Return to Naoto

After a rigorous morning of grammar and compositions, I went to Ohsu for exercise, fresh air and a coat. It's been getting nippy out here in the mornings, but as soon as the sun gets up, the temperature picks right back up to Nagoya sunburn levels.

That being said, by the time I made my way from Sakae Station to Ohsu in a sundress, bag lady sunglasses from the 300 yen shop and my hair in a ponytail, I was not up to looking for toaster oven wool coats.

Instead, I took advantage of the fact it was an off-day for shopping, and took my time looking through the racks at Violet Blue. Since the store is narrow and busy, I usually skip over the cut sews and skirts and go for the bulk, Jsks and OPs. That was a mistake apparently, because I found treasure somewhere in that sea of knit jersey.

Cutsew/Cardigan: Six.h. 

Skirt: h.Naoto BLOOD.

Choker: h.Jelly.

I've always had a soft spot for h.Naoto; it was my original favorite brand, for many reasons. First of all, ever since my teenage self read an interview with Hirooka Naoto in the Tokyo Look Book, I wanted to grow up to be just like him. Second of all, my first-ever 'offline' lolita friend wore a lot of h.Naoto, so she introduced me to its beauty and complexity in person. 

But as far as buying it... it was always hard to get a hold of in the states, considering the US flagship store just opened this month. Since the items tend to run smaller and shorter, it was hard to place confidence in an online purchase, so I tended to avoid it, despite my love for the designs. 

It was so helpful to actually hold the pieces today, and find one that was the right cut for my body type.

The architecture of S-inc pieces is striking. The draping on the front of the cardigan is interesting, and works with the silver butterfly print. The front of the cardigan is designed to drape in an inverted V shape, and there's also drawstring ruching in the back. 

The drama shows in the skirt too. It's perfectly tailored to fit my hips and waist, then flares out into gathered tiers for a mermaid tail shape. 

The h.jelly choker is something I've had in my jewelry box for a long time. One of my close friends and I split this h.Jelly set almost two years ago! I have the choker, and she has the matching bracelet. Hopefully some day we'll meet up and wear it together. 

I love this outfit though! I'd wear it to school, a rock live, or maybe even on Halloween with some black angel wings. (Long live the tacky!)

Today's lolita meme is going to be fun! It is Day Seventeen, a picture of your favorite lolita style.

Here's the thing... I know what I like most, but it's not necessarily a 'style'! It's more of an aesthetic, a feeling I get when I see just the right combination of colors, patterns, clothes and accessories. 

My favorite, most iconic styles are sort of old school, sort of classic, sort of gothic, sort of sweet... 

If anything, they're Darkly Darling. 

I hope you liked some of my favorite street snaps, as much as I did when I first saw them! I think it just goes to show that the greatest outfits aren't necessarily hand-picked to be printed in magazines, but walking around on the sidewalks, a story living in them every day.