December Coords Roundup

It’s January – but I only just had the capacity to finish this post and wrap 2023 up properly. Hope you’re missing that Christmas content because there will be a fair share of it here!

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Coord 1: Dotty for December

| Metamorphose Polka Dots Tiered skirt | Laura Ashley blouse | offbrand jumper, tights, socks, and barrette | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | XKawaiiCutieX earrings |

Ah, it's been a while since my hair looked this nice (even if the hairspray made it feel quite crunchy lol)

This is very much a look that I've been into a lot in 2023 overall.

Of course that I’m going to dress up on the first of December and finally release all of that festive cheer! Even if still in a somewhat more comfortable and casual version because boo for work ruining that vibe. I really like how this coord came out, it’s super cute and kept me quite warm, which is a necessity given how much the temperatures have dropped. What you don’t see is that under the skirt is the jumper’s caption that says “Up to snow good” – and that is exactly what I was that day.

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Coord 2: Christmas Lunch

| Axes Femme Kawaii Coca-Cola Collab JSK | Angelic Pretty Glitter Knit cardigan | Enchantlic Enchantilly Angel’s Ball Party tights | Bodyline shoes | Peacockalorum headbow | Beholder Fashions mini hat | Tiny Passerine Creations The Duchess’ Tea earrings | handmade necklace | offbrand and vintage brooches | Candy Kitsch bracelet | Star Glazed Delights Brand Whore ring | Wicked and Whimsy ring | Banned Retro Bella belt |

The first time taking selfies with a new phone and I freaked myself out with them being flipped. Or more specifically, not mirrored after being used to seeing them mirrored for years.

An assortment of festive brooches.

Not gonna lie, I was Naked-chan for the longest time, partly because I’d been reminding other people to wear stuff with tonnes of shirring and partly because I’d been stuck on my own ‘when did I last wear it’ tracker. So I ended up ignoring both of these things and worn my most recent acquisition and channelled that good old 90s Coca-Cola Christmas truck ad energy with the coord. On the morning of the lunch things were set to keep inconveniencing me in minor ways (eyeliner smudging, hair not curling the way I wanted, new phone being too big for the holder), but I still managed to end up with a look that I was pleased with and make it to the venue on time. Just like last year [https://cupcakes-and-unicorns.blogspot.com/2016/01/december-coords-roundup.html], we had a really lovely time and a good meal. I love these comm Christmas lunches, they really fill me with festive cheer and joy, and love for the community, so that alone would’ve been perfect. That I also came back with a wonderful gift from the Secret Santa exchange and a very kind gift of some loose change in Japanese yen from a friend who’d come back from her trip recently only made the fuzzies all the warmer. And in the end, despite all my shouting about shirring, I managed to eat pretty much all of those three courses and not feel like I was too stuffed, so a win all around!

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Coord 3: Back Again

| Lady Sloth Winter Spices skirt | offbrand top, barrette, and slippers | Snag Papaya tights | Axes Femme collar | Kirstteas brooch | handmade (not by me) brooch |

Repping both the festive season and my friends with their amazing work.

My plan for that day’s outfit was different, mainly in terms of the main piece, but as it turned out I put on a little bit of weight and it wouldn’t fit that day. So I went with the path of least resistance by swapping out just the main piece. It wasn’t until it was on that I remembered that I had worn basically this whole outfit before and as soon as I did, I only took a quick mirror selfie because only a few details are different. Though those details were the point of the coord, so I made sure to photograph them! That day generally had it in for me (my work monitor decided it was done with life halfway through the morning), so generally I gave myself permission to take it a bit easier than I would’ve anyway.

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Coord 4: Tartan Season

| Wonderland Ukiyoe Lilith’s Collection skirt | Pairs Scotland socks | everything else is offbrand |

I look so business-like here. You can trust me to take care of your next event booking.

Part of me is tempted to one day replace these Primark fake pearls with a string of ring ones.

The coord is pretty tentative in its link to lolita fashion, but again – my blog, my rules. And I really like how this outfit came out. It’s somehow subtly festive, subtly business-casual, and subtly elegant. It shouldn’t work this well and the fact that it does just goes to show that experimenting in fashion pays off. I was a little stuck for accessories because of the different vibes and colours that the skirt and the blazer bring round, but if in doubt – you can never go wrong with some pearls. And that little pearl of wisdom continues to be true.

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Coord 5: Overdressed Once More

| AatP Rosier Fleur JSK | offbrand top and necklace | Innocent World Rose Lace Millefeuille bolero | Violet Fane Enchanted Ivy tights | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Cutie Creator headbow | vintage earrings and brooch | Rose of Sharon brooch | Ublins glasses |

Only just noticed that earring swinging wildly.

Moral of the story is, if you're thinking about something for a good part of five years, you should buy it.

There is absolutely no need to get this dressed up for a supermarket trip – but I did. Between feeling like there’s very little time until leaving for Japan and still having things that otherwise won’t get worn before the end of 2023 and wanting to see if some of my other things also don’t fit the same anymore, I was keen on wearing this JSK that day. The coord itself is that nice uncomplicated classic and in that sense it came out exactly like I wanted. After missing out on these tights waaay back in 2018, I thought about them so often that when Violet Fane re-released them I was ON IT. And I’m very glad that I did, these really pull the coord together.

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Coord 6: Delayed

| L’esprit de la Noblesse La Bibliotheque JSK | Angelic Pretty Glitter Knit cardigan | Metamorphose Dressy OTKs | Modo Prayer Poem shoes | Cutie Creator headbow | Axes Femme brooch | vintage brooches | handmade bracelets | Ublins glasses |

I have relied on the flat headbows so much on those freshly washed hair days, I need to up my repertoire.

Dang, I'm still proud of making those bracelets.

I had this coord all laid out to wear to see Hamilton for the second time. But then on the day I was really not feeling like going, the end-of-year fatigue combined with cold outside/warm inside swayed me towards laziness and staying home. So instead I wore it a few days later for working from home. It includes a few combinations that I’ve done before with JSK, but never all of them at the same time, so guaranteed to work whilst still being pretty new to me. Now that I am part of the Modo shoes gang, I can absolutely vouch for their comfort. Will that stop me from getting a pair of gold Elf Armorie ones if those ever appear? Erm, no comment.

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Coord 7: Going

| Lady Sloth Winter Spices skirt | Amavel cardigan | Snag tights | offbrand boots |

This is where we enter the Japan Coords Era. For such a long journey comfort was a priority, but also not having to pack a petticoat. This skirt also won thanks to pockets, though I admit that by the time I reached Japan I was not the most comfortable. But it did its job and then some.

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Coord 8: First Day

| Violet Fane Otome Nostalgia skirt | offbrand top, boots, beret, earrings, and brooch | Amavel cardigan | Pairs Scotland socks | vintage necklace |

That's the face of someone who's really bloody happy to be back in Japan!

This brooch has done a lot of work in December alone.

On that very first day (or rather for most of my trip) my plans were very loose, mainly wandering around familiar places and feeling all of the nostalgia heal. And only after writing that did it hit me how appropriate Otome Nostalgia was for that. My main point was, again, comfort, but also a degree of recognisability as a lolita because the wandering included some lolita shops where looking the part typically gets you a better experience. Also, whenever you see me in these pictures without a jacket on, just know that that’s for the pictures only. Yes, it was mild (for the most part), but not quite that mild, it was still December after all.

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Coord 9: Reminiscing the Old Days

| Metamorphose Gold Braid Tuck Pinafore JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | Innocent World Belle Epoque OTKs | offbrand boots and earrings | Cutie Creator headbow | Ublins glasses | Ebony & Ivory brooch | Metamorphose wrist cuffs |

Every now and then I try the downturned eyeliner and I still can't decide how I feel about that.

Ah, that direct wintery sunlight...

A big theme for me in 2023 was going back to the campuses of the universities I went to and having photoshoots there. That’s what that day was for (and reminiscing more broadly about that first study abroad trip to Japan) and thankfully Kwansei Gakuin Daigaku is known for its beautiful campus. Even though I hid away in a slightly less aesthetic part of it to take those photos.

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Coord 10: Travel Day 2

| Lady Sloth Winter Spices skirt | offbrand blouse, boots, and beret | Amavel cardigan | Angelic Pretty Rose Lace Pattern OTKs | handmade necklace | XKawaiiCuteX earrings | Trixie La Fleur brooch |

Whilst in Japan I got this rose brown eyeliner and I've been a little obsessed.

There's something so punk about lolita socks with bows and roses paired with practical boots.

I promise that this skirt wasn’t just for travelling in. But as I was changing into something non-lolita for the evening, re-wearing it for the train journey was a sensible thing. Plus, this coord came out really cute, the socks in particular work so well with this skirt.

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Coord 11: Snow Day

| Grove Deer Moon of Eternal Day OP | Axes Femme cutsew | Metamorphose Snow Crystal OTKs | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | offbrand hair clips and jewellery | handmade bracelets |

It's astonishing how the barest bit of makeup makes a tonne of difference.

These pearl clips and pins might have been some of the best purchases I made, just generally.

I happened to arrive in Kanazawa right as the snow fell. And we’re talking like 30cm of snow, the proper stuff. So although I had earmarked this coord for that day in advance, the socks turned out to be spot on. Oh don’t worry, the shoes were just for photos. That was a really chill day: my Japanese family, whom I was staying with, took me to see the new prefectural library (I kid you not, it’s so dreamy), we picked out sushi for dinner (which admittedly, I’m not exactly keen on, but I learnt that when it’s wrapped in lettuce leaves instead of nori, which is the main problem for me, it’s a lot nicer), and we baked a cake for our Christmas dinner (a very non-traditional orange peel and walnut chiffon and whipped cream cake). The apron my Japanese mum gave me was actually super cute, it had some lace around the top and two pockets, we were all saying how it matched my outfit so well. I forgot to ask where she got it from, but to be honest, after my previous apron-making success, I feel encouraged to make something like this. Whether I will or not, it has certainly changed my opinion of the full-body aprons with lolita, as until then I was a die hard fan of the bottom-part-only ones.

Festive anonymity applied, the point here is the apron.

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Coord 12: It’s Christmas

| Axes Femme Kawaii Coca-Cola Collab JSK | offbrand top | vintage jumper and brooch | Snag Trifle tights | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Haruhi Clover headbow | XKawaiiCuteX earrings |

When this silly cheesecake pinup-esque selfie comes our right, it is just the best for fun retro looks!

Just two lil' snow guys, hanging out.

This is actually not that far off from the pattern clash coord I put in the Ugly Christmas Jumper 1 Piece 4 Looks post. Not sure whether I’d call it a more toned down version, but there are certainly fewer patterns here. This was Christmas Eve and although the Japanese do host Christmas parties, it’s not exactly a full ‘everything is closed’ kind of an event, so I still went to town for a bit of shopping. That is where I unexpectedly emerged with a Kumakumya – I swear, it’s the 20th anniversary limited edition thing that got me, not the Kumya itself. The boy is called Kinnōsuke 金之助 after hailing from Kanazawa 金沢 and he is up there with the Dumb Airline Dress and the Dumb Burger Dress as far as Dumb Purchases go, but I still love him. What was really extra cool is that as I was checking out the shop staff asked whether I had come by bus and when I said yes, she whipped out these three bus vouchers for 100 yen each. It was part of some sort of city-wide campaign to thank people for shopping during certain times and doing so by using public transport (since the vouchers were valid for local trains too), which I thought was extremely cool. It basically meant that my return journey was free bar like 20 yen. Not to say that this made the Kumakumya purchase worth it, but the experience was certainly one that stayed with me and I wish more places did that. And then, of course, we had a very non-traditional Christmas dinner in the evening. Honestly, make your own traditions for important holidays, it’s fun.

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Coord 13: Off to Tokyo

| Violet Fane Otome Nostalgia skirt | Axes Femme cutsew | Amavel cardigan | offbrand tights, boots, hair clip, and brooch | Chrysanthemum’s Concerto necklace |

You know, I can't remember if I put any eyeshadow on that day. I'm staring at this photo so hard and still can't tell.

Just bow things.

After the snows of Kanazawa it was time for the noise of Japan’s capital, which I seem to have launched rather head first. I have to say, the Japanese absolutely love the Otome Nostalgia print, every time I wore it I had someone admire it and compliment me, even in such a casual look as this. Not much more to say about this look besides that.

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Coord 14: Zushi and Yokohama

| Grove Deer Moon of Eternal Day OP | Pretty Rock Baby Spring Break Upper East Side cardigan | Snag Hit the Bottle Green tights | offbrand boots, hair clip, and jewellery | Chrysanthemum’s Concerto beret |

When the cafe gets empty, you take those selfies immediately!

Did I ever tell you that I have a weak spot for snowflakes? Oh, I did? Well, can you blame me?

What does a lolita wear to the beach in winter? This, apparently. My nostalgia for Zushi stems from my second year abroad when a friend from my course did an internship there and part of me fell in love with this charming place. Think of the feelings that “A Town with an Ocean View” from Kiki’s Delivery Service evokes and that is basically it. I was also dreaming about getting another doughnut from Misaki Donuts – if you’re still thinking about a food a literal decade later, you know that it’s good. A stroll around the beach did me tonnes of good and afterwards, as that was the only actually planned thing for me to do, I enjoyed the freedom of hopping off the train back to explore a giant goddess statue looming over Ofuna (big recommend), then did some more lolita shopping in Yokohama as well as Ikebukuro, where I was staying. Overall, a very good day and such a great coord to carry me through it.

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Coord 15: Ushiku and More

| Violet Fane Otome Nostalgia skirt | Axes Femme cutsew | Amavel cardigan | Innocent World Belle Epoque OTKs | offbrand boots, hair clip, and brooch | Tiny Passerine Creations The Duchess’ Tea earrings | handmade bracelets |

Honestly, I liked this look more in the mirror than I did on selfies. Sometimes things just end up that way.

These bracelets are something like 7 years old by now and I still use them so much.

The only reason I wanted to go to Ushiku was to see the Ushiku Daibutsu (well, and a little bit because I was trying to break even with my JR Pass). For someone pretty uninterested in religion, I somehow ‘collect’ trips to see these great Buddha statues, plus how can you be a Kamikaze Girls fan and not want to go? (By the way, Ushiku Daibutsu is not that close from Shimotsuma, the film makes it out as if it’s just down the road, but that’s still a good 40 minute drive.) Unfortunately, I timed my arrival poorly and missed the only bus going there from the train station by like 5 minutes and the next one wasn’t around for 2 hours. So as to not waste a trip, I Google Mapped what’s around and went for a stroll around Ushiku Chateau, a local winery and ‘a rich sod once lived there’ kind of a place. Which I’m sure is lovely in spring or summer with people around, but it was bare and hardly anyone was around when I went, which only creeped me out. But hey, it made for a nice photo background. Afterwards I went to Jiyugaoka in Tokyo to shop at Physical Drop HQ and my luck turned around because I got to meet Kato-san who is an absolute darling. That more than made up for the really random trip in the morning.

Kato-san is a darling and Physical Drop rules. You can fight me on that.

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Coord 16: An Overdue Reunion

| Axes Femme Kawaii Coca-Cola Collab JSK | vintage blouse | offbrand tights and jewellery | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Haruhi Clover headbow |

Finally found a quiet area of Tokyo, praise be!

These textures please me a lot.

I was really excited to meet up with my friend after a decade, so whilst I tried not to go too overboard with the coord, with non-lolita friends even pretty casual frills are a lot. I would also not recommend doing 15k steps in heels, but I will admit that there are worse choices for that. Although it wasn’t quite New Year’s yet, the area of Tokyo we met up at is a lot quieter (Hamachou, in case you need a respite), so the cafe we planned on going to was already closed for the holiday. To heal our past student selves, we went to Saizeriya – a very cheap family restaurant chain serving Italian food that is stupidly cheap, but seems like a luxury when you’re a student. Afterwards I braved going to Harajuku to the Closet Child there and whilst Takeshita-doori is way too packed (seriously, it’s almost not worth it), I’m glad that I did because it’s at that CC branch that I found the green Physical Drop OP. It’s also the only Closet Child purchase I made, despite visiting all branches but one, which is a little sad, but when there’s nowt there you want then there’s nowt that you can do about that.

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And that was the last outfit of December 2023. Not the last outfit from my trip to Japan, but you’ll have to wait for the January 2024 coords roundup post to see those. Given the season and the necessities of packing, there was understandably a lot of red (and green) this month, though when I did a little look back at all of 2023’s coords my favourites almost all included reds or warm tones, which I think I need to ponder more closely. That’s a matter for another post though.