am fully anticipating to come back to it and hone in on those earring preferences, as well as some more ouji-specific bits as that’s a style I’m still figuring out my way around. But as far as lolita fashion goes, there shouldn’t be much more to add here. Fingers crossed.