Top 10 Outfits of 2013.

I can’t believe it’s nearly halfway through 2014 and I only just got around to posting the last outfit I photographed in 2013!  As a result, here comes the incredibly belated “Top 10” post for my favourite outfits of last year. Last year had been a pretty quiet year in terms of dressing up—I had photographed nearly 3 times as many outfits in 2012 as I did in 2013 (around 90 compared to give or take 30 or so outfits in 2013).

I photographed and wore outfits frequently through July of 2013, and surprising no one, I didn’t photograph a single outfit in August (my first month in law school), and from September to December had only photographed 7 separate outfits.

Although that’s a bit of a lie… My Instagram had been updated with some cell phone photos of my outfits and make-up during those first few months of the term, but I didn’t have anyone to take higher quality photos so they never wound up on LookBook or my blog.

I realised after completing this list that I totally left out the outfits I wore for a photoshoot with the amazing Saitam Photography modeling Starlight Deco Dream items, and I am filled with regret. All three of the outfits I wore were amazing and some of my favourites to date. Feel free to check them out again here!

Down to the list. I feel like my style was a bit more experimental this past year because I was trying to find my soft spot in terms of personal style. I feel like any progress I did make went completely out the door though because in the last few months alone, I’ve sold a good portion of my wardrobe and purchased new dresses that are a completely different aesthetic. But that’s for another post. 

10. Evil is a point of view.

I am guilty of not wearing Vampire Requiem nearly enough—it is a gorgeous skirt with a fantastic aesthetic, but I normally forgo corset skirts for something more comfortable because I always want to eat a lot of food when I go out. This time though, I was going to the mall in early October, and felt like wearing something a bit more Halloween-y than usual because I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to go all out in 2013 like I had in previous years.

9. The sunflower is mine, in a way.

I have really admired those really laid-back otome looks that were put together using largely hand-made items and layering an unusual colour palette. The skirt I made on my own a couple of years ago—I always wanted something with sunflowers on it since they are one of my favourite flowers.

8. Life is short and time is swift. 

I’m not sure what to peg this as—it’s kind of a funkier Cult Party-kei look. It’s a coordinate loosely inspired by Animal Crossing. I wanted to tie in a cat theme and had a tote with a peach (my town fruit!) on it and pink and blue alpaca pins inspired by Reese and Cyrus! It was super comfortable and exactly what I wanted to wear on the first day of Florida Supercon. I had worn a toned-down version of this outfit to an Animal Crossing event in New York where I ended up meeting Reggie Fils-Amie. *A*

7. They could not be forgotten because now is now.

I believe I wore this to do some character building for a tabletop game that I wanted to try out. I had just received this dress in the mail and wore a pretty vintage organdie apron over it that had a flower print on it. The dress is just so comfortable and is the oldest Angelic Pretty piece I own! This made it onto my top 10 favourite outfits because it used a colour I always want more of.

6. All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.

This is pretty straight-out-of-the-box Amo/Cult Party-kei style. I wore this during a cruise and just really loved the soft atmosphere it gave off. I was addicted to creating mermaid waves in my hair by braiding my hair into tight braids and running a flat iron over them! They were my go-to style last year—I have no idea why I stopped!

5. Renich i lú i erui govannem?

This is a bit more costume-y than most because I had arranged a Renaissance Faire meet-up with my local lolita community. I got to try my hand at archery for the first time—I really want to take lessons because it was a total blast. I just loved how the length of my Mary Magdalene dress and short peignoir lined up perfectly—it just really added an extra element of softness to the coordinate. I want to make an awesome hooded cloak for future Renn Faires!

4. Everybody digs a swingin' cat.

In the past two years, I gained a bit of extra weight and lost a lot of confidence to boot. But in an attempt to kind of boost my self-esteem, I decided to go out to the mall with a coordinate I had kept under wraps for a while with the excuse of “when I lose a few more pounds, I’ll wear it,” and had a blast shopping with friends! I really adore the tie-dye crop top I snatched up at Victoria’s Secret PINK. It even has pastel studs on the top, but they’re a bit harder to see.

3. 夢の中なら言える。

This might surprise a lot of people that this is so low on my list. Although I really adore this outfit, I think I enjoy my softer coordinates more. I was a bit wary that it didn’t quite suit me as well as some of the other coordinates in my top 10, but I absolutely adored the theme and over-the-top feel of it all, so it was bumped up pretty high as a result! I combined all of my different magical girl shows into one coordinate. There are Sailor Moon, Creamy Mami, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Madoka Magica references throughout the outfit! It is also by far the most popular outfit I ever posted on Tumblr—I am incredibly thrilled with the response it has garnered.

2. Ours is just a little piece of something much greater.

The following two outfits also shows that I have a huge soft spot for Misky Sky. This outfit was Kingdom Hearts inspired—it featured the sky print to represent Sora, castle tights for Hollow Bastion, and a theme of crowns and keys throughout that sadly were not pictured too well. Ever since I picked up my Automatic Honey tights, I have wanted to wear it with Misty Sky and finally had the chance to do so this time! The peignoir adds that last element I really adore including in all my outfits.

1. 君の背中におくるよ 翼に変えて。

Last, but definitely not least, is the coordinate I wore to film this galaxxxy Rocks!video. I think this was the sweet spot I wanted all year, and I hit it in February and it kept popping up here and there the rest of the year. I ordered a beautiful chiffon overdress from La Petite Fille and it fit perfectly over Misty Sky. The length lined up exactly with the hem of the dress and it was totally perfect. The winged logo on the back was such a charming touch too. Only recently was I able to totally nail that sweet spot again, and hopefully photos of that coordinate will pop up really soon~

Thank you so much for sticking it out with me through this very long post. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and for those of you who supported me through my first year of law school—I cannot thank you enough. I can’t wait to continue honing my sense of style and showing you how much my style has taken a turn for a different aesthetic in the last few months alone.

As for this summer, I get to spend it for an extended period of time in California because I have an internship there! I can't wait to meet some old friends in the area and attend some bigger events that only tend to happen on the West Coast, including Anime Expo! If you are planning on going, do let me know, as of right now I'm attending alone, so I'd love to meet up with others.

See you next time.