Discussion: The Stagnant Lolita Re-Sale Market

Have you noticed a slump in the lolita second hand market? I have. And a lot of my friends online have too. One of them posted on Facebook asking about everyone's thoughts about why it is so hard to sell things right now, and the answers she got were amazing and really thought-provoking.

I've curated and combined a lot of those ideas, and some of my own, into a not-so-concise list for you here.

Please take this post with a grain of salt. I never mean to be argumentative, judgemental, or complaining. I think economic dynamics are fascinating and hope to generate discussion and thought about this topic.

Image courtesy of my friend Becky

Many combined factors contribute to market slumps

One reason for the current slump is that brands make overwhelmingly popular releases during the Autumn/Winter season. Halloween, Christmas, Chocolate, Tartan, and everything else that is usually released during this time is popular. Many lolitas are saving up for these new releases and thus not buying second hand items.

In addition to autumn and winter being a great season for design, summer is a bad season in general. The heat often means that many lolitas take a break during summer. They wear it less and buy less.

Another reason is that there seems to be a trend of "new old school" and a slight simplification for OTT. If you notice, Angelic Pretty has been releasing more and more intricate prints that turn many lolitas off of recent releases. The current trends for detailed, but un-printed pieces also drives down demand and price for the more bold prints.

The value of currencies commonly used to purchase lolita have been unstable lately. Because of Brexit, intentional deflation and inflation of the yuan and yen, crackdown of China's corruption laws, etc. all lead to an unstable market. People are less likely to make impulse buys, are more likely to thrift for cheaper second hand items, and are less likely to order from overseas sellers with unfavorable conversion rates.

Brands are producing more and more. New taobao and indie brands are popping out releases like crazy, and even major brands are releasing multiple series a month. When I talked to Alice and the Pirates designer recently, Tomomi Nakamura, she mentioned how the company has hired a new designer to keep up with the increased production demand. Not only are there more new items, but brands are putting out many rereleases which drives down the price for previously rare items.

In addition to more and more items, the accessibility of lolita has dramatically increased. When I first started lolita, it was difficult to get things shipped from Japan. Now, its easier than ever before to order things and get them fast. With the fashion becoming more well-known on the internet and greater accessibility to lolita, we are seeing a tidal wave of newbies who just want to try it out. Trying out a new fashion is fine, but often "leaving lolita sales" are sparse and show that the seller had only just started. I get the feeling that Tumblr and fast-fashion culture is a major contributor to this ridiculously quick turn-over of items.

A lot of more experienced lolitas who have been dedicated to the fashion for years are complaining of the ignorance and unwillingness of newbies to do their research before bombarding the communities with basic questions that have been answered a million times before. Unfortunately, this trend is also seen in the behavior of newbie buyers on second hand sites. Complaining about shipping costs and customs fees, demanding lower prices and longer payment plans, you name it! I think a lot of newer, younger lolitas who have just joined aren't aware and appreciative of lolita's great re-sale value. Unlike regular thrift stores and charity shops, lolita often retains its value or appreciates way over retail value because of its rarity or age.

Lastly, the most obvious and simple explanation is over-saturation of the re-sale market.  Frequent releases combined with growing numbers of lolitas in the fashion leads to an over-saturation of the second hand market. With so much more to choose from used and new, prices go down to remain competitive.

How You Can Help Make the Re-Sale Market Better

Even though market slumps are partly temporary cycles due to seasons and trends, there are a few ways you can help ease the over-saturation of the re-sale market in both the short and long run.

• Price your items right. It might be tempting to dramatically drop the price of your items just to get rid of them, but it hurts other sellers. When looking around at a listing, often potential buyers search for past listings to get a sense whether it is a good deal or not. If a buyer sees really low prices, they might think that another seller's perfectly reasonable price is too high. This is especially a problem with newbies who maybe aren't used to lolita retaining its re-sale value.
• If you're a newbie, enter the fashion with an open mind. Do your research before attempting to buy things second hand. Yes, you'll be able to score deals and cheaper brand than at retail, but have reasonable expectations about how long a seller is willing to hold a payment plan with you or how low they're willing to accept your offer. If you've gotten this far in this post, you already know how damaging a flood of newbies demanding super cheap dresses can be to the overall market.
• Consider spreading out your sales posts. Over-saturation often occurs during spring and fall when lolitas are doing "spring cleaning" and preparing for new weather.

These are just a few suggestions. Of course, market problems are complex problems that can't be solved overnight, but it doesn't hurt to try! 

Let me know in the comment what your thoughts are about this topic, I'd love to hear your part of the discussion!

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If Brands Were Pearl Tea Flavors

If you know anything about me, you know I am obsessed with pearl tea. No matter what your area calls it (boba, pearls, tapioca, bubble tea) you need to try it at least once, I have to admit that I usually drink pearl tea several times a week, almost as much as coffee!

My irrational love for these drinks inspired me to create a silly, fun post about what kinds of drinks major Lolita brands would be. Don't take this so seriously, I mean no disrespect to any brand or tea flavor. I hope you enjoy these, and comment below which one is your favorite!

• Alice and the Pirates is a rich black Assam tea from India with an interesting flair and complex taste. This milk tea is creamy and well put-together, with bitter coffee jelly for those lolitas and ouji who prefer a treat on the darker side of life.

• Angelic Pretty is a sweet honeydew milk tea, a standard flavor everyone has tried. Keeping with the traditional taste and structure, classic tapioca pearls await at the bottom of your cup of sugary goodness!

• Bodyline is a matcha milk tea. You either love it or hate it, and it is easy to make a very poor-tasting matcha. The choice of grass jelly is another hit-or-miss flavor representing the confusing nature of Mr. Yan birthday sales, 14 same-arm detachable sleeves, and an array of satin costumes and derpy models.

• Baby the Stars Shine Bright is another classic pearl tea flavor - strawberry milk tea. Strawberry is a safe flavor, with guaranteed sweetness in every sip. Traditional tapioca pearls compliment BTSSB's long-standing reign as a popular brand.

• Haenuli is an anything-but-traditional peach oolong. Everything from the tea type to the different topping is unique, just like Haenuli's designs. Peach is always a fresh choice for a creative slump or a hot summer day when all you have the energy to do is read Nunu comics.

• Innocent World is the epitome of classic tea flavor. Earl Grey milk tea is safe, comforting, and is always tasteful. Doesn't just saying Earl Grey make you feel more elegant and European?

• Juliette et Justine is a both crazy and elegant white grape tea. Even though this flavor is either loved or hated, you can't help but be intrigued by the idea of trying this unique flavor. The classic tapioca pearls add sweetness and assurance that you aren't bat-shit insane for liking such a different flavor. 

• Metamorphose is an almost grainy taro milk tea. Taro is such a strange flavor, you wonder how anyone thought of putting root vegetable in a drink... But somehow is tastes good anyways. The white pearls are unique additions to an already odd - but tasty? - tea.

• Moi Meme Moitie is a dark, bitter coffee milk tea. The low-fat milk adds only a touch of sweetness balanced by less syrup than usual. Just like the classic black tapioca pearls, MMM is an undisputed standard no matter what flavor of tea you prefer. If any magazi- ahem, tea place - tries to take coffee milk tea or classic pearls off the menu, its time to shake your fist and complain at the sacrilege to Mana-sama!

• Victorian Maiden is the ultimate elegance of rose jasmine tea. Less sweetener syrup is added to emphasize the delicate and feminine flavors that evokes a day dream of Sunday strolls through English gardens with a handsome beau and a good novel.

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Party-Kei: Interview With Pixie-Locks

Previously, we've talked about Lolita and Larme-kei fashion styles. I really wanted to write a bit about a new style called Party-kei. It isn't a strict, established style like Lolita or Larme, but it is the brain-child of fashionable friend of mind.

Jillian, aka PixieLocks, has a seemingly effortless ability to turn tacky into stylish, kitsch into cute. She is the definition of a "What Women Over 18 Should Never Wear" rebel.

While Jillian has her own blog posts about this style, which you can read here and here, I wanted to ask her some questions about her thought process and inspiration.

1. How would you describe Party-kei?

Party-kei is like a glittery 90’s birthday party mashed together with modern-day “pop” Harajuku fashion influences. I wanted to combine the patterns and textures of the 90’s (denims, furs, a very Clueless/Mean Girlsy vibe) with the aesthetic of birthday parties like when I was little. I’d always been really nostalgic towards those sorts of themes- anything birthday cake flavoured, glittery party favour jewelry, streamers, confetti- birthdays were this weird and special thing that I clung to. I was feeling really lost in the fashion world and found myself jumping around from style to style never really stuck on any single one- so I sort of gave up and just wore what my gut told me to. I didn’t really say much about it in my blogs or anything for months and months but was constantly asked what fashion it was- so I slapped some confetti on a blog post and called it Party-kei!

2. How did you come up with the name?

I honestly can’t really remember how I initially chose it! Party-kei was something I just kept in my own noggin for so long that I didn’t really second guess it when I made the first post talking about it. I had a number of people concerned about it being confused with Cult Party-kei, and so I did a lil poll looking around for other names to avoid confusion. That just caused a whole bunch more headache, so I decided to leave it as Party-kei as I think it fits it pretty well.

3. What are your style inspirations?

Honestly, I love love love Aomojikei! Party-kei could easily also just be considered a kind of Aomojikei. I also take a great deal of inspiration from Kumamiki, a Harajuku fashion designer (and Youtuber! Her videos aren’t subtitled usually but she’s a cutie pie). Her use of super kitschy and straight up weird accessories (she had this ring that was a pig figurine. I wanted it so bad) has always inspired me. Also, the brand Irregular Choice has some super weird and creative shoes that have been a huge source of inspiration for me in my fashion design dreams!
Party-kei has also been compared to a style called Peco-kei, which is really cool! I didn’t know this style existed as it’s not very popular in the west, but we’re definitely jamming on the same wave-lenth. However, Peco-kei uses much darker colours than I tend to lean towards and also lots of logos from 80s-90s toys, movies, and brands. It’s definitely worth looking into if you like pop styles!

4. Where are your favorite places to get clothing pieces and accessories?

Oh man. Oh jeez. I’m just gonna go rapid fire; American Apparel (wonderfully weird designs), Spinns (nice and affordable place to get the latest Harajuku trends), WEGO (basically Spinns), Irregular Choice (kitschy as heck shoes), UNIF (some more weird american fashions, delightfully unique) and a lot of accessories can be thrifted or bought from straight up party supply stores.

5. What do you love the most about Party-kei?

I love that I don’t feel (that) pressured to “pick” a style and stick with it. Princess Peachie actually just uploaded a really good video on this called Balancing Your Identity In Alternative Fashion and it was eerily relatable. As a blogger I’m a huge perfectionist (even though it might not seem like it RIP) and I get really really discouraged when I feel my “brand” or “image” isn’t polished- which is dumb. And even though Party-kei is just my lil brain child that will probably never be anything more than that- it’s helped my peace of mind as a fashion blogger, and that makes me really happy. I’ve also gotten some really nice feedback from people around the world who’ve tried the style, and there’s actually been a Party-kei tumblr made as well as a facebook group! It’s a really wonderful thing to be able to connect with other people over a fun style like this.

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You Are What You Eat, Breakfast Meet

Bacon is love. Bacon is life.

But no really, I love an American breakfast. Sometimes I go to iHop with my boyfriend in the middle of the night for some bacon, eggs, and pancakes. It was one of the things I missed when I was in Berlin, Germany for a month.

So you can imagine how ecstatic I was to hear that there was a breakfast meetup being planned in my local community. It was pretty pricey, but the 45$ was well worth it. We ate at the Laurel Court inside the Fairmont in San Francisco. The room was oddly dim for a breakfast room, but the decor was fabulous and the food even more so.

When you see the banner below, made by the wonderful Chobi, you'll see why I knew I would be bringing my Honey Cake onepiece out of the closet for this meet!

I haven't worn Honey Cake in maybe two years, so I was excited to plan out what I would coordinate with it. I had a few different ideas I considered, but when I remembered that my aunt had made me a buttered toast scarf several years ago I decided to go with an egg-and-toast theme.

I carried the toast into my ankle socks, from an indie Japanese brand I purchased at MaruQ, the handmade scarf, and one of my earrings shaped like a poptart (Get it? toaster stredel? Teehee). My egg accessories were my necklace and other earring, which unfortunately you can't see. 

OTT isn't usually what I go for, but I was too excited to use all my food themed items. The two pins are from Peppermint Fox, my biscuit bag is from Swimmer, and my foodie rings are from various offbrand and Etsy purchases.

Now back to the food!

We got to choose from: sticky warm pecan buns, fresh waffles, an omelet bar, french toast and caramelized banana sauce, heaps of perfect bacon, fat sausages, bowls of different kinds of fruit, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, a whole case of pastries and bread, oatmeal, cereal, cold cuts and cheeses, potatoes, eggs benedict, fresh orange juice, smoothies, and champagne or espresso drinks (for extra).

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is.

I helped myself to two whole plates of food. Some girls had even more! I would have gone back for thirds of bacon and fruit but my stomach was desperately telling me to stop.

And I'm glad I did, because after brunch was over I went to Japantown to purchase a parasol from BTSSB and ended up getting pearl tea. If you know me, pearl tea is my lifeblood second only to bacon, tacos, and ice cream.

In the Japantown mall there is a pearl tea place that sells drinks with an option of having cotton candy on top. I'd been meaning to try it, and I finally had the chance. I ordered kiwi green tea, and the cotton candy they had was the traditional blue mystery-flavor.

Thank you so much for reading! Please take a second to follow me on bloglovin and my social media in the right-hand sidebar. 

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What Keeps You In Lolita

The Lolita Blog Carnival is a group of lolita bloggers who get together each week to discuss a singular topic. This week's topic is what keeps you in lolita fashion. I decided to participate in this topic because it is something that has been on my mind for a while.

I have been so busy and over-booked this year that lolita seems to be on the back-burner. Not that I haven't been buying anything... But I haven't really been filming videos for my Youtube channel, maybe one a month. I haven't hosted any meetups since last July when I hosted a Halloween in July dinner meet. 

And then I went to Germany. I had made it my mission to wear lolita (despite only bringing offbrand as to minimize any potential loses) whenever I went to a palace. I had planned for months to visit my dear friend Poppy Noir, and once I was in Berlin I found a few local girls who took me out a couple of times. You can read all about it here and here.

Photo credit Nora de Anda

It was these visits with internet friends and new friends that re-kindled my love for lolita fashion. For me, it isn't just clothes. I'm not a lifestyler; I don't wear lolita to work, school, or lounging around the house. I wear it on special occasions and when I specifically go out somewhere with friends who will also be in lolita. 

For me, lolita is about the culture. The friends you can make who you would never have met. This fashion acts as an ice-breaker, a common interest to tie together complete strangers. I will cherish forever the relationships I've made because of lolita.

This is what keeps me involved in lolita. Going to picnics, tea parties, afternoon coffee breaks, and spending the holidays with good company. Although I may not spend as much time as I would like with them, I really love my local community and the friends I've met all over the world.

Other blogs who participated:

The Fat Flat Cat

Cupcake Kamisama

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