5 Lessons from The Big Northern EGL Bring and Buy

In case you don’t know, the past few months (and certainly the past few weeks) my mind’s been busy with organising The Big Northern EGL Bring and Buy event. Because when your comm has been talking about a bring and buy for like three years, then you may as well go big. And like any event of this size, there are plenty of lessons to take from this one, which I thought I’d share with you all. In case your comm is also in dire need of more than just a swap meet picnic.

Art by @heartmarblecookie

Branding Helps

And by this I mean consistent branding. If you’re not graphically talented (gods know that I’m not), then absolutely pair up with someone who is. A consistent visual take on the event that’s eye-catching and fits the vibes of your comm (or wider area if you’re opening the event up) will get people attracted to it initially, then help them spot any updates you might share. Even as small a thing as a colour palette that you can incorporate into it all will make the event more noticeable and recognisable to people coming. And once they notice and recognise it, they’re more likely to come. Especially when they see that it’s all like this because consistent branding is a subconscious message that the organisers have their shit together and therefore can be trusted enough to attend.

Our branding was so consistent that it was even possible to recreate it irl!
Art by @heartmarblecookie, picture and collage by @elegandfluffandloli.

Small Commitment

After this I am a massive proponent of charging people a nominal fee to attend. There’s nothing worse than a bring and buy that people flake out of at the last minute. Meanwhile, psychology has already told us that when people invest, even a tiny bit, they are more likely to follow through. We charged people £2-4, the cheaper one for the buyers and the pricier one for the sellers, which is not a massive sum, but it’s low enough that even a school-aged newbie could afford with pocket money (and convince a parent/guardian to come), whilst being enough of an expenditure to feel like now they have to show up to ‘break even’. Plus, this money can go towards all sorts of cost, from the necessary (venue hire) to would-be-nice-to-have (custom volunteer badges), whatever you can think of. Little money accumulates without feeling like a barrier to attendance.

Said custom volunteer badges. We may have championed Captain Chris supremacy to the point where both of us now want him.
Art and photo by @heartmarblecookie.

More Time and More People

You can be as organised as you want, but you can never predict how things will play out on the morning of. Especially for setup and cleanup, you will need way more time and people than you think you do. We ended up delaying general entry by 10 minutes because the clothes just kept coming and coming, and we were running out of space for them, let alone time to unpack them nicely and check that every item was properly tagged. An hour was not enough for setup, two hours would have been way better, but even that would've probably ended up down to the wire. And whilst the official schedule had a specific handful of volunteers setting up, without the rest of them willingly staying behind we would not have been able to make even that extra 10 minutes. So whatever you think you need in terms of time and numbers for setup and organising stuff behind the scenes – double it! Trust me on this. You'd rather sit idly until the opening time (and maybe use that time to make it all look more presentable) than to rush. And also, take time to rest afterwards! I definitely regretted not taking the Monday off work because it took me all of Sunday to recover from Saturday.

Just some of the hangers left behind after the event. The ones that weren't claimed.
Photo by @_chrissii_.

Be Firm When Needed

Whilst the lolita community is wonderful in how people rush to help, there really is such a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen. Equally, as much as we want to put up every single item for sale, we have to put rules in place to make sure that this can be done. On the day I had to tell several people to leave the room during unpacking and setup as they were just getting in the way because they didn't know how things were being done. Or turn away a handful of hopeful buyers because a tag had fallen off and we had no means of identifying who the item belonged to. Or to remind the volunteers that things needed to happen whilst they chat, not instead of it. It's not fun to do, but it's in the spirit of greater good and fairness, and has to be done if you don't want the event to descend into chaos. If you know that you're too awkward of a person for that, definitely make sure to partner up with someone who can. This is very much the side of big event organising that you don't realise you need until the moment is staring you right in the face. 

This was still relatively early on after opening, before the full force of everyone attending has entered the room. Without some firmness, you will not be able to wrangle a crowd of this size.

You Can't Do It Alone 

No matter what you think in your hubris. Big events don't happen without big teams behind them to keep things moving. I was initially willing and planning to do it all on my own and boy, that would have been a vastly different event – and I would have been a vastly more stressed out person as a result. Without Alice, I would've lost my marbles fairly early on, as well as missed out on some key areas that could've been done better. Without the volunteers, nothing would ever have gotten assembled. Without my boyfriend driving me to the venue in the morning I would've been so much more stressed trying to carry everything. The Big Northern EGL Bring and Buy happened because people were willing to join forces in making it come to life. The least that I could've done (and did, and encourage you all who organise things to do) is to show that appreciation loudly and frequently. Say thank you every time. Reimburse people for their contributions. Give them drinks and snacks for the help they provide and to keep them going. Point out to anyone thanking you that there are others that the thanks extend to. Because there is only one of you and only so much one of you can accomplish.

We knew that we couldn't do it alone, hence all of our branding included all three of the main BtSSB/AatP mascots. (And for other reasons too, but for the sake of this point that's why.)
Art by @heartmarblecookie.

I had severely underestimated how much interest the event would generate and how much time I'd have to myself during it. So for all the good intentions, I did very little that wasn't organising the bring and buy on the day and even in the time leading up to it. There are plenty of things that we've already earmarked as areas for improvement for next time (even if that next time won't be for a long while). But the positive buzz is an addictive high and the organiser brainrot is a real thing. So if you too are addicted to these, then may these tips above help you make your event better. And for those of you interested in a glimpse of what the event looked like, allow me to share an IG reel put together by @suki42deathlake, it gives an excellent idea of the scale of it all.

Wardrobe Farewells

The darker winter months are here and with them, the gloomier theme of Farewells, as chosen by the Bibliotheca bloggers. What a perfect coincidence with The Big Northern EGL Bring & Buy that I happen to be co-organising and using as the grounds for getting rid of some of my bits. I won’t talk about every single item that I am bringing, but will give a farewell nod to the main pieces that will be leaving my wardrobe and why. (And don’t worry, if one of those is something you had your eye on, if they don’t sell at the event, they will be listed up somewhere, probably Vinted and Lacemarket.)

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán from Pexels.com.

Angelic Pretty Crystal Dream Carnival Tiered JSK

Picture from Lolibrary.org.

Yes, the time has come to finally bid Crystal Dream Carnival goodbye. This idea has been on my mind for a while, after all I very much gave myself permission to keep it as a collector’s piece maybe two years ago? But I’ve literally not worn it since October 2023, putting it off because it’s such a fancy dress that I don’t want to tone down for the sake of wearing it. Then when I finally found the right occasion, it turned out that I grew out of the dress, which was the final straw for me. Thankfully, I have a buyer ready for it, my Crystal Dream Carnival was always promised to one specific person first and I’m in no hurry, I’d rather she took her time gathering up funds than for the dress to be thrown out there to the wolves. I’d like to thank one of my first ever dream dresses for the number of great coords and memories, and I cannot wait to see it actually be worn by someone who will truly love it.

Resailan Jewelry Box JSK

Picture from My Lolita Dress.

This is another one where the love was slowly fading away and I found myself either struggling to coord it in a way that I liked or simply putting off wearing it. And this is after getting it altered as well! Which also fell into the bag of no longer fitting with how my body has changed. For a long time there was a part of me that was reluctant to sell it because of the sunk cost fallacy, as well as the perception that no-one would buy an altered piece. However, we are living in much better times now, when an alteration doesn’t immediately mean that donating a piece is your only option. So whilst I won’t be pricing this one too high to reflect the changes to the cut, the time has come now to part with it and make room for something that I won’t be dreading to see come up in my last worn tracker. I still love the print, but feel that my style may have grown out of this style of prints? I’m definitely growing further apart with navy blue.

Metamorphose Classical Sister OP

Picture from Lolibrary.org.

This is the dress that started my list of items to sell at the Bring and Buy. It had spent the last few months packed up in storage for spring and summer, during which time the thought of parting with it had solidified. I don’t even know if it still fits me since I haven’t worn it since February this year, but the fit was never my gripe with it – it was the fabric. Every time I put it on, it felt like being encased in polyester and I was uncomfortably sweaty within minutes. There was never a choice to maybe ‘just air it’ and not even pure alcohol spritzes managed to refresh it, which led to having to launder it every time I had worn it only to deal with the same discomfort the next time. Moreover, of all my OPs, four are solid red and of those, three are long sleeve ones. It’s not doing anything in my wardrobe that I couldn’t replicate, so whilst I will always hold the fold memories of the Metamorphose staff in Osaka kindly reserving it for me at the Harajuku branch to collect during my 2019 trip, I don’t need to keep it to remember that. Bye, bye, Classical Sister!

L’Esprit de la Noblesse La Bibliotheca JSK

Picture from Lacemarket.

Maybe a surprise entry on this list, since I don’t see that many more people except the designers wear it, but sometimes you just know that the time has come. In my last coords roundup post I mentioned having a right palaver with looking for coord ideas, where I got people involved everywhere (Discord, Instagram, private group chats etc.) with putting outfits together and not liking a single suggestion, despite them being objectively good coords. This is the dress in question. It then turned out to also not fit, which is far less surprising given that it was made to measure 4 years ago and it has no shirring – even last time I wore it, it was a bit of a struggle to zip up. As some of you may know, I’m not a fan of bustles, which would be the most obvious alteration that could be done on it to make it bigger and I doubt that this would be easy to find a matching fabric for (though maybe something complimentary for a panel of shirring?). Still, the fact that I’ve struggled to find coord ideas that I was actually excited by was the big push that I needed to finally part with it. If it doesn’t sell at the bring and buy or later, then I may end up asking someone to consider an alteration after all – but for now, I am ready to bid it farewell.

Lady Sloth Look at My Dreamy Sky Casual OP

I've mulled it over so long, even had this whole post written out, before finally deciding a week before the event that I wanted to include this dress too. It's lovely and whilst I get that the point of a casual OP is so that you can just chuck it on, it's long since stopped being that for me and became a bit of a point of stress. My preference shifted towards longer lengths, the sleeves are just a touch too far apart, so my bra straps would always show, no longer fitting very comfortably... If I'm really honest with myself, I've thought about parting with this one for a while, but have not had the guts to be honest with myself about it. But you know that it's serious when I take it out from storage, which is inconvenient AF, just to wash it and sell it. I still have the postcard from this print on my wall, as well as the many photos of wearing it and even a lookbook video, it is time to pass it on.

These are all the main pieces that I am selling for now. There may be one or two more joining later, but I don’t need to get rid of everything all at once. There are a few other bits coming with me to the Bring and Buy, so between them all I will hopefully generate enough money to fund some replacements. Because on top of the various individual reasons listed here, the biggest push to part with these pieces is that I’ve found my style to have shifted once more and I want to make room for a more traditional kind of classic lolita in my wardrobe. I may write more about this some other time, since that’s not very on theme for this post.

What kind of wardrobe farewells have you made recently? Or maybe you’ve had to do some other lolita farewells? The other Bibliotheca bloggers will definitely talk about a range of things that aren’t just what they’re getting rid of, so make sure to subscribe to the mailing list, if you haven’t already!

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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.)

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.