I considered adding a lot of other categories, like literary prints, my favorite colorways, or academic and military cuts. Instead, I decided to keep it to five categories and represent some of the other characteristics I like within my chosen categories.
1. Rosettes
Rosettes evoke the 2012-2016 era of otome influenced classic-sweet that I really love. These are the kinds of prints I have seen coordinated beautifully with Amavel, Axes Femme, and Jane Marple. I especially love when rosettes are paired with tartan, regimental stripes, and uniform inspired details like pleats and double breasted bodices. While I adore rosettes in the ever so royal navy and wine colorways, I do wonder what a dreamy, muted pastel rosette print might be like.
The ivory Rosette Collection special set JSK was a dream dress for quite a while, and I finally got it this week! It's even more gorgeous in person.
2. Bib Collars
When I was a kid, maybe around seven years old, I found some lovely, high quality lace my mom had leftover from when she worked in a fabric shop. I thought it was gorgeous, and immediately envisioned a victorian inspired dress with a ruffle of lace around the collar. I found rectangular piece of green crafting felt and, without any planning, started sewing a bib front area. When my mom found what I was working on, she was like "WHAT ARE YOU DOIIIING?" Like a seasoned member of Big Sisters of Lolita Fashion trying to kindly explain that a dress from Amazon is never going to look like its stolen Mary Magdalene stock photo, she attempted to explain that my process was not exactly the way to make a dress. And, like someone getting the concrit they asked for but most certainly did not want to hear, I got so mad at her for stifling my creativity and trying to impose rules on my art!!
3. Gold Details
This is something my wardrobe and my home decor have in common. My favorite kinds of gold details are ones that look like rococo frames. I like the idea of having a capsule wardrobe with a lot of pieces I can mix and match, but even if my wardrobe becomes a lot more diverse as I build it, I think this is one feature that will remain consistent throughout. I'd love to get (or make!) more accessories that highlight this motif.
4. Tea and Teaspoon Prints
There are so many reasons I love tea prints in lolita fashion. Tea is, of course, a pretty iconic aspect of lolita culture. I have always loved tea, ever since I had my first cup of mint tisane at a knitting class when I was very little. I also take some pride in the fact that my great grandfather was a tea merchant. Beyond these things though, teaspoons are symbolic for me because of Spoon Theory. As someone with multiple chronic illnesses, having a few extra spoons on my dress feels like a metaphor for how dressing cute can boost me up on days when I feel sick and have low energy. I have also met some amazing fellow spoonies through this fashion!
5. Coats
During the entire time I have worn lolita, I have nearly always owned an equal number of main pieces and outerwear. While this is partly a practical choice to adapt to my local climate, I sincerely enjoy the opportunity to wear strikingly-tailored outerwear. AP's academy coat was one of those pieces that made me go "I will never find anything better than this" (IW's Royal Library is another). It is one of my go-to coats for work.
There is something romantic to me about cold weather, and especially snow. Maybe I'd feel differently if I lived somewhere where the ground was covered in brown slush from November until February. Still, I love the idea of bundling up in wool tights and sweaters, layers of petticoat, and a classic, faux-fur trimmed coat over it all, and enjoying a wintry walk in the park, with snow falling softly, and a cup of hot tea waiting for me somewhere cozy...
Identifying what you like most and what the common themes in your wardobe are helps so much in creating a cohesive wardrobe. When I started out, I mainly just bought what I fancied. Only when I started to think about lolita fashion more seriously, I realised that by pure luck and with one or two exceptions, my wardrobe skewed very heavily into a tricolour scheme and that I really liked retro/1950's inspired styling. Figuring this out helped me make smarter purchases later on and make sure that as my wardrobe grew in size, it remained cohesive and that pieces I added were versatile enough to work with what I already owned.
ReplyDelete