January Coords Roundup

As someone with a January birthday, I always try to defend my birthday month from all the bad press. But this year even I am feeling like it’s been a particularly long month. More in the sense that a lot seems to have happened and how can all of this be the same 31 days, but still.

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Coord 1: Hatsumode

| Metamorphose Gold Braid Tuck Pinafore JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | vintage haori | Pairs Scotland socks | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | offbrand hair clips and earrings | Chrysanthemum’s Concerto necklace | Innocent World Strawberry Fields wrist cuffs |

The joys of trying to photograph a high ponytail and get your good selfie angle in.

These are such nice wrist cuffs, I need to wear them more often.

Last year my hatsumode coord was very much just an idea – this year I actually made it happen! This was also the one moment where I wished I had someone with me to take photos because whilst the shrine I went to would’ve been the perfect photo backdrop for this, it was tiny yet still frequently visited, so I could find neither a place for my tripod nor a quiet moment where I wouldn’t disturb people who were actually praying. I went to Yatsumatae no Kiosode Daimyojin, which enshrines tanuki as opposed to foxes like most Shinto shrines (apparently a pretty common thing in Matsuyama and I can confirm, tanuki were nearly everywhere). Hopefully the tanuki god will smile upon me this year. Also, whilst Matsuyama was the mildest of all the places I went to in Japan, being the furthest south, this was not the day to forego my coat because although mild, it was windy af and that wind was cold. Still, I managed not to freeze and avoided catching any colds, so maybe those blessings were already in effect…

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Coord 2: New Year Sales Shopping

| Lady Sloth Winter Spices skirt | offbrand top and boots | Amavel cardigan | Snag Trifle tights | Cutie Creator headbow | vintage necklace | Candy Kitsch bracelet |

Here I would like to give a shoutout to Meitu for fixing my uneven lipstick in post.

This one is called 'When you remember the unworn Christmas accessories'.

Most of that day was spent on a train travelling back to Osaka, so again, comfort was important. I had initially laid out the plain green tights to go with this look, but between you an me, they were not up for another wear and I skipped them from laundry earlier that week after they ended up staining my Innocent World OTKs (I thought I had washed the loose dye out already, but apparently not enough). So these came back in for a surprise post-Christmas outing. As soon as I was settled back in Osaka, I dashed out to Amemura to finally spend serious money at Atelier Pierrot. In retrospect, I probably could’ve bought one or two more things…

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Coord 3: Kobe

| Grove Deer Moon of Eternal Day OP | Axes Femme cutsew | Pairs Scotland socks | offbrand boots, hair clip, and jewellery | handmade bracelets |

One of the things that I really wanted to tick off my metaphorical bucket list was trying wagyu beef. I have very clear memories of first learning about it, specifically about Kove beef whilst out in Kobe with my friend, but we were poor students who could not even dream of such luxuries. It’s not like I needed all of that shirring for eating as such, but I felt like being a little bit more elegant given that I was going out for fancy food. I also stopped for some more shopping around Sannomiya (and regret not doing a little more - as much as I love Shinsaibashi and Namba in Osaka, Sannomiya is cheaper, pro tip from me) and some shrine visits to get omamori which I didn’t manage in Matsuyama (because there literally were none, the shrine was that tiny). How is my experience of trying wagyu? I definitely felt posh indulging in an A5 sirloin and can confirm that it is delicious. It wagyu does live up to its reputation for melting in your mouth and whilst I usually cook mine well done, the chef recommended medium and I found it delicious. However, because I’m more on the indifferent side to beef, I don’t think that I’ll be dreaming about this in the years to come or yearning to have it again. If you are a beef fan though, it’s definitely an experience worth saving up for. After all of that it was time to buy me another suitcase and try not to stress about packing because that was my last day in Japan.

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Coord 4: Flying Home

| Violet Fane Otome Nostalgia skirt | Angelic Pretty Logo Embroidered Turtleneck cutsew | Amavel cardigan | Snag merino wool tights | offbrand boots and hair clip |

Lighting in the room? Yellow. Light right in front of the window? Perfect.

That day's compliment to the skirt goes to the cabin crew member of Malaysia Air who was leaving the airport hotel at the same time as I was.

For transporting my petticoat back home I picked Otome Nostalgia – it is certainly far more comfortable than Winter Spices since it’s fully shirred, though I do wish that I had pockets. Still, for another long journey it was perfect as this time I reached home without feeling like things were pinching in too much anywhere. And I even got a stunned “wow” from a member of the security staff at Frankfurt Airport where I was transferring (seriously though, why the need for security check again during a transfer, this shit needs to stop!).

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Coord 5: Beary Cute

| Innocent World Revival Sweet Teddybear JSK | offbrand top, earrings, and necklace | Axes Femme Kawaii Bear Brooch cardigan | Angelic Pretty Sealing Border OTKs | Angelic Pretty Fancy Border ankle socks | Irregular Choice Flickety Kiss shoes | BtSSB Princess Drop Swing Ribbon combs | Angelic Pretty Charlotte’s Bear brooch | Twinkle Kitty Boutique ring | Candy Kitsch ring |

I don't know why any of the happier-looking selfies didn't come out to my liking, so have an unusually serious face for such a cutesy coord.

It was all about these socks this time.

Whilst still off work I took the time to film January’s video. I mainly wanted to wear this cardigan and as many of the other new purchases I brought back from Japan as I could, which is how this coord was born. I mean, this dress is pretty perfect for a bear theme. After having some doubts at the Axes Femme store whether this cardigan was the right thing to buy, I am now fully sold – it may not look warm, but kept me quite toasty all day without overheating or causing me to sweat (since it is all synthetic fibres). And it’s sooo soft. Definitely one of the best purchases overall, two thumbs up!

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Coord 6: Cosy Bear

| Violet Fane Ginza Kissaten skirt | offbrand jumper | Tabio socks | Cutie Creator headbow | handmade (not by me) necklace | Milkribbon Butterkeks brooch | Kirstteas Pumpkin Cat Bean Pie brooch | Angelic Pretty Melty Ribbon Chocolate ring |

So you mean to tell me that I now have to work again? Huh...

I forgot how superior Japanese socks are.

Still on the bear kick (I brought back a surprising amount of socks with bears on them), but in a more toned down version for working from home. I do wish I had some sort of an ivory or brown collar that I could put on this, I think it would’ve pulled the look together better than the necklace. But hey ho, you make do with what you have in the absence of what you want. Part of me was a little disappointed in coming back to work after a 3 week absence to “only” 192 emails, I fully expected a four-figure number.

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Coord 7: Natural Witch

| Dear Celine Magic Book OP | A.R.W. bolero | Violet Fane Enchanted Ivy tights | Modo Prayer Poem shoes | Physical Drop headbow | offbrand brooch | Felfira Moon Designs brooch |

Part of me felt an immediate pang of guilt when I "let" Kato-san convince me into impulse buying this headbow, but it's actually great and I have no regrets anymore.

Get in, witch, we're staying in bed and reading books!

First of all, it was cold. I needed layers and not only is this OP quite warm in and of itself, but it’s so easy to put warm layers under it. Secondly, as I played around with things, I landed on pairing it with these tights and then all these other lighter colours just happened. It’s perfectly chill for working from home, whilst also having plenty of interest in the coord to feel quite fun to me. Those golds and beige tones reminded me a lot of natural-kei and those sort of styles, and they brought out the lighter hues out of an otherwise dark OP. A little win, but a meaningful one.

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Coord 8: Craft Meet

| Angelic Pretty Cinema Doll JSK and OTKs | Lady Sloth Glitter Mesh blouse | Innocent World Original Lace Millefeuille bolero | Modo Prayer Poem shoes | Physical Drop headbow | vintage clips and brooch | offbrand hair pins, necklace, and rings | handmade necklace | BtSSB’s Kumakumya |

The day was windy, so I needed wind-proof-hair. This (barely visible) beehive and a roll at the back were practically a helmet. Indestructible. 11/10 withstood the horrible weather.

Look at those gold eyelashes.

This was Kinnōsuke's first meetup and like a true child of mine, he does not understand the concept of casual. The forecast had wind warnings, so my hair was a helmet that did not budge a single bit the whole day. And the boy was actually the inspiration for this look, ivory with pops of gold is not something that I’ve done with this dress (criminal, I know) and it came out so well. I even got a bit of proper crafting done, including asking people more knowledgeable than me on how to actually construct what I was making, which on top of a very lovely afternoon was a real winner.

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Coord 9: Casual Friday

| HeartE Tartan JSK | vintage blouse | offbrand tights and shoes | Cutie Creator headbow | Three Little Pirates earrings |

Trying out the mini twintails for some extra volume, but the angle didn't capture them well.

Too much tartan? Oh dear, darling, I'm only getting started!

Once again the will to dress up met the need to stay comfy. But I really like how this came together, I really need to wear this JSK more, it always makes for very effortlessly chic outfits.

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Coord 10: Board Game Cafe Meet

| The Black Ribbon Konbini Market JSK | offbrand blouse, sweater vest, a standing beret | Angelic Pretty Loving Ribbon OTKs | Sosic Shop shoes | Angelic Pretty Dolly Chiffon headbow | Angelic Pretty Fancy Crepe necklace | Dear Celine badge | Fluffy Tori pin | Angelic Pretty Cute Ribbon wrist cuffs |

The 80s called, they said they're coming back.

Everybody can indeed be kawaii.

I got this sweater vest from Vinted (and immediately got obsessed) and I've been thinking about wearing Konbini Market for the meet anyway. When I tried it on the day before, it gave me big 80s mum vibes, so I leaned into those with everything else. I really felt like I should have a giant cooler bag with me and hand out everyone a Capri Sun. We went to check out a new board game cafe in Leeds, which was fun, if a little stressful at the end when the staff turned out to not be able to handle a group of around 15 very efficiently when it came to payments. Still, it was lovely to see people, some of whom I haven’t seen in a while and some of whom were completely new. We love a relaxed meet, they’re great.

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In a similar way to January feeling quite long, I am also already feeling like there isn’t enough time in February with how much is already in my planner. I’m reminding myself about taking deep breaths and hopefully everything will work out. But I’m excited for all that is still to come – I am determined to make this a good year and a more social year, and this month was a good start on that journey.