Azuki's Wardrobe 2021: Detail Photos and Stories

 

(back to 2021 wardrobe post main page)

There wasn't enough room to put all of this in my main wardrobe post. I have only posted detail shots and story for the 24 main pieces that are new to me this year. Details about all other dresses previously featured in 2020 (many of which appear in my 2021 wardrobe post) are here.

Crown Print Tiered JSK (Metamorphose, 2002)

Another one of those old school gold pieces that came up for cheap and I just happened to be lucky enough to snag it. I was really surprised to find when it arrived that the print on this JSK is plastisol ink printed on top of solid black fabric (like one might print a T-shirt). I also replaced the elastic around the top because it was very worn out. It also came with a matching cape! [reference link]

Stripe Shirring OP (Carina e Arlequin, 2009)
I have always wanted a striped dress and this one came up for a steal early in 2020. Carina e Arlequin has been inactive for a long time and it feels special to have something from a brand I saw mentioned a lot in the Gothic and Lolita Bible. I am still trying to work out whether it was a sub-brand of Atelier Pierrot or whether they had overlap of designers/staff. But for now I'm gonna keep rocking these black and white stripes. [reference link]

Blooming Garden Shirring JSK (Metamorphose, 2010)
I am really into garden prints at the moment and wanted to check this one out when it appeared for sale because it's black and pink, a favorite combination of mine. I think I like my Memories Garden dresses a little better, but it was nice to get to see this one up close. [reference link]
Wonder Memories JSK (Angelic Pretty, 2016)
My favorite impulse buy this year. I got it because it was cheap and looked like it would fit me. When it arrived it still had the tags on and has such beautiful details. It has the cutest Cheshire Cat I have ever seen. Heart motif crochet lace. Shiny gold card suit buttons. Gold braid. Teacup and card embroidered lace. A beautiful color scheme. The cut is also really flattering on me. Angelic Pretty released some sweet-classic BANGERS in 2016. Classic Fairy Tales might be the most popular from that year, but Wonder Memories is a sorely underrated series and print.  [reference link]

Magical Moon Light Side Frill JSK (Metamorphose, 2018)
I fell in love with this as soon as I saw a photo of it and hunted for it ever since. I missed out on this when it was initially released, and then it came up for sale secondhand early this year for a price I was also more comfortable with (the original was over $400, and while I understand why, it was still a lot). I love how elegant the black x gold combination is, and the starry print. The fabrics are both very slightly sparkly. I am still trying to decide whether I like how it looks on me enough to keep it, and the fact that it has so many different details and detachable pieces feels overwhelming, in a way. I tend to like more simply designed pieces and it feels like a waste to wear this without all the fancy detachable pieces. I wore it at home once and want to give it another try before I decide whether to let it go. [reference link]

Lulu Lady Balloon Sleeve OP (Leopard Print) (Metamorphose, 2020)
I do not normally like animal prints, and haven't really tried to wear them before, but I really wanted this for some reason. The retro styling and airy tulle sleeves convinced me to try it, maybe because it makes it look elegant rather than wacky. This is another one I am still deciding whether to keep because of the fit, but maybe I will wear it first. [reference link]

Princess OP (Atelier Pierrot, 2013)
I've always loved the simpler pieces Atelier Pierrot puts out, and this seemed like it would be a good versatile classic piece to add to my wardrobe when I saw it for sale this past winter. It's cotton, which I find more comfortable than shantung or georgette, especially in warmer weather. I wore it to an outdoor wedding this past summer. I like its slightly shorter length. I still want to wear it with long sleeves underneath in colder weather, and with a black straw hat when it's warm. [reference link]

Grimoire ~Magic Book of Starlight~ Lace Up JSK (Metamorphose, 2018)
Somewhat of an impulse buy, but it came up for a good price last month, and I was even able to get the matching socks too. I think I'm going to be able to do a lot with it. I've always wanted a book print that I could also push toward vaguely witchy styling and this seems perfect for that. It's hard to tell from the photo, but there's metallic silver thread in the lace embroidery! [reference link]

Angel Chiffon Babydoll JSK (Baby the Stars Shine Bright, 2008)
This was a lower priority item on my wish list, but when I saw it come up for a good price a month or two ago I decided to buy it, and I'm so glad I did. I think this is one of my very favorite dress cuts that I've tried from Baby. The back is shirred, and it has a fully elastic waist with a peplum, and flutter sleeves. It is lined with cotton. The print is an iconic Baby print, classy and cute at the same time. I am looking forward to wearing it for spring. [reference link]

Crown of the Violet Princess OP (Enchantlic Enchantilly x Sweet Mildred, 2020)
A commissioned piece that combines Enchantlic Enchantilly's Crown of the Violet Princess Skirt with an original fully shirred bodice. The skirt by itself was too long for me but the brand does not make other cuts of this print, and I really, REALLY like the print. I like the fit of the Sweet Mildred OP I own, so I asked if she would be willing to make it into an OP with her standard pattern. Luckily, she said yes! I highly recommend her work. She's been absolutely killing it lately, especially with her original designs. [reference link]

Purpura Rosa OP (Atelier Pierrot, 2013)
Another Atelier Pierrot dress that I got myself for my birthday this year because it was cheap, looked like it would fit, and looked simple enough to style in many ways. I think the sleeves are a little too small for me to really feel comfortable in it, but I really enjoyed the gothic coordinate I made with it. [reference link]

Cat Border/Melody Cat Frill JSK (Metamorphose, 2012)
One of my all time dream dresses that I had been searching for since 2014. It finally appeared for sale late in 2019. This may be the first thing I wear to an in-person meetup once it's safe again. [reference link]

Star Rose Ribbon JSK (Metamorphose, 2018)


This is a print I slept on when it was released (TWICE), and then I was entering it into Lolibrary and suddenly fell in love with how beautiful it is. It's a series with a lot of subtle, pretty details like the shiny dot pattern in the fabric. This particular dress cut also has a lot of unique details and detachable pieces, like an elastic waist belt that buttons on like waist ties, with a big detachable bow. I still haven't decided whether I like the secondary off-shoulder straps (if I want to wear them I feel like a short sleeve blouse is not a good option but that's often what I wear). At least they're detachable! [reference link]

Memories Garden Frill JSK (Metamorphose, 2019)
When I was trying to choose a cut and colorway of Memories Garden a year ago, I went for the Ribbon JSK in navy, but in the back of my mind I was still really curious about what the gray colorway of the print looked like in person. This other JSK cut in gray came up for sale secondhand over the summer with tags still on for a very good price, so I went for it. Now having both, I think I like the Ribbon JSK cut slightly more, but this is still a really stunning dress. I still cannot get over the beautiful details in this series, especially the chemical lace that looks like a garden fence and the subtly glittery ribbons. [reference link]

Marguerite Wreath Short Sleeve OP (Metamorphose, 2011)

I have loved this print ever since starting a lolita collection, but hesitated to buy it because none of the cuts I liked would fit me. I initially fell in love with the white/green colorway, but realized after a number of years being in the fashion that the brown/blue colorway would suit me better (and I particularly love the shade of blue in this print, especially against the white and golden yellow). When I saw two of the OPs in brown come up for sale right next to each other this past summer, I decided this was my chance to finally have this print, and I'd alter them into one larger dress. Between the two of them they had exactly one complete set of original detachable pieces. One of my goals this year is to have those alterations completed. [reference link]

Rose Castle ~Invitation from the Duke of Bats~ OP (Enchantlic Enchantilly, 2019)

The bodices of Enchantlic Enchantilly's OPs tend to be a bit small on me but I wanted to take a chance on this one anyway because I liked the print a lot, especially its very subtly spooky but also elegant vibes with lots of roses. This is one of those dresses that's even more beautiful in person, and it looks and fits better on me than I thought it would, especially with the longer length. I also managed to get a matching hair accessory, necklace, and ring at the same time! It seems to be a great fit for my wardrobe -- I have already styled it two different ways and am looking forward to more. [reference link]

Figlia OP (Triple Fortune, 2017)
An impulse buy that ended up not fitting me, but I am glad I tried it. The skirt is very voluminous, with the hemline measuring nearly 7 meters in circumference. [reference link]
3 Tier Frill JSK (Scalloped Lace) (Metamorphose, 2020)
I really, really wanted a red tartan dress with white lace for my old school collection, and went a while searching for one secondhand but not finding any in my price range that would fit. Metamorphose released this beauty this past fall, but I was waffling because of the price and was ultimately too slow to grab one by the time I decided I wanted it enough to pay for it new. (The tartan colorways sold out within hours and I did not get up in the middle of the night for the release.) You can request to have them check their physical store locations for additional stock, but they don't respond within 1 month, you should assume it's sold out and they can't get one for you. They emailed me a couple of days before the month was up -- they found one for me! I don't normally spend as much as I did on this dress, but it feels worth it. I love the tiered skirt and the ladder lace, and how bright the red color is. [reference link]
Candy House High Waist JSK (Metamorphose, 2008)
Admittedly I bought this in September to tide me over until Otome Nostalgia arrived, and then it ended up arriving in January because I had to ship it by sea mail. Oops. I previously owned this print as a skirt in the black colorway but I think the pink colorway is much cuter. It is Hansel and Gretel themed. Like the JSK above, it has pretty ladder lace. It also has a bustle in the back! I will need to have this altered to fit me a little better. [reference link]

Otome Nostalgia OP (Violet Fane, 2020)

I fell in love with this print immediately and preordered it as soon as I could. I'm sad that I haven't been able to join in the general excitement in the community over receiving our pieces because it does not currently fit me -- I was between sizes and opted for the larger one so there would be room for alterations, but it is much larger than expected. I am very happy for others who need the extra room/length to have the option to buy this dress in their size, though. They are usually left out of this kind of excitement over a new release, but this time they can celebrate too! [reference link]

Little Squirrel Mini Skirt (Metamorphose, 2015)
I used to have the JSK cut of this print in green and sold it because it sadly did not fit as well as I hoped, but still really loved the print. When this skirt popped up for sale early this year, I decided I would get it for more casual wear, and I am really liking the cottagey mori-style mashups I've created with it. [reference link]

Amor OP (Atelier Pierrot, 2014)
This dress is an odd duck in a mostly classic-sweet wardrobe, but I also enjoy dressing in gothic sometimes, in colors other than black. When I saw it for sale secondhand it spoke to me (probably because there's just something alluring about electric blue on black) so I bought it, and I've already worn it once. Out of all the Atelier Pierrot dresses I tried this year, this one is my favorite. It has pretty details that you don't normally get on a plus size friendly dress, it's comfortable, and it goes well with lots of the black gothic-friendly pieces I already own. [reference link]

Memories Garden Ribbon JSK (Metamorphose, 2019)
While entering this series into Lolibrary I fell in love with the mix of colors on the navy colorway and the pretty garden print. I bought this along with matching socks and bonnet during last year's winter sale. It's even more beautiful in person! The lace, clear rose buttons, and all the little details of the print are so pretty. I wore it for an entire day at a convention and it was really comfortable, and some of my favorite photos from that weekend are of me wearing this. [reference link]

Honeycomb Dobby High Waist JSK (Innocent World, 2016)
I bought this on impulse because it was cheap and as a last ditch attempt at finding a sailor style piece that I thought would suit me. Between me buying this and trying it on, I bought another high waist Innocent World JSK and the bodice was too short, so by the time this arrived I was ready to sell it because I assumed it wouldn't fit. BUT it fit, and even looks cute. I feel like I could wear this really casually, which would be nice for hot days or low key meetups. The very subtle, mature details really capture what I love about Innocent World pieces, and what I guess I needed in sailor style. [reference link]
 
 

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