AYWI30C #2 - Something Casual

Stop no 2 on the Around Your Wardrobe in 30 Coordinates trip takes us to the land of casual lolita. And unlike some of the other prompts, I decided not to overthink this one. While there are many scenarios and situations that call for a more casual outfit, as well as many versions of casual, the beauty of this look is in how organic it is, so planning it out in advance too much would be beside the point. Instead, I picked a scenario and rolled with it, putting together an outfit that I would genuinely wear. And the scenario was that it had to be something I’d wear to work.

| Metamorphose Sailor Tiered skirt | Axes Femme top and cardigan | Deichmann shoes | Primark tights | Mademoiselle Boutique necklace | Claire's hair clip | Two Days Slow hair clip | Fluffy Tori pin |

For me wearing lolita to work is the truest form of casual. For meets I prefer to take the opportunity to dress up, whereas at work it’s better not to stick out too much. Bonus of it in winter months is that the extra layers keep you warmer. I have worn several of my pieces to work, primarily skirts, and this Meta sailor one is probably the most casual of them all thanks to neutral colours and very little detail.

At this point I'm not even mad at the two different shades of wine red.

 

In this particular case I decided to pair this skirt with dark red. It’s a very natural colour combination for me, as I own several casual tops as well as some cardigans in it. Having said that, this is a more dressed up version of what I’d wear, since normie jersey tops aren’t exactly exciting on a lolita blog. I have worn this particular Axes Femme top to work several times – though actually it’s a little tight at the arms and the chiffon is very polyester-y and not breathable at all. Still, it’s cute, I like the design and here I like how it also has a sailor collar to create a mini-theme within the outfit.

Athough Axes Femme releases these fur collar cardigans every year, they differ slightly in detail. I love this lace at the bottom of mine.

 

Most of the times British weather dictates that one wear a cardigan. Having that extra layer you can put on or take off as needed is crucial for survival. Trust me, you’d much prefer to have it and not need it than the other way around. Again, in real-life scenario I might’ve picked my (by now old and tattered) Primark cardigan, but that is in no state to be photographed, so the Axes Femme one it is. We’re in spring now, so I’ve taken the detachable fur collar off, allowing the sailor collar of the top to be better seen.

Considering how often I wear them, they are not in the worst of shapes. But Deichmann stopped stocking these in red, so I better take care of this pair. It will be hard to find another one like it.

 

Comfortable shoes are another absolute necessity in a casual coordinate meant for work. These flats are cheap and comfortable, so much so that I own them in two more colourways (and if they ever made more, I probably would get those too). As long as it’s dry, they will carry me through the whole day. For work I wouldn’t bother with printed legwear, but as I still like to keep the colours balanced, I would wear plain cream tights with this. Thankfully Primark carried these a while back, making this a cheap wardrobe staple that I can wear until they literally fall apart.

All accessories. And truth be told, had I actually been going to work, I probably wouldn't have any of these on.

While it's a bit of a shame that the classic design of these doesn't have any glitter like the other two, I am 100% behind the sentiment of tea partying hard.

I received this necklace as a thank you for volunteering at The Grand Embassy
and it's great for adding a little charm to casual clothes.

It’s very rare that I wear any accessories to work. For one, I can’t be bothered picking those out the night before (or remembering to put them on in the morning) and for the other – we have to wear a lanyard which detracts from most accessories I like to wear. Sometimes I feel a bit more fancy, however, and then I might add a pin like this Fluffy Tori one. Or, if I’m feeling very fancy, swap my usual kitty pendant for something else that’s small, such as this necklace by Mademoiselle Boutique.

While berets are great for casual lolita, when I'm trying to be cute yet inconspicuous small hair clips like these work better.

The same thing goes for my hair accessories. It is incredibly rare that I have the energy in the morning to do something different with my hair, yet alone to adorn my head in any way. However, every now and then I do add something and for work it would most likely be small hair clips like these bows. These are so easy to just add, regardless of whether I styled my hair differently or not, which makes them perfect for casual wear.

Can we appreciate the simplicity of detail in this skirt design? This is why it's great for casual wear, it just slides under the radar!

 

Normally I don’t do any makeup for work. There was a short period when I’d apply some after arriving at my desk, but I’ve not been doing that much lately. Still, I carry brown eyeliner, translucent powder, lip liner and two lipsticks in my work bag, so it wouldn’t be unusual for me to use these. In the video I have a little bit more on than that – bare faced can look a little too bare on camera – but it’s still a very simple look and one that I would and have actually worn to work.

Also, this skirt is absolutely massive, which the video shows off better. The ruffles on cotton are enough to add some volume even without a petticoat (and I have worn this skirt without a petticoat a few times).

 

Because I do wear this skirt often, many times in non-lolita ways, what you see below is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the outfits I’ve done with it. I only ever bother to take pictures of those that I consider properly lolita. If you want to see more, you can look at the 1 Dress 4 Looks post featuring this skirt – for everything else you will just have to use your imagination. Which shouldn’t be too hard to do, just visualise this with some casual tops in navy, wine, ivory and brown, which is what I’ve worn it with the most, and there you have it.

I really need to document outfits with this skirt using other colours, it absolutely deserves it. The above are, from left to right, from December 2017, July 2018 and February 2019.

As much as putting the coordinate together came naturally and organically, putting the lookbook video together was less so. After all, how do you portray casual? It took me a while to find music I’d be happy with and ideas on what to film besides just twirling around, so I hope that you enjoy the end result.