1 Dress 4 Looks Take 69

Not to kick the post off with crass, but ooohhh yeahhh!

Now that I have this out of my system, it really is an ooohhh yeahhh because this is my first Physical Drop piece, called simply Long Sleeve Shirring Dress, and one that I was able to buy at their branch in Jiyugaoka, Tokyo. It’s such a fancy OP that I don’t really want to tone it down too much, but you know me, always up for having options.

Look 1: Layered Elegance

| Hoshibako Works corset | Angelic Pretty Brigitte Regimen OTKs | Modo Prayer Poem shoes | Vierge Vampur bonnet | Puvithel Crystal Heart necklace | Tiny Passerine Creations The Duchesss' Tea earrings | Le Petit Four bracelet | handmade ring |

As per the introduction, it’s a fancy OP, let’s wear it in fancy ways. There is nothing complicated about this first coord, which is precisely why it works so well. Wine red and gold accents compliment one another perfectly and the simplicity of the styling is what exudes elegance. Not everything needs to be OTT in terms of the number of things to look elegant and fancy. Also, I am still annoyed that I misplaced my Puvithel red earrings. I know that they are somewhere in my house, but for the life of me I cannot thing where of the places I haven’t looked yet they could be!

Look 2: Nods to Vintage

| Innocent World Tulle Lace Millefeuille volero | vintage hat and brooch | Violet Fane Antiquite tights | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | offbrand earrings, necklace, and ring |

Layering long sleeve OPs is not always easy, though thankfully the fabric of this one is light enough to allow for at least some layering. And how could I not try at least one of my Millefeuille boleros with this? It may seem like the hat and the bolero are too much ivory at the top, but you need to imagine this with a red wig that would offset that. In a way all of those neutral colours are helping to tone down some of the inherent fanciness of this OP cut. Not all of it, this is still a very elegant outfit - but you can totally see this being worn to go antiquing, for example, it doesn’t have to be contained to fancy tea rooms.

Look 3: Ero

| Annzley corset | handmade garter belt | offbrand tights, hair clip, and brooch | Vivienne Westwood x Melissa Anglomania shoes | Pauline Garden headpiece | Estrellas Bright Star choker | Puvithel Crystal Heart necklace | vintage brooch | AatP Tulle Lace wrist cuffs | Star Glazed Delights Brandwhore ring |

First of all, you have to imagine this worn off-shoulder. This is quite crucial styling that a flatlay just cannot convey. It's also very likely that the garter belt would be used to lift parts of the skirt and show off a cage skirt underneath. Simple yet effective. I like how this has somehow ended up being the most intricate coord of the post, there is a lot of layering here that adds tonnes of visual interest and dimension. Which feels like an accomplishment given that black is not very prominent in my wardrobe.

Look 4: Kitchen Witch

| Rose Thorn hat | handmade apron | BtSSB Border OTKs | Hush Puppies boots | Q-Pot Teabag necklace | Patisserie Pink Bottled Stardust brooch | Erstwilder Potentially Poisoned Chalice brooch |

This one last coord is a spin on a similar one that I wore in October of last year. But with a more homely twist. I am way more of a cottagecore kind of witch than a typical Halloween one and this coord manages that playful vibe. Striped socks for whimsy, apron for practicality, and quirky jewellery for approachability. That's my recipe for becoming your cute local witch. Also, looking at the flatlay, this coord doesn't read very interesting, it reads a little empty. Once again, styling (hair and makeup) would play a big part here. But there's something to be said about practicality. Your local kitchen witch is working with her hands a lot and can’t have stuff weighing her down or getting in the way. Anything like rings would just be taken off, so why not skip that step?


I tried specifically to avoid deliberate attempts at toning this OP down to something that it is not. It’s a fancy dress and it deserves to be worn in fancy ways. In some ways, it will inevitably duplicate some of the looks that I’ve done and will do with my Alice Girl OP, but that’s unavoidable with two incredibly similar dresses. At least this one doesn’t have to be confined to just winter. It also hasn’t escaped my notice that three out of four of these coords utilise a three-strap heel design. Each a different one, but in principle it’s the same item. It seems like three-strap heels are the new part of Art de Paulina.