Share a Piece of Lolita Advice

This was the 365 Lifestyle Lolita topic for April 22nd, but I wanted to really think about this before posting. I've been a part of the fashion for about four years, now, but I still feel like I'm brand new, so being asked to give advice to Lolitas is a little... eh.

I feel more comfortable directing my advice towards new Lolitas, or people who are thinking about jumping into the fashion and are working on their first coordinate. I'm new enough that my own closet is still recovering from newbie mistakes, but I've been around long enough to recognize what my mistakes were, and how to fix them.

So, Floating on Macaron's First Rule of Lolita:

Your Dress is Not the Only Part of Your Coordinate

From lolitafashion.org

This really sounds like a no-brainer, but half of the people I see getting ripped on for being "ita" get it because they're wearing a dress and shoes... and nothing else. You need your petticoat, your blouse or cardigan, your headwear, your socks, and your accessories, and it all has to go well together.

Made with the Sweet LolitaMega Dressup game
on DollDivine

I whipped this up on a dollmaker, and it isn't terribly far off from what I was talking about above. Your dress can be as cute as can be, but this isn't a full outfit, and doesn't look like one. Not for Lolita, anyway. However, a blouse and a few accessories can fix this:

No, I didn't change her facial
expression; this is just what the
doll looks like with lip gloss on.

Lace-topped socks, a white blouse, a pink headbow, pink purse, and a floral corsage make a simple, but very cute coordinate.

My closet fell very hard into this trap: I have tons of dresses, but almost no blouses or proper accessories, and definitely not enough socks. Even my shoes are suffering, because two of my go-to pairs crapped out on me within the last year.

I'm currently holding off on buying new blouses for a few reasons, but that just means I can focus on saving to replace my shoes (I need two or three pairs at least just to round out my outfits) and to collect more accessories (thank God for OPs).

I know that Lolita fashion is expensive, and that even a cheap outfit will still run you around $100, but it's so worth it. If you put in the effort, you'll be rewarded with a very special, beautiful outfit.

What's your first rule of Lolita? Let me know in the comments below!