September Coords Roundup

This is the first September in a while when the vibe wasn’t so strongly “Wake me up when September ends”. Which means that I had the energy to wear some more fun outfits over the course of the month, which is always a big yay!

*~*~*~*

Coord 1: Lidl Chic

| Metamorphose Polka Dots Shirring Pinafore JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | Tutuanna socks | offbrand shoes | IREGL pin |

One day I will work out how to selfie in my bedroom.

A little friend and a memento hidden right behind the bow.

Of course that right as September started, the UK remembered that summer is a thing and it got really warm. Though for all my moaning because I’d been yearning for autumn, it was actually quite nice because it gave me a proper excuse to wear my summer pieces once more before they get packed up for the colder months. A supermarket trip does not require super fancy levels of effort, so I skipped a lot of accessories. The only reason I included this pin in the first place was because I was already looking for brooches and as I reached for the usual ones that I would’ve worn with a coord like this, this IREGL pin caught my attention and I realised that I don’t remember if I even wore it, let alone when. And I am pleased to report that despite taking myself into places of temptation (local vintage clothing shops), I did not buy a single thing (in those). But Lidl had Italian week, so I got a tub of pistachio ice cream and then allowed myself to be tempted by other things. Eh, you win some and you lose some.

*~*~*~*

Coord 2: Summer Sweet

| BtSSB Dreaming Sherbet skirt | Metamorphose cutsew | offbrand socks and button | Bodyline shoes | Angelic Pretty Diner Doll headbow | handmade necklace and bracelets | Dear Celine badge |

The soap necklace I made for Bubble Bath is made for being worn with slightly wet hair, I don't know what you're on about...

My UwUs indeed cannot be contained.

As my first work from home day of the week, Thursdays are almost reserved for frills. But it’s less fun to be this layered when it’s hot out. So I simplified into a more casual version with comfy cotton layers, resulting in a coord that uses one of my summer pieces once more before they get packed up. The UwU badge is something I got from my boyfriend and it makes me smile and I even had a very serious, very professional work meeting whilst wearing this pin on camera (though not the headbow). And it was super fun to use the Shower-Kei necklace I made and then never properly wore. I need to get back to the Shower-Kei coord and polish it up, just because I never went to the event doesn’t mean the coord should linger. But anyway, casual wfh frills, yay!

*~*~*~*

Coord 3: Doki Doki Day 1

| BtSSB Secret AIR MAIL from Sweet Kitty JSK | The Seamstress of Bloomsbury Jive blouse | Angelic Pretty Candy Fun Fair OTKs | Hot Chocolate Designs Dear Santa shoes | Haruhi Clover headbow | Melty Wish earrings and necklace | Metamorphose Rose Letter necklace | Violet Fane Post Office brooch | handmade sash, bracelets, and ring | Bibelot Rose rosette | offbrand ring | ribbon from Haenuli’s Whipped Cream Kitty JSK | Vendula bag |

I was hoping to achieve a more dramatic wave, a'la 1920s finger waves, but that is still outside of my skillset. This was cute too though and held surprisingly well.

Next I will make a bunch of wax seal brooches to keep this sash in place.

Special delivery! My love for all kinds of postal motifs has culminated in this outfit that has been unofficially dubbed as Royal Mailing harder than Royal Mail has ever Royal Mailed. I am so insanely pleased with how every detail came together, there was something postal everywhere you looked (well, technically except the socks, but those looked so good when I didn’t expect them to that I’m not even mad) and I had a blast of pointing little details out to people who stopped to compliment me. I even made a lil’ stack of letters, which I handed out to good people at the con, and then watched them smile because each letter had one very important message: “UwU”. The shoes were a complete winner of a purchase, I spent the entire day on my feet and not a single blister, scrape or bit of tiredness was had until I came back home after solid 9 hours of being out. The vibes at Doki Doki (the last one [single tear sad face emoji]) were immaculate, I saw so many of my friends, manage to sell two things at the bring and buy table, accosted a whole bunch of people with aggressive enthusiasm to sign up to the fashion show, and got to see the intersection of my dating life and lolita life happen in front of my very eyes. It was precisely the high that I needed and even though it was so hot and I was so sweaty (seriously, I don’t remember the last time I was this w e t), it was 1000% worth it!

*~*~*~*

Coord 4: Doki Doki Day 2

| Metamorphose Sailor Tiered skirt | Fi.n.t. Cutsew | Tutuanna ankle socks | Sosic Shop shoes | Cutie Creator hat | offbrand hair clips and earrings | Dear Celine badge | handmade bracelets | Angelic Pretty British Ribbon ring |

The sad thing is that I attempted to preserve the curls from the previous day and all I achieved was a bit of uneven volume.

Until I get bigger sailor-themed earrings, these will have to do.

In contrast to day 1, I had exactly z e r o ideas on what to wear for day 2. My mind had been blank, every idea I picked up was either met with a total lack of enthusiasm or hit some sort of a practical obstacle (like missing items or weather). So even though I wouldn’t have worn this on my own because I’d worn a simpler version of that in June 2020, but when I turned to my friends to help, @_chrissii_ basically insisted that I live out her sailor lolita dreams through her. And honestly, no regrets. Yes, I still sweated as much as the day before, but despite that I felt cute and I like this updated version. Day 2 was one I’d spent with my boyfriend and one I designated as my shopping day, so a lot of cash exited my wallet in exchange for material goods. We also went to the Maid Cafe (I’ve never been to one, so it was fun to get that experience), as well as to a film screening of Tokyo Godfathers (not quite as cheerful as I would’ve wanted when the con vibes were this positive, but it was still a good film and I enjoyed watching it). It is sad that this was the last Doki Doki, but I think it went out with a bang that it deserved. And for anyone interested, here’s a quick picture of my con loot, some of which you probably will see on this blog in some form or other.

Even though most of these were not bought with lolita in mind, you are going to spot some of these in the pictures below.

*~*~*~*

Coord 5: Finally Cooler

| Grove Deer Moon of Eternal Day OP | Amavel cardigan | Pairs Scotland socks | Hush Puppies boots | My Inspiration brooch | vintage brooch |

The first day that the weather turned cooler I was determined to wear something autumnal. Since I was working, I technically would’ve worn something non-lolita, but the options I liked were in the laundry pile and not ready for office wear, so I ended up doing a casual classic lolita coord. I cannot stress how much good wearing a cardigan and wool socks did for my emotional wellbeing. It was also raining on my way to work, so I put on the Hoa soundtrack once again and enjoyed a little whimsy in my life.

*~*~*~*

Coord 6: Low Battery

| Bodyline Sweet Macaron JSK | BtSSB Tulle Lace Round Collar Pullover | offbrand T-shirt, shoes, beret, and earrings | Angelic Pretty Sealing Border OTKs |

I keep saying I need a better blue eyeshadow, but maybe actually this one is ok? No idea why all the selfies came out so overexposed though.

Doing my best at hiding the excess bulk under there.

This outfit was going to be my Thursday WFH look - except I got ill and didn’t have it in me to dress up. I was still on sick leave the day after, but felt better enough to get dressed, so the coord got an outing then. Quite literally since despite being a bit ill I still had to get myself (and the cat) some food. Seeing a whole bunch of people do the T-shirt with a cutsew under it look, I was very keen to try. My initial thought was to do this with Meta’s Bubble Bath skirt, but I quite like this T-shirt with this JSK, even if there were a lot of layers across my torso. But it finally got a bit chilly and held just about low enough that I could go to the supermarket like this without instantly overheating. So yeah, for someone wearing a T-shirt saying that I was on low energy, I didn’t necessarily act it.

*~*~*~*

Coord 7: The Same But Even More Casual

| Metamorphose Bubble Bath skirt | Nea Star T-shirt | Pairs Scotland socks | Bodyline shoes | Pink Up Fanny’s Dressing Table hair clip | Cosy Kawaii Mood badge |

Apparently doing work meetings in kawaii attire was my thing in September.

I got this as a bit of a joke (and to bring up my spending at that particular stall to an even tenner), but now I fully vibe and embrace being in my senpai-era.

Well, I was going to spice this look up more with some more accessories and styling, but the stresses of the day really did not allow for that. So a more casual version it is. The T-shirt says “Don’t bully me, I will cry” and I chuckle at how hilarious I am by placing the “Senpai” pin right after “me”. But also, I am the senpai now, I am embracing that, and once again carried out very professional, very serious meetings whilst dressed like this (minus the hair clip, actually), so clearly the world accepts that as the truth.

*~*~*~*

Coord 8: Dotty for Snacks

| The Black Ribbon Konbini Market JSK | Laura Ashley blouse | Haenuli Secret Garden tights | Hot Chocolate Designs Dear Santa shoes | BtSSB Secret AIR MAIL from Sweet Kitty headbow | offbrand brooch |

My attempts at adding a bit of volume in my hair did not translate onto the picture.

A dotty bow and a stripey bow.

I’d been thinking about this blouse recently and found an excuse to dig it out – as well as a little bit more time and energy to do something else with my hair besides tying it up. It needed it to balance out the bow and even though it still sticks out a little awkwardly at some angles, I’m just embracing that. It’s part of the ‘looking like an arts teacher’ vibe. And that is about as much as I have to say about this coord, really.

*~*~*~*

Coord 9: Release Launch Tea Party

| Chrysanthemum’s Concerto The First Semester JSK | Summer Tales Boutique Nostalgia Collection Royal Stewart blouse | Grove Deer Moon of Eternal Day OP as underskirt | Innocent World Short Boots OTKs | offbrand shoes | Cutie Creator headbow | Melty Wish earrings | Fantastic Grim Jewelry necklace |

In retrospect, I regret not doing a greener makeup look, but I didn't leave myself a lot of time to experiment, so stuck to what I knew I could do.

Trying to tone down this otherwise quite fancy look with some more academia-inspired accessories.

When Chrysanthemum’s Concerto (better known to me as my friend Rachel) does anything, I am there to support. So even though I ultimately decided against buying the dress, I was there for the launch tea party (and vlogged the event too to make everyone feel that they missed out). The theme was a loose “back to school/tartan/oldschool/whatever you fancy”, which meant two things for me: 1) I had to rep the brand; and 2) tartan all the way. With those two factors in, the coord practically built itself. Don’t worry, I have more sense than to travel in these ridiculous-yet-gorgeous shoes, so I changed into something more sensible for travelling. The tea party was a great success, the tea spread was lovely and the vibe was so positive and so full of excitement about the upcoming release.

*~*~*~*

Coord 10: Monochrome Thursday

| Bodyline L380 skirt | Alice and the Pirates jacket | Teja Jamilla tights | offbrand boots, crown, brooch, and bracelet | Eulalia earrings | Puvithel Crystal Heart necklace |

If nothing else, a tiara really makes you keep up a good posture.

Why was I so reluctant to get on the Teja Jamilla tights sooner, big regret there.

My plans for that Thursday were different, but since the plans changed, so has the outfit. In more ways than one actually. I had an idea to try out this monochrome look, sort of dark classic royalty themed one, but whilst I quite liked it in the mirror, I struggled to get a photo that I liked. And it ended up being a bit too involved for just working from home, so I changed into a more toned down version (keeping only the earrings and replacing the jacket with a black cutsew from Axes Femme) pretty much as soon as. You just gotta pick your battles. Maybe if I faffed around with hair and makeup more I would've liked the original version more, but I didn't, so here we are.

The casualed-down version

*~*~*~*

Spooky Season commences shortly and whilst I don’t feel particularly ready for it, I have a couple of ideas floating in my head to try out. Whether I'll get the opportunities for them is another matter. For now the more pressing question for me is when to do my seasonal wardrobe swap as some people have been threatening me with more last minute heatwaves and I just know, deep in my bones, that those would happen the exact moment my summer stuff got placed into storage. I might just have to risk it because truth be told, I am a little bit bored of the spring/summer stuff now and I just want my brain to fall for the trick of thinking it has new things to play with. Well, I actually do have some new things to play with, but as of writing this post, they haven't arrived yet. Look out for them in future coord roundup posts though!

My Ideal J-Fashion Programming

Last weekend was the last ever Doki Doki convention here in Manchester and even though I’m a bit lukewarm about cons in general, I really will miss this one. Given that it’s the only con outside of Poland I’ve ever gone to, my opinion is far from objective, but to me it was perfect: busy but still small, with a good range of activities to suit every kind of weeb and not just the anime sort, with really nice food that wasn’t that extortionately priced, and a proper friendly vibe. And, very crucially, it’s one of the very few cons in the UK that has consistently put out J-fashion programming.

Like with all conventions, what is on the programme relies heavily on who is involved in organising the event and whether the organisers are on good terms with the local J-fashion community, as well as how active and visible the local J-fashion community is. This is very likely why the big cons in the US manage to include J-fashion in their programmes, which is not something that happens regularly elsewhere. And as I don’t envision replacing my attendance at Doki Doki with anything else, allow me to indulge in a bit of fantasising about what I would love to see at a con as far as the fashion side of things go.

Photo from Doki Doki 2023.

Diversity of Fashion Styles

Far be it for me to complain about lolita fashion taking centre stage in most J-fashion programming at cons. It makes sense since it’s one of the few styles that actually successfully organises its wearers into communities. But J-fashion is so much broader than just that and there are plenty of styles that don’t often get that much visibility at events. One thing that I particularly liked about Doki Doki is that other than the street fashion, it also always included traditional fashion. Some people will only associate Japanese fashion with kimono, while others might have a keen interest in something more kawaii they’ve gleaned from TikTok – what better place to bring them both together than a convention?

J-fashion is a big umbrella that encompasses so much and I want to see all that is under it.
Photo from the Harajuku Fashion Walk Facebook page.

Personable Fashion Show

Seeing upcoming releases is great, though I don’t think that a general convention is the place for that. Equally, just having people strut their outfit to some music goes by much too quickly and a fashion show is the easiest thing that one can do for J-fashion programming. I would love to see something in between. Think those fashion walk streams that the online events like BAK’s or Rose Foret’s do: people showing off their outfits (which, for brand owners, could be something that they will release later) with a short blurb about it. Having someone on stage (or just off it) telling the audience what it is that they’re seeing – what style, but also why the wearer chose to put together an outfit like that and what is its main point – seems far more interesting and gives people more reason to cheer. Because when it’s a fashion show featuring other con-goers the last thing you want is a silent audience, a lot of people are already quite nervous.

Also, when I go to a con, I am more interested in what the other J-fashion people chose to wear at the con and why. With lolita events it's usually clear and I want the same insight when it's people choosing something largely unprompted.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

A Panel/Talk that isn’t Just for Newbies

General cons are tricky to do a balanced talk or panel for, especially if the event isn’t (yet) known for its J-fashion programming. Other groups like cosplayers have an easier time pitching something at both a beginner and someone who’s been doing it for a while. J-fashion programming at conventions suffers from the endless stream of “[style] 101”, which alienates those who are more than that. However, doing something too advanced for a beginner risks missing out on hooking in a tentative observer or getting that budding beginner to commit. This of course then has to get updated annually, since having the same talk literally every year will get repetitive too. Nonetheless, I do think that it can be done. To throw a few ideas out there, I think that a demonstration works quite well, whether on a live model or a mannequin, where you could show the layers of an outfit for the fashion style of choice. This is accessible enough for beginners, could even be broadened into multiple outfits (e.g. for lolita doing three coords in each of the main substyles), as well as offers room for some advanced tips and tricks for those who have been at it a while. Or roundtable discussions with wearers of different styles where they can compare their own experiences, which would give newcomers a flavour of multiple fashions and the intermediate and advanced people a more personal outlet. Whatever the talking activity actually is, making it engaging for as broad an audience as possible is key.

I like the variety of talks that Bay Area Kei's online events often had and think that many of them would be friendly to a broader convention.

A Manned Gallery or Exhibition

Based on my experience at Doki Doki, whilst having a booth/stall is nice, unless you are offering some sort of an experience, selling can be tricky. Face painting or raffles work well, but based on last year alone bring and buys have the disadvantage of casual con-goers wanting an option for card payments, which a local community simply won’t have. At the same time, a stationary presence can really help enhance the stage events, fashion show or otherwise. It’s also a bit of a pit stop for other J-fashion enthusiasts and a place for interested bystanders to learn more. As such I think a manned gallery or an exhibition is the perfect middle ground. It would have to be supervised, both to stop any accidents from happening and to be the person who can answer questions should anyone have any. And for anyone who doesn’t want to interact it would be cool just to wander through and look at dress forms with outfits or high resolution photos with some descriptions. This is easily changed year to year, whether by J-fashion style, theme or even to showcase specific creators/designers. And if you combine that with a seating element or some quiet space, then you could really capitalise on those seeking a moment of peace from the hectic atmosphere of the con.

Lolita-chan at the V&A Museum is pretty famous by now. Why not bring her (or someone like that) on tour with some friends as a special attraction at a con?
Photo from the V&A Museum's website.

A Fun Photo Spot or a Photo Booth

Cons always attract photographers, both established and budding. And J-fashionistas love a good photoshoot. As to cosplayers. And as do random people who want to make memories. A neutral background is great, especially for the photographer bulk-editing the photos later, but having something cute and maybe a bit more themed or with some props would get the J-fashionistas really excited. Should the con apply an overall theme to each year’s event, this would make theming the photo spot or booth easier too, but even without that I’m confident that this could be achieved. Also, imagine combining that with a talky event by having a little guide on how to pose for J-fashion outfit photos and livestream the camera’s viewfinder somehow so that the audience could see a ‘before’ and ‘after’ tips version in real time? That might be a tad too overambitious though.

The photo booth doesn't need to be super-extra-elaborate, it just needs to be there, set up and ready. Everyone always has fun at photo booths.
Photo courtesy of Pipparazzi_Cosplay.

Everyone goes to cons for different reasons. My own trip to Doki Doki last weekend has shown me that I am the least weeby amongst my weeby friends, which heavily influences the things that I want to see and engage with. That being said, I like to believe that this gives me a good insight into both what other J-fashion enthusiasts might want and what those unfamiliar with the world might find engaging. Who knows, maybe one day I will get to make these ideas a reality. For now I’m just going to enjoy my loot and dream about what could be.

Fruits of Our Labour

For September the Bibliotheca bloggers have picked a monthly theme of Fruits of Fall. And I toyed with ideas of talking about some actual fruit (you know ya girl loves apples), doing some fruit-inspired coords (there are actually more autumnal fruit than just apples), even looking up the fantastically OTT headpieces featuring fruit that one could purchase for their next coord.

Instead I got in a more reflective mood. The late summer/early autumn season that September falls into is one of harvest. But there is no harvest without planting and cultivating, in other words: without the hard work. So interpreting the Fruits of Fall theme to mean the fruits of one’s labour, as well as embracing the mood of gratitude and appreciation that this should bring, let’s focus instead on some of the fruits of one’s labour that a J-fashionista (in here specifically a lolita) might reap. In the constant search for the next thing, the next purchase, the next coord, it can be easy to forget to stop and look at how far we’ve come. This one goes out to all the lolitas who have been at it for a couple of years already who need a reminder to stop comparing themselves to those who have been at it for longer.

Photo by Tijana Drndarski on Pexels.com

The Fruits of Self-Understanding

Some people manage to jump into lolita or any other alt fashion with a solid understanding of what they want to look like and have everything work out in a way that means they like that look on themselves. But most of us go through phases of trial and error, of yearning after one thing only to realise that it’s something else entirely that makes us feel our best. Or experimenting with one thing that we got for a specific theme to find out that we really dig it. Getting to that stage where you understand yourself, what makes you feel good (which cuts, colours, patterns etc.) and what you want out of your clothes, is an achievement that we don’t often stop to celebrate. When I started in lolita, I thought that circus themes and ponies would be a much bigger part of my style than they ended up being. Through paying attention to everything else that I’d been gravitating towards I learnt that my niche was more within the realm of broadly categorised retro. Later this was narrowed down even further when I hit a slump with my style and really needed to consciously think about what lit up that spark of joy, separately in sweet and classic. Reaping the rewards of finally knowing what your style is comes in both savings (as you stop buying things that don’t fit you and your vibe) and in emotional peace (wearing things you love and that make you feel good is always an instant serotonin boost). Well done if you found yours and don’t worry if you haven’t – maybe the seed has already been planted and you just need to wait for it to break through the soil.

This coord from April is still one of my favourites from this year so far no least because it is so quintessentially me that it downright felt like cheating with how easy it was to assemble and then wear.

The Fruits of Patience

On the flipside, the most obvious and common kind of reward that we reap is that of patience. Whether it’s patience in stalking sales for that one item you love, patience in saving up for a purchase, patience when browsing social media and reminding yourself that no-one’s wardrobe was built in a day to help you stay on track – all of those and more will have been worth it. In a way, patience is an incredible achievement in its own right. Living in a fast paced world, where so many things are available to us in an instant, not everyone has learnt how to be patient and trying to join a luxury hobby like lolita can feel like hitting a brick wall at full speed. Every time you manage to stay on track is a win that will yield fruit later. The years waiting for a dream dress melt away once you finally get your paws on it – I know because several of mine took literal years to find. And especially once you’ve built up a wardrobe large enough to offer you some variety, make sure to stop and look at it, remember the frustration at the beginning when all you had was one item and a lot of yearning, whereas now you can create multiple coords with what you have. This didn’t happen overnight. That took patience and you did it. I am proud of you.

This is one of those dresses that took something like 5+ years to find. And then on top of that I had to be paient whilst it was getting altered. Every coord with it is a celebration of what my patience led to and this coord from summer ILD 2023 is no exception.

The Fruits of Experience

With patience, time, and practice comes experience. Back when I was doing the Advanced Coordinating series, I would so often see comments to the extent of “I’ve been in lolita for X years now, but I still feel like a newbie/still don’t know how to make my coords look not-like-a-newbie’s”. Impostor syndrome is quite prevalent and often so loud that it overshadows the simple fact that we do have experience and can do more than we could at the very beginning. Even those lucky ones who get a good start in lolita thanks to how much more easily available it is now will notice the difference between their very first outfit and the one they did several years later after consistently coordinating outfits. If you don’t believe me, just pull up a few of your old pictures and compare them to some of the newer ones. Instead of giving space to doubts or putting down the skills you acquired with experience, why not appreciate the ideas that you were able to realise already that once seemed impossible? We’ve all had them: the coord idea that would’ve been unattainable for our beginner selves that we then created and loved wearing. Or an idea so big and bold that it seems almost as if someone else created it rather than us. Or the outside-of-your-comfort-zone dress that you acquired nonetheless and enjoy wearing and coordinating, which would’ve intimidated the heck out of your babylita self. You don’t need the Lolita Level Up Quiz to know that you’ve improved. It’s ok to carry on having goals to reach for, just don’t forget that where you are right now is where your past self once wanted to get and celebrate that.

I miss doing these for the Around Your Wardrobe in 30 Coordinates challenge posts. Collages like this are a great way to see at a glance just how much experience you've gained and how much your coordinating skills have improved.

The Fruits of Love

Last and certainly not least, the things we do within lolita and other alternative fashion are all a product of love that we have for these styles. You can always tell when someone’s heart isn’t in it: it manifests in how they talk about the fashion, what they value about it, and often even in how they choose to wear it. We stand proudly in the face of judgement from the mainstream because we love these wacky clothes and how we look in them. We dedicate our time and efforts into crafting things or hunting for the precise shade of blue that we need because it will complete our vision and make our hearts dance with joy. It is precisely because of our love for lolita fashion that we have stuck with it once TikTok’s algorithm has moved on. It is the love for a print that keeps you coming back to it and to finding new ways to enjoy it whilst some in the community might already be turning towards the next release. It is often said that the secret ingredient in many dishes is love – the secret ingredient to building a wardrobe and life incorporating frilly clothes that you enjoy is also love. So sit back and let your heart be filled with it.

My wardrobe looks physically quite different now, but I will never forget the feeling of joy when I finally moved out of my parents' place and was able to fill that wardrobe with my frills. I took the day to iron everything and hang it carefully, and it was almost meditative how much that exercise of love was.

Are you feeling it? Are you feeling the optimism and the joy now that you reached the end of this post? I sincerely hope so. My goal was to inspire not just reflection, but positive reflection, appreciation of how far you’ve come and what you’ve achieved so far, wherever you may be in your lolita journey. The UK is doing me dirty with a last burst of summery weather whilst my entire soul craves being cosy and autumnal, but at least in contemplating the fruits of fall and the fruits of all the time, effort, money, and heart that I poured into this fashion I found a nugget of that cosy warmth within me.

Though fret not – if what you wanted was some actual Fruits of Fall, then no doubts one of the other Bibliotheca bloggers will come through for you. They are all amazing writers and always have something good for people, so go and sign up to the mailing list if you haven’t already!

August Coords Roundup

The end of August inevitably feels like the end of summer. Even though technically it isn't and knowing my luck, we'll probably get slapped in the face by some last minute heatwave or other, there's a finality that comes with the start of September. And I think the coords here represent that pretty well.

*~*~*~*

Coord 1: Wasn’t Going to Include That

| HeartE Tartan JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | Tutuanna socks | offbrand shoes and head scarf |

But then I looked at the photo again and decided that it counts. The only thing that makes it not lolita is the lack of a petticoat, but this JSK is so small that it can barely fit a petticoat in anyway. Besides, the look is super fun, way nicer than your average Tuesday at work deserved, but I’m super glad that I wore it anyway because I felt extra cute thanks to it.

*~*~*~*

Coord 2: Dressing for Morale

| Metamorphose Airline JSK and tie used as a headband | offbrand blouse, jacket, socks, and hair clips | Irregular Choice High Score shoes | Melty Wish necklace | Girl Guiding pin | Fluffy Tori pin | Twinkle Kitty Boutique ring | Chocomint ring |

You can juuust about see the sparkly orange eyeshadow I used and my lipgloss had an orange tint to it too.

Somehow I was convinced that the orange badge was the blogger one, but this still applies.

Having come across the concept of rephrasing doing things “as a treat” into “for morale”, I have dressed up for morale in something fun for working from home. And it really did work. The outfit came out really well, pretty much just as I envisioned when I first put it together for the 1 Dress 4 Looks post with this JSK. I started to feel a little bit stagnant with my wardrobe at that point, so this helped bring back some of the joy from just wearing things that you like and think are fun.

*~*~*~*

Coord 3: Summer Friday

| Chrysanthemum’s Concerto Lost in the Garden of Eden JSK | Dear Celine Polka Dot Waltz blouse | offbrand socks and necklace | Irregular Choice Ariel’s Treasure shoes | vintage hair clip | Two Days Slow hair clips | Tea and Paintwater brooch | Angelic Pretty Logo Ribbon Charm wrist cuffs | Cutie Craze Cafe ring |

This hairdo has some big Innocent World energy. And even though Chrysanthemum's Concerto's brand vibe isn't quite so classic, they really embrace simple styling, which I tried to channel.

I may have owned this mini hat clip for like 8 years now and it finally had its moment to shine.

Because I haven’t yet styled this dress with pink. That was all the reason. It was Friday, I was at home, and I hadn't yet worn this dress with pink. I really like how the blouse and the JSK work together. And whilst I wish that I had more elaborate socks, this is a minor change that I’d make, especially given that post-pictures the socks were hidden inside my slippers anyway. Although I will say that this coord has shown me the importance of hair and makeup because once again, clothes only I doubted what I saw in the mirror and nearly changed. But as soon as I did my hair, as simple as the hairdo is, and slapped on a tiny bit of makeup, it stopped looking so unpolished to me. All that was left to say then is ‘roll on weekend’!

*~*~*~*

Coord 4: Rockabilly Ouji

| offbrand jacket and shoes | Fanplusfriend Alice Knight shorts | Angelic Pretty Alphabet Marine OTKs |

Goofing off with a smoulder.

A very lazy socks and shoes closeup picture.

The idea for this came to me one day, I think because I wanted to test out this jacket in an ouji context, and the day finally came when I got to wear it. Once again I was surprised at the comfort of wearing ouji, maybe especially so as I feel like I tried the black pair of the same shorts not too long before that and they felt tighter than these ivory ones despite being the same model and size? Maybe it was just an off day or something. It was a cute idea, very much the mood for playing The Baseballs to brighten up the last working day of the week. Maybe one day I’ll spice it up somehow.

*~*~*~*

Coord 5: Romanticising My Life

| Innocent World Revival Sweet Teddybear JSK | Cat Tea Party top and bow pin | offbrand socks | Bodyline shoes | Cutie Creator Maiden’s Prayer headbow | Mademoiselle Boutique necklace | Tea and Paintwater brooch | ribbon belt from The Black Ribbon’s Konbini Market JSK | gingham bow pin from Chrysanthemum Concerto’s Lost in the Garden of Eden JSK | handmade bracelets | Twinkle Kitty Boutique ring |

The rules are: when you curl straight hair, always take a selfie before leaving the house if you live in the UK. The weather will never go easy on you.

Girl lunch included for free with this detail shot.

Oooh, the weather forecast kept switching back and forth so frequently that I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to do this. But thankfully on the morning of it settled on no rain, so I made sure to dress up and get to Ordsall Hall practically when it opened. Because that’s all I wanted to do: dress up to have a cute solo picnic at the Ordsall Hall garden and enjoy being able to do precisely that. The outfit was perfect, neither too dressy nor simple, just right for the overcast and slightly windy, but also humid and occasionally sunny weather. I plopped myself on my gingham picnic blanket, did a quick photoshoot whilst it was still early and there was hardly any bugger around, then enjoyed digging into my snacks and flicking between reading the book I brought, browsing my phone, and just looking around and letting my thoughts wander. It was a truly peaceful late morning/early afternoon, a big refresh for my mind and soul, and I wholeheartedly recommend that you take yourself out on a cute picnic when you get the chance to.

*~*~*~*

Coord 6: New Shoes Vibes

| Metamorphose Sailor Tiered skirt | offbrand cardigan, socks, and hair clips | Hot Chocolate Designs Dear Santa shoes | Melty Wish necklace |

Thursdays are for ponytails, that's all I'm going to say.

Did I ever mention that I love letter and postal motifs? No? Well, I'm mentioning it now.

Yes, these shoes are technically Christmassy. Yes, I still intend to wear them outside of Christmas. I mean, the design is neutral enough to allow that - and they are just as comfortable as every other Hot Chocolate Designs shoe owner advertised. So why not make a WFH Thursday better with a cute outfit and cute shoes?

*~*~*~*

Coord 7: Travelling to Oxford

| Violet Fane Ginza Kissaten skirt | ARW bolero | vintage blouse | offbrand tights and shoes | Cutie Creator headbow |

The barest of bare faces because travelling.

In this edition of Things I Found on a Print that I Didn't See Before: this framed picture.

I spent the Bank Holiday weekend in Oxford, hanging out with my friend, living out various aesthetic fantasies, healing, and generally having a good time. Since it is well established that the easiest way to pack a petticoat is to travel in one, I wore Ginza Kissaten for travelling. Kept the coord super simple for comfort reasons, though it still attracted a fair number of compliments from people in Oxford, as well as a young child at the tram stop before I even properly set off. It did the job is all that I will say.

*~*~*~*

Coord 8: Sunday in Oxford

| BtSSB Polonaise Brillante ~ Ideas of a Maiden ~ JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | Pairs Scotland socks | offbrand shoes, hair clip, earrings, and brooch | Lady Sloth Winter Spices necklaces |

Overcast day and a shaded corridor make for excellent moody lighting for selfies.

But the texturrrrres, look at the texturrrres!

Saturday shenanigans involved a non-lolita look, but I brought other frills with me too. The plan was a much more hobbit-y vibe, but that is not something that I have all the pieces for in my wardrobe right now, so I went for the next best thing which is general cottagecore. Again, the whole outfit is quite simple, because I wanted to dedicate my energy to enjoying the day rather than putting on super elaborate looks. We more than made up for the simplicity by getting really into a photoshoot at Magdalene College. This is where going to colleges with paid entry that aren’t that notable for featuring in Harry Potter films pays off because we were very much unbothered and undisturbed, the few people who were also visiting alongside us were content to let us be and not ask questions. Pro tip if I ever had one for wandering around the Oxford colleges specifically with the purpose of doing a photoshoot (the other one is: go to the smaller ones, they’re also usually staffed by much nicer porters). After that we traditionally went to G&D’s for ice cream (a must when in Oxford) and got complimented by a lovely lady who sat opposite us. All in all an excellent day with chill vibes and good looks.

Bonus one because I absolutely love this!

*~*~*~*

Coord 9: Back to Manchester

| Violet Fane Ginza Kissaten skirt | Axes Femme cutsew | offbrand socks and shoes | Cutie Creator headdress | handmade earrings | Lady Sloth Winter Spices necklace |

Was the headpiece a tad excessive? Yeah, a little. But I just really wanted to wear it.

Just look at that lace!

And then it was time to go back, which of course involved frills again since that is how I packed my petticoat with me. The end of a trip also means rehashing whatever else one has brought with them and airing things to mask that they’re not the freshest just enough so as to not offend other passengers on the train. Though a lacy headpiece is always a good enough distraction from that too. Whilst I timed my return poorly and hit the rush of people returning from Reading Festival, it could’ve been far worse and I only had to stand for maybe 3 or so stops before I was able to grab a seat. And as soon as I reached home I felt the post-trip bliss meet the post-trip blues, so long story short I am now going to be looking for some frames for the photos we took.

*~*~*~*

Coord 10: Bittersweet [gasp]

| Lady Sloth Look at My Dreamy Sky Casual OP | offbrand jacket and boots | Angelic Pretty Colorful Polkadot OTKs | Eat Me x Larme hair tie | Promised Land Creations earrings | After Midnight necklace | Strike a Pose pin | Love from the North pin |

And again, you can juuust about make out the blue eyeshadow. I actually need a better blue eyeshadow, so if you have any cruelty free recommendations that won't cost an arm and a leg to post to the UK, let me know, please.

Denim jacket always equals pins.

And because I couldn't decice which detail shot I liked more - have both.

Once again balancing the needs of looking presentable whilst working from home and wanting to look cute for an evening outing, I reached for this number. Yes, this is the very same coord that featured in my last capsule wardrobe post because I knew I wanted to wear this dress (OP, just one layer, quick and easy), but was stuck for ideas on how to style it. On its own it's not the most balanced thing, but with some styling on top of that I think it looks cute. It's ermagerd, so edgeh, but also has that casual vibe that I was really looking for here. Plus, it needed to be weather appropriate because, surprise, it was going to rain later that night. It's incredible how I wore my smallest and shittiest petticoat that day and it still gave decent volume, mainly because the dress itself is so light.

*~*~*~*

And thus we enter September. Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends” is being brought back onto the regular playlist as multiple things hit at once. Yet in between all of that I hope to see a bit of cooler weather, one that actually encourages being cosy. Words cannot fully express how much I yearn to be cosy. This year I am really feeling all of the fantasy vibes and so fantasy fall might end up being a thing. If energy levels permit. And if they don’t, then I’ll simply have to move that along to October.