There’s a common saying in Polish that roughly translates to “You become who you associate yourself with”. It’s mostly a comment on absorbed behaviours or speech quirks, but as we all know, prolonged exposure to specific things leads to some absorption in all manner of ways. There’s also a reason why we call certain people influencers, though of course some of that is more intentional on their part than e.g. the folks in your comm might be. And the kind of EGL style that I find myself surrounded by these days is certainly beginning to rub off on me to the point where it is leaving the subconscious for the conscious.
 |
| Photo by Ann H on Pexels.com |
The biggest one of those is with Atelier Pierrot. Whilst I’ve admired their items from afar for years, it’s only recently that I began to covet any. And it’s certainly not because of their aesthetic changing because that’s basically the same: elegant, heavily ruffled, focused on fabrics, trims, and textures over prints. But whilst hanging out with LGBTQIA+ friends has not made me gay, hanging out with a whole bunch of AtePie fans is turning me over to the dark side. Will I be entering my goth phase now? No, that’s highly unlikely. But I am certainly pondering getting an AtePie black JSK or ensemble to live out that EGL textural heaven. And I am craving an open neckline black blouse since I don’t have one.
 |
| Paulina the goth stays dormant until key moments when she wakes up. Image from Atelier-Pierrot.jp. |
Not far behind is Physical Drop. This particular influence has been building within me on its own accord anyway. But the combination of seeing people wear their items in all kinds of ways, creative and casual, and being part of online and offline comms that include members in their 30s and 40s really makes that kind of simple comfort all the more appealing. I am finding myself not wearing certain things because my tolerance for that kind of sensory stimuli has drastically declined. Physical Drop doesn’t give me that, certainly not to the same extent, and so I am finding myself repeatedly going back to their online catalogue and making very big doe eyes.
 |
| Ok, right now I don't specifically mean the leopard print dress - but I won't deny that I am still in its grips. Photo from Tawaraya-Kato.ock.jp. |
In a broader way, what the two influences above represent, is a shift towards solid coloured main pieces that focus on structural details and/or layering to achieve interest in the outfit overall. Again, this is something that I’ve admired in others almost since I started, but seeing it more and more as a result of the growing popularity of these two brands in particular has pushed the ‘want’ button in my magpie brain. One day I have found myself randomly developing a yearning for a chiffon JSK with a tiered skirt where the tiers are adorned by ruffles purely because I saw someone’s handmade one that was gorgeous. Similarly, I’ve been eyeing a sundress from Atelier Le Carrousel purely because I found out that I liked the tied shoulder straps that were on some random newer-ish Angelic Pretty release. As helpful as it is to be able to identify that what I want is a certain style and not necessarily the specific piece, once you start noticing it, it seems to be everywhere, which is less helpful when trying not to spend as much money.
 |
| I probably should diversify and not have all my solids be red - but then they'd just be ivory. Photo from Lolibrary.org. |
With all of those influences preying on me and telling me to have a full wardrobe overhaul, separating white noise from legitimate threads to pursue isn’t always easy. Having (I guess finally) caught on to the idea of the 75 Hard Style Challenge, it resonated with me on the aspects of re-wearing items to see what you naturally gravitate towards. As much as I don’t have the spoons to actively pursue that, I have the nearest approximation in the form of my EGL last worn tracker and Whering where I additionally log all that I wear (yes, even on days when I don’t dress up because I still get out of pyjamas).
Maybe it is time to listen to the influences, if they match up with how I’ve been feeling about specific coords. Maybe there have been signs that I’ve been ignoring.
Or maybe I am massively overthinking this whole thing because that’s how fashion-focused magpie brains operate and they always crave the novelty of the greener grass on the other side.