2012年12月31日星期一

Why you would like classic lolita dresses ?

Classic Lolita would give you frilly blouses with pretty detailing are lovely, and lace and ribbons which are considered to be an added bonus. If Classic Lolita is your thing, then you can team white blouses with black skirts, but black can be paired up with any color. Normal Lolita colors are white, off white, beige or cream and pastels. Sleeve designs to look for are long sleeves that are wider at the bottom, they can also be long sleeves that are poufy at the top and wider at the bottom that come in tighter around the middle of your arm and some are short poufy sleeves that. Other than that, short sleeved blouses would be an option but it is best to try long sleeves. But if you find one that looks right, wear it. Tutus and petticoats are used to pad out your skirts as well. If they do, it's just to pad them out a little more. Tutus are in fashion to wear over jeans or tights. It would worth investing in at least one petticoat for longer skirts and a tutu for shorter skirts. Combining the tutu under the petticoat for a practicality is also nice. The average petticoat is too long for a shorter skirt, find or make yourself a tutu, which is just a shorter alternative. Look at the Sleeveless Square Neck Elegant Lolita Dress, it is my first lolita dress. It is made of cotton and very comfortable to wear. I still like it very much no.


These are worn under skirts, of course, and usually come in three lengths: normal socks, ones that come just under the knee, and ones that come over the knee. If you wear a shorter skirt, show where the sock ends is cute and flirty. Longer skirts are fine, of course. If you wear longer skirts, however, you may as well just wear tights if you wear the longer length, but each to your own preference. For a bit of Punk Lolita, you could try alternate colors. For a schoolgirl look, wear them baggy. We want to make sure that you and the costume ensemble of your choice will define your goal to interpret your Lolita fantasies. With our service and passion to create what you need, we would carry out the appearance and symbolic personality of your character into real life and that everything would be fit for your Cosplay conventions, contests, parties and other events. Definitely, we want you and your costume to be really special!

2012年12月30日星期日

International Lolita Day: Winter 2012

On December 1st, the New York City lolitas celebrated International Lolita Day by enjoying a Christmas-themed tea at a upscale Victorian teahouse in Manhattan, Lady Mendl’s. It was a gorgeous turn of the century townhouse, probably not unlike the one my grandmother grew up in during Victorian-era Brooklyn. It was decorated with glittering Christmas trees, cozy fires in every grate, and some very cute butler-style staff who poured tea and made mimosas. It was really a lolita’s perfect idea of a winter holiday party.

Pictured above are my two lovely friends, Crystal and Rune, as well as a candid shot Caitlin took of me at the tea table!

Dinner was in courses, featuring first an amuse-bouche of butternut squash mini quiche topped with baked Parmasean, followed by an array of tea sandwiches and then scones with clotted cream or jam. The dessert was a cream-soaked cake of mille feuille layers.

This is what I wore for International Lolita Day! Normally I would have worn my Liz Lisa heels, but the forecast was for snow, and New York City sidewalks in slush with four inch heels seemed impractical, to put it lightly. I’m wearing:

Blouse, hairbow, pearl necklace: Baby the Stars Shine Bright; Salopette, ring: Angelic Pretty; boots: Yesstyle.com; everything else, offbrand

These boots are so comfortable. I wanted a simple boot that would go with both my lolita and daily wear wardrobe, so I chose these soft grey low-heeled boots adorned with ribbons on the side. I can wear them with just about anything, and I do. Soft grey, I’ve decided, is my chosen neutral over black, brown or beige. It usually matches any pastel without being as sharp as black, and it goes with any hair color I end up with.

Unfortunately, not many of my photos came out in the dim cozy lighting of either Lady Mendl’s or the Aspen Social Club, a midtown bar and restaurant we hit up afterwards. Here’s one of my few favorites –  Black Cotton Gothic Lolita Dress
This lolita dress is designed with a spaghetti neckline,and you can see the bow on the spaghetti,which makes me look more graceful.When i put on the gothic Lolita dress,i will feel soft.The dress will bring me a new attitude.

This International Lolita Day I’m so thankful for my friends. My girls in the city are really more like my family than any other friends I’ve had before. I know they’ve got my back, and they’re the only girls who like both my sass and my adorkable. So thanks to them all, especially Crystal and Dalin for running the tea party meetup, and wicked props to Amber for running such a huge event the same day! You girls are the best.

What did you all do for International Lolita Day? Did you meet up with friends, or enjoy Lolita Day quietly at home?





2012年12月28日星期五

Holiday Touches For Lolita Outfits


The holidays are just around the corner and some of us are probably already heading to holiday parties, if not just trying to add some festivity to their outfits to get into the holiday spirit.

    Pick a print with a holiday motif. This is a surefire way to add some holiday touches to your outfit, but it's also the most expensive, and the least practical if you want a very versatile closet. Many brands will have, at one point or another, released either a Christmas themed print, or a winter-themed printed. 
    Go with jewel tones. Deep red and deep green are the iconic holiday colors, but other rich jewel tones can really set the mood for the holidays too! Jewel tones are rich, warm, colors that are perfect for this cold time of year.
    Choose velvets, satins, or brocades. Lustrous and luxurious fabrics are a great way to add some festivity to your outfit because they often have a "party dress" feel to them. If you can't justify getting a whole dress out of a lustrous fabric, try something like a high quality satin blouse or a velvet bolero to add a bit of luster to your outfit!
    Add some gold! This is probably the quickest and easiest way to add some holiday touches to your outfit. The best part about gold is that it can go well with most any color or style, and as a bonus, a few gold colored accessories can be picked up for a very cheap price! Try painting your nails gold to finish off the look! The Graceful Golden Gothic Victorian Dress is your best choice.It is made of Satin and others, which makes the dress more elegent and beautiful. It is floor length and it is very suitable for you to wear it to go to a party.





    Compliment your outfit with fur. Faux or not, fur adds a cozy wintertime look to any outfit. Anything from a fur stole, to a fur collar, to fur trim can add a little bit of winter warmth to an outfit!
    DIY something! Head out to the craft store and pick up some holiday craft supplies! Anything from faux poinsettia, to plastic glitter snowflakes even, to cute Christmas ornaments to turn into brooches or to perch in a hairstyle can be picked up relatively cheaply and turned into something cute!

2012年12月25日星期二

casual Lolita style for daily wear


Today I'm being lazy. Not working nor meeting my friend. So I thought maybe I should update my blog.
As I mentioned before, I wear Lolita as daily basis. I will only wear something normal when I'm meeting my client. I even wear Lolita to meet my parents in law. Although they were shocked when they first saw me in Lolita. But now they love my style!!!
How did I do it? Let me teach you. First, started with something more casual. Maybe added one or two pieces of Lolita items. Gradually increase the items until your parents or friends or mother in law accepted your style.
For myself, as much as I want to wear a full gear of Lolita, I know how other people judge us by our appearance .
So usually I would tune down a bit when I wear Lolita to buy grocery at local supermarket.
This is one of example of my casual Lolita style.
For my daily wear. I'm wearing one of most common color -BLACK!


Look at this Black Bows Ruffles Cotton Gothic Lolita Dress, it is one of my likes from ocrun.com.

Yes, you probably realized the word "ocrun.com". I love ocrun stuff. One of the reason they carries different size and some of the item such as blouse and cardigan are quite well made and useful.

So you don't have to spend tone of money on brand dress but you can still be a nice lolita.


2012年12月23日星期日

Working on My Style!

Hello, everyone. I wanted to post today about the recent events i've gone to, but at the same time, I want to talk about finding one's style within lolita, especially finding myself in lolita.

Last year, I had issues finding my style. Many of the outfits I wore, did not make me feel happy, or feel like myself. However, this year, I decided to take it slow, and now, I feel like I am heading somewhere, into a style I am feeling happy about. In the beginning of the year, I told myself that I would take it one step at a time, and I did. The Pretty Ruffled Black and White Punk Lolita Dress is my best choice. I started by rearranging my closet. I didn't color coordinate it but I separated my skirts, JSKs, and OP based on style. From sweet to classic. In part I could thank being accepted to FIDM because it's so close to the fashion district, and when I went fabric shopping or browsing, I tried to focus more on the floral prints and such. I figured you can't get anymore classic style than buying florals. To me that's a basic staple.

Also with Anime expo, I was able to create lots of merchandise, which i fell in love with. I had to keep some of the merchandise for myself and I was happy. Also, I bought some flower pins and broaches, and star pins and broaches, things I preferred. I feel that if you pick things you really like that are really you, you tend to find out that you can apply them to lolita as well. It turns out the bear items I had went well together in one coord and the florals in almost everything I had. It was a great investment. Also I created a theme for myself. Now I feel like my coords are more me and I am happy.

I still believe that I am improving with each coordination, and hope one day I'll be as cute or great as the better lolitas on EGL and the Inspirational Japanese lolitas.

2012年12月21日星期五

Hairspiration



Look at the Classic Princess Red Gothic Victorian Dress, which is So gorgeous and elegant. The anatomy of a Lolita is really important: the blouse, the dress, the socks, the headbow or bonnet... But let’s not forget another important thing too: the hair! I always love to see what people did with their hair and I often see wonderful creations that inspire me. Especially advertisements show Lolitas with some amazing hairdos! So I thought I should write a little blogentry about haircuts that inspire me. I chose five pictures from my Lolita folder with hairdos I really like (+ a little title I made up) and wrote down why I like them so much! ^^


1. Jewelry Jelly Curly Curls. The hair of the model is pulled up into big, curly tails, partially covered by an even bigger bow. A part of her hair falls down in perfect longer curls. I love this haircut so much, since it combines the ‘standard’ fringe, bangs and big curly tails with loose, curled hair until about half of the upper body part. I would love to try this haircut myself, although it won’t be this voluminous.

2. Memorial’s Butterfly Curls. The atmosphere of this picture is quite dreamy. The beautiful blue Memorial Cake dress emphasizes this even more. The interesting colour of the model’s hair (a bit honey-/orangecoloured) really draws a lot of attention. The hair is long and subtlely curled, including the long, broad bangs. The pink butterflies in her hair are also present on the bonnet, making it a perfect combination. This hairstyle is probably easier to do.

3. Puff Puffs. Beside the fact I adore this picture and the dress the model is wearing (wishlistdress, yay!), I also really love her hair. Two tails got teased and curled to the max, although it seems they only exist of curls. The big bow in the middle finishes everything perfectly.

4. Misako’s Sweet ’n Short. You gotta love Misako! She always looks adorable and so well-coordinated. In this picture she has short hair for a change. She curled her hair, creating a playful but sweet look that suits the bonnet really well.

5. Dark Coffee Hair. The last picture shows another one of my Dream Dresses: Milky Berry. The model wearing the dress has quite the ‘standard’ hairdo, but hey: I like the standard hairdo! Long curls and a straight fringe... The thing I love the most is the fact that both the dress and the background are quite a light colour, but the haircolour is a deep coffeebrown. This contrast makes it perfect to me!


Do you like my choices for pictures? Or maybe not? Do you have any inspiring hairpictures? I would love to know!
Oh, I just realised I both used the words ‘fringe’ and ‘bangs’. I’m always a bit uncertain about these words. I thought ‘fringe’ meant the straight cut hair on your forehead and ‘bangs’ the longer hair beside your face. Is that right?


2012年12月19日星期三

What if you don’t have the confidence to wear Lolita because you are afraid what other people might think of you?


Well that is also one dilemma which had faltered many Muslims. I cannot say to you that you should ignore what people think of you because the feeling will always be there even if you try really, really hard to not mind what people think.

How about trying reverse psychology on yourself? Are you afraid that people might think you’re weird? Freeky? Retarded? Then Reverse those sneers and take it as a compliment, that’s what I always do. I know it’s hard but try and you’ll get the hang of it.

Think of it like this. If people say or think that you are weird then say to yourself, “That’s good, weird stands out and only brave people stands out so weird is bravery.” There, problem solved. Would the person who thinks you’re weird have the guts to stand out? No, they want to fit in. I’ve always have the impression of people who wants to blend in with the crowds are people who’s minds are simple. People who want to be different, who don’t like being the same and most people are, those are the people with creative and interesting minds.

I like the Well made Ruffled Black and White Cotton Lolita Suit very much, and i wear it everywhere. In my opinion, more and more people will purpue fashion...

2012年12月16日星期日

Wondering In Wonderland

I wonder a lot. I wonder every day and every possible moment. I wonder about the strangest things, but also about normal things. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing, to be honest. Yes, sometimes I’m a bit too much of a dreamer, but I’m still down to earth. I think. I actually believe wondering makes me a better person. I even like the verb ‘to wonder’. In my language, we only ‘ask ourselves’, we don’t ‘wonder’.

Because I wonder so much, I wonder in chains of things. A ‘wonderchain’ could look like this:
I wonder what kind of weather it will be tomorrow -> I wonder what kind of weather it is in Paris -> I wonder what the Parisians are doing now -> I wonder if I’ll go back to Paris anytime soon -> I wonder if I’ll have money then -> I wonder if I’ll buy things at Angelic Pretty -> I wonder if I’ll buy things at Baby, the Stars Shine Bright too -> I wonder what the shopworkers are doing -> I wonder if I’ll ever work in a shop -> I wonder if I’ll ever make a lot of money -> I wonder if I’ll buy gothic loli dress then... And it goes on and on and on.

Sometimes it tires me, especially when I lie in bed and I want to sleep. I have plenty of time to wonder then, since there is nothing else to occupy me. Thoughts race through my head, and I need to tell myself to slow down and try to sleep. The next morning I wake up and everything starts again.

My wonderchains aren’t always positive. They sometimes drag me into a current of negative thoughts, taking me further and further away from happiness. This is usually gone the next morning, since I always live ‘with the moment’.

Does anyone else have wonderchains like me? If you don’t, try it some day! Switch from one thought to the next that has something to do with the previous one. How far can you come? I once got from Picasso to sandals. ^^

The picture is unrelated. I just thought that girl looks so incredibly cute! I wonder who she is? I wonder where she got all those balloons? I wonder who blew the air into them? Who knows...?


2012年12月12日星期三

What Do I Want More Than Anything Right Now

I tend to try to keep the content on my blog lighthearted and fun, but I just don't feel that today.

This past Thursday, my grandmother passed away. She and my grandfather raised me, sent me to private school and in general tried to ensure that I had a good future. Though we had our fair share of arguments and disagreements with how to live our lives, we still loved each other.

She was also one of my major fashion influences. I remember watching her go to balls as a child in elegant gothic loli clothing, leaving a trail of lovely smelling perfume in the wake of each step. She was the influence behind the elegance I admire so much in lolita.

So, if I had the say the thing I want the most right now, it would be to see her once more and hold her in my arms, telling her that I love her and that I appreciate what she's done for me. Just one moment.

2012年12月4日星期二

Surviving The Ice Age

Cold weather really is upon us! I didn't think this post was necessary, since I thought the weather was going to improve, but now that it's snowing and absolutely freezing cold once again, it's time to buy everything you thought you could avoid! If you're like me, and you insist on wearing Lolita almost every day, hail, rain, or in this case, snow, then this post goes out to you! Sure, during the last cold snap, we could just all leave Lolita to the side in favour of "normal, practical" clothing, but if this weather is going to last until January, I don't think I'll hold out that long!
So what's a frozen Loli to do? Wrap up, that's what!

    Bloomers: I don't actually own a pair, but I strongly advise that every single Loli going to brave the sub-zero temperatures should wear a pair! If you don't have a pair, they're easy enough to make! A very simple tutorial was posted here.
    Tights: Okay, so the Lolita style usually calls for OTK or just to the knee socks, but seriously now, it's in minus figures! There's serious frost and snow out there! Get yourself a nice pair of thick cotton tights! Penney's sell lovely tights for about €3 a pair. If that's not warm enough, wear lycra tights under them. Nobody's going to see them, and you'll be snuggly and warm, and that's the most important part!
    Hats: Okay okay, so you can't show off your hairbows when you're wearing a hat, but if you have a cute hat, you've nothing to worry about! Beret-style knit hats look really lovely with Lolita, and from what I've seen they're not expensive. Have a peek around the shops, it's easy to find them in many different colours to match your co-ords!
    Gloves/Mittens: Wear them. Really, I don't know about you, but in cold weather, having cold hands is one of the worst things. Your hands seize up from the cold, and that's never fun! They're cheap, cheerful, and most of all, they're warm.
    Scarves: You probably have one already, so if you do, for the love of frills, wear it! I've actually heard people say that scarves are 'so not rori'. Righto, you can go off and freeze, we'll be here with our scarves being cozy, have words with Baby about their scarves too, heh heh. But seriously, don't underestimate a scarf, it could be the difference between being healthy and catching a nasty cold.

Coats are also essential to winter Lolita attire. lolita accessories pale pink, too. You don't have to fork out a fortune on a brand coat, as lovely as they are. If you trawl through the shops, you'll probably find something suitable. If not, Bodyline have some coats from last Winter going at a fairly reasonable price.
A coat is all great, but don't forget to wear layers! Several layers of thin clothes can be better than one or two bulky layers for insulation. Depending on how very cold it is, you could wear a camisole, then your blouse, JSK, cardigan, and coat, and of course, everything else!

Footwear Health & Safety
Ok, I know you're all decently sensible Lolis, but I just want to stress something.
DO NOT wear high shoes of any description. Please, I beg of you! Icy footpaths and impaired balance don't go well together. I know, you might look fabulous, but you won't look fabulous when you're smushed into the roadside slush! Wear shoes with flat soles, and tread carefully! If you wear Rocking Horse Shoes and go out into the winter tundra, you're sure to find yourself in a world of hurt.

Okay, now that I feel that I've contributed to what you probably know already, I'm going to figure a route to school without dying on the footpaths.

Have fun, and stay warm!

2012年11月30日星期五

Victorian Maiden, I Love You, But

I was browsing through different brand sites, looking to see if there are any new releases and I saw a very beautiful lolita dress.


I think it's a really nice dress, however, I can't shake the feeling that I've seen the print somewhere before..

Aha! I'm sure many people are familiar with this Bodyline dress. I sort of like it myself, and would have bought it already if it wasn't for the halterneckness (is that a word? Well, it is now. You saw it here first!). The print is very similar, if not, exactly the same as the new release by VM. The difference?


Okay, it's really obvious that they're completely different dresses in terms of construction, and it's likely that VM's fabric quality is of much higher quality. I know that a lot of brands just buy fabric instead of designing every square millimetre of their clothing. It makes me wonder though, do brands ever bother to check what their competition is stocking? Perhaps they did, and said "Hey! That's a nice print! Let's do it our way!" and to be fair, the VM one IS more appealing.

I'd love to see if the Bodyline dress could be reconstructed, and I'd try it if I could. Is there enough fabric? Hehey, there's one way to find out!

To an untrained eye the dresses COULD be mistaken for each other, and it would be sickening to have a dress mistaken for something that cost less than a return ticket to the capital.

At the same time...

(Hey! I forgot to wish you all a Merry Christmas! *headdesk*. Hope you all got nice things! I'll probably make a New Years post, if I'm not busy with general merriment.)




2012年11月29日星期四

Ask Miss Caro-chan: Mature Elegance For Curvy Girls

Today's Ask Miss Caro-chan, comes from a woman named V. V asks:
Hello there!

I was wondering if you could help me? I love the whole lolita/quaintrelle look but I'm a UK size 16 (I think that might be a US 14?) and veeerrry curvy (i.e. largish boobs and a small waist with an epic hips-and-bum combination!) I'm also 23 now, so I'm coming to it quite late and don't want to go too sweet.

I'm interested in a slightly more classy, adult look that is flattering for an older, larger girl. Do you have any advice on how I could include lolita qualities in my everyday dress without looking like a huge, pastel-coloured, frilly child-doll!

Thank-you,
V.
First of all, you might want to check out my Everyday Elegance post, which is directed at someone just getting into Lolita who is looking to start dressing more elegantly. I must admit that I am not too familiar with the Quaintrelle, correct me if I am wrong, but it is a rather romantic and old fashioned approach to life and dressing? If you are not necessarily going to go for a straight up Lolita approach, you can easily find beautiful clothes that have a very romantic look to them but aren't ruffly and pink. Pair a fluttery top that has a flattering cut with a swishy skirt, wear a very light petticoat, not so much to give it poof, but to keep it from being clingy. Use accessories, such as elegant bracelets, chandelier earrings, pretty rings, and Victorian inspired evening bags to make the outfit romantic.

If you are planning on trying to get into Lolita, without looking like a pink cupcake, try one of the more mature styles such as Classic Lolita or even Gothic Lolita with cheap black cotton. The muted colors in Classic Lolita, and the basic black and cleaner lines of Gothic Lolita are not as childish as pastels, and are even more accepted in mainstream fashion for anyone over the age of 8. Many Classic Lolita dresses, especially A-line and ones that don't require lots of poof, can get away with being worn to "normal" social functions, such as weddings, company parties, and whatever other "grown-up" things you have to bother with.

Now, onto the matter of your hourglass figure. I personally think that an hourglass figure is one of the most flattering figures to have in Lolita. Mainly because a defined waist and X-shape (that is poofy sleeves, tailored waist, and fluffy skirt) is what often makes the Lolita silhouette so special. Combine that with a womanly figure and it can just look so classy and timeless! You don't always have to be a willowy little waif of a girl to pull off the style. You might want to check out the Lolita community for plus-sized Lolitas, EGL_Plus, or even my friend Rayray's blog, Part Time Lolita, as she is a plus-sized Lolita and occasionally posts about it. In fact, for a more expanded post about plus sized tips, check out the post she did on the subject.

Tips for hourglass shaped Lolitas
Don't worry so much about your hips and bum. Lolita skirts and dresses are meant to flare out at your natural waist, so even if you've got a bit more going on in your hips and bum than you would like, the poofy Lolita skirt, even if they are A-lined or don't have a lot of poof, is going to hide that.
Avoid underbust dresses and empire waists. Underbust dresses and JSKs are just going to over-emphasize your bust, and empire waists simply will hide your hourglass figure completely.
Avoid an overly ruffly top. Lots of ruffles on your chest is just going to make it look larger than it really is.
Don't overstretch shirring. If you are going for brand dresses, and you're very busty, you're probably only going to be able to fit into a fully shirred dress. But don't think that just because a dress can stretch to nearly 50 inches that it's going to look good on you. It's called a boobloaf, ladies, avoid it. Avoid wearing things that gives you anything that can be described with the word "loaf" XD

Make sure things fit nicely around your waist. Make sure that the waist on a dress does not fall above your natural waist, is too tight, or loose and wrinkly. If you're a bit iffy about the shape of your waist, and want a Lolita/Victorian feel right down to your underwear, you might want to invest in a steel boned corset, check out my old post on corsets. Or, if you're looking for something less expensive and less extreme, look for modern alternatives, such as shapewear designed to smooth out your tummy.

Not all Lolita dresses have to look like a lace and bow and tulle encrusted pink cupcake. There are many Lolita dresses that are more inspired by Victorian elegance than hyperactive kawaiiness. The following dresses are from a variety of brands, Innocent World, Mary Magdalene, Victorian Maiden, and a few other classic brands. If you are of a larger size, you're most likely not going to fit into the actual brand dresses, as Classic Lolita brands tend to be absolutely tiny, but they are great inspiration for when it comes time to commission something, or simply to keep in mind when window shopping.

2012年11月26日星期一

Ask Miss Caro-chan: Lolita Styles for Short Hair & A Peek At What I've Been Up To


Today's Ask Miss Caro-chan comes from Enichan. She asks:Hi! I was wondering if you had any tips for lolitas with short hair. I recently got my hair cut pretty damn short, and while it kind of works as is to create a more androgynous look, I'd like to have a few more options. I just can't really think of much to do with it.This is not exactly a subject I am well versed on, as my hair is very long, but I'll do my best! Well, first of all, there is the  obvious and nearly limitless choice of wigs and hair clips. With short hair it wouldn't be hard to tuck your hair under a wig cap and plop down the wig of your choice on top of your head. This way you have near limitless color options and styles that you really don't have to worry about.



Look at the Best Seller Pink Short Sleeves Bow Cotton Sweet Lolita Dress. If your hair is long enough to pull into pigtails or a ponytail, you could skip the full wig and just buy a ponytail fall in a color to match you hair and have instant long hair in perfect curls that you can take off whenever you want. Of course, there are down sides to wigs, nice ones can be expensive, they can be a pain to store, they get hot, and maybe you just don't want to deal with actually having to wear one. In that case, there are still many things you can do with your own hair.If your hair is very short, too short to style or even pull together into a tiny tuft of a pigtail, your best option is to decorate! Wear a head piece, add some clips to your hair, or even consider wearing a full-sized hat. A cute beret perched at an angle above a pixie cut looks adorable! Very short hair cuts can look really cute with Lolita. Here's a post on EGL of girls showing off their short hair cuts with their frills.If you have slightly longer hair you have even more options. Personally, I think that one of the cutest styles to wear with Lolita is the bob. If you have a bob you don't even need to consider styling it, just put on your favorite hair bow and fluff it up a little bit and you've got perfect hair!  If your hair is long enough to style you could always do a sort of mini updo, keep your bangs straight (assuming you have bangs!) and curl the rest of your hair so it's nice and poodley and then pin it up and add some accessories to it.Because many Lolitas are bit more comfortable and confident doing something if the Bibles have proved that it can be done, here's a selection of short hair styles from the Gothic & Lolita Bibles that are used in a variety of different kinds of Lolita.

If you want something a little different, try a look from the past, like pin curls. They might take some practice doing, and you might even need a friend to help you, but they give beautiful results, especially with very short hair. Here's a great tutorial on how to do them on short hair. If you are interested in other kinds of curls for short hair, check out finger waves, they were a hair style popular in the 20's and 30's.

2012年11月23日星期五

Ask Miss Caro-chan: Lolita Styles For Warm Weather


Today's Ask Miss Caro-chan comes from Haruko, who asks:

    What would you recommend for a summer lolita look. Where I live it's hot most of the year, and a lolita coord with so many layers can be pretty uncomfortable, and even not worth the cuteness :(

Summer is often the worst season for wearing Lolita. True, it's lovely and beautiful out, but Lolita just has so many layers that it's usually just too hot to bother with. If you are hard core about dressing up in your finest frills the most you can do is just deal with the heat, but if you just don't want to bother, there are some things you can do to make a Lolita outfit a bit more bearable in the heat of summer.

    Loose some layers. Start from the inside out. It can be something as simple as just not wearing bloomers, but you can keep going from there and loose the blouse and just wear a JSK, and then loose the socks or tights. If you are scared of committing a Lolita faux pas by going blouseless under a JSK, don't worry about it! Going blouseless is usually seen as OK nowadays, and a lot of Lolita brands even make halter styled tops in the summer that are meant to be worn without a blouse under them.
    Use protection. From the sun that is! Carry a parasol or wear a large brimmed hat to keep a patch of nice cool shade wherever you go. Don't forget to wear some sunscreen too.

    Wear open toed shoes. If you're not wearing socks, of course. Try a pair of summery platform or heeled sandals in a matching color.
    Go easy on your hair. You're probably not going to want to use a whole bottle of hair spray in the heat of summer, or worse yet, a wig. Wear your hair either down and loose, with maybe a bit of a wave to it, or up in something very simple like curled pigtails. In addition to keeping your hair light and simple, wear an easy head piece. In the heat of summer you're not going to want to wear a big square headdress that just makes your head hot, instead go for a simple headband with a flower or a bow on it.
    Wear lightweight fabrics. Put your velvets away for a few months and start wearing lightweight cotton, the breezier the better. If you still want to wear blouses under your JSKs, it's a good idea to find some very lightweight blouses to wear in the summer. If they are a little bit see-through it's not really going to be that big of a deal because you're going to be wearing them under a JSK.
    Wear cutsews. If you wear skirts more than JSKs, invest in some cutsews. They are much less stuffy feeling than button-up blouses, and the fabric usually breaths better.
    Dress for the season. Wear a lot of light pastels, or look for prints that feel summery to you. Welcome to visit ocrun.com and you get more lolita dresses.

2012年11月19日星期一

How to Wear Lolita Everyday

As I have mentioned before, I wear Lolita nearly every day. I don't really consider myself a Lifestyle Lolita, and yet, I live my life in it, I like to consider this an Everyday Lolita. I don't always deck myself out in show-stopping get-the-most-photos-at-a-meetup Lolita though, I've managed to find a nice medium between going all-out and casual Lolita. The best part of being an Everyday Lolita is that there are enough days in a year to experiment with going from one extreme to another and playing with the different Lolita styles.

Finding the time to wear Lolita When people who don't know me in real life learn that I wear Lolita nearly every day, the first question they often ask is "How?! Do you have a job where you can wear Lolita?!" I would actually never in a million years be able to wear Lolita to work, so what do I do? The answer is ridiculously simple and sort of a no-brainer: I change my clothes. I am not going to hang around all day in my work clothes, and it's not very often that I will go straight from work to PJs, so I change into my Lolita clothes when I get home.The Black Cotton Gothic Lolita Dress is my best choice.



It might be a little frivolous, but Lolita is a frivolous fashion. As silly as it sounds it makes me happy to spend the extra few minutes a day to change into something I really enjoy wearing, even if I only plan on wearing it for a handful of hours.


For those of you that can get a little fancier at work, but can't go all-out Lolita, consider wearing a few accessories or even more mature styled Lolita blouses. Even something like carrying a Lolita purse or wearing a piece of jewelery from your favorite brand is enough to make you feel like you're wearing a little bit of Lolita, even when you absolutely cannot.

If you are the kind of person who gets out of work/school and hops straight into a pair of PJs, consider investing in a couple PJs that are more on the Lolita side of things, or even some cute and frilly roomwear.

Some tips for wearing the frills every dayYou can, of course, just go all out every day, but that usually takes a ton of effort, time, and a pretty epic wardrobe, which most of us don't have. Realistically, wearing Lolita everyday usually means you need a few shortcuts and modifications on the "usual" Lolita look. Find what works best for you, for your budget and your schedule. If you have the resources to go all out every day, by all means do so! But if you find that it's too much of a hassle and you want a more wearable Everyday Lolita style, check out some of these tips, which have made it possible for me to wear Lolita nearly everyday for several years now!
You're going to need a lot of foundation pieces- The most important foundation pieces, I think, for wearing Lolita every day is a couple petticoats that just don't deflate, and a ton of different socks or tights. Several pairs of longer bloomers are also pretty handy if you don't want to be washing petticoats every day. I cannot stress how many pairs of socks or tights you're going to need, unless you live somewhere that's just too hot for socks, you're going to need quite a few pairs. If you're like me, you're probably going to need even more than that because you're constantly losing them. Luckily, you don't actually need to have 2 dozen pairs of $30 brand socks, basic offbrand socks are going to be a million times more versatile and so much cheaper. Just start stocking up on OTKs and tights when you find them for a good price in basic colors that go with just about anything in your wardrobe (generally white, off-white, or black) and you'll soon find you have plenty of socks.
Have at least one pair of shoes and one purse that matches just about everything- Having perfectly matching accessories, maybe a bunny purse paired with a bunny print dress and a pair of shoes in the exact same shade of pink as the bunny's heart-shaped spots, is a Lolita's dream, but it's just not practical for wearing everyday. Of course, you can still have these things for meetups or days you just feel like going all-out, but for everyday wear you're probably going to want something you can put on without a whole lot of thinking about and something that's going to match just about anything in your wardrobe. A pair of comfortable style-neutral shoes (if you wear several styles, that is!) and a style-neutral purse that's large enough to fit your everyday items in, in a base color that matches most of your wardrobe are both vital pieces for the Everyday Lolita's wardrobe. For my own wardrobe, my go-to pair of shoes are a pair of black tea party shoes and a black h.NAOTO purse. The shoes are super comfy and I can walk all day in them, and the purse is large enough to fit all my stuff in and matches most of my usual wardrobe.
Cutsews are very useful- I love cutsews! I practically live in h.NAOTO cutsews. They're so much more comfortable and less stuffy than button ups, you can also just toss them in the washer and dryer and not have to worry about them so much. They can be dressed up with accessories and jackets or dressed down by just wearing them plain.
Look for pieces that have detachable parts or are convertible- Pieces with detachable sleeves, removable bust pieces, detachable collars, giant detachable bows, removable skirt ruffles and whatever else can be mixed and matched up a bit are a lifesaver in an Everyday Lolita wardrobe because they mean you can have more looks with less actual pieces.
Don't be afraid to be Lolitaesque- I talked a bit about the idea of Lolitaesque in this post, and mentioned how it has really helped me add a bit of interest to my everyday style. Even Lolita, when worn everyday, can get a little bit boring, so it's nice to be able to wear something that still has the same aesthetic as Lolita, but is more versatile and just plain ol' a little bit different. Consider other fashions that have a lot of Lolita overlap such as Fairy Kei, Aristocrat, Dolly Kei, Mori girl, Victorian Goth, or even Hime-Gyaru that can add a bit of something different to your wardrobe and still mix and match it with Lolita. Or even take a look at some of the "non-standard" Lolita pieces that various brands have put out, such as the various fishtail skirts, full-length dresses, A-line dresses, or casual cutsew dresses for inspiration on how to include some frills to your day-to-day wardrobe without wearing the usual Lolita.
Don't be afraid to leave out some of the basics- If you're going to wear Lolita everyday, you're probably going to have some lazy days where wearing full Lolita just isn't practical. If you don't feel like wearing a button-up blouse with a JSK, don't bother. If it's just too hot for socks, screw 'em. Invest in a few dresses or JSKs that can be slipped on and worn as is. Find a couple good dresses that can double as a lazy day house dress and a "throw a cardigan over it and slip on a pair of cute shoes" out-and-about dress. For inspiration, check out some dresses and coordinates by Otome brands such as Emily Temple Cute.
Learn to deal with standing out in public- Learning to wear Lolita in public is a huge hurdle that some people who want to wear Lolita everyday have to get past, but a very important one. If you plan on wearing Lolita on a daily basis, you're going to have to get used to people's reactions to it. If you want to read a bit more about dealing with wearing Lolita in public, check out this post on just that!
Learn how to wash Lolita clothes at home- Knowing how to take care of Lolita clothes at home is very important if you're going to be wearing them on a regular basis. Check out this post for some tips and tricks when it comes to washing your Lolita.
I've been interested in Lolita for a pretty long time, and it actually took me several years to get to wearing Lolita on a daily basis. It took me quite a while to work up a large and workable wardrobe, and it took me a while to even just work up the nerve to start wearing it from day-to-day. But, this is just me. An Everyday Lolita wardrobe can be made much more compact than mine is, especially if you're dedicated to keeping up on laundry (which I am certainly not) and aren't afraid to step outside of the rules sometimes.

The new year is just a few hours away, and I know that every year, many Lolita's new year's resolution is to wear Lolita more often, and to even wear it everyday. It's not impossible to do so, if you are a bit creative when it comes to making the most out of your wardrobe and if you aren't afraid of a little bit of dedication.

Do you have any Lolita wardrobe specific resolutions for the new year? In 2012 I hope to wear more Classic Lolita and to add more lush antique details to my outfits, a sort of Dolly Kei inspiration to my outfits, and to have less lazy day outfits. Currently, my lazy day outfits typically include an h.NAOTO cutsew and a plain black skirt, which is awesome for a lazy day but not so awesome for... 5 days a week. Back in October I talked about a wardrobe makeover that I'm actually still working on, and getting rid of so many lazy day outfits is something I've been having a bit of difficulty doing. In addition to adding more Classic Lolita to my day-to-day wardrobe, I'd love to finish my wardrobe makeover within the first few months of the new year!





2012年11月18日星期日

Lolita Challenge Day Three


1. I hate red- This is actually just a joke between my friends and I. Red happens to be my least favorite colour so sometimes my friends will ask me "How do you feel about red?" and I'll say, in a pouty valley girl voice, "I hate red!". I only dislike fire engine red though, I love wine colour!
 2. Bobs with ponytails- I don't get those wigs that have long, full, curly clip on ponytails but just a bob hair cut for a base. They look so funky from the back.
3. Unlucky packs- I love lucky packs because you get a lot of value for your money but I really dislike when brands put really awful stuff in there. Most of the time you get a decent haul but sometimes you get a monstrous collection!
4. When things wear out- I understand the concept of wear and tear but I really dislike items breaking when you pay so much money for them. Recently a pair of my Putumayo socks got a hole in the toe and I was like "oh hell no!". I sewed them so, so hardcore, like three times better than they probably needed to be sewn.
5. Prints growing on you- I often have this problem. I'll see a print that is up for reserve on a brand website but I won't think too much of it. When the reserves are closed and I see what the dress looks like on people I often fall in love with it, it's so obnoxious because by that time there's no way to buy the item.
6. Sold out items- Brands stock a ridiculously low amount of dresses. I understand why they do it but it makes buying clothing really stressful. I wish they would restock items like mainstream stores.
7. Massive head eating bows- The really, really, unnecessarily large ones just don't flatter anyone. If it's bigger than my skull I'm not going to wear it.
8. Wearing different socks/shoes- I guess it's an OTT trend to wear different coloured shoes and socks but I'm really not a fan of the look. Look at the 0.35inch High Heel 0.2inch Platform Pink PU Lolita Shoes and I like the shoes very much.


9. Photoshoots at meetups- When I go to a meet up I like to take photos but I really am not comfortable with full on photoshoots. If I'm going to have professional pictures taken of me I don't want it to be right after I've finished roller skating or eating!
10. Weird material- Bodyline does this a lot. They make really cute designs but choose to use the strangest material ever. Their latest blouses are so lovely but they're all made of polyester!
Bonus: I really didn't like making this list, I don't like to dwell on negative things!

2012年11月13日星期二

How To Clean Lolita Clothes At Home


Look at the 2012 Pink Puff Sleeves Cotton Sweet Lolita Dress, which is very sweet and beautiful dress. Welcome to visit ocrun.com. If the dress is dirty, it will boring for some people to washing it. I often hear people saying things along the lines of "For the price of brand, I should be able to just throw it in the washer!" which is just a ridiculous to say, often times high priced clothing needs special care when it comes to washing or, truth be told, they will get ruined. So, this post is about the various ways to clean and care for your Lolita clothes, keeping them looking as new as possible. Of course, each clothing piece may require a completely different cleaning techniques depending on fabric, trims, and even just varying from brand to brand and from piece to piece. I can't guarantee that these tips will work perfectly on every piece, but they are all a lot safer than just throwing it in the washer and dryer.How often should you wash Lolita clothes?This question has a few different answers depending upon who you ask, or which piece you are talking about, but my answer to this question is: as rarely as possible.

Most Lolita pieces are not going to spend much time against your skin, you're going to have petticoats and bloomers and other blouses and probably even undershirts between your main Lolita pieces and your skin. So long as you aren't wearing all those layers on a 90 degree summer day, you're not going to be getting as much sweat on your Lolita as you would on, say, a tee shirt. After you are done wearing your Lolita clothes, inspect them for spots that need to be cleaned, if any, and clean those spots up with a damp washcloth with a little bit of detergent, rub it on the spot and blot up the excess moisture, do this a few times until the spot is clean. Try using a Tide To Go pen if you have one, it tends to be quicker and easier. After that hang your clothes up. This is very important because it helps air them out, and often times simply airing your clothes out will help with any smells on them, either from being places with a strong smell, perfumes, or just the regular smell of your own skin. Keep one of those little scented drawer sachets around the hanger if you are extra worried about any smells. If you follow these simple steps you can keep an item of clothing looking and smelling like it's new for a long time before you absolutely need to wash it.General washing and wear tipsFirst of all, if you haven't gathered this yet from the intro, never just throw your clothes in the washer and dryer! While you should never put your Lolita in the dryer, especially if it has cotton lace on it, some pieces you can wash in the washer, but you should use gentle detergent, on the gentle cycle, in cold water. Also, you need to make sure you don't load up your washer with a bunch of stuff, especially not towels because they tend to get fuzzies all over your clothes that are hard to get off. Wash only a small amount of clothes at a time, and before you put them in be sure to take off all detachable things such as bows, lace up ribbons, charms, and anything else that you can take off. If you have something that laces up through some delicate lace, be sure to take that out because it can get caught on other things as it's going for a tumble and rip the lace. Bows, if they are very heavy, can also get pulled off and rip the fabric, you also may run the risk of the pin on the back rusting. Chains and charms should never be washed because they will nearly always break. Clothing should also be turned inside out before you wash it, because the piece will fade slightly with each wash and this way it ensures that most of the fading will happen to the inside. Once it's done you should hang it up somewhere out of direct sunlight to dry. Usually a washer gets most of the excess water out of clothing so you can often hang up pieces to dry inside.If you have a clothing item that was both very cheap and has no cotton lace on it (dryers make cotton lace shrink, shrivel, and get fuzzy), you can, technically, put it in the dyer, but don't keep it in there until it's toasty and warm, put it in for only about half the time you normally would and then hang it up to finish drying somewhere. I use this for a few pieces that are "throw-away" (I hate that term though!) pieces from Bodyline, pieces that typically only cost me about $15 or a few dresses that I consider house dresses.If you have the time, you should seriously consider hand washing your pieces, it's much more gentle on the fabrics and the trims.

If you plan to hand wash, first remove all the bows and ribbons and flip the piece inside out, just as above, then fill up either a clean sink, bathtub, or bucket (don't spray them down with bleach to clean them before hand! Just wipe it down with some soap and water!) with some cold water and add a little bit of gentle washing detergent. Swish the detergent around to get some bubbles and then add your clothes. Swish them around a bit until they are completely wet and soapy and then gently scrub at any areas you think need to be cleaned, such as the armpits or hems. When you feel like it's clean enough take the pieces out and gently squeeze the water out. Don't wring the clothes! Just squeeze gently and then put them somewhere to drip dry. Remember that a whole lot of water is going to drip off a hand washed piece, no matter how good you think you got the water out, so hang it up in a shower or over a tiled floor with a whole lot of towels under it.

How to make sure you don't ruin your printed pieces.Prints are a very touchy thing to clean. Some prints simply can't get wet! If you own a print, especially a rare and expensive one, check out this list on EGL that is a pretty in depth print list that lets you know how you can wash certain prints and what prints you simply can't get wet. If your print is not on the list, or has conflicting reviews, test a small spot somewhere hidden, such as on the back of a bow or near wear the knots in a waist tie would go. Test it by wetting a small spot and rubbing it a bit, let it dry completely and then checking to see if it bled at all. If the print looks sort of fuzzy and the whites look dimmer, beware! You now are the unlucky owner of a print you can't get wet.So, what now that you know you can't get your dress wet? Well, the first thing you need to do is to avoid the rain! Secondly, you might want to rethink how you wear it, if it's a piece you normally wear all the time, consider only wearing it to special occasions, so it gets dirty less frequently and you have less chance of spilling a whole glass of water on it or getting caught in the rain on your way home from the grocery store. When the time comes to clean it you should stick to very carefully spot cleaning it and airing the piece out.Caring for velvetsFirst of all, you should be careful when you wear velvets, because if you are wearing something that rubs up against it too much you can easily rub the plush right off the velvet so you end up with bald spots! Avoid wearing tight coats over velvet, be careful where you put your elbows if you have a long sleeved velvet piece (I have a velvet jacket from high school that I rubbed the elbows bald from putting them on tables!), be careful about putting your purse over your shoulder, and just generally be aware of what is happening to your velvet pieces.When it comes time to wash your velvet, don't put it in the washer or dryer, because it will more often than not, ruin the nap of the velvet. Instead you should practice very gently spot cleaning it and hanging it up to air out.If you need to get wrinkles out of your velvet, you can't iron it. If you have very slight wrinkles, try hanging it up in a steamy bathroom (this works well for other lightly wrinkled pieces too), usually this is enough to get the wrinkles out. If it is very heavily wrinkled try steaming it, either with a steamer or by setting an iron to steam and holding it above the velvet. Don't press down on the velvet with the iron, as it can ruin the nap of the velvet by pressing it down.Cleaning fake furThere are a number of Lolita pieces that are made with fake fur, ranging from trims to stuffed animal purses, to accessories. If you spill something on fake fur you should stick to gently spot cleaning the area. If the piece is very dirty there are a couple of things you can do, you can either put the piece in a pillowcase, tie the top of the case, and then put it in the washer on gentle and then when it's done in there remove it from the case and hang it to dry somewhere. You can also actually dry clean fake fur pieces with cornmeal, but this technique works best for small pieces such as small stuffed animal purses, as you will need a whole lot of cornmeal to cover larger pieces.To clean fake fur with cornmeal you need to place the item you want to clean in a container with a lid and then cover it in cornmeal, put the lid on and shake it up for a few minutes, then leave it to sit overnight. The shaking will help get the cornmeal in all the crevices and help loosen dirt and the cornmeal should soak up any oil in the fur, pulling grime out with it. When you take the piece out, shake out the extra cornmeal and wipe it off with a dry cloth to get any difficult cornmeal off.Cleaning and repairing marks on shoesShoes can very easily be cleaned a number of ways, depending upon the type and color of the shoe. My favorite method of cleaning shoes is Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, or any other kind of generic erasing sponge. I've heard that this only works on white shoes because it contains bleach, but a bit of googling tells me that there is actually no bleach in these, and I have had it work on a variety of different colored shoes. I guess, just like everything you clean, you should just check somewhere unnoticeable on the shoe before you go gung-ho and start scrubbing all over the shoe.You can also buff out scrubs with a little bit of white toothpaste (the abrasive kind, not the gel kind) on a washcloth. Then use a little bit of shoe polish, mineral oil, or even the inner part of a banana peel to make the shoes shiny all over again.Most Lolita shoes are made out of pleather and are prone to the outer layer of the pleather scraping away on really bad scuffs, leaving the inner, grey material visible. If this happens to you the best thing you can do to fix this is use a little bit of nail polish or permanent marker over the area to make it the same color as the shoe. It's not going to have the same texture or be shiny there any more, but this tends to happen to shoes in only a very small area and it will, at least, cover the marks from far away.If bows or other decoration falls off your shoe, or the heel starts to peel away, pick up some 2 part epoxy or E6000 glue and glue it back on. Super glue or any kind of water based glue like craft glue or Elmers just wont work.Cleaning out deodorant stainsEspecially if you wear dark clothes deodorant stains are often a big problem. This can sometimes be fixed by switching deodorants, but, more often than not, is going to happen no matter what. The best you can do to prevent this is to wear an undershirt with short sleeves under your dresses and to wait for your deodorant to completely dry before putting your clothes on. If you still get white stains on your clothes from deodorant you can try a variety of remedies to fix this, but you're going to have to do a bit of experimenting to see what works best for you, and your clothes. Simply scrubbing at the area before you wash it is usually going to help a whole lot. But if there is still some stain left there is a few things you can do, you can either dampen the area with vinegar and let it sit for a while before washing it again, or you can try rubbing the area with a pantyhose. I have no idea what makes it work, but rubbing the deodorant stained area with pantyhose really does work to help get the stain out!Caring for black clothesKeeping black clothes "new black" is the bane of my existence! I have so many black clothes that I try to keep as black as possible. My routine is typically to wash infrequently, doing the spot clean and air dry thing, and when I do wash, always make sure you use cold water, as hot water will leach the dye right out of the piece! Use a cup of vinegar in your first wash to help lock the dye in (don't worry about it smelling like vinegar! Vinegar is a common home remedy for clothing care and the wash will get the smell out). Also buy some special detergent made for dark clothes to further help keep the dye in.Even following these steps, there will come a time when your black clothes simply aren't as black as you would like any more. When this time comes you might want to reconsider redying them. Black dyes are sometimes tricky, as they are usually a very dark brown, or green, or purple, not actually black, so do a bit of research into what brand is the best brand of dye to use when dying something black. Even if it's a little bit more expensive than the $2.99 dyes, you're going to be using it on a very expensive piece of clothing, and honestly I think it's very much worth it to get a dress to look new again.Keeping whites brightThe first thing you should know about keeping whites bright is don't bleach! You shouldn't actually be bleaching any of your clothes besides possibly gym socks. Bleach will just drastically shorten the life of your clothes and it can eat holes in delicate fabrics even after only using it once. Instead, look for some Oxy Clean or try to find some bluing. Many people swear by soaking clothes for a few hours in Oxy Clean to brighten them up. Bluing is also something that has been used to brighten up white clothes for centuries, what it basically is is a very very slight blue dye that is used to cover yellowing in white clothes, making them look brighter.Those are all the tips I can think of for taking care of Lolita clothes! Nearly all of these are ones that I have been using faithfully ever since I started wearing Lolita, but, as I said before, I can't guarantee that they will all work on everything you need to clean or fix. Try a few things out and figure out what works best for your clothes, your budget, and your schedule. Also, check out this post by The Ugly Duckling on caring for your clothes for a few more tips, as we both had the same idea to write about the same thing around the same time, she just beat me to it!What do you do with your wardrobe? Do you meticulously hand wash everything? Just throw it in the washer? Or send it all to the dry cleaners and let someone else deal with it? Have you ever had any major laundry catastrophes? I actually managed to ruin one of my first printed pieces because I had no idea at the time that some things couldn't be washed! It was an older Metamorphose print, Sweets Collection, that I tossed in the washer and it came out fuzzy and the lace sort of greyish! That had since scared me into very carefully washing all of my Lolita clothes.




2012年10月30日星期二

Building a Complete Lolita Wardrobe


I've been asked several times, over on my formspring, about what I would consider a complete Lolita wardrobe. As many Lolitas will tell you, you pretty much never have a complete Lolita wardrobe any more than you have a complete wardrobe of anything! You're always adding new pieces to any wardrobe as new pieces come out, seasons change, and trends pop in and out of fashion. However, if you're looking to start a Lolita wardrobe, and want the most bang for your buck, it's a good idea to build a wardrobe with completeness in mind. So that way you can get the maximum outfits out of a minimum of pieces.


I think that if you can wear a new, different looking, outfit every day for a week, you've managed to to build yourself a very workable Lolita outfit. I've been asked before what I think kind of items would be in a wardrobe like this, and while I think there are several ways you could compile a wardrobe that would do the job, my ideal way would be:

    1 good petticoat in a color that works with your wardrobe. Unless you like a very minimal poof, I'd advise against tulle petticoats and go for a chiffon, as tulle petticoats tend to deflate very quickly, so you're constantly buying new ones and are often forced to wear multiple ones at once.
    1 piece of "special wear", this means something that might be a little too fancy to wear everyday and is best saved for special meetups or might be a very obvious piece, like a bold print, so it would be best if it wasn't worn too frequently. If you have a limited budget, and can only really afford to spurge on one piece, you might as well make it this piece!
    2 easy to coordinate dresses, JSKs are the best option, due to the fact that they are a little easier to mix and match because you can pair them with different blouses for different looks, and if you plan on wearing something over them, you can wear them without a blouse so you don't have to deal with cramming puffy sleeves under not-so-puffy sleeves.
    2 skirts in 2 different designs. For example, one could be a relatively plain skirt, while the other could have a bustle, a high waist, multi-tiered, etc.
    5 tops of various designs, some of which are cutsews, and one of which is a "statement" top in either a contrasting color or of a fancier design. Having cutsews in your wardrobe is vital if you plan on wearing Lolita on a regular basis, because Lolita blouses tend to be fussy and might not be appropriate for all weather and occasions, and sometimes it's nice to wear something a little more comfortable.
    Headwear that matches each of your skirts or dresses. This doesn't necessarily mean one piece of headwear for each skirt or dress, if you have multiples pieces in one color, you can get away with sharing a headpiece between them.
    2 pieces of outerwear, such as boleros, cardigans, or light jackets.
    1 pair of shoes that matches everything.
    1 purse that matches everything.
    As many different pieces of legwear as you can accumulate. These can be picked up offbrand cheaply, and in the beginning you can get away with one of each type of legwear at first, for example: 1 pair of plain socks, 1 pair of print socks, 1 pair of opaque tights, and 1 pair of crochet or lace tights.
    Lots of different accessories. This is also something that can be picked up offbrand cheaply, or even come from your current accessory supplies, and includes not only jewelery but also wrist cuffs, gloves, collars, corsages, and any other small accessories that can be added to make individual outfits unique. If you're even slightly handy with a needle and thread and a glue gun, you can probably whip up a fair amount of these!

2012年10月28日星期日

Near Complete Lolita Wardrobe Overhaul: Part 1


For the past several months I've had a bad case of a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. A scorching hot summer certainly didn't help this, it was too hot to even think about doing anything other than putting on a sundress and falling asleep in front of the A/C, let alone putting together interesting Lolita coordinates. This, combined with the fact that I rarely get rid of my Lolita clothes, made me think "Same old, same old" whenever I opened my closet. Don't get me wrong, I do love my Lolita wardrobe, I have so many pieces I just love, well, to pieces. But I also have so much that has just become very ho-hum to me. So, what's a Lolita to do? Out with the old, in with the new is the best solution!

First step: What do I want from a wardrobe? What kind of change to I need to see in my current wardrobe?Well, first of all I want something that thrill me and makes me giddy with possibility when I go through it. I want something that has a lot of possibilities and different ways of coordinating. I want something that suits me, and fits me. At the moment my closet is feeling very stagnant because some pieces have simply been in there, unworn, for so long that I feel like I have to sort through so much to find what I like. I also happen to have a lot of things that only match one or two pieces in my wardrobe, and that's just no fun at all. I started adding to my Lolita wardrobe around 6 years ago, a lot can change in 6 years! Honestly, my personal style hasn't really changed a whole lot since I was in middle school and first discovered black clothes (it's simply gotten better!), I feel like my everyday Lolita style has changed a bit and it's simply time for me to refine it, instead of just making do with what I have.

Generally, my Lolita wardrobe is divided into the 3 styles I wear most of all: Gothic, Sweet, and Classic. Currently these sections are a pretty much complete hodgepodge of random things, and that is something that I really think needs to change! Let's talk about each one a little bit more in depth!

 

Gothic Lolita- I really think that this section needs the least work, I just think it needs a little bit of a re-imagining. Currently, when I wear Gothic Lolita it is often a lot of Kuro JSKs with Gothic accessories and styling or a whole lot of h.NAOTO at once. While I love me some Kuro, and Naoto, I have become a bit bored with them an just sort of tired of seeing the same pieces again and again. Instead, I would like to have a Gothic Lolita wardrobe that focuses on elegance and texture. Chiffon, brocade, velvet, embroidery, things like that. I would also like to be able to incorporate more of my regular, "Western" Gothic wardrobe into my Gothic Lolita wardrobe, this isn't something I really need to make a wardrobe change to do, really just something that I need to force myself to do. In regards to inspiration, I want my wardrobe to be more Antique Beast, less h.NAOTO.

Classic Lolita- I would simply like to wear this style more. I currently have a fair amount of Classic Lolita pieces, in a style I particularly like, but I have so few foundation and basic pieces that match that I get very little wear out of it. I'd like to add less main pieces to my Classic Lolita wardrobe and more things like boleros, Classic appropriate shoes, blouses. I don't really have any specific colors in mind, as I think that Classic Lolita doesn't really require a lot of matchy-matchy, but I would like to keep burgundy, cream, black, and a few dusty pastels in mind when shopping for new Classic Lolita pieces. Inspiration wise, I would like less Innocent World does Country Lolita and more Juliette et Justine meets Dolly Kei.

Sweet Lolita- I have so much of this, and it's currently my go-to wardrobe simply because I have so much of it and it's so easy, and I think it's the wardrobe that needs the most work. Right now,  it's definitely all over the place from years of being able to pick up stuff for relatively cheap. My Sweet Lolita is very black-centric and has a lot of pink and black and cutesy prints. Much to the surprise of many Lolitas I'd actually like to get rid of nearly all of my Sweet Lolita prints. Instead, I would like to focus on solid colors and old school inspired pieces, maybe a few Sweet floral prints and a couple tartan pieces. I'd like to limit my colors to mainly black & white and red & white, with a few pink pieces thrown in for variety. I'd also like to get rid of all my Peter Pan collared blouses and instead focus on square necked and high collars. I'd also like to bring in some more screen printed pieces instead of any more prints. Inspiration- more 2004 era Baby, less Metamorphose prints.

Second step: Deciding what stays, and what goes.Quite possibly the most difficult step! Certainly harder then the upcoming tedious and annoying step of cleaning and selling everything. I decided I wanted to narrow my entire wardrobe down to 3 piles: Things I wear frequently and fit the styles I would like to have, things I rarely wear but are special or novelty pieces, and pieces I either haven't worn in a long time or pieces that just aren't what I would like my future wardrobe to look like.

Going into this task I started with a huge pile containing 25 dresses, 31 skirts, and probably between 30 and 40 tops. I managed to whittle this down to 12 skirts, 16 dresses, and 18 tops.

I was happy to see that what I decided to whittle it down to, more or less, fit just what I was looking for. And I was even happier to find that I could actually close my armoire without jamming everything in and then closing the door really fast!
The next step, the step I haven't gotten to yet, is to actually sell off this to-go pile, as well as a few miscellaneous accessories. Whatever I make selling off the to-go pile will go into building my wardrobe back up again. I wear Lolita on a near-daily basis, so it is a little scary cutting my wardrobe in half for a while but I've really needed to do something a bit drastic to my wardrobe like this for a while. Like I mentioned, I've been building up my Lolita wardrobe for a long time now and the thought of having some fresh pieces and fresh possibilities in my wardrobe is a really exciting idea!

2012年10月27日星期六

Lovely dinner with beautiful lolitas at Wild Honey

This week, we have a lovely loli visit us from Sydney Australia. Since she's only going to stay in Singapore for 2 weeks so we decided to have a dinner together tonight
Since it was in such short notice and it happens on week day so there are only six of us were able to attend the dinner. However, I was glad I made it because I had fantastic time with all the lovely ladies.

Today, I was lucky to leave my work early so I rush home to get dressed. Usually I wear loli-ish clothes for my work. so I only need a bit of touch up then I can go.
I decided to wear one of my favorite JSK from BtSSB. The Cinderella Jewelry!!
This is the dress i am wearing the Pink Short Sleeves Pleated Cotton Sweet Lolita Dress today. I like it very much.



My new shopping has arrived recently and one thing I'm really excited about was my new wigs. They are actually particle wigs. Very easy to use and looks very natural when you put them on.

How do you wear them? Very easy. All you have to do is tie two buns on both side of your head and click these two babies on. wallah ~ There you go. You got a perfect Lolita Hair style.

The place for dinner tonight is at a brand new shopping centre on Orchard Road and the place looks nice and cozy. Although my chicken curry salad tasted a bit...errr no comment, but I still had great time.

We talk lot about lolita's stuff. I'm surprised to find out that there are actually four of us collecting lolita dresses.

You might ask, What do you mean by collecting Lolita dresses.
Well, Usually you buy some dresses because you want to wear them. For Lolita collectors, these dresses are like piece of arts. They probably will never wear them, but you just want to own them so you can actually admire the beautiful piece.
For myself, I something buy the same series in different colour and style. Crazy you might think. However there is this one girl we know in Singapore. She actually owns 7 pieces of JSK and OP of MMM IRON GATE!!!
 Now you know where to find the MMM's IRON GATE.

Stephanie, Shu and me are the Adult group. We are all 30++ and two of us are mothers.
I love Stephanie's style very much, She always manage to wear loli to match with her daily clothes very well.
She came just after work so she wasn't really in her lolita dress but she still wearing some essence to her working dress, I always love her gothic style.

we have our last member. Grace. She is in Liz lisa today. Although Liz lisa isn't consider as a lolita brand, but I love the way she coordinates her outfit today.

I wish we could have this kind of girls talk dinner sometimes. Really enjoy it.

2012年10月25日星期四

Afternoon tea meet-up with Lovely Thai lolita- Mint Chan

Today I have a lovely post about my meet up with sweet, lovely Thai lolita- Mint Chan.
Recently, I had short trip to Thailand Bangkok and I had a chance to arrange a meet-up with beautiful Thai lolita-Mint Chan.

I really love Mint's style and I admire is her attitude to lolita fashion. She custom made her bedroom into Angelic Pretty Shop style. Which I really totally admire of, I wish I could live in it. Also she always make sure she has perfect coordination so when she gets her dress, she will think over and over, try to match with every details from head to toe before she puts them on and step out of her door.

This is the attitude that I should learn from, I have to admit that sometimes I got lazy so I put on my dress with anything handy and I even wear them with barely any make up on. (Only with basic foundation, eyeline and lipstick).

Since lolita is a minor fashion so every time when we put on our lolita dress and step outside the door, each of us represent the lolita fashion, and I wouldn't want anyone to misunderstand lolita is a sloppy, funny fashion.

I think she has very similar taste as me. When we talked about what prints we actually owned and like. I found out that we both own exactly same prints. However, even though we have same prints but she always manage to add a bit of "Mint Chan" essence into it. That's her style.




I really looking forward to meet Mint Chan personally. What's more, i have selected the White And Bordeaux Cotton Stand Collar Bandage Sweet Lolita Dress, which i like the best. The afternoon tea took place at  Author's Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

I am so glad that I have a chance to meet and talked about so many lolita stuff with Mint chan. It's a wonderful trip for me.


2012年10月24日星期三

Sweet Lolita [Amaloli]


Sweet Lolita (amaloli) is heavily influenced by Rococo styles as well as Victorian and Edwardian clothing. Focusing on the child and fantasy aspects of Lolita, the Sweet Lolita style adopts the basic Lolita format and uses lighter colors and child fantasy themes in its design.
Makeup used in sweet Lolita is common throughout most Lolita styles. A natural look is emphasized, to help maintain the childlike feel of Lolita. Light pastels and natural colors make up the Lolita makeup color scheme. Look at the Beauteous Pink Cotton Sweet Lolita Dress with White Straps.



Sweet Lolita places its focus on the child-like aspects of the Lolita style. Outfits consist of pastels, gingham or other colorful prints, lace, bows, and ribbons to emphasize the cuteness in the design. Popular themes in the sweet Lolita are references to Alice in Wonderland, fruits, sweets and classic fairy-tales. Jewelry often reflects this fantasy theme. Headdresses and bows are also a popular hair accessory to the sweet Lolita look. Bags and purses are often very cute with princess-like designs, and often in the form strawberries, crowns, hearts, and stuffed animals.

Momoko, a protagonist in the book/film Shimotsuma Monogatari (Kamikaze Girls in the US), is a popular example of sweet Lolita. She idealizes the rococo period and tries to "live" in the Rococo lifestyle through Lolita. She loves the popular Sweet Lolita brand, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. Other Sweet Lolita brands include Manifesteange Metamorphose temps de fille and Angelic Pretty. Emily Temple cute (sister brand of Shirley Temple, a Japanese boutique for little girls), Jane Marple, and MILK are brands that carry more clothing that would be considered more casual, and are available to purchase at department stores in Japan.

2012年10月21日星期日

A Thought For The Day.

I know what it's like to wear Lolita for the first time in public, it can be pretty nerve-wracking. So if you're wearing it for the first time, or if you often find yourself being too worried by what people will say or think of you, keep this in mind:

"I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do. That is character!" - Benjamin Franklin.

I found that quote about a month ago, or maybe more, and posted it to Facebook, and I only realised the significance of it when related to Lolita fashion, or fashion which is out of the ordinary.
I was in town yesterday, and I couldn't count the amount of people who laughed, shouted, or sang a chorus of 'Mary Had A Little Lamb' (out of tune, too).  But, since I started wearing Lolita, which is almost a year and a half ago, I've learned a lot. I've learned that, to wear the fashion, one must have a tough shell. The Cotton Pink Sweet Lolita Blouse And Skirt is my first choice about lolita dress, which make me very comfortable and confident.


You can't decide to wear it, hear an insult, and run home bawling, you have to be prepared for it, and you have to prepare to deal with it, and it's usually best to ignore it. Remember, if you truly love what you're wearing, and if you know it looks nice, then don't let anyone put you off it.

2012年10月20日星期六

Lolita Survival Kits


Many people who pursue the fashion and beauty would like to buy lolita dresses.  The online shopping is their best choice, such as ocrun.com. You will find more fashion and beautiful dress. Look at the Black Long Sleeves Lace Ruffles Double Breasted Cotton Classic Lolita Dress. It is very beautiful.




What's more, lolita survival kit is very important for you.

Just imagine – you've spent hours getting ready, perfecting your outfit and hair and make-up. You arrive at the ball, give your hair a little fluff in a window's reflection, and then, horrified, you see it. Whatever it is, you are mortified- how could you let this happen?! It was a horrible slight of judgment - how could you have forgotten _____?! Don't panic– you have your Lolita Survival Kit!

Level 1 – things to throw in the bottom of your purse before you leave:

    Bobby pins and/or hair things
    Tide-to-go pen
    Lipgloss and mascara (both are make-up secret weapons, the two things that can most refresh your look)

Level 2 – keep in a little pouch, grab it on the way out the door:

    A travel-sized bottle of perfume
    Needle and thread and a few safety pins
    Make-up remover, for smeared mascara or eye liner
    Wisp toothbrush
    Extra cash
    Extra batteries for your camera
    Tweezers

Level 3 – keep in the back seat of your car

    A pair of pajamas for surprise slumber parties
    Toiletries like deodorant and a toothbrush, also for surprise slumber parties
    A change of shoes in case you step in mud or your shoes are somehow inappropriate – a picnic with friends is rained out and your heels aren't appropriate for clomping through the mall instead
    Emergency weather clothes – gloves, hat, and scarf in the winter; tanktop and sandals in the summer
    Extra cash, just in case – mentioned above but it bears repeating! You never know when you'll get lost and encounter a toll bridge
    Rations – some candy, a granola bar – something not likely to spoil, just in case you go to a meet-up to find nothing you can eat. Don't pass out driving home after wards – just nibble your rations!
    A book, in case you need to wait for someone.
    A comfy cutsew dress, in case you spill something on your skirt and need to change
    A cellphone charger, to reduce the risk of being stranded communicationless

Your lolita survival kit will make any situation manageable. Never fear make-up mistakes, follicle follies, or other awful alliterations again. Build your own today!

2012年10月19日星期五

My lolita dress for summer

Hello again my lovelies! Perhaps this is a predicament many of you rufflebutts can relate to, but during summertime it is simply too hot for me to wear much Lolita as the many layers and rather stuffy nature of the clothing make it quite uncomfortable. I have bought one of sweet lolita dress for summer. Just share with you.
Look at the Rose Satin Yarn Sweet Lolita Dress, it's so wonderful that there is no reason for you to refuse this rose satin sweet lolita dress.Fuchsia is so cute that can bring you more people's appreciated eyes.Satin yarn and cotton will give you a feeling of softness and comfort.The more time your wear,the more you will be love it.So,put on it,show you beautify in the cosplay.I’m sure you will be the focus in the public.


However, a couple weeks back, when the weather was rather cool (a little too cool..it began to sprinkle!), I decided to don it just for summer. It was actually my first time wearing this beauty out in public and I can't wait to have the opportunity to do so again!


2012年10月16日星期二

Lolita Challenge Day Nine

1. Smoke- I don't smoke anyway but I won't even stand near smokers when I wear lolita. I would hate for it to damage my clothing!

2. Sports- I don't actively play sports, but if I did I'd definitely wear shorts and a t-shirt (and a cute bow).

3. Eat Something Messy- Most foods are fine but if I was going to eat something with a lot of sauce or something I'd go change real fast.

4. Wear It On An Inappropriate Occasion- Some people say that lolita can be made appropriate for all occasions but I disagree. One word: funeral.

5. Wear A Replica To A Brand Event- If I ever went to a brand tea party I would lose my mind with excitement. I don't have anything against replicas but it's definitely disrespectful to wear them to a brand event, could you imagine if one of the designers were there?

6.  Go To An Airport In Lolita- It's just a bad idea. Security is so crazy in airports now due to terrorism, wearing an alternative fashion just draws unnecessarily suspicion. Plus it would be hard to sit in a little plane seat with a petticoat, I bet the person next to you would not appreciate it.
7. Paint- Or anything crafty that involves glitter, glue or liquid. Sewing and stuff is fine though.

8. Wear It On Halloween- One of my pet peeves is lolita being perceived as a costume, if you wear it on Halloween you are kind of asking for it though. Plus Halloween is for wearing costumes, I'd hate to miss out on the fun! Black And White Long Sleeve Bow Lace Cotton Gothic Lolita Dress for your reference.









9. Frill Out Hardcore On The First Date- If I were going on a first date with someone I didn't know all that well yet I would not wear lolita, rather I would ease them into the fashion gradually. If I wore it right away they might only see the outfit and not my personality. The only way I'd wear it is if I knew the person very well already and they were well aware of my frilly tendencies.

10. Apply For A Job- Even in artsy job interviews you have to dress professionally, I feel like wearing the latest AP print would really hurt your chances with any company.

Bonus: Having said all that I think it's only fair to mention that I have moved all of my boxes and furniture into my new dorm whilst wearing brand. I don't know what I was thinking.

2012年10月15日星期一

Frills and Faxes: Working In Lolita

This week I started my internship and fashion-wise it's a huge change! I'm used to wearing a uniform  or jeans and a nice t-shirt to work but now I am no longer doing a job, this is a career, so the attire is required to be much more professional. To be honest I had a few outfits that looked smart enough to wear for my interview and first day but I quickly realized that my wardrobe was essentially devoid of work appropriate clothing. I find the Black and White Long Sleeves Bandages Cotton Lolita Dress, which is very beautiful dress.


Buying a whole new set of outfits was absolutely out of the question, my budget would totally crash and burn, so I had to devise some ways of combining my lolita closet with some key items to create an appropriate blend for the professional world. I think I did a pretty good job, so far I've managed to get through the week and felt totally within the boundaries of office fashion.


Hopefully this article will help you get ideas on how to incorporate your lolita clothing into a totally professional career outfit and save you money in the process. Remember to use your discretion when putting together an outfit and err on the side of caution. I hope that you feel lovely while you are at work, feeling cute makes you more productive!

2012年10月14日星期日

A beautiful dress for you

Maybe it is very hard to choose a dress to the fatter people.Maybe they have no confidence to find a dreamy dress. Today i find a very beautiful dress from ocrun.com for your reference.


This lolita dress features its ruffles on the either side of the button. Ties form a big bow in back. This price includes the dress and the underskirt. The Pure Black Simple Cotton Sweet Lolita Dress adopts the basic Lolita format and places its focus on the childlike nature aspect of Lolita fashion.

I think it is suitable for the fatter people. The black colour will make your slimer and sexy. I love it very much. what's more, the white shoes is available to this dress.Maybe it will bring you a big surprise to your friends. Have a try and show your beauty to your friends.

2012年10月13日星期六

Weight Loss For Lolita

Being a plus size girl makes getting clothes hard anywhere you go. With most department stores not going above a size 14 if you're lucky, shopping to find items that look good and actually fit you feels like a near impossible task sometimes.The issue feels only exacerbated when lolita clothing is added into the mix. You now have more problems with clothes being available only in one size which fits that average Japanese girl, not the average American one. Now i find one of Classic Lolita Dresses and i love it very much.



Look at the girl who wearing Black Ruffles Cotton Classic Lolita Dress. She is so slim and beautiful. Enter me trying to lose weight for lolita. Despite feeling aggravated and frustrated some days, I've been keeping at the task at a slow and steady rate since early November. My main tool for weight loss so far has been Wii Fit Plus, and I've overall lost ten pounds despite not exercising for about half of December and all of January, so overall I think I'm doing pretty good. Lately, however, I've been stepping up my weight loss methods and looking more critically into what I can do to lose weight better.

The first tool I added to my arsenal was Ubisoft's My Weight Loss Coach. I saw a copy of the DS game in a sales bin at my local bookstore, and I couldn't pass it up considering it was only $4 and included a pedometer. I started my save file a couple of weeks ago, and I feel like I've gotten my money's worth so far. The pedometer turned out not to be that great in terms of quality, and the plastic clasp on it broke after a few days of use. I've since gone back to using a Pokewalker to measure steps given that the thing has never broken on me despite months of use. The game itself has been informative. The coaching sessions and the fact area of the game provide you with little tips and information that has been useful in getting me thinking about little ways I can change my day that will add up to more weight loss. Additionally, the daily challenge section gives you the option of choosing about 6 challenges a day that are influenced by decisions you've made in the coaching session so that they are more tailored for you. Just doing a few of them a day has made me feel better and increased good things such as my vegetable and water consumption. If you have a chance to pick up the game on sale, I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

The other thing I'm trying right now to increase weight loss is Lose It!. The site gives you an easy way to input your weight loss goals, and the site will tell you how many calories per day you can consume to reach your weight loss goal at the pacing you set. The site also features a number of easy look up tools so that you can easily find the amount of calories in many common foods and in foods offered at restaurants. If you don't see a food you want as being already input, you can input the food like I had to do for my strawberry Pocky yesterday. Exercise can also be input, and I was delighted to notice that Wii Fit exercise is already in the program. Overall, I'm liking the experience so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing if I actually garner any weight loss from it.