Welcome to the new year!!  How about beginning the year with a dramatic wardrobe?  These deeply-colored, Earthy dresses will keep you warm in the remaining Winter while keeping you looking elegant and ethereal.

Romantic Green Rustic Small Flower Print Dress

This is like something from a novel about rustic ladies on the prairie~
The print on the dress is small white flowers.
Now, if you wore something like this,
it would be mandatory to go out running through a field at some point.

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Vintage Lady Lace Jacquard Dress

I think that this dress is in two pieces as a top and skirt,
but you get both of them together!
It also comes in a deep oceanic blue~

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Elegant Forest Green Wool Coat

Ahh, now this is beautiful and Wintery!!
There is something super romantic and vintage about the shape of this coat.
And just because you have to cover up with a coat
doesn’t mean you have to look all bulky and bundled up.

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Pink Wool & Lace Long-Sleeved Dress

This design is pretty simple, but it’s so pretty!!
Classical stuff is super elegant, too.

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Heather Grey Ruffle Woollen Dress

Wow!!!  So pretty!!
The asymmetrical ruffled accents on this dress are cute charm points.
I looove heather grey, like, a ridiculous amount.
It’s such an easily workable neutral color!!

Oh, gosh, it’s so cold outside!!  A pretty coat can keep you feeling cute even though you have to cover up your cute outfit.  (This is the saddest part of Winter to me – no one can see the outfit I’ve put together!)

LIZ LISA 5-Way Poncho-Style Coat

So versatile!!
The poncho cape is sooo pretty.
I love the shape that capes make.  And this one with fur trim and a row of bows
make it perfectly princess-like.

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LIZ LISA x Yui Kanno Heart Button Cardigan

Cute cute cuuute!!
These fuzzy textures just look soooo cuddly.
Heart buttons are an instant shortcut to extreme cuteness.

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LIZ LISA Elegant Winter Coat w/ Ribbon Brooch

Elegant is right!!
My favorite detail on this is the lace trim at the bottom.
But that awesome ribbon brooch and the fluffy fur trim is also amazing.

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LIZ LISA Peplum Cardigan

Wow!!  This cardigan is pretty enough to be a blouse!!
It has such dainty little details!
I think I am in love with the lace collar.
But also the vertical beaded ribbon down each side.

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LIZ LISA Floral Poncho

PRET!! TY!!!!
Floral-printed-anything is automatically so pretty and romantic.
This is so soft and light and pink!!
And thick fleecey ponchos are sooo awesome at keeping you warm!!

Ahh!  I only knew of the shopping site Tokyo Otaku Mode for buying anime merch, but they actually have brand name Japanese fashions, too!!  Swankiss is one of the most desirable brands for cute styles like Larme-kei and modern soft/dolly-looking gyaru.  Here are some of the newest items listed!

Swankiss Sailor Mouton Coat

This looks super warm and cute!!
I love coats that are nice and long.
And the fur trim on this looks really fluffy!!

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Swankiss Xmas Dress

This looks like the kind of dresses that Candy Rain does all the time!!
Although, I guess it’s actually Candy Rain that copies Swankiss’ style.
I’d love to wear something romantic and dreamy like this for Christmas!

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Swankiss Rose Rococo Dresses

This adorable dress has the prettiest little rosebuds embroidered on it!
The detail pics of the embroidery are so pretty –
it’s worth clicking through to check out the detail pics just to see them!

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Swankiss Twinkle Star Shorts

Well, anything with “twinkle star” in its name is automatically sweet and dreamy.
I love the pretty ribbon details on either side of these shorts!

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Swankiss Fluffy Tulle Skirt

There’s pretty corset-style ribbon woven through the waistband
of this pretty, dreamy skirt!!
This iridescent type of fabric was called “lamé” at the fabric store where I worked,
and I always associate “Larme” with it because they look so similar!
So in my mind, a skirt from lamé material is the very essence of larme-kei!

Maybe you’ve been an admirer of Japanese fashions for a long time, and are feeling like it’s finally time to take the plunge and begin building up a wardrobe of your own.  Liz Lisa is one of the most accessible brands, and Tokyo Otaku Mode is stocked full with genuine articles, brand new with tags – and better yet, they are often available for sale prices!!  These are great “building block” pieces to begin building up a beautiful style for yourself. c:

LIZ LISA Starter Set

This is an AMAZING way to get your hands on your first pieces!!
The starter set is a random assortment, but you will always get
one top, two bottoms, and a bag!

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LIZ LISA Raspberry Pattern Sukapan Skirt

Pieces like these always remind me of the ornate designs on Lolita skirts.
If you want something more casual than Lolita while still conveying a similar elegance,
then a skirt like this from Liz Lisa might be perfect for your style!

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LIZ LISA Fairy Tale Print Dress

Well, anything with “fairy tale” in its name is an instant love for me!!
This navy blue is dramatic and elegant,
but you can get it in paler colors, too, if you want to stick with pastels~

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LIZ LISA Back Ribbon Pinafore Dress

Ahhhh I love this deep wine red!!!
And the floral illustrations along the border are so romantic!!
Dresses like this, which cut low under the bust, look beautiful to me.
By wearing them, you can still show off much of the details on your blouse.

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LIZ LISA Mocha Lace Blouse

Speaking of blouses!!  Here is a perfect one!!
(Actually the same on in the picture above, too!)
The lacy details on this are soooo cute.
And with roses surrounding you on the collar,
it’s like you’re walking around with permanent shoujo-vision.

I realized today that I so rarely cover shoes in any of my writeups!!  And with it being so cold out, we should definitely cover some cute boots.  To round out today’s post, there are also some very pretty pastel cardigans that can help you to keep warm indoors, without the bulk of other jackets.

Tall Fur Laced-Up Suede Boots with Bows

Ahhhh!!  So pretty!!
Classy, tall boots like these can be worn for a TON of styles.
Mori Girl, Lolita, and anything gyaru is workable with these.

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Cute Fur-Lined Warm Winter Ankle Boots

These are a little simpler than the ultra-elegant boots above!!
But they’re still pretty classy.
Again, boots are so versatile, they can be worn with anything.

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Short-Sleeved Sailor Cardigan

Usually I go for the preview shots that show the item in pink,
but I thought this beige version was super classy!!
Short sleeves won’t help you much outside in the cold,
but if you just need something to throw on indoors if you’re always cold (like me)
then this is the kind of thing that’s perfect.

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Light Lace Sweet Princess Cardigan

Well, this is even lighter than the previous…
But!  It’s so elegantly pretty!!  Soft, white floral lace… *sigh*
This could add a really pretty Wintery touch to an outfit.

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Fluffy White (or Pink) Cap-Sleeve Princess Crop Top

There are so many pretty details to this!!
The furry fabric screams Winter princess.
The sheer neckline with delicate embroidery, the ruffles around the sleeves,
the short length of the top, the faint tinsel-like shimmer in the fluffy fabric…
Altogether they make for an impressive, sweet little top!!