Why I am Holding onto that Dress

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This Week’s Prompt: A piece you haven’t worn in a long time, and why you’re holding onto it…
There is one JSK that I have not worn in a long time, but I do not plan on selling it anytime soon. Yes, it is a very pretty dress! It has two detachable bows, thick waist ties, and a nice two-layered skirt (one sheer layer over one solid layer), but… It is not a particularly amazing JSK, nor is it a brand-name Lolita JSK. It is an old JSK from Bodyline.
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The last time I wore this JSK was about a year ago, in October 2012 when some friends and I went to New York City. We only stayed one night, but it was still a great experience!
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I do not have this JSK with me at the moment, but when I return home later in the fall, I may bring this dress back to my dorm with me. I want to hang onto this JSK because it was my first Lolita item. A few years ago, when my mother and I went to a local anime convention, we saw a vendor with pretty Bodyline items! I was really excited to see the Lolita things on sale, and my mother bought this JSK for me as a belated birthday present. There is quite a bit of sentimentality attached to this little black dress, as cheesy as that sounds.
Do you have any Lolita items you want to hold onto?
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~Be sure to read other blog posts on this topic for the Lolita Blog Carnival! 

Steampunk-Lolita

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Lolita Fashion Coordinate Mixed with a Different Alternative Fashion Style…
Steampunk Lolita
This week’s Lolita Blog Carnival prompt is: Lolita Fashion Coordinate Mixed with a Different Alternative Fashion Style. Above is an example coordinate set on Polyvore that I made! (It is my first time using Polyvore, so I apologize for the plain set-up… I am still figuring out how to use the website.) Can you guess the mix that I made? (Unfortunately, I was unable to add more items to the set. I would have added a hat and some accessories that would have completed the coordinate…)
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I chose Steampunk-Lolita as my alternative fashion fusion! Both of these fashion styles are really appealing to me. I attempted some steampunk coordinates in middle school and high school, but they were really difficult to figure out, and to be honest, I don’t think any of them were any good.
The Steampunk fashion style, in my opinion, has a very neo-Victorian feel. There are also some key motifs I see in the fashion style, such as cogs and gears, steam-powered machines (does anyone want to drive a dirigible with me?), and goggles.
For this Steampunk-Lolita coordinate, I would definitely add a clockwork pin to the blouse or to the dress, a gold-and-brass-themed floral hair corsage, and some steampunk-y jewelry (necklace, bracelet, a few rings, and earrings!). A snazzy brown leather belt would also be a great addition to this coordinate! Instead of a floral hair corsage, you could wear a top hat or a bowler hat.
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~Be sure to read other blog posts on this topic for the Lolita Blog Carnival! 

Full-out coordinates (So far, from 2013)

Warning: Photo-heavy post ahead!

If you would like to see some of my Casual Lolita coordinates, click here.

I really enjoy planning out Lolita coordinates. Sometimes, I find it difficult, but nevertheless, I always find it fun! I love figuring out which clothing articles to put together, and which accessories to add to the outfit. And then wearing the coordinate is a great feeling too! I used to feel awkward wearing Lolita in public, but now, I have built up more confidence. I can wear casual lolita in public by myself, and I’m fine with wearing over-the-top lolita as long as I have at least one friend with me. Maybe eventually, I’ll build up my confidence even more so I can wear over-the-top lolita on my own in public.

Here are some of my favorite full-out coordinates from this year, so far:

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This is the outfit I wore when I twinned with my friend Megan! ❤ I miss her already. Hopefully we will be able to hang out in Lolita again this coming autumn! (And perhaps we can try to twin again…?) Megan and I also love dancing… and we were thinking of maybe doing Kpop dance covers… in Lolita. (Not sure when that will happen… but maybe sometime in the future if we have time to learn dances and such!)

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Here’s the Sweet Lolita coordinate I wore to a local mall meet-up, featuring a BTSSB cutsew and an AATP skirt. I love the pastel pink and white in this coord! Unfortunately, not all of the whites match… (I find whites really difficult to coordinate… If anyone has advice, please let me know. Thank you in advance!)

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This was my first attempt at a Country Lolita coordinate. I really love the red and white gingham print, and I’m really happy that everything matched up well. The cutsew is from Dear Celine (a Taobao brand), and the skirt is from Angelic Pretty (I snatched it off the comm sales a while ago). I really love the bonnet look, and I hope I pulled it off! There’s one thing that annoys me though… I have red and white wrist cuffs, but I completely forgot about them. They would have matched this coord so well! Next time, I’ll try to remember to wear the wrist cuffs. I can probably work the wrist cuffs into another coordinate as well…

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Above, you can see my friend Megan on the left! We are not twinning in this photo, but we were hanging out in Sweet Lolita coordinates together. I’m wearing a BTSSB babydoll JSK and headbow that I got from the comm sales (I believe the set was originall a lucky pack?). Fun fact: the knee-high socks I am wearing are socks that I’ve had since 5th grade. I’m so glad I’m a pack rat and never gave them away… xD I am not sure how well the blue cardigan matches with my coordinate, but it was chilly outside and I did not want to take off the cardigan. (And the cardigan matched better than my sweatshirts or winter jacket… xD)

The following two coords are quite different, but I used the same wig for both. I really love how this wig looks, and I love how both coords turned out.

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My favorite JSK: the Bertille Rose from Innocent World ❤

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This coat is really warm and I love the detachable fur collar! Maybe I can use the collar with another coat or jacket? Or maybe even a blouse?

In case anybody is curious, the wig I am wearing is the Empress Collection wig in Chocolate Brown from Gothic Lolita Wigs.

I really love the following coord… and I think it was the first coord I put together that I was proud of. I wore this outfit to my very-first Lolita meet-up! ❤

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I still love that bolero too… I found it at a thrift store at such a cheap price! The only annoying thing about it is… how it sheds off feathers. The fluff at the collar and the sleeves are feathers that just love flying everywhere. Those brown platform shoes broke (the soles came off)… but they are fixed now. I’m a bit scared to wear them again though! If I wear them again, I’ll probably only wear them for short periods of time, or bring spare shoes with me just in case something happens to them again.

And here is one of the Customer Coordinate showcases for Gothic Lolita Wigs that I was featured in:

I can’t believe I actually got accepted to the showcase again. >w< The above coordinate was what I wore to the Conbust Lolita Fashion 101 panel. I love the Alice in Wonderland theme of this Bodyline JSK!

I really hope I have made some progress as a Lolita since last year. ❤ I would love to receive feedback and advice from other Lolitas, so please don’t be shy! I appreciate constructive criticism.