AYWi30C #10 - Pick a Substyle

Once you cover sweet, classic and gothic, what is there left within lolita? Surprisingly a lot. Of course, you could argue that those are not separate substyles, but rather themes within the main three, which I agree with. At the same time, they are distinct enough and sometimes even follow their own rules, so they do deserve being referred to as substyles. Whilst I could’ve done ouji, I kept this more as a backup option. Because my heart was set on one particular substyle - one that some even argue that it doesn’t exist.

| Infanta overblouse | Bodyline L380 skirt | Shinku Rose tulle overdress | Irregular Choice Earl Grey shoes | Kaneko Shop flower corsage | vintage pearl necklace | Jane Marple crown ring | everything else is offbrand | (not pictured: What Katie Did seamed stockings and girdle) |

Welcome to my first ever ero lolita coordinate. I had toyed with this idea for a while now and although I can certainly see ways in which this could be improved, I am incredibly happy with how it did come out with what I currently own. Similarly to the all-black gothic coordinate, some detail gets lost in the photos, but also similarly to this challenge’s OTT coordinate, you can’t show certain things in a flatlay. So please, make sure to watch the lookbook video as it will put these pieces in context far better than this hastily put-together flatlay can (I was trying to maximise the use of natural light, hence the haste).

Can someone provide me with a chaise longue to recline on, please? These shoes are meant to be seen in, not for literally anything else.

The first thing I’d like to highlight are the shoes. These absolute beauties are the most uncomfortable shoes I own, to the point where last time I wore them I didn’t last long - yet they are too beautiful to simply part with. When I think about ero, high heels are a must for me. When you factor in the lack of platform, these are probably the highest ones I own, as the Vivienne Westwood do have a bit of a hidden platform on the toes. However, it’s not just the height that makes these fit my ero lolita coordinate. I was going for a rich woman in her boudoir kind of look and these have that elegant and slightly historical feel to them. Granted, if I owned the Vivienne Westwood heels in white or gold, I might’ve gone with those instead, but I’m not dissatisfied with how these ones look. Just with how they make my feet scream in torture.

And whilst we’re on the topic of legs, let’s address the elephant in the room: there is no legwear on the flatlay. To me ero lolita is about playing with the lolita fashion rules and bending them to meet that less modest aesthetic, and this coordinate does, in fact, have legwear. Not typical lolita one though - I opted for a pair of seamed vintage stockings, which you will see on the video. They feel truly luxurious to me, as the material is silky smooth and they feel incredibly feminine to put on. Sadly, they are not the best looking thing on flatlays and given that they are more delicate, I decided not to risk any kind of display for flatlay purposes. Simply rest assured that there is legwear in the coordinate, just of a much more sheer variety. So technically I’m not even breaking the lolita rules, if we want to be very pedantic. Had my version of ero involved a cage skirt and more exposure in that area, I probably would’ve gone with printed tights. But in this version between the cloud that is this overdress and the detail on the shoe I felt that a nude seam stocking is enough.

The laces on both these pieces are lovely together and it's so nice how they're both rose themed.

Let’s go back up the coordinate though. As I wanted exposed shoulders and sheer fabrics to achieve that ero lolita feel, this only left me with a handful of options. The colour palette of the coordinate decided everything else and as such I landed on my trusted Infanta overblouse. It’s always been an ivory instead of a white, although the contrast seems much more stark against the offwhite overdress. Still, I enjoy the look of ivories and whites together, I don’t think that they always have to match, and the two fabrics together create a truly beautiful texture. And they’re both so soft to the touch it’s a genuine pleasure to wear.

A shot of everything. It looks so opulent even just laid out like this!

The accessories were both carefully chosen and kind of selected on the basis of what I have in matching colours. Golds and pearls are perfect for that boudoir feel and luckily I do have a fair few pieces with those. Although if I were to ever improve on this coordinate in the future, I would love to have at least one long string of pearls and maybe a few nicer quality rings.

This is genuinely one of my favourite head pieces and I still think whether to get more.

Sadly, years of sun exposure have discoloured this mask a bit. Maybe one day I'll try to restore it.

Having played with what I had, I decided to put these three completely unrelated bits together to create one massive headdress. The overdress makes every coordinate even more voluminous than it otherwise may be, so anything too small on the head looks simply out of place. After a bit of an internal debate between the kokoshnik and my ivory bonnet, the former won as it sat more flatteringly on the head and was easier to add other pieces to. This mask is one I’ve had for absolute years, going way back to my brief phase of wanting to collect Venetian masks, while the feather is one I bought to adorn my handmade tricorn with. Every time I use it, I am glad that my past self decided to not attach it to that hat, as it allows me to keep using it in all kinds of other ways with other hair pieces. So yeah, if you’re ever in doubt and need some drama on your head, buy a single oversized ostrich feather and maybe a Venetian mask, then add it to whatever other headpiece you were going to use.

Where are you pointing, you naughty little pearl drop?

Pearl necklaces are a timeless accessory that’s incredibly versatile. If you’re a classic lolita in need of some jewellery, simply look out for these on the high street and at vintage fair. The plain string of faux pearls is from Primark (and I believe they always have some pearl jewellery, if you’re ever stuck), whilst the other necklace is a vintage find from a fair. What I particularly love about it is that the dangly pearl drop points to just the right place for an ero coordinate without being too obvious or crass about it.

Since my ears were going to be exposed, I needed some earrings. Sadly, all the pearl ones I have are on the smaller side and I wanted something more opulent. This pair was the next best thing I had. It’s not too bad as the soft peach tone matches my skin tone and the faux gem is white, so they work with the coordinate colours. Though I genuinely would love some large, decadent pearl earrings for the future. Something to look out for next time I’m at a vintage fair.

Is this enough rings? I'm not entirely sure, if I'm completely honest.

And then we get to the rings. Bar a few very themed ones, I pretty much added every single gold and/or pearl ring that I own, plus that bronze x white one because of the white parts. There is little rhyme or reason to this selection other than the fact that many rings fit the rich lady fantasy better than just a few ones, especially when they’re not obviously expensive rings with real precious stones. I promise that they are all gold and not silver, as this photo might lead you to believe.

More pearls and more roses for that extra romantic touch.

Lastly, for a bit of pizzazz around the waist, I added a pearl belt. And as it wasn’t quite extra enough, I threw in the Kaneko Shop corsage clip for good measure. When worn, all of these white and ivory shades can blend in together a lot, which in turn makes you visually wider. A detail like this can break this up a little, particularly thanks to the darker colours, as well as simply add a point of interest in an area that from a distance looks like a solid colour. Texture is just as important as colour.

From this angle the overdress acts almost like a beauty filter.

The base of this coordinate is this trusted Bodyline skirt. To this day it surprises me as to the looks that it can carry. I feel like I am yet to wear it in the same style, as the simple cut, neutral colour and very subtle texture make it excellent to add themes to. That plus the boned high waist made it the only appropriate choice for an ero coordinate. In the absence of an actual corset, a boned waistline will have to do.

All you need is some rose lace and a hell of a lot of tulle.

Just look how beautiful these two pieces are together.

Though of course we are here for the drama that comes from the Shinku Rose Tulle Overdress. This thing is large enough to swallow all the poof, so don’t ever bother trying to fill this up - you won’t succeed and you’ll only drown in the hoops and petticoats required. Maybe an XVIIIth century pannier used under a mantle might just about get there. This overdress makes every coordinate look like a floating cloud, so soft and airy. This works perfectly for my interpretation of ero lolita, which plays with light fabrics and the idea that with just a gentle breeze there could be an immodest accident. This is, in my opinion, key to this substyle: keeping things sensual without venturing into the vulgar. Let the imagination do most of the work.

Let's just say that when I opened the door to my boyfriend, he was positively shocked. ;)
Eye makeup is almost exclusively Colourpop's Fame palette, lipstick is from Charlotte Tilbury and eyelashes are Revlon. There is no filter on this photo, that's just natural lighting, Banila Co BB cream and Illamasqua powder foundation with Colourpop's blush and highlight. Half wig is from Dalao Home.

Of course, ero lolita is one of those substyles that really relies on the hair and makeup to complete the look. Although the makeup itself is pretty simple, almost the same as my usual go-to, I tried to do it a bit stronger than I normally would. Please, appreciate the effort I went to by adding false eyelashes just for the purposes of this prompt, as they do add that flirtatious touch that an ero coordinate needs. Again, staying away from the vulgar, I kept my makeup mostly in soft pinks and nudes instead of going for red. Don’t get me wrong, I love red lipstick and I think it can be great for ero lolita - it simply felt better suited to its darker versions in black rather than this ethereal white one. My initial idea was to use my blonde wig, but during the try-on I realised how lovely the contrast of darker hair was against the light clothes. So I slapped on my half wig and teased the front sections of my own hair for a bit of volume. This adds a nice frame to that kokoshnik too.

From left to right these are from: March 2018, August 2018, October 2018 and November 2019.
Click to enlarge.

For a moment I wasn’t sure which past looks to include: those with the skirt or those with the overdress. They are kind of both main pieces here and both deserve to be showcased. But then I remembered that I’ve only worn the overdress once before, so nothing stops me from doing both. It’d be cool to one day use the overdress over a coloured dress for a change. As for the skirt, I’m simply looking forward to the next light bulb moment of inspiration to see what other outside-the-box substyle I could attach to it. Any suggestions?

And at last, here is the lookbook video. I tried to keep it from going too much into the ero, since I appreciate that everyone’s taste levels are different. Whilst I don’t think that this needs a parental guidance rating, I trust that you do understand that for the purposes of showcasing this substyle this is a bit more risqué than other lookbooks. I’m also praying that this doesn’t take off in the wrong way and I won’t suddenly have to deal with more creeps than I already do as a lolita - not that it’d stop me from enjoying this coordinate or this substyle. For a bit of behind the scenes info, this was actually a bit of a pain to film. To keep the aesthetic up a little better, I decided to film the majority of it in my bedroom, which doesn’t have as much open space. I also struggled finding both the right camera setup and keeping my tripod from falling over as it was mostly perched on the bed. Still, hopefully you’ll enjoy the final product and this look in general.