31 Jul 2018

Hotpot in July Meet


You might think it mad to have hotpot in lolita in the middle of a July heatwave. And you would not be entirely wrong. However, we decided to brave it anyway.

| Innocent World Strawberry Tart Lace OP | Angelic Pretty Twinkle Sky headbow |
Sheena's Bella Bows apple pie headdress | MuFish tights | Deichmann flats |
Disney Official Snow White bag | Sweet Dolly House ring |

Only after doing my makeup I realised that the biggest features, i.e. lips and
eyeliner, are brands that everyone now hates (but since I bought the cosmetics, I
want to use them up before I replace them).

A great deal of thought went into this outfit, since I had several important factors to consider. I needed to have lots of room for food, preferably as few layers as possible in case of the heat, something to protect me from chafing and if it can be quick to put together and comfortable to wear, then that was the ideal. All of these culminated in my using the Strawberry Tart Lace OP from Innocent World as the roomiest, most comfortable and heatwave-appropriate piece I own. I kept it all as simple as possible, opting for statement pieces rather than multiple layers, and it culminated in this. Besides, I really wanted to finally use that Disney bag (although in the process I learnt that it’s so stiff it’s very uncomfortable to get things out of).

Whilst every day up until the day of the meet we were dealing with a heatwave, the night before temperatures dropped and during the day there were even some scattered rains. It wasn’t cold enough to warrant any more than throwing on a bolero and it was very refreshing to have some breeze, even when at one point it knocked my headband off my head. And it also meant that having a hotpot, a typical winter food, was much more bearable.

Unfortunately, none of us took photos of the pile of food we ordered. However, between the four of us we managed to devour it all and then rejoiced when it turned out that the dessert buffet was free for those who had hotpot. Nice little extra win. Though truth be told, when the food isn’t so heavy on carbs (although we did add noodles and dumplings), it is much easier to finish it. And it was an utterly delicious hotpot, definitely would eat again.

It was nice to be able to wear something a little more comfortable and have a chill food-based meet. Much of our conversation naturally went towards Myths of Our Own, the big tea party in Dublin next month that most of us are attending. Since my plans for that are definitely not heatwave appropriate, I am starting to seriously consider bringing an alternative outfit and being able to talk about that with others gave me a couple of ideas to try out. Although luggage restrictions might kill those off anyway, so I’ll have to do some very careful packing and some trials beforehand so that I know what exactly do I need. Now to actually do that…

Are you a fan of hotpot? Would you brave it in summer on the basis of pseudoscience? (My logic is that hot soupy hotpot raises your body temperature, so that the difference between your body temperature and the outside is smaller, therefore you actually feel less hot.) What’s your go to piece for food meets?


6 comments:

  1. You where so lucky that the temperature dropped a bit, having a heat proof coord is life saving in my eyes on days like this. Your coord looks so comfy and eary, my Tulip OP from the lucky pack is also my go to warm weather option. The loose fit is perfect for these days.

    I've never tried hotpot before but it seems so much fun!

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    1. It is meant to get hot again, but not as much, like 21-23 degrees rather than 28-29. That's a lot more livable for me. Although I'm still glad I had the chance to break out such a summer OP - loose fit in 100% cotton for the win!

      You should try it one day. It's a great sociable kind of meal, since it usually involves people gathering around and doing it together. As long as you have a portable stove and a pot, you could even do it yourself at home, there should be plenty of recipes around (if googling 'hotpot' doesn't yield anything, try googling 'nabe').

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  2. I love this cute casual look. Gingham is always so lovely and summery! I don't own a single lolita OP and can't help thinking regularly how useful it would be in this heat!

    I've never had hotpot myself but would love to try it! Seems like a fun sociable thing that would naturally induce conversation!
    I tend to prefer lighter meals when out and about, especially when it's hot. In wintertime I like having hearty meals though, typically rice based dishes or noodle soups!

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    1. Don't you feel like British weather is just too unpredictable to invest in pieces that are harded to layer? Skirts and JSKs can be worn either lightly or heavily, with very few layers or a tonne, but it's harder to do that with OPs. This is why, although I also keep telling myself to add more OPs into my wardrobe, it's not *really* happening, I'm shocked to own the three that I do own!

      Definitely, hot pot is social food. The restaurant we went to specifically said that it has to be a minimum of 2 people to even order it. And it's traditionally a winter food, so once it gets to like November, check out if any Japanese/Chinese/Korean restaurants near you do it (I think Bamboo in Oxford has hot pot all year round?).

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    2. Haha I feel the same way! Like, I probably ~should~ make the investment but absolutely won't get round to it XD

      I completely forgot Bamboo even existed! That's a good shout. There's also lots of Asian food places opening up in my hometown lately so I will likely be frequenting them when the weather gets cold. I barely even remember what cold weather feels like anymore...

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    3. Right? It's a perpetual dilemma between feeling like they'd be great for quick/easy/lazy wear, but not feeling like you can justify that in the British weather. As well as, at least for me, the dilemma between spending more on better quality and natural fabrics or spending less to get 100% polyester because with the weather's uncertainty you don't want to spend too much in case you won't use it as much.

      We've had a much cooler day today, maxed out at around 19*C and I actually got chilly. It's meant to drop even more the closer we get to weekend so I might *finally* be able to break out my cardigans! <3

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