It’s Sarah again, with a few more tips on starting out in the terrifying world of Lolita. Last week we gave a basic look at the levels of suppliers available, this week we’re looking at using those suppliers wisely.
That’s right! You better get in the car loser, we’re going to talk at length about SHOPPING!
Where to buy/not to buy:
Good second-hand marketplaces are a godsend when youre staring out. Off the top of my head, some of the most well-known ones are:
-Lacemarket (Independent Marketplace)
-Closet Child (Consignment Store)
-Tokyo Alice (Consignment Store)
-Lolita Sales in English (Facebook community)
-EGL Comm Sales (Livejournal. This is often a good place to start because they provide you with feedback pages to prove you are a reputable customer/seller.)
-Mbok (Japanese Auctions)
and
-Yahoo! Japan
It can get a little wild when you’re buying direct from the previous owner, and it’s best to remember your manners and tact when messaging sellers. Always remember that tone does not communicate across the internet.
But having said that, if you are unsure about a purchase (for example, if the shipping time was an estimated ten working days and you’ve been waiting three weeks, or the “Like New” item arrives with stains and pet hair) you are within your rights to be firm and get what it is you paid for. If that’s not possible, you can get your money back. PayPal Disputes are useful if you fear your seller has been dishonest
Consignment stores are establishments that buy clothes from the original owner and sell it for a small profit. They are often the most reliable and reasonable sources, as they are an impartial third party and have no reason to buy sub-par clothing into their inventory. Likewise they price items at rates they know will sell.
Some stores have good reputations for stocking items of a certain type, for instance you can find beautiful oldschool pieces from Usagi Youhinten and Alice + Fururun. Tokyo Alice is a magnet for rare items (they’re not always in stock, but they get sought-after pieces more regularly than most) and Y! Japan is good for finding popular pieces from the past five years or so. You do have to sift through a lot of “meh” stuff to find the gems, but they’re there to be found.
Shops that ship overseas are a girl’s best friend, but if that option is not available to you, fear not! A shopping service will help you for a small commission.
There are separate shopping services for TaoBao (the hint usually is that these ones HAVE “TAOBAO” IN THE NAME, like TaoBao Spree and TaoBaoNow, but there are quite a few…) and Japanese stores.
My favourite Japanese Shopping Services are Japonica Market, and From Japan. But ask around and shop around, find the one that suits you best.
Thankfully though, the major brands (Baby the Stars Shine Bright/Alice and the Pirates, Angelic Pretty, Innocent World, Metamorphose, Moi-meme-Moitié’s CD Japan store, Juliette et Justine, Mary Magdalene, etc…) the bigger consignment stores and auction sites, and quite a few indie brands ship worldwide.
The most popular brands (see above) vary in how their sites operate. Since Lolita clothes are produced in such small numbers, supply often cannot meet demand. One does not simply walk in and order.
Okay, that might have been a slight exaggeration. I know Innocent World and Meta are very easy to shop from because generally fans of those brands are more relaxed, so stock doesn’t evaporate with the same speed as, say, oh I dunno, Angelic Pretty’s.
If you’re after the Next Big Print from AP or Baby, be ready to go without sleep on the night of the launch, or hire a shopping service to go hit up the physical store for you. They can sell out in minutes, be warned!
Reservation orders are your best friend sometimes. Brands announce what they plan to release (…often with a wait of a few months. I’ve bought things before and FORGOTTEN about them they take so long to arrive.) and girls snap them up while they can. It’s quick and brutal, but nothing like the manic rush of a 2:00am print release.
If Mary Magdalene is your cup of tea, they put up stock on a made-to-order basis intermittently. If you miss the order period, you might be able to snag items a day or two after it’s release, but that’s only if they have surplus stock at all.
Sites to avoid, and how to recognize a scam when you see one:
MILANOO. Don’t buy from Milanoo. Please just don’t argue with me here, I know for a fact I’ve been learning the ropes in this style since before some of you were allowed to write in pen, TRUST ME ON THIS. Milanoo is a pain in the arse.
They steal photos, make ridiculously cheap knockoffs hoping the buyer won’t notice, and are just an all-round bad idea to buy from. Anyone who says they bought a dress from here “and it turned out fine” either got lucky and bought one of the TaoBao dresses they re-sell, or just doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I’m sorry to say that because I know it sounds awful snobby, but please, take your money elsewhere. You’ll be glad you did, I promise you.
Further evidence of their shady behaviour lies in the fact that they create multiple sock-puppet online storefronts for themselves. They sell through lightinthebox.com, and have various other TOTES LEGIT SOUNDING facades like “my-lolita-dress.com”
Protip, if it sounds super vague, kinda Engrish-y, or like something your grandmother would type into Bing… probably Milanoo.
Don’t buy from Milanoo.
Actually, try to avoid anywhere that photoshops the background of their stock photos, as there’s a fair chance that the stock photos are stolen. Actual producers of Lolita clothes, be they TaoBao, Indie Brand or Brand, take good clear shots of their stock against a recognizable background. (Baby and their red curtain, Mary Magdalene and their floral wallpaper, and so on…) While they may be lazy about it and photoshop the COLOUR of their items, the background is always properly visible, and REALLY THERE.
Also avoid eBay. The term “eBay Lace Monster” exists for a reason. I’ve owned dresses from eBay in my youth. They were a bit of a waste of time. Unless it’s clearly stated to be from a reputable producer and being sold by a human being with proof photos as opposed to an eBay shop, give it a wide clearance.
“DS Innocent World Blouse, Ivory” = Fair Enough.
“Kawaii Sexy Angelic Pretty 6% Doki Doki Kyary Harajuku Maid Princess Noble Uguu Baby BTSSB Decora Neko-chan Gosurori Lolita Costume Dress, Custom Sizing” = Oh Dear God.
Now after all that “no no no”, let’s get a bit more proactive!
Building a basic wardrobe 
How to prioritize your purchases and choose basics that will last you for years to come:
-Start Simple
I know that special edition dress with the princess sleeves and bustles on top of other bustles and the pearl details and the apple-bottom jeans and the boots with the fur looks AMAZING right now, but ask yourself these things before you buy anything, especially when you’re just starting out:
“Where do I plan to wear this?”
If you have events every other month, or you go to the ballet or theater often, then you can justify buying the Mental Princess Dress.
If you just meet with a few friends once a week to go window shopping and invading Starbucks, it might not be the best decision.
“What will this go with in my wardrobe?”
If you’re buying an OP (Onepiece Dress) then you at least need shoes, legwear and something for your hair. That’s easy enough.
Jumperskirts (Sleeveless Dresses) require a blouse or a cardigan or a bolero or something on top of the basics. Lolita adheres to the same rule as entering buildings in the Vatican: Keep your shoulders covered, no miniskirts. In certain conditions these rules are relaxed (Shoutout to every Lolita ever to live in Japan, Brazil or Australia during summertime!) but in general good practice, no bare arms.
Anyway, they key to building a WARDROBE as opposed to a bunch of disjointed outfits that you can’t play around with, is to bear in mind what you already have, and buy things that compliment that.
“AM I READY TO DEAL WITH THE WORLD IN THIS?”
The world will sure as hell not be ready for you. Ever. Doesn’t matter how simple an outfit you’re wearing, if you’re walking around Ireland in Lolita, you’re going to get stares and comments and abuse shouted at you out of cars with gearboxes that go TSSSS for no reason.
This is the main reason I advise starting small, (Just in case anyone suspected me of wanting to keep beginner Lolitas plain so I could feel extra fancy MWAHAHAHA), it’s not that. You have to build up a resistance.
People will touch your skirt to see what holds it out like that. People will touch your hair to see if it’s real. People will swing out of your bag. People will want to try on your hair accessories. People will ask you if you’re in a play when you’re trying to decide on your order in Subway. People will ask you where you’re going when you only just got there. People will ask you what’s going ON? People will ask you who you’re supposed to BE? People will want photos. People will want to know where you got everything, PEOPLE, AAAAAAGH!!!
…and the fancier you look, the more they will approach you, and the more invasive they will be. So start small. I know I would not have been able to deal with the public in a Very Fancy Outfit my first time, I was self-conscious enough in a plain black dress.
Work up to the elaborate stuff and it will get easier.
Okay, we’re nearly there.
And if there’s anything you want to know that I miss, just shout!
But the final piece of advise for now is; when you’re starting out first, pick a main style.
Classic? Go for basic pieces like blouses, pettis and hair accessories in Ivory or a similar colour. Tan, brown, maybe muted pink. Get your core items and build from there.
Gothic? Great! Black, black, more black, white, maybe burgundy. You’ll never go astray when your colour palette is dark and simple. I still have some Babby’s First Purchases that I love to this day, and it’s their simplicity that allows them to last for years without dating horribly.
Sweet? I swear to god, white is your best friend here. Or Ivory. Get a neutral coloured core collection and let your focal items bring the pinks, lavenders, yellows and mint colours in. If you buy a pink blouse and then want to wear it with a blue outfit that lacks any pink details, that’s a tricky look to pull off. But white will see you through.
Anyway, that’s the lot for today! Sorry for the whopper post, I tried to cover as much as I could, these are all things I wish I knew before taking my first steps. I hope they’re useful to you, and I’ll see you again soon!
