2023 Capsule Wardrobe Post

As I'm sure you know by now, 2023 started with moving and downsizing. As a result, not only did I put all of my too-small lolita items into storage, I even went through those items that fit to make a capsule wardrobe of sorts. I say "of sorts" because it it by no means a perfect capsule...in fact, maybe I shouldn't even call it a capsule, just a small wardrobe.

But whatever I call it, I'm surprisingly really happy with the reduced collection I'm keeping with me. I like the simplification and realistically...it's still quite a lot of clothes! I thought I might feel limited, but in as weird way I actually find it a little overwhelming...not sure what to do with that feeling!

There will be a video of putting this wardrobe together on my YouTube channel in a little while and for that I wanted to take some pictures of the finished product. Then I realised...I should post those here as my 2023 wardrobe post! So here we are ^__^

I held onto five main pieces: BTSSB's Tartan Check, Meta's Camellia Cat, Meta's Teddy Chocolatier, our Wonderpunk print Jurassic Party and Meta's Rose Stripe Shirring. A bit of an eclectic collection! Realistically, I simply ended up keeping my comfy main pieces that weren't black...

 

For tops I have two Glittertale blouses (top row), an offbrand blouse and a handmade cutsew that I just finished (sewing video also coming to YouTube soon). Again, this was really a matter of keeping all the fitting non-black items. Ultimately, that's the theme of this wardrobe so I'm going to stop repeating myself ^__^

However, regardless of how it came about I like this variety of tops, I think it gives me lots of coording options.

For outerwear I have a vintage haori, two BTSSB capelets, a Peace Now cookie bolero and a Maxicimam Lovely bolero. I enjoy that this version of my wardrobe has proportionally a lot of capelets.

Shoes are very simple - all Bodyline except for the lavender pair from Taobao (or Aliexpress, I don't remember). I am definitely going to need to replace the brown pair sometime this year, they are falling apart.

I feel a bit weird about my sock collection. Obviously...there are quite a few pairs! But at the same time I feel like my choices are quite limited. I'll be interested to see how it goes as I start dressing out of this capsule.

In the top row we have Meta, Innocent World x4, a handmade (or at least, laced) pair, then 3x Angelic Pretty. Bottom row all offbrand except the bright red AP pair.

Next up - large items of headwear. These are all offbrand or Taobao, and the fur hat is vintage. As always...I have a lot of berets ^__^

 

And, of course, headbows and the like! I definitely want to get a bit more colour variation in here. Brands are (going row by row) Taobao, Mia Dreaming, Angelic Pretty, Lyris Design then Taobao x3 and Tokyo Disney then offbrand and BTSSB x3.

Also, this seems like a good moment to mention that a. I am not picturing my small hair accessories or any jewellery items and b. I am actually keeping those collections intact and with me, since it's really not worth separating them. Plus, it will give me a few more options when coordinating.

I put the majority of my fawn fur collection into storage, just keeping one full matching set of accessories from Sweet Dreamer on Taobao. And two other offbrand collars, because of course I did. Might change out the ribbons on those two...

 

In terms of other "big" accessories I'm hanging onto an offbrand lace collar that I forgot I even owned and a bunch of wrsitcuffs. The first two pairs are AP, the third is BTSSB and all the others are from Taobao (and the little red bows were converted by James for me from some shoe clips). Like with headbows, narrowing things down into a capsule has made me actually realise how limited some of my collection is and that makes me want to get crafty!

 

Then lastly - handbags. Top row is my trusty BTSSB bag that is quite banged up if you look closely, and a Taobao bag that I practically never use. Bottom row is Innocent World (and oh boy, is it falling apart!), BTSSB and Axes Femme. This is an excessive amount of handbags for a small wardrobe, but they are all showing signs of age so I plan to use them until they become unusable rather than put them in storage where they'll still degrade but without the upside of being used.

So that's my wardrobe post for 2023! Absolutely not what I had thought I'd be posting...though to be honest I probably wasn't going to do a wardrobe post at all because there's been very little change in my collection overall.

I'm actually really excited by this capsule wardrobe. Everything fits comfortably, and while not everything matches per se I do have multiple options for each main piece. Reducing my wardrobe is also letting me see gaps and areas for improvement that I don't think I'd ever noticed before, so this is going to be a cool opportunity for wardrobe improvement as well.

In the future (especially if I do finally get onto the fitness bandwagon and fit more of my pieces) I am absolutely open to rotating the capsule and pulling different items out of storage so I don't really have any concerns about this capsule, just excitement ^__^

An old-school indie capsule wardrobe

Friends - it appears I am back on the capsule wardrobe bandwagon for a bit. I had a lot of fun with the bittersweet one, and also in using it on YouTube as a vehicle to talk about a. bittersweet and b. capsule wardrobe building, so I decided to keep it going. I also got a couple of requests on the bittersweet one which I'll be tackling next, and I am currently open to taking even more suggestions.

For this capsule, I repeated a personal challenge I'd previously tried - making a wardrobe using only items from Western indie brands. If you're interested in seeing the process, check out the video at the bottom of the post, but if you're just here for pretty pictures, read on!

For this capsule I thought it would be a good idea to try for an old-school inspired collection, since that's fairly popular at the moment and therefore easier to come by. I was...right and wrong about that but regardless I'm pretty pleased with the final wardrobe. Not perfect, given my source limitations, and not really my preferred style, but pretty good nevertheless.

The items in this capsule are from the following indie brands:
The Black Ribbon
Sweet Mildred
Chrysanthemum's Concerto
Fuwaya Lolita
Me Likes Tea
R R Memorandum
Summer Tale Boutique
Enchanted Dream Couture
Cotton Candy Feet

And of course, what's a digital capsule without example outfits?

I really love this Sweet Mildred OP. The low poof skirt, the metal zipper - it's got that edge that so many old-school looks had. Not necessarily something I'd wear myself, but certainly something I like!

This gingham Chrysanthemum's Concerto JSK, on the other hand, I could totally see myself in. I deliberately chose this piece as it can be worn in old-school styling, but it isn't actually old-school itself. Gives the wardrobe a not-definitely-old-school option if desired.

The second JSK of the wardrobe is also from Sweet Mildred, and really gives off BTSSB vibes to me. And, as a tartan main piece, it really is the most workable of the main pieces here.

Lastly, this skirt from The Black Ribbon is absolutely gorgeous! If it were more my style I would 100% buy it but alas, I know myself well enough that I know it wouldn't be a sensible purchase. So it was extra fun to play with it digitally!

To finish off this post, here's a link to the video ^__^

Coordinates from July - December 2022

 Oh, this title is such a lie!

I did not wear lolita (properly, that is - getting into half a coord for a YouTube video or wearing a lolita dress casually don't count) until December. At the moment, due to office issues, I am WFH again, and my manager made it clear that she will just call us on Microsoft Teams whenever she wants so that means I can no longer work in my PJs like a slob. And I hate business casual attire, so I decided it was high time to start wearing lolita to WFH agaim ^__^

 

JSK: Metamorphose temps de fille Rose Stripe Shirring
Wristcuffs: Angelic Pretty
Shoes: Bodyline
Everything else: Offbrand

For this first WFH coord I wanted simple and comfortable, so this JSK was an obvious choice. I also wanted to see if this peasant-style top James bought for me would work with lolita, and for this kind of coord I think definitely yes!

The next day I actually found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed about what to wear next, so I turned to my tracking spreadsheet and the main piece I'd gone longest without wearing was Verrry Berry Picnic, so that's what I wore ^__^

OP & Necklace: Lady Sloth Verry Berry Picnic
Socks: Angelic Pretty
Headbow: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright
Shoes: Bodyline
Everything else: Offbrand/handmade/Taobao

Honestly though, while I did like this outfit, it pushed me to a decision - I need to sell this dress. The neckline is far too wide, meaning my bra straps always show and/or the sleeves fall off my shoulder. A bustier person wouldn't have this issue, but...well...I do! It's bad enough that I feel self conscious and uncomfortable wearing the dress, and I don't want things in my collection that don't bring me joy. 

Also - on this day our rental tenancy got terminated.and that just 100% killed my desire to dress up or do anything.

Soooo...that's it for 2022. Due to having to move, and also moving into a much smaller space, I will probably be fairly quiet on the lolita front for a while but hey, that's been me for the past years or so anyway. I do have some posts planned so you may not even notice any difference lol. I've also been getting more out of YouTube than blogging recently, so I'm more active over there ^__^

All in all I'm not quite sure how to conclude this post - I'm a bit too scattered to make much sense. But 2022 is over, and I'll see you all throughout 2023.