1 Dress 4 Looks Take 28

Whilst I can’t remember the exact moment when I discovered this dress, I remember roughly when and how that happened. Having finally learnt about the existence of lolita brands, I found myself on Hello Lace (RIP) and I was browsing through their collection of Mary Magdalene pieces. As someone who has never had anything fancy named after them and struggled to find their name on trashy souvenirs, to see a brand like Mary Magdalene have a dress with your exact same name (down to its katakana spelling) felt like winning the lottery. And that dress is incredibly stunning, I am incredibly lucky to have been able to get it in my preferred colourway too! I know that I don’t wear it as much as it deserves, so this post will go at least some way towards rectifying that – and to helping me establish a little bank of outfits that I could do with this piece.

Look 1: Androgynous

| Infanta Swan Lake blouse | Metamorphose Swallow Tail Jacquard Jacket | AatP Arabesque OTKs | Deary shoes | offbrand neckerchief, brooch and rings | handmade hat |

Despite them being two different shades of navy, I really like the look of this JSK with this jacket. In general, I adore the look of more masculine clothing, especially swallowtail and long jackets, with lolita pieces, it’s an incredibly elegant look. This one here is very simple, so that all the drama and fanciness comes from the cuts and shapes of the pieces rather than flashy accessories. Even though I’m not sure about the tricorn hat, the outfit was a bit too bare without anything on the head and this was the most sensible option from what I had. Any suggestions what else I could use?

Look 2: Lady in Red

| Innocent World Millefeuille Rose Lace bolero | Angelic Pretty Brigitte Regiment OTKs | Angelic Pretty Royal Unicorn necklace | Hush Puppies boots | Advent brooch | handmade (not by me) headpiece | offbrand blouse |

I’d be seriously ill if I didn’t try to mix navy with wine! While it could be different when worn, the Millefeuille bolero hits the dress at the perfect length, making for an incredibly flattering silhouette. There would certainly be an up-do of some sorts with this, to rest that headpiece against something, and who knows – maybe I’d even move the other flower piece into the hair as well, for extra drama?

Look 3: Country

| BtSSB Chiffon Princess Dress Blouse | Tutuanna socks | Sosic Shop heels | Cutie Creator hat with an offbrand flower | Cutie Creator wrist cuffs | Fantastic Grim Jewellery necklace | offbrand brooch |

Despite how elegant and historical the cut of this JSK is, I wanted to have some toned down options with it too. Marie Antoinette or the Victorians also had clothes that were fancy, yet still appropriate for the countryside activities, which was my inspiration here. It’s not necessarily perfectly balanced in that strict lolita sense, but if you think of it more in terms of historican fashion, then it works okay. The picture doesn’t show this off very well, but the socks have navy ribbons threaded through the holes in the back and tied into bows – a tiny detail that adds cuteness to an otherwise simple outfit. Considering that the dress is 100% very breathable cotton, part of me wishes that we’d still have a spell of weather warm enough to wear this out this year. Probably not going to happen, but one can hope.

Look 4: Opulence

| Lady Sloth Glitter Mesh blouse | Boguta underskirt | Angelic Pretty Lovely Ribbon OTKs | Irregular Choice Total Freedom heels | Peacockalorum wrist cuffs | Haruhi Clover headbow | offbrand kokoshnik and brooch | vintage necklace |

That kokoshnik is too gorgeous to just sit around in its box. I wanted to make an outfit around it with this dress, all of which naturally lent itself into OTT territory. And even though there are some pieces here that I’m not quite sure about, I feel like if this was worn rather than laid flat it would fall into place. The blouse and shoes, which are two very different shades of gold, would be far enough from each other to let that slide. Besides, the underskirt’s stars are the same shade as the blouse, so that will do. And while the socks are white, visibly different from the ivory of the dress, the kokoshnik is also white, so I feel like it ends up balancing it out. Maybe it’s the kokoshnik, but is anyone else getting Don Bluth’s Anastasia vibes here?

Normally when I do these posts, I plan some ideas out in advance, then on the day photograph five select ones (in case the pictures for one don’t come out quite right and I don’t realise until after). This time I photographed all looks that I’ve planned with this (which was’t that many more as I had six total). So although I’m sharing only four here, I have a visual reference of what those ideas looked like in a flatlay and if I ever want to use them, all I need is look at the picture to confirm whether it’s right for the occasion. And playing with these flatlays and outfits definitely got me in the mood to wear this dress, so I will be making an occasion for it as soon as I can!