Bibliotheca‘s theme for February is “Groundhog Day”, so inspired by the 1993 film of the same name, I’ve decided to interpret this as writing about duplicates in my lolita fashion wardrobe. While getting multiple colorways of the same item is a time honored tradition in this fashion, I found that I really only have two examples of this!
Nornen OP by Innocent World
First up is one of the very early piece in my wardrobe, Innocent World’s Nornen Cutsew OP.
I first bought this dress in navy from Mercari and didn’t know the name. It’s made of a sturdy knit jersey cotton material with a decorative yoke with lace and buttons.
At the time, I wore my lolita fashion pieces to work and this simple blue dress was easy to style and wear. I like it so much that when I saw a second OP is white, I snatched it up.
While this dress is never going to be a fancy dress, it’s perfect for layering and so comfortable. It looks cute by itself, with sweaters, or overdresses!
Its hard to imagine that I will ever get rid of these pieces. But if you ever see the black color way for sale, let me know!
Cornet JSKs
The second set of “ground hog” day pieces I owe were purchased in the same Japanese sale. There was a black and a red JSK, seemingly identical. I couldn’t find any information about them on Lolibrary, but I saw in the listing photos that they had shirring panels in the back so I took a chance. I’m so glad that I did!
I paid around $60 USD total for both dresses, which all things considered was a steal. These dresses have a small built in petticoat, a sturdy cotton or cotton blend fashion fabric, satin skirt lining, and simple decorative lace on the bodice and near the hem. They have adjustable straps, a side zipper, and generous shirring in the back which fits at least 98 cm bust.
These dresses have proven to be work horses in my wardrobe. They can be dresses up or down, worn with or without a petticoat, and look great with minimal effort. They’ve worked for costumes, fancy events, and I even wore the red colorway to my first meet up in Southern California!
Going through my photos, I was staggered by how many times I’d worn these both! I doubt I’ll ever get rid of them.
I think that these Cornet JSKs and Innocent World OPs prove that your less flashy dresses can be some of the most valuable in your wardrobe. If I could find any of these pieces in more color ways, I would jump at the chance to own them!
