Last Minute Lolita Gifts

It's almost the New Year, which means it's time for friends and family to gather 'round and give each other things probably. I don't know; my Christmas ritual has been disrupted by all the Chinese restaurants in the area getting overbooked and the movies requiring human contact. Anyway, although it can be sweet of people to attempt relevant gifts for lolitas, trying to look into a fashion you know nothing about in order to give gifts is a challenge at best; my mother, for example, wouldn't know Kuma Kumya if it came up to her and bit her.

Magicalgirlme and Wunderwelt both have gift recommendations, but those require a certain knowledge of the lolita's taste. These recommendations, simply put, just require a vague knowledge of what the lolita has already.

Bibliotheca: (Ignoring) the Future

That's right, it's most of the way through the month and I haven't been hit with the metaphorical paintball gun of inspiration, so it's time for the Bibliotheca theme: the future.

Bibliotheca: Being Grateful

Land Acknowledgement: This blog is written on the traditional lands of the Doeg people, who were exterminated after years of sustained genocidal endeavors by colonizers of European descent.

Scary Post: Am I a Perma-Ita?

Ita, for lolitas, is a word laden with fear, making it perfect for the spooky season! As most lolitas know, ita comes from both the second half of the word lolita and the Japanese exclamation "itai", meaning "ouch"! Accordingly, lolitas use the term ita to describe coordinates so ugly that they find them painful; it's generally expected that a new lolita will have a brief ita phase before they grow into their coordination skills. The idea of being bad at a fashion is a complex topic, so I will probably expand on the idea of ita-ness through more posts.

Several mutations of this term have developed in the English-speaking community, including perma-ita, or permanent ita. As the name implies, a perma-ita begins with an ita phase but never grows out of it. I don't claim to be perfect, despite my comedic self-aggrandizement. But, horror of horrors, am I stuck being an ita? I can't really judge my own bad taste, but I will definitely try.

Bibliotheca: HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!

It's almost Halloween! Halloween is my favorite secular holiday, so I was feral levels of excited to learn that it was the October Bibliotheca theme!

I'm going to keep things light; this post is just a short list of five spooky reasons why Halloween and lolitas are perfect for each other.

My Kuma Kumya Jack-O-Lantern from last year

Bibliotheca: Fall and Deciduousness

This month's Bibliotheca theme is Fall! It can also be autumn, if you prefer. Fall doesn't happen everywhere, but in temperate forested climates (like my area), it's very literal: one by one, all the leaves of certain trees shed, not in death, but just discarded for the season.

Old School For Newbies Panel Links

Here's the links for the resources I mention in my panel for J-Fashion University. When the Old School for Newbies panel goes up on the Bay Area Kei Youtube, I'll link that, too!

Old School for Newbies: Supplemental Reading 3: Size Inclusivity in Old School

Congratulations, students! This is my last post before Bay Area Kei's J-Fashion University, and my panel there on old school. In this reading, I present lists of brands alongside a little bit of explanation about size inclusivity, then and now. For inclusion in these lists, a brand has to regularly produce items with a bust above 98 cm and/or waist above 80 cm. I also included closed brands that might have plus-size options secondhand. This isn't to say that other brands don't carry plus sizes, just that these are a few of the more reliable choices edited from the other posts, with a couple addenda. All lists are numbered and alphabetized for convenience.

Old School for Newbies: Supplemental Reading 2: Buying Old School New

As a follow-up to my post about Chinese indie brands that sell old school lolita, and preceding my panel at J-Fashion University, I decided to create a list of every brand outside of Taobao that I could find that sells old school lolita on a semi-consistent basis. This was not a trivial undertaking, but I hope the results are useful.

I've already laid out my criteria previously. For this post, though, I was a little more stringent-- brands had to sell old school suitable garments semi-consistently, not just as one item among many. This list includes a lot of gothic and classic brands; brands that don't fit into the picturesque old school sweet image, but nonetheless maintain the same look and feel as gothic and classic lolita did around the year 2004. New items in old school style are essential; we can't make more old pieces, but we can keep expanding design accessibility through new pieces!

Old School for Newbies: Core Reading 1: My Old School Criteria

Old school lolita is difficult to pin down stylistically because it isn't a substyle. Age is, of course, the primary factor here: if it was made between 1997 and around 2005, it'll probably look old school. But there's more elements, tangible and intangible, that make a piece old school-able. The materials, construction, accessories, styling, and overall mood of the coordinate all play a key role.

As the presenter for Old School for Newbies at Bay Area Kei's J-Fashion University, I have a duty to share exactly what qualifies as 'old school', at least for my panel's purposes. By no means am I saying I'm a real authority; I've only been wearing lolita for seven years. However, I think developing some clear(ish) guidelines can help people new to old school adopt an eye for the style. Some of this post is adapted from the LiveJournal Lolita Handbook: give it a look if you're unfamiliar or nostalgic.

In other words, I have crowned myself the arbiter of style and taste, and with this post, so can you!

Old School for Newbies: Supplemental Reading 1: Old School on Taobao

Old school is a passion of mine. I'm lucky enough to be hosting a panel on Old School for Newbies at Bay Area Kei's upcoming J-Fashion University, so I decided to compile lists of stores that sell old school-styled lolita clothing and supplies. Since this is a university theme, each post related to my "class" will be framed as a course component.

Old school is difficult to find on Taobao, so I went through more than 300 stores in order to find all of the stores that had at least one piece that looks reasonably old school. I've also included a few sellers of sewing supplies. 

I followed strict criteria for these selections, which can be found in Core Reading 1.

College Dorm Wardrobe Tips

It's August, which means many college students are heading (back) to the dorms. Not-so-coincidentally, Bay Area Kei is running a college-themed event (J-Fashion University) in just a couple weeks.  Although I successfully swam through the disease-ridden creek to graduate from my swamp college two years ago (it was an unofficial graduation requirement), college is still fresh in my memory. Like many lolitas, I really started building my wardrobe and wearing lolita regularly in college. With my plentiful mistakes in mind, I'm now able to offer advice on how to semi-successfully build a wardrobe in the rarefied environment that a campus full of insecure young adults provides. 

Is Buying Bodyline Still Viable?

Since Bodyline began shipping overseas, it's been one of the first resources recommended to newbie lolitas at panels and online. However, as anyone can tell you, Bodyline is inconsistent at best: the quality is variable, the selection is arbitrary, and the design choices are sometimes more than a little questionable. This is complicated by the fact that Bodyline is often touted as a good option for plus size lolitas, despite having a limited selection with inconsistent measurements. Young newbies without financial independence may also feel the lure of Bodyline; it's easier to convince parents to buy from one weird, moderately priced site, rather than several more expensive weird places. Bodyline has lessened its lolita offerings in the recent past as well, to the point where I found myself asking if I could even build a wardrobe with in-stock Bodyline. Even if it's possible, would it be affordable?

Attack of the Noncommittal Colorways

Recently, there has been a personal attack on my taste, my style, and the very fiber of my being. This came in the form of Alice and the Pirates' 2021 wine dress Secret Adventure and the Winery of Happiness ", which has four colorways, none of which are black or wine. Furthermore, each colorway is desaturated and about the same level of brightness, falling into the category of what I am going to call "noncommittal colorways". 

Bibliotheca: J-Fashion as Self-Care

The Bibliotheca theme for August 2021 is self-care, which makes the perfect chance for me to talk about myself. J-fashion wasn't always my priority; in fact, like many lolitas my age, I only learned about it through anime conventions.

Ero and Old School: Forsaken Lolita Taxonomy

Last taxonomy post, I talked about themes, substyles, and lolita taxonomy, specifically with regards to nonsense-term 'bittersweet' and my beloved punk lolita. This post is about ero lolita and old school lolita, what categories they fall into, and how that might effect coordination of each. Like 'bittersweet',old school seems to be a term used primarily by anglophone lolitas. 

Bibliotheca: Polymer Clay Sweets Jewelry

Surprise! I've been accepted as a Bibliotheca blog circle member. Bibliotheca, created by the lovely lolitas at Bay Area Kei, is a way that bloggers can get in touch with readers and create a thriving community with meaningful, informative posts that other platforms just aren't designed for. Please be sure to check out everyone's hard work!

This month's theme is DIY, so I'm going to share some (mostly sweets-themed) polymer clay jewelry I've made recently, as well as my materials and process. First, though, let's dive into the history of sweets jewelry. Just note, a lot of my information is from Japanese Wikipedia, so it may not be perfectly accurate. 

Unemployment and the lolita community

 This is a mostly personal, text-only post, so I'll be putting it under a cut.

The Consolidation of Ouji

Even though I usually wear lolita these days, my first love in jfashion was ouji. Ouji is a vaguely masculine-leaning, often shorts-wearing counterpart to lolita; for more, read Stephano's Ouji Overview. But, as I grow forever older and grumpier, I've become skeptical of the 'ouji' label as an umbrella term. As any ouji can tell you, it's nearly impossible to find ouji stores or get multiple substyles in one place. 

Pride Month: Why is lolita so queer?

 As pride month comes to a close, it's time for a super special ~pride post~. As always, these are my personal thoughts, and not representative of the communities as a whole.

Lolitas are, undoubtedly, extremely gay. But why?

 

Summer ILD 2021: Becoming a Lolita

Today is International Lolita Day, the first Saturday in June, so it's the perfect time for me to write a little autobiography of my life in lolita. I've decided to put it under a cut because it's kind of boring.

Bittersweet and Punk: Forsaken Lolita Taxonomy

Lolita taxonomy is hard. By documenting and verbalizing the styles we love, we preserve them, give ourselves bases from which to experiment, and make them easy to pass on. Even though lolita is an incredibly organized, well documented fashion, there are still major disagreements as to what deserves to be a substyle and what's just a theme. For those unfamiliar with lolita terms, a substyle is one of the major divisions (usually gothic lolita, sweet lolita, and classic lolita, the big three), while a theme is a set of motifs that coordinates can use (sailor lolita, country lolita, and military lolita, to name just a few).

Bittersweet lolita, punk lolita, ero lolita, and old school lolita are all points of contention that seem to never resolve. In this post, I'll discuss bittersweet and punk, and next post, I'll discuss ero and old school. 

Idol Lolita isn't Good

Idol lolita is a hot new lolita trend, especially in China amongst younger lolitas. However, it really hasn't caught on in the English speaking comms. Personally, I don't think it has staying power for three main reasons: purpose, designs, and quality. 

A Short Note on Social Justice

This is a pro-BLM, pro-social justice, antifascist blog run by a nonbinary Jew. Lolita is an alternative fashion. Wearing alternative fashion while vocally supporting white supremacist power structures is a contradiction in terms: people who aren't antifascist while alternative are just cosplaying badly. Police abolition is kawaii as all hell. Donate to the SPLC. Join a union, participate in a strike, give your buddy $20 bucks. If we're not here for each other, what's even the point?

Religious Imagery in Lolita

Warning: this post is very personal, and very Jewish.

I've always wanted to be the type of lolita who wears Moitie, but there's one big reason that I don't: crosses. There are Moitie pieces out there without crosses, but not many, and the iconic Moitie custom laces feature crosses prominently. Additionally, a lot of their other motifs, like coffins, draw from Christian death customs, which I don't relate to.

In Defense of Striped Socks

 

 

Wardrobe Post 2021: A Short Reflection

Other posts in the series

First Post: Main Pieces

Second Post: Outerwear, Blouses and Cutsews

Third Post: Pants, Shorts, and Socks

Fourth Post: Accessories, Bags, and Shoes

Wardrobe Post 2021: Accessories, Bags and Shoes

Other 2021 Wardrobe Posts:

First Post: Main Pieces

Second Post: Outerwear, Blouses and Cutsews

Third Post: Pants, Shorts, and Socks 

Fifth and Last Post: Reflections

The labeling on these is going to be extremely variable. 

AATP-- Alice and the Pirates;AP-- Angelic Pretty; BPN-- Black Peace Now; BTSSB-- Baby the Stars Shine Bright; IW-- Innocent World; MAM-- Maxicimam; Meta-- Metamorphose Temps de Fille. 

Wardrobe Post 2021: Pants, Shorts and Socks

Pants are hard to find names for, again, so I'll stick to brands only unless I'm sure! No tights included; I only have boring once that are hard to photograph.

My abbreviations:
AATP-- Alice and the Pirates;AP-- Angelic Pretty; BPN-- Black Peace Now; BTSSB-- Baby the Stars Shine Bright; IW-- Innocent World; MAM-- Maxicimam; Meta-- Metamorphose Temps de Fille. 

Other posts

First Post: Main Pieces

Second Post: Outerwear and Blouses

Fourth Post: Accessories, Bags, and Shoes 

Fifth/Last Post: Reflections

Wardrobe Post 2021: Outerwear, Blouses, and Cutsews!

First post is right here!

Third post, pants and socks, is here.

Fourth post is everything else: here. 

Fifth/Last post is just some conclusions: here 

I don't know many of the names for these pieces, so I'll just put the brand. Apologies for not ironing everything, but I'm not that level of dedicated; I just iron what I'm wearing the night before.

As a reminder, my abbreviations:
AATP-- Alice and the Pirates;AP-- Angelic Pretty; BPN-- Black Peace Now; BTSSB-- Baby the Stars Shine Bright; IW-- Innocent World; MAM-- Maxicimam; Meta-- Metamorphose Temps de Fille. 

Wardrobe Post 2021: Intro and Main Pieces

After six years in lolita and ouji, I've decided to do my very first wardrobe post. Because I have kind of a larger wardrobe, I'm going to divide it into several posts; this one has pictures of all my skirts and dresses. There won't be pictures of bloomers, petticoats,plain tights, or offbrand stuff that I rarely use for lolita, but there are some brand items that aren't really suitable for the fashion. Items for which the names are unknown will be described in lowercase. I used a blanket as a backdrop for the items I photographed flat; because this is all in my north-facing bedroom, space is tight and lighting is bad.

Abbreviations:
AATP-- Alice and the Pirates;AP-- Angelic Pretty; BPN-- Black Peace Now; BTSSB-- Baby the Stars Shine Bright; IW-- Innocent World; MAM-- Maxicimam; Meta-- Metamorphose Temps de Fille.

Let's get started!

Outerwear and Blouses 

Shorts, Pants, and Socks

Accessories, Bags, and Shoes  

Reflections