1 Main Piece 2 Drastically Different Looks

Since we tend to spend a fair amount of money on our main pieces, it’s only reasonable to expect that we’ll get as much wear of them as possible. Not all styles or prints are particularly versatile, but by thinking creatively and accumulating enough builder pieces it is possible to get looks that are almost polar opposites of each other out of one main piece.

When I think of two drastically different looks I tend to think of Sweet Lolita vs Gothic Lolita. Unfortunately, I don’t own main pieces that would lend themselves that well for this sort of stuff (and I’m not a fan of Sweet prints in black), so I had to think of other juxtapositions.

In the end I decided to do Casual vs OTT looks using AP’s Diner Doll. I believe that making a print OTT isn’t hard, you just need a vague idea and enough little bits to make it work together. But to make a vibrant print seem casual, to turn it into something that you’d be comfortable just throwing on and going about your errands, is a challenge, at least for me. In the end you’ll always stand out in Lolita clothes, especially ones with prints. If you can take a piece and make it go all the way from 0 to 100 and everything in between, if you so desire – then you’re onto a winner!

| AP Diner Doll JSK | AP Creamy Shirring Blouse | Bodyline
L553 bolero | Meta Heart Ladder Lace OTKs | Bodyline
s251 shoes | offbrand beret | After Midnidght doughnut clip |

My casual coord is on the warm and fluffy side. By keeping everything else simple not only do I avoid taking the attention away from the print, but I also play down the themes, thus making them less “out there”. The only real accessory here is the doughnut pin on the beret which I added to make it go with the outfit. Having said that, it wasn’t until I put the outfit together that I realised how well the bolero mimics the JSK’s dot lace: it’s a small enough focal point to keep things toned down, but also big enough to bring a little cohesion. Whilst the whole outfit definitely needs a little warmer weather than we’re having now, because of the layers and the fabric the bolero is made out of it’d be great for a slightly chillier spring day.

| AP Diner Doll JSK & headbow | AP Twinkle Glitter KnitCardigan | offbrand blouse | AP Crown Logo OTKs | Antaina
heels | Rose Marie Seoir choker | Chocomint bow ring | rest
offbrand or Etsy |

On the other hand, the OTT look is definitely more prominent. The challenge with this one was to not do what I have in mind for Diner Doll for another time. Well, not much of a challenge physically, since I don’t have the pieces needed for that coord, but once you get an idea stuck in your head it can be tough to think outside the box you’ve just put yourself in. I decided to accentuate the gold trims, which may be few, but do add a certain aura of luxury to an otherwise Sweet pastel dress. The variety of jewellery play up to all the different colours present in the print and I was very glad to see that the apple pie headdress has some gold in there as well to continue with the theme. Together with big hair and colourful makeup it is a different take on this dress and certainly a different look to the first one.

There are so many ways you could coordinate one main piece into two drastically different looks: casual vs OTT, oldschool vs modern, pairing different substyles against each other, even using contrasting base colours or picking at different themes from the print – you’re only limited by your imagination. I really like playing with coords like this, it’s a great way to practice your skills as well as experiment with something new without worrying that someone else will judge it harshly.

Which of your main pieces would you use for a challenge like this? How would you do it? I’d love to read about your ideas!

Vanilla Bear
 Poppy Noir
 Gyokuro and Orchids
Queen and Commander
The Bloody Tea Party (to be updated)

Gravelvet