You would think that someone regularly reviewing their wardrobe, like myself, would have a good idea of what they’d like to have more of. Unfortunately, I don’t. This prompt, although thoroughly interesting, had me stumped. What would I want to have more of in my lolita wardrobe?
The more I thought of it, the more I realised that this had to be divided into a Heart Choice and Mind Choice – i.e. the stuff I fancy and the stuff that’s practical. Having said this, at this stage my wardrobe is pretty large and accommodating, so I probably don’t have actual needs for more of a particular item type, which begs the question why am I bothering with this further division, but let’s just roll with that.
Heart Choice
As much as I’m sure all of us would love to have more main pieces, I’m actually picking blouses and legwear. I am that lolita who completely doesn’t understand all those other frillies not succeeding in the ‘get more blouses/socks’ New Year’s resolutions. Like… how?! They are the key building blocks of a coordinate and what allows you to make the same dress look like completely different. They’re also inexpensive to get, especially legwear. Even if you were to buy brand new OTKs, for the price of one Angelic Pretty JSK (around ¥28,000) you can get roughly 11 pairs of Angelic Pretty socks (assuming an average price of ¥2,500 per pair). And that’s just brand – there are so many more affordable options for both, from shopping on Taobao to completely offbrand/vintage/thrifted finds, that will cost even less, allowing you to pad out your wardrobe quickly.
| These are just the long sleeve ones. And while they represent the most common colours in my wardrobe, I would love to have a bigger variety of neckline and sleeve style combinations. |
My eyes are always, always drawn to patterned socks and tights, while the variety of cuts and detail on blouses feels that even the Versatile White Lolita Blouse can’t compare with another Versatile White Lolita Blouse (so many combinations of sleeves and necklines – and then you add in all the other detail!). Had storage not been as big an issue as it currently is, I probably would’ve let myself go a bit more. As is, I do stop and check myself: Is it something I genuinely don’t have already? Will it really match my wardrobe? Can I do something similar to this with what I already have? Is the price good enough to justify fighting with an overstuffed drawer for it? Trust me though, if I had unlimited space, I would be more like Reckless Rave (her legwear collection is the ultimate goals and not too shabby on the blouses either)!
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| This is my OTK drawer. I have another one full of tights (lolita and normie together), with ankle socks shoved to the side there too. And still I feel like that's not enough legwear (especially colourful legwear, I go for whites with pops of colour as a safe option). |
Mind Choice
What would I like to have more of that would be a relatively sensible thing to own more of? When you have a fairly large and diverse collection, adding more can feel excessive when there isn’t any pressing need. After much thought I decided that berets and shoes would probably be the most sensible choice for me.
Despite how cheap they are to obtain, I only own a handful of berets (and actually use even fewer as I feel like they match my wardrobe best). They are an easy go-to accessory when you want to be a bit more casual or don’t want to stick out too much as a lolita. They can also be so easy to customise, from clipping things to them all the way to sewing on permanent decorations, to match every style imaginable. True, colour matching can sometimes be incredibly awkward, as colours on screen look different to real life – but isn’t that true of everything in lolita fashion? At least a £1 beret from eBay with free shipping doesn’t feel as much of a waste when it doesn’t match as a bigger, more expensive item might. And if you’re creative, you will probably still find a way to incorporate that somehow.
| The decorated berets I have. Three not pictured are just plain, solid coloured ones in ivory, powder blue and wine. I should decorate them soon. |
As for shoes, well, that doesn’t seem a particularly practical choice when you have no space for them, does it? Having said this, my collection of lolita and loliable shoes consists predominantly of heels. Cute as they may be, they aren’t always a sensible footwear option. I would love to own more flat shoes that could work with lolita fashion, be it for meets involving lots of walking or simply lazy days. Besides tea parties, it’s actually pretty hard to find shoes that are cute and flat, even harder if you’re trying to find styles neutral enough to work with different substyles of the fashion. So while this isn’t something I will be rushing to get more of soon, it is a part of my wardrobe that I would like to expand or revise at some point in the future. Of course, in an ideal world I would have a pair of cute flats, classy heels and practical boots in each colour featured in my wardrobe, since I like to match my shoes to my dresses/skirts, but that may be a little too excessive. But given that some shoes wear out quicker than others (and some get worn more than others), there’s a way to add more pairs without getting a whole load of them or getting rid of everything currently in my wardrobe.
| Current collection (now depleted by one pair that was sold since). Notice how there are only four pairs of flats here - not overly practical. |
So as always, I have managed to overthink the Lolita Blog Carnival prompt and come up with more things that I could possibly want. No surprises there. Still, I hope that you have enjoyed this insight into my frivolous wishes. What items or accessories do you wish you owned more of? Don’t forget to check out what the other participating bloggers have written on this prompt!
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