Wardrobe 2019: Main Pieces and Select Outerwear

Initially, I wasn't going to do a wardrobe post this year. I've drooled over enough gorgeously curated blog posts and videos to know what qualities I like in wardrobe presentation. This year, I felt like I just did not have the time, energy, space, or lighting to document my wardrobe well. Then, in a brief and unexpected lapse in perfectionism, I found myself thinking, "I can at least try taking a few photos and see how they turn out." 

So here they are! (Full disclosure, this is actually my first real wardrobe post.)

Solid Color Main Pieces

These are my go-to pieces for smaller meet ups or casual hangouts. If I had seven more main pieces like these I'd be well on my way to my newbie dream of being a lifestyle lolita. That's not really my goal anymore, since I've admitted to myself that there are days I'm just in a more casual mood, but I like the idea of someday being able to wear lolita daily if I wanted to. 

Casual Prints

These Peppermint Fox dresses are actually what got me to take the plunge and start finally wearing lolita after years of admiring it from afar, which is kind of funny because they really lean more otome than lolita. PF's whole aesthetic still really inspires my style though (and my lifestyle to be honest).

Then there's Rabbit Letter, my ultimate dream print. This skirt came up for sale at a reasonable price on my birthday two years ago, which was like "happy birthday to ME," but sadly it's actually really hard to coord. The regular JSK in wine is probably still my ultimate dream dress, although I'm just not at the level yet where I'm buying dresses at the price it always goes for. Sigh.

Fancy Prints

These are so fun to coord! They were also all wildly good deals. I got Royal Unicorn from a friend at a swap meet, who sold it to me at a shockingly nice price. It fits so well, is beautiful quality, and I looooove it.

Royal Library in this cut and color had been my ultimate dream dress for years, even before I started wearing the fashion. One night it came up on Yahoo Auctions JP for about half of what it usually goes for secondhand... and that's how I ended up making my first ever order with a shopping service.

Take the Crown was one of the prizes at our winter ILD meet last year. Ironically, my partner, the only ouji at the meet, won it! Lucky me– he gave it to me for Christmas. I'll still share if he ever wants to try coording it, though. Some of the people who were at ILD may be expecting this now?

Select Outerwear

This is all my outerwear from Japanese brands, though I have some other coats and jackets I wear in coords as well. AP's Academy Coat (right) is such a delight. It's one of the main coats I've been wearing for work this winter, which has convinced me to search for another AP coat in a similar cut so I'm not just wearing this one constantly.

I'm so glad I gave this a try! Photographing all my main pieces helped me learn some things about my wardrobe. 

1. It is way smaller than I thought it was?? I guess nine main pieces feels like a lot in a teeny tiny apartment, but really, I would not mind having more– as long as they're the right ones. 
2. Navy and wine are not really my main colors, though I want them to be. Conversely, I also want to add more accessories in soft beige, ivory, and brown tones to my collection. 
3. I really like my wardrobe. As I continue to build it, I'll try to keep this same feel going. Angelic Pretty and Innocent World are really competing for my affections, but I just love them BOTH!

I hope to do a follow-up post with blouses, accessories, and shoes. However, I'm mostly just happy I got this one done. 

Special thanks to Marie Kondo and her new Netflix show for inspiring me to let go of my shame and judgement about what I own and how I store it and just enjoy these belongings that make my heart make that "cute joy sound."