Why Photoshoots Have Been so Important in Lolita Fashion

The end results of lolita photoshoots are everywhere from catalogs and Japanese mooks, to social media and private mobile phone galleries. Closet of Frills gets a dozen new outfit posts every day, and there are over 665,000 #lolitafashion posts on Instagram at the time of writing this.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a lolita who doesn't take any photos of their coordinates in any capacity, even so much as to cherish them privately on their phone or keep track of their wardrobe collection on their personal computer. Every lolita meetup, from grandiose afternoon tea parties to smaller casual picnics, has at least an unofficial time when attendees take photos of their outfits and selfies with their friends.

And if you dig deeper, if you pause and really look at what's going on in your local community and maybe in your own behavior, you'll probably observe that lolitas really like photoshoots. Not to say everyone jumps at the chance to be a supermodel for half an hour, especially since I personally know several lolitas who are very private people and are pretty camera shy. But as a whole, photoshoots have been a big thing in lolita fashion for a long time.

Why is that? I have a few theories...

Lolita fashion is a visually artistic hobby

Unlike hobbies that appealing to other senses - such as baking, gardening, or playing an instrument - fashion is something that is intended to be seen.

Some people see their pieces as part of a collection, others see it as just another section in their wardrobe, but no matter how personally you define lolita it is an art form to put together an outfit. That's why we call outfits "coordinates", right? We coordinate different clothing pieces together into something that matches, melds, and looks visually beautiful. Lolita fashion is more intentional than throwing on an outfit of t-shirt and jeans that doesn't really spark any kind of creativity.

One of my best friends said once how she always takes time to get a bunch of photos of her coords, even though she doesn't post them all on Instagram. She sees her coordinates as art, as something ephemerally beautiful that she wants to be able to look back and remember.

Photo Credit to Brian Tokuyoshi

We want to share with others what we love

Building on the idea that creating a lolita coordinate is artistic, I believe photoshoots are a way to document your masterpiece to be able to share it with others.

Do you remember when you were a kid and you did arts and crafts in school? You came home and ran to your parents to show them your creation with a giant grin on your face. (Or something like that.) When we create something we're proud of. we want to share it with the world to get validation, praise, recognition, and all the other responses that send happy chemical signals to our brains.

Having a photoshoot enables us to show off. We had an grand vision in our heads about looking like a space princess, a fairy queen, or whatever creative idea that sparked your outfit. Maybe we spent hours hand-crafting an accessory or prop (or want to showcase an indie designer who did the same). Photoshoots let us showcase those details that mean a lot to us and that express who we are.

Not to mention some people aspire to be a lolita model, and having a photoshoot - even in the park with a "friendtographer" - lets you feel that!

We live in an age of "likes"

Not only do many lolitas dream of modeling for a big brand like Angelic Pretty or Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, but they want to be e-famous. I don't judge people who want internet fame (unless that notoriety is because someone intentionally stirrs drama and hurts people along their way) because we live in an age of external validation from the internet.

I majored in Global Studies in university, and it is definitely not an isolated trend to obsess over social media followings and "likes." Our culture and our young generations are caught up in the psychological trap of needing strangers on the internet to fawn over them or else they don't feel good about themselves.

This is where having lolita photoshoots comes in - to take better quality and more aesthetically pleasing photos that might get more "likes" on Instagram. Photos with bad lighting, blurry and grainy focus, bland posing, and background clutter (calling myself out here on my own newbie-lolita messy bedroom mirror shots...) just aren't as popular on social media.

I am in no way saying that everyone who takes part in lolita photoshoots do it for fame, but it is a very probable motivation for some.

It's how we discovered lolita

In the end, I think we like taking dozens of photos of our outfits because that's just how this fashion has been. From the early street snaps of mysterious Japanese girls who we all admired and wished we could dress like, outfit photos and fantastical photoshoots have been a tradition in our fashion subculture.

To loosely quote an old Deer Stalkers video: we do it because we like it, we do it because we can!

Photo Credit Ira Tilak

Thank you for reading my thought garbage, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject!

Also, please check out the other participants in this week's theme.

Other blogs who participated:
Cupcake Kamisama

The Bloody Tea Party
Roli's Rambling

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Difficult Things To Deal With In Lolita Fashion

Coming up with something to write about for this week's Lolita Blog Carnival theme was super easy. Hopefully this will jump-start my creative juices so I can finally finish a few original topics I have sitting in my drafts box... That's actually one of the things I'll be talking about that is difficult to deal with in lolita fashion!

Never Having Enough Storage Space

This is probably the bane of any lolita's existence unless they magically have a whole room or walk-in-closet solely dedicated to storing these clothes.

Even though my new apartment is a two-bedroom where one is dedicated to being our office/hobby space (translation: his school things and military gear & my lolita), somehow there just isn't enough storage space. He has the whole closet for his stuff that needs to be in a stable spot, and the booksheleves take up most of the wall space I could've used to put some kind of thing to store all the bits and bobs that come with all the frilly dresses.

Dresses, shoes, and blouses are not the hard part (yet!) with some rolling racks and an adjustable closet rod, but finding an effective place to store headbows and random parts to main pieces is always a challenge!

I did write a post on creative storage solutions, which helps, but simply having more space is always better!

Bank Account is Allergic to New Releases

Am I the only one who finds that I have spending money when there's nothing out I want, but I'm broke as soon as wishlist items and new releases I love pop up? It's one of the most aggravating things about lolita fashion (and shopping in general).

For example, I received a decent amount of birthday money this year from family who wanted to help me out with buying necessary items for my new place, but almost all of it was swallowed up by the inconvenient timing of my Bride of Death invoice from my shopping service and paying rent. I usually slide by fine financially through timing my paychecks and expected expenses, but it's like Mana-sama has it out for me some times. Most embarrassing behavior!

Trying to Find Good Lighting

If you don't care about taking photos of your coordinates and sharing them online, then you might nto be able to relate to this one. But I hate when I love an outfit I put together and can't find a spot to take an outfit shot that has good lighting and an ~aesthetic~ background.

My desire to get a good picture occasionally makes the outing feel like a chore, especially if I'm out with my boyfriend and not one of my lolita friends who understands what I'm doing. There's nothing like harsh sun shadows or grainy, dim lighting to ruin a photo of something I want to share on my Instagram. Believe it or not, I keep a folder on my phone of all my coordinate shots so I can look through what I've worn over the years and how my photo-taking skills have improved. Would you be interested in seeing this?

This test shot for a potential "photo wall" is ironically the only one without harsh shadows from my lightbox...

Feeling Like a Zoo Animal

I wish I was the kind of person who didn't feel like it was a waste to get dolled up and just stay home - then it wouldn't be such an emotional hassle going out and trying not to think about the stares and questions from strangers. These GIFs explain the experience perfectly!

The world does not revolve around me and what I'm wearing, but when random people do stare and take photos with or without permission, I feel like a zoo animal. It is definitely one of the difficult things to deal with in lolita fashion. There are groups out there dedicated to lolitas taking pictures of people taking pictures of lolitas. A mouthful I know!

Discomfort in the Name of Fashion

My style has evolved to be much more comfortable than I used to dress. False eyelashes, too-small tights, heels without padding, wig headaches, petticoat elastic, summer heat... what isn't uncomfortable? These are all difficult things to deal with, and I try to avoid them as much as possible.

Pro tip: wear a second pair of underwear or biker shorts over your tights. It's the best way to keep the infamous low-crotch phenomenon from happening.

Trying to Bounce Back From a Creative Slump

As a blogger and Youtuber (can I still call myself that when I upload once every six months now?) it's hard to find motivation to create content when life gets you down. Graduating from university, moving four times in one year, working two part-time jobs, and practically being both the breadwinner and the housewife for a boyfriend who has a demanding major really keeps me from spending as much time on these creative outlets as I used to.

Even just as a lolita, sometimes you lose your drive to dress up. Have you had these episodes? You aren't thrilled with your current wardrobe, not impressed with recent releases, too lazy or tired to wear lolita, and generally aren't feeling like the princess you want to feel like.

It's difficult to deal with creative slumps, and unfortunately I don't have any advice for you. Sorry!

But enough about me. What do you find difficult to deal with in lolita fashion? Do you relate to any of the struggles I feel?

Also, please check out the other participants in this week's theme.

Other blogs who participated:
Cupcake Kamisama
The Bloody Tea Party
Rose Nocturnalia
Spirit of the Tea Cup

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Plains Derailed! 5 Things In My Wardrobe That Just Didn't Work

Can you think of that one item that makes you shake your head at yourself? I bet you have one in mind!

I can think of five things that I bought that just didn't work in my lolita wardrobe.

We've all made bad purchases before (I even made a video about how to avoid this!), and some of us love to gripe about how stupid we were. I'm one of those people. I love listening to purchase horror stories, and that includes sad tales of dream dresses that didn't fit or new items that came in the wrong color.

It's drama without hurting anyone!

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival topic is just that - five things that didn't work. Keep reading to see some of my mistakes:

Haenuli's Matryoshka Cat

This dress is still super cute to me, even years after I sold it. The cats were too adorable with their big eyes and tiny grandma shawls. Too bad I just never got into royal blue, and I didn't like any of the other colorways either. I only wore this twice (one to help man a lolita consignment shop, two to a meetup at a Lithuanian restaurant) before selling it to someone who's wardrobe hopefully included brighter primary colors.

Baby, the Stars Shine Bright's Salon de Thé Minette

I originally wanted the necklace because of the cute cat in a pile of teacups (see a theme so far?) and just bought the skirt for the print since the necklace sold out everywhere instantly. I still yearn for it... Anyways, the colors ended up just being a little off for me to really match it to anything in my lolita wardrobe. I had mint where the skirt was green, and I had pink where the skirt was almost lavender. I kept it around for a long time but recently sold it.

Angelic Pretty's Sugary Chiffon

I still own this blouse, only worn once! I got this as a gift actually, and I was originally excited because the three-quarter sleeves with the chiffon cutouts were beautiful. Unfortunately, it really only matches one or two dresses. I guess I thought I had more dresses that would match a bright baby pink blouse than I did, most of my sweet JSKs are pink themselves.

Haenuli Tights

This heading is so generic because I honestly don't know the name of these tights. Please let me know if you do! Like the blouse, I still own these but never wear them. They do match my wardrobe, but when worn, the business looks bad on me. We all know I don't have the skinniest legs, so the delicate furniture is stretched out. I've since learned that I look better in simpler legwear, and they're easier to wear with busy prints.

Himena's Olivia's Room

I like the motif of dollhouses and rooms, and I jumped at this Taobao predorder. I still love the print, but I wish I had ordered the ivory instead of the pink. If you've witnessed my dismay over the true color of my Imai Kira pieces, then you know I have bad luck with pinks that are actually purple. This is also the case here. I still love it and match it with white, but I do wish it had worked a bit better with my wardrobe.

Let me know in the comments what you've regretted purchasing. What things just didn't work in your lolita wardrobe?

Also, please check out the other participants in this week's theme.

Other blogs who participated:
Cupcake Kamisama
Crimson Reflection
Rose Nocturnalia

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5 Tips to Beat the Heat While in Lolita

For the northern hemisphere, summer is fast approaching if it isn't here already. The layers of lolita are much more suited for cooler weather, so avoiding sweat stains and body odor perforating each layer of frills is a challenge.

I wanted to talk about "lolita hacks" for beating the heat instead of reiterating the same mantra of chiffon blouses, avoiding wigs, and wearing ankle socks. These five tips are more outside the box for keeping cool in lolita.

1. Keep your hair off your neck. Sometimes it simply isn't enough to avoid wigs and bulky curls. Even natural hair can trap in body heat if it's long enough to reach your shoulders. From many summers of trial and error, keeping your hair off your neck is really what's important. Braids, buns, ponytails - just make sure air can dry the sweat on the back of your neck before it gets disgusting.

2. Bring a fan. For some reason, I don't see a lot of lolitas in my local community bringing fans to outdoors meets during the summer. I always bring one if the weather is going to be hot or the event is going to be somewhere potentially stuffy. Fans really do help, and they're under-appreciated tools. Use wide, slow strokes to avoid tiring yourself out - it will cool you off the same as short, fast flutters.

3. Mesh tights. Tights can work during the heat, but stay away from thick printed ones. Mesh tights, like fishnets or crocheted lace patterns, are actually pretty breathable and the holes will catch a light breeze to cool off your legs. If I'm going to be walking around a lot outdoors, I prefer mesh tights to ankle socks because it helps prevent the dreaded "chub rub" rash.

4. Bring a cooling face mist. I personally love the tea tree spray from Lush, but any face mist will work. This worked wonders for me when I was in Berlin during the hottest week of the year. Lightly spritz yourself once in a while to refresh yourself in hot weather.

5. Ditch the bloomers and use cotton lining. Bloomers will trap in heat to one of the hottest parts of your body (gross I know, but true!) and just add another layer. I suggest layering your petticoats so you have a cotton-lined one as the bottom layer. Cotton is more breathable and won't stick to your thighs like polyester lining will. It will also soak up some sweat instead of making you feel sticky and gross all day. You can always wash it after! If you don't have any that are lined in cotton, sew/buy a really cheap cotton slip to wear under your petticoats.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Comment your own lolita "heat hacks" below, I'd love to hear more! You can never have too many tips for avoiding sweat...

Also, please check out the other participants in this week's theme.

Other blogs who participated:
Poppy Noir

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Why You Should Join the Lolita Blog Carnival

A couple times a month, I publish a blog post on a Friday morning. These themed posts are part of the Lolita Blog Carnival. Keep reading to find out what the LBC is exactly, how you can join, and why I think you really should!

What is a blog carnival? How does this work?

A blog carnival is a group of bloggers who all write on the same topic and publish it on the same day. Members vote on a topic from a poll, and the winning topic is the next week's theme. The LBC posts on Fridays, but you should take advantage of scheduling tools if you can't manually publish your post Friday mornings.

Here's how it works: vote on a theme, write a blog post about it, paste your permalink to the event page for that week's theme, and link the other participants' blog posts at the end of yours as they post their links to the event page.

What's in it for me? Why should I join?

From the perspective of someone who has been part of the LBC for a few years, we could definitely use more members! We have over a hundred members on the Facebook group, but only a handful of bloggers actually contribute each week. Sometimes we have zero!

The point of joining a blog carnival is three-fold.

The first advantage is that you force yourself to make content for your blog. Having pre-set weekly themes makes it easy to sit down and just write. Definitely helps break writer's block. The more you write content (even if the topic is given to you) and read other blogs, the more creativity is sparked. If you enjoy blogging, joining a blog carnival will definitely help you with consistent, fun posts.

The second reason to join is networking. Commenting on each others' blog posts isn't required, but I find the regular contributors do anyways. I've met a dear friend of mine through the LBC, and it is really cool to connect with other bloggers who share the same passion. You get to read different perspectives on the same topics that you never would have thought of otherwise.

The third advantage is free promotion. By linking to everybody's posts, we share promotion equally. If someone reads a blog and is interested in the topic, it's likely they'll click on the other participants listed at the end of the post. The more you post to the LBC, the more regularly readers will see your blog's name. Repetition is a proven marketing technique for attracting attention.

How can I join?

Here are the only requirements for membership. If your blog follows these, then just apply! If you don't hear back from a mod in a couple of weeks, shoot them a message. They're people too and have busy lives.

• You must be primarily a lolita blogger.
• Your blog must be in English. It would be unfair to ask people to link to blogs they may not be able to read.
• Your blog must be a minimum of 3 months old and have a minimum of 9 posts.
• No Tumblr blogs please! Tumblr blogs tend to move at a much faster rate and are generally focused on reblogs rather than original content.

I really hope you consider joining. Even if your blog doesn't yet meet the requirements, keep blogging and apply later. Hope to write with you soon!

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What Sort Of Tutorials I Would Like To See More Of

As someone who has made tutorials in the past (and is working on some more...stay tuned!) this week's topic was hard to do. The reason I don't make a lot of tutorials is because of two reasons:

1. I don't feel like I am an expert in any one particular thing. I'm more of a generalist, a Renaissance woman who knows a fair amount on a lot of different topics. I am definitely not a specialist, so I don't feel like I have the authority to give a solid tutorial. 
2. I find it hard to get inspiration for tutorials that are helpful, interesting, and haven't been done already. I would really love some feedback. What sort of tutorials would you like to see more of, especially that you would like to see from me?

The best method for creating content is to think from the perspective of your audience. What would they like to learn how to do? 

To do this, I think "What would I like to see? What would I appreciate seeing a tutorial for if I didn't already know how to do it?" and try to come up with content that fits that need. 

Here are a few tutorials I want to see more of, whether or not I already know how to do them:

Photo credit Parfait Doll

Makeup Tutorials:

I see a lot of my favorite Youtubers straying away from makeup tutorials. I can never get enough, even if applying makeup is pretty much the same concept. It is relaxing to watch someone do their makeup, and once in a blue moon I get really inspired to do something I haven't tried before. It's a lot better than makeup "first impressions" because you get to see new makeup actually being used.

Hair Tutorials:

This is something not very common among lolitas bloggers and vloggers. I am not good at styling my own hair, and it takes forever for me to do anything other than my staples (single wrapped braid, low double braids, fishtails, sock bun). I would love to see tutorials for other hairstyles I can do easily. There are a few hair style tutorials that I am working on myself actually, but my knowledge of working with hair is limited.

Social Conventions:

I am a huge fan of social conventions. I am traditional and worry needlessly about how I appear to others. My number one rule is to discretely watch how others behave in a situation and apply that to how I act. I would love to see tutorials for how to deal with certain situations/activities related to the fashion. How to navigate Taobao, how to order from BTSSB, how to set up a Tenso account, how to host a meetup, how to deal with online bullies, how to politely negotiate prices, how to deal with scammers, etc. Some of these I've already learned through the 8+ years I've been in the fashion, but there is always something else to learn. Education never stops.

Other blogs who participated:
Poppy Noir

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What I Would Like To See For The Future Of This Fashion

This week's topic is interesting food for thought.

What would I like to see in the future for lolita fashion? Well, I have some lofty dreams, some aspirations, and a nostalgia for a time gone that could return.

I would like to see a:

...decent documentary on a major streaming site like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon.
This of course is a lofty dream. There have been many amazing, short documentaries published on Youtube but which don't attract a large audience. We've also seen a few disasters of television appearances and bad celebrity spotlights. I honestly don't want the fashion to become mainstream at all, since the niche aspect is what makes lolita special and pure. But I do wish outsiders would have a legitimate resource and might be more accepting and less judgmental about us.

...return to the sense of mutual support and camaraderie among lolitas online.
I want to see an end to shaming and bullying on anonymous websites. Before lolita became readily available overseas, the international community was much smaller and more like a group of friends and mutual mentors. Today, there are plenty of groups to help beginners, but people seem to be more willing to criticize and make fun of each other online than actually help or just appreciate that not everyone has the same experience or skill level. Let's stop being jealous and mean and petty, and let's rebuild that sense of camaraderie.

...return to an emphasis on casual, wearable dresses and coordinates.
I know I keep repeating myself on this subject, but I really hope to see more appreciation for simple coordinates in the future. Old-school is returning slowly, and I am slowly seeing more people feel comfortable again sharing photos of everyday outfits. I want AP and BTSSB to start releasing simpler prints and less expensive dresses. Not every release needs four different kinds of lace, five detachable parts, six motifs combined into one, and seven figure prices!

...physical store in San Francisco for Innocent World.
Of course part of me would die to work here, but I don't have the education or drive to be the one to open such a store. However, my dream would be a branch here in the U.S. that might also have a space for local indie brands to display appropriate accessories. Not only do I think an Innocent World store would get more foot traffic from tourists because it is more wearable than AP or BTSSB, but it would also mean increased business for my favorite brand.

What would you like to see for the future of this fashion? Let me know in the comments, I'm really interested in your ideas and dreams.

Image credit to Tokyo Rebel

Other blogs who participated:
Pepins de Pom & Co
Poppy Noir

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My Favorite Social Media Platforms To Use For Lolita Fashion

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival topic is sweet and simple. I look forward to reading other contributor's lists because we all use social media for different reasons.

To get inspiration: Instagram

I used to mainly use Tumblr as my source of outfit and aesthetic inspiration, but I don't go on as much nowadays. However, I am on Instagram several times a day to browse through the accounts I follow and see what interesting things pop up on my suggested posts feed.

Not only do I follow friends, but I like to follow other lolitas, indie brands, and generally inspiring accounts. I get inspiration for new coordinates, better content ideas, where to eat near me, and just to feel more connected to the online jfashion community. Whenever I feel unmotivated to get dolled up or uninspired with my wardrobe, Instagram is my go-to source for revitalizing my love for this fashion.

To unwind and relax: Youtube

While I haven't been uploading videos myself lately, I still watch Youtube every day. It is an integral part of my morning routine. I watch vlogs, makeup videos, and product updates when I am doing my makeup. Even if I'm going bare-face, I like to relax with my coffee.

Because I don't really need tutorials or look for jfashion advice videos, I really just watch to unwind and catch up with what people are doing.

To post my outfits: Instagram

I don't really post my outfits to Facebook or Tumblr much anymore, only occasionally to my public page. If you've been on this blog for a while, you've also probably noticed I don't really post outfits here either.

Instagram is by far my favorite way of posting coordinates. It is really nice for me to scroll through my profile feed to see my past outfits in one spot for future inspiration or to show someone what I wore to an event. I can reach a much wider audience thanks to the photo-only format and suggested posts feed. Not all of my friends check Facebook all the time and they can easily miss when I post in the vast sea of Facebook.

To catch up with friends: Facebook

Like my other social media, I'm on Facebook all the time. Social media is actually part of my real-life job, so I can't really ever detach myself from this world.

I don't post about my personal life much because in the past "friends" have used information to hurt me - and I still don't know who. You could say I'm a stalker because I mostly use this platform to keep tabs on my friends. Live vicariously through their travel photos, make sure their health is okay, and really just communicate with the people I care about.

People outside of jfashion communities say that Facebook is dying and no longer cool. In university classes, if a professor asks who uses Facebook regularly or who thinks it is still cool to use, maybe only a third will raise their hands. Everything is about Snapchat and Instagram now. However, in lolita fashion we use this a lot for our community pages and groups, so we just use FB a lot more than the cool kids apparently.



What social media platforms do you use for lolita?

Other blogs who participated:

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1 Main Piece, 2 Drastically Different Looks

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival topic was pretty fun for me because I love being creative with my coordinates and trying not to duplicate looks if I can help it.

I chose to work with La Robe du Château from Juliette et Justine. I bought this dress secondhand to wear to PMX last year and haven't worn it since.

The first look: This first coordinate is from the Juliette et Justine tea party at PMX. I wanted to wear my Triple Fortune bonnet with it, and decided to gussy it up with cat accessories because the designer is obsessed with her cat. This look is frilly, intricate, and over-the-top for me.

The second look: Last weekend I went to see Cirque du Soleil, and this year's theme was "a waking dream of Mexico." I don't have anything that really worked with Mexican culture, but I decided on going for something really colorful and unconventional. It ended up working perfectly with the crazy, colorful performance. I even embroidered a cactus brooch for this outfit the day before!

Other blogs who participated:
Poppy Noir
Gyokuro and Orchids
Cupcakes and Unicorns
Queen & Commander
The Bloody Tea Party
Gravelvet

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Frillies I Find Inspirational

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival topic was to talk about frillies we find inspirational. Most of my inspiration comes from my friends and those whose outfits I can drool over on Instagram. In order not to go rambling on forever about all my fashion and life inspirations, I picked three friends that inspire me both in Lolita and in life.

Shannie Bee - aka Lace a la Mode

Shannie has been a major inspiration to me for years. Her coordinates are always absolutely amazing and have honestly shaped my style so much recently. She has the amazing ability to come up with gorgeous outfits at the last minute because of her cohesively build wardrobe. She is such a kind soul, keeping me in mind when she sells something I've had my eye on and accepting payment plans when I hadn't expected or budgeted for the surprise sale. She is also kind for helping me develop my own blog. Even though she hasn't posted in a while, I still love browsing her old posts - they are so well written and beautiful to look at.

Jenna Walnum - aka Walnutt Cookie

Jenna is such a dear friend to me, I had to include her in this post. We think about life similarly, and she gets me at a much deeper level than any of my friends. We can go months without seeing eachother and still click instantly when we do meet again. She has inspired me to continue modeling for jfashion (we met at a PMX fashion show actually) and really improve my coordinate shots. Her style is so beautiful and classic, and her coords have definitely inspired my current wardrobe choices. Not only does she inspire me in Lolita, but she also inspired me personally in regards to relationships, mental health, and lifestyle.

Ha-Anh - aka Junie Green

Ha-Anh is another Lolita whose coordinates really inspire my own. She is so creative and uses many different layers of motifs, colors, textures, and accessories. I've wanted to try and recreate so many of her outfits with my own pieces, but I just cannot keep up with her vast collection that creates countless combinations. I have managed to recreate and create new hairstyles inspired by her. I'm always excited to see her weekly "Lolita Tuesdays" on Instagram. 

Who inspires you? Let me know in the comments, I would absolutely love to check them out and see for myself!

Other blogs who participated:
The Fat Flat Cat
Cupcakes and Unicorns
Poppy Noir
Pom Pommandarine

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Habits I've Picked Up From Lolita

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival topic is to talk about habits picked up from Lolita. While I can easily think of ways my life has changed because of the fashion, it was more difficult and interesting to think of habits specifically.

1. Need for matching

Because I got into jfashion pretty early on in my style development, it has definitely influenced how I pick out my outfits. Even with my normal, every-day clothes I have picked up the habit of consciously coordinating every little aspect of my outfit to make sure it matches. Nowadays, you'll rarely see me in something that doesn't match. 

Not only has Lolita helped me develop my personal style and a more composed way of actually putting good-looking outfits together, but colors and textures are also on point!

2. Saving money towards big purchases

I actually got my first job solely to pay for Lolita. I've been fortunate to be able to live with my parents throughout university, so most of my paychecks since I turned 16 has gone to either food or clothes. Like a lot of middle class kids, I got an allowance which I spent on trivial things like going to the movies with my friends or getting something cute.

It wasn't until I got a real job and wanted to buy brand that I learned how to save. As you well know, it is hard to pass up small pleasures when you're trying to save up for something larger down the road. However, this skill and habit of constantly saving a portion of any money I receive has definitely helped me in real life and in acquiring the Lolita wardrobe I have now.

3. Admiring small details and quality of craftsmanship

One pretty common habit I hear from a lot of Lolitas is that once you've been in the fashion for a while, you tend to prefer quality over quantity in other areas of your life as well. 

My current significant other once commented how he found it strange that he was actually interested in my jewelry collection because "most girls only care about the stones" while I had such an assortment of odd shapes and intricate details. Ignoring the comment itself, he made a point. Lolita is largely about the small details in the fabric, trim, and prints. Throughout my development of making better matching and creative coordinates, I've collected a lot of different accessories that I take pride on the quality and detail.

In addition to fashion, I've ascribed to the philosophy that it is better to spend more money on quality than buy something cheap that you'll replace soon. This has helped me not waste money on things I don't need and won't last.

4. Doing my makeup

Just like the habits for matching and saving money, doing my makeup is a habit that is hard to separate from Lolita because of when I started wearing the fashion.

Doing my makeup, hair, and wearing jewelry all began when I got into Lolita. While a lot of us like to say that being yourself in your clothes is the most important, there is definitely a lot of pressure to wear makeup and invest a lot in personal grooming. 

For me, I think this was a good habit because it has helped me feel more comfortable in my skin as an adult. Makeup is both a creative outlet and a way to combat laziness and depression for me. If I maintain the habit of grooming myself each morning, I feel more productive and less like a slob still wearing my pajamas days at a time.

5. Photographing moments

Growing up as a millennial, I've come from a strange transitional background when it comes to technology. I didn't have a phone and still used disposable film cameras until middle school. I took photos of the most random things growing up. I recently found several of just a gray area with a bright spot - I think I was trying to take photos of fireworks...

When I started wearing Lolita, I wanted to document my outfits so I could share them online for coordinating advice and to look back on later for future outfit inspiration. The more invested I got in the online/social aspect of the fashion, the more photos I took of outfits, meetups, and selfies with new friends.

Now I have thousands of photos on my iPhone and several hundred more on my DSLR that I bring with me to events and trips. I can look back and see both important moments in my life and smaller but just as memorable moments.


What habits have you picked up from Lolita or other jfashions?

Other blogs who participated:
Darkly Darling

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4 Of Your Favorite Autumn Motifs

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival is similar to the last one I did on my own personal autumn/winter style, but this is a little more general than that one. This week, I'd like to talk about four motifs I love seeing - either on myself or on other lolitas - in the fall.

1. Tartan

2. Carnival/Circus

3. Books

4. Fall Florals

All photos taken from Closet of Frills, credit to their respective owners. Please leave a comment if you want me to link to your Facebook (I didn't automatically for privacy!)

What is your four favorites? Any of these - or different ones? Mushrooms... Leaves... Fawns... Rosettes... Chocolate...?

Other blogs who participated:
Floating on Macarons

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Thank you for reading my blog, it really means a lot. 

If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to my blog. 

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more!

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