First things first, I feel that even if you do work in an office environment, it is important to have your own space and express yourself in a way that is still appropriate. It could be something as simple as having some cute stationery on your desk. Obviously if you are off to a serious business meeting it is probably a good idea to have some smart stationery to hand, but for your desk and more casual interactions, what is the harm in going a bit cuter? There are so many different stationery stores out there that offer cute choices. Off the top of my head, we have Artbox, Tofu Cute, Blott and Paperchase here in the UK. I am pretty sure those of you not from the UK can at least think of one store. Cute stationary can add a touch of fun without being too much. Some of these stores also carry stuff like mugs, which can brighten up a work's kitchen area.
It is also possible to wear items from a cute wardrobe in a more mature way. Classic lolita blouses for example, would not look too out of place in a work wardrobe, depending on your choice of blouse and how you styled it. It is well worth looking up Daily a la Mode looks online, as there are lots of outfits out there which use lolita pieces, but have a bit more of a 'normie' vibe to them. Recently, I have noticed more and more that a lot of lolitas are using high street clothing with their looks. If everyday clothing can be used in lolita, then why not the other way around?
If wearing your cute clothes in a toned down sort of way sounds too daunting, then I guess you could always resort to being even more subtle with your cuteness. How about painting your toenails with a cute pattern? Chances are, nobody is going to see it anyway. It is just a little bit of fun, and it can feel kind of sneaky, knowing you have this cute little hidden secret. You can always take pictures of your nails when you get home. You could even do your finger nails too. Nail art went through a bit of a boom in popularity, and nail salons are always popping up all over the place. I don't feel that nail art is really seen as being that outlandish nowadays and lots of people use it is a fun way to express themselves. The Spring and Summer is especially a good time if you are in to pastels.
The use of perfume is a good way to capture a favourite memory. I frequently wear perfume when I am in lolita because I feel it is a nice finishing touch. Now, whenever I wear certain scents outside of lolita, it brings me happy memories. Although I am in completely casual clothes, perfume feels like a way I can take my lolita memories with me.
If all else fails, I know several people who are frequently baking stuff like cupcakes and then taking them to work. I am not saying we should be like Momoko from Kamikaze Girls and only eat sweet things, but the odd cupcake with pastel icing and cute sprinkles is a nice way to cheer up the odd lunch time. And if you end up bringing more for others then to be honest, a lot of people are more likely to be excited about the free food, rather than how cutesy your food is! Besides, if all the trendy cupcake stands dotted about the place and all the cooking shows (like Great British Bake Off!) on TV are anything to go by, it seems cute cakes are not just for us kawaii fans. If cupcakes are not your thing, then try taking inspiration from bento boxes. There are some really good bento inspiration blogs on Tumblr which are packed full of ideas. Even shaping your lunch time sandwiches using cookie cutters can add a cute touch! (and yes, I did choose the picture above because of the duck cupcakes!)
So those are my ideas for adding a subtle touch of cuteness to everyday life. Can you think of any others? Please feel free to comment and share them!
I've been trying to gradually build my way up to becoming a daily Lolita (or, more precisely, seeing how doable would that be for me), so I've actually been doing quite a lot of these sneaky, secret kawaii lifestyler things. I'm lucky enough to work at a relaxed sixth form college, in a neither-teaching-nor-admin position, so I can allow myself a little bit less secrecy around that.
ReplyDeleteI'd say that if you're into make up, then there's definitely a way to work that into your daily routine. Pink eyeshadow is subtle enough to not be too obvious, and neither is a white eyeliner on the lower eyelid or a subtly sparkly lip gloss, but they'd add a bit of cuteness to anyone's life.
A cute mobile phone case could do as well, whether you have a work mobile or in your own. It doesn't have to be full on pastel/kawaii decoden, but there's plenty of adorable phone cases which would be appropriate for work. Alternatively a phone plug could do the job too, and I've seen some really cute ones in Claire's.
Jewellery and/or hair accessories is another option. Some brands have released some gorgeous pieces, and especially those that are more Classical Lolita would work. Again, one rather than a pile of them, so maybe a necklace or one of the hair combs or a barette tucked somewhere to add a bit of class and cuteness.
Those are just a few of the ones I've been using. As I said, my workplace is quite relaxed, so while I haven't worn brand to work yet (mainly because my main pieces are too obvious [prints] and the other ones I treasure too much), I know that I could do it. So far I've mostly been wearing cuter vintage/vintage-inspired stuff, as well as some of the offbrand pieces which I wear with Lolita, and that definitely helped with making me feel cuter without attracting too much attention or having to explain anything to anyone. :)
http://cupcakes-and-unicorns.blogspot.co.uk/
Those are some really great suggestions! I do sometimes wear my lolita jewellery with my everyday outfits and make up is really fun to experiment with, without people really making much comment. It didn't occur to me that these could be ways to add some kawaii in a subtle way, I just sort of did them anyway. So thank you for the comment!
DeleteI guess it all depends on how secretive you want to be about your kawaii lifestyle/hobbies. I imagine in places with a very strict dress code these might be the only ways to hint at there being something beyond one's work uniform.
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