Capricorn Season

Hello all and welcome to Capricorn Season! As a Capricorn myself, I obviously have a very vested interest in the topic, even if my own interest in and understanding of various things astrology is rudimentary at best. But when Bibliotheca agreed on zodiac as the theme for this month, I really wanted to celebrate my sign somehow - because let’s face it, we Capricorns are stuck between Christmas and post-New Year blues, we are not always getting the love that we deserve.

Image by Numerology Sign on Flickr.

How does all of that preamble link with the lolita fashion content of this blog? Tangentially, true, but also I think that astrology can be quite fun so long as it doesn’t guide one’s entire life. Just like fashion is fun and shouldn’t be one’s entire life with nothing else to fall back on to build a sense of identity. And thankfully there are plenty of things that we can do to combine the two. So using my own zodiac sign as an example, and scouring various astrology sites that seemed legitimate to collate as accurate info as I could, here are some ideas on how you could subtly incorporate your own zodiac sign into your coords whilst still keeping things tasteful and far removed from the realm of costumes. And it all boils down to the things associated with each sign.

Dominant Element

Each star sign is assigned to an element and for Capricorns this is earth. It represents us being grounded and steady, and includes the potential for growth and nurturing. Which is very fortunate if you are into classic lolita (and to some extent gothic, as sweet may be harder to tie in to this) because it makes adding nods to that so much easier. Coordinates with browns and greens, using floral pieces, any kind of nature elements (anyone up for bringing back the mori-kei nods?), all of that can be a great way to celebrate being a Capricorn – or any earth sign for that matter. In my eyes the perfect piece to encapsulate that is any Innocent World Millefeuille bolero that comes in brown. Innocent World uses a really lovely, rich shade of brown and the layers of lace do look as luscious as a flower bed – all the more so if the lace is rose-patterned. But maybe I am biased as a Millefeuille bolero collector…

Such a gorgeous earth tone, don't you think? (Aaaand I've lost all the non-classic lolitas now...)

Ruling Planet

Saturn, the second largest planet of our solar system, is also Capricorn’s ruler. Once you start reading into it, then you’ll notice the same themes cropping up with many of these attributes: stability, ambition, focus, maturity etc. for this sign, which Saturn as a planet embodies very well. And if you’re into lolita fashion, then this is surely the easiest motif to incorporate into your coord because, uh, come on, Vivienne Westwood’s orbs? Admittedly, I don’t own a real one, I’m ashamed to admit that I have a pair of knock off earrings that I bought before I became aware of it being a designer logo, but it would be lovely to one day get a real one. And for the Capricorns who are more into sweet, Angelic Pretty has you covered with the Space Lollipop pochette which is just a kawaiified Saturn. And if you want something even less obvious, just remember that Saturn’s rings doesn’t have to be literal. It’s just as acceptable to simply wear a tonne of rings and call that a day. Who’s to stop you?

It's dumb enough that I'd want it and out of my usual box enough that I'll stop myself.
Photo from Lolibrary.

Tarot Card

This was something that I didn’t know, that zodiac signs also had tarot cards corresponding to them, but since tarot cards also have links to planets, it sort of makes sense. For Capricorns the corresponding tarot card is The Devil, which as I am now learning, has a much darker and more badass meaning than the other two attributes. Not necessarily the most positive, but like anything with tarot, this is quite open to interpretation. For fashion purposes going down this route of incorporating the card’s meanings (violence, sexuality, temptation, material goods, generally representing one’s darker side) is probably a bit excessive, though for a big event I can totally see how that could lead to some incredible gothic coords. There’s nothing wrong with a more literal interpretation and I feel like this one is great for a Goth Capricorn because it means you get to wear horns. Antique Beast’s Hecate headdress is, of course, my favourite (seriously, that is an incredible piece, I will be replacing my other AB headdresses with this), though the horned bonnet from Violet Fane is also a fantastic choice here. Lean into your bad bitch side, basically.

I need this in white, this is such a great headpiece. And yes, I know that Antique Beast was taking reservations only earlier in December, but that was very poor timing for me.

Precious Stone

I admit, growing up the various ‘things’ for different zodiac signs had me feeling a bit salty because Capricorn ones weren’t always up to my taste. Except the precious stone. Garnets are incredibly chic and when you boil down to it, it’s just a more accessible ruby – the difference is mostly chemical and only slightly in colour (garnets are a little darker). And you know me, I do love red and I do love a red stone jewellery, so this Capricorn for sure would have an easy time incorporating this little zodiac nod into a coord. Whilst I don’t own any actual garnet jewellery myself (maybe one day?), the point in fashion can be to reference it instead of displaying it. So the obvious thing to use here is Puvithel’s Crystal Heart jewellery, but any kind of red stone jewellery will do. Or go down a less obvious route by creating a coordinate using some beautiful, rich shades of burgundy to evoke a sense of being a garnet. As much as I don’t miss the dress itself, BtSSB’s Full of Stars ~ Bright Starry Night ~ JSK that I had was probably the most luscious shade of wine red to work for a garnet.

This shade of red is a bit closer to a ruby than to a garnet anyway, buuuut why would you want to be this pedantic?

Flower

Last but certainly not least, having flowers associated with things is one of the most common things. Countries have their national flowers, there’s a whole language of flowers – zodiac signs have them too. And I was a little surprised to see a pansy be Capricorn’s. Not in a bad way, just unexpected until I started reading into it a little more and then it made sense. The connotation here is about being small but mighty, as well as a nod to the fact that Capricorns tend to be very thoughtful and the name pansy derives from the French word meaning “to think”. The obvious lolita item here is any sort of a pansy print, there are enough of them, just take your pick. This is something that I don’t have per se – but there are enough of them on BtSSB’s Polonaise Brillante. And I also have some pansy hair clips to match it and match it they do perfectly. Up until now this dress and most of the accessories that I buy to match it have been meaningful to me as repping my cultural heritage, so the fact that they can now double up by giving off that sweet-sweet floral Capricorn energy is extra nice.

These pansies look like the best girlies, they're the nice girls at school even if they still unwittingly end up intimidating people by being in a giggling group. Also, I am now a little nostalgic for the AYWi30C challenge...

All of this has me really excited to try something new with all of those pieces and to maybe do something special for my birthday in January. And all of these would make a great little birthday/zodiac-themed coord challenge, if anyone out there wants one.

Also, because zodiac is December’s Bibliotheca theme and we are approaching the holiday season, I’m sure that you all will have a lot more free time on your hands, so if you want to fill that time with some light reading, absolutely make sure to check out the Bibliotheca bloggers. As for me, this is the last post that I will share this calendar year, so I hope that all of you have a wonderful last few weeks of 2023 with plenty of rest and only good vibes.

Things That Look Like Sets But Aren't

As a long-standing advocate of coordinating instead of matching, as well as someone who’s been in lolita fashion for literally over a decade, I have my fair share of sets that aren’t really sets. There is no trick to getting those, just patience, keeping your eyes and mind open, and being lucky. But the results are definitely worth it. Because not only is getting a full lolita set not always possible - it’s also not always necessary. Welcome to this little Show’n’Tell post.

One: A Whole Outfit

| Innocent World Rose Lace Millefeuille bolero | Wonderland Ukiyoe Lilith’s Collection skirt | Angelic Pretty Classical Petit Rose headbow | AatP Lace-Up Ribbon OTKs | Violet Fane brooch |

This is the one that many of us aspire to when getting the actual full set is not an option: something that still looks like a complete outfit because of how well all the pieces coordinate with one another. I wore most of this coord to a meetup in October and lost track of how many people pointed out the perfect colour matching. But getting to this stage took around 6 years as the earliest piece here was bought in 2017 and the latest only this year. The extra funny thing here is that whilst many might think that matching an uncommon colour like this one would be trickier because it is, well, uncommon, I’d argue that it was easier than matching some of my very common colours (like wine red or sax blue) since those have a bazillion shades and undertones that throw a spanner in the works.

Two: An Accessory Set

| Puvithel Crystal Heart necklace | Le Petit Four bracelet | vii ring |

A certainly much easier thing to accomplish is obtaining individual accessories that together appear as if they are a matching set. Depending on your style of choice, this usually works well because certain motifs and colour combinations pop up relatively often. I mean, a lot of cameos are made out of the same mould and although there are obviously hundreds of cupcake shaped jewellery pieces, with that volume you’re bound to find a few that look deceptively similar. This trio worked out particularly nice and it’s only upon a much closer inspection that you’d be able to notice the slight differences in style or shades of blue. I also have the Puvithel crystal earrings and brooch, which obviously make this even more of a set, but since they are by the same maker and from the same series as the necklace, it’s much less impressive for the purposes of this post.

Three: Coord Statement Pieces

| Angelic Pretty Candy Fun Fair OTKs | Dancing Days cardigan | Vendula Diner bag | Folk & Fortune Late Night Diner necklace |

But arguably the most useful accidental set for a lolita is one that basically is a lot of complimentary builder pieces that can then be worn with a variety of main pieces. A full set in the traditional lolita sense is great, but that is just one look. Whereas something like this can be worn with a range of main pieces, blouses, hair pieces, and shoes to flavour the outfit differently. It’s the same vibe, just with a different undertone. And especially when you’ve fallen into the trap of buying more main pieces than builder ones, having something like this can really trick your brain into thinking that you have more coord options than you actually do. This may be the set that I am most pleased with because of how it evolved, first with just the colours and then with the diner theme happening on top of it. If you like a certain theme or motif a lot, getting a set like this will do your wardrobe a big favour, trust me.


All of these ‘fake sets’ were completely accidental matches and lucky finds. Often ones I didn’t notice until they were already in my possession, though sometimes deliberate in that “Hm, I have this, so it could match that” way. So really, don’t fret if your pinks don’t match or if you couldn’t get a full set of the release you liked. If my wardrobe is anything to go by, there are incredible and totally unexpected matches just waiting for you to be discovered.

1 Piece 4 Looks - Ugly Christmas Jumper edition

Not many people here realise that I absolutely do take requests for posts and videos. If there ever is something that you’d like to see my take on – 100% ask! I can’t promise that I’ll get round to it straight away, but I can promise that the idea will live rent free inside my head until eventually it materialises into something.

This is how this post came about. I got a message with a suggestion and you surely all see that this was too good not to have a go at. Given that there are all kinds of ugly Christmas jumpers out there, from the quirky-yet-cute to truly abominable, I will try to give some tips on styling these with lolita instead of just throwing some looks out there, featuring my ugliest (lovingly) of Christmas sweaters.

Look 1: Keeping it simple

| vintage sweater | Bodyline L380 skirt | offbrand cutsew, boots, and beret | MuFish tights | Angelic Pretty Twinkle Sky headbow |

The safest way to coordinate something outlandish, whether it’s an inherently lolita piece or not, is to keep things simple. Opting for neutral colours and foregoing patterns everywhere else makes the ugly jumper the main feature and the coord point that it’s intended to be. Even if you have nothing in the colours on the jumper itself, you can never go wrong with a solid black or white base for it. The simpler the styling, the higher the chance that the outfit overall might fall out of the lolita category and into just the general kawaii/inspired one, but it’s Christmas, do you really care that much as long as you get to wear your fun festive gear? Sometimes the occasion might even call for that as I wouldn’t necessarily feel out of place wearing some variation of this to the office Christmas party.

Look 2: Leaning into the colours

| vintage sweater and brooch | offbrand cutsew, shoes, and collar necklace | Wonderland Ukiyoe Lilith’s Collection skirt | Angelic Pretty Lovely Ribbon OTKs | Rose of Sharon hair clips | Tiny Passerine Creations The Duchess' Tea earrings |

A step up that still remains relatively simple is to either attempt something relatively monochrome or pick one accent colour from the jumper to work the whole coord around. Depending on what colours you’re working with, the end result could be quite fun in a way that doesn’t have to immediately look loud. Unless you want to take it there, of course. And especially if your jumper (unlike mine) uses some less than typical Christmas colours, e.g. pinks or purples. Although in this case even pulling from the green, which there is only a little of on the cardigan itself, ended up with quite a fun coord. Sticking to colours that are already in the item that’s the main point of your look helps anchor it in something safe and guaranteed to work, which might turn into a bit of a stepping stone towards bolder outfits. Especially since a lot of lolitas will start out their journey in the fashion with coords rooted in white/black/ivory before trying colourful coordinating options – this is no different.

Look 3: Pattern Clash

| vintage sweater | Violet Fane Otome Nostalgia skirt | Laura Ashley blouse | Snag Trifle tights | Hot Chocolate Designs Chocolaticas Margaret shoes | Cutie Creator white x gold headbow | offbrand hair clips | XKawaiiCutieX earrings | Candy Kitsch bracelet |

An opposite approach to keeping it simple is to lean into the loudness of your ugly Christmas jumper. The uglier the design, the more it should embolden you to really go for it. Embrace maximalism and art désordre (which is what I call cluttercore because not everything needs to be a ~core) and be the gaudiest thing around. When you throw every possible pattern at a look it just becomes intentionally too much. Of course, still pull from the general colour palette of the jumper, at least a little (at least in terms of shades/undertones), so that they all link together somehow, but beyond that – go wild and enjoy the ride. If the thought still scares you, even after you reject the lolita label in favour of embracing the Christmas spirit, why not think about a look like this as decora but with patterns rather than physical accessories? The point and the effect are pretty much the same, and accepting a label that explicitly welcomes maximalism might be what helps you release any hesitation.

Look 4: Festive All The Way

| vintage sweater | BtSSB Secret AIR MAIL from Sweet Kitty JSK and headbow | Fi.n.t. cutsew | Innocent World Origa OTKs | Angelic Pretty Twinkle Star ankle socks | Hush Puppies boots | Beholder Fashions mini hat | Trixie La Fleur Nutcracker brooch | AatP The Mouse King★Gualtiero Medal pin II | Peacockalorum wrist cuffs | Angelic Pretty British Ribbon ring | 4 Aces ring |

You could also try maximalism, but in a more streamlined version than a pure pattern clash and embrace the festive spirit in full. Lean into the theme of the pattern on your jumper or go for something more generic that is a recognisably Christmas theme, then style the whole thing like that. In this case here, even though the jumper has little to do with Nutcrackers, by leaning extra hard into styling the whole coord in a more military lolita way it still ends up working as a whole. It might require some mental gymnastics if your ugly Christmas jumper is even more novelty, e.g. themed to a specific franchise as well as the holiday, but I think that the effect would be worth the effort. Think about what sort of festive themes might match the characters on the jumper or the colour scheme of it, then work from there. Both Christmas and lolita are about having fun, so have all of the fun!


The one thing that links these various ways of coordinating ugly Christmas jumpers is that they prioritise the Christmas vibes over lolita. There is a certain degree of faffing required to make an item not made with lolita fashion in mind (usually longer, in bolder colours, a lot less soft and feminine and a lot more of a bold statement) work. Depending on what it is that you’re trying to achieve or what the occasion is, that faff may not always be worth it. So rather than sweat it that the combination is not absolutely perfect in balancing two very different looks, embrace that. If people can use the “Fuck it, it’s Christmas” excuse to indulge in other treats whilst dropping the guilt, then you can use it to have some fun with mixing your clothes without the pressure of getting it perfect for some anonymous person judging it online whose opinion you’ve never even asked for. It’s either this or dedicate the time, energy, and resources into finding that perfect ugly Christmas jumper that is lolita fashion-ready from the get go - as cuter fashions gain traction once more, this may turn out easier than you thought and especially if you have money to throw at some independent artist who knits or crochets that sort of stuff.

Just have fun and enjoy yourself this festive season.

November Coords Roundup

November can be such a rollercoaster of a month depending on what you are into: some post-Spooky Season blues, some pre-Festive Season cheer, a bit of tiredness from the impending end of year and (in the Northern Hemisphere) poor weather mixed with a bit of cosy from the soft knits and warming drinks. And you know what? Even though the lows can get quite low, I still like Novembers.

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Coord 1: Legends & Lattes

| Innocent World White Double Braid Tartan skirt | offbrand top, shoe laces, and earrings | Snag Papaya tights | Hush Puppies boots | Cutie Creator headbow | Tiny Passerine Creations necklace | Latte Galaxy brooch | Felfira Moon Designs brooch | Banned Retro Bella belt |

Orange and light blue is an underrated colour combo, need to do more of that.

I am very much a bedtime reader, so this phrase crosses my mind a lot. Tbh, only the fact that capitalism demands I be up early for work actually gets me putting the book down.

The Legends & Lattes Lookbook that was this month’s video was filmed whilst still in October. And whilst I didn’t necessarily plan on staying in this coord, it was comfy enough that I did. This particular one was inspired by the book cover of Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes, hence the somewhat unusual colour palette. Though I must say, I like it a lot, the pops of blue are so effective against these warm autumnal tones, it really is like a crisp blue sky above trees changing colours. Honestly, go make yourself happy by putting together an outfit based on a book cover, that was actually really fun and I might do more of that in the future just for the fun of it. And make sure to check out the lookbook, if you haven’t already.

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Coord 2: Bookishly Working

| Dear Celine Magic Book OP | Innocent World Rose Lace Millefeuille bolero | Putumayo Celestial Light OTKs | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Haruhi Clover headbow | Angelic Pretty Royal Unicorn necklace |

Still obsessed with this one lipstick.

I'm fairly sure there's a unicorn hiding somewhere in this print too.

Slowing down and getting onto cooler weather was the perfect excuse to wear one of my warmest pieces. At the same time, work was still quite busy, so I opted out of anything too elaborate, hence this cosy look. My copy of Travis Baldree’s Bookshops & Bonedust arrived that day too, so it was all perfect for that!

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Coord 3: Dark Academia Inspired

| Angelic Pretty Royal Unicorn Switching JSK | offbrand top, boots, and necklace | Pretty Rock Baby Spring Break Upper East Side cardigan | Innocent World Belle Epoque OTKs | Imperial Fiddlesticks headbow | Risu Rose necklace | Amadea Kingdom The Adventurer D20 brooch | vintage bracelet |

My prescription has changed now, so that goodness that these glasses aren't expensive, I really want to replace them once I have the funds to.

For how great this bracelet is, I don't wear it as often as it deserves, this was only its first outing.

I’m not sure whether this counts as fully dark academia, but it’s certainly inspired by those vibes. Between the rich jewel tone colour scheme and the eclectic collection of jewellery I feel like I should be visiting Imaginarium in York. Which admittedly was on my mind that morning as I was recomming that a friend going to York visits it, though I actually had the outfit laid out the night before. For such a light coloured main piece, it continues to amaze me how well Royal Unicorn goes with jewel tones, it must be that gobelin fabric carrying those vibes.

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Coord 4: Hallmark Film

| Bodyline L262 JSK | Ank Rouge cutsew | Axes Femme cardigan | Metamorphose Snow Crystal OTKs | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Cutie Creator Maiden’s Prayer headbow | Chrysanthemum’s Concerto necklace | Star Glazed Delights ring |

Back on that intense blush to look like I've been out in frosty weather makeup kick.

Still one of the best purchases from Axes Femme I ever made.

All throughout the week I’d been getting progressively more into the spirit of Christmas, which included this coord. Pretty low-key as all I did was work from home, but cosy and cute to feel all the happy, fuzzy feelings from getting excited about the holiday. Definitely perfect for a heroine of a Hallmark Christmas film (which now that the SAG-AFTRA strike was ended and a deal accepted, hopefully they too will get a good deal out of this).

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Coord 5: Unexpectedly Worked

| Mary Magdalene Paulina JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | AatP Arabesque OTKs | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Cutie Creator Maiden’s Prayer headbow | offbrand brooch and ring | Le Petit Four bracelet |

Me? Repeating hair and headbow stylings? Nooo, never!

You can even see the glimpse of how lovely the ivory textures here are and how well the shades match.

I was only looking for some options when a thought popped into my head to try this JSK with this cutsew. They are both such different vibes and yet somehow (probably thanks to the colours) ended up working rather well. Had I had the energy I would’ve styled this up a bit more, then the combination would’ve been even more successful – but I was already on the fence of potentially staying in a hoodie all day, so the fact that I still dressed up nice is victory enough.

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Coord 6: Baking and Festive

| Violet Fane Otome Nostalgia skirt | DreamV cutsew | Innocent World Wendy OTKs | Sosic Shop shoes | handmade headbow | offbrand stud and brooch | Candy Kitsch earrings | Lady Sloth Winter Spices necklace |

No makeup except some lipstick because it's not like I actually went anywhere.

Sometimes detail shots turn out slightly cursed. Such is life.

Not to be confused with festive baking. Baking came first and then since I put up my Christmas tree the day before, I had festive tunes on in the background. A cosy day like that demands a cosy outfit (and no rings because I was kneading dough) and this one hit just the right spot. Otome Nostalgia is such a versatile print, I am yet to find a colour that it wouldn’t work with - but those browns tap into just the right level of extra nostalgia sprinkle. I made savoury buns stuffed with mushrooms, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes that I then had to resist really hard not to gobble up in one sitting since the plan was for them to be my lunches for the week. But damn, it’s was such a simple day and I loved every moment of it.

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Coord 7: Casual Diner

| BtSSB Snow Dot skirt | offbrand top | Crown Label cardigan | Haenuli Secret Garden tights | Laura Ashley shoes | handmade headbow | Candy Kitsch earrings | Folk and Fortune Late Night Diner necklace | Jule et Lily Popcorn brooch | Trixie La Fleur Milkshake brooch | Star Glazed Delights Brand Whore ring |

Sadly, these glasses aren't in stock anymore, so I won't be able to replace them.

ALL the diner vibes!

Despite black with pastels not being quite my thing, the idea of doing a black x dark colour coord just because it’s November wasn’t appealing to me. So as I played around with ideas for this skirt (and it had to be this skirt because comfort) I landed on skipping black completely and focusing on the mint and pinks pulled from this cardigan. And as most of my mint and pink accessories are one way or another diner themed, the coord created itself. It was definitely warm and comfy, and whilst on a day off I maybe would’ve done something more with my hair, freshly washed hair doesn’t lend itself very easily to styling. I still like the coord though.

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Coord 8: Hamilton Take 1

| Resailan Jewelry Box JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | Annzley corset | Teja Jamilla Crown tights | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Innocent World Art Nouveau headbow | Puvithel Crystal Heart necklace and earrings |

Ah, the joys of trying to take a good selfie in artificial lighting...

Those joys include ominous shadows too.

The first of my two planned outings to see Hamilton now that it’s on a UK tour and this one I was seeing with Mum for a belated birthday present for her, which meant very good seats. After my last outing to Hamilton, where I wore red, it was time to rep the other side, so I went with blues this time. And as I wasn’t feeling the top of this JSK right now, I covered it up with a cutsew then hid the seam line with a corset. The outfit looked great, though the corset was a bit of a choice given that we went out to dinner before the show, to a Malaysian restaurant, and ate quite a lot. That’s how things work out sometimes and I have no regrets.

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Coord 9: Breakfast and Charity Shopping

| Summer Fairy Limited Menu JSK | Angelic Pretty Logo Embroidered Turtleneck cutsew | Haenuli Secret Garden tights | offband boots and beret | Candy Kitsch earrings | Folk and Fortune Late Night Diner necklace |

I need a bigger red beret, this one is actually too small for my head.

All the coords I've done with these necklaces so far make me feel better about getting both.

The plan for the first full day of my Mum’s visit was that we’d go to Dishoom for some breakfast and then to Altrincham for some quality charity shopping. There is never a bad day when you are wearing the Dumb Burger Dress and indeed, plenty of people have complimented it with a big smile on their face. I haven’t actually paid much attention to that when coording, but looking back at the photo, it seems that the reds were a pretty spot-on match. The Charity Shop Gods once again have blessed me with a cheap tripod (perfect as I needed one), as well as some super cheap Christmas baubles (the best kind). I also stopped by Waterstones as @lena_golita and I are doing a little book club thing for Christmas - except that the book we agreed to read wasn’t in stock at that branch and a different one with a very enticing cover was there, so I grabbed that. Oh well, it’s not a waste of money if you’re buying books, right?

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Coord 10: Classic WFH

| Baroque Repose of Queen OP | Innocent World Original Lace Millefeuille bolero | Violet Fane Antiquite tights | Sosic Shop shoes | Cutie Creator Maiden’s Prayer headbow | handmade earrings | offbrand necklace | vintage brooch |

Really cycled through nearly all of these headbows this month, didn't I?

A very floppily pinned brooch.

Classic in the sense of using brown as my accent colour. And also classic in like “ah, classic, overdressed for working from home”. I think ultimately this outfit came out nice, but I don’t have that much more to say about it besides that.

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Coord 11: Something Cosier

| Angelic Pretty Diner Doll JSK | Axes Femme top | Angelic Pretty Romantic Angel OTKs | Irregular Choice Flickety Kiss shoes | Pink Up Fanny’s Dressing Table hair clip | Sweet Dolly House necklace | Melty Wish necklace | Trixie La Fleur Milkshake brooch | Lady Sloth My Coffee Time brooch | Jule et Lily Popcorn brooch | handmade bracelets |

I dunno, this whole wispy hairs out of a ponytail hair situation was much cuter in my head than it ended up being irl. Part of me was contemplating whether to get my hair cut into a wispy fringe, but I'm not sure.

Big and little sister energy here.

In an answer to the question of whether Diner Doll can be worn in cooler weather - this. In other words - yes, of course, why not? This is the time for knits and this top is so soft and cosy. Because when you wake up on a Friday full of sadness that it’s not Saturday, you need to cheer yourself up in any way that you (sustainably) can.

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Coord 12: Fascinating Aida

| Haenuli Just One Bite JSK | offbrand bolero, shoes, and ring | Jane Marple OTKs | Ruha Garden headdress | Eulalia earrings | Metamorphose Grand Couronne necklace |

I may have found a selfie spot for when natural light is gone.

Should it be the other way around? I'm not sure. But in the light of the Queen is Dead finally being (somewhat) announced, this feels appropriate.

For those who don’t know (and they are a very British boomer lady kind of humour), Fascinating Aida is a singing comedy trio who entertain audiences with tongue-in-cheek songs and apparently have been doing so for 40 years now. Admittedly, I only know two of their songs (though both are genuinely funny and I think they’re a great summary of the sort of humour they have, listen if you fancy: song 1 and song 2 [nsfw]), but the tickets were cheap so I went. Since they usually dress in some sort of a nice dress, why shouldn’t I? Just One Bite may be a bit too gothy, but it’s also incredibly elegant, so it made sense in my head to do something more understated and retro elegant with it. Everyone else apparently agreed too because I got positively showered with compliments at the theatre, it made me feel even more classy than I was already feeling. And I must admit, for boomer lady humour, this was a very fun evening.

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Coord 13: Day Out

| Haenuli Whipped Cream Kitty JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | Fi.n.t. sweater | Snag tights | offbrand boots, beret, and earrings | Trixie La Fleur Nutcracker brooch |

Not the sort of a hairstyle that photographs well, nonetheless it was cute.

Itching to be festive and at the same time not having that much energy to be. This Nutcracker is a mood.

For Sunday I had an eye test booked (my eyesight is worse and I’m probably going to have to replace all of my glasses, sad times) and since I was already going to be in town, I figured that was as good a time as any to dress up and have a day out. I did some shopping and I never thought I’d say this, but compared to the Christmas Markets and the rest of town, Affleck’s was an actual oasis of peace. Afterwards I chilled a little at Mala Secret Garden before meeting up with my boyfriend and going for pizza. People of Manchester clearly have good taste and recognise a good dress when they see one. For a chill day out, this was very lovely indeed.

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Coord 14: Last Day of the Month

| Lady Sloth Slavic Bestiary JSK | Amavel cardigan | offbrand tights, shoes, beret, and necklace | Cutie Creator headbow | The Seamstress of Bloomsbury brooch |

Somehow this looks like a particularly preppy selfie.

Does this doggy go with the dress? Not really. But he hasn't been worn once yet and I felt sorry for him.

My initial idea for November 30th (St Andrew’s Day) was a little bit more witchy, hence the choice of JSK. But let’s face it, tiredness is real at the end of November, so scaling back to something more casual and cosy was a good shout. I like how the green tones work with this print, it looks really nice and helps the print pop a little bit more somehow.

*~*~*~*

As this post is going live, November is but a memory and I have only 16 days left until I set off for Japan. Part of me is feeling the rush typical of this time of the year, the ‘so much to do and so little time left’ – but for the most part, I am pretty calm and content. Not everything’s been perfect and things that are to come also will not all be perfect – and that’s ok, I am at peace with that, such is life. Expect a significant delay with December’s coord roundup because I will still be abroad when the year ends and I intend to rest rather than stress over posting. But there will certainly be some coords to show after I’m back.