Penny Pinching Princess

 Photo credit to Duplica and Sery

For the majority of lolis I know buying lolita is a slow process that takes months of saving. However, there are some girls out there who cannot afford loli clothing no matter what, but they still feel the same yearning to wear bows and frills. Here are some tips to help the would be loli whose budget is virtually non existant.

Learn to Sew

This is probably the greatest advantage a strapped for cash loli can have. Sewing your own clothes means that you can design anything you want and have it fit perfectly. You can find enormous amounts of coupons online for craft stores, saving you a bundle on fabric. And making your own clothes means that you'll appreciate them more!
If you do not know how to sew or don't own a sewing machine I'm sure that you can find someone out there who does. Many retired women offer private sewing lessons in their home for a very small fee. This will help you learn the skills you need and give you access to a sewing machine (and potentially make a new friend! I love hanging out with old ladies, they usually have wonderful stories). Just put out an ad on a community bulliten board looking for a teacher.

Go Thrifting

Thrift shops are a treasure trove of loli-able items. It takes a lot of hunting but it's possible to find full coordinates! Blouses are usually in abundance and it can be quite easy to pick something out that would look perfect with any skirt or jumperskirt. You may be able to come across a cheap pair of mary-jane shoes, or failing that try a pair of pretty pumps. It might take a few visits to find a suitable dress or JSK, but it can be done! Just keep an open mind and follow my motto "when in doubt try it on", sometimes seeing an item off the hanger transforms it!

Support Mr. Yan

If you are able to make/thrift everything else then saving up for a dress or jumperskirt from Bodyline can be an attainable goal. Before buying make absolutely sure that what you want will fit you and then put up a WTB on EGL Community Sales (buying it from a girl in your country often saves you a lot of money on shipping) or join a group order. 
Since petticoats are harder to make and find in thrift stores it might be a good idea to buy one from Bodyline. Besides dresses, Bodyline has almost everything you need to accessorize your coordinate: jewelry, bows, bags, even false eyelashes!


Even for those girls (and boys) out there who only have moths in their wallets, gorgeous loli cooridantes are certainly possible. It may take a bit more work than simply dragging brand into your shopping cart, but the results can be just as beautiful!


My offbrand inspiration is sullend0ll, a loli who as far as I know only wears handmade or offbrand. Every time she posts on Daily Lolita I get excited, you can see all of her posts here.

Good luck in attaining your loli dreams!

Turning a Negative into a Positive

So far I've been very lucky when out in public wearing loli. Sure I get plenty of stares, but I've never been pointed, laughed or yelled at. That was, until today.

Usually the coordinates I wear on my universities campus are pretty casual. I wear a small bow in my hair, give the petticoat a miss and wear flip flops (to be honest I would wear my loli shoes but I only brought one pair with me this semester and they have already bitten the dust). I've only received positive compliments so far and it's made me feel very confident about wearing loli in a mainstream setting. Today, however, I wanted to wear a sweet coordinate. By loli standards my outfit was by no means ground breaking, but for three students it was apparently earth shattering!

I was walking alone to get some food and I saw a group of three guys walking in my direction. I instantly recognized them, I work on campus and talk to them almost every day, but it was apparent that out of my uniform they did not recognize me. To be honest I knew what was coming. They snickered to themselves, fell silent as they walked past me and then yelled out "What are you wearing?!" as they turned the corner.

I am a person who does not tolerate intolerance, not one bit. So I turned on my heels, and quickly followed them around the corner. When I caught up to them I was polite, if I were anything but they would just label me as a bitch and nothing I said would sink in. Basically I said "Hey guys! I know that you are majoring in Human Relations, you're really going to have to get better at it if you want to make it in your field". As I was talking I saw the recognition dawning on them as they remembered who I was. So I smiled and waved goodbye to them as I said "Next time I see you I expect an apology. Later!".

I felt oddly good about the whole experience as I was walking away. Confrontations like that are never pleasant, but by refusing to feel embarrassed or ashamed I feel like I made the best of a bad situation. And even though I didn't lose my temper I bet they won't say anything rude to me the next time they see me!

That Which We Call a Print By Any Other Brand Would Look as Sweet

For a long time I have been pining over Angelic Pretty's Happy Garden jumperskirt in blue. I am so in awe of the cuteness, I spent hours putting together coordinates for it on Polyvore. However at a price tag of $250 there was no way that I would be able to afford it anytime soon. My plan was to wait until the winter of 2011, when the print had lessened in popularity and was not suited to the season, and snap up a second hand version on Mbok. It made me sad to wait that long but there was no option for me, my bills take priority over dresses, so I resigned myself to my Unhappy Garden fate.

However, it has come to my attention that the indie TaoBao brand, "Dream of Lolita", has created a replica of my much desired print. My immediate reaction to seeing the stock pictures was to squeal loudly and spin around in my computer chair, kicking my legs up and down with glee. Then I remembered that I was in our universities computer lab and ran away with my tail between my bloomers.

Many people consider replicas of brand designs to be morally wrong, and I suppose in a way they are. I know if I had spent a lot of time and effort designing and creating a dress then I'd be royally peeved if it was cheaply duplicated without my permission, but for many people it is the only way they would ever be able to wear that outfit, cheap knock off though it may be.

The main concern that I have when it comes to replicas is not whether they're right or wrong, but rather that the quality is generally significantly lower than that of the original. The company is able to sell it for a cheaper price because they have used fabric and lace of a lesser quality and that can mean you end up with a see through bodice covered in itchy fluff.

However the Dream of Lolita version of Happy Garden does not appear to be too bad. The bright blue colour of the stock photos does not match that of it's Angelic Pretty partner, which is a much calmer blue, but to be honest I actually prefer it. The bows seem a little smaller, but again this is to my liking, massive bows generally throw me off a little. The fabric certainly seems thinner, perhaps it is not lined, and it is hard to tell the quality of the lace from the stock pictures.

Buying this dress may be a gamble, but I have looked up some reviews of Dream of Lolita's past replica, Dreamy Dollhouse, and for the most part they seem to be positive. When buying a replica you usually must accept the fact that the dress will not be of the same quality as the brand original. But a major plus is that they can make the dress specially to fit your measurements, giving plus sized lolis the opportunity to rock a dress that previously would not have been an option!

Whether to buy the original or a replica is a choice that only you can make, but as for me I'm definitely going to buy it. I just might have to sell an item or two so that I can afford it (hint hint).

Loving the Little Things

 Three of my latest "Little Purchases", a musical carousel box, a BTSSB letter set and a postcard of my favorite model!

Buying loli items is not something I do on a regular basis. Each pair of bloomers, socks, bow or blouse that I purchase for myself is an important financial decision, for each one bought something else that I would potentially buy gets cut from the list.

However it's good to treat yourself now and again. Although I could never justify buying any of the items mentioned above as a little indulgence (my budget simply doesn't allow it), small novelty items like postcards and such can liven up any dry buying spells you may have.

I write a lot of letters, so when I saw a Baby the Stars Shine Bright letter set got up for sale on the EGL Community Sales site I decided to just go for it! It came in the mail today, I just love it but to be honest I'm a little reluctant to use it at all, it's much to beautiful to ruin with my handwriting!

I think it's fine to get yourself a little something every now and again, I just never let my impulse buys become frequent or over $10. Now each time I write a letter I'll be happy to look at the cute stationary, and if small things like that can make a day more positive then it's well worth the money.

Handmade Happiness

 I excitedly took a photo on my cell phone as soon as my bow was finished!

In general I've never been the craftiest person. When I was little I took origami, knitting and cooking classes at school and I was usually frustrated about five minutes into the lesson. My friend Kaylyn, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She excels at all things crafty, every time I show her a dress of mine she turns it inside out to see how it was made. From clothing to plushes, nothing seems too difficult for her. Her catch phrase is "I will recreate it out of felt!".

Crafting was never something that appealed to me, but after a few years of watching Kaylyn make such beautiful items I started to have a change of heart. Whenever I saw her make something I yearned to join in, but I was nervous that I'd make some terrible mistake. Luckily she has been gifted with infinite patience, and after a lot of time, effort and laughing at my errors I feel I'm finally on a good crafty level!

Today I went over to her apartment and made a headbow. When sewing I didn't feel clumsy or anxious, instead I felt the promise of the loli item I'd soon be able to wear. Although I spent a long time paying attention to every little stitch somehow the time flew by, and in the end I was so proud of what I made! Right now it's on a temporary head band, I want to get a higher quality one for it soon.

Being a loli and knowing my friend have changed the way I feel about crafting. I've spent a lot of time finding the perfect fabrics and lace so I want to make a lot of bows in my spare time from now on!

Scott Pilgrim vs. Lolita

 The release of the new movie, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, really didn't mean anything to me. Plenty of my friends were excited for it but it certainly didn't grab my attention. That was until my friend let me borrow the six volume comic book series and I officially became obsessed with it.

I read the books non-stop, I brought them to work to read on my breaks, I read them whilst walking to my classes, I even read them whilst doing independent warm ups in ballet class (much to the amusement of my teacher). I was actually in ballet class when I came across the page where a supporting character, Kim Pine, was wearing loli. I pretty much lost my mind (also to the amusement of my teacher).

The outfit that is depicted in the comics looks pretty old school, it has the traditional white lace on black fabric thing going on. She wears a large head eating bow on the back of her head and there's no skimping on the lace. I kind of wish that the drawing had more details so I could see it properly, but the art style of the comic doesn't really support that. In my mind I imagined her dress to be a glorious homage to the early days of our fashion, with high quality lace and beautiful shoes (which are not shown).

After finishing the book series I was anxious to go see the movie adaptation, I literally went to see it half an hour after I read the final book! I knew that in movies based on a series of books there always must be large cuts or rewrites to accommodate for the short time the film has to convey the plot, so I was rather doubtful that the scene where Kim Pine wears loli would even be included. After seeing the movie I kind of wish they had left that part out.

When I saw this outfit my heart sank, there is just so much wrong with it! I'm not one for criticizing coordinates, but this should not be considered loli at all. It essentially looks like a cheap cosplay costume in desperate need of a petti. I was disappointed that the movies wardrobe team didn't do their research on loli fashion, it appears that they just typed in "Gothic Lolita" to google, saw the picture below and went to town.

It's a shame that this was the portrayal of our subculture that they decided to present to audience members as the classic black and white look can be so beautiful when pulled off correctly! However I don't believe that the movie mentions that she is wearing "gothic lolita' (although correct me if I'm wrong, I was too horrified to really notice) so hopefully most people won't make the connection as it really doesn't resemble the silhouette or contain the same aesthetics!

Despite this flaw the movie was otherwise quite enjoyable, I certainly wouldn't boycott it or anything! The books were better though (as they usually are). If comic books interest you at all then I'd certainly recommend checking the Scott Pilgrim series out, it has quickly become my very favorite!

Piano Benches and Ballet Bars

"And now ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a timeless piece of art: Mary Had a Little Lamb."

 
Having "refined" hobbies such as playing an elegant instrument (like the piano, violin or flute), dancing, embroidery and collecting tea sets are all such stereotypical things for girls in our subculture to do and are sometimes frowned upon by some of our anti-lifestyle peers. For such reasons I've been somewhat secretive with some of my interests, I didn't want people to think that I was only participating in them for the sake of my image! However I've always genuinely enjoyed many "loli activities" and there's nothing wrong with that! Recently I have been pursuing some hobbies that are so stereotypical that's it's not even funny. This semester I'm continuing with ballet and I've started studying the piano.

Now ballet might not  seem super loli because if you were to dance around for a few hours wearing your finest brand you probably would not be too happy about the amount of sweat it would end up drenched in! However doing bar exersices and warm ups in loli are fine. I've been going into the dance studio at school to practice whilst wearing loli, and I must say that it makes it way more enjoyable for me. Plus ballet shoes look adorable with classic style!

Before this semester I'd never touched a piano, but I've always wanted to learn. Since I've started piano lessons I've fallen madly in love with the instrument, it's all I can think about! I'm not very good yet but I'm determined to improve! And what could be more picturesque than a gothic or classic loli sitting at the piano playing a piece as beautiful as her outfit (or in my case, Chopsticks)?

Of course you should never just limit yourself to "elegant hobbies" just because you are wearing loli! A fashion should never change who you are inside, you should keep doing the things you love no matter what, whether that's singing or skateboarding! By dressing in this style we are already doing so much to express ourselves and we should never stop doing that. Always do what you love, love yourself and be happy!