Coords Around Unused Accessories

Hoarder lolita problems are predominantly keeping things you haven’t used and not being able to part with them. Some of them we’ve had for only a short while, some maybe for years. Whilst the more frequent wearing of lolita combined with making more conscious effort to wear new things asap have helped me tackle that, I still have some bits that have not seen the light of day. It’s time to give them some much needed attention.

Ruby Rose cat ears

How can something be so tacky and yet so elegant? There can only be one answer: hime gyaru.

Starting from the pieces I’ve had the longest, we open up with this pair of fabulous cat ears from Ruby Rose. Ruby Rose was a hime gyaru brand and their pieces were exactly the ridiculous noughties-meets-early-2010s level of blinged out ridiculous and cuteness that you’d expect. It is so sad that they are no longer around because I still remember the awe as I stood in their tiny shop in Shibuya 109, not really understanding what all of that was, but being enamoured with the blinged out teddy bear key chains and tiara bow headbands. Just imagine that the princess toys and the makeup toys of the 90s had a baby, then multiply that by a hundred - it was pure OTT. Luckily I was able to buy this from them, as well as a hairclip, and I remember thinking how much I shelled out on that (I think it was around 5000 yen back in like 2013/2014? But to an exchange student who self-funded their entire stay in Japan this was so expensive), but I’ve never had a chance to use them. Nevermind in lolita, they’re so out-there that other fashions also don’t really match in the levels of ridiculous. Had I been into hime gyaru, this would be a no-brainer accessory, but with lolita and its need to be careful with animal ear accessories, this headpiece simply sat in my collection all those years.

| Angelic Pretty Cinema Doll JSK | Haenuli x I Do Declare blouse | Innocent World Rose Lace Millefeuille bolero | Putomayo Celestial Light OTKs | Vivienne Westwood x Melissa Anglomania heels | Ruby Rose cat ears | vintage necklace | offbrand cat pin | Twinkle Kitty Boutique ring |

Time to do away with that and make it the star of the show! As a community we generally agree on two principles of incorporating animal ears: that the ears themselves have to be good quality (which these are) and that they’re best reserved for coords themed around the animal whose ears you’re using. Of all my dresses that feature a cat in the print Cinema Doll matched the most thanks to the colourway. It was also easy to make the coord use only blacks and wine, with the ivory of the dress itself taking a step back. This would probably get worn with a more hime hairstyle to not only balance out the height of those ears, but also their OTT-ness. I’d also be just as happy swapping the legwear colours, i.e. going for black tights (possibly fishnets) and wine shoes, however, until I get a better pair of wine heels this will have to wait.

Is this an outfit that I want to wear? Hm, I can’t say either way really. I don’t feel the urge to right now, but I can also totally imagine myself wearing it out sometime, somewhere. Is it an outfit that I’m happy with? Absolutely. It’s very clearly all about those daft ears and everything works really well here, so I’m happy.

Ichigo Htut brooch

I love this little jam jar with all my heart and I want to live my best cottagecore life thanks to it.

This was a purchase at last year’s Doki Doki from a fellow member of the North-West lolita comm. She actually had loads of really cute things, predominantly illustrations and stickers, but that series of country-themed brooches just grabbed me. I managed to restrain myself to only buying one - and then never used it. You’d think that it was perfect for now, since we’re (supposedly) in summer, but having sold my only gingham dress (coincidentally, to her) I found myself without an obvious thing to pair it with. Don’t get me wrong, Meta is tempting me so hard with their Sweet Berry Gingham JSK, though not only it’s sold out now, I was not in a position to buy it upon release. So what could I wear this adorable brooch with until I obtain a gingham dress again?

| Lady Sloth Winter Spices skirt | Primark top | Angelic Pretty Wrapping Cherry socks | Innocent World shoes | Cutie Creator hat with Two Days Slow clips | Ichigo Htut brooch | Peacockalorum wrist cuffs |

This is my take so far. I wanted an outfit that was undeniably country, but that wouldn’t overshadow the brooch, since it is quite tiny. Hence this skirt: not only do the jars of honey in this print reflect the jam jar, but by being a skirt it leaves the top half of the coord an open canvas without any print or pattern interfering. The only thing I think is missing from here is a basket and a picnic blanket. Of course, this isn’t the ideal outfit that I can think of for this brooch, but as I said, until I get a gingham dress, this is the best that I can do for now that would still be about the brooch. I could’ve paired it with Polonaise Brillante or with Whipped Cream Kitty, but it would completely disappear there. This is a much simpler outfit, but one that is about the brooch first.

Angelic Pretty British Ribbon ring

From "dots over stripes" to "dots with stripes", one year is all that was needed for my preferences to change.

This is the most recent addition to my collection, one I received only last month. Although it’s been on my mind for about a year. One of the former Leeds comm admins was selling out her frills. Last year I got a different ring off her (that blue one with white polka dots next to it) when another friend went over to her place and basically did a livestream for us so we could buy and they could pick things up. They tried to tempt me with the striped ring then and I said “dots over stripes”. But I couldn’t stop thinking about that ring, so when the same ex-admin said she still had loads of stuff she wanted to get rid of and started a sales group for our comm, I was ready to jump at that ring as soon as I saw it. And jump I did. It is missing the original star charm, but I don’t mind, I was after the tricolour stripes, not the star charm that was originally there.

| Metamorphose Sailor Tiered skirt | Ank Rouge cutsew | offbrand cardigan, beret, bow clip, shoes and polka dots ring | Angelic Pretty Candy Fun Fair OTKs | Primark shoes | Angelic Pretty Twinkle Sky headbow | Dear Celine badge | Dream Masquerade Carnival pin | handmade bracelets | Angelic Pretty British Ribbon ring |

And of course, if I’m making an outfit around a tricolour stripe ring, the whole coord has to be tricolour! The socks were a must and my second starting point, which basically created everything else. This feels like the most me outfit of the three and consequently is the one I’m most excited about. It’s probably only a matter of time before I wear this, especially since by going for my Primark x Disney sneakers it immediately becomes so much more wearable for casual stuff. However, it will be a careful balancing act to actually wear it: it will have to be just warm enough to not need long sleeves, but just cool enough to justify OTKs and that cutsew-plus-cardigan layering. Though I’m sure British weather is capable of delivering something precisely this level of confusing.


Hoarder lolitas out there, what pieces have you kept and not used yet? Do you think you’ll ever be able to part with them? Or are you going to put the effort into coordinating them, even if only as flatlays for now?