In Her Shoes: Flats

I cannot tell a lie. I do not like Lolita shoes (well most). I haven't liked them since I first came to know of the fashion, and though some styles (the famous Tea Party shoe and the original Vivienne Westwood ballerina rocking horse shoes) have grown on me. Most styles still boggle me.
I often find that most Lolita brand shoes are to bulky, to rough looking, the complete polar opposite of the frilly, airy delicate and graceful garments. I've heard that the bulky footwear is meant to stabilize the fashion, to act as a solid base. Honestly I think that's a load of manure and the combination makes for an odd couple.

So what are some alternatives? Let's travel into the land of mainstream fashion particularly.

The Ballet Flat
How much graceful can you get, inspired by the ballet slipper.

Lavender set 1 by dizzylolibliss featuring ballerina flat shoes

Or it's sisters

The Mary Jane Flat

The T-strap flat

To be continued...

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Spring is here and so are spring showers. How's does a Loli to dress during the rainy season?

Here are some ideas...

Classic Lolita

Classic Rainy Lolita by dizzylolibliss featuring wedge boots

Sweet Lolita

Rainy Polka Dots by dizzylolibliss featuring western chief boots

Gothic Lolita

Gothic Storm by dizzylolibliss featuring a black umbrella

Remember to stay warm and to bring your umbrella.

Calling to All Sailor Lolita

Spring has brought a renewed interest of Sailor Lolita to brand fashion, both Meta and AP will release sailor themed items that are too cute to pass up.

Meta's Sailor Line

AP Sailor Line

I have to say that Meta's Sailor Pinafore Dress with Collar is my favorite. I love the vintage feel, it reminds me a little of Baby's Cherry Ribbon OP, which is one of my dream dresses. My favorite line? Well the jury is still out but I will day that I do love AP's mini cancan hat. Meta's line is all clean lines and can be seen on both sweet and classic lolita (changing accessories and hairstyle). AP's is definitely a sweet lolis interpretation of sailor especially with the pastels colorways. Which is your favorite?

Sailor, Pirate Lolita

The next set of Lolita sub-styles are the center of many debates of whether they count as an actual sub-style ( ie sweet, classic, or gothic) or if they are cosplay.

I like to begin with a definition of cosplay or costume play:

A type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often ^[2] drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and Sci-Fi as well as other pop-culture. Favorite sources include manga, anime,tokusatsu, comic books, graphic novels, video games, hentai and fantasy movies. Any entity from the real or virtual world that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Inanimate objects are given anthropomorphic forms and it is not unusual to see genders switched, with women playing male roles and vice versa.

Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centered around role play. A broader use of the term cosplay applies it to any costumed role play in venues apart from the stage, regardless of the cultural context.

From Wikipedia

I like this definition, it is very in-depth. Of course it can be taken to mean that Pirate and Sailor are or are not cosplay. Ultimately it is in the eye of the beholder. For our purpose we will describe these styles as a sub-style of Lolita.

Sailor Lolita:

Sailor Lolita was more popular a few years back and like other sub-styles has fallen out of favor. Of course the name clearly implies what it is, it is lolita infused with the sailor theme.

Popular motifs are anchors, nautical strips, sailor collars and ties, cute sailor style hats. The usual colors are white and navy, white and black, or white and pink but red, white and blue combo can definitely work to achieve this look.

Since this sub-style isn't as popular there aren't many brands that release sailor style lolita. If you are interested in wearing this style be open to searching through off-brand sites like Bodyline and Fanplusfriend, or being vigilant for any brand releases.

Pirate Lolita

Pirate Lolita is rarely seen but it hasn't truly gone by the wayside. Baby's Alice and the Pirates is a brand that caters to this particular style.

Within Pirate Lolita there are sub-styles too.

• Sweet : link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4
• Gothic : link 1, link 2, link 3
• Classic : link 1, link 2, link 3

These separations have much to do with color, and motifs used. Sweet pirate lolita uses pinks and pastels, while gothic might use darker colors like black and purple , etc. Classic would probably dive into browns, maroons.

All use the same motifs with slight modification:

Skulls and cross bones, treasure chest, jewels, pearls, swords, cannons, eye patches, buckles

The use of tricorn hats, big lapels, buckle shoes and boots is prevalent.

Again Baby's Alice and the Pirates is a great place to begin your pirate lolita wardrobe but other brands, off brand and non japanese brands do occasionally release pirate theme items.

So keep an eye out if this is your flavor of Loli.

Wa and Qi Lolita

Among the hardest of the substyles to coordinate Wa and Qi Lolita tiers between what is considered lolita and what is cosplay. The seasoned coordinator might have an easier time establishing these styles into a truly Lolita outfit and not have it be knocked down as cosplay or worse and ita outfit.

I personally like Wa and Qi, dreaming of coordinated that still have yet to manifest.

The element of Japanese or Chinese traditional fashions are mixture with the lolita silhouette.

For Wa Lolita it is common to see yukata or kimono, obis, getta. Kanzashi and other traditional hair adornments are also worn. Meta also makes a kimono fabric jsk which are perfect for the beginner experimenting with Wa Loli.

In Qi Lolita it is usual to see a quipao usually modified to allow the cupcake skirt quintessential to Lolita underneath. Traditional Chinese hair adornments are also used to replace alice bows or the rectangular headdress.

Examples of a well done Wa and Qi lolita coordinate can be found here:

Wa loli 1

Wa loli 2

Qi loli 1

Qi loli 2

Brands that cater to Wa or Qi Lolita:

• Metamorphose temps de fille

Unfortunately Wa and Qi are not as commomn as before and searching in the major lolita brands will be a challenge, but if you look outside to the off brand arena you can find some elegant items.

• Fanplusfriend
• Bodyline

Another note:

Since Wa and Qi Lolita are a mixture of culture and Lolita fashion I would also like to share with you:

Han lolita a style that mixes Korean traditional Hanbok with Lolita, some examples:

• Han loli 1
• Han loli 2

Wryd Loli a style once coordinated by a member of the Livejournal Community, EGL, it s just lovely and fits with the articles theme.

If you want more info on Wa and Qi here are some links that may help:

• Waloli/Qiloli Style
• Wa loli Lolita Fashion

Shiro and Kuro Lolitas

Shiro Lolita and Kuro Lolita were also among the main substyles a few years back and have seemed to go by the wayside as of late, but with the resurgence of old school Lolita, these are two substyles worth mentioning. So what are Shiro and Kuro lolitas exactly? Lets begin in with Shiro-loli, while following all the basic guides of Lolita she prefers to dress in head to toe white, like her the Kuro Lolita prefers to stick to one color black.

Brands that cater to the Shiro and Kuro Lolis:

Items for the Shiro and Kuro substyle can be found in all Lolita brands all the rules of the basic Lolita silhouette apply with the added rule of using a one color color scheme.

Punk Lolita

The Punk Lolita like the Hime Lolita, has fallen out of popularity, but when I started it was one of the main substyles. The Punk Lolita is an ode to interpreting Lolita in any way you like. Mixing lolita with the punk elements: studded bets, plaid, torn up tights, and doc marten or engineer boots; The Punk Lolita is the tough cookie of all the Lolitas. At the forefront of the Punk Lolita is the singer and master punk/lolita mixer, Nana Kitade (pictured above).

Brands that cater to the punk lolita:

• Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Putumayo
• Atelier Boz
• Black Peace Now
• Sex Pot Revenge

Hime Lolita

Looking over a copy of Kera magazine I eyed a Hime Lolita, I looked at her intently since its been a while since I've seen a Hime lolita. I would say that Hime Lolita is the link between Hime Gyaru and Lolita, evidence is in the big hair and the crown motifs present in both styles. Of course I would never suggest that one could interchange items between the two but I wouldn't be surprised if some did managed to pull off  either style with elements of the other.

What to expect of the Hime Lolita:

This Lolita is the princess of the land, she can be seen wearing tiaras or mini crowns. Like the Classic Lolita, which takes its inspiration from the Victorian Era, it is easy to see the Rococo influence in Hime Lolita. I imagine this Loli takes great inspiration from Queen Marie Antoinette.

Brands that Cater to the Hime Lolita:

• Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Mary Magdalene
• Mille Fleurs
• Juliette et Justine

Coordinating Outfits

What makes a style charming? Is it the separate pieces or the creative ways that one brings together said pieces?

Sometimes you can have the perfect items in your wardrobe, put still without the right mixing and matching of these items you will get a blah outfit.

Sure brands release sets everything from headwear to socks are pre-coordinated, but it can be a little too cookie cutter, even for a fashion that isn't in the least cookie cutter.

Coordinating outfits is a skill of the well dressed, a skill that can definitely be learned but it does take lots of trial and error.

Yet getting the experience can be a difficult venture especially if you haven't the money to buy many pieces in a short space of time.

So what's one to do when you're just starting out in a fashion with a small budget.

Go digital!

There are many resources that allow for coordinating practice and today I will share with you my favorites!

Polyvore, is my favorite. It allows the user to take stock pictures of garments and match them. You have the option of adding background borders. There is also a Livejournal community: Lolita Outfits, where you can post Polyvore created outfits for critique from other lolis

Off brand 2 by dizzylolibliss featuring pink tights

Dress up games much like the vintage paper doll, You have garments, usually graphics instead of stock photos, and a cute doll to "pin" them on. Here are some of the most Loli-esque that I could find on the web.

Amp Games Sweet Lolita Dress Up

Queen of Dorks Lolita Dress Up Game

Dress Up Who Hime Gyaro & Sweet Lolita Dress Up

Dress Up Who Lolita Fashion Dress Up

Andorea-Chan Lolita Dress Up

Sweety Game-Sweet Lolita Dress Up Game

Decololita

eLouai's Candybar

Country Lolita

Mori Girl Dress Up

Causal Lolita

Japanese Gothic Lolita Fashion

For other fashions, mainstream et al , I like to head over to Roiworld. Before the site was in Korean and due to getting hit after hit from the western world they signed up with Lifetime and voila the english version of Roiworld was born. Roiworld is not focused on Lolita fashion but it can still help as a practice for coordinating outfits since many mixing and matching tricks can style jump.

Dress up games are definitely a great tool to learn especially when you're starting out or if you have a limited wardrobe.

Overall have fun!

December favorites!

Victorian Maiden

Baby

Mary Magdalene

Prints of Autumn

Salut to all, November has come at last, and where I live it has finally showed signs that it is autumn! In the Lolita world fall has shown its colors through many brand prints and themes.

For fun I just wanted to share some of my favorites.

Baby the Stars Shine Bright:

Alice and the Pirates Tarot Card print

As a tarot reader myself, I love the whole concept. I also love the red colorway a rich hue for the fall season.

Queen's Coach

I love the Rocco/Marie Antoinette feel to this print, I can't choose which colorway is my favorite they are all so lovely!

Angelic Pretty:

Little Bear's Cafe

I love this print in the cream and brown colorways for fall. Teddy bears and sweets just sound comfy to me for the chilly weather.

Age is But a Number

Who said that after a certain age, or in this case before a certain age you are cut off from the wonders of the Lolita world?

I say wear what you want when you want....except in certain situation of course. Not everyone needs to be happy with who you are, and chances are someone or other will have a problem with what you do, no matter how hard you try to please them.

But on to a lighter note.

It is obvious that some Lolita was inspired by children. I will not mention any names...

This is partially the reason that we get stopped on the street by doe eyed little girls, who fawn over us and tell us we're beautiful.

So isn't absolutely adorable when a child is dresses to the nines in Lolita?

Frilly Capricious is a blog about a japanese little girl who dresses up in Lolita, especially Angelic Pretty. Her mother is also a Loli. Both come up with wonderful coords

So to those of you who just love to ahhh that so adorable at the ultra kawaii head on over to her blog, it is just so darling.

Frilly Capricious

Budget Lolita: The GO

You probably already heard of a GO, especially if you are member of EGL LJ comm.

If you haven't or have but have no idea what one is, today's article will try to shed some light on this aspect of Lolita shopping.

A GO, group order, is when a group of say 2 or more people get together and order from a site under one person, the GO host/ess.

Usually a GO is meant to lower the cost of shipping* by getting rid of the expense all together since many online shops offer free shipping for orders above a certain amount (say $350 or more).

Now as a participant it is your responsability to tell the hostess what you would like to purchase, and pay her(or him) ahead of time.

You will also give her your address in order to get your items, and this is why a GO is only meant to lower the price of shipping not eliminate it completely (unless its a GO hosted by your local lolita group). The company will send merchandise to only one address. The hostess is responsible to send it out orders received to all participants of the GO.

It can be a simple and pleasant transaction, but something can go wrong. Here are some helpful tips often overlooked in of the excitement.

• Make sure you trust your hostess, if you can meet her in person, great! but if not check her feedback (check feedback even if you know them in person).
• Make sure that you sent her the money and have physical evidence that you did. Remember to keep track of receipts and email confirmations.
• Make sure she has your info correct: from what it is you want to order, to your address sometimes one letter/number difference is all it takes to not getting what you wanted or lose something in the mail.

If you'd like to participate in a GO try the egl_grouporder_comm : you must be a member to participate. Many of the hosted group orders have their own guidelines so make sure you read before you join. Some hostess charge a fee (usually Paypal fees) in addition to the shipping for doing the work.

I'll be posting another article on hosting a GO so keep your eyes out for that for that.

Baby the Stars Shine Bright

If you haven't yet visited BTSSB site then you in for a big surprise.

Baby has finally changed their site's layout and though some still have some getting use to it, I think it is refreshing especially for the start of the September.

So go on and decide for yourself.

Tutorial Tuesday

Oh my gosh its time again for another tutorial tuesday and this one will focus on skirts, yes a basic for any Lolita's wardrobe.

Today Evange posted to EGL LJ comm her tutorial for box pleats

I made a pleated skirt a while back and wished this tutorial had been available then. I came out great but it would have been much easier had I been guide.

Next up the simple skirt from LOTR, they have names their version the hobbit skirt, but no worries ladies this pattern is loliable: my suggestion adding a ruffle at the hem, perhaps a some cute lace

Another option for a basic lolita skirt: the flared skirt comes in two options: Pour_me_coffee's LJ tutorial and Desany's tutorial on her youtube channel LolitaCupcakeXD.

Don't know how to add a ruffle well there is a good tutorials that can give you some guidance.

RhodyGunn's tutorial, which comes in 2 parts: part 1 and part 2

What about a ruffle skirt? Murphy offers a layered ruffle tutorial that with a little tweaking can

Back ruffle skirts are also big in Lolita... One of the basics especially for those who love bustles.

Kidcaella answers to many wishing to figure out this skirt.

What's a back ruffle skirt without a cute overskirt? Chiaki_Ayumi's tutorial is sure to please!

Enjoy and happy crafting!

Cont. Tutorial Tuesday

I just wanted to add some inspiration for all your dessert crafting

Blogs:

• Milky Ribbon
• Apricot Cafe
• Dolce Deco

Videos:

• Adrine80
• Jisfruit
• Small Passions

Have fun and happy crafting!

Tutorial Tuesday

Bonjour mes amis!

This tuesday I would like to focus on hair accessories and obviously I would like to show a few tutorials on bows.

elizabethzap1 has posted a very helpful video on youtube on how to make cute ribbon bows.

JynDesign's offers a tutorial on making flower corsage hair clips

I've been eyeing Victorian Maiden's and Mary Magdalene's rose corsage hair combs for the longest time but have yet to purchase them for the hefty price tag they tote, so as a true spend thrift I wanted to make them myself and luckily Tian Shi had posted an easy to follow tutorial on the main Lj comm.

Another fun accessory and one I really want to try for this autumn and fall seasons in the mini top hat and the one I found with a few changes (in material)... and a few add ons (rose or ribbons the possibilities are endless) has the perfect shape, comes from Tom Banwell.

finally another great bow tutorial comes from Layer Cake Lie (posted to EGL Lj comm)

This is the first of the hair accessory tutorials I will make another when I find more.

I hope you enjoy and happy crafting!

Tutorial Tuesday

I always have a hard time figuring out what to do with my hair when I decide to get all dolled up in Lolita, I usually revert to a lazy bun(boring and messy!) or my regular straight fringe and two curly buns (a la Princess Leah); which is cute but also boring.

Scouting the internet I came across a Loliable tutorial by Binosusme for the Classical Lolita, it has a very Victorian Maiden, Mary Magdalene vibe to it. It is simple yet elegant and could even go with out a hair accessory.

For the cute Sweet Loli Bubzbeauty's tutorial offers 4 easy and quick hairstyles that incorporated a cute hair clip.

Forthe Gothic Lolita (and the others to) Loepsie teaches us to make no heat curls, for the classic EGL look.

Hope you find these useful. Have fun and happy styling!

Victorian Maiden Cape

I want a fall and winter cloak a la Victorian Maiden... Perhaps I can make one myself.

With fine velvet and a soft satiny inning..

Melty Chocolate Release Colors