Coordinate Spotlight

Stina

Black and Pink with Magical Etoile 

 

"I was just going for something fanciful and a little over the top, but still wearable and slightly circus~y. I really get inspired by Kira Imai's work, so I tried to make something that mirrored her sort of dark whimsy. I guess. xD

 

And all of those little details are done intentionally to give a doll like, decadent sort of look. Very much something I think Kira Imai would put in her work. I'm a sucker for art, so yeah. xD;;

And with black, it doesn't really work with every color, but having an even balance of it on the coordinate certainly helps. I'd say to readers to stick to colors like blue, pink, purple, and red. Colors like yellow don't work as well."

 

 

Current Trends

Currently Trending

Printed Tights

New Lolita! Help? What if I'm an Ita?!

Let me start by saying that I would have never written this post if I hadn't gotten feedback from a few new Lolitas who said that they had questions about Itas. What is an Ita? What is the difference between a Lolita and an Ita? How can I tell if I'm an Ita?

                         Origins

In Japanese, the word for "ouch" is "itai". In this context, it means "painful to look at". A reason "Ita" works so well for the Lolita community is because it sounds like "Lolita", but shortened as if it hasn't quite caught up, yet. It can be a pretty good metaphor, actually.

Differences

I think the biggest difference between a Lolita and an Ita is the finishing touches and the overall theme. Most Lolitas don't wear things that are over-ruffled, over-laced, too shiny, or has too much emphasis on corset lacing. Lolitas are more interested in current trends than fashion nostalgia that anime and maid cafes tend to focus on and they take more care in what their hair and make-up looks like.

If you're worried that you might be an Ita, ask yourself:

• Is the style unnecessarily old school?
• Are there contrasting colors on one item of clothing, such as a black skirt with a red ruffle?
• Are there ribbons hanging off of your dress or skirt?
• How good is the construction?
• Does it fit well?
• How does your hair look, is it flat, greasy, or unwashed?
• Are your shoes in terrible condition?
• Are there stains all over your clothes?
• Do you have a flat petti? Or no petti?
• Did you mix your raver or anime interests into your outfits?
• Are you inspired by maid cafes?
• Are you trying to look sexy?
• How long is your skirt?

What are Some Kinds Dresses to Avoid?

 Look at the dress as a whole. There is way too much going on for one garment. The fabric is cheap, the color is too bright and contrasts too much with the white, it laces up in the front, the fit is terrible even on the dress form, the bow on the waist in crooked and off-center, the lace is cheap, and it dominates the dress. This is the kind of dress that would wear you instead of the other way around. 

A good rule of thumb is to avoid the company that made it entirely. You can see their name in the watermark on the image. I'm not going to type it because I don't want their ads here.

Accessories to Avoid

 

I feel bad about featuring a handmade item as an ita accessory. Most people go through the ita stage, I know I made a million mini top hats. Luckily I could give them all to my last roommate, who isn't a Lolita, but always loved them anyway.

I consider the company above to be a fair target, but I'm not going to tear these apart. I will say that arm warmers are typically not Lolita. That doesn't mean you can't wear these with a goth outfit and be totally cute. 

This is a picture of a headdress, a lot of Lolitas wore these in the early days. These days, Lolitas call this accessory "The Maxi Pad Headdress".  A lot of people still make them, even though no one wears them anymore, and you can find them in the artist alley at most anime conventions. You can find them in a variety of colors and novelty fabrics, but trust me when I tell you to steer clear.
 
Links

For some good visuals and tips check out fyeahlolita :http://fyeahlolita.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-avoid-being-ita.html

I'm New! Help? Where do I Start?

Research

So, you're new to Lolita fashion. It can be so overwhelming, what do you do first? Research, research, research!

hellolace.net

egl.livejournal.com

tokyofashion.com/photos

daily-lolita.livejournal.com

These are just a few. EGL can be a bit outdated, especially the handbook that they will link you to, but read the FAQ, read the list of scammers(that is absolutely important), read through the posts, and before you want to make a post and ask a question, make sure you can't find the info on your own first.

Know your terminology

JSK- Jumper skirt. A dress with straps instead of sleeves.
OP- One piece. A dress with sleeves.
Coord- Short for "coordinate". Like the word "outfit", but it implies so much more. An outfit is what you threw on at the beginning of the day. A coord is something you've been planning for three months.
Cutsew: It's like a knit blouse. Considered to be more casual.
OTK's: Over the knee socks.
Burando: A romanized way of saying "brand". Referring to any item you have that is brand name.
RHS: Rocking Horse Shoes
CGL: Just, don't go there...

Brand abbreviations:
AP- Angelic Pretty
BtSSB- Baby the Stars Shine Bright
IW- Innocent World
Moitie- Moi Meme Moitie

 Build Your Wishlist

Don't worry about price or size for now. This will help you determine what your personal style is and help you to organize your spending when you do decide to make the plunge. Keep shoes, blouses, skirts, dresses, accessories, and wigs in all different categories/files/albums. Start a polyvore account, www.polyvore.com, and begin creating your dream coordinates.

Get Inspired

Find and follow your favorite Lolitas for ideas on your own wardrobe. You don't have to copy what they do, but pick out what you like about their coords and let that inspire you when you start wearing Lolita.

 Know Your Measurements

Have a friend measure you the right way, there are several tutorials on youtube, and keep that info somewhere you will not forget it. It is very important to know what size you are. No one is going to be able to convert your retail size for you, it just isn't applicable.

Make Friends

Find a Lolita best friend or get close with some of the older Lolitas in your local community. They've been doing it for a while and can probably help you avoid common traps that newbies can easily fall into. I don't know how many girls I've saved from ordering anything from one particular, Chinese scammer site. Talking with "veterans" of the style can save you a lot of time, money, and frustration.

Deal with Haters

And last but not least, learn to take criticism. People can be harsh, so if they're saying something along the lines of how ugly they think you are, ignore them. If they think a certain style or color of shoe would look better than what you picked, maybe try that suggestion. You might end up agreeing with them!

I hope this was helpful, have fun!

-Lunette <3