azuki's last minute first wardrobe post!
My first wardrobe post! Yay! I have only pictured main pieces and bags because I did this last minute and wanted to do more than nothing, but I also have a sizable collection of jewelry/hair accessories and socks, and about 9 pairs of shoes.
I could do better photo work, but that’s what you get when you go quickly.
HMHM
left: Velveteen Chandelier Embroidery JSK (2011)
right: APH Dark Red Lines OP (unknown year)
I had been wanting the chandelier dress ever since I found out about it, and finally bought it as a birthday present to myself this past year. The skirt is not as full as I would like and it's just a bit too big, but I may be able to alter it to work better for me. I really liked the stock photos of the OP and I thought a simple doll-like dress might be nice. In person it looks kind of like an anime cosplay, but it fits really nicely (hooray for custom sizing) and I just want to swim in all the fluffy lace on the underskirt (which is not pictured ^_^;;) . I need to adjust the underskirt waistband, though - the elastic is narrow and they made it pretty loose so it doesn't like to stay up.
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright
left: Sweet Jewelry Princess Garnet JSK (2012)
right: Stardust Fantasia ~Horoscope of Twin Star Kittens~ JSK II (2015)
I love the fabric that these are made out of. Sweet Jewelry Princess was one of the first mature-ish prints I found myself liking, and while I would have preferred navy, the wine one is also quite pretty. I bought Stardust Fantasia on reserve because I like cats and stars. It got stuck in customs for 3 weeks. Started to wonder whether the customs agents were having a tea party with confiscated stuffed animals in a warehouse somewhere. The navy and lavender combination is also really appealing to me.
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright
both: Sugar Bouquet Shirring JSK (2005)
I like this print so much I got it in two colors. Strawberries and flowers. The pink one has discolored lace and I'm afraid to wash it...
Angelic Pretty
left: Miracle Candy Triple Frill JSK (2009)
right: Miracle Candy Going Out Set JSK (2010)
I like this print. A lot. I really wanted one with the border print at first but found that only the triple frill JSK would be large enough to fit me, and then I got it and ended up liking it more than the border print ones. Much later I found out about the special set version, found out that would fit me too, and then found one for sale. Lucky me. Angelic Pretty's dresses with tiered skirts are some of my favorites because they're so fluffy.
Metamorphose
left: Princess Crown Bouquet Shirring JSK (2009)
right: Dark Night Guardian Shirring JSK (2015)
Beauty and the Beast: an elegant Metamorphose print paired with a cheeseball one. Princess Crown Bouquet lured me in with blue roses. I don't really like the full button down construction paired with full shirring (basically, the buttons are guaranteed to pull) but if it's the only cut that will fit, you gotta make compromises. I intend to make a round headdress with matching blue flowers and black veil. I am not sure how all those seemingly unrelated things got rolled into Dark Night Guardian (castles, lions, moons, ravens), but the more I looked at it the more I liked it. I was fortunate to find a set with a whole bunch of matching accessories, and I have a huge lion pendant that matches it nicely. (I still want the parasol...)
Alice and the Pirates/Metamorphose
left: Briar Rabbit's Paysage JSK I (2013)
right: Little Squirrel Button Down JSK (2015)
Animals-that-are-not-cats prints! I was drawn to Briar Rabbit's Paysage for the color combination (black/gold/dark red) and the mature feel. I have yet to complete a coordinate with it, but you can bet it will involve lots of red roses. I paid way too much for Little Squirrel, but I liked the print so much and already let it get away once. The little red striped bows on it are the perfect touch. I'm looking forward to the challenge of coordinating this one. Fruits, acorns, and brown faux fur will likely be involved, as will some solid brown.
Angelic Pretty/Baby, the Stars Shine Bright
left: Berry Garden JSK (2014)
right: Strawberry Tart JSK (2013)
I have always, always been fond of strawberry prints and none have struck me quite like Berry Garden. I also like pie, so strawberry pie was a natural choice. The pie opne was one of my very first brand pieces.
Angelic Pretty
left: Sweet Ribbon Strawberry Shirring JSK (2008)
right: Drained Cherry Tiered JSK (2015)
More fruity goodness. I first saw Sweet Ribbon Strawberry on someone else's wardrobe post and found that it looked a lot less neon colored than the stock photos made it seem (a good thing), and snapped up this red one when I saw it (I saw a black one too and was very tempted). Drained Cherry was bought on a whim when the price was good, but I am liking it a lot, probably because it is both comfortable and voluminous (yay tiered Angelic Pretty).
Metamorphose/Angelic Pretty
left: Candy Bottle Shirring JSK (2016)
right: Country of Sweets Shirring JSK (2011)
Candy and sweets prints! I wanted a biscuit/cookie print, but did not want to pay a ton of money for one, and I found what I was looking for with Country of Sweets.
Angelic Pretty
left: Märchen Ribbon Back Frill JSK (2011)
right: Jewel Ribbon Tiered JSK (2012)
Bow prints. Someone from my local community wore a Marchen Ribbon dress and I liked it a lot so I wanted to get my own. I bought Jewel Ribbon first while I was waiting and liked that more for a while, but I like the simpler overall look of Märchen Ribbon better again.
Bodyline/Angelic Pretty
left: Floral Cameo Wallpaper Print Shirring JSK (2008)
right: Romantic Little Garden JSK (2016)
I've gotten rid of all my Bodyline dresses except this one -- it's simple and it's a design replica made with fabric that Japanese brands used. I also have a matching bonnet. I've really wanted a mature-ish blue toned lavender floral print (oddly specific, I know) and Romantic Little Garden seemed like a good fit, especially with the price I got it for. I had Dramatic Rose and loved the bluish tone of the lavender, but the bodice was too long on me (#shortpeopleproblems).
Angelic Pretty/Innocent World
left: Quartet Chocolat Napoleon JSK (2014)
right: Musical Score Torchon Lace JSK (2007)
Music themed prints! I'm probably not going to keep either of them though. Quartet Chocolat is a little too busy (though I love the pink/gold/brown combo) and it's quite tight on me, and Musical Score's cut looks wonky. Still looking for one I like that fits me better than either of these.
Metamorphose/Angelic Pretty
left: Gingham Shirring JSK (2014)
right: Gingham Shirring JSK (2007)
A good sweet lolita should have at least one gingham dress, right? Also heart eyelet lace on the red one. Never hurts.
Angelic Pretty
Mary Gingham JSK (2012)
More gingham, but this one is for sale. I love all the details, but it's a bit too small.
Angelic Pretty
left: Dreaming Girl JSK (2013)
right: Going Out on a Sunny Day JSK (2012)
A couple of solid dresses, both from lucky pack sets so they came with matching headbows. I tend to get easily distracted by shiny cute prints but I have come to appreciate the utility of solid pieces. I got the pink one to work into a lolita Final Fantasy mage cosplay with two friends, and for the price I don't worry so much about what happens to it. The brown one I got because of the shoulder frills and heart eyelet lace (I am a sucker for heart eyelet lace).
Atelier Pierrot
left: Ribbon Corset OP (2012)
right: Rose Lace Bustle Corset OP (2011)
Kalafina made me want to get these because they've worn them in photo shoots. They are nicely made and the back shirring is really stretchy! I need to get longer lacing for the back, though, otherwise they slip around quite a lot.
Metamorphose/Sweet Addiction
left: Lurex Raschel Lace Shirring JSK (2014)
right: Legend of Zelda Stained Glass High Waist JSK (2016)
Enchantlic Enchantilly/Metamorphose
left: Trois Ribbon Tiered JSK (2013)
right: Dozing Cat Hakama Tuck JSK (2015)
Two of my favorite dresses in my collection. I don't wear the lace bows on the Chantilly dress, mostly because there's enough beautiful details on it already. It's probably the frilliest thing I own, and I love it. I got up at 2 AM to participate in the bloodbath for Dozing Cat and it sold out within 5 minutes, but I got one!
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright/Angelic Pretty
left: Floral Twin Frill JSK (2003)
right: Classic Fairy Tales JSK (2015)
I finally got me a grandma couch dress for old school purposes. I like having something from around the time I was actually interested in wearing the fashion. The Classic Fairy Tales one was competing with the Bambi de la foret print from Baby, but this one won because of the cut and price.
Metamorphose/Angelic Pretty
left: Velveteen Ribbon Frill JSK (2014)
right: Melty Sky JSK (2016)
Metamorphose
left: Swan Lace Frill Skirt (unknown, but no older than 2012)
right: Sweets Parade Mini Skirt (2012)
Swan Lace is for sale with a matching headdress. I wear the Sweets Parade skirt a lot since I can work it into more casual outfits. I normally don;t like bears on my prints (too juvenile) and I did not realize it had them when I bought it, but thankfully they're drowned out by ice cream :D
Metamorphose
Apple Frill Skirt (2008)
This print made me want to buy Metamorphose stuff. My good friend got this skirt in pink when she lived in Japan, and the more I looked at it the more cute details I saw. Someday I'm hoping to get the shirring JSK in black or navy but for now I will enjoy wearing this.
VISIBLE
A dark green/black tartan square skirt with long dangly corners. This is one of my very first pieces. I'm not sure of the name or year of release. I have been trying to hunt it down for a long time. I bought it secondhand in 2010, so it is at least that old.
Handbags!
Metamorphose, Baby, Angelic Pretty, Shirley Temple, DreamV/Yumetenbo, Loris/other Taobao
Bonus: a collection of handmade accessories! I need to devote more time to making things because I usually end up liking them a lot. I often end up buying all the materials for accessories and then never making them, and then I sell the dress it was supposed to go with...
ON THE WAY
Metamorphose Winged Cross Embroidery OP (2008)
One of Meta's oldest designs, the winged rose cross. A black one was on auction at the same time, but it looked like there was going to be a bidding war, and indeed it ended up selling for close to $200. I quietly won this ivory one for much less. I have become cautious about buying things with partial front + back shirring panels (and in case it didn't fit I didn't want to pay $200 for the black colorway because I doubt I could get that much back for it if I wanted to sell it), but because it's a solid color and does not have lacing over the top of the panels I will probably be OK. I am not super big on light colors, but I can try it. I can also cover the top half with a sweater if I don't like how it looks...
Metamorphose Cross OTKs, ivory/brown (2009)
To match the beige OP.
Axes Femme Gingerbread House Necklace (2013)
To match Country of Sweets, maybe. But with long hair and fancy bodice details on dresses, I usually don't end up wearing necklaces with dresses (they're better with skirts or plainer dresses). I also have a biscuit themed outfit in my head with the solid brown dress above, and this would fit nicely. Or even with regular clothes if I wore a color that matched it. I didn't realize it was pink gold color when I bought it (I thought it was silver) so we'll see...
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Some extras, if you care to read.
HOW I CAME TO KNOW AND WEAR LOLITA
My friend showed me a Fruits photo book that she bought at a museum in New York City in 2001 and I was immediately taken with the cute details. I made my first awkward handmade pieces shortly thereafter, did a research project on lolita in college (with my now husband, lol) and bought a skirt and accessories here and there, but did not have the will, space, or means to finally begin amassing a collection until about 3 years ago. I was aware of wardrobe posts since the beginning but the first year I didn't feel like I had enough stuff to warrant one and since then this is the first time I really felt like doing one.
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?
A lot, but some really major things:
1) How the cuts of the major brands I like tend to fit me. I have sold nearly everything I bought the first year I wore the fashion because I was just trying everything. I can now guess whether something is going to fit by what brand it is + how much shirring it has. Also what cuts tend to look good on me/fit my body well (regardless of whether I can simply get into them), and how clothes in general should fit my body.
2) My Google-fu has improved enormously. Trying to figure out what something is called and whether it will fit me is a fun part of the treasure hunting.
3) When making accessories, make sure you have a main piece in mind to match it with first.
4) Secondhand shopping is the way to go, unless you REALLY REALLY REALLY like it, you are reasonably sure it is going to sell out immediately, and that it will sell for more than retail when it does come up secondhand.
5) My favorite prints tend to involve astronomy type stuff, fruits (especially strawberries), sweets, and bows.
MY FAVORITE EXPERIENCES SO FAR
- Getting to know my college friend better through our mutual interest in the fashion, and her encouragement to not be so afraid of showing it to other people I know.
- Helping other people I know buy dresses for themselves. My neighbor dressed up with me for Halloween after seeing me wear lolita a couple of times and told me she'd always been interested but hadn't worked up the courage to try it out. I introduced a couple of new friends to my hobby soon after meeting them. I lent them a couple of my dresses for a group cosplay earlier this year and helped them coordinate their outfits. I helped one of them buy an Alice and the Pirates dress she found and fell in love with. The other friend initially insisted on making her own dress, but I will be helping her pick out and buy one too.
- Being out in public and overhearing a woman explain (correctly!!) to her young child what I was wearing.
- Feeling more at home in a pale pink wig with big curly twin tails than I thought I would.
GOALS FOR THIS YEAR
1) Get more blouses/cutsews that I like that work. The ones I do have are not pictured here but that's because I don't think they're worth showing. The overwhelming majority of brand blouses don't fit me so I need to have them custom made, and I need to work out exactly what kind of features I want and what tends to look good on me, and balance things from there.
2) Improve makeup and simple hair styling skills. I never learned to do it as a teenager, so I'm currently at awkward teenager level. My plan: practice.
3) Downsize the collection at least a little. I don't attend or plan enough events to wear 40 dresses, and my closet is starting to run out of room. I also need to pare down to the things I really like and use, and not just keep things I like that don't match anything.
4) Attend at least one event in the communities of the large cities I live close to.
5) Learn how to shop from Taobao. Finding good not-incredibly-expensive custom made blouses almost certainly means I will have to learn.
Thanks for reading!