Note: I had this post saved as a draft for several months. After waffling on the idea of this post, I came back to it to finish it up and post for Bibliotheca’s August theme (Self-Care) since it’s somewhat relevant!
Sooner or later you may hit a wall with finding the desire to dress up and wearing EGL. The coord fatigue hits and there’s no motivation to put a coordinate together, let alone put the coordinate on.
Throughout the pandemic I have noticed that it has been difficult to find the desire to dress up some days (or weeks, or months.) Personally, I have run into several instances where I made plans to go to a virtual meet and had no desire to exist outside of sweatpants and a hoodie. Events in general can be physically and mentally exhausting, even if you can attend them from the comfort of your own home. The big question is: when things reach this point, how do you find the motivation to dress up?
First and foremost: You absolutely do not have to wear a full Lolita coordinate if you don’t want to. Some days are just “off” and dressing up could feel like it takes an unnecessary amount of effort. However, you may still feel obligated to put on a coord if you made tea plans with a friend or have to host a meet, for example. Here are some of my recommendations for easy, but still stylish, EGL coordinate options to throw on for an occasion or just to wear something fancy for the day.
Cutsews
Cut and Sewn garments, or “Cutsews,” are made of soft, stretchy jersey material and incredibly cozy to wear. Lolita sweatpants! There is a wide variety of cutsew pieces – ranging from shirts and zip ups, to longer OPs, allowing for a multitude of coording possibilities. The biggest “pro” of cutsew OPs is that many don’t come with any extra ribbons or back bows. Consequently, they take the tiniest bit of time and energy to put on.
T-Shirt Time
Pairing a printed cotton t-shirt with a skirt can look “put together” while still remaining casual and comfortable, especially when using a skirt without corset lacing. Many J-fashion brands make cutsew tops that are perfect for this as well. You can boost this style up a notch by adding a peter-pan collar blouse under your cutsew as well. This can give off some great old-school vibes if you opt for non-print , basic skirts.
The Sack OP
While seemingly the most complicated and high effort of these 3 options, sack dresses are still a great choice for a garment that is comfortable and easy to slip in to without any extra work. Most of these dresses are A-Line and have a higher waist line (if they have a waist line at all.) Sack OP designs and cuts can be quite elaborate on their own so you don’t need to go to great lengths to look elegant.
Accessorizing
Adding extra accessories like jewelry, wrist cuffs or gloves, boleros, and belts are not always necessary, but they are simple options if you want to elevate your coordinate without much effort. Longer necklaces are effortless to slide on over your head without having to undo clasps. My favorite casual “go-to’s” are long necklaces with large pendants and hats or berets for headwear.
At times the idea of dressing up in a full coordinate can be incredibly unappealing, especially if you’re already feeling unmotivated and just plain old TIRED in general. Finding the effort to dress up has been a struggle for me many times over the last few years, especially during the lockdown. Fortunately, I have been able to fall back on some reliable lazy coords on days where I’ve made prior obligations to look “presentable“.
There are plenty of other options for comfortable coordinates, but cutsews, sack OPs, and the shirt/skirt combo are just a few simple things to start out with. Hopefully these low energy ideas help you out on your next “struggling but still need to make an effort” day!