It is not very often that I go to tea parties with others, so I chose to dress up more fancy in my new Juliette et Justine dress. I had a great time and met a lot of lolita enthusiasts.

Getting ready for lolita is a ritual I dread, but enjoy at the same time.. This is what I do.

1. I start think to think about what I will wear. I have pictures of nearly my entire wardrobe on my computer and can use it to make collages. I think of the aesthetic I am going for. It could be classic cocktail lady (as per below), country, nurse, etc. Deciding this helps me coordinate accessories.
2. I put the composed outfit on a dress form. And see if the colors really match, the necklines work, etc. Colors do not need to be the same shade. But warm colors go better with other warm colors. I advise against mixing warm and cool colors. Adjust outfit accordingly.
3. Try the outfit on. I check that it actually looks reasonable on a human being.
4. I start to consider the accessories/make up/hair and ensure that they all match the aesthetic I am going for.

Because I am excessively meticulous, I spend literally 5 hours or so on more fancy coordinates. For every day coordinates, I could take as long as 2-3 hours. It takes me at least 30 minutes to put on make up.

For this outfit, I also did foam curls, I do not really recommend it if your hair is thick and wet. My hair did not dry in time for the party so it looks sad.

Oh, I forgot these steps -
???
profit!

In the end if I am happy and proud of my coordinate, I feel contented that I was able express some creativity that I do not get to in my professional life. I also feel that I am getting "better" at coordinating lolita.

On the flip side of the coin, I get extremely frustrated and upset if I am feeling a creativity block and cannot put together a new coordinate that I am proud of. I feel like I am cheating when I wear a coordinate that I have worn before. I think that is unfair of me to think that, as it is not always possible to something new together. This kind of thinking probably also drove me to spend too much money on lolita. I am happy to report that my "no buy" is going pretty well. Well, I will be honest, I am still buying, but the amount I spend is much more reasonable (think less than $100 per month).

JSK: Juliette et Justine
Blouse: Mary Magdalene
Hat: Victorian Maiden
Socks: Innocent World
Shoes: Neosens
Very hard to see necklace: Neant Glass

P.S. thank you for the kind soul that took these pictures. She is my friend that is moving away soon. :(

I ordered this dress many months back. I have not been feeling passionate about lolita lately so when the dress arrived I let it sit in the box for awhile.. I had a look at it, but I did not try it on. I had imagined that it would not look good on me and that would be end of that.

But I finally decided on a whim to try it on and I am in love it. I wonder why I ever questioned my passion. Now I cannot wait to wear it until the next occasion.