Last Sunday I returned from Utah full of ideas, cold germs, and excitement for new blog additions, and upon returning home was immediately uninspired by my wardrobe.
What was this? How could I come home, missing lolita and dying to get into a dress when I had been trapped in jeans for two weeks, and feel so bored by everything I saw? Deflated in disappointment, I hit one of those infamous wardrobe slumps.
Of course, the first thing I did when I was feeling well enough was cart myself to Starbucks and check on my BtSSB order, which hadn't arrived. I gazed at a saved picture of Guilty Meltin' Sweets Town, too clouded with grump to appreciate that this week I will finally lay hands on one of the best birthday presents ever.
What was happening? A cold seeped its lethargy into even my most obsessive mental compartments? Well, yes, that could be partially to blame.
Having a small wardrobe while simultaneously being a daily lolita doesn't help, and how one handles that can make an impressive difference. How many times can you wear the same dress over and over again with only a handful of varying accessories before it stops being you and starts feeling like dead skin?
The way that I used to handle wardrobe slumps was to sell half of my wardrobe and replace it with new items, keeping the turnover too high to possibly get tired of. Well, that's fine if you're not particularly attached to any of your dresses, but it's downright silly if you're trying to build your wardrobe to any mentionable size or cohesiveness. It's a bad habit that I've only kicked this year, and I would gladly give a lecture to past me about rushing turnovers.
Wardrobe slumps are eerily similar to writer's block. My Literature teacher told us that writer's block isn't real. It's a small voice in the back of your head nagging you that nothing you'll write (or in this case wear) will be good enough, or inspiring enough. Why bother when someone else is going to do something 15 times better than you?
The answer is that you are the only one who can properly tell your story. If you're looking at a coordinate, and it's not quite good enough, keep playing with it (wearing it new ways) until you've got it figured out. It might take a long time before everything feels right and "clicks" again, but you will definitely get there. You are the only one who knows what bow should be placed at what angle on your head, or what belt would accent your waist with that jsk just right. Take a small break to hunt for inspiration if you need to (read if you're a writer, go through style blogs if you're a fashionista, or simply get out into the world with open eyes if you're either) but don't wait for too long and make it easy to back out altogether.
Don't be afraid to "steal" other looks. Again, like writing, you will end up reflecting what you love (or simply what you know) the most, and it may be very obvious at first. Don't let that discourage you, because you have to learn from others before you can really find your voice. If all you know is old school lolita, you might have troubles with a new OTT classic jsk when it arrives. If all you're familiar with is Hallmark cards, your writing will sound like Hallmark cards. Keep growing and learning from others, and experiment with mixing and creating as much as you can until you feel it "click." Sometimes it will click and then later it doesn't fit, and the process starts again. That's okay, too!
Quick Wardrobe Un-Slumping Exercises:
What was this? How could I come home, missing lolita and dying to get into a dress when I had been trapped in jeans for two weeks, and feel so bored by everything I saw? Deflated in disappointment, I hit one of those infamous wardrobe slumps.
Of course, the first thing I did when I was feeling well enough was cart myself to Starbucks and check on my BtSSB order, which hadn't arrived. I gazed at a saved picture of Guilty Meltin' Sweets Town, too clouded with grump to appreciate that this week I will finally lay hands on one of the best birthday presents ever.
 |
| You can't be unimpressed when you see this in person. It's impossible. |
Having a small wardrobe while simultaneously being a daily lolita doesn't help, and how one handles that can make an impressive difference. How many times can you wear the same dress over and over again with only a handful of varying accessories before it stops being you and starts feeling like dead skin?
The way that I used to handle wardrobe slumps was to sell half of my wardrobe and replace it with new items, keeping the turnover too high to possibly get tired of. Well, that's fine if you're not particularly attached to any of your dresses, but it's downright silly if you're trying to build your wardrobe to any mentionable size or cohesiveness. It's a bad habit that I've only kicked this year, and I would gladly give a lecture to past me about rushing turnovers.
Wardrobe slumps are eerily similar to writer's block. My Literature teacher told us that writer's block isn't real. It's a small voice in the back of your head nagging you that nothing you'll write (or in this case wear) will be good enough, or inspiring enough. Why bother when someone else is going to do something 15 times better than you?
The answer is that you are the only one who can properly tell your story. If you're looking at a coordinate, and it's not quite good enough, keep playing with it (wearing it new ways) until you've got it figured out. It might take a long time before everything feels right and "clicks" again, but you will definitely get there. You are the only one who knows what bow should be placed at what angle on your head, or what belt would accent your waist with that jsk just right. Take a small break to hunt for inspiration if you need to (read if you're a writer, go through style blogs if you're a fashionista, or simply get out into the world with open eyes if you're either) but don't wait for too long and make it easy to back out altogether.
Don't be afraid to "steal" other looks. Again, like writing, you will end up reflecting what you love (or simply what you know) the most, and it may be very obvious at first. Don't let that discourage you, because you have to learn from others before you can really find your voice. If all you know is old school lolita, you might have troubles with a new OTT classic jsk when it arrives. If all you're familiar with is Hallmark cards, your writing will sound like Hallmark cards. Keep growing and learning from others, and experiment with mixing and creating as much as you can until you feel it "click." Sometimes it will click and then later it doesn't fit, and the process starts again. That's okay, too!
 |
| An obvious match for florals are the omnipresent reds, pinks and creams... |
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| ... but look closer and find that aside from greens there are purples as well. You could even ignore them and coord around the floral skirt, using it as your statement piece. |
Quick Wardrobe Un-Slumping Exercises:
- Build an entire coordinate collage using only one piece from your current wardrobe and things from your wishlist.
- Mix lolita up with another fashion look you like.
- Build a coordinate based off of a completely random thing—a movie character, an animal, the flowers at your local park, an unusual color palette, just get your creative juices going.
- If you have something you actually haven't worn it two years, consider trading or altering it for/into something you really like.
- Cut out or print up assorted tops, bottoms or jsks, shoes, and accessories. Then put each category into a separate bag and draw out one at random to create a surprising new coordinate. You could even get crazy and put your clothes into separate boxes and pull it out in the same way.
- Have a friend make a coordinate for you.
- Try to create new looks for old coords by changing only your accessories, shoes, bag, and makeup.
- Put two things you would never wear together into a coordinate. You might not have the pieces to bring them together in your wardrobe, but browsing through the Lolibrary site or Kera magazine might open your eyes to combinations your brain just refused to see before.
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