Clearing out my lolita wardrobe

As I mentioned a little while ago, at the end of 2019 and start of this year I did a very significant purge of my loltia wardrobe. Because I always talk about wardrobe building on this blog, I wanted to also take this opportunity to discuss my thoughts behind wardrobe reductions.

In terms of my own process my purge was actually a series of smaller purges over the course of a couple of months, and my thoughts and feelings were different each time. My recount below is not entirely chronological, as I went through my wardrobe in sections and there were also elements of each stage in each review. But in an ideal world, where I get everything right in a smooth and predictable way, there are really three stages to the process; joy, practicality, and changes. Let’s go into those in a bit more depth.

Not a pile from the purge, but visually very similar!

On the first review of my wardrobe, I did a Marie Kondo. I touched each piece in turn and really listened to my feelings. If there wasn’t a spark of happiness, out it came. This was a pretty simple process and is a great place to start.

The second time I went through my wardrobe I added a dash of practicality to my search for joy. I asked myself if the piece fits, if I like how it makes me feel when I wear it, if my love for it is an actual love or just familiarity. This purge was a big one and saw me removing things like Anniversary Rose, a dream dress that was still new with tags that I had to honestly admit I may never lose enough weight to fit. Did I really want to hang on to it for several more years as I tried to get to a size where it would fit, or would I rather sell it and have the money to buy something more suitable? It gave me a pang to let go of items like this but it was the right decision.

Farewell beautiful!

I will admit that a couple of pieces I removed here shortly made their way back from the sales pile to my wardrobe - specifically my Flower Bottle skirt and my Icing Cookie JSK. Flower Bottle I had thought I was just keeping so it ticked the “pink skirt” box, but I realised I felt really sad at the thought of it not being in my wardrobe. Icing Cookie is not hugely flattering on me but I realised I’d still rather have it than not. Perhaps in future if I find a similar but more flattering piece I may let it go then.

I also went through my accessories at this point and as well as removing items that did not spark joy I got rid of things like bows that didn’t sit well or comfortably on my head and socks that didn’t match anything. It’s very easy to hoard accessory items since they take up so much less real estate than a dress or even a blouse, but it’s important to go through these as well.

The last stage was to look through my newly reduced wardrobe and remove any items that now didn’t make sense - like the socks I mentioned that don’t actually match anything else. It’s okay, great even, to have some oddballs or to start adding new colours to your wardrobe. But some things just aren’t right and you shouldn’t just have them taking up space.

Yes, I even sold off some socks, believe it or not.

Ultimately, these purges really made me fall right back in love with my wardrobe. I still have some items that are too small for me to wear right now, but less of them. I still have items that aren’t wholly flattering, but I’ve made a conscious decision to keep them despite it. I do have some gaps that feel a little odd but time will tell if they’re gaps I need to fill.

Overall, my wardrobe feels sleeker and cleaner - and it is! I didn’t realise that I had actually started feeling overwhelmed by it, but now I’m inspired instead. I don’t miss anything that I parted with and to be honest, my wardrobe is more than adequate for my needs - I still have 29 main pieces and I don’t wear the fashion more than a couple times a month on average. I’m intending to be a lot more mindful with purchases in future, and hope to keep my wardrobe in a position where I feel this happy about it all the time.

Japan 2020 Highlights: Love Live

So if you follow me on Facebook you will know that I am very much into Love Live. If you don’t and you didn’t, well, you totally should and now you do!

I didn’t go into the trip intending to buy quite so much LL merch. In fact, I initially swore off buying any figures at all! But well, things happened and in the end I got quite a haul and that I’m very happy with!

See, the sort of things I thought I’d mostly get was a few keychains and gachapon thingies, like this stuff!

The Dia keychain was from a gacha, as were the two thing at the bottom, but I picked out all the other keychains. The Rin ones were just too cute (and big!) to resist, and I’ve cosplayed that Eli. Technically we did get the Eli for James’s camera bag, but he changed his mind and put her on my handbag instead, so she’s mine now! I got these all around the place - some in Tokyo, some in Kyoto, some in Hiroshima.

In Tokyo, specifically in a store in Akihabara on the fourth floor with the steepest and most deadly stairs I’ve ever encountered, I discovered a new type of collectible - towels. At about $10AUD I couldn’t pass this up! It’s the perfect size for a gym towel, and I love making that part of my life nerdy. James and I spent the rest of the trip looking for other suitably sized weeb towels. He found a BNHA one and I found…

...yep! Another LL one! James has already taken this one to the gym, where he was already the cutest person in attendance but is now even more cute!

I was pretty well behaved in Tokyo aka the first half of the trip, but when we got to Kyoto there was an anime goods store quite near our hotel which we visited more than once. And James is a fabulous enabler which meant that after quite a long time of me saying “no” to a lot of pretty and reasonably priced figures, I finally said yes to this Hanayo and Rin pair.

I am actually selling a Love Wing Bell Rin that I bought last year in Japan - I love her but she was kind of annoying on my desk and I was trying to minimise stuff. But since by this point it was obvious that we were going home with a bit of a figure collection (James kept finding amazing cheap things!) when I saw these two I finally gave in. They are so cute and honestly this is one of my favourite moments from the original LL series, so no regrets.

Now I have to confess to a lapse of memory. I thought I also bought Snow Halation Hanayo at that same store in Kyoto, but I think I actually put her back to get that pair. Regardless, with some encouragement from James, I spent the rest of the trip buying as many figures as I could (for under 800yen apiece though, had to be cheap!) in this Snow Halation series. I ended up with six out of nine.

I don’t even really like Snow Halation!

But with the arches and the dynamic poses these figures just look really cool, and it was really fun to track down the different girls. I can see why people get so into collecting full sets of things. My set will remain incomplete until the next time we go to Japan though, I checked out prices online and that’s a big nope from me.

I also grabbed this Mijuku Dreamer Mari. This is one of my favourite costume sets and something I want to cosplay eventually so I finally gave in and got her.

And then, the crowning achievement of my haul, the μ's →NEXT LoveLive! 2014 ~ENDLESS PARADE~ Day 2 live DVD which I found in I think the last anime store we visited in Osaka. I’d spent the trip trying to find any of the live DVDs for an affordable price and had failed up until that point, so I was really happy to find this one! I’ve already watched the first disc and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s really gotten me excited for dancing again, which I’m very happy about.

I love every single item I got in this haul, though I think I’m most happy about the DVD and oddly enough the towels. I just like useful things!

Are any of my readers fans of Love Live? If so, tell me your favourite thing about it!

Fluffy Skirts and Giant Bows — The Misunderstood Subculture of Lolita Fashion

Recently I posted a new article to my Medium profile, titled "Fluffy Skirts and Giant Bows — The Misunderstood Subculture of Lolita Fashion". While it was written for a non-lolita audience, given how on-topic it is for this blog I thought  it was worth sharing the link here as well ^__^

Photo by Little Raven Photography.

Japan 2020 Highlights: Lolita

I am back from Japan! It was a wonderful but thoroughly exhausting trip. And, to be honest, I've realised that I don't actually want to do a blow-by-blow blog series about this trip. Instead I'm going to be sharing a few highlight posts focused on some of the most noteworthy aspects and experiences of the trip. Starting with, of course, the lolita side of things!

My lolita shopping this time around was actually rather modest, especially compared to last year's Tokyo trip!  This was not entirely through lack of trying, but ultimately I just didn’t find much that suited me and my budget. Still, as you can see below I did still come home richer in lolita than I left!

In the end I bought two cutsews, a haori, a bolero, a bracelet, some hairclips and a headband. Because I’m me, here’s some ramblings about every single thing, starting with the small bits.

Smallest thing first, I bought this bracelet at Ikebukuro Closet Child. I have the same one in pink x white and red x white, so knew that I get good wear out of this colourway. Unfortunately the little ribbon bow came untied and fell off and I decided not to put it back on. Still cute though!

These Hello Kitty clips came from Don Quijote, and they had a whole bunch of other Sanrio ones as well. But I exercised restraint and only got one set. I did spend a while debating between these ones with pink bows or a set with the traditional red bows but James suggested I get these ones so I did.

When in Akihabara James and I went to the maid cafe Mai Dreaming, which was ridiculously cute and fun. They loved James’s Sailor Moon knuckle tattoos, and even put on Sailor Moon music because of us! As part of the package we picked, we got to take home a souvenir each. James picked a keychain, which started his camera bag collection, and I chose this little bear headband! When I thought we may be going to Disney Sea I was thinking of getting some Duffy ears there but hey, this is a great alternative! Not super high quality but they’re cute and I love getting wearable mementos.

Moving onto the actual clothing items, I got this cute Nile Perch bolero from Shinjuku Closet Child. A bit frivolous for sure, but it was very cheap and cute and definitely gives me a good sweet outerwear option which I was very much lacking. It’s a bit snug at the moment but oh well.

I must admit, however, that the trend of buying things that don’t really fit has continued to be a trend for me. What can I say? I see cheap things, get excited, and just buy them! Case in point, this Angelic Pretty cutsew from Osaka Closet Child. It’s super adorable but I’m 90% sure it’s going to go straight to my sales folder. Not only am I too big for it right now, I think it’s just too short in the torso and the sleeves for me no matter what.

This Axes Femme cutsew, bought at the same time, is also too small but I know that Axes Femme fits me okay when I’m a smaller dress size. It’s not an exciting piece but it is pretty so I’m glad that I snagged it from the sale rack. It’s new with tags too!

Lastly, at secondhand kimono chain Tansu-ya in Hiroshima I found this pretty haori. I love the use of haori jackets in wa lolita, and thought this one was perfect for the classic (and maybe even chocolate-y sweet) side of my wardrobe. I especially love the vibrant lining! Tansu-ya in general will be its own highlight post, because thanks to their affordable pricing I now have a massive love for kimonos and am so excited to learn more about how to wear these beautiful garments.

In terms of where I went for lolita, I actually stuck wholly to secondhand loltia stores this time around; four branches of Closet Child as well as Maiden Clothing. Though I’d have liked to have acquired some brand socks as well, I didn’t have much desire to visit any of the brand stores. Too much out of my price range at the moment and there was so much to see and do that I didn’t want to spend time window shopping.

I also wore lolita twice while in Japan, once for Harajuku and then for the Kyoto Railway Museum. I’ll write more about these outfits when I do my quarterly outfit roundup in a bit but I thought they deserved to be featured here regardless. I very nearly didn’t take any lolita with me and I’m glad I did.

So that’s the lolita side of things from this trip! Not too extensive, but certainly still a highlight of the holiday ^__^

A Roli holiday

As I've mentioned, I've got a holiday to Japan coming up. As a matter of fact, since this is a schedule post, I'm already there. I didn't have a chance to schedule any posts (other than this) to go up while I'm gone, so this blog will be quiet again for a little while, but then I'll be back with lots of exciting travel and hopefully lolita haul posts!

Part of my last Tokyo lolita haul!

So just a very short post to let you all know where I am and I'll most likely see you again in March ^__^

An updated lolita wishlist

Since I’m jetting off to Japan again soon, and want to be very careful about my spending there, I thought it was a good idea to really solidify my wishlist. As you know, I’m not much of a one for cultivating a dream dress list, and I don’t actively hunt things down nor spend much on them. So in a sense, this is more of a “remember not to buy things that aren’t on this list” list but whatever, it’s still fun to share ^__^

First off, I reviewed my last wishlist post from 2017 and I'm pleased to say that since then I've achieved several of the items set out there, and that’s without really trying. Berry Stripe for the black x berry category, Icing Cookie for the food print in brown (yes, yes, it's pink but it filled the niche I wanted filled), Rose Stripe Shirring for the spring green floral, and my Victorian Maiden underskirt for the black skirt.

But enough about the past and onto the future! Here's my updated comprehensive wishlist, complete with images! The images, however, are just examples - while I love those specific items I'd be happy with anything that ticks the box. Most importantly, I’m not going to buy anything that doesn’t fit me currently as I’m trying really hard not to hoard things that are currently not usable for me.

Main Pieces

A white and pastel sweet JSK or OP
This is a desire that has grown since I missed out on buying Country of Sweets. I really want a sweet-sweet dress, but don’t want to be overly pink and I don’t look so great in a lot of other pastel colours. But I figure white and rainbow is pretty much perfect for me so I’m keeping my eyes peeled for something cute and colourful on a white base.

A sweet black berry print JSK
I’m very specific with what I want here. It has to be a noticeably different print than the other berry pieces I own, and it cannot be fully shirred. But other than that I’m open to pretty much anything. I know, I know, I just said that I’d achieved this goal from 2017 by getting Berry Stripe but I want even more berries dammit!

A long sleeved classic OP
I don’t own a long sleeved OPs at all, and I’d love to get my hands on something very Victorian in style. Probably a solid fabric, though I’m okay with an all over print or pattern as well. I’d like to get this in a dark colour, probably brown or wine, but not black.

Another oddball
What do I mean by an oddball? Well, I want something that’s different from the rest of my wardrobe. I love building up little capsules, but I also enjoy variety. Something in lavender or yellow would be good, I think, or maybe mint or dark green. Or a pattern like big polka dots or stripes or an unusual tartan or lovely, tacky gobelin. Just something that’s unusual compared to everything else I own. I’d like this to be a JSK or maybe an OP, but not a skirt.

Headwear
Next up, the most numerous category, headwear!  I'd love to get my mitts on the following colours of headbow, the substyle desired for each indicated in brackets.

• Ivory (classic)
• Offwhite (sweet)
• Red or red x white (sweet)
• Black x red (sweet)
• Mint (sweet)

Legwear
Unsurprisingly, I don't really have many needs in terms of legwear. However, there are a few pairs of OTKS I'd love to find to match some of my newer pieces.

• Mint or mint x white (sweet)
• Dark green - can also have brown and ivory (classic)
• Spring green - can also have offwhite and red (sweet/classic)
• Purple (sweet)
• Chocolate pattern (sweet)
• Black x pastel (sweet)

Blouses
I only have a few things in my blouse wishlist, some things that I culled in my recent purge and would like to replace and a couple of others.

• Long sleeved brown blouse or cutsew (sweet)
• Long sleeved white blouse or cutsew (sweet)
• Short sleeved lavender blouse or cutsew (sweet)

However, I’d also love to get a patterned blouse or two, possibly gingham in red, black or pink and also a floral blouse, something with a real 70s Little House on the Prairie vibe. Since those are a lot harder to come by I’m not really adding them to the list but if I spot one for a good price I’ll leap on it!

I am also in need of a new bell shaped petticoat. My Classical Puppets petticoat, which I’ve had for years, finally gave up last year. I was legitimately sad. I’m probably going to just order from MeLikesTea again but am open to other (cheaper!) options as well so if you have any suggestions let me know.

And that’s really about it! I mean, there’s things I’d love to have, like a full rainbow of pretty boleros, but these are the dresses I really want and the supplementary pieces I “need”. The word is in quotes because honestly, even if I never bought anything else (even the petticoat!) I could still make so many unique outfits from my current wardrobe that I don’t desperately need anything. But I like having a well balanced collection so onto the wishlist these things go!

2019 in lolita coordinates

A little belated but nevertheless fun to write, here's some thoughts (and graphs, as usual) about my lolita outfits in 2019. It's a tradition now, dammit!

I actually had a few more coords in the year than I thought I did for a total of 12. Not great, but given how 2019 was as a year for me I'm okay with that. Two of the coords were worn in Tokyo, one was for a photoshoot, and the rest for various everyday occasions. I did not go to any lolita meets in 2019.

Despite the low total number, I still wanted to do my usual analysis of colours and styles. And I loved what I discovered, because 2019 was a colourful year!

Can you believe that I wore green main pieces just as much as I wore black ones? And there was no brown? I'm struggling to believe it and I have photographic evidence!

It made me so happy to realise that I achieved a lot of variety in the colours of my coords last year. Not that I haven't always had a decent range of colours in my wardrobe but still, this felt good.

In terms of substyles, I also found that I was definitely leaning more sweet this year, which I think suits how my lolita style is shifting in general. I still love classic, don't get me wrong, and I'd never want a wholly sweet wardrobe but sweet is just fun and cute and me.

In fact, out of my classic outfits I only consider the one below to be "properly" classic lolita, as the others are pretty casual. Still classic, if I had to pick a substyle, but not typically classic lolita.

Classic is the best for artsy photoshoots!

With a drastically decreased coord count from 2018, there's actually not much more for me to say about my 2019 outfits. I'm happy with them, and am glad to look back and realised that I did still average wearing lolita once a month over the year.

I'm not going to set any goals for 2020 as I'm still struggling a bit with lingering burnout but I'm getting excited about lolita again, and am keen to see where this year takes me in this awesome fashion.