Lolidrobe Reassessment Post 2023.03

Welcome to Spooky Month! As of writing (and publishing) this post I have not yet done my seasonal wardrobe switcheroo, but plan on getting that done shortly. The air is getting that lovely crisp kind of cool and I am so ready to be cosy and autumnal, bidding my time for the spooks to pass and for it to get to a more socially acceptable time to unleash myself on the world with all my festive cheer. But that’s a by-the-by.

New additions

Once again, I would like to believe that I have gotten my spending down and that I am not buying so much. But the facts are that even if lolita spending is down, overall spending still manages to find an avenue.

• 1 JSK (classic in wine*)
• 1 pair of shoes (sweet in white x blue/red)
• 1 pair of socks (sweet in pink*)
• 1 bag (sweet in red)
• 2 sashes (1 classic in ivory x gold, 1 sweet in white x red)
• 7 sets of accessories (1 pair of sweet earrings in red, 1 pair of sweet earrings in brown, 1 sweet brooch in orange, 1 classic brooch in gold x blue, 1 sweet pin in white x green, 2 sweet button badges in pink)

Click to enlarge.

And for once I can actually say that indeed, I haven’t. Again, there have definitely been non-lolita things that got me instead, but even there I don’t feel like it’s not been quite so bad. Plus, a small bit of luck in finding unfinished personal admin business meant that I could add a little bit of a treat yourself splash for myself in the form of that JSK (which is yet to be seen whether it’ll even fit, but shhh, let’s have hope).

Possible new looks

With so few new additions one would think that there wasn’t much room on what new looks I could do. But I’d argue that these few bits have resulted in some really cute outfit and here are my receipts to support that claim.

From September 2023 (to be included in the next coords roundup post).

From September 2023.

From September 2023.

Replacement and need list progress

There has been some movement on the replacements list! First I sold the gold shoes, yaaay! Sadly, Elf Armorie did not include a gold colourway in their most recent drop of the Cupid’s Heart heels and despite looking at maybe the Modo ones (which people have also raved about the comfort of), there’s been no luck there either. So I will bide my time and wait until either of those release a gold pair. And secondly, I found a pair of pink ankle socks that will be much nicer than the current offbrand ones I have. Given that they have little worth and are very worn, I’ll probably still hold onto them rather than straight up chucking them out, but they’ll stay a more casual pair for work and home.

On the other hand, the need list has seen precisely zero movement over the last quarter. Some of it is my fault (procrastination, baby), most is a lack of options I like. I am starting to rethink the need for the OTKs, given that I seem to be managing quite alright without them, same with the small red headbow. The other things would probably have a much more of an impact on my wardrobe, so they’re definitely staying for now. But those three I’ll mull over some more.

Current wishlist

On the one hand, the prints that I am most actively searching for continue to elude me. On the other – I have just bought a new JSK, which is a wine red floral one from Mary Magdalene (Dot Bouquet, in case anyone was curious). If that turns out to fit I think it would satisfy the same need that has me lusting after BtSSB’s Antoinette Bouquet and maaaybe even fill in the red-based floral niche. The latter I still have reservations about, but it’ll all come out for sure once the dress arrives and I try it on. Until then I’m not ticking anything off just yet.

As far as the non-wishlist dress goes, nothing has changed here. I’ve actually been once again thinking that I could use a few more layering pieces, but am still stuck on establishing what that actually is. Naturally, this means that nothing has happened in practice, even if behind the scenes my brain is whirring. I’ll get round to it, eventually.

New Year’s goals: progress summary

1. Did I take at least one coord photo outside this quarter: yes! This has been going really well and I think I am finally achieving the balance that I wanted between having pictures, taking things easy with mirror selfies, and taking advantage of opportunities to get photos outside when I can. Hopefully this will stick because I am genuinely enjoying the range.
2. Did I obtain any pieces of lolita art or home decor: yes. As mentioned in the last Lolidrobe Reassessment post, the Q-Pot tin became my second one. Ideas for more things continue to live rent free in my head whilst I do absolutely nothing about them.
3. Did I make at least one item from Otome no Sewing: I decided on a project! Was any progress made? Hahaha, you’re funny!
4. Have I transferred my entire wardrobe to Whering: big fail. I started, then stopped, now things are about to be shuffled about, and already I have so much in the app that is significantly slowing it down. So yeah, nearly all of the lolita clothes are on there, there are a few of the recent additions (shoes, bags etc.) that haven’t happened yet, but as far as my non-lolita wardrobe goes, it’s most things (the ones that get used relatively often) and the rest lingers. I don’t want to fully abandon this goal, but I may need to face reality and admit that despite using Whering more and more on a daily basis, it has not been my priority and gradually disappearing daylight as we move further into autumn and winter is not going to encourage major shifts in behaviour. In other words, I’m leaving this in limbo.

This post ends on an interesting note. On the one hand, I am recognising that there are some goals I’ve not done some well, acknowledging areas where I sense a need for change and don’t yet have a concrete idea of what that change should be, and feeling myself want that seasonal swap asap to inject a bit of artificial novelty into how I perceive my wardrobe. And on the other hand, I am really quite content with where I am. The things that I have been getting tend to be small and/or of practical nature (like the shoes above) and they are enabling me to do more with my wardrobe. I’ve also noticed over the last few coord roundup posts that I’ve been leaning more casual (not all of it because of the weather) and I am positively curious as to what that means for the last quarter of this month. I guess there is only one way to find out, right?

How are you all doing? Hopefully all of you excited for Spooky Month are making the most of it and enjoying it to the fullest!