Is handmade worth it?

Recently (by which I mean a couple months ago), I finished sewing a dress and headdress set that I'd started sometime in autumn last year. Sewing makes me ask plenty of questions, including: why was I born? What cruel force of fate would make my bobbin thread run out like that? Why does my machine sound like the shopping mall version of industrial music? Where the hell did I put that pattern piece? 

The most important question, of course, is the simplest one of all: is sewing my own lolita clothing even worth it? (Spoiler: it depends). In documenting my sewing project, I'd like to take you along on my personal decision making process to see if sewing is the right choice at all. 

Lolita Rules Alignment Quiz

The lolita rules are a perpetually lurking bogeyman. Newbie lolitas are, to this day, told to beware breaking the rules, or face the fatal consequence of being called ita. 

whenever we discuss the rules, I think of Fairly OddParents

 The first version of the rules that I remember comes from the Livejournal Lolita Handbook, which is surprisingly still there. Note that, in 2006, the Handbook specifically states:

" This journal is meant as a way to ease beginners into the fashion and provide resources to more experienced lolitas - it is by no means a rule book. Take only what you want from this and use it to help you develop your own personal style."

The later Lolita Fashion Wiki Beginner's Guide doesn't even use the term rules, instead using the terms "hints" and "guidelines". Most recently, Lovelylaceandlies has compiled a wonderfully updated version of the rules, which includes the constant refrain: the rules are helpful, but they're not legally binding. 

Bibliotheca: Baggage

Here's my first theme post for Bibliotheca since my extended absence. 

I'm not too keen on the theme of baggage, really-- I like being playful and creative with my interpretations, and the allegorical meaning of baggage is far from cheery. I also don't vacation much: my trip to The Great Lace was the furthest from home I'd been in ages. But I'm no coward, so here's a post about what to carry. Since I don't travel much, I'll focus on everyday items. 

Return of the Fool

 Hello! 

Reports of my demise have been slightly exaggerated. I've just been in a bad place (the Washington DC metropolitan area) and not in a great mental space to post. 

Anyway, here's a recap of major stuff I missed writing about.  

Demolish the Verbal Monolith

I'd like to briefly rehash an old argument about terminology and Chinese brands here. 

Bibliotheca: Farewells

This is my last post of 2024, so it only seems right to make it about farewells. Once again, this is a Bibliotheca theme post. This time, I'm going to extend it past fashion topics and into the realm that got me into this mess to begin with: conventions. 

Away from the Influence

This post precipitated out of the current litigation over whether mainstream influencers with near-identical content have defensible intellectual property rights to the stylistic aspects of their work and personal image. Influencers seem to have a role in so many fashion ecosystems, yet the lolita community doesn't really support this niche. 

Bibliotheca: (Laundry) Soup

This is the first of two Bibliotheca theme posts I'm doing for this rotation: I recommended both themes, so I feel duty-bound to speak on both farewells and soup. I'm a big soup person: I love calling coffee and other such concoctions soup. 

I recommended soup with the intention of discussing the most important lolita soup of all: laundry. Wash your damn clothes. 

Oldschool is a Substyle Now

And I'm mad about it.

In 2021, I wrote about how old school isn't a substyle and I stand by that. However, I think that oldschool (which I'm spelling all one word for contrast) has morphed into its own subculture within the style.

Lolita Skills

The past couple of weeks have been rough. As a trans person in the thick of U.S. politics, I haven't felt this concerned about domestic policy and its immediate ramifications for my friends and family in a long while. Fashion is a solace in this trying time-- moreover, it has given us all important skills for the future. 

Halloween: Foolishness and Fashion

I'm here for a surprisingly timely post to celebrate my favorite season: Halloween. Today, I'd like to share a little about why Halloween is the most lolita holiday. 

Bibliotheca: Mirror

It's Bibliotheca time! Between High Holy Days and various October occurrences, I've been forgetting to blog; that's on me, and I'm now going to budget time for it just like how I budget time for appeasing the Duolingo owl's endless hunger. 

For the post of mirrors, I'm reflecting on lolita's role as what I'm calling a "documentary fashion". I'm not sure whether or where I've heard this term before, but if the (chunky-soled, bow-festooned) shoe fits, we might as well strap in.