Tip# 1: Shoes
I've always wanted brand shoes but with my shoe size its a little hard. So whats the next best thing? Offbrand shoes! It's not too hard to find shoes that go with your Lolita outfit. When I look for Lolitable shoes, the first things I look for are Mary Jane style shoes. If I can't find good Mary Janes, the next think I look for are rounded toes that are covered It doesn't have to have a strap or anything. As long as there is a slight heal its good for me (I love heals ❤) Flats are good too, especially for a more casual Lolita look. Oxfords are something else I look for, especially for a more classic look. For a more Gothic look I usually stick with platforms and ankle boots. They are my favorite honestly ❤
 |
| 1,900yen shoes! |
A few good places to look are Payless, Ross, Forever21, and Charlotte Russe. These stores are good especially if you are looking for shoes on a budget.
Tip #2: Blouses and Cardigans
Blouses ❤ One of my favorite things! I love shopping for tops (though I have a hard time finding these....). I've always wanted brand tops but I have such a hard time finding some because of my bust size (35C/D Ugh...). So when I started to buy more Lolita clothes, I had to improvise on blouses. Personally, I love offbrand blouses. They are not only cheap, but sometimes you can find some really great finds! When I look for a new Lolita blouse or cardi, there are a few things I look for:
1) Collar
I really love Peter Pan collars. I think they are really cute. They go good with almost any Lolita style. The one thing I don't care for is high collars. I personally cannot wear them (I don't know why...) but I think they are lovely ❤ High collars look good with almost any style but I think they look the best with classic and Gothic coordinates. For cardigans, I like no collar. I have seen some cardigans with collars and I just don't care for them all too much. So for cardigans, no collar please ^^;
2) Material
I personally love chiffon blouses for my Lolita outfits. Since Lolita can get a little hot when you wear it out (at least for me) a chiffon material is great. It's breezy and its light. It is also great for when you layer it with a JSKs or even an OPs. Another material I like is cotton. Its not too thick but not thin either. It is great for normal weather or even cooler temperatures. Its great for layering with JSKs and OPs and its the perfect blouse to wear with skirts! I'm really self conscious when it comes to my body so I prefer wearing cotton tops with my skirts versus chiffon tops. As for cardigans, I look for a blend in the material like cotton with wool or cotton, wool and polyester mix. I do not like straight up wool. It makes my skin itch (even though they look great (;A;) ). It is just something with my skin... It doesn't like the material I guess =/
3) Decorations and Style
I am really picky when it comes to this. I don't like blouses that are over embellished with lace and ribbon. I like a more toned down blouse (even for my more OTT outfits). So when I look for a blouse I tend to look for something more plain and subdue. I like blouses with a little bit of lace and ribbon. If there are other things on it (like pearls or other decorations) I like to keep it minimal. As for style, I look for a more vintage look for my blouses regardless of what style of Lolita. I just love vintage. As for cardigans, I really just like plain ones. Though once in awhile I will go out of my norm and buy something with a bit of lace and ribbon. I just really like plain cardigans. They don't pull away from the overall coordinate but it still adds that nice accent to it to pull the whole coordinate together.
4) Color
I am a stickler with color. I love everything matching. I personally love white, ivory, and black blouses. Though lately I am loving pastel colors as well such as pink and light blue. I think color has a been impact on what kind of style you are looking for. For a more classical/Gothic look, I stick with the basic colors of black, ivory and white. For sweet I use white or (now) pastel color blouses.
With that said, some places I look for blouses are Old Navy, Forever21, Charolette Russe, Ross, and a local store called Jeans Warehouse/Local Fever. A good friend of mine said one place thats good to find blouses (shoes as well) is second hand shops such as Good Will and Salvation Army.
 |
| Forever21 blouse for $22 |
JSK: DoL Fantastic Dolly
Blouse: Forever21
 |
| Blouse from a Second hand shop! |
JSK: Atelier Pierrot
Blouse: Second hand
Tip #3: Bags
Brand bags are expensive, Lolita or not. I own my fair share of expensive bags (Juicy Couture, Dooney & Burke, etc) but hey not everyone can afford it. I sure as heck can't afford it all the time. So what do I do? I look for more reasonable bags. When looking for a bag that would look great Lolita, I try to stick to more plain bags in terms of color. I stick mainly with black, white, and brown bags. If I am going for a more sweet look I try to use more white bags versus my black one. It really depends on what style I am shopping for. As for overall bag style, I like something small big enough to hold my normal items (small makeup bag, phone, wallet, psp....). I don't like super huge bags... It seems a bit distracting in my opinion.
 |
| 1,900yen bag from Harajuku! |
Some great places to find good Lolita bags are Forever21, Ross, and Second hand shops. I find a lot of my name brand bags from second hand shops for a steal! Recently, I bought leather Coach bag for only $20 and it was pretty much brand new. I remember seeing it in the store for over $400! Second hand shops are your friend regardless of style ❤
Tip #4: Socks/Tights
Oh man socks.... Where to start! You can find great Lolita socks pretty much anywhere! I go to Wal-Mart, Target, Forever21, and Ross. You can find a variety of styles at all those places and for a good price! If you want more lace or want lace on your socks period, it is an easy fix. There are a bunch of tutorials online you can find that teaches you how to embellish socks to make them more frilly. Same with tights. You can go to those places to find different type of tights to match what style you are going for. I personally don't use tights (daikon legs ugh....) but I have seen my Lolita friends use them and I think they look great! You can use different patterns for different styles and the combinations for that are endless!
 |
| 3 pairs of socks for 1,000yen! |
Tip #5: Accessories
This is the easiest I think to incorporate into a Lolita wardrobe. You can find Lolitable accessories at almost any store. You just gotta hunt for it. I usually look at Forever21, Claires/Icings, and craft fairs. Homemade is great too. Thats what I normally do for bracelets. I even incorporate my everyday jewelry into my Lolita outfits!
What I look for in accessories depends on what I am shopping for that day. For sweet jewelry I look for something that is 'fun' looking. So things that are pastel in color, ribbons, and/or food inspired depending on the print. For more classical accessories I look for floral items or more vintage looking pieces. Same for Gothic. I usually wear my gold cross necklace with some other gold jewelry to accent my necklace.Vintage pieces are great for Gothic and classical coordinates in my opinion. Makes the coordinate look more refined.
 |
| Handmade Chocomint inspired hair clip! |
Overall, I think adding Lolitable items to ones wardrobe is actually not too hard. You just have to know what you are looking for.
I think the best tip I have to offer is that you should look for what you feel is Lolitable. If you don't know, look at some ideas online. That is what I do! Another great tip is to look for deals. A good friend of mine goes to Good Will often and spends hours in there. She always comes out with great stuff for not only everyday wear but Lolita as well. If you are a Lolita on a budget, I suggest going to Second hand shops. They are great! You find some fantastic deals there. Also Forever21 is a great store. The prices are decent and the styles are good too. Half the time the stuff is misplaced (at least where I live) but if you just search around, you are bound to find something great! Even places like Ross are fantastic too! I also try to look for Lolitable items that I can use for everyday use. Don't get me wrong I try to wear my Lolita as much as I can, but for everyday purposes it is a little hard for me. So when I shop for Lolita items I try to find things that I can incorporate into my everyday wardrobe. That way I can use it for casual Lolita coordinates and my normal Lolita coordinates as well. I admit I am a tightwad when it comes to money so I try my best to be thrifty when it comes to shopping. If I can use an item for multiple things its a great deal in my book. Many of my offbrand pieces I use for my everyday wardrobe and my Lolita wardrobe. Its a great balance in my opinion.
Whew! Sorry this was so long. I kind of got carried away... But to end my entry, here are some example coordinates I managed to pull out of my closet!
 |
| Honey Cake #1 |
Skirt, socks, headbow, ring, and bag: Angelic Pretty
Blouse: Metamorphose
Cardigan: Offbrand
Star broach/clip: Chocomint
Bracelet: Handmade
Shoes: Offbrand
 |
| Honey Cake #2! |
Skirt and ring: Angelic Pretty
Hat: Forever21
Broach/Hair clip: Chocomint
Shoes, bag, and socks: Offbrand
 |
| Ala Carte Tea Time Salopette #1! |
Salopette, headbow, barrette, bow ring, and socks: Angelic Pretty
Blouse: Old Navy
Ice cream rings: Q-pot
Earings and necklace: Handmade
Shoes: Bodyline
Bag: Offbrand
 | |
| A la Carte Tea Time Salopette #2! |
Salopette, headbow, barrette, and bow ring: Angelic Pretty
Blouse: Old Navy
Ice cream rings: Q-pot
Earings and necklace: Handmade
Bag, socks, and shoes: Offbrand
That was VERY informative & I just LOVE ur coordinates, especially with Honey Cake ^^ I also hope one day I can go to Japan & find awesome items like those shoes & bag ;D
ReplyDelete