This weekend was another successful “let’s wear lolita fashion to make the most of these expensive clothes before its too late and for whatever reason you can’t wear them anymore” attempt. ♥ I had arranged to leave the city to visit my mother over the weekend, so my Friday outfit was more casual. I don’t particularly like traveling out to the suburbs in more elaborate outfits, just in case I wind up on an extremely crowded train or brush up against the wall of a particularly filthy transit station.

I also wanted to dress in a way that wouldn’t seem too out of place for whatever my mother had in mind for that day. I knew I’d look far from “normal” regardless of specific pieces, but there’s a different kind of impact from wearing lots of pink and knee-socks and wearing a giant bow on ones head and a dress of luxurious fabric. My family doesn’t mind what I wear (not that I would change how I dress even if they did), but I want to enjoy my time with them instead of constantly explaining my outfit. It makes everyone a little bit uncomfortable, especially me!

I love the tartan skirt; I think the pattern is very casual. (Although I have no delusions about the fact that it is still a poofy plaid pink skirt~) I wore it with a cardigan and camisole instead of a blouse, and plain pink knee socks. I chose to not wear lace-topped knee socks because I find that knee socks really trigger people–particularly when lace is involved. It’s something that people seem to fixate on, so when I’m hoping to blend in just a bit I try to avoid knee socks or at least avoid lace. I also wore these socks because they’re socks my mother purchased for me at the BABY, the Stars Shine Bright shop in Paris, and I was going to see her.

The attached pochette is another bonus of this skirt. It’s a handy place to keep my phone and bus pass while transferring onto trains. It’s also right in front of me, so I can keep an eye on things to avoid pick-pockets. Since it’s clipped right onto the skirt it is not as easy for someone to swipe as a purse; I’m sure it could be cut off of the skirt, but I think I would notice if someone was right in front of me. I don’t ever have anything valuable enough to steal–I don’t even carry an iPod–but I don’t expect thieves to know that so I like to be prepared just in case.

I wore little ribbon combs in low pigtails for my hair. I love these ribbons–they were a gift from my little sister–but they have red printing on pink ribbons. Sometimes it is difficult to find a way to match them, as I don’t really own too many things that combine pink and red. The pink of the skirt was dark enough to let them blend in.

The one thing I didn’t care for about the outfit was the shoes. I wanted to wear my sparkly sneakers, but I didn’t want to pack another pair of shoes for the rest of the weekend. Now I wish I had, because I didn’t prefer those pink shoes with my second outfit either! I would have been better off with sneakers for one day and nice shoes for the other. It’s something to keep in mind next time.

The next day I went to a birthday tea party. Since it was a lolita fashion event and a more formal event than usual, I wanted to wear something elegant. I decided to wear my Cherry Bouquet one-piece because I don’t wear it as often as I’d like to, but I love the illustrations and the large sleeves. The bell-shaped sleeves are very old-fashioned, but they’re also quite feminine and the drape is rather pretty. I think it has a romantic feeling~

I was hoping to aim for a kind of floral, summer romance instead of cookies, sparkles, and energy. It matched well with the venue, because the tea house combine a rustic forest touch with beautiful flowers and antiques. It truly deserves it’s name–I felt like I was in a cottage from a fairy tale, even though it was in what would have otherwise been a retail storefront!

Looking back, I think next time I will wear another pair of shoes. I usually like the pink shoes with this dress, but I also usually wear white socks. I chose pink socks because these have a white rose pattern, and I wanted to keep to a theme of flowers. However, they blend in with the shoes, which I am not terribly fond of. I think I’d prefer to wear this with white or brown shoes–next time I’ll try it and see.