Dream Dresses Obtained! Now what?

I found myself in a bit of a strange position recently. I had just one dream dress left to obtain. To me, a dream dress is a lot more special than any ordinary lolita dress. A dream dress is much more exciting and you can't wait to wear it and come up with all sorts of outfits for it. I could never imagine selling my dream dresses and they have a special place in my wardrobe. Obtaining your dream dresses can sometimes be quite an adventure. I have experienced a lost of heartache whilst tracking down some pieces! So I had this one last dream dress to obtain and due to an unexpected surge in money, I decided to ruthlessly hunt this last dress down.

And... I got lucky! AP's Sweetie Violet in pink was the last dream dress on my list and as you can see, I now own it. I was so excited, that when the box arrived, I even managed to slice open my thumb because I was that eager to open it (no brand dresses were harmed!). 

But there is also now this great emptiness because... what exactly do I do next? My wardrobe is so full it is threatening to burst and I just haven't been getting as excited whenever I see a good deal.

The way I see it, I have a few options-

1. Upgrade all the dresses which I maybe am not so happy with- Sometimes when you are hunting for dream pieces, you may find yourself settling for stuff. Like for example, you might get hold of your dream print, but it isn't in your top colour choice or you may have settled for a different dress cut. A prime example from my own wardrobe is my pink Starry Night Theatre JSK. I have always wanted the blue, but the blue SNT always felt so ridiculously expensive because it was the most popular colour and the auction prices reflected this. Now I am not spending out on any big stuff, I am considering upgrading my pink JSK for the blue. There is also my navy Dream Sky skirt. I have always felt that the JSK would be easier to co-ordinate and the short mini skirt doesn't really fit the lolita aesthetic. 

2. Collect all the smaller items on my dream list- stuff like jewellery and socks don't take up that much space. I have been so focused on dresses recently that I feel I may have forgotten how cute lolita accessories can be! The majority of my Facebook wishlist isn't dresses any more and perhaps I should now focus on all the non-dresses on there.

3. Brainstorm further outfit ideas- I love my dream dresses and want to wear them in as many different ways as possible. To do this, I could hunt down different accessories to give old outfits a fresh twist. They don't have to be expensive either. Some really good Taobao stores have popped up in more recent times. I could even go around local charity shops and vintage stores to find more unique pieces.

4. Wait for future dream dresses- Inevitably, there will be dresses that come out in the future that I will want to add to my wardrobe. How do I know this? Because every time I feel I have made some real progress with my collection and narrowed down my wish list, I always end up finding new stuff I want! I am still as passionate as ever about the fashion and I love discovering new stuff.

5. Focus a little more on my other hobbies- I don't really talk about these much because this is a Japanese fashion blog, but I have lots of hobbies and interests outside of this fashion. If I am being honest, there have been times where I have neglected my other hobbies for the sake of lolita and I really regret it. There have even been times where I have been shopping and have refused to buy something because I have wanted to save up for lolita related stuff. Although I love lolita, I feel there is so much more to me than just this one passion. In all honesty, there are times when I need a break from the frills too, so having other interests keeps me happy. I am really glad that I will now have the chance to explore this other part of me.

Getting to the stage where I feel my wardrobe is "complete" doesn't mean that this is the end. If I were to suddenly fall out of love with the fashion just because I had all the clothes I wanted, it would be more like a shopping addiction rather than a hobby! Perhaps now I will have more of an opportunity to truly enjoy the clothes I love and focus on what I already have, rather than what I could have. It would be pointless to buy more new stuff just for the sake of it. Besides, I am sure my bank account is now breathing a sigh of relief!