Younger Lolitas

It's back to school time again! So I have decided to share my thoughts on younger Lolitas and hopefully give some helpful advice for them.

First and foremost - there simply is no age limit on Lolita, young or old. Why should there be an age limit on wearing what you love? But for younger Lolitas, it may be harder to be a part of the fashion.

The first obstacle there is, is the obvious money issue, you probably won't be able to convince your parents to buy you expensive brand dresses on a whim. However, it may be easier to convince them to let you earn the money to buy the clothes you want, perhaps from cheaper places such as Bodyline or while you save up for more expensive things like brand. A few things you could do are babysitting, getting paid for doing chores around the house, mowing lawns, ect. There are a lot of things younger Lolitas could do for a bit of money, but be patient! Lolita fashion is expensive and it takes time to save up for it.You could also learn how to sew, this also takes plenty of time and patience but it can really pay off, in terms of money and creativity.

Second, there is the issue of going to school in Lolita, unless you are home-schooled. You need to check your school rules to see if it would be acceptable to wear Lolita in the first place, if you plan too. If it is, go casual. I am not saying this because you should try to'fit in', I am saying this because it's just plain easier to go through a day of school in Lolita if it is casual, it's easier to walk around and concentrate on your schoolwork. Ditch the multiple petticoats, one is enough. A simple, small headbow is sometimes better than a large one. Wear your hair in simple pigtails or just wear it down. There are plenty of guides for casual Lolita if you need help such as this one.

Third, there is the possible issue of not being able to fit into most Lolita clothing if you are to small for it. Sewing is possibly the best option for this, or see if you can find someone to pay to make the Lolita clothes for you. As for the shoes I find most younger Lolitas are lucky, because there are plenty of cute Mary Janes available for younger Lolitas in normal stores as well as cute accessories! A simple look around your own closet could reveal a few Lolita appropriate pieces you already own.

Fourth, being a part of the Lolita community. Some Lolitas are less than nice, and a community like EGL may be very intimidating to a younger Lolita, it even is to some older Lolitas! Let me make it clear that you do not have to be a member of any Lolita community to be a Lolita. They are a great source of information however, and they can even be great for making new friends, but there are a few jerks out there. Ignore them. You do not need their approval or anyone else's to be a Lolita. I'm not about to say words don't hurt, let's face it, they do. But there are many bullies out there in the real world, just as there are online. Just be careful and be safe on the internet!

Fifth, I leave what is probably the biggest issue for the last. Parents. My parents, thankfully, always approved of the fashion, but some parents will not be so easily convinced. There are many things you can do to try and change their mind, but one of the most affective things is maturity. Prove that you are mature enough to wear the fashion and maybe they will let you, your attitude is the most important thing. As I have listed above, money is an issue, perhaps they don't allow you to wear Lolita because they think it is to expensive. Introduce them to cheaper stores like Bodyline and to the option of sewing and they might change their mind, but make sure to let them know you are willing to work for what you want, you can't expect them to buy you everything! Another issue may be that they find it a bit...unusual. This is understandable, looking like a giant walking cupcake isn't something you see everyday. In this case, you may want to start with introducing them to casual or classic Lolita, then work your way deeper into the fashion slowly, make sure you give them time to adjust to such a big change! Something else that may bother your parents is that they may not think you will actually wear such frilly clothes, especially if you don't usually dress that way. Prove to them you will by wearing nicer clothing on a daily basis, such as skirts and blouses, not just a ratty pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
Overall, you should just try and talk to them about it, let them know how much you love the style. Your parents probably care deeply about you and just want what's best for you, so just be patient with them.

I hope this article offers a bit of advice to younger Lolitas, but the best advice I can offer, is to not give up on being a Lolita, if that is truly what you want to be.
Love, Amelia Jane.

An Offbrand Parasol Review

Originally, I was simply going to post the pictures on my blog with a review, but making a video out of it seemed much more fun! So here it is.

Ignorance is not Bliss.

Another appropriate title for this blog entry could have been "The Things I Wish I Knew Before Buying My First Lolita Outfit" but that is quite a mouthful!

I have learned from the mistakes I made when purchasing my first Lolita outfit ( Hopefully anyways! ). So I make this post in the hopes that Lolitas purchasing their first outfits can learn from my mistakes as well!

Mistake #1  Buying a colored blouse. 

Colored blouses are cute. Colored blouses are fine. But when it is your first blouse, you really want a white one, unless perhaps you are a Gothic Lolita, then a black blouse might be your first choice, but even then a white blouse would go with more and be cooler in terms of temperature. So when buying your first blouse, I strongly recommend buying a white one, preferably with detachable sleeves.

Mistake #2  Buying a cheap blouse.

I absolutely love Bodyline. Most of their clothes I find adorable, and the prices are very decent, but one thing I am not so fond of from Bodyline is the quality of their blouses. They are alright, but definitely not as good as they could be, especially with the quality of the lace on my first Lolita blouse. The lace is scratchy and bothersome and as cute as the blouse is, it's somewhat uncomfortable to wear. There are blouses of higher quality such as brand blouses that can be purchased at a cheaper price from sources such as the comm sales on EGL or even found at thrift stores.

Mistake #3  Buying socks with cheap lace.

Purchasing socks with no lace at all is better than buying socks with cheap, scratchy lace. Of course, it was hard to tell the lace quality by the small picture on Bodyline's website, but with Bodyline one should always be wary of the lace. Actually, I think my first mistake was buying socks from anywhere but a normal store in the first place, for the simple fact that 'normal' socks can be just as cute and far cheaper. I have gotten socks from the mall that are far cuter and have far softer lace than the socks I got from Bodyline, and they were cheaper too!

Mistake #4 Neglecting to purchase a good petticoat.

As any good Lolita will soon realize, you need a good petticoat to complete your outfit. I strongly suggest you stay far away from the petticoats at Bodyline unless you plan on either buying a lot of them, or not having a ton of poof. Tulle petticoats are definitely not the best, they will lose their poof within a few wears. While it is possible to revive them using starch, it's definitely better to save up for a petticoat made with crinoline or organza. While I unfortunately do not own a petticoat made with either of these, I've heard that they never die! If you absolutely cannot buy them however, you can buy a couple decent tulle petticoats so that even if they were to die, the sheer number of them would add poof to your skirt.


Now that I have told you the mistakes I have made when purchasing my first outfit, here are some mistakes other people have made that every Lolita should try to avoid ( In no particular order. ).

Cheap fabrics. 

 Basically, any cheap looking fabric that would be used in a costume is not Lolita. The best choice is cotton. Shiny fabric, pressed velvet and the like are very hard to make look good in a true Lolita outfit.

Scratchy, ugly lace. 

The best type of lace is soft and doesn't have an obvious, cheap netting. For a wonderful guide on how to tell good lace from bad lace by Miss Caro-chan, click here! Also, a good Lolita dress or skirt isn't a lace monster ( A dress absolutely covered in - usually bad - lace. ) and in fact, a dress or skirt doesn't even need lace to be Lolita.

Strange dresses.

If a dress has many odd colors, an unusual shape, or is based on anime, it is probably not Lolita. I'm not saying you can't be unique, but wait until you get the hang of Lolita! Even if a dress is extremely cheap, if it's clearly only meant for cosplay, it's not worth buying to wear as true Lolita, especially if it's your first outfit.

Revealing clothes.

Lolita is not about sex, nor is it a fetish. Lolita is a modest fashion, skirts should be just about knee-length and blouses should not reveal a ton of cleavage. Showing a lot of leg is generally a taboo also, but short socks are just fine on a hot day ( I know I would melt where I live if I wore knee-high socks in the middle of summer! ) and so is going without a blouse while wearing a Jumperskirt.




Take these tips as you will, you are of course free to wear what you like and that is none of my business, these are simply some things I've learned that have helped me with wearing Lolita and maybe they will help you too. The main thing you should remember is that it is okay to break a few rules, but Lolita has rules for a reason, otherwise it wouldn't be Lolita!


Love, Amelia Jane.

An Introduction

Hello and welcome to my first ever blog!  I am Amelia Jane, a Sweet Lolita, and this blog will be used to not only document my personal journey into the world of Lolita, but to hopefully offer information and advice to other Lolitas through my personal experiences. I hope you find this blog entertaining and informative, and I will try my best to keep it that way.

Love, Amelia Jane.