June Coords Roundup

Okay, how did this happen though? I fully anticipated June to be the quiet month, the one where not so many outfits happen, where I’d be too busy and/or too tired to reach for frills. Yes, the first four of this lot are still technically May outfits that just didn’t make the cut for May’s coords roundup post, but still!

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Coord 1: Meeting a Friend

| Metamorphose Tiered Shirring Ribbon JSK | Lady Sloth Snowflake blouse | Red Maria tights | Irregular Choice Flickety Kiss heels | handmade hair clip | Tiny Passerine Creations Duchess’ Tea parure |

Actually, once against the sax blue, this parure doesn't look quite so aquamarine. Though maybe it is just the lighting playing tricks on the photo.

Help, I've no idea how to wear an eyemask clip!

Yes, you read that right. I met with a friend, still back in May, she visited me, we had tea and cake, and a chat, and it was lovely, and I so, so, SO hope that opportunities like this will only become more numerous because LORD, I’ve missed seeing people IRL! A long intro, I know, but after so long I really cannot stress enough how amazing it was to have something as nice and lovely as a friendly catchup. Comfort and ease of getting ready were my priorities, which naturally led to picking this. I mean, full shirring from Meta, that’s the ultimate comfort. And since the flowiness of this whole look seemed kind of dreamy to me, I decided to use the eye mask I made for the Aurora Disneybounding coord. I have it, might as well use it, right? It also let me have a proper test of how it sits on the head, so that if/when I get to wear it out I know what to expect.

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Coord 2: Discord Sweets Meet

| Bodyline Sweets Macaron JSK | Babysong Lolita blouse | BtSSB Dreaming Sherbet skirt as underskirt | Metamorphose Lace-Up Bouquet OTKs | Bodyline shoes | Claire’s hair clips | offbrand earrings | Bubblegum Emporium necklace | handmade bracelets |

The inevitable downside of doing a colourful makeup is that it's rarely really visible.

I'm still a bit angry at myself that I didn't buy more from Bubblegum Emporium when I had the chance.

The Discord server that I am a part of had a sweets-themed meetup and of all of my sweets themed prints, this was the one that was waiting its turn next. Which was fortunate, as the coord came together quite easily and was comfortable enough to wear all day. Having now worked out that I prefer myself in this JSK with an underskirt, I once again experimented by using the newly acquired BtSSB skirt as that added length and the two blended really nicely. And since my latest wardrobe addition (dress number 49, she adds with a big dose of shame) arrived only earlier that day, I was sure to unbox it live during the meetup. Came in just in time for warm weather too, since it’s actually a really summery dress.

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Coord 3: Finally Warmth!

| Metamorphose Bubble Bath skirt | Crown Label cutsew | offbrand socks and hair clips | Bodyline shoes | handmade bracelets | Angelic Pretty ribbon as choker |

Absolutely and completely makeup free because it was a Sunday and all I did was get food from the supermarket.

We love a cute embroidered logo.

It genuinely felt like forever since we’ve had some actual warm weather! I needed to go grocery shopping, so since I already had to put on respectable clothes, why not frills? A skirt and cutsew are perfect for warm weather and it wasn’t so warm that I’d cook in a petticoat. The coord is quite basic, but I like it that way, it doesn’t need anything super fancy for a mere grocery shopping trip.

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Coord 4: Romantic Country

| Victorian Maiden Shirring Frill JSK | offbrand socks and shoes | vintage hat | Peppermint Fox brooch |

Curled my hair just for the Aesthetic. But also, doing things for the Aesthetic can sometimes make you happy, so don't feel bad for doing so.

This Peppermint Fox brooch really compliments the pale pink of the dress.

Whilst it could be a stretch to call this lolita, I enjoyed this romantic country/summer soft cottagecore vibe nonetheless. At the time of buying this Victorian Maiden dress I did wonder whether I may have been a touch too indulgent (despite it not only passing the 48 hour waiting test, but also the reasonable argument tests with several friends) and I am glad that I indulged. It is perfect for the weather we had that Bank Holiday Monday, so comfortable and airy, even if with the neckline off the shoulder I had to be mindful not to flash too much as the drawstring is not the steadiest of fastenings. It is everything that I wanted it to be, probably especially for my current non-lolita wardrobe wants, so if I ever spot it in the other colours (well, especially in that blue gingham), I will indulge in that too if I’m in a position to. And to make the day extra special, once I had dressed up, I went to have lunch in a nearby park. It was going to be the Ordsall Hall gardens, but those turned out to be closed on the day. Honestly, the smells and sounds of summer, the feeling of warm sunlight on my skin and the fresh taste of a light lunch supplemented with a cold brew green tea was practically divine. Not only because it had felt like forever since we last had nice weather like this (probably autumn 2020), but also because of how blissfully normal and idyllic it felt. Summer in the city isn’t all bad, despite what Joe Cocker might have you believe.

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Coord 5: Summer Retro

| Angelic Pretty Cinema Doll JSK | Lady Sloth chiffon crop top | Angelic Pretty Wrapping Cherry socks | Irregular Choice shoes | Two Days Slow hair clips | offbrand ribbon and earrings | After Midnight necklace | handmade bracelets |

Beehives are hard. I'll have to practice some more to get them looking nicer.

I get that there is legitimate hate for socks and sandals, but you can't be mad at the combination when it's done cute like this.

Everything up until this point has still been May’s coords that just haven’t made it to the May coords roundup post. What can I say, it was a very fancy Bank Holiday weekend. But now we’re actually in June and discussing June outfits. And despite a few cloudier days, the nice weather continued. So when these shoes arrived, I braved the feeling of not being arsed and put the effort in to wear this coord that was just perfect for them and for the summer weather. The shoes make me so tall, for the first time ever I could actually comfortably look inside my rice cooker, which says a lot! And the whole retro summer vibe was just too good to say no to. This is definitely a coord base that will get recycled with other dresses. Also, I got a commission of this coord from @pinkfakeflowers and I am currently looking for a frame for it to get it printed and hung on my wall.

How cute is this? I can't wait to hang this up on my wall!

pic

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Coord 6: Summer ILD

| L’Esprit de la Noblesse La Bibliotheque JSK | offbrand blouse, shoes and earrings | Enchantlic Enchantilly The Crown of the Rose Princess tights | AatP Sheherazade headdress | Puvithel Crystal Heart necklace | Patisserie Pink Lock and Key brooch | vintage brooch | Le Petit Four Emerald Palace ring | handmade ring |

Every time that I find a use for this headdress I thank my past self for not selling it immediately upon receipt, like I contemplated doing.

Is it very bad to use a closeup shot of a knock-off?

Another ILD, another virtual meetup. This time much smaller than last year, though nonetheless very fun. I knew that I wanted to wear this dress, but that’s about the extent of my coord planning. This all came together at literally 11pm the night before and I’m pleased with it. It’s more toned down than I probably would’ve done otherwise, but truth be told, I prioritised sleep, comfort and getting ready quickly over something too fancy. This time I prepared a game of “Spot the fake print name: the Chinese Lolita Updates edition”, which unlike the BtSSB/AatP had more room for people to reverse psychology, what I could’ve possibly had as the fake name. Which was honestly just as fun for me to observe and listen to people try and work out.

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Coord 7: Apples & Edible

| Metamorphose Gold Braid Tuck Pinafore JSK | offbrand blouse and shoes | Red Maria tights | Imperial Fiddlesticks headbow | handmade hair clip | Star Glazed Delights ring | literal raspberries |

I am very glad that the raspberries worked out, but I am literally never doing that again and do not recommend anyone else to try either.

If your apple isn't edible, then at least it better be sparkly.

This is another Coord Mashup theme and the idea for it came to me pretty immediately. See, I absolutely love apples - and fortunately for me, Poland has so many varieties that I grew up eating. My favourite is one called malinówka (mah-lee-noof-ka), which very roughly translates as ‘raspberry apple’. It’s so red that the skin dyes the flesh a tiny bit pink right where the two meet, and they’re some of the nicest, sweetest apples ever. (Unfortunately, they are a really old variety that’s not very profitable, so I believe they’re considered an endangered species now, only people with practically ancient orchards have them.) This inspired the red and pink colour scheme, and to satisfy the ‘edible’ part of the Coord Mashup prompt, I fashioned some temporary accessories out of real raspberries. I stuck a few in the freezer, so that I could thread them onto some thread and then worked as quickly as I could to get the photos done before it all disintegrated. Not something I’d recommend doing, though I’m just as impressed with the result.

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Coord 8: Casual Bear

| Bodyline L380 skirt | Dancing Days cardigan | Angelic Pretty Twinkle Star socks | Irregular Choice Flickety Kiss shoes | offbrand beret, hair clips, bear ears and necklace | Hello Crumpet brooch | Dear Celine badge | handmade bracelets |

Some days being human is simply overrated.

Listening beary intently.

A case of a coordinate that just happened. I wanted to dress up. I checked the weather forecast and then my spreadsheet of what was worn last. Skirts and warm weather are a better match than JSKs. What can I wear this skirt with that feels cute and would be pretty light? Bish, bash, bosh, here we are. Stars and bears is a bit tentative of a theme, though bears are certainly there on purpose, whereas the starry bits just happened to match colour-wise.

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Coord 9: Boyish Friday

| Metamorphose Wizarding Lesson shorts | vintage blouse and brooch | offbrand socks and shoes | Amadea Kingdom The Adventurer D20 brooch |

It's been a while since we've seen Paul around here.

What these brooches say about Paul? That he's a nature loving nerd. I guess we're rolling with that.

Paul has returned and judging by the smiley photos, he’s no longer the same brooding prick that he was before. Either this or we’ve travelled back in time to Paul’s youth because I can’t get over how legit boyish I look here. Good vibes for a Friday, that’s all that was needed, really.

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Coord 10: Sunday Filming

| Angelic Pretty Flower Garden JSK and waist bow as headbow | Victorian Maiden Shirring Frill JSK as blouse and underskirt | MuFish replica socks | Irregular Choice Earl Grey shoes | offbrand jewellery | Innocent World gloves |

I really want more oversized bows to wear at the back of my head, they're the perfect accessory to keep things elegant and understated.

I'm trying to remember if I've worn these gloves prior to this and I can't remember. If I genuinely haven't, then this will be entire 7 years since purchasing them!

So when it came to editing the Advanced Coordinating #5 video that I recorded a while back, it turned out that it was all blurry. Such a shame, although since I’m trialing using a teleprompter, maybe it wasn’t all a loss, so I quickly whipped up a script, dressed up and recorded it again. The combination of the two JSKs is so nice, if a touch heavy. And trying to keep the VM one off the shoulder was nigh impossible, so I gave up at some point. Nonetheless, I really do like this coord. It gives me historical portraits of children vibes or elegant afternoon tea vibes, particularly with that large waist bow pinned to the back of my head and the simple jewellery. Whilst I would’ve preferred to have a pearl pendant instead of that teapot, in the absence of one this is the best that I could do.

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Coord 11: Vaccinating in Style

| Grove Deer Moon of Eternal Day OP | offbrand socks and shoes | Two Days Slow hair clips | After Midnight necklace | vintage brooch | Innocent World Strawberry Fields wrist cuffs |

Maybe this is a touch on the sweeter side for this OP, but I just wanted to be comfortable.

Love these wrist cuffs, even if I don't wear them enough to show that.

Ya girl’s gone and got herself vaccinated - woohoo! This OP was perfect: easy to get ready quickly in the morning, comfortable, really stretchy for easy needle access - and it was the first time that I had the chance to wear it. The coord is suuuper casual, since I wanted to be comfortable and not too fussy given the occasion, being practical and comfy came above looks. It’s also the first time in a long time that I’ve done a truly monochrome look. There are definitely things that I’d do differently, but as I said, my priority was comfort and practicality, so I’m not mad about anything in particular.

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Coord 12: Summer Vibes

| Metamorphose Polka Dots Shirring Pinafore JSK | Cat Tea Party gingham crop top | Angelic Pretty Wrapping Cherry ankle socks | Irregular Choice sandals | Cutie Creator straw hat | Tea and Paintwater brooch | handmade bracelets |

Still working on getting curls to behave the way that I want them to, but I'm literally like 95% there!

Gingham everywhere is exactly the mood we want.

Gentle folk, we have reached the Assessment Board Season, the dreaded time of the year when energy is a scarce resource and I’m trying to make up for that by dressing up cute. At the same time, I am lazy and don’t want any coords that would take too long to put on or anything that would look best with elaborate hair and makeup because sleep comes first. So in trying to capitalise on those summer vibes I’ve gone with this. I quite like how the gingham looks with the polka dots, though I wish that I had more of the gingham to incorporate throughout the coord. That’s something for the future though.

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Coord 13: Out in Town

| Lady Sloth Look at My Dreamy Sky OP | vintage necklace | Patisserie Pink Lock and Key brooch | handmade bracelets | everything else is offbrand |

Working that belt to be a headband took a bit of jiggling about, but I think we got there in the end.

I bought a second set of these clips, so that now I have pairs to use for exactly this type of occasions.

A while back now I placed a large Taobao order, which included a sizeable bunch of crafting stuff, mostly beads for making bracelets. But as I sat down to make some of them, I realised that I needed some gold jump rings - which I thought I owned, but apparently I didn’t. A quick decision to kill a couple of birds with one stone meant a trip to town and since I was already going out and needed respectable clothes, let’s make them fun respectable clothes. Sadly, for all the promised comfort of these shoes  (the whole reason why I went with red accents for the entire outfit), they ended up giving me blisters - they’re so unpredictable, one time they’re ok and the next time they’re not. But nevermind that, I wasn’t in too much pain and they helped achieve a cute casual look that’s slightly different from what I’ve done with this OP already. My one note for next time would be to get some red bows along the hem of this dress to distribute the reds even more evenly next time. But by the time I thought of that, I had already taken the photos and could not be bothered to re-do them, so this literally is for the next time.

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Coord 14: Business Punk

| AatP Sugar Plum Fairy Princess JSK | Voodoodolly ring | Promised Land Creations necklace | Annie’s Flower brooch | Vanyar wig | handmade bracelets | everything else is offbrand |

Pro tip from amateur me: don't trim your wig fringes right after a bath. 10/10 bad idea. Though at least it came out alright and doesn't seem like I've botched it - just got very uncomfortable with the flyaway hairs.

This brooch also had a black ribbon bow on it which fell off pretty much immediately. It'll have to see if I can reattach it.

When you have an Exam Board to run at 11, but a gig at 12. Just kidding, the only concert I have is the one that I organise with Spotify and I dressed up just for the Exam Board meeting so that there’s at least something nice for the day. And I do really like this look, the wig really tied it together into something quite cool, quite Vivienne Westwood-esque. And who can’t get behind a bit of that every now and then?

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Coord 15: Folk Baba Yaga

| Haenuli Just One Bite JSK | traditional Polish blouse | Angelic Pretty Lovely Ribbon OTKs | offbrand shoes | Kaneko headdress | My Inspiration necklace and brooch | apron from BtSSB’s Polonaise Brillante JSK | waist ribbon and bows at the hem from Haenuli’s Whipped Cream Kitty JSK | Brightlele wig |

Love this wig with this headdress, the two look incredible together!

I couldn't be bothered to re-do the outfit photos just because the necklace flipped over, so have a detail photo instead.

Context: about a month ago I was on a significant Slavic binge, which as far as I remember started with this particular song (it’s in Polish, but there are English subtitles, though I recommend it more for the vibe than anything else). It inspired me to try something that’d blend the darker, witchy themes with a general Slavic feel, and I kept thinking that I’d do it for midsummer - which crept up on me surprisingly quickly. Still, I was determined not to let the opportunity pass and I’m glad I stuck to my guns. It might not be exactly what I originally envisioned, it’s a bit less dark in terms of styling, but I like it a lot nonetheless. It kind of feels like a more modern, more feminist reinterpretation of a Baba Yaga - the one where people recognise how misogyny and fear of knowledgeable women painted Baba Yaga as an old and evil hag, where she likely was just a local healer with enough independence and respect to make someone feel threatened. Maybe one day I will get round to making that darker version too…

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Coord 16: Cool Before the Heat

| Innocent World White Double Braid Tartan skirt | Axes Femme cutsew and brooch | Fi.n.t. cardigan | AatP Lace-Up Ribbon OTKs | Sosic Shop shoes | offbrand hair clips |

Bare minimum with hair and makeup once again.

The embroidery on this cardigan is so perfect.

This may be swaying dangerously over the border into non-lolita territory, but meh! I’m going to count it anyway. Looking at the weather forecast I saw that it was going to cool down enough to warrant layers before we get a return of summery weather, so it felt like the right time to take advantage of that. Especially since I usually want to wear stuff that’s completely seasonally inappropriate, so for once my being in the mood for cardigans in summer was not an instant suicide.

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Coord 17: Book Discord Meet

| Song and Temple Fairytale Library skirt | A.R.W. blouse | offbrand socks, shoes, beret and hair clips | Fantastic Grim Jewelry necklace | Patisserie Pink Bookshelf brooch | handmade bracelets | Enchantlic Enchantilly Queen Cat Secret Library ring |

Tiredness continued resulting in another bare minimum look.

Using pretty much every book-shaped thing that I own.

This coord started out a bit different, but when I put my originally intended blouse and socks on my body noped out and demanded comfort. So comfort it got - after all, it was a Saturday after a mad week of work, a bit of comfort was very much desired. And so, despite it being much more by-the-book than I had intended (though extra appropriate for the meetup theme), I enjoyed this coord a lot. I got a fair bit of video editing done before it was time to join, and as always I had fun chatting with the people from my Discord server.

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In the end June tied with March at 13 coordinates that were actually worn in a month. Though as a post, it takes the crown so far this year by documenting a whopping 17 outfits. July is supposed to start off with much warmer temperatures, so I may end up prioritising non-lolita outfits for comfort. Which isn’t to say that I will completely give up as I am due to have the rest of my annual leave to use up, so plenty of filming will likely happen (not sure yet how many of these filming looks I’ll be able to share at the end of July though). That and we have one actual, proper, outdoor, IRL meetup on the cards…? I dread to commit that to writing, which is massively superstitious of me, I’ve been so looking forward to that happening that I don’t want to jinx anything. But I am crossing my fingers as hard as humanly possible that it will still go ahead because I’ve missed my comm so much and would absolutely love to see them all again. Remind me to wear my most waterproof mascara on the day, the risk of tears is pretty high.