A budget, plus-size, currently(ish) available classic capsule wardrobe challenge

 Ooof that title is a mouthful and a half! And, by contrast, this capsule wardrobe is rather bite-sized ^__^

Every time I post a hypothetical capsule wardrobe - here or to my YouTube channel - I solicit suggestions for future wardrobes. This was born of a very specific suggestion - a size 18AU+ classic capsule for a budget of $700AUD. I was, in a word, intrigued.

In my YouTube video (linked below) I go into the process of putting it together and some thoughts about plus-size lolita in general, and I won't repeat myself here. But in short it was a challenge because in lolita at this point it time you can very easily do cheap, and you can do plus size well enough up to say a 130cm bust, but it is very, very hard to do both.

That is why this wardrobe is small and made almost entirely of offbrand items. Metamorphose temps de fille is the only brand-name brand featured, and in order to even finished the wardrobe remotely under budget I handwaved the inclusion of the skirt by saying they hypothetical wardrobe owner could make one.

They could, I firmly believe that, but again this highlights the challenge the wardrobe presented.

Ultimately, I think I came up with a good, workable capsule wardrobe and I like the outfits I made with it.

Genuinely, I think it's a good little starter capsule. Pretty casual, in lolita terms, but still properly lolita, and if it was for a beginner there'd be plenty of ways to grow.

As mentioned, if you want to hear a bit more about the thought process in the wardrobe, the video is here for you ^__^

Coordinates from January - June 2026

 As of the start of 2026 I've been documenting my coordinates far more thoroughly. If you're subscribed on my YouTube you'll know I'm getting all of my lolita clothes out of storage and doing an absolutely massive overhaul and rebuild so my wardrobe is more functional for who I am now, and as part of that I'm keeping track of what I wear - even if it's just a waist-up coord to film a YouTube video. 

However, for the purposes of this blog I'm only photographing and sharing the coords I actually wear to actually do things in. I know that's a lot of explanation that probably no-one cares about but me but hey! I care!

 For those who don't, however, here's my coords for the first half of the year. 

 

JSK: Metamorphose temps de fille Teddy Chocolatier

Cutsew & Socks: Handmade

Wristcuffs: Angelic Pretty

Shoes: Bodyline

Everything else: Offbrand/Taobao

I wore this coordinate to do some YouTube filming. I don't remember why I made it a proper full coord rather than my usual "waist-up" that I do for filming, but I did. However, I did also forget to get a full body shot ^__^

Then my first full "leaving the house" coord of 2026 was for an alt fashion and cosplay craft picnic event (yes, lots of things all at once) held in my town. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a fun time and I made a local lolita friend! So fingers crossed I can actually start participating in a local community again...the downside of Tasmania being so sparsely populated is that every meet that's been held has been in Hobart. Which a 3.5 hours drive away from me. I may do it one day, but definitely not with any regularity!

I'd actually had a version of this coordinate laid out for a while as my next "proper" coord. I ended up fiddling with the accessories a bit with some feedback from Maisie and really liked it in the end! This was also the first time Maisie has seen me in lolita IRL and she liked it ^__^

JSK: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright Tartan Check

Cutsew: Sleepyland Shop

Shoes: Bodyline

Wristcuffs: Angelic Pretty

Everything else: Offbrand/handmade

This coord turned out basically exactly how I pictured it, which is nice! I'm not sure if it's the most flattering colour combo on me, but it was bright and fun and cute, which is what I was going for.

Next I wore a simple coord to go grocery shopping. Not pictured was the inclusion of my little white offbrand heart shaped handbag. I love cute bags in lolita!

Skirt, Headbow & Cutsew: Handmade

OTKS: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

Shoes: Bodyline

Necklace: Offbrand 

Not much to say about this coordinate, except it was nice to wear my handmade cherry skirt again!

And that's me in lolita for the first half of 2026! It's been great to get back into wearing frill more often again and I hope to continue it into the latter half of the year...though the latter half of the year also involves such things as moving house and changing jobs so we'll see how it goes ^__^

Review: Meta bolero and OTKS

Wow, it has been a very, very, VERY long time since I wrote a clothing review on this blog.

There are two main reasons for that. Firstly, I haven't really been getting much by way of new lolita over the past four-ish years - haven't been wearing it much either - and secondly, I've been way more into the YouTubes over that same period of time.

I did get that epic cloak from Lolita Inside almost two years ago, which was pretty dang cool. Before that, I bought the Princess Bonbon Cutsew from Sleepyland Shop but I only filmed an unboxing and didn't make a dedicated post here. I also know I bought a few things from Maxicimam, probably in 2022, but I didn't record anything about that at the time. And that's it. I basically stopped buying much and sharing purchases here in 2021. Camellia Cat was the last thing I documented "properly"

But I'm back! As I've mentioned, I want to revive this blog a little and get back into lolita overall so I figured that as well as doing a little unboxing video (which will be up on YouTube soonish) these wardrobe additions deserved a written review.

 

It's a small haul, but it means a lot to me. It feels like a sign of getting back to who I want to be.

It's also some really nice clothes, so let's just focus on that element rather than getting too personal ^__^

 

The first item, and the main reasons I made this order, is the [Plus Size] Diamond Openwork Long Sleeve Bolero in red. I was eyeing this off for months, well before it went on sale, but I kept telling myself "no".

Then eventually I had something of a personal revelation. I can just buy things. I was having a shit week (work's been rough this year) and was looking at it again thinking "I'd love to get something like this someday"and something clicked.

I think the thing for me is that lolita is expensive, and it's a hobby, not anywhere close to being everyday wear for me, and I've spent the last few years really trying to be frugal and sensible. But it brings me joy and I could afford it. So I did and it really felt like it unlocked something in me.

I also decided to throw in a pair of their Raschel Lace Over the Knee Socks (Size 2) in pink. This was more frivolous, but I gave myself permission to be a little frivolous  ^__^

(and yes, I realise I did just get personal after saying I was going to try and avoid it. Oh well, my blog, my rules, my ramblings...it's literally in the blog name)

The bolero fits perfectly but the socks area little too tight. I'm okay with that though, I thought that might be the case and they still work at UTKS.

The package also came with a Gardening Teddy flyer and a little sticker, both of which made me really happy.

So yeah, I'm a happy Roli with this purchase. And I may buy more of Meta's plus size boleros in future because I love this so, so much - super comfy and super cute.

PS I know no-one cares, but I'm not longer numbering reviews.

A punk lolita capsule wardrobe

It's been a little while but I am back on form with another hypothetical capsule wardrobe, this time punk lolita inspired by the colours of the bisexual pride flag ^__^

This wardrobe was one of the most challenging yet, for several reasons. 

Firstly - choosing a non-typical colour scheme made it very difficult. Black x red x white would have been easy as, but when do I take the easy route? You'll also notice the purple of the flag hardly features, just in that one tartan JSK and matching beret. Oh well. Regardless of difficulty, I think having more colours and having them not just be the stereotypical red tartan really makes this wardrobe pop.

Secondly - I'm not (aesthetically) punk. I struggle with punk looks much like I struggle with goth ones...oaky, punk is a little easier but not much! So realistically this wardrobe and the coords have more emphasis on the lolita rather than the punk.

Thirdly - a lot of punk vibes come from the person and styling of the person wearing it. If the wearer has a mohawk and tattoos and piercings, they'll immediately look more punk in any of these coords than say, me. 

However I still had a lot of fun putting it together and I like the end result. Speaking of the end result, here's four coordinates with each main piece ^__^

So I never liked leopard print before this. And now? I'm kind of vibing! I feel this JSK was surprisingly versatile. My fave is the leopard on leopard of the second coord, but I also enjoy how one and three are so similar yet so different.

I actually don't have too much to day about this set of coordinates. In retrospect, much as this OP has interesting details it feels a little too "safe" compared to the other options. Which was deliberate! I do try and have something that can be worn in an unremarkable way but I don't know. I feel like maybe I should have ignored that rule in this wardrobe.

Pink tartan, my favourite! Coord one is very safe, but in a way I prefer to the OP. I included the matching blouse and OTKS so that I could make this almost typically sweet coord, but felt they were still useful elsewhere too.

An unexpected love was coordinate four here. It's a mess, but a hot mess, and I would 10/10 wear that coord. I'm thinking that when I get into sewing more I may need to try and make a dupe of this Angelic Pretty cutsew because I am so into it.

Punkuma! There was no way I would do a punk capsule and not include something from this iconic Meta series.  Again, loving the sailor cutsew but my favourite here is coordinate three.

And lastly, the sole purple representative! This JSK was an interesting inclusion for me. The cut is unusual, and combined with the tartan felt like a good fit for the wardrobe, but it also feels very lolita. It was a fun one to work with. 

As is usual lately, I did also make a YouTube video about this wardrobe, link below if you're interested. 

What did you think of my attempt at a punk lolita capsule? Punk enough? Lolita enough? Bisexual enough (lol)?

I have one more capsule video/blog post int he works, and have an ongoing list of prompts to work from when inspiration strikes, so if you have a concept you want to see me try my hand at making please let me know ^__^

More lolita YouTube videos

In keeping with the theme of "I'm very bad at updating this blog" it turns out it has been a while since I last shared my lolita YouTube videos here. So here's a little round up of some of my recent offerings, most recent first. 

2026 is (hopefully) going to be a big year for me in lolita fashion! I even have goals and plans and such, and naturally shared a video talking about them. In short, if you don't want to watch, I've got stuff in train to be more active in lolita as this year goes on ^__^ 

An EGL Fashion YouTubers prompt came up on the theme of "luck", which I enjoyed. I've had a lot of good luck in lolita - supportive partners, some very good bargains, and so on - but I decided to take a different tack on this topic and talk about how you can build your own luck in lolita. 

 

Last year I bought a NWT Metamorphose blouse secondhand off Facebook, and since it was new and also a fairly recent release decided to do a little unboxing/review. 

 

And we finish of this post with another EGL Fashion YouTubers collab - this one was for Halloween last year! I decided to talk about how you can possibly incorporate lolita pieces when creating Halloween costumes, since I figured that was perhaps a slightly unexpected perspective on the topic.

I'm never going to be the kind of person who shares every video I post on the blog when I post it, so if you enjoy my YouTube stuff then subscribing is the way to get it in a timely manner. But I'll still enjoy things here sooner or later ^__^

A big little life update

Currently I'm prepping a post to share some of my recent YouTube lolita content (would love it if you subscribed wink wink) and when I checked my blog to see what I'd said about the tumultuous life events of 2025 I realised that at least here on the blog I'd said basically nothing. And in fact, two posts ago I mentioned my husband and then in the next one I mention my girlfriend which might seem a lil confusing lol. I know I don't owe anyone an explanation of what's going on in my life IRL but I want to at least give an abridged version.

At the end of 2024, with my husband James's full support and encouragement (I cannot emphasize how lovely he was about this!) I got myself onto a dating app. See, I realised I was bisexual once we were already married and while I was like "oh well, doesn't matter, don't need to explore that" his attitude was "well, maybe you should and I'm 100% fine with that". Several years later we were living in Tasmania and I finally felt like yeah, maybe I should.

In April, I matched with my now-girlfriend Maisie and we had our first date in May. I think you can guess how well that went ^__^ 

 

Maisie always has great nails ^__^

Then, completely unrelated, in July James and I decided to separate (we're currently still pending divorce due to compulsory waiting periods). We're still great friends, house-sharing until later this year, and overall it was as amicable as a breakup can be - there was no great drama, just a realization that it wasn't working any more and in hindsight hadn't been for a while. 

So that was...a lot. Good things, bad things, all the things. While life has settled down for me now, I'm sure you can imagine how weird it was for a while. I love Maisie so much and I wouldn't change a thing if it meant not meeting her but it was a really strange time for me to transition a marriage into a friendship, and be mourning that whilst at the same time embarking on something new and wonderful.

In less impactful news, a huge project started dominating my time at my day job and I was also flown back to the mainland office twice in the end of 2025...and once already this year with some more on the books in the near future.  

I was also in a play, so that was another big thing in the latter half of the year. And weirdly, in the face of everything else 2025 held it's a thing I keep forgetting even happened!

 

I loved getting back on stage!

And to top it off...in January this year my Facebook and Instagram were deactivated for reasons presumably related on me referring to lolita fashion as lolita fashion because, well, I don't post the kind of material that was supposedly why my account was deactivated. Ugh.

All in all, I've been busy. Many of my hobbies - including lolita - have taken a back seat while I've been getting myself sorted out.

I won't go into it, but for a while it felt like every week I was getting my mind blown by some realisation about myself, my values, my goals, my desires, my weaknesses, my strengths, just...me. It's still happening, just a little less frequent. I was already seeing a great counsellor which has helped a lot with clarifying all the chaos of my mind over the past year.

I feel like now I am really getting in touch with myself. I've been taking all the change and upheaval as an opportunity to actually stop and ask myself what I want to do, who I want to be, how I want my life to look. I'm grateful to have such a strong support network - including James and Maisie! - while I do this.

In terms of this blog, which has always been almost exclusively lolita-focused, I may actually come back to blogging a bit more in future. No promises, but I've missed writing - all kinds of writing, including this blog. I should be getting the last of my lolita wardrobe out of storage within the next few months, which will open up so many avenues for enjoying this hobby that I haven't had for years. I could do flatlays again!

 

A very old flatlay I still like.

So that's my life over the past year in a nutshell. It hasn't been easy but I've come out the other side feeling more me than I have in a long time. I'm not entirely sure what that'll mean for me as a (shudder) content creator but hey, the fun is in the journey ^__^

Coordinates from July - December 2025

It took so long for the weather to warm up enough for me to even contemplate wearing lolita outside of filming for YouTube that for a while I thought I may not get any coords in at all in the latter half of 2025. But I did!

On November 1st, I had to run some errands and to my surprise I felt like wearing lolita. So I pulled together a quick casual coord and very much enjoyed wearing it ^__^

JSK: Metamorphose temps de fille Teddy Chocolatier

Cutsew: Handmade

Shoes: Bodyline
Everything else: Offbrand/Taobao

Since it was the day after Halloween I was half expecting to get some kind of "Halloween is over" comment, but the only reaction I got was a nice lady in Kmart saying my dress was cute, so that was nice.

In mid-December I had finished work for the year, the weather was nice, and I was hit by a sudden urge to wear lolita to my last counselling session of 2025. So I did!

 

JSK: Baby the Stars Shine Bright Shirring Princess

Blouse: Metamorphose temps de fille

OTKS: BTSSB

Shoes: Bodyline

Everything else: Offbrand/handmade/Taobao

I took a car selfie and weird hand picture because I wanted to show off my handmade necklace and bracelet. I got into beading/jewellery making in 2025 and have had a lot of fun with it so far! Definitely planning more lolita pieces in future ^__^

And that's me in lolita coords in the latter half of the year. TBH by the time the weather got warm enough to consider wearing lolita I was away from home for two thirds of the time, so didn't have that many chances to wear lolita. However, in that time my girlfriend and I hit our six month anniversary and I got to be back in NSW twice and see a bunch of family and friends (and bring back more lolita stuff for my no-longer-a-capsule wardrobe) so I'm absolutely not complaining ^__^

Coordinates from January - June 2025

Sooooo the first few months of this year kinda sucked, not gonna lie. Life was just a ridiculous comedy of errors like you wouldn't believe. And after that things were better but incredibly busy. So my lolita tally for the last six months was one entire coord.

Oh well. I'm just glad I managed one!

I wore lolita to have a table with my husband James at the Burnie Geek market hosted by TasPop. We're starting to sell our handmade and curated things under the name Unidentified Items - there may be some lolita stuff in future so, y'know, maybe you'd like to follow our Instagram ^__^

 

JSK & Socks: Metamorphose temps de fille

Cutsew: handmade
Shoes: Bodyline

Everything else: Offbrand/Taobao

 

 

And a little glimpse of our table!

It was nice to have an excuse to wear lolita again ^__^

Recent lolita YouTube videos

Ahem... So yeah, I've made videos about a few lolita things that I have not blogged about so I figured it was high time I shared them here! In no particular order:

I shared a gift giving guide for anyone unsure of how to give a lolita fashion enthusiast a lolita gift. I think I did a good, thorough job if I say so myself. This was a Lolita Fashion YouTubers collab, so click through more videos on the theme of "gifts".

Another LFY collab was this topic - what is uniquely you about your lolita style? I found this a challenge to actually define and therefore an absolutely worthwhile video to make! 

Most recently I shared a quick upcycling/DIY video showing how I turned a thrifted shirt into a cute lolita cutsew. It was fun and as I mentioned in my last post, I have a LOT of sewing and DIY plans for my lolita wardrobe.

If you like watching as well as reading lolita content, I hope you enjoy my videos ^__^ 

I only have a tiny lolita capsule wardrobe

As you know, last year James and I relocated to Tasmania. We came down here with only the contents of our tiny car and left everything else in storage.

This meant that whilst I did bring some lolita clothes with me - this subculture is too much an integral art of me to do otherwise - all I could bring was a tiny capsule that amounted to realistically being a single coord with a bunch of variations.

 

Yep, that's it. But as a capsule, it worked rather well. Whilst every possible coord naturally would use the same dress and shoes, there's some variation there.

And, of course, it hasn't stayed that small. As I wrote a while ago, I received a cloak from Lolita Inside and it works with lolita, though I have since decided it's not really a proper part of my wardrobe. I know it may seem like an arbitrary line but I would not wear that cloak as part of a regular coord, therefore I'm counting it as part of my costume collection that can, on occasion, be used in lolita. I have several items like that in my regular wardrobe too.

*shrug*

Anyway, thrifting down here has been pretty good on the lolita front, so my current wardrobe actually looks more like this.

Since putting that collage together I've also made a bunch of jewellery and acquired a crochet mushroom handbag. In addition I have the following projects in the works (or at least have the materials for them):

• A long sleeve red upcycled cutsew
• A tan and offwhite apron skirt with mathcing headpiece
  
• A cream and pink/red floral skirt with matching headpiece
  
• A red floral OP with matching headpiece
  
• Several pairs of socks to decorate, both knee high and ankle length
• A ivory lace top to turn into a bolero
• Brown boots and offwhite sheer blouse not pictured until I finish the YouTube video they're for
• An old-school gobelin headdress 
• A pink with white lace headbow
• A prin short sleeve shirred blouse
• A pink-and-blue men's collared shirt to turn into a blouse
• A pale green men's collared shirt, ditto
  

And on top of all that, I have plenty more jewellery supplies and lace for wristcuffs...I have a lot to do! ^__^

All in all, I've loved having this capsule wardrobe. I feel it's really made me more creative and more thoughtful. With a larger wardrobe, if something doesn't work you can just wear something else, but in a capsule every single thing matters. I like that it has stretched me in ways that I've never experienced, even as a new lolita. 

I've also been enjoying documenting my capsule journey, and intend to do more of it!

If you prefer to see things in video form, here are two YouTube videos where I've talked about my capsule. I've mentioned before that I'm more into video content than vlogging these days, but I hope this post was enjoyable nevertheless ^__^

 

 

Coordinates from October - December 2024

October was hectic - mostly moving, but also getting a new secondhand car and the day job getting extra full on. Fortunately, things were significantly more settled towards the end of the month, which meant that when James and I decided to go to a local Geek Market, I threw together a quick costume coord with my little antlers and some deer makeup.

JSK & OTKS: Metamorphose temps de fille

Blouse: Glittertale

Shoes: Bodyline

Wristcuffs: Angelic Pretty

Antlers: Bedevilled Horns

Flowers: Taobao

You can't really see it, but I'm wearing a cute green and white bead bracelet I bought at the market from Haromega. I tried to take a close up but failed so...yeah...

But, in most exciting lolita news, James spotted someone selling these boots. In my size. For $5. 

I will admit, they're not something I'd have normally bought if I was hunting for shoes online, they're a bit too...modern?... for my lolita tastes but for that price, great condition, right there, there was no way I'd pass them up! Especially given how tiny my current wardrobe is, adding a pair of shoes makes a big impact.

Then, as is usual for me, especially in recent times, it was a while before I wore lolita again. But I did bust out the frills when I needed a motivation boost to WFH in early December. I felt cute and put together, and the coord did it's job of making me feel like a proper human being for the day so yay!

JSK: Metamorphose temps de fille

Blouse: Glittertale

Headbow: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

Everything else: Offbrand 

I really liked this coord. The simplicity really felt like going back to a very "me" style of coordinating and actually got me excited for wearing lolita more. Fingers crossed I get some sewing time in soon, because I'd love to have a few more pieces in my wardrobe.

Also, since I dyed my hair back to natural and it came out a bit darker...with the red headbow I'm feeling a bit Snow White ^__^

So nothing too noteworthy over the end of the year, but I'm finally settled and have big (little) plans for my lolita capsule so we'll see what the new year brings!

Coordinates from July - September 2024

Oh boy, another three months gone and barely a coord worn for good reason. Did I mention that winter in Tasmania is cold. because it's been super cold! I also attended ICoN Photofest in September, so my focus was really on cosplay rather than lolita for a good while. And then we had to move. So, you know...

The only coord(s) I wore were for the LolitaInside collab post and video. But they were bute, so enjoy!

JSK: Metamorphose temps de fille Rose Stripe Shirring

Blouse: Glittertale

Socks: Angelic Pretty

Shoes: Bodyline

Everything else: Offbrand/Taobao

This coord is what I initially wore for my LolitaInside unboxing video, and I really liked it. I missed wearing berets!

JSK: Metamorphose temps de fille Rose Stripe Shirring

Blouse: Glittertale

Cape: Alice Girl

Socks: Innocent World

Everything else: Offbrand/Taobao 

I also enjoyed my "show off the cape" version of the coord. And remember if you do buy anything from LolitaInside to use my 5% off code CAROLINE ^__^

 And that's it. Hopefully once we're moved things will quiet down as we get towards the end of the year.

Lolita Inside & Alice Girl Review

Recently, the team at Lolita Inside reached out to me to collaborate. They were kind enough to send me an item of my choice in exchange for this post and oh boy, am I grateful and happy that they did, because I have a gorgeous new addition to my wardrobe!

Stock photo.

This is the Pirate Series Navigation Treasure Hunting Guide Embroidery Handsome Lolita Cloak in brown. I ordered the 3XL and it is perfect for me. The brand is Alice Girl.

First of all, I love it. It is well made, very pretty, and fits me very well - possibly even a bit big! The hardware used, from the buttons to the zipper, is good quality and matches well in style. The fabric is a light suede and the embroidery is well done. I only noticed one tiny flaw in the whole thing - the ends of the trim in one place are fraying a little.

James was lovely enough to do a little photoshoot for me ^__^

Style-wise, it's definitely not a conventional lolita piece, but I think it still works. It's also great for steampunk, pirate and fantasy outfits, which I am definitely going to be using it for!

One of my favourite features is the the hood has a zipper down the centre, which can be undone, turning the hood into a capelet layer. And, of course, you can wear it with the buttons done up or not, with the arm hole thingies open or closed, and you can even button the armhole thingies back onto the side seams for a more open front. Yes, I know I'm not describing that well but it's the best I can do!

Anyway, at the risk of sounding repetitive I am very happy with this cloak and I think I'll get a lot of use out of it.

I am also happy with Lolita Inside. Obviously, this was not a regular purchase but the team I dealt with via email were polite and friendly. The package, pictured above, arrived to me in Australia in 8 days. I liked the patterned postage satchel - it was a fun touch - and inside the cloak was in an Alice Girl bag.

Now, keep in mind that since Lolita Inside is not the manufacturer of the items they sell, product quality may be variable. I can certainly recommend this cloak, and assume other items from Alice Girl would be of similar quality, but that's just something to be mindful of.

Click here to check out the Lolita Inside store, and if you make a purchase use code CAROLINE for a 5% discount (and I will early a small commission).

Coordinates from January - June 2024

I know, I know...I'm posting less now that ever. But I have valid reasons, just keep reading ^__^

This summer was a very humid one, so I was honestly not planning on wearing lolita for ages. But one day dawn quite cool, and it was a WFH day, so I wore lolita for work and then a little bit of YouTube filming in my lunch break.

JSK: Metamorphose temps de fille Teddy Chocolatier
Cutsew: Handmade
Headbow: Angelic Pretty
Everything else: Offbrand/Taobao

Of course, it got really hot just after lunch so off the coord came, but I did enjoy wearing it...even if it is an accidental almost exact repeat of a coord from last year ^__^

And then...James and I moved to another state! We literally put everything into storage, except for what we could fit into our little hatchback car and drove. So for the time being I only have a "capsule" wardrobe with me (i.e. a coord with a few changeable pieces for a few different looks), and of course, that was so we could do some shoots!

One week and one day into our new life we did a lovely afternoon photoshoot at my dad's place, and here's an unedited shot my coord.

JSK: Metamorphose temps de fille Rose Stripe Shirring
Bolero: Maxicimam
Capelet & Beret: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright
OTKS: Innocent World
Shoes: Bodyline
Everything else: Offbrand

However...it is cold here! And thus I have not had the desire to wear lolita since that shoot. I certainly will be busting out this coord/its variants in future for YouTube filming, if nothing else, but it's almost winter and honestly I'm living in tracksuits with the heater on already.

So we end this coord roundup on that simple note, and who knows where I'll be going from here ^__^

A hime lolita capsule wardobe

It has been a while, but I'm back at it with another digital lolita capsule wardrobe and this time it's hime lolita. This one has actually been in the works for over a year and it was good to finish it off. And yes, I do have an accompanying YouTube video (embedded at the end of this post) if you want to hear me talk about the hime substyle.

Because this is my blog, I just want to talk about the capsule itself here ^__^

Hime is...not my thing. Don't get me wrong, I love it! The frills, the luxurious fabrics, the decadence, the elegance! However, it's not me at all. I'd love to try it one day for like a photoshoot or something, but only if I could borrow the outfit.

So this was definitely out of my wheelhouse ^__^ However, I think I did a decent job. The wardrobe is still versatile and can yield a lot of different coords. In hindsight, a bolero or two and some further legwear options might have been good, but they aren't necessary. I really liked how I included the corset and lace cape as layering options, I think they very much upped the fancy factor.

In this substyle more than anything, actual IRL styling is what would make this trying hime and not just fancy. You need the big hair, big makeup and lots of dainty jewelry to really make these looks sing.

Aaaaand speaking of the looks, here is my usual assortment of example coords!

The first main piece is Princess of Roses JSK by Angelic Pretty and to me, this is the most hime piece in the wardrobe. It's a gorgeous pastel pink with lots of frills, lace and textures - it's very OTT and very, very sweet lolita. It also goes perfectly with everything and I utterly love it.

On the opposite side of the colour spectrum of this wardrobe is Angelic Pretty's Dream Rose JSK. Whilst still very opulent and superficially kind of similar to the other JSK, this one is a bit more classic leaning and that was a deliberate choice to get variety in style as well as colour in this very narrow substyle.

And no, your eyes don't deceive you - it's more AP, this time the Dramatic Rose (one of my fave AP florals) skirt. Being pink, this is another piece that goes with everything - I personally really like the coord with the touches of wine.

And last of all...not AP! This is the newest release of BTSSB's Sugar Bouquet. This main piece is definitely the odd one out since on its own it is very plain. This was a deliberate choice to give the wardrobe something simpler. As you can see, it can easily be dressed up with layering, or worn a bit more casually. Still not casual by any stretch of the imagination, but still. I also felt like this piece is very typical of the time period I associate with hime lolita i.e. the early 2010s.

 So what do you think? Is it hime enough? I think so, but as I said, not my area of expertise ^__^

 Regardless, I like it as a capsule. Maybe not my best, but certain a functional and versatile capsule...as long as you want to look like a princess all the time!

Coordinates from September - December 2023

Once again, this four-month period is a lie. I didn't wear lolita at all in September (I blame catching Covid) and only once at the end of October - on Halloween, to be exact!

Despite the date, this coord was not worn for Halloween. James was doing the last of the spooky shoots for this year on the day itself, so since I had to be respectable I decided I wanted to dress up because it had been so long. I also ran some errands after work and enjoyed being cute for all of it.

 

OP: Metamorphose temps de fille Camellia Cat

OTKS: Innocent World

Shoes: Bodyline

Headdress: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

Everything else: Offbrand/Taobao

 

I decided to wear Camellia Cat since it had been a while and just built up something simple from there. I think this is actually the first time I've worn as rectangle headdress outside of a photoshoot, and I really like it with my current hairstyle...though as you can see I did add extra bows and flowers.

That weekend I finally got off my butt and filmed some YouTube content and thus wore a coord again ^__^

 

JSK: Metamorphose temps de fille Rose Stripe Shirring

Bolero: Maxicimam

OTKS: Innocent World

Shoes: Bodyline

Headbow: Metamorphose temps de fille 

Everything else: Offbrand

I loved this coord, it was very me - simple, cute and straddling the line between sweet and classic.

And it gets better! I specifically wanted to wear this JSK as it was the only main piece I had with me that I could try on my new Sleepyland cutsew with (I was filming an unboxing of it), so please enjoy coord version two.

I will admit, yellow is not my best colour, but I love this cutsew, it gives my wardrobe some great new options, and I don't think it looks bad on me, just not as good a some other colours lol.

I also took a selfie that I actually like ^__^

And (I'm sure you're not surprised) that was it for me in terms of lolita for the end of 2023. As a whole I feel very neutral about the year from a lolita perspective, but I do like the coords I wore ^__^