Lolita New Years resolutions - looking back at 2023 and going in to 2024

Last year I made some resolutions for the new year and I set them at an attainable level. There is no need to be extreme, that would only make me demotivated to reach them.

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Last year's resolutions:

• Buy nothing new that needs to be altered until everything that is in line for altering is done ✅ - I noticed that the pile at my seamstress just kept growing and I lost track of what I had "in my wardrobe". I fulfilled this resolution some time after summer and I actually haven't added anything new to it since.
• Contribute to Lolibrary ✅ - I started sporadically in 2022 and I really upped my activity in 2023. I submitted around 20 images of missing colorways and corrections of information and I had 8 fully new entries published. I also started on a Swedish translation of Lolibrary (it still needs to be finished). The Lolibrary Discord members have been so helpful and very kind. Please consider contributing to Lolibrary if you see that you have something in your wardrobe that is missing from the listings.
  
• Get summer sandals that work with lolita and don't hurt my feet ✅ - This was crucial for me. I am too old to wear uncomfortable shoes and I wear lolita on a daily basis. I found a pair from an Swedish ergonomic footwear brand called Cinnamon. Granted they are very discreet but they work good enough with my style.
• Go to an international lolita event ✅ - At the beginning of the year I was out of a job so I was unsure if I would be able to go anywhere. But I secured a job and was accepted for vacation leave so I could go to Hellocon in Finland. 

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2024 resolutions:

• Document the amount that I buy items for - When I think about how much money I spend on my items I get scared. Partly because I don't know exactly what I spend. I could do a rough estimate but going forward I would like to feel more secure and hopefully as a following result also not feel scared. I want to be mindful of my resources, which I already am in all other aspects of my finances, so it is high time that I take this next step in being fully financially confident.
  
• Get a sewing machine for minor fixes - Even though I enjoy mending items by hand, some mending that I do would be faster and easier with a sewing machine.
• Go to a Swedish event that is not in Sweden's two biggest cities - It is natural that events happen in Stockholm and Gothenburg because that is where most people live. But there are other events in other parts of Sweden happening and I want to be a part of those too. 

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 I am excited to go in to 2024 with new resolutions and I look forward to being successful.

A breakdown of my wardrobe

I recently listened to Articles of Interest regarding wardrobe apps and I really took to heart that wardrobe apps make people appreciate what they have rather than making people buy more. This is something I have been working towards in my relationship with my wardrobe and I do a lot of things already like caring for and mending my items.

I have started to catalogue my wardrobe several times but never managed to complete which of course led to me not keeping the catalogue updated either. The biggest hurdle was to add photographs of my items - the biggest point of it all, the visualisation. I know, right? But when a few other lolitas in the Lolibrary Discord posted graphs of their wardrobes I felt like maybe the graphs would be visualisation enough for me. I was recommended the Wardrobe Tracker (originally by Kimbuucha, modified by babelglyph) which I was familiar with since before but never got around to using.

After five sittings (in total maybe 30 hours) my wardrobe catalogue is now complete and I have the graphs to show for it.

Main pieces 

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I thought the dress ratio would be higher. All my bottoms are skirts and I don't use skirts that often so I am fine with this ratio as well. Tops are the garments that are closest to my body so I change them more often than I change dresses and then it makes sense that they make up a third of my wardrobe.

The top three colors are a given, I am very fond of old school and gothic lolita. I was surprised to see the amount of green because I always had the feeling that I have very little green. I usually never reflect on the white and off-white items but I decided to separate them here. Some items may be more cream than off-white or the other way around but when I coord I never care about the shade.

I did not think I had this much Baby. I would have guessed a bigger chunk of Meta at the top and IW in second place but apparently not. I noticed I have as much AP as I have from my seamstress Naddine Atelier. Rosemunde is a Danish brand that isn't lolita but they make high quality tops from natural fibers that I wear every day, especially in the summer.

All categories

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This is my full wardrobe divided into types of items. I don't know what a reasonable amount of socks are and I knew I had many socks but - so many socks! Almost a fifth of my wardrobe is legwear. It is something that gets dirty quick just like tops so it makes sense after all.

Top three colors are still unchallenged even when the rest of the wardrobe is included. White is gaining over black x white because I have a lot of pearls in my jewelry and I have a lot of white socks. Overall it is very apparent that the jewelry and accessories are included since the metal tones are showing.

Thanks to the amount of socks, Baby is the biggest part of my wardrobe. Otherwise the top three brands are the same in comparison to only the main pieces. Some new brands pop up here as well. I am happy to see the vintage and second hand representation taking a leap forward, mostly thanks to my jewelry. I really like looking for those small unique pieces to put that extra flair in a coord.

I made my own chart from the motif columns in the spreadsheet. An item can have several motifs and the spreadsheet allows for up to three motifs to be noted. I was expecting the amount of flowers but I did not expect that animals would be the second biggest representation. My guess was that cherubs and Alice motifs would be more common but my guess was obviously wrong.

Summary

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Lolita fashion is my main style. I wearr it daily and I wear lolita at work. I have been a lolita since 2001 so many items have been with me for a long time. I have very few garments for when I need to pass as a normie. So keep all of this in mind when you look at the charts: my wardrobe is fitting for me and my way of lolita.

Even though it took a lot of time to finish I actually finished this time. I started filling in the items that I could remember straight away without looking in my closet. When I actually went to the closet I was surprised that I only had to add a few garments that I didn't remember straight away. I see it as a sign that I have a pretty good knowledge of my inventory and it is not a giant black hole of fabric. 

The charts are definitely a great visualisation tool for me just as I had hoped for. There were no huge surprises in the charts, more like pleasant discoveries and nice confirmations. Although I am still thinking about the amount of socks.

With help from my partner I took the opportunity to pack away things that are out of season and put some items in a sales pile as well. Now I have more overview of what is in my closet (thanks to the cataloging), I don't get as overwhelmed when I pick what to wear (thanks to the seasonal rotation) and I have items I know I truly want to keep and will use (thanks to the sales cleaning). This makes me feel so much lighter and more at ease.

Going through everything and making some rearrangements made me fall further in love with my wardrobe. Just as in the podcast episode I listened to, I not only feel like I have enough - I feel like I have an abundance. And I love all of it.