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. 

Demolish the Verbal Monolith

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

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: Dreaming of Dresses, Praying for Pieces

It's a new year, it's Bibliotheca Time, and the bosses at the Content Factory (where I have been imprisoned for skipping a month of blogging) have given me the admirable task of writing about Wishin' and Dreamin'. And for what do lolitas wish, and of what do they dream, if not Wishlist Items and their Dream Dress?

Bibliotheca: Cherry Blossoms

 Bibliotheca's month of florals is almost over, and I am personally 100% on board with this theme for April. Although I try to keep my posts relatable to people outside of my geographical area, I've lived my entire life (except for undergrad) in the D.C. metro area, and so April + florals = cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms shape the local culture and provide a D.C.-Japan connection, so I'm excited to explore this topic.

Bibliotheca: Headwear pt. 2: Who needs it?

For the second half of my Bibliotheca headwear themed posts this month, I'm trotting out an even hotter take than usual. 

I love headdresses, hats mini and huge, stupid little clips and cakes and bows that make people look like the most conspicuous shoplifter in Clair's. But with all that affection for headwear, I still don't think headwear is required. 

Bibliotheca: Headwear pt. 1: Mini Hats, Proportions, and a Defense of Camp

It's headwear time at Bibliotheca, and that means it's time for me to cart out the hottest of opinions. 

I am a serial mini-hat apologist. This will never change, because I am unashamed of my tackiness. But there's so much more behind the strength of my commitment to kitsch. 

If I Started Again. . .

One of the more common prompts for lolita bloggers and video creators is starting over: what would you do if you magically lost your whole wardrobe and had to start again? After 8+ years in lolita (and how did that number get so high anyhow?), I think I'm past due to answer this question. 

My answer is complicated by my gender, the current economic situation, and the proliferation of indie brands with variable sizing. In simple terms, if I were starting my lolita wardrobe from scratch today, I probably wouldn't wear lolita at all. 

Guide: Mercari JP and Fril/Rakuma for Beginners

This post is inspired by being done with grad school and a request from a pal on a certain discord server.
Today, I'd like to talk about my favorite inexpensive resources for secondhand brand: Mercari.jp and Fril/Rakuma. These are both direct secondhand sales options for buying from other people (instead of whole companies like Wunderwelt). However, they are only available in Japanese and require a shopping service, so they can be a little intimidating to new lolitas. Once you get the hang of them, Rakuma and Mercari are great additions to your lolita shopping roster!

Bibliotheca: Booting it Up

Bibliotheca's theme for May, apropos of nearly nothing, is shoes. Shoes are a must for any public place. However, unlike with fully shirred dresses and stretchy socks, even lolita brands recognize that with shoes, one size cannot fit most. Additionally, shoes have nearly no size alteration capacity and require additional adjustment with insoles and orthotics for various foot issues. Because of these factors, even seasoned lolitas might not rely solely on brand for shoes. Keeping in mind that it's the same shoddy plastic, brand name shoes seem like less of an investment and more of a waste.

Bibliotheca: Growth and Moving Past Anonymity

This post, once again, is brought to you by Bibliotheca, aka the only thing that gets me to write when I'm under the weather. It's been a rough month in tourism and in my life, so I'm glad to have an excuse to write! This month's theme is growth, so it's a perfect chance to tackle a sensitive topic: /cgl/ on 4chan and why I (and most lolitas I know) outgrew it and the illusion of anonymity it offered. 

Bibliotheca: March(ing) Music Madness

It's the time of month when I actually blog, that is, Bibliotheca time! This month's theme is March Madness, and to celebrate, several bloggers are doing polls to create a tournament for their favorite lolita items. My theme is Marching Madness, as in marching bands, because I love music. The winner was Angelic Pretty's Fancy Melody JSK.

Bibliotheca: Getting Romantic

I lobbied semi-viciously for this month's Bibliotheca topic of romance, with this post already drafted in the grimiest crevices of my mind. The word "Romantic" means many things to many people: obviously, love is the foremost thought in mid-February, but Romance languages might have their place as well. However, as a recovering musician, Romantic brings to mind the excesses of 19th century European and Anglo-American art music. 

(In Lieu Of A) Wardrobe Post 2022: New Items From 2021

It's the most wonderful time of the year: January, when all the lolitas (and Bibliotheca writers)reenact a LiveJournal theme and post our updated wardrobes. I, however, am a grade-A lazybones, and I have a burning lack of desire to put forth my abysmal photography skills once again, so here's an update comprised of listing images from the items I bought this year, arranged by item type. Most of them have dubious or nonexistent release dates and official names, so I simply won't bother listing a year. 

(In Lieu Of A) Wardrobe Post 2022: Celebrating Items I No Longer Own

Happy 2022! Time is only as real as you make it, so I'm making this my first foray into the wild world of posting in 2022. For this year, I can't be bothered to do a full wardrobe post, so it's going to be a series of short updates. This is somewhat in keeping of the traditional theme of wardrobe posts.

I sold a few of my main pieces last year, finally! I keep them memorialized in a desktop folder called "Gone But Not Forgotten". Without further ado, here are the important pieces I no longer own (and why). 

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