Important Foundation Pieces In A Lolita Wardrobe

Undergarments are a very important part of a Lolita's wardrobe, as they literally form the foundations for the whole wardrobe and each individual outfit. I've made a number of different posts about how to build various types of wardrobes, but I've often neglected talking about what sort of undergarments wardrobes might have. Lolita wardrobes usually need more than just a petticoat when it comes to undergarments! Keep in mind that basic good fitting, neutral colored, bras and underwear should be included as well! But hopefully those are things everyone has anyways.

Camisoles and Undershirts

Camisoles are an important part of a Lolita's underwear drawer because they're handy for wearing under chiffon blouses that you might want to pair with a skirt, or for layering under blouses that are only slightly too sheer. While cute and lacy camisoles are perfect to have, you might want to consider adding a couple very plain, breathable, undershirts as well to this collection, for when you simply need an opaque layer under your clothes. While frills and bows may be tempting for this layer, try to avoid any unnecessary decorations that might show through in an obvious way under a blouse.

A well-rounded Lolita wardrobe is going to at least 1 camisole in a matching color for every sheer or semi-sheer blouses you might have, as well as a couple plainer undershirt in at least a neutral color close to your skintone and whatever base colors your wardrobe has (black, white, or offwhite generally). Generally,  you're going to want to have enough camisoles and undershirts to be able to wear a fresh one every time you wear Lolita.

Corsets or Shapewear

Corsets are not exactly a vital item that every Lolita must have, but they're definitely something you might want to consider if you wear Lolita on a regular basis, especially a more Classic or Gothic style. Corsets are a good item for slimming down the extra bulk all the layers of Lolita might add to your silhouette, making sure you can fit into that last half an inch of a particular skirt, and for layering over coordinates for an extra luxurious look. One of the first entries I ever wrote on this blog was about how great I think corsets are in a Lolita wardrobe and features some advice (that is still relevant!) for any Lolita looking to add one to their wardrobe. You can check that post out here!

A Lolita wardrobe could easily benefit from having two different corsets, a plain one you can wear under clothes, and a fancier one you can layer on top of your clothes. If you're not really looking to spend a lot on a corset, but are still interested in smoothing out your silhouette, there are a lot of shapewear out there, that even has the added benefit of looking cute and lacy, that you can pick up for a relatively cheap price.

Socks and Tights

Does anyone get more excited to receive socks as a gift than a Lolita? While socks and tights are such a major feature of the Lolita fashion that it's hard to designate them to the underwear drawer (myself, like many Lolitas, actually have a whole drawer dedicated to just socks and tights!) I feel as if I should cover them in this post anyways. First of all, any Lolita is probably going to have an assortment of knee highs and over-the-knees and tights that they like to match with their favorite dresses, and this is fantastic, seriously, you should have as many of those as you can get your hands on, but what about the less exciting legwear? As easy as it is to overlook, you should probably have a good amount of "boring" legwear to go with your Lolita wardrobe, and honestly, most of you are probably going to have these things as part of your non-Lolita wardrobe, but they make a very useful crossover into your Lolita wardrobe as well.

One of the more important types of boring sock a Lolita can add to their closet is a few very basic pairs of  low-cut or "invisible" socks. Ideally, you should have a few pairs of these in whatever base color your socks are! They're perfect for wearing over your more expensive Lolita socks to help keep them from getting dingy or from getting holes worn in them. If you're wearing a shoe that doesn't allow you to hide an extra sock, you can always wear them under your fancy Lolita socks for some added cushioning and protection against wearing holes in them.

Plain colored opaque tights, particular in either black, white, or cream, are also a great basic addition to a Lolita's underwear drawer. Besides making an easy addition to pretty much any coordinate, they're also useful for layering under something like lace tights or sheer tights in the cooler months.

Petticoats

A petticoat is often considered the most important part of a Lolita's underwear drawer, and it's undeniable that they're a very important part of the Lolita aesthetic. Depending on your own Lolita style, different types of petticoats might be more suited for your wardrobe. If you tend to wear styles that have a lot of poof then a mega-fluffy chiffon petticoat might be your best bet, if you have a lot of tea length skirts an appropriately long petticoat would be required, etc.

Generally the most well-rounded Lolita wardrobe is going to have a number of different petticoats to choose from, or to layer as needed. If you're just starting a Lolita wardrobe a puffier petticoat and a more toned down petticoat, both in neutral colors that compliment your wardrobe, are good additions to your wardrobe. If you're curious what sort of minimal hassle petticoat I would suggest, check out this post!

Bloomers

Bloomers are sometimes considered a non-necessity for a Lolita wardrobe, but personally I think they're a very important part of a Lolita wardrobe. Their most important purpose is to prevent any up-skirt flashes that are all-too common when you're wearing a relatively short and poofy skirt. In addition to preserving your modesty, bloomers also provide warmth in the winter and an extra bit of cuteness and lace to outfit year-round.

A full Lolita wardrobe is going to have enough pairs of bloomers to wear every time you wear Lolita. Ideally they should be in a color that compliments your outfit, but as they're generally not meant to be seen (although they do end up showing most of the time anyways!) you can get away with pretty much any neutral colored pair of bloomers. Bloomers are relatively easy to make yourself if you need to add a significant number to your wardrobe, check out the tutorial section to find some bloomer how-tos!

In a pinch, or in hot weather, shorts in a breathable material are a good substitute.

Underskirts

An underskirt in the perfect length is another item, like the corset, that's not exactly necessary but is a good idea anyways. An underskirt's main thing is to add is a few extra inches to any skirt that might be slightly too short. They also can help even out any lumps and bumps in a petticoat or provide a solid base under a thin and slightly-sheer skirt so your petticoat's color doesn't show through.

Ideally a Lolita wardrobe should have a couple underskirts in complimentary or neutral colors so they don't look out of place peeking out under skirts.

These are the types of clothes that I consider to be foundation pieces in any well developed Lolita wardrobe, things that you can literally build great Lolita coordinates upon! Of course though, everyone wears Lolita in their own unique way and some people might have different types of foundation garments in their wardrobe. What sort of things do you consider necessary Lolita undergarments? What sort of pieces would you consider optional and which would you consider the most important?

Lolita Blog Carnival: Tips for Surviving the Summer in Lolita

I'm finally participating in another Lolita Blog Carnival! This week is all about summer, with the topic "Tips for surviving the summer in Lolita". I decided to write less of a tips post, and more of a summer Lolita essentials list. Over on Tumblr, this image of the "Goth Summer Survival Guide" has been circling around and I absolutely love the idea of a cute little graphic of summer essentials, so I did something of my own version for Lolita.

My last post about summer wardrobes was more of a trend prediction and some wistful summer window shopping, this post is all about the basics that can be translated into pretty much any Lolita style!

• Parasol- A parasol is a pretty good addition to any summer Lolita wardrobe because it's like a portable patch of shade! Consider a UV blocking parasol, or at least an opaque one and avoid lace parasols, as they are more pretty decoration that useful at blocking the sun.
• Cutsews- Cutsews are perfect for summer wear! They're usually much less stuffy than blouses and the jersey knit is better at keeping you cool.
• Cute hair ties- For those that don't want to suffer through the summer in a wig! Plan on wearing your hair simply and naturally and spice it up a little with a few cute hair ties. Personally, I think pig tails or braids are the perfect lazy-day summer hair style!
  
• Summer themed accessories- Whatever theme you feel is the most summer, add a little bit of it to your wardrobe with some themed accessories! Whether summer reminds you of sun-ripened strawberries, roses in bloom, or something more nautical themed.
• Hats- A hat with a brim is going to further help keep the sun off your face!
• Short socks- As a Lolita who's been around for a while, I've sort of been waiting years for short socks to be popular in Lolita again, because a summer spent in long socks and tights is a summer spent hot and sweaty.
• Secret shorts- Skip the bloomers! No one will know if you're wearing a casual pair of lounge shorts under your dress! It's always tempting just to nix the bloomers completely in the summer, because they're just so awful in hot weather, even the shortest pair (It's the elastic, I swear! There's nothing I want less in hot weather than wearing elasticized clothes), but to keep it modest, switch to shorts instead.

What sort of changes do you make in your wardrobe during the summer? Are you one of those Lolitas who is content to melt away in full, and fabulous, Lolita? Or do you have to make changes to how you wear Lolita in the hottest months?

Check out these other posts in the LBC on the same topic!

♤ Imaprincess ♤ Lace a la Mode ♤ Lolita in the Sky With Diamonds ♤ Ramble Rori ♤ A Sweet Lolita's Disney Life ♤ Jess Cosmic Delight ♤ Jewelry Box of Starry-eyed Lolita ♤

Dreaming of a Summer 2013 Lolita Wardrobe

Just like that, here in Connecticut, it's summer. Last week it was 40 degrees and today it's 79*! With the exception of about 3 days scattered through the last 2 weeks, we really don't see a whole lot of spring around these parts, there are still snow piles in parking lots that haven't had time to melt! Planning a spring wardrobe around here, where you maybe plan on pairing some paler colors with a nice cardigan to fight off the chill, is pretty much a pipe dream for me, and now, all of the sudden, it's time to think about what sort of wardrobe I want to wear this summer. So let's take a peek at the sort of wardrobe I'm dreaming of this summer!

The theme for this summer is a sort of lazy decadence with a touch of old school. It's a little bit Metamorphose and a little bit Juliette et Justine inspired, and probably a whole lot of rule breaking and style blending. It's not so much Rococo as previous seasons have been but rather more Romantic. 

Top row, left to right: Surface Spell, R Series, Elpress L, Classical Puppets, Baby the Stars Shine Bright (x2), Angelic Pretty, Ebay, Bodyline (x2)

Middle row, left to right: Classical Puppets, Offbrand, Bodyline, Moi Meme Moitie, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Atelier Pierrot, Haenuli, Metamorphose, Surface Spell, R Series

Bottom row, left to right, offbrand, Antique Beast, Metamorphose, Putumayo, Surface Spell, Akane & Alois, Surface Spell, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Antique Beast, Bodyline.

I've been really inspired lately by a lot of empire waisted, and even no-waisted A-line dresses that don't really require a ton of poof. This more carefree and less structured style of Lolita, that is frequently explored by the more "eccentric" Lolita brands, is really perfect for days that are just too damned hot to really feel like going the whole 9 yards, but you still want to feel like a princess. Hey, princesses can be lazy too.

As I mentioned a couple summers ago, I still am totally loving the idea of OPs in the summer, and would like to fancy them up a bit with some breezy chiffon, elegant accessories, and opulent prints this year. I feel like that definitely reflects the current year's crazy decadent styles, but is also evened out a bit by some simplier antique styled pieces. This past year as seen a huge increase in the popularity of smaller indie brands, and many times the current release that everyone is talking about is not so much one of the big brands as it is a small indie lolita brand! This has been absolutely fantastic and such a refreshing thing to see in the world of Lolita, and this summer wardrobe reflects that a bit with some of my favorite indie brand pieces. Good bye deco pastel cake bunnies and 3-pettis-at-once, and hello gold framed cats printed on chiffon and lacy underskirts!

Finishing Touches

An outfit is really made something special with a few finishing touches, and in the heat of summer, where you can't really keep adding layers of clothes to your coordinate, accessories and finishing touches really help make the look feel complete. So what sort of finishing touches will I be frantically hunting down for summer 2013?

Hats

There's currently a huge chiffon and organza trend that's been popping up within Lolita and other girly Jfashions, and Angelic Pretty recently released a very popular chiffon bonnet to go with an extremely popular print. The soft girly shades and antique styling of a bonnet like this would be perfect with a floaty pastel dress. A bonnet like this can look extremely childish, but with a loose wavy hairstyle, the bow tied behind the neck or to one side, and paired with a less poofy dress I think a bonnet like this can look more antique and less kawaii.

Boater hats are so 2010, we might as well toss them out in the garbage with all our fawn-fur accessories (Just kidding! Haven't I ever mentioned how trends in Lolita tend to stick around forever?), this summer I'd like to try a straw bowler hat instead! It has the same retro charm that made boater hats so popular, but it's something a little bit different, and a little less frequently seen. It's perfect for the Classic Lolita and even the Sweet Lolita who likes a little bit of Classic in their wardrobe. The boring black band can easily be replaced with a complimenting ribbon and tied in a cute bow, and further decorated with a faux flower or even a cute brooch.

For the more Gothically inclined section of my imaginary summer wardrobe, I'd like to pair my coordinates with a large black sun hat. Not a floppy straw hat (Hate them! They always remind me of 1970's pool parties, which is maybe the exact opposite of the look I'm going for), but a black straw hat with a nice wide brim that stays up. These are a bit of a pain to find online, because they tend to be of the trendier floppy variety, but black wide brimmed sun hats are something of an old lady garden party staple and can usually be found at places like Sears for about $25. I have a hat like this that I tied a big tulle bow onto and then managed to lose for a couple years that I hope to get the chance to wear this summer! Just like any hat, these can be dressed up with some ribbon and faux flowers to easily match any coordinate and be as casual or as extravagant as you need them to be! 

Jewelry

Rose bracelet on Etsy. Alice in Wonderland pocket watch necklace on Etsy.

With such elegant looking outfits, I feel like jewelry can be kept to a minimum, or at least, significantly less than a lot of post-deco trends. A long pendant necklace and a bracelet for bare arms are perfect summer accessories. Too much jewelry just means more gross places to get sweaty anyways.

Hair and Makeup

Can we make this summer the season we finally hang up our rainbow split wigs for good? There was a time when they were new that I found them novel, but after the millionth time of seeing them haphazardly coordinated with every possible Lolita dress in existence, I sort of never want to see one again. As Lolitas, we might still be pretty far away from giving up wigs (they're just so easy!), but it's pretty nice to see us slowly headed towards more natural looking wigs. I've been loving this trend in the past year or so of these frizzy "Mori Girl" wigs that basically look like you slept in several braids and you can get a pretty good au naturel hair style like this by doing just that!

From Bodyline

It would be fantastic to see makeup go the way of the wig this summer and look a big more natural than what has been popular for so long. I'd love to see less Gyaru inspired full face makeup in Lolita, and more softly made up faces. A little bit of a call to the antique doll inspired makeup of the angelic Old School Lolita. After all, I don't think anyone likes sweating under all that makeup.

Etude House nail polish.

Nail polish is a pretty great way to add some sparkle and color to a coordinate, without having to pack on the extra jewelry. I'm sure everyone with an internet connection in recent months has seen these gorgeous ice cream styled Etude House nail polishes! Luckily for everyone who can't get their hands on Korean nail polish, these are currently a pretty popular nail polish trend and can be found under a few different names, ranging from creamy glitter, jelly glittery, or chelly glitter. These creamy pastel polishes with a bit of a sparkle to them are great finishing touches to a dreamy pastel coordinate, even if it's not saccharine sweet.

The Count nail polish on Etsy.

If your wardrobe is more black-based, check out this absolutely gorgeous black polish from Literary Lacquers! It's a little something different from basic black and is a glittery shimmery black jelly polish. I just got this in the mail a few days ago and I can't wait to give it a whirl!

If you're prone to switching up your style on a frequent basis and can't really commit to either pastels or darker colors for more than a few days, try some fake nails! I recently got a pair of gorgeous fake nails for review from Bonita Bon Bon that I hope to get a full review of up sometime next week!

What sort of direction do you want your Lolita wardrobe to go this summer? Does the summer heat reflect how you wear Lolita, or do you just suffer for the fashion?

*I wrote this last week! It's since been back to 40 degrees or so. Thanks, New England!

Ask Miss Caro-chan: Short Socks?

Over on my Formspring I was not-so-recently asked a little question about shorter sock-lenghs:

Hi Caro-chan ^^ I'm a newbie lolita from Hong Kong. I am wondering if it's ok for sweet lolitas to wear "short socks" (above your ankles, but way below your knees). Is it a must for sweet lolitas to wear overknees and high socks? ^^

It's definitely OK to have other options for sock length! Sock length popularity in Lolita has sort of been all over the place, way back when it was sort of anything-goes when it came to sock lengths, and then it sort of leveled out to a rather strict "knee highs, opaque tights, and over-the-knees only!" idea for a number of years, before finally returning a bit to a sense of anything-goes. That incredibly enlightening history of Lolita sock lengths aside, short socks have definitely been making a comeback in Lolita! Especially now that hotter weather is here, they're a really great way to still have some sort of leg decoration going on without the stuffiness of wearing socks or tights.

 Some crew-length socks, including a pair of the currently very popular sheer socks.

Shorter socks tend to come in two different lengths: crew (which I believe our anonymous was describing) and ankle. Crew socks hitting somewhere around the mid-calf area, while ankle socks hitting, you guessed it, at just around the ankle.

 Some ankle-length socks, in case you forgot where your ankles were located.

I'm sure you have noticed that the above socks are particularly Sweet Lolita, as that tends to be the style that works very well with this style of sock. However, it can also work well with a Classic or Country Lolita coordinate, as well as being perfectly suitable for those who are more inclined towards Otome, Dolly Kei, Mori, or even Cult Party Kei. Check out the following pictures for some inspiration, which I picked from some of the more recent volumes of Gothic & Lolita Bible and Kera. Click the picture to make them larger!

Short socks with super cute Sweet Lolita, a match made in heaven! They can make a girly frilly coordinate look even girlier and frillier!

Short socks with the not-so-extreme Sweet Lolita. Yes, you can wear them casually! I feel that they add a bit of an Otome feel to outfits sometimes.

 Short socks with some coordinates that lean towards Classic Lolita. They add a bit of girlish elegance to the more Classic Lolita inclined coordinates.

Shorter socks might not be for everyone, unfortunately, as cute as they are, if you have thicker calves, they can make your legs look stocky, because the ruffles that are almost always on them tend to hide the shape of your ankles. Many Lolitas also find them a bit too childish for their tastes, and some seem to think, because of that, they're just not supposed to be worn in the fashion, despite the overwhelming amount of ads and street snaps featuring them!

If you're on the lookout for a cute pair of shorter socks to wear with Lolita this summer, you can often find them in regular clothing stores, particularly in the kid's section! As they are something of a staple of traditional little girl's fashion. If you want your sock-shopping to be done in secret (because, let's face it, it's a little weird to go lurking around the kid's sock isle sometimes) sock dreams has several pairs on their site. I actually used to have this pair, until I lost them, that looked especially cute worn with a pair of Victorian styled short boots! It made it look like the boots had a pretty lace ruffle around the top of them!

The Versatility of Lace Tights

One of my all-time favorite accessories, something I always feel like I can never have enough of in my wardrobe, is lace tights. I probably have over a dozen of them in a few different colors, I really just can't get enough of them! And they can also be found really cheaply in mainstream shops. Being able to change up an outfit completely and add a little something extra to it for $4? Yes please! Any excuse not to find two matching socks? Oh, Hell yes.

Mana, proving sometimes socks over tights is perfectly okay!

When I first got into Lolita one of my big Lolita inspirations was Mana, who is quite famous for wearing lace tights under thigh-high socks. At the time, I was finding it near impossible to find even knee highs in mainstream shops but I was finding a ton of lace tights, so I figured, if Mana does it... I can too! (of course, I now know that this is not always, or even mostly, the case!). So, ever since those early days have I had a fondness for lace tights paired with Lolita, and I've tried to work them in with as many outfits as possible. I think that they can really change up an outfit as simply as slipping them on. A plain Gothic Lolita outfit becomes infinitely more elegant, relatively simple Kuro Lolita gets a hint of Gothic, they give Sweet Lolita a princess-like touch, and they turn the notch up on Classic Lolita coordinates.

To me, this is my ideal Gothic Lolita- A Victorian styled black dress, heels, a few Gothic accessories, and lace. Personally, I am a fan of mixing several different lace pieces in one outfit, in this one it has lace tights, gloves, and a purse with a lace overlay. They might all be separate lace patterns, but, with the exception of the tights, they're such small pieces it doesn't look too overly cluttered. On the other hand, I find that an outfit where all the lace is matched looks much too matchy-matchy. I definitely prefer the sort of rag-tag elegance of many different kinds of lace!

Knee socks and over-the-knees are usually the trademark of a Sweet Lolita outfit, so I find that taking a very traditionally Sweet Lolita outfit and adding lace tights instantly changes its tune. It somehow manages to be even more girly, but a little more grown up, and almost Hime. While I think this works best with more toned down Sweet Lolita, I think that if you found a pair of lace tights in a pale pastel color (pale pink is not too hard to find!) and layered them over a different pale pastel colored pair of opaque tights you could really make an interesting Fairy Kei inspired Sweet Lolita outfit.

Lace tights are swiftly becoming the legwear to wear with Classic Lolita, and I'm perfectly fine with that! Lace tights in Classic Lolita instantly add texture and opulence to a style that is often considered the most toned down of the Lolita styles. Cream, tan, and even black can easily be worn with a Classic Lolita coordinate. In Classic Lolita I absolutely love them paired up with Victorian styled boots, I think they practically define Classic Lolita this way!

One of the things I love about lace tights is the variety they come in. You can find tights with delicate little flowers scattered throughout, you can find them with huge ornate paisley designs, and you can find gorgeous vertical stripes made with lace! You can wear them alone, you can layer them over opaque tights, or you can wear them under over-the-knee socks. They're breezy enough to wear in warm weather, and paired with another pair of tights or socks they can easily be warm enough for cold weather. And best of all, you're never going to end up with a drawer full of half a pair of lace tights, or constantly have to adjust them into staying up.

What are your favorite ways to wear lace tights? Or perhaps, do you hate the look of even sort-of bare legs in Lolita? I guess this is understandable, since lace tights sometimes lend an air of eroticism to a Lolita coordinate, which I know is not everyone's cup of tea. Myself I love to wear them on days where I feel like dressing up fancily but don't actually feel like doing much else besides slipping on a black skirt and an h.NAOTO cutsew.

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. That's half of my wardrobe!

This is my to-go pile!

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!

20 More Things Every Lolita Should Have

I'm still getting back into the swing of things after a pretty busy month, I guess my announcement about being back from my break from blogging was a bit premature! I hope to get back to a more regular schedule sometime this upcoming week. I hope I haven't left some of you wondering where I was!

Back in February I made a list based on another blogger's post of 30 things every Lolita should have. I thought 30 should be plenty, but ever since I wrote the list I have been wanting to expand it, just a little bit. So with this post I'll be adding 20 more things to my list, to round it up to a nice even 50 things every Lolita should have. It sounds like it might be a whole lot of stuff, but really, lot of it is quite easy, and just like the first list, is probably stuff you already have but never realized it was a necessary part of your Lolita life before!

1. A headband with a subtle corsage or side bow, something you can easily slip on your head without much hairstyling or worrying about.. Suggested by Seitou.
2. A cute purse that works well in and out of Lolita, because constantly switching purses is annoying. Suggested by Seitou.
3. At least one pair of elegant lace tights, this is great for making Gothic Lolita more elegant, making Sweet Lolita look a bit more princessy, or just making Classic Lolita a bit more fancy! Suggested by Seitou.
4. A couple pairs of solid colored knee or over-the-knee socks. They're easy to coordinate with just about anything, cheaper than brand or even knockoff printed socks, and much easier to just toss out and get a new pair when you wear them out!
5. A beauty routine. It doesn't have to be circle-lens-and-fake-eyelash full-face makeup routine, but it's a good idea to have some sort of routine, even if it just involves your favorite moisturizer and a little bit of mascara and some lip gloss.
   
6. A versatile shade of nail polish that matches your style, so you can easily give yourself a quick and cute manicure.
   
7. Some lace print nail decals or stickers, for when a simple coat of nail polish isn't going to cut it, but you don't have the time or patience to go all out with fake nails. Sephora carries Hello Kitty lace decals for a reasonable price, but you can pick up lace printed nail decals just about anywhere.
   
8. A Lolita friend! Either online or in real life, it's always nice to have someone to share the frills with. If your friends aren't really into wearing the style themselves, at the very least hopefully you have a friend who is supportive of your frills and who will let you ramble to them about brands and new releases and give you support and suggestions on coordinates.
9. A couple pairs of bloomers. They're great for warming up in the winter, looking cute peeking out from hems, or making sure you avoid flashing people! They're also easy to make!
10. One quick and tasty recipe that is sure to please everyone the next time you go to a pot-luck picnic meetup. If you don't exactly know your way around a kitchen, then switch this to a good local deli or bakery!
    
11. A "Lolita" perfume or scent. Whether it's a special perfume in a fancy bottle who's scent goes well with your style that you only save for special Lolita occasions, or a whole arsenal of different scents that you wear with different styles or to different places. I tend to like to wear sweet candy scents with Sweet Lolita, dark and musky scents with Gothic, and flowery scents with Classic.
    
12. A relatively simple, solid colored skirt, in the perfect length, that works well with most of your wardrobe. This is a great addition to a Lolita wardrobe because you can do so much with it! Besides just wearing it on it's own, you can use it as an underskirt to add a couple inches to too-short skirts, wear it with an open dress or skirt that's meant to have a separate bustle, or you can wear it under a regular Lolita skirt and gather the top skirt to create a bustle effect.
13. A favorite easy hairstyle that looks great with most any style you wear and you have perfected doing in about 10 minutes. Something you can do on days with minimal time to get ready but still look polished.
14. A cute Lolita themed set of stationery or notebook, so you have something cute to write on!
15. A folder filled with cute and inspiring Lolita pictures, or even an inspiration journal or sketch book.
    
16. A favorite "secret" place to shop. Maybe it's a cute store in the mall or a local vintage store, but knowing about some place to pick up unique and cute Lolita accessories or even pieces you can mix in with your wardrobe is something every Lolita should try to find!
17. A lint roller! Especially if you have pets and are fond of dark colored velvet, but even otherwise, it's a good idea to invest a couple dollars in a lint roller.
18. A good, trustworthy, seamstress. Either a Lolita with sewing skills or a local tailor, it's always good to know of a seamstress just in case you need something altered, or made from scratch.
19. Knowledge of how to make an LJ-cut. A lot of Lolita business is done through Live Journal, and knowing how to make an LJ-cut can really save your hide!
    
20. Confidence! It's so obvious that I completely forgot it in my last list! Suggested by Julie Doll.

I hope this didn't add a ton more things to some of your Lolita to-do lists! But, just like the first list I made, I do think that a fair amount of the things that every Lolita should have are very basic things that most people have anyways (nail polish, lint rollers, the ability to learn an lj-cut) but just used in creative ways with the fashion!

Do you think that these 20, plus the original list of 30 is enough for any Lolita? What do you find most vital in your daily Lolita life?

Why I Hope to Add More OPs to My Wardrobe This Spring & Summer

Ah, the long break from blogging is over! Not that it was anything at all like a break for me, as I have mentioned it was spent in a tizzy of sewing, crafting, and all sorts of slaving around the clock to create stuff at the last minute for my table at Anime Boston. I am happy to say that I had a blast and it was all worth it! I met a ton of new people and got to catch up with some familiar faces.

Well, this isn't an OP, but this is how the nice spring weather is making me feel!

As the days are getting warmer (or really, I'm just anticipating warmer days, there have still been some chilly ones sneaking in) I have been dreaming a bit of OPs, or, for those of you who don't know the abbreviations too well, one-pieces, or the Lolita name for dresses with sleeves. It might seem counter productive to think of looking forward to wearing sleeves in the heat of summer, but these don't have to be long, fussy, hot-and-sweaty sleeves, I'm in love with the little puffy elastic almost-cap sleeves that many Lolita dresses have. I am beginning to think they are the perfect summer wear! No need for extra layers like a blouse or a cardigan or a bolero to cover up bare shoulders, just slip it on over your head and add a petticoat and, tada! instant Lolitafication.

But, not all Lolita OPs are the perfect slip-it-over-your-head-and-be-on-with-your-day wear, many OPs out there are probably going to be just as hot, if not hotter, than wearing a JSK with a blouse, or a skirt and a cutsew. Consider these tips before buying the perfect warm weather OP.

• Keep the sleeves short and easy to move in. Fully elastic sleeves are a godsend if they fit you right. They're comfortable to wear and don't feel as stuffy and hot as sleeves with cuffs can. Angelic Pretty is the brand that probably has the biggest selection of dresses with this style of sleeve.
  
• Look for a lower neckline. When keeping the sleeves short and easy, you might as well keep the neckline that way too! Avoid a high and often stuffy collar and stick for a lower neckline. A lot of dresses that have the fully elastic sleeves also feature an elastic neckline, making a dress really easy to slip into and move around in.
  
• Try lightweight, natural fabrics. A light and breathable cotton is the perfect fabric for summer! If you are looking for something super casual and comfy to wear in the heat, Baby the Stars Shine Bright often makes dresses out of their cutsew material, which is just a fancy word for a nicer weight t-shirt jersey knit.
  
• Avoid a ton of heavy weight ruffles, scallops, tiers, shirring, or other heavy decoration. These kind of things will just weigh the dress down and add unnecessary layers, which is what we are trying to avoid in the first place! You can still have a lot of details in a dress without adding on yards and yards of extra fabric; lace, prints, and even just textured fabric can be a good way to keep a dress interesting without the extra weight and layers.

Keeping a few of these tips in mind, I created a few, rather simple coordinates with OPs that I think are suited for summer wear. Again, these are very simple coordinates, no accessory over load or lots of extra stuff to carry around, the point being that it's going to get hot out and on warm days I think you shouldn't have to bother with all the bells and whistles that sometimes go along with Lolita. I feel that now that the weather is nicer, I want to just be able to slip of a pretty dress, put something cute in my hair, and grab a purse and go out and enjoy the nice weather.

This Classic coordinate is so simple and sort of borders a bit on the Country Lolita side of things. A Metamorphose dress with an ornate print and a very simple cut combined with a big straw hat and some lacy gloves and tights and brown accessories give this a little bit of a Victorian appeal.

While this Moi-même-Moitié dress might not be as light and breathable as other dresses, as it's made out of polyester, a low neckline and short elastic sleeves make it bearable, accessories are kept to a minimal few pieces of jewelry. A parasol might be advised if the weather gets too hot!

I love this chiffon dress from Metamorphose! It's so light and fluffy looking! I love the fact that it's also such an intense blue, as you usually see these chiffon pieces in pale colors or blacks. I've coordinated it very simply, with white accessories, to keep the focus of the outfit the gorgeous blue of the dress.

Some tips on coordinating with an OP

For years I was sort of uninterested in the OP, I thought there wasn't much coordinating possibility to it, but what I didn't know that it's charm was in it's ease and simplicity. I've learned to experiment and coordinate with accessories and styling, rather than adding more clothes to a coordinate. Try to make the dress the focus of the coordinate, not a color combo or a style fusion. Add some interesting jewelery in matching or complimentary colors. Style your hair and makeup to either match your OP or to try to sway it a little bit in another style's direction. Or, just enjoy being able to slip on a pretty dress and let the dress do it's thing.

What are your favorite ways to wear OPs? Do you love to dress them up with accessories, or do you only really wear already extravagant OPs? Or perhaps you're one of those who finds them too limiting and would rather stick to the JSK or a skirt combo?