1 Dress 4 Looks Take 56

Ever since I discovered that Mary Magdalene's shirring could be relatively generous, I've been looking for their shirred pieces. Deborah Doll was one of those on my list and I got it for a very good price, considering the missing neck ties. Even though it took a bit of time for me to work out that the cut required different undergarments for the JSK to fit, it was entirely worth the effort and the stress because - I mean, just look at it! Mary Magdalene simply hits different.

Look 1: Country Lass

| offbrand bolero and socks | Hush Puppies boots | Cutie Creator hat | My Inspiration necklace | unknown earrings | Innocent World Strawberry Fields wrist cuffs |

I always say that Mary Magdalene doesn't require much embellishment to shine, their pieces are so full of detail that it's really best to let them do the talking. This coord proves that theory pretty well - it is a simpler and more cottagecore take on country lolita i.e. less sweet. Add some milkmaid braids and a picnic basket filled with homemade goodies, as well as a book, and all you need is a tree to sit under to enjoy living the aesthetic.

Look 2: Studious

| Axes Femme blouse, cardigan and brooch | Angelic Pretty Toy March OTKs | Hush Puppies boots | After Midnight beret | Patisserie Pink Bookshelf brooch | 4 Aces ring | Enchantlic Enchantilly Queen Cat Secret Library ring |

The original draft of this look that I had was a monochrome one, but once it got round to putting it together, I wasn't feeling a completely monochrome one. Instead I got drawn to this blouse (ironic considering how it's one that I may end up getting rid of once my wardrobe cull comes), which I then tried to pair with the cardigan. Admittedly, the flatlay ends up looking like a bit more frumpy type of academia look, but I'm confident that once worn it would smooth itself out. Though bookworms can get a bit frumpy sometimes in search for a bit of cosiness, which isn't necessarily a bad thing either.

Look 3: Sort of Circusy

| Lady Sloth Glitter Mesh blouse | vintage jacket | Angelic Pretty Crown Logo OTKs | Hush Puppies boots | Peacockalorum headbow | Bibelot Rose rosette | AatP The Mouse King * Gualtiero Medal brooch | Star Glazed Delights ring |

Don't ask me why I thought to do a circusy look with this dress. I'm not entirely sure myself, I just rolled with it. And it could probably work, but again, the flatlay may not be showing it off as best as it could? The styling of this one is still a bit of a mystery to me, I just know that with the right kind of hair and makeup, and maybe a few extra accessories, this could actually work. If you see something obvious that's missing here or that should be different, let me know, please!

Look 4: Fancy Lady

| Infanta overblouse | Enchantlic Enchantilly Crown of the Rose Princess tights | offbrand shoes and rose clip | Manda Rin Designs hat | vintage necklace | handmade ring and bracelets | My Inspiration brooch |

In all the years that I've owned this overblouse I've never actually used it as anything but a regular blouse. And that was going to be the case here, until something in me said to stop and just try. The swallowtail cut of this top really compliments the A-line cut of the JSK, when worn these would make for such a pleasing and clean silhouette. It may be a bit more overcomplicated than traditional Mary Magdalene looks, but this is the one that I am most excited to wear.


In typical me fashion, I only went with wine and ivory/gold looks for this post. If it ain't broke and all that. There are definirely some colourful combination that I would love to try, but for the time being I'm happy keeping this JSK restricted to simpler colour palettes and enjoying whatever variety I can produce there.