February Coords Roundup

February whizzed by in a flash, like it tends to do every year, being the shortest month of the year. Mine was packed, with every weekend taken up by something, even if that didn’t always translate into dressing up opportunities. But I certainly dressed up!

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Coord 1: Town Hangout

| BtSSB Polonaise Brillante ~ Ideas of a Maiden ~ JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | Fi.n.t. cardigan | Metamorphose Dressy OTKs | offbrand boot toppers | Hush Puppies boots | Cutie Creator headbow | handmade earrings | Victorique Violette brooch | 

It's been a big month for the tinted lip balm, it just goes so well with anything.

My CLAM Christmas Lunch Secret Santa gift, not just for Christmas.

The day before the big tea party I hung out with my friend in town all day, pottering from shop to shop and trying to stay dry. The mixed weather and a day on our feet required comfort, which ended up being in the form of this JSK without the apron. I always forget just how blue it is without the apron covering those stripes, though I think it overall balanced itself out pretty well. I did end up swapping these boots out for Docs, which was a smart move given the 13k steps pottering around amounted to, but that’s the only adjustment from social media to reality. 

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Coord 2: Etoile Reverie

| AatP’s Sugar Plum Fairy Princess JSK | offbrand capelet, stockings, and ring | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | handmade headdress | vii earrings | vintage brooch, gloves, and belt | Le Petit Four bracelet |

1920s makeup is so much, but I kind of love it, it has that air of unadulterated joy of just being able to play with makeup regardless of it it actually looks good.

And a massive, massive thank you to Gee for lending me this exquisite bag. It's a stunner, capable of carrying nothing more than a lipstick, credit card, and maybe one dream if you fold it in half.

From Naked-chan to Hollywood Star in two weeks, that’s the latest that I picked out my outfit for a tea party. And thank goodness that I already had most of the things, only needing to buy the capelet and to quickly sew the headband. It all worked out beautifully as not only my 1920s meets lolita idea came together exactly the way that I envisioned, but it also got such an incredibly positive response that I couldn’t help but feel my heart swell. What was the extra cherry on top for me was the special recognition that this dress received. It is a stunning piece, do not for a second believe AatP’s awful stock pictures. The flocked velvet, the organza, and the glitter positively sing in person and so many people who asked about the dress were surprised to learn that it’s not a very popular one. Hopefully it will find its way to more people. As for Etoile Reverie – what a fabulous event! The Stock Exchange Hotel, which I didn’t even know existed, knocked it out of the park as a venue: classy, elegant, impeccable service, and truly fabulous food. I’ll very happily go back there on my own, no need to book the whole place as it’s large enough to not really be bothered by other guests. The organisers smashed it out of the park by giving us everything that a good tea party should have, which is all the time in the world to socialise and take pictures, a great venue, and some very tasteful goodies. That’s all that you need for a successful event, honestly. Sometimes not overthinking it and going with the basics is exactly what people want. We need more big tea parties like that. Oh, and the photographer was such a delight, the picture up there is the official photographer one and I could not be happier!

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Coord 3: Green and Pink

| Chrysanthemum’s Concerto The First Semester JSK | Axes Femme cutsew and cardigan | Innocent World Diamond and Rose OTKs | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Cutie Creator headbow | Vivienne Westwood Lorelei studs | Vivienne Westwood Mini Bas Relief pendant | vintage brooch | offbrand ring |

I wonder when will people learn that I hide my lack of makeup behind fun glasses.

Just the right touch of sparkle to the whole coord.

After several attempts over the years at doing a green x pink coord with this JSK, I think I finally managed to put together one that’s balanced! I think in the past I’ve tried to be too experimental, whereas this more by-the-rules one works just as well. Very pleased with it, especially with all the fun textures around the neckline. Oh, all I did was work from home, not much to say about that.

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Coord 4: Casual (?) Knightcore

| Physical Drop Long Sleeve Shirring Dress | Haenuli Joan of Arc vest | Angelic Pretty Brigitte Regimen OTKs | Modo Prayer Poem shoes | Twilight Couture Heart of Gold headdress | handmade earrings | Estrellas Bright Star choker | Le Petit Four Sacred Heart Warrior necklace | voodoodolly ring | Strike a Pose pin | offbrand brooch |

I basically tried to recreate the hair from my Le Vitrail photoshoot, but without all the preparation for it, just a hope and a teasing comb.

One day I will whip this rapier out for a proper photoshot. 

Casual only in so far as this was very easy to put on and comfy enough to stay in for nearly the whole day. After a whole weekend of being relatively slobbish and truly taking in every kind of rest, I wanted to break out of that, though wasn’t fully ready to sacrifice every comfort for a look just for working from home. This was the compromise: a soft, relaxed OP; a vest that doesn’t need to be laced very tight; simple hair and makeup; and getting big accessories instead of loads of accessories (most of which still got taken off after the photos). I am very pleased with how this came out though. I’d happily do a bigger version of this idea should there ever be an occasion for it. For now – it scratched that knightcore itch.

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Coord 5: An Outfit Repeater

| Violet Fane Otome Nostalgia skirt | Lazy Oaf top | Amavel cardigan | Snag Plee-Yay tights | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | handmade beret | Folk and Fortune Typewriter necklace | offbrand pin | Big Northern Bring and Buy badge |

Gods know how much current me is cursing last spring/summer's me for cutting that fringe. The growing out is annoying af.

Forever circulating between wanting to be on a Hankyu train bound for Umeda, volunteering at a lolita event, or surrounded by romance writers. Genuinely, this is my life right now.

I actually wore this coord (and another one) the week before, during a short trip to Germany, but never bothered to take even a mirror selfie. There was enough on my plate and not having to stress about coord pics on top of it all was much needed. But I liked the outfit, it was born out of my own surprise that I haven’t yet paired this skirt and top together yet, and further prompted by the Valentine’s Day occasion. So I wore it again when I came back. Saved me time on having to work out what to wear for a day of (very hardly) working from home. The other coord I might save for another day.

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Coord 6: Cyber Gamer

| Atelier Pierrot Whip JSK | Axes Femme cutsew | Metamorphose Cyber Neon Girl jacket | Angelic Pretty Lovely Ribbon OTKs | offbrand boots and hair clip | Big Pink Boutique earrings | Melty Wish necklace |

Get ready for more 1980s influences on my lolita coords now that I have this awesome jacket.

I tested the QR code and it does indeed take you to the Metamorphose website.

The JSK will have to wait its turn, but I couldn’t resist coording the jacket asap. The fit of it is so fun, love the oversized look that’s still snug at the waist. This is definitely way out there for my wardrobe right now, even this particular JSK leans just a smidge too classic and kept throwing off the balance of everything else, but thankfully it is still just about neutral enough to work. Great for a post-work DnD session. If only this had pockets… I’d probably trade the reversibility for some pockets.

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Coord 7: Theatre Outing

| Haenuli Whipped Cream Kitty JSK | offbrand top, cardigan, and hair clip | AatP Alice's Glittery Card Suits OTKs | Elf Armorie Cupid’s Heart shoes | Vivienne Westwood Lorelei earrings | Vivienne Westwood Mini Bas Relief pendant | AatP badge | Dear Celine badge |

For the last two weeks or so I've been working on my glass skin makeup/skincare. This was probably the most successful attempt at it, though it's a bit faffy to achieve, so idk, I might end up abandoning that project entirely. We'll see.

Remember to take your little guys on culture outings.

My first theatre outing of the year was to see Priscilla: Queen of the Desert - The Musical. And a gay show absolutely demands a colourful dress. I kept the overall styling simple and it definitely ensured that I was comfortable. I don't necessarily love the socks here, I picked them as one of my more neutral options, but I'm really unsure what I would've swapped them for if I were to re-wear this, so I'm not letting it bother me too much. The show was as colourful and happy as I expected and I kind of want to see the film now too. Very intrigued by Hugo Weaving in drag, is what it is.

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Coord 8: A Knight’s Tale

| Mary Magdalene Paulina JSK | Haenuli Joan of Arc vest | Lady Sloth Glitter Mesh blouse | Putumayo OTKs | Modo Prayer Poem shoes | Haruhi Clover headbow | Etoile Reverie hair clip | offbrand earrings and ring | Metamorphose Grande Couronne necklace | A Knight’s Tale: The Musical pin |

I've been putting off getting new glasses, but I may have to commit sometime soon.

Still regularly thinking about that show and regretting not seeing it more than once. Please, come back, my love!

I hadn’t realised that 2026 is the 25th anniversary of A Knight’s Tale the film. So when a friend asked if I wanted to go see it, it was an instant yes. And finally an excuse to wear this JSK after a while. Even though the hemline of the vest is not necessarily the most compatible with that of the JSK, the side panels work perfectly. And mixed metallic haters better look away – obviously I had to wear my A Knight’s Tale: The Musical pin and I don’t care that everything else in this coord is gold, I just threw some more silver jewellery at it all. Absolutely loved re-watching the film for the first time probably since 2001 (excluding a couple of scenes caught randomly on Film4 back in my TV-watching days), it has stood the test of time and if you haven’t seen it yet, I wholeheartedly recommend that you do, it’s just great fun.

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Once again, there is one more coord planned for the very last day of the month that’ll make it to next month’s coord roundup post. I am hoping that March will bring us more spring-like weather because I have been truly yearning for it. I’ve had my fix of being cosy in the cold for now, give me some warmth now and let me stop having to put on a bajillion layers. It’s still a little too early to get my spring-summer clothes out, but hopefully not long. As much as I’ve enjoyed wearing black recently, I want to be back in my Victorian Maiden shirred dress or the green Physical Drop OP.

Would I Bring Anything Back?

 Reuse, reduce, recycle. Reuse. Recycle. Use. Cycle. Despite proposing the evil idea of simply posting the exact same post as something from your past for this BIbliotheca prompt, I decided that many of my older posts are good staying in the archive. But what is fashion if not a constant cycle of things going in and out of style, in and out of wardrobes? I’ve sold a lot last year, as well as plenty over my time in this fashion, and as my tastes change and shift, sometimes it’s fun to look back at the things I used to own. For this post I’ve picked six main pieces that have moved on from my life to see if I made the right choices or if any call to me now. And I’m deliberately excluding anything that was sold within the last year  or two. The fun is in checking if the really old stuff might have completed the cycle yet!

Angelic Pretty British Crown OP

Ah, if only AP went down the Mea route and gave us some cute, long sleeve OPs in plus sizes. That otome-leaning era of lae 2010s was so up my alley...
Photo from January 2018.

Remember the sort of mindset that we were all in back in 2017, when British Crown first came out? For me that was a time of growing admiration for Jane Marple’s crowns era and I really thought that an OP that had that Jane Marple quirk to it would be something I’d wear a lot. In retrospect, if I got the JSK, the print probably would’ve lasted with me longer because AP’s long sleeve OPs aren’t cut for Western frames. Actually, I need to stop looking at pictures of this print because I still really like it and still think that I could’ve somehow made it work. Just because I could doesn’t mean that I should!

BtSSB Full of Stars “Bright Starry Night” JSK

Baby did so well with this cut and with this fabric choice. Maybe Alice and the Pirates will take the baton? This sor of choice feels much more heir thing these days than Baby's.
Photo from September 2020.

For one of my early dream dresses, I certainly got a good run of wear out of it. What made me eventually sell it was mainly my body changing to the point where this wasn’t a comfortable fit anymore and I didn’t like it enough anymore to want to alter it. But whenever it pops up on secondhand sales, I still look. It still catches my eye. And this particular cut really was so good. But in the end, I don’t repurchase it and don’t feel like I would. I like the fabric and the gold trims, as well as the cut. I’ve not seen Baby do anything like this in a while, but Atelier Pierrot is known to use fabrics with a similar lustre and they have the benefit of being non-printed, which appeals to me more now. So I’ll pass up on that. But something similar in the future perhaps?

Juliette et Justine La Couronne Classique Robe

The pain of that night out (because yes, I went out in this) is indescribable. JetJ lied to me about being a luxury brand and I am still scarred.
Photo gtom January 2022.

Boy, I wanted to love this dress so badly when I first got it and it stung me hard! Whenever look at it, I am definitely still drawn to it. Such simplicity and effectiveness with the large screen-printed crown. And the full shirring, so unusual for JetJ, I remember that it really stretched pretty well. But oh, the betrayal of the fabric being the scratchy kind of wool blend without an ounce of lining. Whatever were they thinking?! If it wasn’t for the visceral memory of wearing it out this one singular time, I definitely would’ve wanted it back. But not for the price of that kind of discomfort, nuh-uh!

AatP Side Frill JSK

The fact that I am still practically salivaing over these structural details borders on painful tha this cut, ultimately, is not for me.
Photo from February 2020.

Ngl, I still really like the look of it. I also vividly remember how awkward it was to style because a halterneck of this depth and a larger than Japanese average chest is a look that’s just not to everyone’s taste, mine being one of them. I felt like every time I wore it, I sported the most obvious side boob. The fabric was also so prone to catching on the softest of snags that it made me paranoid whenever I wore it. But look at that jacquard! Look at the lace details and how full the skirt is. I’ve seen it crop up secondhand once or twice and it stopped me in my tracks before my memory caught up. If this were a skirt, I think I’d buy it in a heartbeat. Maybe if it pops up again for very cheap, I’ll take the plunge and have it altered to be a skirt? Hm, dangerous thinking.

BtSSB Sugar Bouquet Shirring Princess JSK

But for all my personal gripes with this JSK, it worked pretty well as a normie-adjacent formal occasion wear. If memory serves me right, I wore it to I think a christening?
Photo from November 2017.

The pre-revival one too, in this lovely sax blue. Sugar Bouquet is undoubtedly one of the best floral prints out there, Baby nailed it out of the park with this one. And I can very much confirm that Shirring Princess is one of the ultimate comfort cuts. Yet this particular one was also so very oldschool-coded that I struggled styling it. My moving away from blue could be easily remedied, since I like the ivory version of this print too. But certainly not this cut. The newer JSK or the skirt maybe? I could be tempted. It’d have to be at a very good price though, like ‘the oldschool bubble has burst’ or ‘back to 2017 prices’ or ‘the yen is in a literal crisis right now’ kind of good. Potentially all three of the above.

Angelic Pretty Sweet Cream House JSK

Proof how great brown is as a colourway. I need to remind myself that I love the brown and am not pining for this print. Though beween us, if money and storage wasn't an issue...
Photo from November 2017.

It is interesting how ever since I got into the fashion, I periodically go through phases of being absolutely enamoured with chocolate and biscuit lolita. It appears to be having some sort of a minor revival now too, which doesn’t bode well for any kind of buying. This print is still gorgeous to me, so darling and weirdly versatile. This cut, as much as I like it, would need altering for me to wear comfortably. And ultimately, I think what stops me going more towards this kind of sweet is that it isn’t what I actually want. I just want to wear things that are brown and straddling the line between cute and elegant. Which I can get through just getting more classic pieces in brown and cutefying them up. Did Sweet Cream House have any novelties released with it though? I could be tempted with a teacup or even a clear file.

So it seems that for me and for these particular pieces, the cycle isn’t quite coming close just yet. Of course, whilst tastes change, I don’t think that they change that much, so having liked these enough in the past to own them it’s natural that I’d still feel some kind of a pull towards them. One of the ‘if money and size were no issue’ kind. If anything, this exercise reaffirmed how happy I am with my wardrobe at the moment and that the direction I’ve picked for it is the right one for me. So, time to close all these Lolibrary tabs with more detailed pictures of what I no longer own, and focus on wearing what is with me now. You were good eggs, dresses. Hopefully, you continue to be good eggs to the people whom you went to.