Lolidrobe Reassessment Post 2018.03

Welcome to the post-Dublin, pre-Madrid Lolidrobe Reassessment Post. Today you will be able to see a prime example of a lolita’s lack of self-control and how once strict spending rules get broken or bent for the purposes of indulgence. In case the oxygen levels drop, threatening fainting, an oxygen mask will pop out from your screen. Buckle up and enjoy the flight!

New additions

As the year progresses, my resolve to limit spending is dwindling. I was meant to limit the number of main pieces I’m buying, but things are not going to that plan anymore. As a result, my excuse-making and coming-up-with-justifications skills are levelling up massively, whilst my storage space is taking critical hits. It won’t be long before some sort of cleaning and reorganisation spree will be in order. Perpetually shuffling things around so that I don’t have to deal with my spending habits is the way to go!

• 3 JSK (1 Classic in white, 1 Sweet/Classic in red and 1 Classic in light blue*)
• 1 skirt (Classic in brown*)
• 1 pair of ouji pants (navy*)
• 3 blouses (1 Classic in sax, 1 Sweet in red and 1 Classic in ivory)
• 2 boleros (1 Classic in navy and 1 Classic in ivory)
• 2 jackets (1 Classic vintage in black and 1 Classic in blue)
• 5 pairs of tights (1 Classic in white, 1 Classic in ivory, 1 Classic in black, 1 Sweet in mint and 1 Sweet in red)
• 3 pairs of socks (2 Classic in ivory and 1 Sweet/Classic in red)
• and 7 pieces of accessory (1 Classic pearl and gold belt, 1 Classic ring in gold and green, 1 pair of Sweet earrings in gold and brown, 1 Classic necklace in white, 1 Classic brooch in dusty mint, 1 Classic brooch in lavender, 1 Classic hat in ivory x blue)

Before you start thinking that this isn’t bad, considering I had gone to an event with all the vendor temptations around me: only 5 of all of the above purchases were made in Dublin, and they were all little bits. Ultimately, what I could buy at the event depended on who is vending and what they brought, whereas what I buy at any other time is just a result of having access to the Internet and the unlimited things to buy that come with it. Maybe next year my goal should be to stop checking all second hand sales? Wonder how long that’d last…

Possible new looks

I will continue to tell myself that I am justified in my spending since I still stick to the 3 Coordinate Rule, as well as continue buying builder pieces like boleros and legwear (notice a problematic pattern there?). With each reassessment post I notice my wardrobe going more and more Classic, which does make me wonder: is it time to ditch the Sweet stuff altogether? Or is that just a reflection of my wardrobe’s needs, since by starting out more Sweet I have that side mostly covered? Either way, with all of the above additions I am able to create more elaborate Classic looks now, which will definitely come in handy.

How to make my Lolidrobe go even further?

So here’s the thing: I really want to expand my wardrobe with more green, especially dark green. I also really want to add more brown. Those are two other indicators that Classic has been tightening its grip on me.

Now, the deal with brown is mostly in builder pieces, so I could probably expand my wishlist with those few brown bits since those would work well with what I have and potentially could even work with my daily wardrobe. As I already have shoes, two pairs of socks, two headbows and two tops, I’d mostly be after a long sleeve bolero and possibly a handbag, although that’s more of a maybe. Having said this, brown is another one of those colours that has a gazillion different shades and undertones – just those few things I already have don’t match each other. This could be a battle… Either way, it will require some more thought on which shade of brown I’d like to focus on etc.

It’ll be a bit more complicated with green things as I’ve already looked around and struggle to find a main piece that would combine the shade I want with a flattering cut and a design I’d like. I’m lucky to have a base set (blouse, socks and headbow), so at least I can do green-based coordinates with other dresses, but the heart wants what the heart wants, you know?

Then we get into the fact how all of a sudden I decided to give ouji a go. It started with that jacket, which woke up the urge to look like Lestat – so naturally, I then needed to get ouji pants, since Lestat doesn’t wear dresses or skirts! As of now, I’m still waiting to see how this experiment goes, since the shorts are a pre-order. However, I already know that I started off on an uphill journey by going navy. You wouldn’t have thought how hard it is to find navy pieces, specifically shorts (had I gone full aristo, I’m sure I’d find something decent offbrand), in accommodating sizes! In my quest I found loads and loads of black, white and red, then brown and gray before I even touched on navy. At least as far as potentially fitting pieces are concerned, there were a fair few unshirred shorts that’d never fit me that were navy. With so many actual historical clothes and uniforms made in navy, you’d think it would’ve been a colour that’s easier to find in ouji. Oh well, we’ll see where we end up with this…

Everything else has stayed pretty much as it was. There’s comfort in knowing that some priorities don’t change, even if I’m struggling to find pieces that tick all the boxes.

• A neutral sax bag
• A neutral navy bag
• Socks:
• White/off-white/ivory x sax Sweet OTKs: subtle or versatile pattern like bows or dots;
• White/off-white/ivory x sax Classic OTKs: preferably floral and preferably muted;
• A wine bonnet
• A neutral long sleeve brown bolero or cardigan

Current wishlist

Very few changes here. Some specific pieces may have changed, but overall the core of the wishlist remains the same. Which is probably a sign that I should stop buying stuff outside of that wishlist and focus on tackling the pieces I’ve said I want? Calling yourself out is just as uncomfortable as being called out by someone else, you know.

I guess that at least it's fewer images than last time. Surely that's a sign of progress and that I'm actually going
through this wishlist, right?

New Year’s goals: progress summary

1. Did I have the agreed amount of money in my account at all times: Yes. With so little spending this is a no-brainer.
2. Did I wait a minimum of 48 hours before purchasing something outside of my wishlist: for the first time – NOPE! One of the Innocent World boleros, the socks and the hat have done me up with this one. That’s not including any of the purchases in Dublin, of course.
3. Did I learn how to crop cardigans: still nope. Is there hope for me still? Only time will tell…
4. Did I wear every new main piece at least once: yes. Except for the ones that hasn’t arrived yet (duh), all the rest of them have been worn now.
5. Did I organise the Winter ILD: it’s definitely happening, y’all! Such excite, I’m embarking on buying the raffle prizes and actual coord planning etc.!
6. Did I attend at least one lolita meet or even outside of the UK: YES! Dublin happened, Madrid still to go.
7. Did I connect with my lolita lifestyle: pretty much, see below for details.
8. Did I improve and boost my online presence and content: yes, see below for details.

As far as point no 7 is concerned, I still stand by what Isaid last time: that it has gotten harder to keep track of and I probably need to re-evaluate what lolita lifestyle means to me. I know that I have taken more time and care to do more regular things in lolita (trip to Haworth was one of them) and started drinking tea out of my porcelain cup more, doing my nails more often etc. But bar a handful of specific exceptions, I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint when or where I’ve done them. For all intents and purposes, it appears that more lifestyle-esque activities have become a part of my everyday (or at least usual) activities – which is exactly what I had hoped to achieve. So I shall continue to count this goal as achieved right until next January when I’ll re-examine it properly and see if I want to keep anything similar as my goal for 2019.

Lastly, I finally made a start with pumping more content into my YouTube. Although I’m starting to run out of the 10 Day Lolita Challenge videos and haven’t yet thought of anything to do next to carry on with, at the very least it was a great experience. YouTube is far more time consuming for me than blogging or Wunderwelt Libre. I get a lot of written media done at work, so on good days I can schedule a handful of posts in advance. However, visual output requires me to actually be at home, preferably dressed up in at least a simple coord (which is why I often tried to film right after a meet, compromising on lighting, but maximising the outfits), then spend more time at home editing. I’ve gotten pretty good at doing it quickly, but it’s still something that I can only do on my own laptop at home. Continuing the one video a week pace is probably too much of a stretch for me right now, especially when I don’t have another idea for a regular series. Well, actually, I have ideas, I’m just being too much of a perfectionist about them, which wastes time instead of executing them. So the channel will probably go back to its irregular schedule once the 10 Day Lolita Challenge is over. Nonetheless, the lessons I’ve learnt from doing that are invaluable and I will be sure to apply them to whatever video project I might do in the future.

On this note, I can finally say goodbye to summer and welcome the autumn and winter seasons with open arms. Looking back at last year, as well as my social calendar for the next couple of months, I think autumn/winter is when I wear lolita the most, so I hope to be able to squeeze every little bit out of that. Will that leave me massively exhausted like it did last year? Possibly. Will it be worth it? Undoubtedly! Also, the last quarter of the year has Christmas in it, which is my favourite holiday, so how could I not be excited? (Judge all you want, I’ll still listen to Christmas songs now if I want to!)