The Always so Unreasonable Parents

Original Picture from Wearemoviegeeks.com

For some young, aspiring Lolitas, there is only one thing standing between them and full Lolita-dom: The Parents. Parents can be your biggest supporters or your biggest hindrance. They can give you confidence when you don't feel you can go outside in Lolita alone, or they can be the ones tearing your confidence down until you feel like quitting Lolita for good.
Why are your parents being so unreasonable? 

In my opinion, Lolita has many wonderful values and qualities that should make it very attractive to parents, but some parents are just not that fond of "Weird Things". They don't want their kid to be "The Weird Kid" whom nobody wants to be friends with, and who knows what kind of unsafe stuff these Lolita-people do when they're together? Well, we know, but your parents don't. They might think that Lolita is just some kind of phase that you won't even remember in a two weeks time, so why should they spend a lot of money and time figuring out how to order a dress from Japan for you? As you can see from the above, your parents probably just want what's best for you, and their beloved wallet.
And now, let's skip to what you probably wanna know: What you can do to make your parents "get it".

 Lolita is not just something strange and foreign. It is actually also relevant to our western cultures, considering that it takes it's inspiration from the Rococo period and Victorian eras. Lolitas were actually inspired by our history before we even discovered our lovely street fashion! You could show your confused parents some pictures to demonstrate this point. Ín line with especially victorian fashion comes the modesty aspect of Lolita fashion, which could also be something that some parents would appreciate (My own mom doesn't get this part.) 
You know, some dads just don't wanna see their little girl grow up and start wearing mini-skirts!

An aspect that I think parents would appreciate even more, is the community! Which parent doesn't want to see their child go out and have some good, safe fun with likeminded souls, and make new friends? If possible, you could borrow some clothes from a friend and attend a couple of meet-ups, and then let your parents know how much fun you had! Maybe they'll warm up to the idea of you becoming a fully equipped member of your local Lolita community.

Some Lolitas would disagree with me on this, but I think it's pretty much always a good idea to be honest with your parents. Don't go behind their back and buy Lolita dresses if they tell you not to! If they find out, it's not very likely that you're gonna accomplish some kind of chick-flick ending where they will magically understand your love for Lolita. It is more likely that they will see it as something that makes you rebellious and break their trust, which will only mean further limits to what your parents will allow you to participate in. What you could do to sneak some Lolita into your wardrobe, is start showing interest in nice blouses, accessories and the like, from mainstream stores! It is more likely that they will let you have frills that you can buy in your everyday clothing store. Also, you could show an interest in learning how to sew. I think very few parents would be opposed to their child learning crafts or getting a new hobby, and they would probably not be as likely to criticise or deny you wearing Lolita clothes that you have made yourself.

If you don't wanna learn how to sew, try and show them how commited you are to the fashion by doing work and chores around the house to earn your Lolita clothes! You could do some weeding and mow the lawn in exchange for a Bodyline skirt, and so on. You could also save up credit in exhange for good grades!

If you already have a job and are making your own money, and just need your parents' permission, show that you can be very economically responsible. Work hard and save up for your Lolita clothes! This will also show your parents that you are not just blowing your money off on a short-lived fancy, but that you're actually passionate about this and willing to wait! Also, you could spend your money so much worse. Look at how other people are burning their money away these days!

If, after all of the above, your parents are still being stubborn, there is not much you can do but wait. Wait, and throw them a couple of discreet remarks once in a while about pretty new brand releases, this dress you saw on Daily_Lolita, how pretty your friend looked in her Metamorphose dress the other day, etc. Who knows? Maybe some day, they will come around! And even if they don't, you don't have to care about your parents' opinions forever. When you move out, and that day will probably come sooner or later, you can shamelessly indulge in Lolita fashion to your heart's content, and it will be totally worth it!

Last Note: I have a feeling that being a boy who wants to be a Lolita(or if you prefer, Brolita) often comes with more parent-problems than those I've talked about above. Sadly, I do not feel qualified to talk about these problems, as I have no personal experience in that area. Sorry! I hope you still find this post a little bit useful.

Indie Brand Interview: Haenuli

For this second indie-brand interview I have had the honor of interviewing the beautiful and talented Korean indie designer, Haenuli, of the brand of the same name! Please enjoy!


Northern Star: Are you a lolita yourself? What inspired you to become a Lolita?

Haenuli: I’ve been wearing Lolita fashion about 8 years, I can’t recall what was motivate me but I knew about Lolita fashion for long times. Also I always love lace, ruffles, pretty butter cup shape skirts. 

NS: What made you decide to become an independent designer of your own lolita brand?
H: When I first knew about Lolita it was around 2000. At that time there’s some independent Lolita shops owned by armatures in Korea. Also Most of Korean lolitas prefer indies shop than Japanese brand pieces. At that time I was a student, making my own Lolita clothing for my self, I was a lone Lolita until 2004. Around 2007 other people suggest me to open a Lolita shop so I opened small armature shop. 

Haenuli's gorgeous Sleeping Beauty print. There are many different colorways, including black(pictured), purple and green!

NS: What do you most enjoy about being an independent designer so far?
H: When my new clothings are goes well with my model, when my customers love my clothing. 
When I got suggestions from Japanese brand to work with them, When national broadcast wants to filming about Lolita fashion, I’m glad I make quality Lolita clothing.

NS: What has been the hardest part of starting your own brand?
H: Haenuli Lolita shop is registered as real business in Korea. When I register my business I have to pay for tax do some paper work. When some Chinese brand copy original prints from other indie shops that gives direct damage to small indies shop. Even though I consider my business as real business still it’s armature hobby shop to most of Lolita.

Haenuli's adorable Lolita Bunny print that, jusk like the Sleeping Beauty JSK, exists in multiple colorways!

NS: How do you find inspiration for new designs?
H: Someday inspiration just hits me. Most of time I just think hard in days, weeks. 

Another one of Haenuli's gorgeous creations

NS: Do you have any idols in the Lolita community?
H: There are so many beautiful lolitas gives me inspiration at EGL, daily Lolita, tumblr, look book etc. I asked few people to scrap their coordination and post on my Korean blog. I’m always study new trend of Lolita fashion from them. 

Haenuli's "Alice" dress in the Black colorway. There is also a white version!

NS: What do you hope to accomplish with your brand? Do you have any plans for the future?
H: This year I had a chance to show my work at AWA, Otakon and several more conventions. Right now I’m preparing PMX Lolita fashion show. Next year I hope I could attend those conventions in person. Also I wish there’s Haenuli tag on EGL and daily Lolita(^^)


NS: Do you have any advice for other lolitas out there, who are looking to start their own independent brand?
H: I don’t think I’m in position of give advise… Well when you’re operating your own business there will be a lot of problems you have to solve in professional way. When you try hard enough, you will get what you want eventually.

I would like to, once again, thank Haenuli for taking time off her busy schedule to participate in this interview! 
Haenuli's shop can be found online on Facebook and they also have an online shop.

All pictures in this post are borrowed with permission from Haenuli's facebook page.

Is Country Lolita a Substyle?

Original picture from Fieldlover.com

Back in the day, before my adventure as a Lolita began, somebody decided that a new substyle should be born: The Country Lolita. Ok, I don't know how it happened, but it happened. It came up for discussion on Behind-the-Bows this last saturday whether or not Country Lolita has enough characteristics that it can really stand alone as a substyle. 
Well.. Here's what I think. 

When you break a Country Lolita's outfit down and focus on the pieces you use, it gets tricky. Traditionally, the Country Lolita look is made up of a puffy dress with a flower, fruit or gingham pattern, a strawhat and a basket. Flowers, fruits and gingham are used in other styles as well, so they're not really Country Lolita-exclusive the way Sugary Carnival, as an example, would be Sweet exclusive. Flowers are common in Classic Lolita and fruits are common in Sweet Lolita, especially. Gingham is sometimes used in simpler Sweet Lolita coords as well. The thing is, when you look at it in themes, very few themes are style-exclusive! Toys can also be used for Classic Lolita, believe it or not. It just depends on the style of the illustration and the colors of the print. Muted colors and storybook-like illustrations could make it appropriate for a youthful
Classic Lolita coord. 

Country doesn't really have the same kinds of criteria when it comes to colors and style. Depending on the type of Country look you want to go for, you can use bright or muted colors, discreet or loud prints. So, is Country Lolita only defined by the traditional strawhat- and basket accessories? I don't think so! You can use many kinds of hairstyles and accessories to get the Country Lolita aesthetic down! You can use flower crowns, straw bonnets or cute braided hair-do's, just to name a few!
I think Country Lolita is more about the feel of the coord, not so much the individual pieces and accessories! You could argue that brands rarely put out pieces that cater to Country Lolitas specifically, but the aesthetic still stands as something unique! 

Country Lolita to me seems to project a very different image from it's cousins-in-style, Classic and Sweet Lolita (though I would love to see a gothic-style Country Lolita!). Where the Classic Lolita projects the image of a victorian or rococo maiden of high class and society, and Sweet Lolita wants to project the image of a girl from a magical, sugar-coated world, Country Lolita is the Little Red Ridinghood-type maiden that lives in a lodge in the woods and picks flowers all day long, or the ideal image of a true, out-doorsy country girl! Not quite as pastel and sugary sweet as a Sweet Lolita, not quite as formal as the Classic Lolita, and completely it's own!

My conclusion must be that Country Lolita's charming aesthetic is more than enough to justify it as it's very own substyle! The only thing hindering it would be that it doesn't have as many followers as the major substyles, but well, I don't think it is the least worn of the smaller substyles, that are also widely accepted!

Writing my reflections on this subject down make's me want to acquire some more Country-like accessories before next summer!
 What are your thoughts on Country Lolita and the other smaller substyles?

Want to try your hands at making your very own strawbonnet? Here is a very easy-to-follow tutorial!

It's Possible: Lolita on a Budget

Original picture from rarasuperstar.com

People often claim that Lolita is an abnormally expensive fashion build on Haute Couture-priced brand dresses from Japan, and on top of that, we have customs and shipping stealing our money right out of our wallet too! But hold on, it is actually possible to be a Lolita without being a millionaire's daughter or starving! You just have to know where to look. Welcome to the world of the Budget Lolita!

Picture from www.markosweb.com

Shop Second Hand

There are lots of places online where you can buy brand, off-brand or pretty much anything else Lolita for a cheap price! In this case, it just means that someone else has worn it first. Some people are creeped out by that thought, but they're missing out on lots of great deals on dresses with pretty much no wear orr tear! Good places to keep an eye on for second hand items are Mbok, Closet Child, Yahoo Japan, the EGL Community Sales on Livejournal and even Ebay (just stay away from cheap dresses with too much scratchy lace). You can also look up Lolita Sales in English on Facebook, browse Etsy, or buy directly from people in your local community!

Picture from Clobbao.livejournal.com

Alternatives to Brand

If you don't care much about what the label in your dress says, you can look up some of the cheaper alternatives to brand! There are lots of great Taobao brands to choose from, like Rose Melody, Infanta, Dear Celine and Surface Spell, just to name a few! There's also the very affordable japanese store Bodyline that many lolitas can vouch for, as long as you are aware that some of their stuff is not quite up to par, quality and/or design-wise. You can also choose to support our community's independent seamstresses by diving into the world of Indie Brands, though they are often on the slightly more expensive side of brand alternatives.

Blouse from Forever 21. A little bit of lace at the cuffs, and it would  be pretty much perfect for  Lolita!

Off-Brand

If you keep your eyes open, you will soon notice that there are quite a few diamonds-in-the-rough to be found in even mainstream clothing stores! Blouses with ruffles and lace, full skirts, cameo accessories.. With a little bit of luck loli-able things can be found in stores where you wouldn't ever expect it! You can also go thrifting and maybe find a "Grandma-blouse" or five for cheap that you can then turn into a true jewel  of your closet if you...

Picture from the movie Kamikaze Girls

Learn to Sew

Sewing is a very handy skill when it comes to Lolita! Something as simple as being able to sew some lace onto the cuff of a blouse you found in a department store or sewing a button back on a JSK, are practical skills to have, not to mention being able to alter a skirt that is a tad too large or small! Also, sewing your own stuff, apart from solving your problem with brand being too expensive for you, will give you a lot of pride in the end (seriously, is there anything more amazing than Lolitas who sew their own unique clothes?) and you get a fun new hobby!

Those would be my tips for surviving Lolita as a person with limited funds. 

Do you guys have any tips that you would like to share?

AATP New Release: Cock Robin~Mother Goose~

I must admit, that when I saw the name of this series and then took a quick glance at the pieces, something did not seem to match up to me. Alice and the Pirate's new release named "Cock Robin~Mother Goose~" is a very dark series that is inspired by the old nursery rhyme "Who Killed Cock Robin?" or just "Cock Robin", a rhyme apparently attributed to the imaginary author Mother Goose. I had never heard of this rhyme before, but after reading it, I understand the feel of this series much better. The rhyme is surprisingly macabre!
With this release, Alice and the Pirates stay in their niche of making prints inspired by old litterature, though it's the first time I've seen a print inspired by a nursery rhyme!

Reservations started this Friday, October 19th. 

 This series is a collection of goodies for both people who enjoy boystyle and lolitas! Also, I think that according to the sizes, a lot of taller and plus-sized lolitas are gonna be very happy with this series! I might just hunt a piece down myself!

Your choices of colorways are bordeaux, navy and black. 

In this series we've got two JSK's, just named Jumper Skirt I and II, and a corset skirt. Pictured above is JSK I, which is my personal favorite piece of the series because of the nice, corset-like fit (it even has corset-like panels!) and because of the skirt part! I love how the skirt is ruched up a little bit. It is a very elegant detail. Also, I like the glittering chiffon-layers at the bottom (though the material looks a little.. stretchy to me?) I think the layering at the bottom has a bit of a gothic feel to it and matches well with the Lacy Fairytale blouse (see below). JSK II has a more simple skirt, with the chiffon-layering at the bust area instead. To me it looks like the neckline sits a little low and the design is too simple for my taste with the only detail being the layering at the neckline, chiffon trimming at the hem and a ribbon around the waist. Personally, I'd go for JSK I because of the elegant cut!

The series has two blouses, and I find this one in particular to be very unusual and interesting! At first I thought the see-through lace-sleeves looked a bit odd (I think they'd look much better on a person!) but when you remove the cravat you see a very charming sweetheart line on the bust, which I think kind of ties in the lace-parts of the dress and looks very charming! At first I didn't like the blouse much, but it's growing on me! The other blouse is a little odd with the one ruffle running down the front of the blouse, but I think the finished product looks a lot better than the drawing did. It would look pretty good in the boystyle coord!

Now for some goodies for the boystyle lovers! Alice and the Pirates have released a pair of short pants and a printed vest for this series. The pants are the ones pictured above! I think the cuffs of the pants look very cute, though a tad oversized. They have kind of a punky feel to them because of the belt details, which I think gives them a nice edge. I guess they could look very cute in a coord with the awesome vest to make the top-part of the coord match the busyness of the cuffs, because as it is now, it looks a little unbalanced to me. Also, I think it's a little strange that the pants have Alice and the Pirates written on the butt! It reminds me of those sweatpants that have "Sexy words" printed on the back. Is that just me? All in all, I think the boystyle pieces have the potential to make an awesome and flashy kodona-type coord!

The accessories for this series include a cameo-adorned bow, a very pretty headdress (I like the use of feathers to match the rhyme!), a tie (see below) and a simple rosary necklace, but instead of socks, we get printed tights! I think the tights are very unusual in themselves, as we usually see socks and OTK socks in any new series. The print is a simple ribbon running down the back of the tights, and with little crosses up the front. The print is very crisp and incredibly detailed! The tights are available in black and white.

Since close-ups of the print have yet to be released, the tie is what gives us the best indication of what the print looks like up close! It looks like frames or gravestones with verses from the rhyme written on them, and signs above a fairytale or forest-like landscape and a lodge among the trees. The print looks very detailed and gives off the feel of old book illustrations.

I think we have reason to look forward to some very elegant boystyle and Gothic lolita coords with this series! And I look forward to seeing if they continue on this poetry and nursery rhyme inspired route.

What do you guys think of this series? What other poetry or rhymes would you like to see turned into a print?

All pictures in this article belong to Alice and the Pirates/Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Indie Brand Interview: We're All Mad Here

This will be the first post in a series of interviews with some of the most creative minds connected to the lolita community: The strong people who have decided to spend their time and dedication creating beautiful garments for the rest of us to wear and love! I hope you will enjoy getting to know our talented indie designers as much as I have enjoyed reading their responses!

I am honored to present my very first indie brand interview, this time with the awesome Australian indie designer Eden, of the indie brand "We're All Mad Here"! I'm very thankful for the opportunity to get to know this very interesting brand better.

Enjoy!

Northern Star: Are you a lolita yourself? What inspired you to become a Lolita?
We're All Mad Here: I’m actually not sure whether I consider myself to be a full lolita! I admired the style and Lolitas themselves for years but never got around to making any purchases while at university… I guess I would be a part-time/casual lolita? I think Lolitas are incredibly beautiful, but I don’t see myself as a glamorous person – so I’m happy to be the slightly daggy (aussie slang for uncool!) designer/creator of dresses that look amazing on everyone else :3

NS: What made you decide to become an independent designer of your own lolita brand?
WAMH: It started as a textile design project in mid-2011 – I started doing up a few designs a posting them on facebook to see what people’s thoughts were, and the response was quite positive! It brings together my fashion training and design degree, and allows me to make creepy/punky things unashamedly cute – plus I’ve always wanted to work for myself, so it seemed like a very good match for my combination of skills and interests!

We're All Mad Here's Zombie Tea Party and Zombie Carnival prints, and their Zombie Pony bag!

NS: What do you most enjoy about being an independent designer so far?
WAMH: The buzz from people saying that they love the designs! And the freedom to design whatever I want without having to keep someone else’s aesthetic in mind.

NS: What has been the hardest part of starting your own brand?
WAMH: For me it has been establishing a fabric printer – there are often issues that take time to sort out, so I’m usually quite stressed! Tracking down suppliers and manufacturers also takes time and can be quite expensive when you’re testing different companies to see what kind of product they give you.

We're All Mad Here's adorable Sugary Bones print!

NS: How would you describe your brands unique style? 
WAMH: It’s sweet and punk – I try to make textile designs that balance the two enough to spark interest, but not so macabre that they would scare people away. Basically when I start doing cute casual dresses with the same style, I want people to feel punky and badass while they’re wearing it, but still pretty!

NS:  If your brand was telling a story, what kind of Story would that be?
WAMH: Eeep – I really don’t know! It would be a cute but twisted tale, for sure :)

NS: How do you find inspiration for new designs?
WAMH: Anything can spark off an idea – often I’ll see something and imagine how it could be contrasted with my aesthetic. Tumblr provides a lot of visual inspiration for me – I love it!

 

We're All Mad Here's charming licorice-like Ebony Sweets print!

NS: Do you have any idols in the Lolita community?
WAMH: Anyone who experiments with the style! But I do admire Lunie, Pastelbat, Victoria Suzanne, and Pastel Ai as well-known figures – they are creative while being positive role models, to my mind. And the girls in the local community are amazing – I always love Bee, Suz, and Thaleia’s style when I see them :3

Close up of We're All Mad Here's Zombie Tea Party print.

NS: What do you hope to accomplish with your brand? Do you have any plans for the future?
WAMH: As far as accomplishments go, I want to get the rest of the Sugar Punk collection out and start working on the next one; and I’m looking at releasing a few casual dresses and skirts to sell in the online shop. Lolita items will definitely be WAMH’s premium range, so it would be good to have some cheaper items with the same style for people to choose from.

As for the future – a lot more designing and sample-making! And since WAMH is officially a business now (not classed as a hobby by the Government), it would be nice to throw an epic 1-year anniversary party next October, but I’ll have to see how the next year goes!

NS: Do you have any advice for other lolitas out there, who are looking to start their own independent brand?
WAMH: If it’s something that you really, really want to do, you should definitely go for it (of course you should, why wouldn’t you?!). You will need to know how to sew and make (or at least adjust) patterns, and have a decent design eye or train yourself in these things. Maybe start by making a few things for yourself and your friends – it will give you an idea of what the process is like from beginning to end: print concepts, dress concepts, digital rendering and file set-up for printers, lead time for fabric sampling and adjusting artwork, pattern making, sample making and fitting, fabric and trim selection, and of course, the final piece. That way you’ll have something unique, and if people start asking you about it, that’s a good sign!

Get yourself a support network – you will need help to get started, so if there is an area in your skill set that isn’t as strong, find someone who is awesome at it and see if they’d be willing to teach you a few things. You may find that you have a skill they want to learn as well, so you can level up together XD

And support your industry! One of the best ways to ensure that you have a market to work within is to support it's growth. It’s fantastic to see new designers and their fresh ideas for lolita!

Thank you to We're All Mad Here for giving us all a glimpse into what lies behind the creative works of We're All Mad Here's badass but magically cute world!
Their brand can be found on their Facebook page and in the We're All Mad Here online store!

All pictures in this article are borrowed with permission from We're All Mad Here's facebook page.

Milanoo: The Lolita's Arch Nemesis

Most lolitas know that when they hear the word "Milanoo", it's time to run far, far away. Milanoo has been around for a long time, and continue to try and win the trust of the lolita community (or wrap them in a net of lies to steal their money until they come back to their senses). For new lolitas, Milanoo is a bit like the troll under the bridge to the Lolita kingdom, trying to drag them down into Ita Land as they cross.

But what is wrong with Milanoo? Why should you not fall into their dark pit?

1. They Steal Photos

Milanoo has a history of stealing photos and claiming that they are their own designs. The above picture is from Milanoo's website, but is in fact Infanta's picture of one of their own designs, the Letter from Paris JSK. Milanoo used the exact same picture! Milanoo used to steal photos and then use their bad photoshop skills to make it look like the dress was floating on a horrible floral background, but it seems like they just don't bother with that anymore, though you can still find a bunch of pictures like that on their website. Also, stealing designs from Taobao brands seem to be their new thing.

2. They have no idea what Lolita is

The above picture was found in their lolita section, and classified as Classic Lolita. They honestly have no idea what is and what isn't Lolita. According to Milanoo, Lolita can even be achieved with a tight pencil skirt. How can you trust a company like that to deliver something lolita appropriate to you? I rest my case.

3. Horrible Designs and Quality

Again, the above dress was classified as Classic Lolita, which should speak for itself. You definetely get what you pay for when it comes to quality. Sometimes, what you receive will not even be wearable or look like the picture you chose from, and sometimes, people never even received anything to throw in the garbage at all! For their stolen brand- and taobao designs, they just don't use proper craftmanship to pull them off. Milanoo sends the design to whatever factory will make it for the cheapest price. Doesn't sound promising, does it?

                                       

                                               Picture from Egl.livejournal.com

4. Sockpuppets, Fake Blogs and Stores

Milanoo has been known to create false accounts on the international lolita community, Egl.livejournal.com, and then pretend to be a lolita who has had good experiences with Milanoo or one of their other stores. They are usually easilly recognizable from the same style of horrid english. Also, they have created many false blogs that has also been dedicated to placing Milanoo in a better light, and stealing blog posts from other blogs to seem more legit. Do not trust just any review of Milanoo, as they could have written it themselves!
 Milanoo has multiple online stores, and most of them can be found on this list.

Even if Milanoo delivered products of OK quality that was actually wearable, they still keep persistently lying and claiming other people's designs as their own. Does this seem like the type of company that you would love to support?  

Wearing Lolita takes Confidence

Original picture is from Flickr

Apart from your outfit, self-confidence is the second most important thing you can have as a lolita. Self-confidence secures a major part of what it to me means to be one: Being happy with yourself. If you do not feel at home and happy in your clothes, then there is really no reason to wear them, is there? But not feeling confident in your lolita clothes is definetely not the same thing as lolita not being right for you, if you love lolita and wish to be a part of this beloved sub-culture. It just means that you let other people's opinions and ideals, or even your own, tear you down.

It is no secret, that people who wear lolita have a slightly different aesthetic than most people. We love fluffy petticoats, bows, frills and lace, and high-collared blouses, even if some of us don't dress up every day and usually blend in with the flocks on the crowded streets and slip under the radar. But on those days when we choose to put on a JSK and tie our Rocking Horse shoes, we stand out! People stare and whisper amongst themselves, and for some lolitas, dealing with this can be just too difficult.

When you decide that something that is so out of the norm is right for you, reactions from other people are to be expected. Hey, wouldn't you react if you saw someone dressed in a pink suit with a bee-hive hairdo and a rainbow colored poodle? I thought so. Reactions in themselves are not a bad thing, and it would be ridiculous of us to expect other people to act like we don't exist and that we don't "look strange". They are gonna stare, they might even compliment you (Isn't that lovely?), and some of them are gonna be rude or even cruel.

With this I don't mean that you should let yourself get harrassed by other people, just because you know you look different. A head-eating bow is not a "Go for it!"-sign for other people to start slinging insults- or what is worse- at you! Harrasment is always wrong, and if possible, should be reported to whatever authority exists wherever you are at that moment, if you are at the mall or a similar place. What I do mean is that you should not let insults or stares get to you so much that it makes you not wanna wear lolita, or that it even affects how you see yourself. And yes sometimes, well, you should just ignore them!

Some people say that you should turn up your headphones so you won't hear the insults or notice the stares. I think that might actually be a good solution for the first couple of times you are out in lolita, so that you will notice that going out in lolita might not harm you at all.. but after that, unless you have a serious anxiety, I think you should keep the headphones in your pocket, hear the comments people make, and see the stares you receive, and instead practice thinking to yourself, that you are not in the wrong for going out in lolita. 
Empower yourself instead of hiding! 
Remember: The people who are insulting you are always in the wrong, and their bad opinion won't hurt you. Think to yourself, Why would you want these people to like you, anyway? They are closed-minded and rude, and not worth your time. Surely you wouldn't wanna make friends with them! You are expressing yourself, not harming anybody, and you are doing what makes you happy. However, if you do feel that you have reason to fear for your safety, maybe because you live in a particularly risky area, always follow your intuition and don't go out in lolita! Your safety will always come before dressing up nice, as sad as it may sound. If you feel that going out would be unsafe, save lolita for your home, or for meet-ups in more safe areas. 

If you are one of those people who feel that you cannot wear lolita because of your size, your skincolor, freckles, tattoos, piercings, et cetera: You can wear whatever lolita-style you like. Size and anything else that is a part of your body, age and piercings included, does not matter. YOU are not against the "Lolita Rules". What makes us lolitas are the way we dress, that we strive to do it well, and it is about our passion for those clothes that we feel perfectly matches our aesthetics and who we are. There are lolitas who claim that a certain skincolor looks better or worse in lolita, or say that unnaturally colored hair is not lolita appropriate, but that does not reflect the fashion as a whole, that only reflects one lolita's personal opinion and sometimes, more often than not, I'd say, it is just a Behind-The-Bows troll-post. Those lolitas will be part of a whole other post I'm gonna make.

Maybe you are the one telling yourself that you are not good enough for lolita? Because you don't look like whoever is the most praised in the community at the moment, or you just feel that you look sub-par. Well, you don't! Everybody is their own person. There is no one like you, and it makes no sense to compare the way you look with the way another person looks! Look up to other people's styles, the way they do their make-up, their attitude, and let yourself inspire, but don't look up to their face, legs or anything else. You are your own worst critic, and you look just the way you are supposed to look. If you do feel that there is something you need to change to make yourself happier, like getting a tattoo or getting in shape, do so because that's who you wanna be and what you want to do, not to look like somebody else, and not because anybody else said that you are not good enough the way you are. Be good at being yourself, for yourself, and don't aspire to become perfect. Aspire to be happy being you.

Practice telling yourself that you are alright. Even write it down in your own words and keep the note in your wallet or on your bag as a charm to cheer yourself up!

Being a confident lolita is looking in your mirror and being able to honestly say: This is who I want to be. and I don't care what anybody else thinks about that. This is how I feel the happiest, and there is nothing wrong with me! 

I can from my heart say, that I support you in finding the confidence to wear lolita! 

So keep the headphones in your pocket, hold your head high, stay safe and 

Rock Your Frills! 

Down the Rabbit Hole: New to Lolita

Original picture from Flickr

Someday, somehow, you found your way down the rabbit hole, and arrived in Wonderland. But, oh my! You are not at all dressed for the occasion! How do you start building an appropriate wardrobe? Fear not, let me give you some step-by-step advice to making your first purchases. 

Picture from Clobbaonline

1. Petticoat

I know that you might wanna get right to it and just "Buy a dress already!", but your dress is not gonna look that good without a proper petticoat anyway. The petticoat is the life of your look! It gives your skirt that fluffy A-line or bell-shape that it takes for you to become a lolita. A petticoat is also the one item that you can be very sure that you won't find already in your closet (unless you've already dabbled in another fabulous, poofy vintage style). It will pay off to look up reviews and spend a bit of money on a good, voluminous chiffon or organza petticoat, so that it will not deflate right away. I would recommend checking out Taobao, or Victoriangirldress on Ebay!

Picture from Hellolace

2. Versatile JSK or Skirt

Now that you've got a proper petticoat, it's time to start building a wardrobe for real! The first piece you should get, is a versatile JSK or skirt that can easily be dressed up or down, so that you can use it for any occasion. Look for something simple, but with an interesting pattern or details that can be the focus point when you want to get fancy. This piece should be chosen in that color that you want to build your wardrobe on. A very busy print, Angelic Pretty-style, might be versatile in that you can combine it with more colors, but it is also tougher to go casual with, and it takes a large wardrobe with many accessories to master. 

Picture from Polyvore

3. Shoes

A good pair of shoes that go with most of your wardrobe is essential to finish off your look. They don't need to be the focus point of your outfit, but your old, over-used sneakers just won't do! They can be simple Mary Janes in a neutral color, bought at your local shoe store, or they can be shoes especially designed for lolita that you can get at Taobao, Bodyline or even brand. The most important thing is that they go with your wardrobe! Now that we are at the topic of what to wear on your feet, we should also talk about socks! Apart from being an important part of an outfit, you are also going to be very uncomfortable in your shoes without! You can find cute and elegant tights in most stores and maybe even lolita appropriate ankle socks,  but socks can also be bought second-hand, directly from brands, Antaina on Taobao, or Bodyline.

Picture from Chictini

4. Blouses, Cutsews and Cardigans

Don't be surprised that this is placed so low on the list. The reason is simply that stable items for this point might already be in your wardrobe! A cute t-shirt will work perfectly well with a skirt for a casual look, and cardigans are very often used with a JSK instead of a blouse! If you have an elegant chiffon shirt like the one pictured above, it could also look good under a JSK! Be aware that business-look blouses with pointy collars, even though they might look similar to some lolita blouses and are very job-interview appropriate, just aren't.. lolita-elegant. Blouses can, apart from with a bit of luck in your everyday clothing stores, be bought at Taobao, Bodyline (Beware of the lace-quality!) and of course, second-hand or directly from brands. You might also have luck browsing vintage shops.

Picture from Flickr

5. Accessories!

You probably already have at least a couple of accessories that could work with your lolita look, and if you don't, accessories can be bought anywhere and everywhere! Vintage-looking jewellery is currently very fashionable, so Classic and Gothic lolitas are especially in luck, but it is also possible for the more sweetly-inclined to dig up something nice! The childrens' section usually has adorable hairclips and other goodies. Check out your local Accessorize, H&M or whatever other clothing- and accessory store's near you! Apart from that, you can find plenty of second-hand lolita accessories online and great stuff on Taobao or Etsy. Foxcherry333 is an online taobao store that I am especially fond of (though you will need to use a shoppingservice to buy from her. I recommend Taobaospree!) She makes hair-accessories, hats and much more!  

Building a wardrobe takes a long time! Have patience and enjoy hunting for new items and making your pieces work in a bunch of different ways! 

Now that we've gone through the steps, tell me about your experiences with building a wardrobe! Do you have any advice you'd like to share? Share in the comments below!

Infanta and the Dolly House

Not too long ago, Infanta entered the sweet lolita market with their Sweet Dolly House series, a series that is obviously inspired by many of Angelic Pretty's recent pastel-toy prints. Infanta is a well-established Taobao brand that has for a long time been more focused on classic and kodona styles, but has now branched out to the more sugary-inclined. Even though their series resembles many other OTT-sweet prints, they still put a very unique spin on the design of the dress, in my opinion. The series features a One Piece, a JSK, a skirt, a head-bow, a half-bonnet and something very unusual: A series of bow clips! 

Picture borrowed from Clobbaonline

I am very partial to their OP, even though I usually prefer JSKs. I find that even though mint is not an unusual color in itself in sweet lolita, this particular mint colorway is very unusual, in that it leans more towards a greenish kind of color than a pastel blue. It is a very bright color, and I think it showcases the print the best out of the three different colorways. The scalloped neckline is a very unusual detail, and I really like the corset lacing! It doesn't look overwhelming and is a refreshing nod to more old-school styles. The yellow colorway has pink polkadot ribbon for the bow on the neckline, which I think is a very charming touch! 

Picture from Clobbaonline


The pink and yellow colorways of the JSK has nice lace at the bottom that looks a bit like chiffon, whereas the mint has an unusual kind of lace that to me looks very soft, and might be venetian lace (correct me if I am wrong), but to me it makes the JSK look kind of shredded at the bottom in an "I was chased through the woods" kind of way, haha! I think that the randomly placed bows at the top of the JSK could have been placed better. A small bow at each of the straps would have been enough.
The skirt is very cute and simple with more randomly placed bows that I am not a fan of myself, but otherwise, the skirt looks very full and nice, though a tad on the short side.

Picture from Clobbaonline

I really like the fluffy look of the half-bonnet (though I'm not so sure about the quality of the lace), but the headbow really stood out to me the most. The way it lays flat on the head usually doesn't look good to me, but with this one, I think it looks absolutely adorable, if the bow had just looked a little less like it badly needs to be ironed. I would love to see some more of this kind of bows in the fashion!The cherry hairclip that she is wearing is part of a $10 dollar set that also belongs to this series (though I don't see how cherries and strawberries go with a toy-themed print. Meh, they are cute anyway!)

None of Infanta's dresses can be custom-made right now, so some of us will have to keep our fingers crossed that they give us that option sometime in the future! None the less, I look forward to see what they will come up with next! I really like what we've seen so far!

This series can be purchased at: 
Clobbaonline
Qutieland
Infanta's Taobao Shop (with a shopping-service)

Welcome to the Northern Star!

As my first post, I would like to say welcome to my blog! This is a time for new beginnings for me, and for that same reason, I have decided to give this blog a new beginning. For a long time I have been intensely reading a lot of different blogs, and have now found the courage I needed to start my own, especially thank you to the lovely author of Parfaitdoll and her articles on lolita blogging. I hope this blog will be able to inspire new lolitas and be entertaining to the more experienced ones in our fashion as well, and of course, that this blog will be just as inspiring and entertaining for myself to write! I have a long road ahead of me in this new world of The Blogosphere, but I'm excited to get started and hopefully, make this blog grow!

This blog will contain articles on the lolita lifestyle, new trends and new releases, anything and everything lolita! But I will probably also write articles on other curious and magical subjects, books, movies, meet-ups and the like!

I look forward to getting started and hope that you will follow me along the way!