EGL Swap Meet in January

EGL Swap Meet with my Local Community

I came out of hibernation for this meeting

Periodically my local EGL community will host a swap meeting to sell gently used clothing pieces such as jsk, blouses, skirts, dresses and accessories to each other from known brands as well as indie brands in the EGL category. Community members looking to sell their pieces will sign up ahead of time if they want to sell items and how many tables they might need or a rack and decide how it is best to pay them. The rest of the community members come ready to shop with all of their PayPal, Venmo, and cash ducks in a row. 

It was my second time attending a swap meeting (my first time was way back in April 2022 when all I owned was a Bodyline JSK I purchased from the shop owner the meet was held at). The room was filled with many jumper skirts to blouses and all kinds of accessories (like headpieces, purses, jewelry, socks, some shoes, and some sellers even had old Gothic Lolita bibles as well as Lucky Packs that they made because the meeting was held in January! (A lucky pack is kind of like a mystery bag...the amount of the item you receive is usually much better than the cost you put in). A $15 lucky pack may include some accessories. A $60 lucky pack might include a blouse and an accessory. A $100 lucky pack may include a special outfit that is only available to purchase in a lucky pack. These prices really vary by brand, with the Chinese Indie brands kind of plateauing at $65 but the Japanese brands capping around $150~200. 

My friend Clover was the one who organized the swap, and I told her that "I am only coming out of hibernation to come to this meeting", so I dressed like a bear. Even thought the jsk is brown and cream which are considered more Classic colors, this entire outfit is definitely sweet EGL. The jsk is relatively simple with its two different colored browns, but it falls just above the knee (very common for sweet) and has soft bear head pockets. I paired it with a cream colored cutsew, winter white tights, cream and brown suede booties, a brown beret with a bear and bow headpiece in front of it, and a cream and brown teddy bear bag. I didn't bother with makeup---I just woke up from my winter sleep for a mere afternoon--I didn't want to bother putting it on or taking it off.  

I wasn't even sure if I needed anything at the swap. When I looked around the first time, it was mostly pieces that complimented sweet pastel looks (which I admire, but don't own that much of). However, a second go around I did find a few things that I decided to try on. Firstly, I tried on a cream cherry print shirred dress from Baby the Stars Shine Bright. I wasn't sure if it was going to fit me (I assumed basically all Japanese brands except for Metamorphose were not made large enough for my bust), but it DID fit. The seller was selling it for about $125, which was a lot less than it is listed on Lace Market. There was nothing wrong with it--it was just not their style. What a steal! But I also tried on a Lady Sloth dress called "Where's the Bat?" which is light gray with very well articulated graphics of several sphinx cats and a few bats with silver and black accents that FIT ME PERFECTLY.  Getting both was not in my budget, so I went with the Lady Sloth piece. (You could easily spend $200 or more at a swap meet if you're picking up genuine Japanese brand pieces or accessories, depending on the condition). It can be expensive...so if you know your community has a meet coming up, you want to save your coins because most people are not going to take credit cards as a form of payment, (as they want to avoid the fee), so it is usually friends/family PayPal, Venmo, or CASH. 

Storm blue coat from Unideer keeping me warm under the holly tree

When I arrived home, I noticed that the holly tree was in bloom. (Last year the holly tree had berries that came and went in NOVEMBER, so I could not miss this opportunity in January!) I am modeling the Unideer Casual Lolita Wool Winter Coat that I purchased from 42 lolita. I had wanted to purchase it originally in the navy color, but that was already out of stock back in November, so I settled with the Storm Blue. This color is so versatile and in the right lighting, perfectly matches my eyes. It's really an exquisite piece. Not only is it wool, but there's also down between the layers, detachable deer colored fur cuffs and neck piece, functional pockets and SNAPS, you heard that snaps, which become completely invisible when you close the coat. The thought that went into the design of this coat is impressive. It's so warm, comfortable, and easy to get on and off, I've even worn it to work at the office a few times.  The XL does fit me, as long a I don't wear a thick sweater underneath--but who needs that when the coat is so warm on its own!!

I liked going to the swap meeting and seeing what everyone had to offer and socializing. I also really like being able to try on the pieces that are being sold. I think that is my favorite part--being able to see myself in a mirror and check if something fits my body and my style.