1 Dress 4 Looks Take 72

Sometimes the stars align in such a way that you see a woodland-themed Meta print on someone at a meetup one day and within a week you’re buying a different woodland-themed Meta print for yourself because the deal was too good to pass up on. I never expected myself to get anything like Lovely Forest because up until now I’d been adamant about not wanting bunny or deer prints. Just goes to show that people can change and that one motif in a print doesn’t overshadow the overall vibes. So let’s get cosy with this!

Look 1: What Came With

| Axes Femme cutsew | Metamorphose Little Squirrel OTKs | offbrand shoes and necklace | Cutie Creator headbow | handmade earrings | Risu Rose tea party ring | Fluffy Tori Tea Party Hard pin |

I purchased the skirt off Mercari as a set with these socks, so it’s only fair to try to coord them together. The shade of the socks is very muted, which thankfully is what the shade of this knit cutsew is. Altogether this combo makes for a look that’s casual and cosy, and still quite bright, just like this skirt.

Look 2: Cosy Monochrome

| Axes Femme cutsew | DreamV cardigan | Pairs Scotland socks | offbrand shoes, earrings, and rings | Cutie Creator headdress | Triple Fortune hair pins | Summer Tales Boutique  necklace | vintage brooch | 

I did say “let’s get cosy”. I’m not sure what about this print makes me inclined towards all the cosy looks (maybe it’s just the season), but I couldn’t resist a more single tone take. The shade of ivory of this skirt is very warm, but in a more of a pink-ish way than a yellow one, if that makes sense? So matching that will be a nightmare, however, I can drown it out with things that are more true ivory and it still works. And look at all these textures!

Look 3: Studying Nature

| Axes Femme cutsew | Amavel cardigan | Innocent World Short Boots OTKs | offbrand shoes, beret, earrings, and brooch | Rose of Sharon hair clip | Fantastic Grim Jewelry necklace | Violet Fane The Apotheque brooch | Le Petit Four ring | Enchantlic Enchantilly Queen Cat Secret Library ring | 

Is this still light academia or already dark academia? Either way, there was no way that I would’ve skipped doing a coord with green given how prominently it features on this print. When working on ideas, I also toyed with a different take, but this was simply more cohesive – in other words, don’t overthink your ideas, kids.

Look 4: Golden Boy

| The Seamstress of Bloomsbury Jive blouse | Angelic Pretty Twinkle Glitter Knit cardigan | Roji Roji socks | Modo Prayer Poem shoes | offbrand beret and necklace | Physical Drop headbow | Amadea Kingdom The Adventurer D20 brooch | Jane Marple  ring | BtSSB Kumakumya |

At first I thought to do something with yellow, since there is yellow in the print. But my actual yellow bits are very limited and gold is just a metallic yellow – so this gold coord was born. For the sake of interest, I decided to accessorise with some bronze, to tie the whole thing back to earth tones and the forest themes of the print. And the boy for good measure because he is technically a bear and thus technically a forest creature (even though Kinnōsuke has literally never seen more than a couple of trees in a park – he is very golden though).

For all the colour possibilities within this print, I really found myself drawn to the entirely neutral base ones with only small pops of colour. I think those coords, whilst not the most adventurous, allow the print shine and I like how they all look so different despite the colour similarities. Having really leaned into the cosy vibes of this skirt now makes me extra grateful that I decided to get it. I should still get a fair bit of use out of it despite the cold weather.

October Coords Roundup

I hope that your Spooky Month was deliciously macabre. Mine had moments, but we all know that I am more about the delicious than the macabre.

*~*~*~*
Coord 1: Travelling to London

| Angelic Pretty Cinema Doll JSK | A.R.W. blouse | Innocent World Ribbon Lace Millefeuille bolero | MuFish tights | American Duchess Bernadette shoes | vintage hat | offbrand earrings, necklace, and ring | Axes Femme brooch |

This look was very much appreciated by both staff and attendees of Guys & Dolls.

As a Millefeuille bolero collector I am not allowed favourites... but ribbon lace would be one of them if I was.

Did you know that there was an actual chance that I could’ve bumped into Misako? Well, the chance was ridiculously tiny, but she appeared to have been in London at the same time as I was. But that’s a by the by, I was dressed up for travelling anyway in order to best transport my petticoat, shoes, and hat, as well as do London in style. Londoners and a few others have really appreciated this coord, I lost count on how many times it was complimented. I also went to see Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre, which was deliciously cheesy and fun, I had a great time.

*~*~*~*
Coord 2: Lockhart Returns

| Mary Magdalene Paulina JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | offbrand tights and ring | American Duchess Bernadette shoes | vintage hat | Puvithel Crystal Heart earrings | Fantastic Grim Jewelry necklace | Patisserie Pink Bookshelf brooch | Felfira Moon Designs pin | Pacockalorum wrist cuffs | Enchantlic Enchantilly Queen Cat Secret Library ring |

I always forget how much of a difference lashes make.

Obviously it's book accessories for a book launch.

The reason for my London trip was the release of Lockhart Returns, the continuation of the fantastic Lockhart Mansion. And oh, did I have a right time trying to decide what to wear! I’d caused a whole thing by asking people to help me coordinate another dress and did not feel any of the genuinely great suggestions – and then it turned out that the dress doesn’t actually currently fit me, so that’s something to figure out later. In the end I decided to do a Lady Who Reads coord with my namesake JSK, since it seemed fitting for a book that has my name in it thanks to supporting it via Kickstarter. The tea party was much smaller than the previous one, which I think worked in its favour. You can see a short vlog here, but because the vibe was genuinely that chill and relaxed, I vlogged a little bit less this time. It was great to be able to properly chat to everyone and learn about the making of Lockhart Returns (including from one of the illustrators of the merch), as well as what really helps an independent creator (the answer is: reviews, reviews, reviews). By now the book is available to purchase, so grab yours here and enjoy November evenings, whether they be long and dark or hot and lazy, with a great book. You won’t regret it!

*~*~*~*

Coord 3: Casual Travels

| Metamorphose Sailor Tiered skirt | Snag tights | American Duchess Bernadette shoes | vintage hat and cardigan | offbrand belt and jewellery |

What goes around, comes around, and the return trip also required some frills. This time of a much more casual variety, predominantly for comfort. That being said, I had this idea of layering this obviously too long cardigan with this skirt and I really liked the silhouette that the two created. I didn’t get a picture until I got home, but that’s fine, it was precisely that sort of a coord.

*~*~*~*

Coord 4: My Formula

| Haenuli Whipped Cream Kitty JSK | offbrand top | Innocent World Rose Lace Millefeuille bolero | Angelic Pretty Toy March OTKs | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Cutie Creator Maiden’s Prayer headbow | vintage necklace | Angelic Pretty Chess Chocolate Emblem brooch | Star Glazed Delights ring | morun x muuna stoic overskirt |

I may or may not be planning a lookbook around this formula...

It's nice to feature this brooch again after so long (however long it may actually be, I genuinely don't remember the last time I used it).

To be honest, I didn’t go with the intention of using my formula items – I was playing with ideas in Whering, starting with the bolero, and the rest happened. Which really cements the idea that this is so strong of a formula for an outfit for me that I do it without even thinking. The more classic take on this very sweet JSK is really tied together with the overskirt, both by virtue of hiding some of the print and thanks to all the extra lace. For the first day of Spooky Month, this is not in the holiday spirit, but it is very much in my spirit.

*~*~*~*

Coord 5: Gothy Twins

| Physical Drop Long Sleeve Shirring OP | Valee Lys Nocturne tulle cardigan | Annzley corset | offbrand tights, hair clip, and necklace | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | AatP Tulle Lace wrist cuff as a canotier | Promised Land Creations earrings | handmade bracelets |

I love twinning with people who don't do a lot of hair and makeup styling, it makes my life so much easier and getting ready so much faster!

If you need a canotier headdress, you really should use a wrist cuff and some hair clips.

Well, well, well, who would’ve thought that I’d do a goth twinning coord, eh? The funny thing is that the only items that are actually the same between @a_cute_bean and myself are the overdress and the shoes – everything else is different items, but with the same vibes. I mean, I literally faked a canotier headdress by clipping a wrist cuff to my head and hiding the hole with some rose hair clips. But the overall effect worked really well and I thoroughly enjoyed this kind of very low level styling. It certainly made me wonder whether I should try going more goth just so that I could get away with doing nothing to my hair more often. Doubt that it would actually happen, but it’s nice to know that the option is there. We went to Cocoa Cabana for some afternoon tea, then to a nearby canalside park for pictures, and it was overall a great day with lovely vibes.

Twinning shots by @atelier_ahiru.

Twinning shots by @atelier_ahiru.

Twinning shots by @atelier_ahiru.

*~*~*~*

Coord 6: Witchy Wednesday

| Baroque Repose of Queen Teatime Dress | Valle Lys Nocturne tulle cardigan | AatP Arabesque OTKs | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes with shoe clips from Angelic Pretty’s Elegant Doll boots | Rose Thorn witch hat | offbrand necklace and rings | Gravelvet Iridescent Princess necklace | Folk and Fortune Ruby Hilt Dagger brooch | Patisserie Pink Bottled Stardust brooch | vintage belt and brooch |

Mischievous witch is way more my vibe than a spooky one.

Although I will stab a person if it will advance my magicks /j

In looking for ways to capitalise on this tulle cardigan I thought that it would look great with this OP – and I was right! The two are the same length, so they flow together wonderfully and I must admit, when I was buttoning it up, before I tied the ribbons, it gave the loveliest sort of Italian Renaissance silhouette which I will be sure to reach for at some point in the future. The day itself was pretty uneventful, consisting predominantly of avoiding work, but at least I looked great.

*~*~*~*

Coord 7: OTT Sweet Punk

| Angelic Pretty Flower Garden JSK | offbrand top, jacket, boots, beret, and hair clips | Snag White Russian fishnets | Angelic Pretty Crown Ribbon OTKs | Bibelot Rose badge | Vivienne Westwood Lorelei stud | Big Pink Boutique earrings | Angelic Pretty ribbon | Metamorphose Grand Couronne necklace | rings from Irma Saf, Jane Marple, Star Glazed Delights, and offbrand | brooches and pins from Six: The Musical, Fluffy Tori, Summer Tales Boutique, Love from the North, Magical Mews, @akarisuko, and offbrand |

An admittedly softer take on 1980s goth/punk makeup. And yet I was already freaking out about how much blush and eyeshadow this was lol.

A peep at all the pins and brooches.

The North-West comm celebrated its 10th anniversary with a screening of Kamikaze Girls. So when I tell you about the panic I panicked the night before because I struggled to get inspired – it was real. I might write about my feelings regarding being very not into oldschool during an oldschool revival heyday, but that's not for now. In searching for a more punky option to vibe more with Ichigo, something told me to try my leather jacket with this dress (which, whilst not oldschool as a 2013 release, is more in the spirit of Momoko’s fancier stuff) and that was the jackpot for me. I'm not sure if OTT sweet punk is actually a thing, but I guess it is now. In hindsight, striped socks would've been more punk, but eh, whatever. I looked like Momoko and Ichigo’s legitimate child and that's what I wanted. The various pins and brooches were chosen both for colours and the levels of sass they added to the coord, and since I don't want to put stuff through pleather, the side tiers of ruffles finally found a good use. Maybe in future OTT looks I'll think of some more ways to adorn them. The meet was fab, as you'd expect. It's always wonderful to watch Kamikaze Girls and so many people have come, including plenty who have never seen this iconic classic before. The film is ageing very well and it has brought back my Japan nostalgia from hibernation. 

Educate your Kumyas! (And yes, that is the Most Embarrassing Behaviour brooch on him.)

*~*~*~*

Coord 8: Cosy Adulting

| Innocent World White Double Braid Tartan skirt | Axes Femme cutsew | Axes Femme Kawaii Bear Brooch Knit bolero | Metamorphose Little Squirrel OTKs | Sosic Shop shoes | Cutie Creator headbow | offbrand necklace | Amadea Kingdom The Adventurer D4 brooch |

Not sure why the picture makes this headbow look extra flat and my head extra long.

That satisfying moment when a brand matches its colours this well.

Sort of landing on an almost woodland critter vibe with the bear and the squirrel, but mainly I just wanted to be cute, as well as cosy, for working from home and a whole bunch of other adulting that happened throughout the day (and resisting all the shopping temptations). The coord achieved exactly that and I really like how the textures of the lace on the cutsew and the cutouts on the knit work together, very satisfying indeed. 

*~*~*~*

Coord 9: A Delayed Day

| Metamorphose Lovely Forest skirt | Axes Femme cutsew | Fi.n.t. Cardigan | Haenuli Secret Garden tights | Cutie Creator headbow |

You know that feeling when your routine is off by a little bit, but it throws off the whole day? Yeah, that’s what happened to me. So rather than force myself to do everything, I scaled down on some stuff, including not doing anything more to the inaugural outfit for this skirt than just throwing the clothes on, which thankfully I had planned out already. Sometimes that’s how the dice rolls.

*~*~*~*

Coord 10: Japan Day

| Axes Femme Kawaii Coca-Cola Collab JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | offbrand tights, hair clip, and brooch | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Vivienne Westwood Lorelei studs | Vivienne Westwood Mini Bas Relief pendant | vintage necklace and gloves | Magical Mews Swan Hoe pin | handmade bracelets | 

Really pleased with this look, it came out just as I wanted it to.

Repping that Meta brainrot or whatever the kids actually say these days.

Through a host of various circumstances I have found myself representing the North-West comm at Japan Day, a cultural festival/convention held every other year by the Japan North West Society, which this year took place in Manchester. Given that I anticipated the event to attract more normies than young weebs, I wanted to wear something that stood out a little bit more, but unfortunately, my original plans were thwarted by the dress I picked not fitting me anymore (and the same with the next back-up). So I spent one evening being sad about it, one day coming to terms with it, and then finally came up with a replacement plan based on what could realistically fit me – and thankfully, I had a version of this in the bank. Really giving those vintage Coca-Cola ads here, but with none of the actual endorsement or sponsorship. As you can imagine, the gloves were a constant on-and-off situation, but other than this I really liked this coord. It didn’t really get pictured, but halfway through the day a Vivienne Westwood necklace I bought on Vinted had arrived to a designated shop, so since I was in the area, I picked it up immediately and then wore for the rest of the day (and the rest of the weekend tbh). Japan Day itself went better than I anticipated in terms of the stall and as expected in terms of the fashion show that we were hosting towards the end of the day. The Bring & Buy leaflets were a good shout as a fair few people picked them up and even bought their tickets already and it was good to be able to speak to people genuinely interested in J-fashion and point them towards the various comms in the North of England. Let’s see how the event continues over the next few years.

Picture courtesy of @huskeyninja, with some Meitu edits by me.

*~*~*~*

Coord 11: Orange Comforts

| Violet Fane Otome Nostalgia skirt | offbrand top, cardigan, shoes, beret, and pin | Snag Sweetheart tights |  Vivienne Westwood Lorelei studs | Vivienne Westwood Mini Bas Relief pendant | Donguri Kyouwakoku badge | handmade bracelets | 

Peep the social battery pin that I sneakily used throughout the day.

When will I stop thinking about 42 Balloons, you ask? Probably never.

What does one wear for a day that consists of meeting their boyfriend’s friends followed by a stand-up comedy show in the evening? Something comfortable, that’s what. I’ll be damned if I don’t get a fair share of wear from this cardigan whilst I can and it turned out to be a fantastic match for Otome Nostalgia. That print is just so versatile! The day was a lovely wrap to my weekend, with good vibes and a proper laugh to keep me going through the week to follow.

*~*~*~*

Coord 12: More of the Same

| Violet Fane Ginza Kissaten skirt | offbrand top, cardigan, boots, and ring | Cutie Creator headbow | Once Upon a Cookie Treat Jelly Cookie necklace | Risu Rose ring |

Whenever I leave my hair down, there's always that one hair that just doesn't want to stay put...!

Fitting into this perfectly.

Sometimes you just have to reuse stuff that works, right? There’s nothing wrong with that and seeing as my day consisted of work, laundry, grocery shopping, and video editing, overthinking a coord would be silly. Besides, I quite like how I got to shove my over the knee boots into this coord, it gives off extra seasonal vibes now.

*~*~*~*

Coord 13: Simple Goth

| Haenuli Just One Bite JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | Innocent World Cross Lace bolero | Snag tights | offbrand boots | Triple Fortune headdress | Haenuli badge | After Midnight necklace |

Proof that there is indeed a headdress.

Amped up the blues in Meitu because it is a very dark navy.

Is black x navy hella difficult to photograph? Yes, yes it is. But it's also a very cute colour combination, haters be damned, and this whole outfit was actually pretty comfy for both a grocery shop trip and working from home. Sure, I could've accessorised more, but I actually like the simplicity of it all. It's reminded me that lolita fashion in its more wearable form is just as cute.

*~*~*~*

Spooky Month has spooked its last spook for this year and can now go into winter hibernation. This, of course, means that I will very shortly become insufferable as a Christmas person with no fucks to give and no hesitation to start getting festive in November. But first – the bring and buy. I sense changes in my wardrobe, but they rely quite heavily on selling a few bits to make room and gather funds.