Friday 4 March 2016

Packing for Japan

Hi all... 

It's already two weeks until I move out of my country town and three weeks until I head to the land of the rising sun for a few months. 



I have been thinking about what to take with me for a while and after seeing Roli's Ramblings post on packing a weeks worth of outfits I decided to give it a go myself. The items are chosen using a system based off the hypothetical wardrobe posts that are common on her blog, they dictate the amount of items and and the item traits in order to create a complete and versatile wardrobe for many different occasions.

Here is what I chose based on Roli's formula...


Three Main pieces

One one piece, one jumper-skirt and one skirt including one solid-colour piece.
  • Mystic Chiffon One-piece (navy), Alice and the Pirates
  • Collection Chocolatier Douce Praline Jumper-skirt (Sax), Baby the Stars Shine Bright
  • Wonderparty Skirt (Brown), Angelic Pretty

Mystic Chiffon OP from Alice and the Pirates is my solid colour piece. I chose Collection Chocolatier Douce, praline jumper-skirt because it's my favourite, most versatile piece and simply perfect for the spring weather in Japan. Lastly, I picked out my Wonderparty Skirt by Angelic Pretty. My first impression laying them out on the bed was that they may clash or prove to be difficult to coordinate.

Three Blouses

Two neutral blouses including one short-sleeve and a different coloured or dressier blouse
  • Pintuck Blouse (Off-white), Baby the Stars Shine Bright
  • Sheer sleeve knit blouse (off-white), Off-brand
  • Carolyne Blouse (beige), Baby the Stars Shine Bright
As I discussed in my wardrobe post, I don't really have any short sleeve blouses that are in working condition so I chose two long sleeve white blouses: one plain pin tuck blouse from Baby the Stars Shine Bright and a dressy knit that I use as a blouse which I picked up for $15 in an off brand shop. For the third blouse I chose my Carolyne blouse in beige (it's shiny so I initially thought it was gold), which is also a dressier piece.

Two pieces of outerwear

One short-sleeve and one long sleeve

  • Short Sleeve Knit Cardigan (Off-white), Metamorphose
  • Cardigan with fur collar (navy), Baby the Stars Shine Bright
I chose my short sleeve cardigan from Metamorphose and a long sleeve cardigan from Baby with a detachable collar. Detachable items are really useful for easily creating versatility, however the drawback is that they often are bulkier than similar items without the detachable pieces and this can make it difficult to create a nice line for those who are just on the edge of brand measurements, like myself. 

Leg wear

One pair of stockings, one pair of over knee socks and one pair of ankle socks including one solid colour piece

  • Esprit de la belle epoque de paris over-knee socks (ivory), Baby the Stars Shine Bright
  • Kumya Kuma over-knee socks (beige), Baby the Stars Shine Bright
I chose two pairs of over knee socks: one, a translucent pattern and the other, a beige pair with kumya kuma on them. I currently have no solid colour opaque tights that are in working order.
 

Accessories

  • Hat: ivory beret, BtSSB 
  • Pin: navy beret ribbon pin, BtSSB; chocolatier pin, BtSSB 
  • Barret: brown barrett with yellow roses, BtSSB;  Ivory Ribbon and Crown Barrett, Innocent World
  • Headband: two  striped ribbon head bands in navy and brown, Innocent World
  • Necklace: Alice teatime necklace, BtSSB, original crown and trump necklace, Innocent World
  • Ring: Alice teatime ring, BtSSB 
For accessories I just pulled a few accessories together considering colours in my wardrobe and luggage space. 

Shoes

Two pairs of shoes that go with everything
  •  Ribbon pumps in chocolate, Innocent World
I already have a few pairs of shoes in Japan, a pair of flats and heels in white and a pair of boots and heels in brown, that I couldn't bring back last time so I will only take one pair of shoes over that suit most things in my wardrobe.


After picking out what I will take over the first thing I noticed was that it was easy to see the holes in my wardrobe using this method. It was very easy to see that I lack plain coloured pieces, in particular leg wear, something I will need to rectify in the near future.


Outfits

Here are the outfits I came up with from my hypothetical suitcase...











As you can see there is a large variety of outfits for a different weather and occasions. I probably could have created more if I hadn't have become so tired due to changing outfits so often. 

Observations

I had no idea these cardigans would come so in handy, simply layering the cardigan can change an outfit drastically. 

Doing this experiment really shows me how versatile my wardrobe has become over the past two years and it has further solidified my view on the positives of having a wardrobe based on colour palette.

Changes

As I'm going to Japan for far longer than a week (three months actually) so I would like to add a few more items to my suitcase. Specifically, two more jsks: the Dear Bunny JSK, which I promised to twin with a friend with and my Kumya Kuma Sweet Chocolate JSK, which I just really want to wear in Japan; I would also like to add a pair of plain coloured woolen tights to keep my legs warm during the cooler spring months.





All in all I'm really satisfied having done this challenge. The formula really worked for my wardrobe and it has allowed me to create many different outfits. Even if I wasn't going overseas, participating in this challenge has given me lots of coordinate ideas and has shown me where the holes in my wardrobe are. If you're stuck for outfit ideas or need a start on packing some lolita fashion for a trip I would recommend using this challenge as a starting point.

Until next time...


7 comments:

  1. This was really cool to see, I'm so glad you found it helpful! I've got to say I never even thought of navy and brown as a colour combo but now I'm inspired :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers.
      I can't remember why exactly I chose those two colours.

      I was legitimately surprised at the variety of outfits I could make. It definitely works as it covers different levels of formality and focuses on getting the most out of a few pieces. I really dig it.

      Delete
  2. Looks amazing!
    I think I found this a bit too late, but what I like to do is bring one piece, maybe a blouse or two then buy the rest in Japan. Seriously bring barely anything when I go there, not even much normal clothes. I pack extremely light and bring everything in a back pack then allow for a lot of check in luggage when I go back to aus (also buy the suitcases in Japan). :P not everyone is a shopaholic like me though so it might not be for you! I basically do not buy anything in Aus and wait until my Japan trips though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks amazing!
    I think I found this a bit too late, but what I like to do is bring one piece, maybe a blouse or two then buy the rest in Japan. Seriously bring barely anything when I go there, not even much normal clothes. I pack extremely light and bring everything in a back pack then allow for a lot of check in luggage when I go back to aus (also buy the suitcases in Japan). :P not everyone is a shopaholic like me though so it might not be for you! I basically do not buy anything in Aus and wait until my Japan trips though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, that's an amazing shopping plan. I am travelling over the three months I'm here so I've bought over some clothes. I'm also moving back to the city after my trip so I've allowed for some money to be left over for the move.
      I have a friend who did the same thing and it seemed like a fun way to do a Japan trip so it would be great to do if there was a chance.

      Delete
  4. Looks like you're well sorted for going to Japan with these, that's some great and very versatile outfits you have, and I'm sure with the other two dresses you plan on taking it'll be even better. I hope you enjoy Japan and don't wear your shoes out to death. ^^

    https://cupcakes-and-unicorns.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment. I have a couple of shoes over in Japan too so hopefully that means I can mix it up and even the wear out across a few pairs.
      I hope I can put lots of photos on the blog over the next few months!

      Delete

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