5 Realities of Being a Lifestyler

I've mentioned this before, but I consider myself to be a lifestyle Lolita. This means that I work the fashion into my everyday life as much as possible. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's not, and sometimes it's quite shocking, so here is a list of some of the things you'll deal with being a lifestyler.

1. It's Takes Dedication

Being a lifestyle Lolita requires a lot of dedication. It means completely revamping your wardrobe. I own exactly two pairs of pants. Both are yoga pants, and one pair is splattered with paint, which I only wear when I'm painting furniture for my room (more on this later). Everyone has days where they don't want to do anything but lounge around in their pajamas. As a lifestyler, my pajamas consist of cute lingerie nighties and bloomers.

And soon, winter PJs

But working in the fashion into just your closet does not a lifestyler make. I also have quite a few hobbies that I try to devote time to. I've learned French, and I'm also starting to study Japanese. I sew quite often. I collect teapots, make videos, and run a blog. I do various crafts, and make plushies.

To be fair, a few of these things (notably sewing) I did before I got into Lolita, but the other hobbies are ones that the fashion has led me to.

2. People Won't Understand

I'm quite lucky because my best friend (and roommate) is a Lolita as well. We share a closet and accessories, and it's pretty much the best set up ever. But my family doesn't understand why I dress the way I do, and often make fun of me for it, even while saying that I look nice.

My mom (who has gotten better at being accepting) will sometimes say "let's go to the store--but don't wear that Lolita stuff," even knowing that 90% of my closet is made up of it.

My extended family--the people I grew up with--accept it with "well, you've always been weird," or "remember that phase you went through...."

Strangers on the street seem to be more accepting of it, particularly older ladies who are excited to see fashions similar to what they wore when they were younger. Still, there will always be that one guy (and it usually is a guy) who harasses you, or yells 'insults.'

Call me Bo Peep one more time. See what happens.

3. It's Expensive

Even if you only wear offbrand or handmade, Lolita is expensive. There are countless discussions online about how Lolita is comparable to high fashion brands in the US, but the point remains that for someone who has shopped at thrift stores for most of their life, Lolita will be a shock.

by everydayfrills.tumblr.com

After a few years in the fashion, your expectations will adjust and you'll find yourself saying "$100 for a Baby dress? Steal!" instead of "that's hilarious." However, it will still require saving unless you have a particularly high paying job.

That's only for the fashion portion, too. If you want to be a lifestyler, you're going to want to make your room (at least) match your aesthetic. And finding cute, cheap furniture is difficult. I'm still saving up for new curtains, a bedset, and a loft bed (which I will be making myself). I've already gotten new carpet, cute storage containers, and a wall-mounted closet.

The cheapest way to make your room look the way you want is to give your furniture a makeover with a new paint job. Make sure to wear that one pair of pants you saved when you do this. Or make it yourself.

4. It Takes Time

In every way imaginable, being a lifestyle Lolita will take a lot of time. From getting ready to leave the house, to building up your wardrobe enough to wear Lolita every day, to researching and buying or making your clothes. Lolita takes time.

This isn't a bad thing. While you do this, you'll find things out about yourself. Maybe that you actually like A-line dresses better than bells, or classic better than sweet. Maybe that you're actually pretty good at making accessories even if you kind of suck at sewing, or that green looks better on you than you thought.

5. It's Totally Worth It

This is just my opinion, of course, but I think it's completely worth it. I've gained a ton of confidence because of Lolita fashion, and I'm much happier with myself as a result. I've learned a bunch of skills, I've gained plenty of lovely friends who I have a lot in common with, and I have a conversation starter with pretty much anyone at anytime. 

Friends!

I enjoy myself when I'm writing about Lolita, or sewing a dress, or getting ready to go and hang out with my frilly friends. I have fun when I'm walking down the street in a pretty dress, looking like I've stepped out of a fairy tale. I've discovered tons of hobbies, and have new goals for how to make myself happy. 

Best friends!

So while being a lifestyle is a lot of time and effort and money, I wouldn't give it up for anything. 

Also this happened

What do you guys think? Are you a lifestyler? Why or why not? Do these things hold true for you, or is it just me?

Lolita 52 Challenge: #4 - Favorite thing to put on my head

This one is laughably easy. Hats, of course! I adore hats of all styles, colors, and sizes. I have a face (or a head?) that works with pretty much any hat, which certainly helps. I actually want to get into millinery eventually, but at the moment I don't have enough money to invest in getting hat blocks and things.

I do have materials for making fascinators, but it's something I haven't gotten around to just yet. My to-do list of crafts and sewing is so ridiculously long it hurts to think about.

All of the hats I have are from vintage or thrift stores, and the most expensive one was $10. My best friend got me this hatbox as a Halloween gift (I love Halloween), and it's super sturdy and lovely and useful.

I made a hatbox myself and, although it isn't super pretty it protects my hats. I really want to get a bunch of pretty hatboxes for storage, though.

Here are my collection of beige-y hats. As a classic Lolita, you can never have too many. Creams, off-whites, and ivorys are super easy to match, and if you want to bring in some extra color you can change out the ribbons or add some nice flower clips along the sides.

My fanciest hat is a wedding hat a friend bought for me from Goodwill for about $7. It has beautiful beadwork and a soft tulle train. The brim is nice and wide, and it looks super cute on the underside too. The only problem with this hat is that the fabric is satin-y, which can be frowned upon in this fashion, but I don't mind.

So pretty

And here are the rest of my hats:

The green one is my absolute favorite. The feather is something I added to make some brown fit better in a coordinate, but it's easy to remove. I got this hat for $3 at a little vintage shop. It's velvet and has pearls and green netting and I absolutely adore it.

I would really like to get my hands on some Mary Magdalene hats. I've accepted the fact that accessories are the only thing of MM's that I'll be able to wear, but it's all still so expensive. I particularly love the style of this one:

I think that about wraps it up for this post. What do you guys think of hats in Lolita fashion? Yay or nay?

Lolita 52 Challenge: #3 - What my own Lolita lifestyle is like

Hmm... This prompt is a little open-ended...

I consider myself a 'lifestyle lolita,' because 1) the majority of my closet is Lolita; 2) whenever I go out I tend to wear Lolita; and 3) I try to incorporate Lolita activities and aesthetics into other aspects of my life.

I work from home, so this is much easier for me now than it was when I was working at places that had a uniform or dress code. I don't really incorporate Lolita into my eating habits, mostly because I can't bake or cook all that well.

But I have a nicely sized closet:

A small but close-knit local community (we have meet-ups at least once a month):

An Etsy store where I sell the things I make.

A cute-ish room (I'm working on the styling; I'll be doing a room tour video when it's done).

A Youtube where I talk about Lolita:

And a best friend/roommate who is also a Lolita:

I also collect tea cups and tea pots ( my collection is small because I've only just started):

In general, I'm pretty happy with how much Lolita is incorporated into my life. What I'd really like to do is work more on selling Lolita clothes, and then I think it would be perfect.

Lolita 52 Challenge: #2 - 5 movies for Lolitas

I'm not super into movies unless it's in the horror genre, but here I go anyway...

1) Kamikaze Girls

Did you really think a movie list for Lolita's wouldn't include this movie? Come on. Where would Lolita be without Kamikaze Girls?

2) Marie Antoinette

I wasn't too into this movie as far as story goes. It kind of drags on and is a bit boring, but the visuals are more than enough to keep me interested. The costume design is just lovely.

3) A Little Princess

This is a super cute, family-friendly movie about how all girls are princesses. I adore this movie. It's fun and sad in turns, and the costuming is very nice.

4) Sleepy Hollow

Here's a movie that's much more my speed. It's funny and dark, and has plenty of lovely dresses. It also stars Christina Ricci, who is, was, and will forever be my favorite Wednesday Addams.

5) Alice in Wonderland (any of them)

Pretty much any version of Alice in Wonderland can go with Lolita, but my personal favorites are Sci-Fi's Alice (because I have a huge crush on Andrew Lee Potts) and Tim Burton's version.

Look at that face

Lolita 52 Challenge: #1 - 5 pieces that every Lolita wardrobe should have

I've decided to start this challenge, because I think it will be fun! I'm just going to go in order, and I might skip a few that either don't relate to me or just aren't that interesting, but I'll try to do as many as I can. So, without further ado...

5 pieces that every Lolita wardrobe should have, regardless of style

       1) A bell shaped Petticoat

Petticoats are the lifeblood of Lolita fashion, and the bell petti is easily the most versatile. Even if you're a classic Lolita, a good portion of the dresses you'll buy will either be made for a bell petti or can be paired with one anyway. 

I'd recommend getting a petti that's either around $50 or so, or buying a couple cheaper ones that you can layer, if you want varied amounts of poof.

       2) Versatile, comfortable shoes

You can never have too many shoes, but unfortunately Lolita shoes can be pretty expensive. Look up a bunch of reviews for shoes you're thinking of buying and compare how comfortable they're supposed to be. Also, size up! If you need to, you can use insoles or stuff the toes with socks. It's better to have more space than less.

Go for a neutral color, like white or black, depending on what substyle you wear the most. Also, look for a low-ish heel.

       3) A versatile bag

I'm a huge fan of versatility, in case you can't tell. I like getting a lot of use out of my items, and I can't do that if they don't match everything! Getting versatile stuff is also really useful when you're first getting into the fashion. So do some googling and find a nice white, black, or cream bag to match your coordinates!

       4) Cotton or fleece-lined tights

Maybe not so much for the Lolitas in super warm climates, but for everyone else, these are a must! Wearing Lolita in cold weather can be a challenge, so having warm legwear is essential. You can't really find printed tights in these fabrics, so solids are your only options. I suggest white or black again. You can get some at Sockdreams.com with free shipping!

Pro-tip: Sometimes you can only find leggings for the fleece option, but worry not! If you have a sewing machine you can just sew the bottom parts closed. It'll be a little bulky, but the fabric is stretchy and you can trim the seams.

       5) A parasol

I used to think parasols were just a giant waste of money, but my opinion has changed greatly. I've recently become worried about aging and getting wrinkles, so my opinion has flipped. A parasol is a perfect way to stay cool in the summer, and it keeps the sun away from your sensitive skin! 

Don't bother with the fabric ones, or the ones that will run if they get wet. What's the point of having (essentially) an umbrella that can't shield you from the rain? Also, you can sometimes get lucky and find ruffly umbrellas at Target or Walmart for super cheap. I have one white parasol from Target that's lasted me about 3 years now!

 So there we have it. Five things your Lolita wardrobe should not be without.