AYWi30C #18 - Something you love, but haven't worn yet

In another time, this prompt would fall victim to the overload of options. However, we’re living at the time of a pandemic, which means cancelled events. And there was one that I was particularly excited for my coord.

| BtSSB Polonaise Brillante ~ Ideas of a Maiden ~ Apron JSK and OTKs | traditional blouse from Stroje.pl | Hush Puppies boots | Kaneko Shop custom headdress | handmade necklace | offbrand earrings |

This was going to be my outfit for the Imperial Garden event in Brussels, where Baby the Stars Shine Bright were due to be the guest of honour. Polonaise Brillante is my absolute favourite BtSSB dress, both from the ones I own and in general, so of course I was going to wear this. I likely still will, being my best Polish self is honestly a total joy, though by the time the event takes place I may end up spicing this up somehow. Not that I’m unhappy with anything, I love this coord exactly as it is. As much as I generally avoid re-wearing outfits in favour of trying something new, this is one coord that I don’t think I will tire of wearing.

These two pieces of clothing were simply made for each other. Pretty literally.

That embroidery gets me every time!

Starting with that amazing blouse. For those of you not familiar with Polish national dress - there actually isn’t just one traditional dress style. There are plenty of regional variations, hell, even one region will have plenty of variation within it, and the traditional dresses really differ quite a lot. Although Baby based their design on what is commonly accepted as ‘the’ Polish national dress (which is from the Łowicz region), this particular blouse is actually a design from Eastern Kraków and thereabouts. Neither of those is where I am actually from, but where I am from our traditional dress itself is very, very simple (with a gigantic flower headpiece - maybe one day I’ll try to do a lolita version of that). When searching for a blouse to match this dress I was keen on having something with embroidery and this was the nicest design that I found. It was worth every single penny spent - and let me just say that the blouse rivalled the I Do Declare ones in price, though for the sake of my own mental health I haven’t done the actual calculations. Not only is the embroidery exquisite, the dress fits perfectly thanks to being made to measure. And because that shop usually makes pieces for dancers, the blouse has gussets under the arms that make it easier to lift your arms in without the whole blouse shifting and rising. It’s also made out of 100% cotton, which is great for breathability, great for keeping the volume of those sleeves and great for longevity. An all-round winner!

I'm usually all for mixing and matching pieces from different releases, but this one is just right as it is, so I don't feel the need to change things up.

After some thought I decided to stick with the matching socks for this coordinate. Although I have previously tried various other sock options, particularly the offwhite x red ones, these work best with the boots, the blouse and the dress. There’s no point fixing something that isn’t broken. It’s slightly sad that the design of these socks prevents them from being a little bit more stretchy. If they were at least 1cm longer, they would’ve sat above my knees that little bit more comfortably and would be less prone to fighting the sock glue for rolling down. Nonetheless they are adorable and really well made, and I love them just as much as I love the dress.

A pair of boots so trusty I bought basically another one in another colour.

Traditional Polish dress usually means short leather boots. These are a sturdy staple that people would often wear all year round. Even now many people in Poland will talk about leather boots as something that everyone should have at least one pair of. To spice things up, I opted for my red pair instead of the brown one. It also ties in the other pops of red that little bit more neatly, so the coord feels balanced. Although one day I may try this with the brown boots instead.

The closest I'll ever get to minimalism in lolita.

A true feat of quality over quantity! As well as size over quantity. Even though I looked really hard, both at the flatlay and at my reflection in the mirror before filming, I could not think of a single other accessory that would actually add to this coord. No ring that I own would add anything of value and the only brooch that matches in theme felt out of place with this particular styling, so I decided not to mess with things. Simple doesn’t have to mean boring.

Thanks to having so many colours, no doubts it will match many other coords to come.

The fact that this headpiece is really extra helped make the coord feel complete with so few accessories. I have gushed over this in more detail when reviewing it, so I’ll aim to be brief here. Kaneko Shop have truly done a marvellous job with this, finding exactly the right kinds of flowers and the right kinds of ribbons. What’s funny to me is that when storing it, this headdress seems smaller than it actually is. Only once it’s on my head do I remember that it actually is as oversized as what I have asked for. Again, if you ever need a custom headpiece, ask Kaneko, they are amazing!

"Red beads, red like wine..."

A string of red beads is so ingrained in Polish national counciousness, that not only will every folk-fashion shop sell these, there was a folk-pop band that made a cult song about this iconic piece of jewellery! I decided to make mine, because something that’s under a fiver in materials and 2 hours tops in time is not worth me spending the money on ready-made ones. So whilst my necklace is quite modest, only one string, even if on the larger side, I like how it came out and I can always add to it if I want to. Once I had everything on, I noticed that my ears were on show more than I anticipated and a bit of bling in that area was necessary. Those seemed like the better option than gold roses, simple and still sparkly enough for what I wanted.

Yes for ALL the colours of pansies!

Despite the brand name being large and obnoxious, it fits in with the print so well that you don't notice it straight away.

And now, let’s commence the gushing: this is honestly some of Baby’s absolute best work. The print shows how much research went into creating this series because there isn’t a single element on it that’s out of place. I love how pansies are the dominant flower in the print and that they painted them all the colours, not just one or two. They’re not actually considered our national flower, poppies are, so I would’ve loved to see the roses replaced with poppies, but having said this, the roses really don’t bother me. And those tiny white flowers under the brand name! They remind me of summer fields, when the sun is scorching and you can pick these little flowers to make crowns out of, and life is full of joy.

If those were actually sewn on, it would either make for way too much work or it'd weigh the skirt down. Printing may be the cheaper option, but when done well it's just as effective.

Can we buy this lace somewhere, please, I'd like to make my own home decor out of it?

The stripes are an obvious way to tell that Baby had more than a glimpse at the Polish national dress. Each colourway has different coloured stripes, which are accurate when compared with the original regional dresses, whilst also complementing the overall dress colourway. The printed ribbon and rickrack create the illusion of textural detail and add more colours into this print without making it busy. And that printed lace! It’s generally hidden under the detachable apron, but once you uncover it, it keeps the skirt from looking too bare. The design of that lace looks like something I remember from kitchen windows of my relatives living in smaller towns and is the only time I will say that a lace that resembles a curtain looks good on a lolita dress. It’s so well made that I can literally feel it on my fingers before I inevitably realise that it’s just printed on polyester.

While we're here, let's admire that texture on the fabric, unveiling hidden details when the light catches it right.

Yes, give me those textural details, Baby!

Using rickrack to trim the hem of the skirt may seem like a cheap copout, however, I think it’s actually a good choice. Traditionally the skirt wouldn’t have any decoration at the hem, all the interest at the bottom of the dress comes from the stripes and the flowers embroidered or woven on the fabric. But that wouldn’t be enough for a lolita dress, it’d be too bare. Lace would be too much, as would ruffles, so opting for a simple wavy rickrack was a fantastic compromise. Yes, a scalloped type trim, like the one printed on the edges of the ribbon, might’ve been better, but it’s still not a bad choice. Besides, the rest of the dress is so full of accurate and beautiful detail that I am willing to forgive this one shortcut. Instead let me distract you with the bodice for a second. More gorgeous floral lace! The one under the corset lacing panel is the same one that the waist ties are covered in. Using that on the bodice provides a good enough contrast for the blue corset lacing ribbon without sacrificing on interest thanks to adding texture. The lace around the edges is likely a generic one that Baby found somewhere and I’d love to find out where they got it from because I can totally see making some amazing things with it, from a triangle headpiece to lining for a wicker basket. (Not that I have regrets about not getting the matching headpiece, not at all...)

Wig from Dalao Home and the most natural version of my go-to makeup that I can do.

Back when I still thought that I would be going to Brussels in May for the event, I was wondering whether to use a wig or my own hair (probably enhanced with a half wig for extra volume). It was always obvious that I’d keep makeup fairly natural, focusing on big eyes, rosy cheeks and red lips, and that my hair would be in two braids, as is traditionally most common. What I wasn’t sure of whether to stick to my own colour or be blonde. Other Polish friends have told me that the blonde wig makes me look like the pinnacle of Polishness, so that settled that. It’s true that I have heard “you can’t be Polish, you’re not blonde” more times in my life than one would think is reasonable, and the brown that my hair is naturally is probably the most common natural hair colour that Polish women have, but it doesn’t hurt to adhere to the stereotype once or twice. And I do agree that the lighter hair colour stands out nicely against both the flower crown and the coord, whereas a darker one might have blended a little bit.

I need to follow my own advice of wearing my dream dresses more. Just looking at these coords makes me very happy.
From left to right these are from: April 2019, May 2020 and August 2020.

I’ve only had this dress for just over a year and in December it’ll be 2 years since its release. So there aren’t that many outfits to showcase here. I know that I am guilty of reserving this JSK for more OTT coordinates and forgetting that it can be worn casually. This is something that will be rectified in the 1 Dress 4 Looks post for this dress, which will be published later this month. For now, considering how it’s one of my newer pieces, as well as the fact that it’s only this year that my lolita wearing overall intensified thanks to the plague, three worn coords is not too bad of a result. Although mark my words, this one will be the one that I will be going back to in the times to come.

Confession: I wanted to spice this video up by filming it outdoors, in the Ordsall Hall gardens. However, on the day I got stopped by rain and, more importantly, chickened out. I don’t mind existing in lolita in public, that doesn’t bother me, plus that was a Monday morning so I wasn’t expecting crowds anyway. But the idea of being in a public space in lolita on my own with a tripod irrationally freaked me out. I felt like filming like this would be perceived as pretentious, the “who does she think she is” thing (or worse, attract more attention and people wanting to talk to me!) and even though that is entirely in my head, it was the hurdle that I was not able to overcome that day and I clutched to the rain as my excuse, despite the fact that it stopped not long after I got ready. There’s also a thought at the back of my mind that with just me putting my phone in a tripod and parading in front of it, there’d be no-one minding my stuff and I’m not the fastest runner, so what if someone tried to steal my phone? Again, realistically it’s probably unlikely, Ordsall Hall gardens aren’t that crowded and I film these in short clips, constantly readjusting, but it’s thoughts that I can’t stop. I would’ve felt more comfortable if I had even one person there with me, whether they wanted to help out with the filming or not, but there was no-one to ask. One day I will wear this exact coord for a proper fancy photoshoot, either in a field or at an open air museum somewhere in Poland, so maybe then I will be able to do an updated lookbook for this. For now enjoy me parading in front of my camera in my own living room like I normally do in these videos. And watch until the very, very end if you want extra goofs.