Lolidrobe Reassessment Post 2017.1

With April literally around the corner, it’s time to see how I’ve been doing so far this year.

Cardigan Meet

For the longest time I had no idea what to wear to this meet. I knew that I wanted to work my outfit around a cardigan and initially thought of doing something with my gold AP one, but there was no inspiration for everything else. This was the first time I had such a block in my head regarding an outfit, so it was quite a strange feeling.

And then I remembered an outfit that used a cardigan that got a lot of positive comments here…

| Haenuli Whipped Cream Kitty JSK | Hell Bunny cardigan |
Innocent World Anchor OTKs | Bodyline shoes | Angelic
Pretty Twinkle Sky headbow | Innocent World brooch | offbrand
blouse (not visible), jewellery and beret |

Selfie showcasing my hair before it got ruined.

Yes, I decided to take the sailor-style coord with Whipped Cream Kitty out for a spin and it was a total winner! It was comfortable, yet cute, and because of all the vintage vibe I didn’t feel as self-conscious as I sometimes can be in Lolita (even with such a bold print on), because in my head I felt like I was wearing 1950’s fashion (or that this is what the public would see). It’s worked a treat! And I must say, I was very lucky with the weather, it was really warm and sunny, just enough for me to forego a jacket and just strut about in my cardigan.

I actually went to Leeds a bit earlier as I wanted to buy a few bits. On the train station I bumped into two teenage cosplayers who complimented me on my coord – bonus points for knowing that I wore Lolita, I know not all cosplayers know that so kudos to these two lads. There was a bit of going back and forth, as I couldn’t find glitter eyeliner that I was after, but in the end I managed to get this, as well as a pastel blue eyeshadow and some bath bombs from Lush (because how can you walk past Lush and not buy anything, right?).

Our crafty meet, which was all about lolifying offbrand cardigans, actually took place in the community room at the (still) new John Lewis in Leeds. It’s on 4^th floor right where the haberdashery is (convenient) and turned out to be fantastic space: well lit (though not such great lighting for outfit shots), spacious, quiet, away from the public and they’re ok with food and drink there. I think we’ll have a lot more meets taking place there, we all really enjoyed using that space. In the end it turned out to be a very small meet, 5 people total down from something like 8-9 who were originally meant to come, but quality over quantity.

Not the community room, but all of John Lewis looks very
fancy...

Much as I tried I didn’t achieve a dramatic transformation that the others have managed. I brought 2 cardigans, but only ended up changing the buttons on both of them and ironing on a cute cookie patch to one. With one I didn’t know what to do to it, I had no vision, whereas with the other it was more of a matter of not knowing how best to accomplish my vision as well as being one or two bits short. So in the end they’re both a work in progress, although as the more “complete” one here is a before and after shot of the bolero that I felt was the most finished looking of the two.

 

Still, despite that I had great fun doing that! I think for future crafty meets I should come in with more of a vision of what I wanted to achieve and potentially bring my own materials rather than rely on the organiser to buy the right bits (this or ask them to buy very specific things). We all were quite impressed with the community room at John Lewis and it seems like the next crafty meet will be as early as May, which gives me a bit of time to prepare.

Have you done anything crafty recently, on your own or with your comm? Has it turned out the way you wanted to? Do you enjoy meetups based around crafting? I’d love to see photos, if you have any!

What is the Most Difficult Thing to Avoid in Lolita?

Some things will inevitably happen when you get involved with Lolita fashion. Some of those you might welcome, such as a confidence boost, but some – not so much.

Cheap All-Brand Coords

There is a reason why a lot of newbies stay away from brand and that is price. Whether one doesn’t have that kind of money or doesn’t want to spend this much before being certain that they want to commit themselves to Lolita fashion, for many people their first brand item comes in a lot later. The whole “brand is always expensive” mentality certainly doesn’t help to encourage anyone to try it out earlier, so I made this post in the hope to show that actually there is brand to be had for the price of a decent Taobao item.

Chocolate Bar Coord

We talk a lot about Chocolate Lolita and chocolate coords, elevating them to the status of one of the major themes in Sweet Lolita, completely separate from other food prints. While there are many ways to consume chocolate, the one that’s sometimes all too easy to fall for are chocolate bars – so why not pay a tribute to your favourite one with a coord?

If I was a rich girl

Let’s be honest, we all sometimes wish that we had an infinite amount of money to spend on our Lolita habits. Whether you’re chasing after some gems from the past or want all the new releases, this fashion is costly. But would having all this money to indulge in the fashion really be such a great thing? Let’s find out.

Comfy and Cosy Lolita Outfits

Lolita isn’t always the most comfortable fashion. There are times, however, when you want to be comfortable and look cute in your frills – what to do then?

1 Dress 4 Looks Take 10

Haenuli’s Whipped Cream Kitty is all the more special to me in that it was a present from my boyfriend (mind you, a present I found, purchased through my Lacemarket account and then got refunded for, but still). Now it also has wonderful memories attached to it as I wore it to day one of Wicked and Whimsy where I had a total blast and got to meet Nunu from Haenuli in her very own dress. There’s always something new to be found in the print and this keeps giving me inspiration for new ways to wear it.

Wunderwelt Impulse Buy Unboxing

Hey, nobody's perfect, we all have our moments of weakness. Mine come a bit too regularly on Thursday mornings, but I never really regretted anything - even when I later struggled to find space in my wardrobe for these new additions.

What's the last impulse purchase you made? Any good? Any regrets? Would love to see photos, if it arrived already!