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. 

(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.

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?

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