Of Coordinate the First (and passing mention of a library haul)

Today I did something I haven't done in far too long: I went to the library and checked out slightly less than my usual sky-high pile of fantasy novels. I found several books that are on my Amazon wishlist, mostly about faerie folk and vampires. Interestingly, I happened across a book set in Venice, which I was excited to find because I have a character from Venice, and I don't know nearly as much about the city as I'd like to.

My library haul, while fascinating (to me), is not the main reason for this post. Last weekend I wore the first of my seven coordinates, when I attended the Rilakkuma Valentine's event at JapanLA. I knew hardly anyone, so it was a bit awkward at first (I'm very shy). But Oli of Lemontree was working at the door as a greeter, so I stood with her for a while and felt much less out of place.

Actually, for most of the afternoon I joined the greeter squad and conversed with a delightful deco lolita (I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name, but it was nice meeting you!). We both agreed that when it came to our personal styles, the more accessories the better! There is a reason I call myself an OTT  gothic...

(For those who don't know, OTT stands for Over The Top--as in accessories, hair, etc--which is usually applied to certain kinds of sweet and deco lolitas.)

I didn't take my camera, but before I left, I asked my mom to take a snapshot of my coordinate.
Coord #1

You can't really see my vest (ah, the hazards of wearing all black), so here's a close up.

I doubt I'll wear all seven outfits before February is over, but we'll see what happens. To me, the important thing is the small-wardrobe-coordinating skills that I'll be learning through this challenge.