Outfit Planning Process

I feel like I’ve talked about how I plan my coords in the past before. But that’s only a really vague memory and that post is probably very out of date now. So seeing as I now have several confirmed meetups and events, all of which require some coordinates to pick, I’d like to share my planning process with you. Because if you know me even in the slightest, you’ll know that I absolutely love planning things out in advance. That they’re lolita coords makes it just that little bit more extra fun and special.

Step 1: What is the meetup/event?

The most important thing here is what is the activity and whether this is something themed. Whilst most of the times even casual meetups will have some sort of a theme or will encourage certain looks, it’s good to check whether that is the case. I enjoy trying to match the theme, it can be great for stretching your creative muscles and thinking outside of the box. However, I won’t fret or stress if I can’t come up with anything or if there is no theme. In those cases I consider other things like: what will we be doing, who else will be there (can/should I twin or is there a brand guest I’d love to represent) or any practical aspects I have to consider (a lot of walking or an activity with likelihood of stains). That as well as…

Activity determines the outfit. Only in very rare cases does it work the other
way round.

 

Step 2: Spreadsheet

My next step these days is always referring to my last worn item spreadsheet. If I’m struggling to come up with something, the spreadsheet often forces me to pick a main piece I’ve neglected for a while or will remind me of something I’ve forgotten about that would work perfectly for the occasion. Even if I’m not struggling or if there is no theme, seeing that it’s been a year or more since I last wore a particular item can trigger the creative juices to flow. Recently I added substyles and colours to that spreadsheet, so that if I need something particular, I can quickly filter it to suit my needs. In cases when I have several similar meetups coming up (e.g. right now I have two Valentine’s Day meetups on the cards), it allows me to ensure that I vary my looks.

If it truly fits the meetup/event theme, then I'll wear something twice in a row.
But often I have enough to give something else a spin before having to
reach for the same main piece.

 

Step 3: Weather and practical elements

I’ve already touched on this, but as I start to put the coordinate together, I try to keep in mind some practical matters in mind. Of course, I live in the UK where the weather can get a little unpredictable at times,so things have to be flexible up until the last minute when the forecasts finally become reliable. However, my wardrobe is diverse enough at this point that I should have backup options or alternatives if necessary. For example, I know that February will be a cold month, so the coordinate can’t rely on short sleeves and chiffon fabrics. Similarly, if I know that it will be windy, a light chiffon dress is not a practical choice. And where I need comfortable shoes, I will plan the outfit either around those or factor in carrying an additional bag with a change of shoes.

Compared to the photos I posted on Instagram,
I added a cardigan and changed shoes because it
was very cold that day.

Step 4: Building the coordinate

This is the part that’s actually exciting for most people. Everything up until now is just basics of my planning, more focused on deciding on a main piece and narrowing down key aspects I need to consider rather than actually coordinating. From here on my process splits down two different paths: am I coordinating a particular piece or am I coordinating (or even creating) a theme. They both work slightly differently, so I will explain them both separately.

a) Pick a piece

This is most commonly a dress or a skirt, although not always. Coordinating can be done around any item that would go into a lolita outfit, from as tiny as a piece of jewellery to as big as an OTT headdress. The process is fairly similar regardless of the piece, so I’ll explain it using dresses as an example, since that’s the most common route here. In most cases this also applies to outfits that are not aiming to be majorly themed.

It starts off with having a good look at the piece in question to see which aspects of it (particularly colours and print where applicable) work with the meetup activity or theme. If the dress is new to me, there is almost always an idea in my head already. At the same time, I’m no longer putting myself under pressure to wait until I have a perfect coordinate for a new piece before I wear it. I bought it to wear it, this brings me joy, and I can still wear a simpler, more basic look while I build that ideal one in my head.

This was the first time I wore Whipped Cream Kitty, my dream dress. It's not a
perfect coordinate, though I loved it then and I still like it now. Point is, don't fret
and enjoy wearing the clothes however you can at the time. Props to past me for
using mini tablet for a mirror selfie because that was my best camera at the time.

When using a dress that I have worn in the past, it’s good to have a look at the previous outfits I’ve put together with this piece, both worn and flatlays (like the 1 Dress 4 Looks ones). In maybe 9 times out of 10 there is already an idea that jumps out at me and I follow it pretty much instinctively, until I’m sure whether it translates into reality well or not.

Things like colour balance or sticking to one theme/substyle are a conscious process when you’re newer to the fashion, but once you’ve been wearing it regularly for a while, it becomes second nature, which makes it a little harder to explain. Although my wardrobe includes a wide range of colours, I rarely incorporate more than 3 in my outfit, and often stick to just two, which for me naturally follows these guidelines for maintaining colourbalance. I tend to choose pieces first by colour, then by theme or cut. Most of the times I only need to see it together to get an idea if it will work, so I’ll put together a quick and messy flatlay. Sometimes though you really need to see an outfit worn – doing full-on try ons is a good habit to get into, as it avoids last minute surprises when something isn’t clicking together as you imagined.

When there are no ideas immediately jumping out at me, regardless of what piece it is, I refer to my wardrobe spreadsheet. The aim here is to think of something, a colour, cut or theme, that excites me. This is the key bit here: even if an outfit is something I’ve done before or follows a familiar template, as long as I’m excited to wear it, it doesn’t matter. This is fashion, it’s supposed to be fun. Whilst often the exciting idea will be something I’ve not tried yet (novelty is exciting), just as often simply adding another piece I like, like a favourite pair of socks, will spark joy.

I knew I wanted to wear this dress to the last meetup, but I couldn't think of
anything. Until I remembered that I already had four coords simply waiting to
be worn. And I always love including these socks in my outfits!

As most of the times I build the coordinate from the largest to smallest pieces, I almost always have the base outfit first, then add accessories like jewellery. And just like with the clothes, they are chosen first by colour (and substyle), then by theme, with sometimes an added element of practicality (e.g. a very large ring). Finally comes the bag, whichever one will fit my stuff and match the outfit, and that’s the coordinate itself done!

b) Pick a theme

This is a lolita event or ILD scenario in 9 out of 10 times, as that’s the most common occasion when theme takes over and when I have the space to let it grow into something OTT. Now, the thing with event themes is that they are deliberately vague or open ended. This allows for a multitude of interpretations and keeps the event inclusive for wearers of all styles under the lolita fashion umbrella. So whilst the event theme itself may be the theme of the outfit, at least for me personally it often is not. More commonly the event theme will spark a connection to something and that will become my outfit theme.

Let’s use Dream Masquerade Carnival as an example of both of those things. My outfit from the tea party was definitely the one inspired directly by the event name. If anything, you’d say that Dream Masquerade Carnival was the theme of that coordinate. I had little masks incorporated through my (smaller) accessories, the circus-themed print could be said to reflect the idea of a carnival, while the lighter colour scheme of ivory, sax and golds was on the more dreamy side. However, the way I planned and built that coordinate followed the same rules as outlined in point a): I had decided on the dress, picked sax as my colour and added accessories from there onwards.

Whilst this coord fit the theme of Dream Masquerade Carnival,
that's not exactly what I mean by themed outfit for me.

On the other hand, the day 1 outfit from Dream Masquerade Carnival was what I mean by saying I pick or add a theme. This time, rather than taking inspiration from the event name, my inspiration was wanting to wear Angelic Pretty, who were the main guests. The thought process, which actually happened pretty quickly, went more or less like this: What do I think of when I think of Angelic Pretty? Sweet lolita and pastels. Do I have any AP piece that I love beyond anything that I’d love to showcase? Yes, particularly Diner Doll (which was still new to me at that time). What does that print make me think of? 1950’s diners and the cutesy food. But that’s an idea that’s been done a few times already, how can I amp it up to be OTT? Oh wait, there are milkshakes on that print, I could become a milkshake. How/What is distinctive about milkshakes? The stripy straw and the whipped cream with a cherry on top. Most of this happened pretty much in the space of a few minutes during a taxi ride back to the hostel post Wicked and Whimsy tea party, which left me with plenty of time to execute this idea.

This, on the other hand, is exactly what I mean by
adding a theme and building a coord to fit that.
Photo by Emily Valentine Photography.

This kind of thought process may not be the best template, but it’s easy to apply to any kind of coordinate or theme idea. What jumps out at you when you think of this theme? What is distinctive about this idea or what do you associate with it the most? And how could you translate that into clothing? Sometimes this will be about the fabric choices and colour palettes (e.g. my Myths of Our Own outfit inspired by medieval tapestries, which used both those darker colours and a gobelin fabric dress), while other times it will be about a few key accessories or props (the Milkshake coord). Sometimes it may even be about hair and makeup, such as the Day and Night twinning outfits from last summer’s ILD (my fluffy cloud-like wig vs Beccy’s silver one like moonlit wisps of clouds). And speaking of which...

Step 5: Hair and makeup

I firmly believe that hair and makeup are as much part of your coordinate as the clothes. This is a big reason why for the Around Your Wardrobe in 30 Coordinates challenge I do lookbooks on top of detailed flatlays. Of course, how crucial it is depends on the look you envisioned and will matter a little less for casual outfits than it does for OTT themed ones. The most important part of this is just basic grooming and hygiene, the rest depends on your comfort levels, preferences and tastes. I enjoy styling my hair and doing makeup to match the outfit, it’s a fun part of the process. Equally, there are people who don’t and who rock lolita just as much with nothing more than brushing their hair and washing their face. If you are more like me though, there are again some things to consider, namely weather (could it ruin your look somehow) and time (how much will it take you to do and how much are you willing to dedicate to it). When I’m attempting a completely different makeup style, I like to have a practice run beforehand or will keep a reference photo at hand to guide me. With hair, the most important thing for me is that it works with my chosen hair accessory. For example, it’s great if you can do fancy up-do’s, but what’s the point if you can’t put that headbow on afterwards? Recently I’ve learnt that a hairstyle doesn’t always have to be very intricate in order to compliment your coordinate, and I’ve used this knowledge to my advantage a lot. Work with what you have, both physically and in terms of your skills, consider the rest of your coordinate (shape of hair accessories or colours within the coord) and practice if you have to. This will ensure that the non-clothing part of your coordinate compliments the outfit itself, which is all you need. 

No doubts I could've done an oldschool look by styling my own hair somehow.
However, this wig achieved the effect I wanted with much less effort and the
whole coord would have a very different feel with my own hair or with
different makeup.

P.S. I’d say the same thing goes for nails, if you’re the type who enjoys doing nails. As much as I like the look, I don’t have the patience, skills or willingness to spend money on this. I also let my nails grow quite long and long, clean, healthy nails is an attractive enough look for me. If you want to include some of the coordinate’s colours or themes in your nails, then go for it!

Step 6: Document

This part is completely optional. I like having a record of the outfits I’ve worn, so make time to take at least a few outfit shots before leaving the house. What’s good about this is that not only I have a record for the future of what I’ve done (and what I may be able to transfer to other looks), but also can learn from this. Sometimes you wear an outfit and you’re completely happy with it – and then a few months or years down the line you will find aspects that you would improve. Or you simply realise that your style has changed and you can look back at that moment to see what you’ve learnt since and how does that differ from the current you. However, this is much more about personal style growth than coordinating itself.

Photographing coordinate details is growing to be a very enjoyable part of
the process for me. When I look back at the outfits I've worn, it brings back
lovely memories, as well as inspires me to wear what I have.

Wow, this ended up being longer than I anticipated. Hopefully I haven’t bored anyone to death and hopefully there are things in this post that both newer and more seasoned lolitas have found interesting. Rest assured that I have some Extra AF Themed Coords already in the making (some literally, as I craft things, and some metaphorically) to keep things interesting in between the usual meetup looks I do. They will all be shared here, as well as on my Instagram, so stay patient and stay tuned.