April Daily Coordinate Review // The good, the bad, and the ugly

I did the "thing" and completed a daily coordinate monthly challenge for April. Each day, I put together coordinates and posted them to Instagram. At first, the process was pretty methodical. I selected a main item and built around it. Then it become more exciting and fun as I  put together new combinations and experimenting with strange ones. Later, the challenge became one that were both inspiring and cathartic.

This challenge made me see my wardrobe for what it was and what it could be. I have a capsule Lolita wardrobe, it's small but practical. Given my current Lolita lifestyle, I don't go on many meets and I have to budget my money for other expenses and hobbies.  So my wardrobe reflects this balance. What was most interesting during this challenge is that it made me a more efficient Lolita. At the end of the month, I had coordinates constructed with pieces that I would never imagine pairing that worked so well but I had a few that I no longer liked and wanted to sell.

The challenge gave me a fresh start and the focus towards an esthetic that I could love and build a wardrobe around. I started out as a Sweet Lolita, but, as you will soon see, I leaned more on the classic side. As much as I love Gothic Lolita style, I realized it's not for me. Still I tried working with the few Gothic pieces I had, but I began to get disinterested, bored, and generally uncomfortable with the coordinates. 

Time to step on out and go through 30 days of beautiful outfits and some mulligans.

April 2015 Coordinate challenge, starring my dress form Alice Milky Kawaii Fawn Pastel Angel Smith Martinez the 3rd.

The Darling Hobbits - Inspired Coordinates

To wrap up the series of Lord of the Rings trilogy inspired Lolita coordinates, I end with the darling and courageous Hobbits of the shire. Featured in this post will be Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. The coordinates will be reflected from the costumes worn in Fellowship of the Ring, as that is when you'll see their most Hobbit-esque outfits.

One thing I did notice from all four hobbits is the palette was very warm and centered around Earth tones. I don't think that these are colors you would find too much in Lolita fashion which makes this post both a challenge and an adventure!

*For the sake of this experiment, no shoes will be added to the coordinate, instead I thought Hobbit slippers would do the trick :D
*I placed the Hobbit costumes post Lothlorien so they all will have the same capes.

*Style Note: Merry and Pippin share items of the same print, in different styles (JSK vs. skirt). I did this to show the friendship and bond between the two over the course of the trilogy.

Ladies of Middle-Earth inspired coordinates!

I've been inspired by my interests recently to create coordinates that reflect that character, fandom, and my love for Lolita fashion.  The next posts are going to be coordinate inspired as I have many ideas to work out and share with my readers! Though, in between those posts I will try to get into other topics so it doesn't get too repetitive.

This first post is all about the beautiful and badass women of Middle-Earth as portrayed in Peter Jackson's, Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you've read the books and saw the films than you may be familiar with these ladies and their character history, if not I have add a link to their LOTR wikia pages next to their name.

A reminder that these are Lolita inspired coordinates not an exact likeness to the costumes. So where the hairdresses may look out of place for medieval, fantasy costume they work very well for a complete Lolita coordinate. This also applies to handbags which were purposely left out.

The Etsy items are examples of what I wanted to add as accessories. They are more "guidelines" to items that I would suggest. I say this because if you're interested in completing the outfit with any of the recommended Etsy items, there is a chance that they could be out-of-stock or not made anymore.

Arwen [Wikia Link]

Once Upon a Frilly Time - Part 1: Storybrooke

I have been swept away by ABC's television show, Once Upon a Time. I didn't watch the series when it aired originally as I wasn't that interested (I was distracted by hockey and baseball to be honest). The entire first season is available to stream on Netflix, so I took advantage of that and marathoned the episodes for a few days. After the pilot, I was completely hooked!

Fairy tales in many forms, whether a Disney adaptation or in a book, have been in my heart and memory since I was a young child. Thus, the natural progression to watching OUAT and enjoying it started rather organically. I love the way the show explains the fairy tales, with the dual worlds, but most of all the show represents women in a positive way.  They are empowered  intelligent, beautiful, and most of all they are independent.  In short, they're badass.

Now begins the series of Lolita coordinates inspired by the female characters of Once Upon a Time.

This entry will focus on the main and some supporting cast: the Storybrooke version.
Note: None of the characters have a handbag added as in the tv show they are rarely seen carrying any of the sort. However, I know Ruby may have had a basket but I didn't feel that handbags would be that significant. There are other minor characters I left out because they show up may be 1 or 2 episodes and either are not reoccurring or rarely seen after that.

The coordinates were chosen based on the character's attitude, general clothing style, and personality. Plus, I have to be honest, I definitely picked items that I like and would definitely wear!

Emma Swann

Angelic Pretty - POP'N ROCK Riders Jacket

BTSSB - Ribbon collar cutsew

BTSSB - Saint Helena jumperskirt

Rocket Dog Rachel Boots [Zappos]