Cora Maria

I think confidence often comes naturally to me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with it on occasion. How to have confidence in j-fashion is one of the most frequently asked questions in kawaii fashion spaces, and it seems like most advice given amounts to “Just don’t care about what other people think!” In this article, I would like to provide some more practical advice that I have found to work for myself and/or others. Find inspirational icons to follow For someone who struggles with confidence, this could be tricky since instead of being a source of inspiration, your chosen icons could become sources of comparison and insecurity. Don’t just support the people with the biggest wardrobes or the most conventionally attractive bodies; find people who are like you. If you’re a trans man, find trans men who dress in kawaii fashion. If you’re a person of colour, there are plenty of alternative fashion icons just like you! You can find style icons who are disabled,...

Photography by  @te.ssa.h  on Instagram. I'm sure we've all experienced the urge to buy something on impulse. You know the feeling. You see something cute, you want it, you check your bank account, you recheck the price, and you realize that this item will make your financial situation rather precarious until your next paycheque. But the item is trickling out of stock and it won’t be on sale for much longer... We’ve all been in this scenario or one like it. We’ve all got impulse purchases that we regret, regardless of whether we end up using it or not, and most of us are still trapped in the cycle of overconsumption. I believe that one of the best ways impulse shoppers can say no to more purchases, other than to remove the temptation to begin with, is by training ourselves to recognise the negative effect of an item before we buy it. Today, I hope to share with you my top four reasons why you shouldn’t buy The Thing. It’s Stressing You Out As soon as I r...

Photography by @vessmess_create What is a sustainable wardrobe exactly? Is it a capsule wardrobe? A minimal wardrobe? A wardrobe only comprised of sustainably produced, DIY, secondhand, or expensive pieces? When you define a sustainable wardrobe strictly by those parameters, a lot of people are left behind. Not everyone has the time, energy, resources, or skill to make their own clothes. Not everyone can afford or fit into sustainable brands. Not everyone can find their size or style in thrift shops. In my quest to make the sustainable fashion movement accessible to everyone, I offer you a guide on how to curate your own sustainable wardrobe regardless of background and/or circumstance. Replace the fast fashion mindset with a sustainable one. I strongly believe that the only thing you need to create a sustainable wardrobe is to have a sustainable fashion mindset. While the fast fashion mindset encourages you to buy based on price, convenience, and quantity without qu...

I know the answer for a few of these items, but that isn't enough. One of the things that has bugged me about my blog is how much I’ve focused on individual responsibility when it comes to sustainable fashion. It’s been all about how you  can shop better, how you  can reduce your consumption, how you  should use and dispose of your clothes in better and more eco-friendly ways. Yes, individual responsibility is incredibly important because large groups of people boycotting brands forces them to adapt or die, but there is also great change to be made in activism. The highly problematic fashion industry has created systems that are nearly impossible to navigate in a completely ethical and eco-friendly way. I’m here to say that it’s time for us to take a stand against the system and a stand against the brands. It’s time for the alternative fashion community to participate in Fashion Revolution Week. What is Fashion Revolution Week? Fashion Revolution Week i...

Illustration by @cosmikittyvevo aka @starlightespresso on Instagram. One of the messages I really want to spread on my blog is that any change is good change, no matter how small it might be. If you feel like there is no room for you in the discussion about sustainability, believe me when I say that I’ve been there. You might think that the sustainability brands available don’t fit your body type, or are incompatible with your skin sensitivities, or they are way out of budget, or they just don’t fit your style. I know what it’s like to feel excluded by a movement you want to be a part of, and to feel like there are things you cannot change. However, it’s important for us to focus on what we can change if we are to make alternative fashion more sustainable. That’s why I’m sharing with you my personal sustainable fashion rules that are designed to work with imperfection. You shouldn’t compromise your style to be more sustainable, but you can strive to execute your style in t...

It’s February and if you live in Australia like myself, chances are you have university returning in one or two week's time. Maybe you’re a recent high school graduate who is thrilled to be without a uniform, or perhaps you’re facing your final year of uni before the office dress code takes over your life. Maybe you’re from a country where college or university is already in session. Regardless of your situation, if you want to dress kawaii for university but don’t know how to go about it, this is the article for you. I will be sharing my practical tips to ensure that you spend your year in comfort and effortless style. I hope you find this article helpful and without further ado, let's leap into the advice. Comfort is Key, but Cuteness Helps One of my biggest uni outfits mistakes was definitely sacrificing comfort and/or practicality for aesthetic. There were days when I would wear too tight clothing or too many accessories or too tall platforms. Uncomfortable cl...

This is intended to be an aesthetic parody of haul video clickbait thumbnails. Please don't take this too seriously. Most sustainable fashion influencers and minimalists aren't too keen on hauls and unboxings, and their distain has inspired trends like the anti-hauls and haulternatives. However, as someone with one foot in the sustainable fashion community and the other in the alternative fashion community, I truly believe that haul videos have a place in the fashion community, but in their current form, they promote unhealthy spending habits, contribute to anxiety, and cheapen the relationships we have with our possessions. This week, I will go over the positive aspects of hauls/unboxings, the negatives, and what we can do to improve them. What are the pros of hauls and unboxings? There are many points one can bring up to identify why haul videos are useful and enjoyable. These include: Seeing someone talk about something they’re excited about.  Excitement is c...

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been dressing alternatively, because everyone has moments when they question their style. This can be really confusing and difficult to figure out, which could lead to remorseful purchases and/or boxing yourself into a particular set of rules. I get it, I’ve been there. Quite recently too. Learning about minimalism and sustainability made me question my own style and consumer habits. Was most of my wardrobe just made from what was convenient and affordable? How many of the pieces do I actually love? How many do I wear? What even is my style anymore? Due to a lengthy and time-consuming commitment, I had to put dealing with this style crisis on hold, but having months to think about the problem rather than rushing to solve it taught me a few tips that I think would be beneficial to anyone experiencing similar confusion. Don’t jump straight into mood boards. Most ‘How to Find Your Style’ advice begins with creating a mood board or Pinterest ...

Decluttering revealed many things for me, like how I only wore six out of 13 pairs of shoes. A good wardrobe is not a large wardrobe, but a well-edited one. Unfortunately, this stance I’ve taken seems to be in the minority. I, like many people in the alternative fashion community, obsessed over collecting clothing for the sake of having a larger wardrobe and more “options” for my outfits. Ironically enough, my collection obsession resulted in a poorly curated, mentally draining, unexpectedly restrictive wardrobe. While there are plenty of wardrobe declutter resources out there, I wanted to write this post offering unique advice that worked for me as a lover and wearer of alternative fashion, as well as an aspiring minimalist. Before you read this article, I highly recommend you read ‘8 Signs You Need to Clean Out Your Closet’ if you haven't already. Only those who fit at least one of those points will benefit from the advice in this article. Go on a shopping h...