Starting Small

Since this is the first post to my new blog, I'm going to be talking about how to start out your Lolita wardrobe.

But first, food for thought.

When I started I cheated, I'll admit it. I didn't research and look over every brand piece and then save and save and save until I had -just- enough money to squeeze my dream dress into my budget. I took my GLB to my seamstress and showed her a picture and handed her five yards of fabric I got on clearance at JoAnn's. But by doing this, I discovered that I could wear my dress every week if I wanted to and then just toss it in the washer. No harm, no foul.

Sure, Lolita is about being pretty and feeling beautiful, but if you have to dry clean your dress before you wear it and keep it in a plastic covering to keep even one piece of pet hair from getting on it, is the style 'fun' anymore? Seems like work to me.

So I started making all of my cloths out of simple cotton and eyelet lace. Don't get me wrong, I love getting all gussied up and looking my Loli best, but when I'm just running out to the store for milk and eggs, or going to the mall, I'm not going to put on my Metamorphose Dress and fear being spontaneous and accepting an invitation to go to the park or out to walk around down town. I mean, god forbid anything happen to my Brand, right?

Instead I have everyday skirts and Walmart shirts with eyelet around the bottom hem for cuteness. I love the freedom the casualness of non-brand. I never hesitate to hold a melty ice cream cone or go paint pottery and hey! I look great while doing it ^_~*

Ok. On to my wardrobe tips.

If you're just starting out, make sure your first piece is something you can wear and coordinate with at least two other items in your closet, whether the items are strictly Lolita or not. You're spending a lot of money on your Lolita cloths, make sure you can enjoy them. There is no point in having something if it just sits in your closet and does nothing but look beautiful, but sad.

Skirts are good starter pieces. They can be matched up with five dollar T's or nice long sleeved shirts, ruffles not required.

Blouses are another good starter piece. Just like any other shirt, your brand blouse can be paired with jeans and a nice headband. Throw a simple black vest over it to give your starter piece a whole new feel. From sweet to classic in one move ^_^

If you'd rather start smaller, you can never go wrong with a headdress or a pair of socks. They usually run any wear from fifteen to thirty dollars, depending on the wear if you're getting them used, and always brighten an outfit when worn.

I'm going to end my first post with this. Fashion should be fun -and- functional.