Time consuming wardrobe post was time consuming to make...

[amy_the_yu]

Warning: Extremely photo heavy (over 80 images).  It would be wise for those with slow internet to navigate away without clicking (or enjoy the preview pic without clicking).

2013 has been the first year in a while where I've had both time and income to work on my wardrobe.  Despite working hard to sell a number of items, I still seemed to have kept and acquired enough new items that my closet is almost bursting...

Now, before anyone goes off thinking I must either be rich or spend all my money on lolita, neither is true (I have a pretty basic salary, and like to squirrel money away into my savings account for the future).  I do spend a fair bit on lolita (it's definitely my largest non-essential expenditure), but I try very hard to be thrifty with my shopping habit.  I micromanage my finances obsessively and try probably far too hard to get the best deals whenever I make a purchase (except for a few exceptions when I allowed myself to splurge).  I've started documenting some of the methods of my madness in a new textbook blog, In Search of Cheap Frills.  There are also some posts about the other side of the lolita market coin; tips and pointers for selling.  Feel free to give it a browse if the idea of a technical manual for lolita buying/selling tickles your fancy.  I'm also open to suggestions for future entries as I've only got a few more entries planned.

Coats and Jackets



Both are Atelier Boz.  Roland jacket (one of my dream items) and a short ruffly version of the Roland jacket.



Left is Atelier Boz; right is Black Peace Now.  I bought this Boz coat without realizing it was from Boz.  It was a nice surprise when it arrived!  The BPN jacket is a brand new addition.  It's loli-able, but has tiny swallow tails in the back, which I think is adorable.



Left is BPN; right is Atelier Boz.  I've gotten the most mileage out of this BPN jacket out of all my brand jacket.  I accidentally bought duplicates of the Boz jacket thinking they looked different in the Y!J auction pictures.  So much for having 20/20 vision...



Left is off-brand; right is Metamorphose Frill Coat with Cape.  I love houndstooth and I call this Meta jacket my "Christmas coat" because I think of Mrs. Claus every time I look at it.



HMHM and Rose Melody.  I bought the HMHM coat as a loli-able formal coat for colder weather and bought the Rose Melody one soon after.  Wasn't planning on having two coats for the same purpose, but oh well, I love cute black coats. XD

One-piece Dresses



Left is Moi-meme-Moitie Holy Stained Glass Print Long OP; right is Juliette et Justine Robe de Lievre.  I had big plans for both of these and neither wound up fitting me as I'd hoped.  Still, I really like them and if they don't sell to someone who really love them, I plan to find new coordinate plans to justify keeping them. XD I eventually managed to sell both in spring 2013.



Left is Juliette et Justine; right is Mary Magdalene St. Claire OP I've been after for a long time.  It needs one hell of a steaming to get the wrinkles out, but I'm so glad to finally own it.  The JetJ dress was an impulse buy from Grand Bazaar, but it's pretty, so no regrets!



Left is the Baby the Stars Shine Bright Cinderella print; right is BtSSB Paris no Mado.



Left is Angelic Pretty Cherry Berry Bunny; right is AP Dessert Collection.  Still my top 2 fave AP prints.



Left is Metamorphose The March of Duck; right is Meta Fruit Punch Soda Short Sleeve OP.  I got the Fruit Punch OP in a lucky pack a couple of summers ago and in all honesty, I'd be much more likely to wear it in the black colourway, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to have something in a really "typical" sweet style considering how most of my sweet pieces...wouldn't ever end up in a XD



Left is Meta Perfume Bottle; right is Haenuli Sleeping Beauty.  I love the quality of Haenuli's worksmanship and the beauty of the print.  I've already ordered items from her next reservation.  I can't wait for it to arrive. =D



Left is Innocent World Chandelier print; right is Mille Fleurs.



Left is Emily Temple Cute Alice in Wonderland print; right is Mary Magdalene Rote Rose.  I don't care for fully shirred dresses, but the ETC print was really hard to come by, so I was happy to take whatever I could get it in.

Jumpskirts



Left is Surface Spell Madame de Bourbon-Conti painting JSK; right is Kidsyoyo Voice of Music Violin Embroidery.  I've never quite understood the painting print fad, but I figured this was a good chance to test it out.  On the other hand, I've been a life-long band nerd, so the violin embroidery JSK was almost a no-brainer for me...



Left is Juliette et Justine Petit Jardin de la Fleur; right is Innocent World Beatrice, long version.



Both are Innocent World Bertille Rose print.  Left is pink, long; right is blue, short.  I got these in the Halloween and New Years LPs respectively.  I know I shouldn't hoard, but I love both of these so much and the blouse and bustier (below) that I got in the New Years LP make coordinating so convenient. *_*



Left is Innocent World Rose Basket Angel; Right is IW Margueritte bustier and skirt set (skirt sold spring 2013 since I eventually decided I would really only ever use the bustier).  The Margueritte set was from the same New Years LP as the blue Bertille Rose JSK above.  Although the bustier is suppose to be for this set, I can't wait to coordinate it with the pink Bertille Rose JSK because the burgundy in both match so well. =D



Left is IW Pomona JSK; right is Meta Swan Lake Ribbon Tulle JSK.



Left is Meta Ornament Print Bust Frill Flared JSK; right is BtSSB.



Left is Atelier Pierrot Playing Cards Print Vest Style JSK (<-why did APierrot give it such a long, but plain name?); right is BtSSB Tartan Check JSK, one of my favourite easy-to-clean casual dresses (often gets dragged through the dirty work of dealers' room set up/tear down).



Left is Meta Kimono Print JSK; right is AP Heart Scalloped JSK.



Left is Metamorphose Sundress JSK; right is BtSSB Galetta JSK.  I've owned these forever compared to most other things (got them in 2008), but I still love them just as much as when I first got them.  Hard to see from my pictures, but both have gathered busts which is one of my favourite loli styles (also better accomodates boobs in older styles that tend to run smaller).



Left is IW Cinderella Ball JSK w/ collar; right is ETC Sleeping Beauty print.  I've actually owned the IW JSK for almost 2 years now, but was really on the fence about it the whole time and really only decided to keep it after seeing the really awesome and unique way that xaynie wore hers for steampunk outfits. I don't wear steampunk, but I think the idea of using it as just one element in a more elaborate outfit is great, so I may try to gather the skirt to the sides (since it buttons down the whole front) and wear it as an over-dress.  The ETC JSK is one of my casual summer dresses (aka allowed to be covered in cat hair).  I love their sleeping beauty print and it took me almost a year to track this down (I found it by fluke in the end).  It had a large bow on the chest that I removed and I think it looks a lot nicer without it.  I usually just wear it plain with a jacket or cardigan over top to make it office appropriate. =D



Left is Meta Thorny Rose Bustle Pinafore Dress; right is Meta Night of Masquerade Bustier-like Pinafore Dress.  Both were bought at the Meta store in LaForet.  I had gone there planning to buy the Night of Masq JSK, but found the Thorny Rose JSK on the sample sale rack for about half price and couldn't resist a bargain.  I'm really tempted to mod the Thorny Rose and remove the shoulder straps, put in some boning into the bodice and have it as a sassy little formal dress. XD



Left is Victorian Maiden Beth Ribbon Star Bustier Dress (sold spring 2013); right is Surface Spell Cathedral Embroidery Underbust JSK.



Both are h. Naoto Frill.  The one on the left was my first in-store lolita dress purchase from a trip to Tokyo in 2008.  The one on the right was thrifted from a Closet Child in Tokyo in spring 2012.  Despite the 4 year time difference, doesn't seem like my brand loyalties have changed too much.  Here's to hoping that I'll add many more h. Naoto Frill dresses to my wardrobe in years to come as well. XD



Innocent World Flower Embroidery JSK and Black Peace Now.  Two very simple, but versatile dresses.  The IW JSK comes with interchangable halter straps and regular shoulder straps, but it's so heavy that I almost need both just to keep it up.  The lace overlay is pretty much solid embroidery that weighs a ton (think eyelet lace style, but SOLID and THICK embroidery). *_*



Both are Alice and the Pirates Gather Frill Chiffon.  Left is my beloved black x iris colourway that has been in my closet almost since beginning of time (it was one of my first AatP pieces).  Right is my brand new pretty that came in the AatP lucky pack I bought in December.  I was really surprised to find it in my LP since it's probably one of AatP's most popular non-print items, so I never imagined that they would have any leftover for LPs!

Miscellaneous (for the stuff that's kind of in between categories)



Left is BtSSB Red Riding Hood Jacket/OP; right is BtSSB Gloomy Bear Apron and bonnet (2nd release) plus a Shin & Co. x Gloomy purse.  I love Gloomy Bear, so I put up no resistance when this went up for sale.  It's both the derpiest and most awesome Gloomy item I own (and I own a lot of derpy Gloomy stuff).



Atelier Pierrot Bustle corset dress x2 (floral one sold spring 2013).  I'm a sucker for all of APierrot's corset and bustle stuff.  Also on the right, Triple Fortune bonnet.

Skirts



Left is Meta Tales of the Wood print (fully shirred waist; traded spring 2013); right is my far too holiday specific AP Happy Garden skirt.  I got the Meta skirt in my summer skirt LP (bought the purse on ebay to coordinate with it).  Happy Garden rides the coat-tails of my love for Cherry Berry Bunny.  I have the matching HG cut-sew as well.  I might wear it to work on Easter just to be silly and holiday appropriate (even though no one at my workplace ever seems to dress up in any way). XD



Left is my beloved AP Rose Toilette; right is AP Fantastic Dolly.  I cannot, for the life of me, find anything in a matching red to coordinate the Rose Toilette with (and no two AP "reds" seem to be the same when it comes to this skirt)



Left is AP Queen's Playing Card; right is AP Vanilla-chan applique, which I own solely because I really like cats (and it's so tempting to dye little grey and black stripes on to make it match my cat).



Left is BtSSB Cinderella print (with altered hem?  Never figured it out, but I like it like this); right is an ooold Juliette et Justine skirt with a million speats.  It was actually my first brand lolita skirt and I wore it to my first ever lolita meet up about 6 years ago.



Left is Shirley Temple swan lake ballet silhouette print; right is Meta Thorn Skirt.



Left is Lief Ornamental Regimented Stripe; right is BtSSB Cinderella Jewelry Print Frill Skirt.



Left is Meta Ribbon Chandlier; right is IW Crown Embroidery.



Left is BtSSB Paris no Mado (sold spring 2013; regret; bought again summer 2013 *facepalm*); right is off-brand (Lipsy)



Left is BtSSB Love Moon Princess Stained Angel Print (...weirdest name ever); right is BPN butterfly print chiffon skirt.


skirt
Both are Meta Swan Lake.  Left is the fully shirred mini-skirt; right is the regular version.  There is a difference though (I didn't just take 2 pictures of the same skirt)!  Left is the fully shirred mini-skirt; right is the medium length skirt.  I'm obsessed with this print, so I couldn't resist getting the medium skirt when I found it at Closet Child.  The fully shirred mini-skirt was my first Swan Lake item in the black colourway.  I love it to bits and wear it out quite a bit as a casual skirt.



Both are Meta Swan Lake (again).  High waisted versions this time!  I have the matching bag in both colours as well.  They're the pride of my wardrobe! ~~<3



Left is IW Side Lace Up Rose Lace skirt; right is Meta.  I like to wear these casually for work...at least when I was working for the National Ballet of Canada, which was actually my previous job until the end of 2012 (when I got my current job).  I really miss all the excuses to wear lolita (or lolita pieces) to work on show days when we have an all-black dress code.  Current job is in an office, where no one ever dresses up.



Left is Lady Sloth Mist of Venice (with custom heart shaped high waist); right is THE Excentrique skirt that Bodyline copied their version from in their early days of replica making (also one of my early dream items).  It has spiral steel booning and some tight lacing is actually possible. =O



Left is Haenuli Sleeping Beauty; right is Mille Fleurs (also bought the floor length version in black w/ white lace and drawstring bustle in summer 2013).



Left is Atelier Boz Stratis Corset Skirt; right is AatP Beauty and the Rose Promise.  I've owned the Beauty and the Rose Promise print in several colours and styles, but the black was ultimately my favourite, so this is the single piece I've decided to keep.



Both are AatP Vampire Requiem (in blue and black).  I owned the black corset skirt a while back, but sold it, then regretted selling it and bought it again.  I really like the navy colourway (favourite colour), but I can't get over how much more eerie the colours in the black colourway feels.



Left is Bodyline; right is Atelier Pierrot Corset Skirt.  One of my few BL pieces, but also one of my fave skirts to wear.  It's really full and fluffy with a TON of detailed eyelet lace.  I usually wear it in casual gothic coords without a petticoat and it's still incredibly fluffy.  Right is actually the wrong skirt.  I recently acquired the longer (4 tier) version of the same skirt and sold this one, but I'm too lazy to take another picture since aside from an extra 5 inches in length, there's no real difference between the two. XD



Both are Atelier Pierrot Bustle Corset Skirts and in case you're wondering, no, this is not 2 pictures of the same skirt.  Left is a matte overlay with sheer chiffon ruffles underneath; right is a satin-y overlay with solid matte ruffles underneath (sold spring 2013; replaced with a dark red version >=D).  Kind of funny (and/or sad depending on your take) that this is the 2nd time in this post that I have to explain two similar items that look almost the same...



Both Atelier Pierrot Corset skirts.  My beloved stripes and plaid.



Left is Atelier Pierrot (long version of the same thing 3 pictures above); Meta Ornament Drop High Waist Skirt (kudos to anyone who noticed it's the same print as the pink JSK earlier in this post).



Left is IW Strawberry Rose Garden, long version; right is Lief Sacred Night.

Bags and purses



My beloved Patchy bat-wing bags.  The top one is a boxy backpack (kind of like the randoseru, bags in Japan for elementary schoolchildren).  The bottom is a boxy tote.  My holy grail bags!



Tokidoki x Hello Kitty collaboration (Japan only release) boston tote.  I love it, but it's a bit too big/heavy for regular use.  I'm too used to the comparatively much lighter Tokidoki x LeSportSac collab bags (which I also collect and have far too many of).



Metamorphose Swan Lake totes (2 purse versions in black and ivory, plus a full fabric tote in bordeaux) and a lonely perfume bottle print purse in pink.



Top to bottom: Metamorphose LP bling bag (I have a double somewhere...love it that much).
Beauty:Beast printed leather bag (my interview bag since it's MASSIVE so i can easily fit my folder plus a change of shoes/extra clothing inside).
Off-brand black/gold PVC book purse.
Super giant quilted tote and matching clutch from Ayumi's 10th anniversairy tour; not really lolita, but it actually looks quite nice as contrast pieces with my black-heavy wardrobe since black bags on black outfits is sometimes a bit boring.



Top to bottom: h Naoto winged (and devil tailed) backpack.
Algonquins plaid purse (was my default purse for a while, but the straps don't like to stay on my shoulder very well).
Black Peace Now rubber "tote" purse (it has a nice embossed pattern that totally doesn't show in the group shot).
Ba-Tsu trump theme purse.



Top to bottom: Off-brand strawberry purse (my first loli-able bag from over 6 years ago, now I only use it when I wear my strawberry print yukata).
Gloomy Bear x Shin&Co. collaboration purse.
The off-brand book purse that everyone seems to have XD.
Off-brand "fox" purse to go with my Meta "Tales of the Woods" skirt.



Swimmer carry-on size suitcase and my BtSSB bunny cushion (this picture is from my Japan trip swag post, hence the nonsensical combination in context of this post...)

Shoes! (in super bad lighting...)



My "dressed-up" shoes
Back row (left to right): Double Decker RHS, Off-brand, Bodyline, Demonia
Middle row: Montreal, Bodyline, Aldo, Montreal
Front row: Bodyline, off-brand, Milk, Vivianne Westwood x Melissa (Lady Dragon, wax seal style emblem <3)



My "everyday" shoes (can you tell that I really like black boots?)
Back row (left to right): New Rock (actually a pewter colour w/ spiderweb pattern), New Rock, off-brand, off-brand
Middle row: AatP Antique Leather Shoes (in brown), off-brand, off-brand, off-brand
Front row: Off-brand, off-brand, Fluevog, Vivianne Westwood x Melissa

Accessories (headgear, jewelry, miscellany)



Top row, left to right: Off-brand top hat (black), Milk (or Heart E...can't remember) crown haircomb, Tripple Fortune bonnet, off-brand top hat (grey), Innocent World cream mini-boater hat.
2nd row, left to right: Angelic Pretty black headbow, Moi-meme-Moitie headbow, BtSSB Hard Ribbon hairband, off-brand black/gold mini-top hat.
Left side bottom: h. Naoto Grimm fabric flower brooch (with far too much lace) and beside that is
Right side: Angelic Pretty Cherry Berry Bunny Headbow (to match my OP, but I never wear it, just don't want to break up the set), Angelic Pretty Heart Canotier and Chocomint Tea and Cup clip.
Everything else: Off-brand and Surface Spell.



I'm allergic to practically every non-precious metal, so I tend not to wear jewelry very often, but none-the-less I have my little collection of jewelry (MOST of which I'm not allergic to >_<).  I didn't plan this one out very well, so here's a list of all the items in a semi-random order:
A: BtSSB Double Bow Ring (silver)
B: AatP Angel Wing Ring
C: BtSSB Logo Cameo Ring
D: Angelic Pretty Happy Garden Ring (white x lavender)
E: F21 Maltese Cross Ring
F: BtSSB Logo Cameo Necklace
G: Jane Marple Resin Crown Ring (terrible angle for this...)
H: Jane Marple Resin Crown Ring (still a terrible angle for this...)
I: BtSSB x Novala Heart Emblem Ring (gold x red)
J: BtSSB x Novala Heart Emblem Ring (gold x black)
K: BtSSB Big Ribbon Fish Pin (gold)
L: BtSSB Key Necklace (gold)
M: Innocent World Angel Gift Choker (with the heart crystal replaced with something more massive)
N: AatP Fairy Night Fantasia Necklace
O: Suppurate System Apple Necklace



Angelic Pretty Petit Crown Pearl Choker (top left)
Chocomint Pearl Crown Bracelet (inside top left)
Metamorphose Plastic Bow Pearl Necklace (bottom left)
Innocent World Crown Cherubim Necklace (right)



A: Swimmer Marine Themed Wallet
B: AatP Crown Print Bag
C: Moi-meme-Moitie Black Tulle Choker
D: BtSSB Strawberry Lace Wrist Cuffs
E: Q-Pot Macaroon Case and Tote Bag
F: Putumayo Cat in a Window Necklace (pewter colour)
G: Metamorphose Chandelier Necklace
H: Angelic Pretty Dessert Collection Necklace
I: Innocent World Bear Brooch



A: BtSSB Glitter Bow Bangle
B: Off-brand Plastic Bow Bangle
C: Metamorphose 6-ring Planner
D: Metamorphose Typewritter Squirrel Pin
E: Gouk Kanzashi-style Brooch



Left to right: Off-brand, BtSSB, AatP.



Left to right: BtSSB, vintage (1920's), off-brand.  The off-brand one is my first parasol ever and the vintage one was a lucky find at an antique store.  It's a super dark navy blue silk fabric in perfect working order although the fabric is a little thin on some of the folds and it has an awesome handle.



Left to right: IW, Swimmer, off-brand.



Can you tell I'm obsessed with ties?  I'm not a Dir en Grey fan, but I really like the ties Kyo designed in collaboration with Ba-tsu, so the collection mostly grew out of that.
Top row: All Kyo (of Dir en Grey) x Ba-tsu collab.
Bottom row: 2x Ba-tsu Official Battle Royale school ties (one for my collection, one to wear), random Ba-tsu skinny tie, Peace Now striped tie (silver x black, although it looks white here), BPN ties x 4, Liens x BPN and another random Ba-tsu tie.



And I kind of went wild when I discovered these existed in different colours and had to collect them all (duplicates of the bottom left one because I used to wear it a lot)... All Ba-tsu.

On the way (Dresses and skirts only)




Left is Meta Fairy Tale OP (got it with the matching bonnet!); right is Victorian Maiden Tiered Rose Frill (sold spring 2013 because it didn't fit me well).




Left is BtSSB World's longest name (The World's Most Adorable Dog and the World's Most Delicious Frappe Print; sold spring 2013 because it didn't fit me well); right is BtSSB Windows of Paris.  I've wanted something in the longest name print for a while.  It's cute and the name is pointlessly long, so I find endearing somehow.  Windows of Paris seems to be my new print to hoard.  I really prefer the black colourway, but it's such a nice print, so I've decided to try out a different colourway.




Both are AP Whipped Magic.  Left is Switching JSK; right is Chest Ribbon JSK (sold spring 2013 because it didn't fit me well).  I'm actually not a huge fan of the print; however, it's been on my mind for ages after someone equated "Whipped Magic" with "Miracle Whip" (years ago) and photoshopped a Miracle Whip print dress that I thought was awesome and totally up my alley since I love mayo (if anyone has the picture, please link me/send it to me and I will love you forever).  I wound up with both versions pretty much by accident.  The first one I had won on Yahoo! Japan late last summer, but after my SS closed suddenly due to an accident (Mai Ozawa for anyone who's curious), I figured that the auction was never paid for and I wouldn't get it, so when the chest ribbon version came up on MBok earlier this month, I decided I might as well bid.  Then I got contacted by my old SS a week later with some of the last things I bid on that she hadn't been able to invoice/send before the accident, so now I have both coming.  Definitely going to sell one.  Really don't need 2 versions of a print that I just want because I think it's funny... X3




Left is AatP Lacy Flocked (sold spring 2013 because it didn't fit me well); right is Meta Wrapping Me.  To add to my plethora of black skirts.  I'm hoping the AatP Lacy Flocked skirt is casual enough worn that I can work it into my casual non-lolita wardrobe.




Both are Haenuli Stained Glass of Saint Giles (should be in the mail any day now).  I'm pretty much completely obsessed with Haenuli right now.  I had such a good experience with their Sleeping Beauty reservation (got an OP and corset skirt) that I'm pretty much just collecting everything they release as they come out.  I've already got the money put aside for their Royal Kitten reservation even though it hasn't even been announced yet. XD




Both are Baroque Abandoned Night (just joined the reservation yesterday; still waiting for my invoice).  Left is velvet JSK (underbust style with cap sleeves); right is chiffon skirt.  Recently discovered that I'm apparently a sucker for colourful stained glass prints.  I'm just really praying that this release won't have any of the problems they had earlier with the Pearl Drops reservations...

My cat tried really hard to distract me and I wound up taking pictures of her as well while I had my camera handy, sooo...wanna see a picture of my cat?  Of course you do.


/crazy cat lady

Please don't borrow or use my pictures without my permission.  It doesn't take much time or effort to ask, so please do so.