52 Week Lolita Challenge: Impulse buys that were totally worth it
This week for the 52 Week Lolita Challenge, which I’ve now been working on for over six years, it’s number 31, Impulse buys that were totally worth it. I’ve made quite a few impulse buys over the past few years. Here are a few that I’m quite fond of.
First, Angelic Pretty‘s Triple Dot Ribbon OTKs. I got these from AP’s winter sale back in 2010 or 2011-ish, in both Lavender and Pink x Red. I was surprised to see that they had them left at sale time, because I thought them quite cute! The pink x red pair are one of my favorite pairs of socks now. They go wonderfully with OTT Sweet and DecoLoli coords in red or pink. I love the detail and the solid color at the same time. The lavender ones I’ve had a while now, and hadn’t worn much because they are a lot darker than the couple lavender things I’ve got. However, I’m rather pleased with how they look with AP’s Dream Fantasy print in pink.
One of my other favorite impulse buys was Angelic Pretty’s Dream Doll Skirt and a matching headband that I got from mbok for 3,000 Yen back in 2013.
The skirt was missing the waist bow and had slight discoloration on the waistband. It looks super cute as an underskirt, and all things considered, it was cheaper than getting a new underskirt.. plus the little hearts in the tulle are absolutely adorable. It works really well under AP’s mini-length dresses like Dream Magic.
I got this Putumayo cardigan on mbok, new with tags for something really ridiculous like $15 or $30. I bought it on a whim because it was cheap, but later, I got Angelic Pretty’s Merry Making Party JSK in blue and it’s a perfect match. Merry Making Part is super comfortable and this cardigan is great for dressing it down for a more casual look. I’ve been wearing this t a bunch of conventions lately, particularly when I have to help my girlfriend with her sales booths.
Another impulse buy that I made was the above Angelic Pretty Magical Etoile JSK, bag and headbands set. I paid 4,500 yen for the whole set on auction because the JSK was apparently faded / stained. Well, it looked fine in the photos, so I took the risk. It comes in, and the whole front looks like it was splashed with something that took the color out. I decided to wash it and see if it would come out, so I dunked it in a bin of ice water with some color catchers and almost immediately figured out that it had never been washed and all that was wrong was that it had been splashed with water and the loose dye had run. So I ended up rinsing it in ice water in the shower for like 40 minutes, and then actually washed it with detergent. It’s ever so slightly lighter than it was in the un-splashed areas, but you can’t tell at a glance, and $45 for a jsk, head bow, casual head band and bag is a steal. Plus it’s full back shirring so it’s really comfortable. The casual headband is missing a couple studs, but I’m just going to glue fake gems over the spots.
Last, but not least, I just impulse bought the Princess Rococo special set from Angelic Pretty at Tekko. I wasn’t 100% sure if it would fit me right now, and I didn’t try it on, but I wanted to buy something from the booth and I’d been looking at this dress back when it came out so I just went with it, even though I probably paid a littttle more than it would have cost from the Japanese shop when it came out or second hand (I paid $300 USD) .
I’m so glad I got it. I tried it on in the hotel and it’s one of the most flattering dresses I own now. The front is cut surprisingly curvy for an Angelic Pretty dress, and once I move the buttons down on the straps a tiny bit, it should hit me just right at the waist. I’m really looking forward to wearing it I just need to get a blouse that will match it right now most of the blouses that I own in the right colors that fit me well are crop blouses and this is cut too low (oops).
Speaking of crop blouses… crop blouses like the ones shown left are also something I impulse bought (in a bunch of colors.. I think I have pink, red, brown, and yellow at the very least….) from a friend who sells them at a convention and they are so comfortable and light in the summer.
As long as you are wearing JSKs that don’t come down to low in the front or back, they are a great option for reducing how much weight you are wearing and heat from layers.
Do you have a favorite impulse buy? What is it?