♥ Wearing Lolita in Cold Winter Climates ♥

I live in a fairly unusual place in regards to temperature and climate. In the area I live we have a very dry, landlocked climate that is prone to reaching both ends of extreme temperature conditions. Living here requires people to prepare for both incredible warmth and freezing cold, so by living here I've learned a lot about making lolita fashion work for both temperatures.

I've spoke before on wearing lolita in the summer months, but I haven't yet shared any tips on dressing for the other extreme. Today I'm going to share some of my favourite fixes for wearing lolita in winter!

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Coats & Capes

The first and most obvious answer to making your lolita coords suitable for winter is the lolita-style winter coat. Many different brands and indie brands alike release their own winter coats and capes yearly. Styles of these coats vary from basic and versatile designs to the more specific substyle oriented designs.

Most lolita brand coats are suitable for temperatures up to −5 °C (23 °F) but some are useful up to −10 °C (14 °F) on their own. These coats are great for keeping out wind, but may not be very good at keeping in warmth. Ultimately, it really does depend on the coat itself and the materials used in making it. Many of these lolita coats can still handle a cold winter, but will require some layering to do so.

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Long Sleeves & Layering

In my personal opinion, wearing longer sleeves and layering is the key part of keeping warm in the winter. By covering the arms up and layering, any coordinate can be made suitable for winter!

At the bare minimum, it's good to have a long sleeved shirt and opaque tights to wear underneath everything. By wearing tight shirts underneath your blouse and tights underneath your OTKs or ankle socks, it adds an extra layer to trap in heat without drastically changing your coord! Of course, if layering tights underneath your socks isn't your thing, you can substitute tights for your socks instead. Thermal shirts, fleece-lined tights and knit tights are the most useful for keeping heat in on the winter months, but even regular tights and undershirts work well on mild days. 

By layering underneath your blouses and socks, you won't have to worry about looking frumpy or wearing mismatching cardigans to stay warm. It also allows for a bit of extra modesty, which is never a bad thing in lolita, haha. On top of layering with your inner layers, you can also add underskirts, cardigans, scarves, gloves, earmuffs, fur collars and other additional pieces to your coord to make it a little bit warmer!

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Thick & Warm Materials

Believe it or not, there are a lot of dresses and skirts that are made just for winter! One of my favourite pieces to wear, Angelic Pretty's Holy Night Story OP was released in the winter and it made from a very thick cotton material. It's so heavy and warm it's almost impossible for me to wear it when it's not a chilly day!

It's good to keep an eye out for new releases in the winter, but if it isn't in your price range, then it's still possible to look on secondhand sales. While these thicker dresses are often much heavier, and shipping often reflects it, it's definitely worth the extra cost to stay warm on those bitterly cold days.

Good materials to keep an eye out for are corduroy fabrics, velvet and velveteen. wool and knits, suede, sheepskin/pearskin and furs. These materials all keep in heat and allow you to stay warmer longer. While it isn't 

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Suitable Shoes & Boots

The winter means it's time to put away the tea parties, and say hello to boots and insulated shoes! While tea parties are very cute, the open top of the shoes can allow the cold and wet to hit your feet much easier. You can still wear tea parties in winter, but by wearing boots and insulated shoes, you'll be able to keep your feet warmer. For me, the feet are the first things to get cold and most greatly affect me on a cold day, so it's good to protect them.

While insulated boots may not be the most cute shoes in the world, they are the best at keeping your feet warm and it is surprisingly easy to find some that work with lolita! If you wear a lot of sweet lolita, you can easily find childrens' shoes in cute styles (You just have to convert your shoes size!) and Tecnica even has moon boots for adults in cute styles! For the more classic and subdoed styles, it's actually very easy to find suitable insulated pleather boots at most local shoes stores.

Surprisingly, lolita boots are not as great for winter as one would think! They're fantastic for keeping out water and snow, but aren't very good at keeping heat in, so make sure you have some wool socks or thicker tights to wear underneath them. For an alternative to cute lolita boots, there are many online shops like Dream V and various Taobao stores that sell cute boots. While they may not be specifically branded as lolita items, they are still cute and could easily work with a lolita coord!

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While you might be able to use these tips above to stay warmer and be able to wear lolita easier in these cold months, it's still good to keep in mind that in the most extreme conditions it might not be suitable to wear lolita.

Quite often my province has terrible blizzards, extreme wind and heavy snows. While I love wearing lolita, it would not be as useful in that situation as a very heavy parka and thick winter boots would be. With either extreme in temperature, hot or cold, it is good to take the time to judge if it is a suitable situation to wear lolita or not. 

I hope these tips will be helpful and I do hope that you will enjoy wearing lolita in the winter! Winter weather may be dreadful at times, but it's also a wonderful season that is just perfect for wearing lolita. Please keep yourself warm, healthy and hydrated this winter! 

Thank you for reading!

♥ Lolita Fashion: A Beginner's Guide - Part Three/FINAL ♥

This is the third and final part of the Lolita Fashion Beginner's Guide. I've created this to have a short, but in depth guide to help new members of my local comm, as well as others new to lolita fashion that may have a use for it. For part one, see here.

In this section of the guide, I will go into detail on how to purchase lolita fashion online, some recommended stores and scam sites / scammers to avoid.

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Buying Lolita Pieces - Scams & Replicas

[ Source: Lolita-Tips | Original Source: EGL ]

There are a lot of lolita scammers out there, so you must be careful. There are many different websites that are notorious for being scam websites, the worst being Milanoo. These websites often sell lolita at “too good to be true” prices and feature stolen pictures from other lolita companies. Quite often they will send out low quality and/or damaged items and sometimes even don’t send out the items at all!

Please keep yourself educated and well informed on these websites. You can learn more about Milanoo, their scams and see a list of scam sites here.

As well, please try to avoid buying lolita from eBay and Aliexpress. While some of the stores are safe, they are also filled with scam stores featuring stolen photos and replica sales. There are exceptions buying from eBay, of course, as sometimes used lolita items are sold there safely.

Many lolita stores online sell copies or “replicas” of items created by lolita brands. These items can included dresses, blouses, shoes, purses and more. These items are usually only made when the real items are no longer made or are in high demand. In most situations these are acceptable, though opinions on replicas vary in the community.


A very important thing to keep aware of are print replicas. Many stores create their own copies of new print dresses and skirts created by lolita companies. This is highly frowned upon as it is direct art theft, copying their designs exactly but in much, much lower quality. These lolita companies that make replicas trick girls new to lolita and often say their replicas are the real thing or simply lie by omission and imply that they are their original designs. The two largest print replica makers, DOL/Dream of Lolita and Oojia are guilty of both.

[ Source ]

It is actually sometimes more expensive to buy these print replicas than it is to buy good quality lolita items new or secondhand. It is highly recommended to not buy replica print items. As well, print replicas are incredibly looked down upon in many lolita communities, both online and locally, due to their blatant art theft and poor quality.

Recommended Reading

What Is A Replica?
Information & Common Misconceptions of Print Replicas

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Buying Lolita Pieces - Measurements & Where To Buy

The first thing you have to do before buying lolita fashion is taking your measurements. While some lolita companies sell pieces in multiple sizes, their S/M/L sizes do not reflect the typical clothing sizes in stores. Lolita items will have their measurements listed, most of the time in centimetres. In order to know if these will fit you, you must take your measurements.

Recommended Reading

How to Measure Yourself for Lolita
Inches to Centimetre Converter
Shoe Size Converter

There are many lolita brands you can directly buy from. Innocent World and Metamorphose are both brands with dedicated websites for international buyers. Baby the Stars Shine Bright and Angelic Pretty both have a US based store and an international store you can order from. However, you do need to use Tenso to order from Angelic Pretty’s Japanese webstore.

You don’t only have to buy lolita fashion brand-new. Often you can buy new or lightly used items secondhand often at a cheaper price than buying new. Good places for secondhand are Lace Market, Lolita Sales in English and Closet Child. Yahoo Japan Auctions and Mbok are great for amazing deals, but you need a shopping service like Japonica Market or FromJapan as the website doesn't have any options for overseas shipping.

If you want to buy things new and also keep things affordable, there are indie brands such as Anna House, Infanta, Bunny House, and The Floral Notebook. There are also Bodyline and Fanplusfriend, but you have to be careful ordering from them as not everything they sell is lolita even if it's under the lolita category. Both websites sell “cosplay lolita” as well, so be careful ordering from them. 

This is a good guide on buying from Bodyline as a beginner, showing examples of the differences between proper lolita and “cosplay lolita”.

Etsy and Storenvy are both great for affordable handmade lolita. Miscy, Silversark, Sweet Mildred, English Charm, I Do Declare, Eat Me Ink Me, and In The Starlight all are reputable stores. For Indie lolita with a more brand-like feel, there is Haenuli, Baroque and Ergi. There are also endless stores on Etsy & Storenvy that sell handmade lolita accessories.

Another option for buying lolita is Taobao. Taobao is a Chinese website similar to ebay. There are many different store that sell lolita items. The entire website is in Mandarin so you will need to use translations and dictionaries. Just like the Japanese auction sites, you need to use shopping service to purchase from Taobao. You could also buy from a reseller like MyLolitaDress, GlitzyWonderland, and Loli-Loli Paradise. However, keep in mind resellers do have a markup on their prices and it ranges between them. 

Recommended Reading

Taobao FAQ
Taobao Guide for Beginner Lolitas
List of Indie Lolita Brands on Taobao

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Reccomended Guides and Websites For Those New To Lolita Fashion

[ Source: Bonxy ]

Hopefully now you have a good idea of what lolita fashion is and how to start wearing it! Things may seem very new and intimidating at first, but being new is not nearly as scary as it seems! There are many supportive community and endless resources online so you will be able to learn quickly and connect to other lolitas very quickly with just a little bit of effort.

Here are some helpful links and advice that compliment this guide with extra info and topics I may have not covered in my guide:

• Lolita: A Novices Guide
• Need To Know & Must-Accepts For Lolita Beginners

• Lolita Glossary - Terms Unique to Lolita Fashion

• EGL - Largest Online Lolita Community
• Lolitafashion.org - Resources/Info on Lolita. Slightly outdated.
• Lolita Handbook (livejournal) - Info/Resources on Lolita. Very indepth!
• Lolita Handbook (tumblr) - Personally Answer Questions, Info on Lolita
• Lolita Tips - Questions & Tips on Lolita Fashion

• Lolita Everyday - Videos: Guides, Advice, Humor (Russian w/ English Subtitles)
• Lovelylor - Videos: Advice, Humor

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Thank you so much for reading my guide for new lolitas! I hope it was informational and helpful!
If you have any questions or would like advice, please comment below!

Thank you for reading!

♥ Lolita Fashion: A Beginner's Guide - Part Two ♥

This is the second part of the Lolita Fashion Beginner's Guide. I've created this to have a short, but in depth guide to help new members of my local comm, as well as others new to lolita fashion that may have a use for it. For part one, see here.

In this section of the guide, I will go into detail on "Cosplay Lolita" and Starting a Lolita Wardrobe.

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"Cosplay Lolita" Versus Lolita Fashion

Despite the name, Cosplay Lolita is not actually a part of lolita fashion at all. These clothes are inspired by lolita, but ultimately can't be considered lolita because they don't follow the basic guidelines of the style. These dresses and items are almost always made by cosplay companies trying to cash in on the lolita fashion style. These companies are unaware of what makes a lolita coordinate, aside from maybe one or two elements, so their pieces could never be considered lolita.

These are often the most common reasons why an item may be cosplay lolita:

• NO PETTICOAT OR NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR A PETTICOAT - This is the cardinal sin of lolita fashion. In order for it to be considered lolita, in almost all cases, there must be enough room for a full petticoat. 
• TOO SHORT - Short dresses and skirts aren't unusual in lolita, especially when you consider Angelic Pretty's pieces, but these pieces are often outrageously short. The rule of thumb for beginners to lolita fashion is the dress should be from an inch above the knee to an inch below the knee in length.
• BAD MATERIALS - Low quality cotton, see-through fabrics, and shiny satin are all too often used in cosplay lolita. If the lace is scratchy, itchy, messy or thin it is bad lace. These laces are often used in cosplay lolita. Ribbon used in cosplay lolita will often be shiny and easily frayed, unlike the quality satin & grosgrain ribbons used in proper lolita pieces.
• INCORPORATE NON-LOLITA ITEMS - Arm warmers, leg warmers, fingerless gloves, maid headbands and other cosplay items are often incorporated into these cosplay outfits. Cat ears and aprons can be worn in lolita, but only if they're high quality. It's very common to see bad quality ears and aprons in these cosplay outfits. If it looks comparable to a Halloween costume, it's most likely cosplay, and not lolita.

It is all too easy to accidentally buy Cosplay Lolita. If able, please check into a local or online community before purchasing any items. Even if you're positive it isn't cosplay lolita, a second opinion from someone experienced in the fashion is a great help when starting to buy lolita pieces.

Cosplay Lolita isn't the only thing mistaken for lolita fashion. There are other Japanese fashions that are often confused for lolita fashion. Himekaji and Himegyaru are the most commonly confused styles. While cute and stylish, these styles don't follow the same guidelines and ideas as lolita fashion. Many items described as "lolita" online may actually be one of these two styles.

Recommended Reading

How to Tell When It's Cosplay Lolita

How to Know If It's Cosplay Lolita, and How To Avoid It

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Starting A Lolita Wardrobe

[ Source ]

When you start wearing lolita, you aren't expected to have a complete wardrobe immediately. It takes time to build your closet.  Still, it is reccomended that you buy a few essential pieces at once to build a 'basic' closet when you start wearing lolita fashion. This way you won't be stuck wearing the same outfit every single time you wish to wear lolita.

Here are a few necessary things for your first lolita wardrobe:

• 1 Petticoat - Make sure your dress(es)/skirt(s) all share the same petticoat-shape. If you have both a cupcake-shaped piece and an a-line shaped piece, then you will need two petticoats right off the bat.
• 1 or 2 Blouses - Owning a blouse is necessary for this fashion and a good way to start is with a convertable blouse. By buying a blouse that has detachable sleeves, you'll have both a long-sleeved and short-sleeved blouse in one! If you have two blouses make sure that they have different collar styles to keep your coordinates i
• 1 Pair of Socks and 1 set of Tights - It's good to have both socks and tights not only to keep your wardrobe versatile, but also to be prepared for all kinds of weather. When buying socks, plain knee-highs just won't do. Try to find lolita-style socks that will match your blouse. It will be easier to coordinate with them this way. Solid tights or lace tights are a great investment for a starter wardrobe. 
• 3 Main Pieces (OP/JSK/Skirt) - At the bare minimum it's good to have at least two or three main pieces to keep things fresh. With your pieces you should keep them easy to work with the rest of your wardrobe and match the rest of your items. If you add too many different colours or styles to your wardrobe at the start, it will get very expensive as you’d have to buy matching accessories for each colour/style.
• 1 or 2 Headdress/Hair Accessories - Make sure they'll be able to match all or most of your main pieces!
• Shoes - One good pair of shoes can work, as long as it matches everything. Make sure the colour and style will work with all your main pieces.
• Jewelry - Keep things simple to start. Bows, pearls, flowers and other 'basic' lolita themes are the easiest to use for multiple styles. 
• Depending on your climate, you may need to buy a cardigan, jacket or coat.

Building a lolita wardrobe does take a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. By planning ahead, you can build a strong wardrobe. A good lolita wardrobe is one you can mix and match with. By buying multiple pieces that share something in common, it’s easier to make your wardrobe work to your advantage.

Recommended Reading

Building A Complete Lolita Wardrobe

Building Your Lolita Wardrobe

Lolita Wardrobe Building

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If you're interested in reading more, please continue onto the final part of the guide.
If you have any questions or would like advice, please comment below!

Thank you for reading!

♥ Lolita Fashion: A Beginner's Guide - Part One ♥

My local lolita comm has gained quite a number of new members recently and it's became very apparent that quite a lot of these girls are very new to the fashion and have a lot to learn. I tried to search for an easy to understand guide that explained everything in the fashion but it was almost impossible to find anything. I decided that I would make a guide for them with information from various guides and sources, combined with my personal knowledge.

This guide is not too long considering all the information it contains, but I still must post it in a segmented format for easy reading. This portion of the guide includes the absolute basics on understanding lolita fashion: defining what lolita is, what makes a lolita outfit and an explanation on substyles.

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What Is Lolita Fashion?

[ Source: TGGC ]

Lolita is a street fashion originally from Japan, but now spread worldwide. Lolita fashion has it’s own unique subculture based on the style. The clothing is mainly inspired by Victorian and Rococo fashion, but also takes inspiration and ideas from other styles and eras.

This fashion movement started in Japan in the 1980’s and has evolved greatly since. Lolita is a fashion heavily influenced by it's rules or "guidelines" of the fashion. These 'rules' however are more meant to show what makes an outfit 'Lolita' rather than limit the wearer. Lolita fashion is not about looking sexy, but is instead about being elegant and cute.

Recommended Videos:

Lace & Petticoats - A Documentary 

Sugarcoated - A Documentary

Lolita Fashion True or False- Facts, Tips & Misconceptions About Lolita

Recommended Reading:

Common Misconceptions About Lolita

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What Makes A Lolita Outfit “Lolita”?

Lolita fashion is known for it’s very complicated outfits. Since there is so much work and different items put together into these outfits, lolitas call them “coordinates” or “coords” since they spend time ‘coordinating’ their items.


Each outfit must have, at the very least:

• Petticoat - The most important piece! Every outfit requires one.
• Hair Accessory - Hats or hairbows are common and easy to wear.
• Dress [JSK/OP] or Skirt - The main focus piece of the outfit.
• Blouse/Cutsew - You should always wear a blouse, but there are some exceptions. Try to wear a blouse with every outfit until you’re more experienced with lolita fashion. Blouses can’t be standard-style work shirts, they must be “lolita style”.
• Socks or Tights - OTKs, Knee Highs and ankle socks are very popular.
• Shoes - Must be lolita style shoes! Converse and crocs need not apply
• Hair & Makeup - It doesn't have to be complex, but basic makeup/hair styling is required.

Other items you can add to an outfit include:

• Wigs - Not every outfit needs one. When using wigs, make sure your wig suits the style. For beginners wear natural hair colours with classic, natural or pastel colours with sweet, and natural or bright colours with gothic.
• Jewelry - Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets, Rings, etc 
• Bags - Purses, handbags and sometimes backpacks
• Boleros & Cardigans - Good for an extra layer of warmth, as well as a nice layering effect
• Jacket/Outerwear - Lolita styled outerwear for colder months
• Gloves, Scarves, Wristcuffs and more 

There are two very important aspects to a proper lolita outfit: The outfit must have the right shape/silhouette and the outfit must have all the main pieces required. You can learn more about the shape and basic requirements of a lolita outfit here at Lolitafashion.org.

Recommended Videos: 

The Coordinate - Basics In Wearing Lolita 

 Recommended Reading: 

  Coordinating 101 - How To Create an Awesome Lolita Coordinate

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Substyles of Lolita Fashion

[ Source: Hellolace ]

Lolita is a fashion of many different substyles. A substyle is still lolita fashion, just worn in a different way. The big lolita substyles are Classic, Gothic and Sweet(Ama/Kote). The other styles fall underneath those three.

Other substyles include:

• Themed Substyles - Sailor, Country, Hime, Pirate, Military, etc 
• Colour Based Substyles - Shiro, Kuro, Sax, etc 
• Over The Top / OTT - An extravagant way to wear lolita, with a large amount of accessories and pieces. Sweet is the most common, but can also be gothic and classic. OTT Classic Lolita is also sometimes known as Art-Lolita in Japan.
• Old School/Traditional - Lolita fashion from before 2008. It can still be worn today.
• There are other substyles like Casual, Ero, Qi, Wa, Guro, Deco & Punk, but those are recommended for more experienced lolitas. They can be very difficult to be understood worn by those new to lolita.
• Lolita also has two sister styles: Aristocrat and Boystyle, also known as Ouji or Kodona. 

In order to wear lolita you don’t have to ‘stick’ to one substyle. You can wear as many different substyles as you’d like, but it’s easier to start with one style and work from there.

Recommended Videos: 

 Lolita Styles Reference with Misako Aoki 

Types of Lolita (humor)

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If you're interested in reading more, please continue onto part two of the guide.
If you have any questions or would like advice, please comment below!

Thank you for reading!

♥ Must Have Items for Your Summer Lolita Wardrobe ♥

Lolita fashion can be quite difficult to wear in the summer. The fashion is perfect for fall and winter with it's many layers and typically thick dresses, but can be difficult to wear in the summer. Many lolitas I know simply don't know how to work their wardrobe for the change in the weather and often take breaks from wearing it over the summer or simply wear the same outfits in the summer and struggle with the heat.

Being a daily/lifestyle lolita, I have wore lolita fashion in all kinds of weather. Though Canada may not have the same sort of summers as typical summer hotspots, I've still had my fair shares of hot and dry summers. Even in these hot summers, I've worn lolita fashion. I've definitely learned from my experiences and today I'd like to share some items I believe are the most useful for summer weather!

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Cutsews, Tees & Camisoles

 My favourite summer lolita pieces are cutsews and camisoles. They are a great alternative to blouses as they're light and incredibly comfortable. Cutsews and camisoles are nice because they're usually cheaper to buy than normal blouses and come in a wide variety of colours.

Cutsews, like blouses, can be worn on their own with a skirt or under jumperskirts. Their designs can very from the most basic puff sleeves and a printed picture to having sleeves of lace, tiny bows and heavily detailed sleeves and ruffles.

Camisoles are mostly worn over skirts, but are not normally worn under JSKs like cutsews. Camisoles are not very common to see being put out by brands nowadays, but they were a summer staple in old school lolita. Finding them secondhand is fairly easy and they are often very affordable.

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Ankle socks, Sheer Socks, & Sandals

A very popular summer trend in lolita fashion is ankle socks, for good reason. Ankle socks are much more comfortable in the summer and much less hot than wearing the ever so popular OTKs. Sheer socks are also a nice alternative, as they're very light and comfortable. Sheer socks also come in a variety of lengths, so if you're uncomfortable with the shortness of ankle socks it is a good summer alternative.

A good alternative for regular lolita shoes are sandals. Some might argue that the open-toed look doesn't fit the lolita aesthetic but multiple lolita brands have released open-toed shoes for the summer and have shown no sign of stopping. When using sandals in a coord, just make sure that the materials and general look of the shoes match your coordinate and it will turn out fine.

If open-toed shoes aren't your cup of tea, another option are the popular 'jelly shoes'. These sandals have open sides, rather than open-toes, and are made of a very soft 'jelly' PVC plastic. These shoes also come in various colours and styles, including some with glitter, so they can work with almost any lolita substyle.

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One Pieces (Without Blouses Underneath)

This is easily the most popular advice given in the summer, and for good reason. Wearing an OP without a blouse is the easiest way to beat the heat in the summer! Losing one layer doesn't seem like much, but your core is easily the warmest part of your body and cotton likes to keep heat trapped underneath it. By ditching the blouse, you lose that hot cotton layer and let your skin breath a little bit better. If you are nervous about staining your OP with your deodorant or sweat, underarm guards are an inexpensive pad for extra protection to keep your clothes safe.

In my opinion, wearing a jumperskirt without a blouse in the summer is okay as well. I know it's a bit of a controversial topic, but I think if done well it can look very nice. If you do choose to wear a JSK without a blouse, I recommend to try it only with a JSK that has detailing or lace on the shoulder straps or to wear your JSK with a lightweight bolero over-top, to hide the lack of blouse.

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Chiffon & Other Lightweight Fabrics

The best way to keep yourself cool is by wearing lightweight and breathy fabrics.

Chiffon is easily the most common lightweight material used in lolita fashion. It's comfortable, lightweight and, in most cases, a very breathable material. Chiffon is an incredibly popular material in lolita fashion, with many brands releasing main pieces, accessories, and other items that utilize the fabric. Most of the time it is used as an accent or in blouses, but dresses and skirts made of chiffon often are released in the spring and summer.

Organza is another lightweight material, but it's more stiff than chiffon. It is often used in petticoats and 'support layers' in clothing. Having an organza petticoat for the summer, rather than a tulle petticoat, is great as it's very soft, comfortable and breathable.. Organza is much less itchy than tulle, and it doesn't stick to your skin,  so bloomers aren't as necessary. Although bloomers are often not very heavy, losing one less layer can help a little bit on a hot day.

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Sun Protection

Lastly, the most important thing in preparing yourself for warm weather is keeping your skin protected from the sun. A high SPF sunblock is incredibly important in keeping you free from sunburns, or tanning if you're not a fan of that. It is also good to have a sun parasol as well. It won't block out the sun completely, but it will lessen your exposure to the sun.

Sunhats are also a good alternative to headbows and other popular hair pieces as it will help block out the sun and lessen chances of heat exhaustion. Keeping yourself in the shade and staying hydrated by drinking water are also good rules to stand by in the summer, wearing lolita or otherwise.

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I hope I've been able to educate and help you in what you can do to improve your summer lolita fashion experience! Hopefully these tips can help and make wearing lolita fashion in the summer easier, and much cooler, haha.

Are these any items or tips I have missed? Please leave the in the comments below if you'd like!

♥ Posing Like A Lolita ♥

In my opinion, the most difficult thing about lolita fashion is knowing how to pose. Even with my past experiences with cosplay, I still had a very difficult time with posing. With cosplay, I had just copied poses directly from the source material, but in lolita you can't exactly do the same thing. You can copy model poses out of Gothic Lolita Bibles and other publications, but not every pose will work for everyone.

I know others also have had or continue to have trouble with poses that suit the lolita fashion, so I've decided I would make a little guide in posing for lolita to try to help! This guide includes both photos as well as drawn examples, featuring a character of mine from an upcoming webcomic!

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The Smile & Expressions

The hardest part of posing for photos is making your facial expression look natural and comfortable. This can be a very difficult thing, especially if you're not used to being photographed. 

The most important thing is your smile. A full smile is great for well-angled candid shots, but otherwise tends to make photos look uncomfortable. A small/half smile is perfect for photos, as it looks delicate and also hides gums and teeth. A closed smile can also be nice. They're great for close-ups, but don't come across as well for full photos. Silly faces also work really for dynamic poses and can be cute!

It's good to give yourself a range of facial expressions in photos, in order to learn what face works best for you. Practicing in a mirror also helps you learn the right 'angles' for your face and  how to control your expression.

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Selfies and Close-Ups

Almost everyone in this generation is guilty of 'the selfie'. I think selfies are a nice and cute way to show of your hair, makeup, and general look! Selfies are also nice practice for getting your expressions and angles right for a photoshoot setting later on.

The two most important things for close-ups and selfies (and photography in general) is the lighting and the angles. In lolita fashion, it's good to take photos in natural light or in shadows. It's very important to not use too powerful lighting, as it can wash out the details in your outfit. For super-close-up style photos, you can use strong lighting as a way to wash out features. It's a very cool look for gothic, aristo and boystyle!

It's good to vary your angles in your photography, but the most flattering angle is definitely holding the camera at a slightly higher angle. It makes your eyes look larger! slightly turning your face to the left or tight makes the photo look much cuteer! If you have a nose you're not happy about, it's good to look straight-on to the camera, to make it look smaller.

[Photo Source - Frilly Pink Dreams]

Another good look for close-ups is the cute 'hand on face' pose. Holding ones hand on the cheek or chin can look very cute or playful, depending on how the face is held. It is a nice and carefree pose!

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Leg Posing

One of the most difficult part of posing for me is figuring out what to do with my legs, haha. After reading many lolita magazines and studying poses, I found two (technically three) poses that work for almost everyone.

"The Straight and Narrow"

[Photo Source - Lunie Chan ]

 This pose is really easy and simple. Just keep your legs completely straight and point your toes forward. This make your legs look slimmer - no matter which angle they're taken from!

The "pigeon toed" look isn't much different from this and does look very cute. Though, a good thing to keep in mind with when pointing your toes together is 'keep it subtle'. Rocking your feet to their side or pushing your toes together so that you can nearly see the sides of your shoes is far too much. Just point them subtly together, only a little, for that cute look.

With this pose you can also have one leg slightly behind the other, for a more mature or formal look.

[ Source - BTSSB Ad]

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"The Dainty Princess"

This is a very popular pose and one of my favourites! It really flatters almost all types of legs, but especially flatters those that are thicker or more muscular. You want to just subtly push your one leg farther back, but not enough to look forced, or like a curtsy. If you are unable to stay balanced, you're pushing your leg too far bag. It's just a simple half-step back, keeping the weight on the tip of your toe.

[ Photo Source - (left) Brookellebeebs (right) AP ad ]

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Arm Posing

When trying to pose, I find my arms tend to flop over to my side too often. It gets boring and often looks tired and makes coords look frumpy. Confident arms makes a confident outfit!

"The Superhero"

This pose is the most basic and often poses used for models and in runways, for good reason. By placing your arms on your waist, it makes it look slimmer and more defined. This pose is also great for a confident looking model! Be careful if you have wide or thick shoulders, this pose does accent them.

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"The Lady"

This pose is really great for keeping an innocent or sweet look. It works very well for both classic and sweet outfits! By placing your arms together in a "V" shape, it creates a slimming look to your waist and also pushes your shoulders inward, creating a soft and sweet look. This pose can look a little plain with straight-posed legs, so it's good to pose the legs crossed or dynamically to avoid a boring look.

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"The Magical Girl"

This pose does look a little "Japanese Tourist" but it's still a very cute pose! The hand-on-waist-look give that extra bit of definition to the waist, and the lifted arm helps create less of a boxy looking frame. The "V" sign adds a little splash of kawaii to this otherwise plain pose! You can also change the posing of the hand in a 'cat paw' pose or another other cute hand-signs to keep things fresh.

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I do apologize for the length of this guide! I wanted to get all the bases covered, haha. I hope this helped!
What poses are your favourite? Are there any poses not in this guide that you love? 

Thanks for reading!

♥ A Guide to Twinning ♥

Twinning is a common and fun way to wear lolita with friends. Twinning is a term used for two or more people wearing the same main piece (OP, JSK, or skirt) together in a similar style. 

Twinning is not limited to two people only, but it is the most commonly seen done in pairs in twin lolita. Sometimes it is done with three, four or more people at once. Many lolita communities, both online and offline, organize meetups and events surrounding twinning style. Twinning has been done in lolita fashion for decades and is a popular way to wear lolita.

This style is a bit more complicated than it may initially seem, as there are many different forms of twinning!

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The Perfect Match Style

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This is the most common and easily recognizable style of twinning. In this style, the wearers wear the exact same outfit, down to the smallest details. All of the colours and items are identical. Sometimes the wearers will flip the items in a way, so that it looks similar to looking in a mirror. This is the most difficult style of twinning to wear and usually requires planning ahead in order to have all matching items.

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The Opposite Style

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Opposite colour twinning is one way to be a bit more 'individual' while twinning. It's exactly the same as true 'perfect match' twinning in which the wearers will wear the exact or near-identical items, but it varies in which the wearers can wear a different colourway in the items. In this style, there is more room for varying items.

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Sometimes the opposite style isn't done as seen above with the identical items but in different shades, and instead does opposite elements. One wearer will wear a dark blouse and light tights for example, and the other will wear a light blouse and dark tights. They are still the same identical items, but have a much different feel than simply changing the colours. It creates a very interesting look!

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The Same Item, But Worn Differently Style

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This is the least challenging form of twinning and the farthest straying from the idea of 'twins'.

While this isn't a bad way to twin, many don't view it as true twinning because it's very individualistic and doesn't focus on matching as much. The items can be the same colour or 'opposite' style and there is much more freedom to play with your style in this form of twinning. In this style of twinning, one can even wear a different but similar item. For example, one can wear the JSK but the other wearer can wear the OP.

One must be very careful  with this style though, as straying too far away from the idea of twinning will make it look more like people wearing the same dress rather than people as a pair (or group) together.

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So How Do I Twin?

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Twinning is easy with practice. Before you make a twinning coordinate with another person it's a good idea to try to practice making coords yourself, either with your own wardrobe or with Polyvore or like programs.

When you're ready, it's a good idea to ask your friends first. It's easier to twin with a friend, but if that isn't an option you can ask anyone in your local community or even do practice with someone online!

At this point, you should choose your main piece together and decide on a theme. Most aren't lucky enough to own the exact same items at once, so if you're planning to do 'Perfectly Identical' or 'Opposite Colour' twinning it is a good idea to plan ahead for a specific meetup or event. It's easy to plan ahead and order identical things, rather than try to rush out a coordinate from what you have.

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What do you think of twinning? Which is your favourite style of twinning?

Thanks for reading!

♥ Thrifting and Antiquing - Lolita Style ♥

Personally, I love thrift and vintage stores. I just adore them. Most of the time, it seems like it's endless junk, but it's amazing when you find that perfect piece for you! Thrifting and antiquing are important in fashion. Plenty of fashion bloggers worldwide buy their clothing from modern brands as well as vintage or used clothing stores. Lolita is no exception, as you're able to find plenty of 'lolitables' from these stores as well!

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Plenty of thrifting and antique stores carry lolita-friendly blouses and skirts, as the lacy and flowing style of skirts were often worn in the 1950s and 1970s. These stores can also carry beautiful vintage jewelry and even those old decor pieces and teacups perfect for those passionate lifestylers! Vintage stores are especially good for finding gloves and hats. These gloves are almost always perfect for classic lolita and many popular hat styles from the fifties and sixties that work very well with lolita if incorporated right.

Many store carry vintage gloves like these.
[Source]

When you're choosing items, be very careful to check the condition of the item - seams of the clothing, chips on a teacup, etc. It's highly unlikely that it will break immediately when you bring it home, but it's good to accept something at a level of 'used' you are comfortable with. The most important thing to check, with skirts and dresses specifically, is if the item fits the lolita aestetic. Will it fit a petti? Is it too long or too short? How will it look incorporated into a coordinate? These are all very important questions to ask yourself will thrifting with lolita fashion in mind.

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Not every store will have something perfectly lolita every time, and often these items will require repairs or modifications to 'make it lolita'. Think about how you'd be able to modify or 'lolita-fy' items as you shop. Ask yourself "Is it worth putting the time towards fixing this up?" Sometimes a piece that looks like it will have lolita potential is a lost cause, and it's okay. Sometimes they aren't the right length or they don't have the right shape. Not everything is meant to wear with the fashion and there is no use trying to save what doesn't work.

Lucky thrift find by Tangerine Taiyaki

Now depending where you live, it may be easier or harder to find suitable things. Living in an older city or a 'historical' town it will be much easier to find things, but it's not impossible to find things in a very modern area and small towns. If you thrift, it's good to make it back to your local store(s) every week or two, as the inventory changes all the time! It's also nice to be friendly and get to know the people who own or work at the store. Not only is it great to make new friends, but you may get the added bonus of them holding items they think you'd like.

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In my opinion, thrifting is great for the lolita on a budge but it is impossible to make an entirely thrifted lolita wardrobe without it looking a little off. Thrifting is a wonderful way to expand your wardrobe and find decor and books suitable for lifestylers but ultimately, it's really hard to perfectly match a niche Japanese style with solely local products. It is completely within possibilities to have a handmade wardrobe supplemented by thrifted items, but it's good to keep a realistic view on thrifting and not rely on it soley for your lolita fix.

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