I was so excited to break out my new cardigan- a btssb school cardigan that I copped for it's pretty scalloped hem and old school sillouhette. I prefer wearing separates in egl as I have a longer torso and appreciate the extra flexibility to sit straight! I also fell in love with some old street snaps featuring black cardigans and simple coords- I'm drawn to simple coords with a punk/alternative slant. As a queer person who wears lolita, I love to embrace the alternative components of lolita- the part of a coord that evoke femininity in a gender-ambiguous way. I also love the gothic and punk aspects that have interwoven with lolita, and I feel like that is most evident in the old school snaps! In planning my wardrobe, I try to express myself as much as I can within the lolita constraints.

I paired my cardigan with a vintage collar I found at a scrap exchange near my friend's house. I secured the collar with a vintage pearl brooch I found at the thrift store near me. My skirt is a Sweet Mildred skirt that I dyed black because I never wore it! I was nervous to dye lolita but it turned out great and I love wearing it. Feel like I upgraded my DIY skills. My sweet friend game me my btssb ribbon socks. I found my platforms a few days before the tea at the local thrift store- felt like serendipity! I love the way the platforms extend my leg line and give the whole coord the old school chonk- I feel like I never felt happy with my coords before, but adding a platform really helped the symmetry of my coord!

What made the tea extra special was the beautiful location- it was on a resort-like farm that had a pretty park nearby. We went for a scenic walk and the weather was unusally sunny- the sun felt so nice! I enjoyed watching the ducks swim in the pond and feel the sun on my face. Walking around with my friends in lolita always makes me feel like a celebrity- especially since the area was populated with mostly retirees who were delighted with our coords.

My friends all looked lovely as well! I especially love my girlfriend's crimped pigtails, my friend Lux's beautiful coordianted red and white coord (I love a tartan skirt), and my friend snoweth's adorable snow print. We were a force to be reckoned with (with snoweth's fiance close by as our scary dog privilege).

I'm so excited for future afternoon teas! I have reason to believe that my girlfriend is getting me a heart pocket tartan jsk for Valentine's day- I would love to wear that jsk~