Lolidrobe Reassessment Post 2021.2

And just like that we have entered the second half of the year. Hand up if you also thought that by this time into 2021 we’d be further along into restoring things from the Before Days instead of still doing this awkward back and forth. *puts hand up* Although I guess things are getting better since there are actual in-person meetups on the horizon...

New additions

So yeah, here comes my little moment of shame because things kind of became a lot.

• 4 dresses (1 classic OP in wine, 1 sweet JSK in red*, 1 classic JSK in wine, 1 classic JSK in pink)
• 1 skirt (sweet in sax)
• 2 pairs of ouji shorts (classic in black and white)
• 3 tops (1 classic bolero in mint, 1 sweet crop blouse in red, 1 sweet blouse in red)
• 1 corset (classic in ivory)
• 1 wig (short curly one in red)
• and 23 sets of accessories (1 classic headpiece in green; 1 classic brooch in black; 1 sweet ring in white; 4 berets in green, black, brown, and pink*; 2 packs of classic pearl U-pins; 1 pair of classic earrings in green; 1 classic necklace in dusty blue; 1 classic ring in sax; 1 classic brooch in golden green; 1 classic brooch in lavendery pinks; 1 classic brooch in bronzey green, 1 sweet headbow in red*, 1 pair of classic bracelets in black, 1 pair of sweet bracelets in pink x red, 1 gothic ring in gold, 1 pair of sweet earrings in sax, 3 sweet belts in red, pink and offwhite)

Back to filling up a bed with my quarterly purchases.

Is two enough to say that patterned blouses were a trend this quarter?

Shiny things.

Ekhm, yeah… Seems like I was very spending-happy this last quarter. Even if 35 things in three months doesn’t seem like so much, it does to me, it feels like a while since I’ve had a quarterly haul of this size. Some of the additions were anticipated and were simply building up/waiting for things to arrive at my shopping service’s warehouse. Others were a pure surprise. Well… Most were a pure surprise. No impulse buys though, which is a relief!

Possible new looks

So many new tops and accessories to play with, that really makes for some new looks. As you will have seen from the various coord roundup posts, that polka dot blouse and the mint bolero became instant favourites that I had to get out of my system asap, so we had a few coords with those already. And even those are barely scratching the surface of possibilities, let’s be honest here.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Replacement and need list progress

No progress whatsoever with the replacement list. Again, mostly for lack of trying, but lack of trying stems from lack of a pressing need. I am starting to reconsider how much I actually need a faux fur capelet of any form - no doubts I’d use it if I had one, but am I really missing out by not having one in the first place? The white wrist cuffs may end up getting replaced though if I find any nice ones second hand by the time I come to buy the next issue of Lapin Labyrinthe. Since I’ll need my SS’s help anyway, I might as well grab a few extra bits.

Progress so far - still nada.

As for the need list, although the Tiny Passerine Creations parure ended up being a more aqua shade than true sax, because it is a 3-piece set, it actually ticks the box that I needed it too. (And yes, I totally indulged in another sax necklace from them after that, so surely I have to have covered that by now!) There is also a pair of shoes at Irregular Choice that I am eyeing as my potential pink pair, though I’m hoping that they will come into their summer sale stock whenever that starts (or for someone to sell a pair second hand). Everything else so far continues to elude me, but considering how specific some of these are, this isn’t quite so bad.

Progress so far - officially 1/6 obtained!

Current wishlist

Very unexpectedly, I managed to tick off a top tier wishlist dress: Mary Magdalene’s Deborah Doll. Sadly, despite the encouraging shirring experience with my Paulina JSK, this one is not quite stretchy enough to fit, though I have also gained some weight over this extended lockdown (like many of us have). One attempt at contacting someone about altering it has fallen through, so for now I have decided to hold onto it and see what happens. Maybe once I drop to my pre-lockdown size I’ll be able to fit it. Maybe I’ll find someone confident and trustworthy enough to alter it. Maybe I’ll hoard it like a mad collector. Or maybe I will end up parting with it in the end. For now this is too soon to tell, so I’m not making any rash decisions.

Progress so far - 2 down! (Also, we do not speak of the orange Airline JSK miss with Closet Child.) Although the Grove Deer OP I got technically satisfies the need I had with that Millefleurs dress, I'm keeping it on because magpie reasons, I guess.

Decent progress was also made on the non-main piece wishlist. The two pairs of shorts that I got from Fanplusfriend tick most of my boxes (and again, I hope that as I drop those few centimetres closer to my pre-lockdown size, these will become a touch more comfortable than they currently are). Finally overhauling my earrings has helped in narrowing down what really needs to be on this list in that department, which means a few chops. And since I already bought a fair chunk, I enabled the treat yourself mentality as I was feeling sorry for myself during Exam Boards and bought the belts too, since I was already buying stuff for my vintage wardrobe and these would span both. Overall, it’s not going too badly, though after the unexpectedly higher spending this quarter I feel the need to pull back a bit, so I likely won’t focus on this much in the coming days.

Progress so far - significant! Further 5 things obtained, last row streamlined from 4 to 1... This is very good!

New Year’s goals: progress summary

1. Did I create 1 lookbook video for charity: Not yet. I have now decided on which idea I will do, which gives me a deadline of November. Predictably, the idea grew, but at the same time by now I have all of the coordinates planned out (though a few will require extra purchases or crafting bits). There is a Patreon exclusive video where I talk about the plan for that video, which is available on the $10+/month tier, if you are interested.
2. Did I plan my Disneybounding outfits: the collection of these outfits is growing, slowly but surely. As of this post I have 3, which you will find here.
3. Have I had a loita photoshoot: no, not yet. I am leaning towards the idea of recreating the Milkyfawn picture, but honestly I still just haven’t given it any thought. I have a week off at the end of this month though, so maybe I should do it then...
4. Did I overhaul my earrings collection: yes, you can read about it here!

As usual, I feel like all I’ve done is blinked and suddenly we’re in July, middle of summer. Time picks up pace in that second quarter after a slow start. By now I’ve had my first vaccine (they gave me Pfizer) and should have the second dose at the very latest in September, though I’m hoping to reschedule it for a little sooner. It likely won’t change much, but it will make me feel better which is also important. My comm has started early mumbling about an outdoor in-person meet (one has already taken place, but I was unable to attend), so this would be nice to do. For the time being though I’m still directing my energy into hosting and attending virtual meets. I would also really love to join the tea party equivalent of one of those online events like the ones Bay Area Kei hosts one day, as well as participate in the fashion walk. I feel like I’ve missed out on something big by not doing those and I’d really love to - while I’m still working from home and have energy for that sort of stuff.

How have you been doing? We’re past the halfway mark of the year, do you feel like things are going better for you than last year, worse or about the same? This is often the time when people remember they made some lolita-related resolutions, are those going well for you?