November Coords Roundup

Apologies that this post is a little later. I was very keen to include the final coord in this mix, but between going out on a weekday and not starting the post early enough over the weekend, delaying posting it was the only sensible option.

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Coord 1: Friendsical

| Bodyline L262 JSK and matching hair tie | Axes Femme cutsew | Angelic Pretty Lovely Ribbon OTKs | Angelic Pretty Drained Cherry socks | offbrand shoes and bracelet | vintage necklace | handmade bracelets |

Note to self: the 90s are a bit too minimalist to translate well into an excessive fashion like lolita - unless you do actual proto lolita.

Polka dots everywhere.

The month of November kicked off with my Mum coming over as for her birthday we booked for her and myself to go see Friendsical: The Parody Musical. Despite attempts to dress in something more closely inspired by the show, my wardrobe doesn’t really overlap with the styles from the show, so I went with something vaguely inspired by the late 90s/early 00s. The musical was so much fun - if you were/are a fan of Friends, then you’d enjoy it, it hit every nostalgia spot whilst also poking fun at the show. We were both cry-laughing in some parts and the whole cast did an absolutely stellar job at embodying the characters we’ve grown to know and love so much.

Enjoy the guest appearance from Huggsy.

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Coord 2: Quick Breakfast

| Violet Fane Ginza Kissaten skirt | A.R.W. blouse | Pairs Scotland socks | offbrand shoes and beret | handmade earrings | Lady Sloth Winter Spices necklace |

The light inside the restaurant wasn't really ideal for selfies, but it was good enough.

I'm sure that Ginza Kissaten would offer seasonal items, so the necklace with all the winter spices and honey makes perfect sense.

The day after my Mum and I decided to be fancy and eat breakfast outside. Since this was a very quick decision, the outfit picking process was as immediate as possible, though for a casual outfit thrown together on the go this is pretty good. It was cute and practical thanks to the wool socks, and we ate breakfast like queens at Dishoom, which is one of my favourite places for the vibe. The outfit photo background is only a fraction of how cool this place is.

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Coord 3: Pink and Furs

| Angelic Pretty Royal Unicorn Switching JSK | Axes Femme cutsew and collar | Violet Fane Antiquite tights | Laura Ashley shoes | offbrand hair clips and necklace | handmade earrings | Amadea Kingdom The Adventurer D4 brooch |

Truth is that I tried to wear the collar more closely to how it'd sit on the cardigan that I took it from, but it just would. not. stay. So I improvised this more open/less collar-like look.

It is incredible how the pieces that just happened to have landed in my possession become my "when in doubt" go-to's.

It wouldn't be completely dishonest to say that this coord came around because the evening before I hung out with friends on Discord to watch someone pack their summer lolita pieces and the vibes got me started on planning something. There were more reasons to dress up on a wfh Thursday, but that is how the coord started. In the process of looking for ideas in my usual way (what haven't I worn in a while and how have I worn that previously) I realised that I never paired this JSK with pink, and the rest just happened. The coord couldn't be too extravagant, since I was working and needed to be warm as well as able to move - otherwise I would've worn my pink L'Esprit de la Noblesse blouse - but I really like the varying textures that are here. Gobelin, velvet, ribbed knit, faux fur, suede shoes, wooden brooch, metal jewellery, fabric flowers - they may not seem like that much in theory, but they all add subtle nuances that make this look more interesting and not so flat.

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Coord 4: Saying Goodbye

| Metamorphose Shirring Tiered Ribbon JSK | Bodyline blouse | Innocent World OTKs | Sosic Shop shoes | Le Petit Four headdress and bracelet | Tiny Passering Creations necklace and ring |

Despite attempts at protecting my hair from the elements, it's just impossible to completely shield it from that. Which is why I take outfit pictures before leaving the house.

Bracelet and headdress appreciation flatlay.

One of my lolita friends is moving to the USA and organised a very small meet to hang out before the move. She currently lives in York, and as we know, York is pretty which warrants dressing up. Moreover, I bought this headdress in Germany and was itching to coord it with this dress, so this was the perfect occasion. The right balance of fancy and comfy meant that I was able to stay out pretty late without feeling the typical ‘all day in lolita’ tiredness, though admittedly I also brought a change of shoes which I whipped out at the end.

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Coord 5: Brown Girls Do It Too

| Grove Deer Moon of Eternal Day OP | Amavel cardigan | What Katie Did stockings | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | offbrand jewellery |

I wasn’t sure whether to even include this because I don’t consider this outfit lolita, more like lolita-inspired retro. But if even the stars of the show noticed you and say that my outfit looked, quote, “sick”, then heck it, it goes in. I wore this with seamed stockings (saucy, I know), though even then this stays as a more casual look in my books. And especially next to my friend whom I went to see the show with, since they were in a genuinely incredible outfit featuring a Lief’s Gardenberries JSK. So yeah, my nerdy white arse got to be part of the cool crowd. Now, at the end of the month, having gone into the show with no knowledge of the podcast, I have started listening, am at the start of season 3 (out of 3) and am loving every single episode. The show holds a much deeper meaning to the South Asian listeners, yet it touches upon such universal topics that I find plenty to relate to and it's helping me drop some baggage whilst also have a great laugh. As soon as I started listening to it I realised that probably everyone should, it is genuinely incredible! But only listen where you can maintain some privacy because not only the topics are NSFW, but you will snort-laugh out loud.

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Coord 6: Fairytale of New York

| HeartE Tartan JSK | vintage blouse | Pretty Rock Baby Spring Break Upper East Side cardigan | Hush Puppies boots | Chrysanthemum’s Concerto beret | offbrand barette |

Damn trying to get a good selfie with artificial lighting.

Those quilted buttons will never not get me all excited, I want quilted buttons everywhere!

Let’s be honest, it’s hard to feel festive when you’re tired and it’s raining outside. But I did my best since my past self booked me to see Fairytale of New York, a sort of themed concert. The outfit was definitely way more festive and cosy than I was feeling that Tuesday, which helped lift my spirits up a bit. And since I wore this outfit to work earlier that day (minus the beret) and it got lots of appreciation there, it helped all the more. Part of me feels like I should have saved this for the Christmas lunch I’m organising next month, but the other part of me still considers this much too casual for that, so it’s probably all good in the end.

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Coord 7: Mini Man Meet

| Fan+Friend Alice Knight shorts | offbrand blouse, jacket, shoes, hat, earrings, brooch, and chain | BtSSB Border OTKs | Metamorphose Grand Couronne necklace | Jane Marple ring | Magical Mews Swan Hoe pin | Lady Sloth brooch | Love from the North pin | Equaliteas badge | Strike a Pose pin |

Paul came out to play twice in one year, this is unprecedented.

And now: all the pins.

There was an exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery about dandies and men’s fashion from the 18th century to now, so naturally this called for a man meet. My outfit journey has gone from red x white punk ouji to black x red circus ouji, before it finally merged the two into what you see above. It ended up way more Boy George than punk boy, but it was still a cool vibe for the day. The exhibition was really good, it did a great job at showing the historical garments with their contemporary counterparts to allow for that direct comparison and driving the conversation. It would’ve been a great one to have a lecture or a class around because some of the conversations that we had amongst ourselves were really insightful. Whilst our ratio of lolita to boystyle was way greater than the previous man meets I’ve hosted/been to, everyone was dressed fab. Shoutout to @cupkate_alice for joining me in my vibe and being my pair.

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Coord 8: Quick Filming

| Resailan Jewelry Box JSK and hair clip | Sentaro blouse | Innocent World Union Flag Lame OTKs | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Dalao Home wig | offbrand necklace | Le Petit Four bracelet | vii ring |

When I say the filming was quick, I mean it was quick. I did the barest minimum required and got out of this whole getup as soon as the filming was done.

Just accept that until I get through all of my new bracelets from Le Petit Four, you're going to see them in detail shots.

In other words, the look that only comes on for the purpose of filming and then is immediately taken off. Could it have been better? Yeah, of course. But I’m happy with it as it is too and am not really that likely to revisit it. That’s all that I can really say about this one. The video that this features in will be out on Friday, December 2nd (my nameday, coincidentally), so if you want to hear me talk about how this year’s goal of overhauling my wardrobe went, you’ll find all that there.

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Coord 9: Makers Markets

| AatP Rosier Fleur JSK | Axes Femme cutsew and bow brooch | Metamorphose Dressy OTKs | offbrand boots, beret, and necklaces | Cutie Creator headbow | vintage brooch | Metamorphose wrist cuffs | Rose of Sharon brooches |

I saw online that apparently the latest makeup trend is to look like you've just come from a walk outside when it's cold. Which is funny because that is kind of my natural colouring anyway? Not complaining, just enjoying being accidentally trendy and playing up what my face wants to do at this time of the year.

Quite like how these two necklaces layered with each other.

Wearing heels for a day strolling through some local makers’ markets might not have been the most practical idea, but I survived without too much pain and felt cute whilst browsing the stalls. This coord is another one that’s been living in my head for a while and although I’m usually not too keen on wearing light shoes against darker socks, I don’t mind it here, probably thanks to the green laces. The way the wrist cuffs and the cutsew work together is making me particularly happy - they’re not a perfect colour match, yet manage to look like one item rather than two. As for the markets, it was a mixed bag. I got most of what I went there for, but not as much as I was hoping for. I forget that those markets are still very much aimed at normies (or more accurately, I forget that lolita and J-fashion is still incredibly niche), so other than one stall that I’m a big fan of and some of the food ones, the only thing there that was of any interest to me were the candles. Except that I’m on a self-imposed ban on buying new candles, so even that didn’t really work. Oh well, at least I got things.

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Coord 10: Mousetrap

| Innocent World White Double Braid Tartan skirt | offbrand top, tights, and boot toppers | Axes Femme cardigan, collar, and brooch | Fluffy Tori pin |

My theatre booking spree also included a showing of Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap, which is currently on its 70th anniversary tour. Whilst I tried to put together something with a detective flair to it, between not having quite the pieces with that vibe and not having quite enough time to try to wrangle something else, I decided to simply go with whatever felt nice and kept me toasty. As I put this coord up, I realised that the last three times I wore this skirt I only took a mirror selfie, which is both an achievement (in light of my goals for 2022) and a little bit sad since it is a great skirt that deserves to be showcased in fuller pictures too.

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The penultimate coords roundup post of 2022. Festive season is already here (the Christmas tree in my living room says so, as does my Christmas cactus), so I’m once again contemplating dressing in some flavour of festive every day of December until Christmas. Although let’s face it, with more days at the office than at home, it’s likely not going to be as frilly as it has been in the past. We’ll see. As for November, there’s a nice spread of outfits here, some still very autumnal and then moving onto the wintery ones. It’s a good reflection of November as a month. Things have been a little bit shaky personally, but as I’m writing this, I’m optimistic and hopeful, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel that is this year, so I’m trying to hold onto that. Seeing that light during the bleak late autumn/winter days isn’t always easy, but whenever I can manage, it makes the world of a difference. Hopefully you all are doing well and have something to offer that light, that spark of joy, that will keep you going through these final days of the year.

No Buy Support Challenge Summary

This year my monthly challenge was completing the prompts from the list called No Buy Support. Although I can’t really speak to how much it actually supported me through a no buy, as I haven’t really been on one, prompt challenges are always a fun way of doing things with what we already own instead of pining after what we don’t yet have. So I thought that I’d do a brief wrap-up post about the challenge as a whole, similar to what I’ve done after the Around Your Wardrobe in 30 Coordinates challenge.

The Stats

It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t do a bit of pie chart work. I did my best to keep to one main colour and one substyle per outfit, without splitting into tricolours or sweet-classic or whatever. The only deviation I’ve allowed myself was to include ‘casual’ as a substyle instead of sticking it under any of the main ones. Granted, that does appear to be to my detriment as casual swept in and took over - but if I didn’t have it, I reckon sweet still would’ve won since most of my casual looks were still sweet.

I am pleased to see that red was so prominent in this challenge. It is arguably my favourite colour (as much as I have one) and without manipulating anything it was the one to dominate in my chosen looks, if not through the main pieces themselves, then through how the whole coord was styled. Again, arguably some of the coords, especially the ones for the 1 season 4 looks prompt, should’ve been put down as ivory, but even had I done that it wouldn’t have changed things here by much.

Favourite Coords

In no particular order, my favourites in this challenge were these three:

1. Least Worn Main Piece look 1
2. Never Worn Blouse
3. Favourite Piece look 1

The first one has won me over because it is so bonkers and not something I would’ve thought of without the incentive of the prompt challenge. The 60s influences still appeal to me a lot and the white x red x orange colour scheme fits into that quite nicely.

The second coord is very much the kind of gothic that I’m most likely to be seen in - i.e. just very dark classic. This combination had lived in my head rent free until it was realised and I am extremely pleased that I was able to realise it properly, with all the styling involved. It came out as I had imagined and I’d happily wear this again sometime.

Lastly, I’ve added this third look because, to be completely honest, when I was looking for an outfit to wear for some casual occasion, this exact same idea popped into my head. So if months later I still thought the concept to be exciting and cute enough that I’d consider re-wearing it, then it’s worth putting on this list.

In a twist of events, however, I won’t talk about the least favourite looks. There were some that I was less pleased with, but some of that is more the photo than the coord and the rest is just because I tried to do too much on a day when I wasn’t necessarily feeling it. So I’ll keep things positive by not talking about the parts that I’m less keen on now.

Favourite Prompt

As a special shoutout, the final prompt of the challenge was a particular favourite of mine. Not so much as the coord, but specifically as the prompt. The non-seasonal lolita coord prompt challenges, by their very nature, can get a bit repetitive. It’s not a bad thing, as the results will constantly change with how open to interpretation they are, just that if you do a handful of those you’re going to come across the same few things in each. This was the first challenge where I saw an explicit invitation to mix releases, which is something that I do and enjoy anyway. Lolitas who love a full set can be a bit more than hesitant to mix these up, if the thought even occurs to them, so a prompt like this is the right kind of encouragement in my opinion. I’d love to see more prompts like it.

Overall Impressions

This challenge would definitely go down differently had I done it to the time scale it suggested, i.e. on a weekly basis rather than monthly. For one, with the challenge surfacing around January, it would’ve been quite heavy on wintery and layered looks. Another reason is because when you push yourself to frill up to such a regular and tight timescale, you’re going to end up having to make more accommodations for things like energy levels, current body state (bodies fluctuate a lot, people), weather conditions, activities etc. On a monthly basis this was a lot easier to factor into the planned looks, so that if I was set on wearing a particular coord, I could simply wait for the right day to wear it as opposed to adjusting the coord to fit the day.

Having said this, had I pushed myself to do the timeline suggested, I think the challenge would have been a little bit more effective in staving off the urges to buy stuff. With so much more time passing between each prompt there was also more time to find things I liked or notice new gaps. Being made to wear something week to week should translate into at least having the motivation to use what you have and at best - to rediscovering your love for what you already own.

All in all, I had fun doing this challenge and going through the prompts, they got me to wear some outfits that I probably wouldn’t have come up with otherwise (like those with the Airline JSK). As we approach the end of the calendar year and the new one looms over us, I definitely would recommend it to people who are looking to keep to their no buy. It will probably work better for those with medium-to-small sized collections, since that will eliminate the extensive deciding on which piece to use, so if you have as many main pieces as there are prompts, you’re probably in the perfect spot to give this a go.

The Banquet of Hexen and Menschenfresser Event Report

God, to think that it’s been three solid years since the last in-person big lolita event I attended… The itch has been constant and I am beyond grateful (and still very much ecstatic) that I was able to scratch it. Bear with me if I’m out of practice with event reports, I’ll do my best to not make this one too rambly. And if it still is too rambly for your liking, I vlogged the event and you’ll find the vlog at the end of this post.

Official event logo

The Banquet of Hexen and Menschenfresser (or in English, The Banquet of Witches and Cannibals) was lovingly organised by @meli_loves_japan and the Stuttgart community with support from Aya, who runs Trip in the Dream, who helped bring so many Japanese indie brands as remote vendors to the event. The tea party took place in Ludwigsburg in Germany, home to Europe’s largest Baroque palace, on Saturday October 28th. Specifically, day 1 took place at Ratskeller Ludwigsburg, a vintage-style restaurant not too far from the gorgeous historic city centre square.

Since I volunteered to model in the fashion show, I was at the venue early for the rehearsal. Even though as a VIP ticket holder I was still eligible for early entry with a dedicated VIP shopping hour, having that extra bit of time to observe the set up probably gave me a slight advantage with the shopping since I already had an idea of the layout. It was also a great opportunity to admire the decorations before they got messed up by the entropy that comes with these events. And let me tell you, the decorations were absolutely on point! Each table had a unique centrepiece and every one was as detailed and meticulously put together as the next, offering something to admire from every angle.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Eventually though we got shooed away to enter the event properly and I mostly spent that time chatting with my friends. There was a photo booth outside, which I took advantage of later - for now I was happy to observe everyone’s amazing coordinates and soak in the atmosphere of joyful anticipation that is unique to events and cons. It’s been so long that this excited buzz alone was enough to get one a touch drunk.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

All VIP ticket holders were welcomed with a magic potion: a homemade colour-changing lemonade. Let me tell you, it took all my willpower to not down that - not just because by that point my sugar levels were dropping and it was still a while before the food, but also because it was utterly divine! I keep meaning to ask for the recipe and then forget, distracted by something else, but one day I’ll make myself a whole jug. Each attendee also received a goodie bag in a canvas tote with the event’s logo. The most unique item in there was by far the shower gel made specifically for the event, which sadly I had to leave behind as it exceeds the max allowance for liquids on board a plane. It will eventually get to me by post, it’s not like I’m in a hurry, nonetheless this is the most original event exclusive goodie bag gift I’ve ever gotten and I think it’s a fantastic idea.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

It’s not really a lolita event without some good ol’fashioned shopping and I was very determined to make the most of my VIP shopping hour. I managed to combine my no-buy rules with vlogging duties by doing a round one way with the camera, seeing what was where, and then switching the camera off and throwing money at these amazing vendors. Over the course of the pandemic I managed to accrue a respectable pile of euros thanks to my Grandmother who sends me cash for birthdays etc., so there was more than ample means for splurging. Though as excited as I was about those unknown-to-me Japanese indie brands, I threw most of my money at the European sellers. However, I am keeping many of those new discoveries bookmarked and followed - you can find a list of all the vendors on the event’s Instagram page. Regardless of your style, you are bound to discover some incredible creators, so I highly recommend going through it. But I also warn you right now that the lineup truly is stellar and please, don’t hold me responsible if your hand slips a bit too hard buying.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

The rest of the event was more of the typical things that tea parties like this feature: a welcome speech, some food, a raffle, best dressed prizes, the fashion show… Whilst I could write a bit more about each of those, the truth is that those things are much more fun to experience than to read about. So let it be said that luck did not favour me in the raffle, though I was happy to see my friends win big and exciting things. Similarly, whilst I never anticipated to even be considered for the best dressed prize (knowing that I was going to model, I kept my outfit on the simpler side to make getting changed easier), I was cheering my friends on, many of whom got the recognition they deserved for the effort they put in. And as for the fashion show itself, I can only really tell you that everyone looked amazing as far as I could tell in the cramped backstage room we had for a changing room and that I am very grateful to Amastacia and Lady Sloth for picking me because I enjoyed modelling for them both (maybe ever so slightly more for Amastacia because their clothes are so different from what I typically wear and it was ace to live that “buried my fourth husband in as many years” rich widow fantasy!). It’s not like my commentary would add anything that you can’t see on the photos below or on the vlog at the end, so just enjoy.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Lady Sloth team with their Best Dressed Winners.
Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Best Dressed Winners as chosen by Yamada-san.
Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Best Dressed Winners in the Couples/Groups category.
Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Yamada-san.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

One other thing that was different was a brief talk by one of the invited guests, a lolita curator and the organiser of the Gothic and Lolita Market in Tokyo, Yamada-san. It’s unfortunate that due to events being what they are (i.e. running over) her talk had to be postponed because by that point most of the attendees had grown a little bit tired. Judging by what I saw of the slides, Yamada-san had plenty of very interesting things to say about the Japanese lolita community, how they define brands and indie brands, what Western brands they are familiar with, the Gothic and Lolita Market event, and many more - however, for how much information was contained on the slides, only a fraction of it was translated and a lot of the text was too small to read from afar. I learnt more from the scraps that I heard from Yamada-san herself, as a lot was missed out in translation that seemed interesting. Thankfully, she shared her slides along with her photos from the event, so I plan on reviewing them in more detail later to get more of an insight into that fascinating side of lolita fashion. Of what I have heard though was that, for example, with the demise of printed lolita fashion-exclusive media, it became harder for the Japanese lolita community to decide on what constitutes “a brand”, as up until then they relied on the distinction between what was featured in GLB or KERA and what didn’t. There was also a slide that listed Western/non-Japanese lolita brands with how many Japanese lolitas surveyed were familiar with them and the takeout that I got from that was that availability for purchase in Japan made a huge impact as Lief and Violet Fane got the most votes, whereas brands like Lady Sloth were hardly heard of in Japan. That Atelier Pierrot endorsement clearly goes very far for a community that is outside of the English-speaking circle. Yamada-san herself was very lovely, as well as stylish in an oldschool gothic way, so go give her a follow too!

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Lastly, the biggest raffle winners, other than their raffle goodies, also won an opportunity to take part in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony hosted by @kythanalolita, who, bless them, had to change super quickly after the fashion show into a kimono to host that. This was a very lovely touch which allowed for an extra layer of winding down for the day, as well as an opportunity to enjoy/observe a truly iconic piece of Japanese culture. Even as a bystander I learnt quite a lot. Although again, this was all towards the end of the day, so weariness was taking over, as was the desire to squeeze as much shopping and socialising as I could from what remained of the event.

Although there was a second day, that was more like a very big meetup for third party activities (a palace tour and Pumpkin Festival in the palace gardens), rather than an event put on exclusively for us, so I won’t talk about that - just watch the vlog. For everything that was put on just for the banquet, I can hand on heart say that every bit of hard work and love towards the community really shone through the whole experience. From the moment I entered until the time for goodbyes arrived, I felt incredibly welcomed. Between the chance to hang out with friends and to make new ones, between shopping my favourite indie brands and discovering amazing new creators, between stuffing my face with good food and walking it all off around the event, I had an absolute blast. I mean, I did spend that whole four-day weekend having very early starts and pretty late ends and I regret nothing, which says a lot. The event would certainly benefit from having Saturday’s activities split into two days so that each segment got the attention that it deserved instead of falling victim to shopping distractions or fatigue. Not unlike Myths of Our Own back in 2018, actually - even though that had a break in the middle of the day and the two halves were still somewhat separated, lolita events are intense and tiring, so packing too much into one day rarely works out. Extra special shoutout goes to @meli_loves_japan for all the hard work she put into making it as exquisite as it was and a massive hug to @lena_golita for being the best hostess for those four days and letting me crash on her air mattress.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

My favourite from the photo booth, courtesy of Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Photo by Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

If you want to see more of what I wore on both days, you will find the full coord rundowns in October’s coord roundup post and as promised, below is the vlog that I put together from the various bits of footage I took over the course of the weekend. My haul and the goodie bag contents are also included at the end of video, and I did my best to tag all the vendors featured in the shopping footage.