Tips for Surviving the Summer in Lolita

June 16, 2013October 27, 2014 / lolitaland / 2 Comments

How do you make it through the summer in all these frills?

I will try my best to give some tips! I do not wear Lolita everyday, but I hope to eventually become a lifestyle Lolita. In the summer, the weather gets hot, so I have already pondered how to wear Lolita and still be comfortable in the heat of summer.

In my opinion, it is okay to go casual. When it is really hot out, I would rather dress more casually than overheat. For example, I have paired a printed skirt with a solid-colored cotton shirt to battle the heat.

It’s just a plain red t-shirt, but I think the outfit still fits with the Lolita aesthetic. I skipped a wig and decided to keep my natural hair for the coord, since wigs can trap heat and make me feel less comfortable outside. Instead of wearing a large hair accessory such as a bonnet or a jumbo headbow, I wore a small barrettes in my hair. I think less hair accessories can help keep your hair cool in the summer heat (or at least I feel more comfortable with small barrettes when it’s hot out). You could also wear a nice sun hat with a wide brim as part of your coordinate to help shade your face from the sun.

In a more recent casual coordinate, I paired a red t-shirt with a high-waisted strawberry skirt. In my sort-of-curly hair (my friend curled my hair, but it didn’t last too long; my hair does not take well to curling), I am wearing a small barrette and a jumbo hair clip.

My method for wearing Lolita in the heat: go casual! I try my best to stick to the Lolita aesthetic while attempting casual coordinates.. (Although I skipped the petticoat in that high-waisted skirt coord. I only wore a petticoat for the photo. xD)

Here are some items I think would be great for a Lolita in the summer:

1. A one-piece dress

The great thing about this item is that you can skip the blouse and still fit in with the proper Lolita aesthetic. Go with a breathable fabric such as cotton for the dress and choose a short-sleeved piece over a long-sleeved one. Avoid a high neckline style if possible (since necks can be sweaty places!). If it is really hot and you want to wear a JSK without a blouse, go for it! Even though JSKs are meant to be worn with blouses, whether or not you wear a blouse is your personal choice. Do what makes you feel comfortable!

I wore this Bodyline OP and Headbow set that I got off the EGL Comm Sales on International Lolita Day. I paired this set with a necklace, two rings, a barette, a pair of cute crew socks, and mary-janes. I wore a light petticoat to minimize the layers.

2. Ankle socks

In cool weather, I always wear over-the-knee socks or knee socks over tights or leggings to keep my legs warm. When it’s warm, I am usually okay with wearing knee socks (since I’m usually cold), but I know that sometimes, it gets hot! For some people, wearing knee socks or thick socks can be unbearable in the heat. I have seen a lot of cute ankle socks lately, so I think this would be a great summer alternative to knee socks and OTK socks. (If you find cute crew socks, crew socks could also work for the summer!)

Some examples of cute ankle socks!

Here is a better look at the crew socks I wore with my International Lolita Day casual coord. I love the ballet-slipper design!

3. Hair scrunchies

There are a ton of cute hair scrunchies and hair ties out there! Personally, I prefer to tie up my hair in hot weather. When my hair is all over my neck, I feel more uncomfortable in the heat. In the summer, you can tie your hair back in a ponytail or in twin pigtails. You could also do a cute side ponytail, or braid your hair! An updo or bun would be another (very elegant) possibility. You can use hair scrunchies in your real hair, but if you are wearing a wig, you could also style your wig with hair scrunchies!

There are a wide variety of hair scrunchies!~ (I love all of these scrunchies and I hope to use them in future coordinates! I’ve had these lying around since elementary school though. xD I used to wear them all the time as a little girl.)

4. Bolero or Cardigan

A short-sleeved or three-quarter-sleeved bolero or cardigan is a cute way to stay covered up in the summer heat. Look for a thin or open-knit one so you can keep cool while maintaining modesty! You could skip the blouse and wear a bolero or cardigan over a JSK as well. The less layers you wear, the cooler you will be. You can probably find cheap loliable boleros or cardigans easily in local stores too. (Even a plain solid-color one could work in many coords! A basic bolero or cardigan can be worn in and out of Lolita.) If you want a made-for-Lolita bolero or cardigan at a good price, check community sales online, or local swap meets if there are any.

5. A summer hat

There are many cute and functional summer hats out there, and I think many of them are loliable. Go for a wide-brimmed hat for the most protection against the sun, but you can also choose to wear an adorable boater hat or a simple straw hat. If you are wearing a floral dress or skirt, a hat with silk flowers on it would be a cute addition to the coordinate. You might be able to make a cute visor hat work for a Lolita coordinate as well (for example, use a pastel pink visor with a pink sweet lolita summer coordinate).

6. A parasol

I do not have a Lolita parasol or umbrella, but I love seeing this accessory in Lolita coordinates. Parasols provide great shade from the sun while also acting as a stylish accessory. If you want an easy-to-carry parasol, look for a collapsible one or a light one. That way, it will not weigh you down when you aren’t using it. There are so many gorgeous lace parasols and parasols/umbrellas with ruffles along the edges that I’ve seen online. I wish I could find a parasol in a local store though. Unfortunately, I do not have advice on where to find a good parasol. Brand Lolita parasols are really pricey, but also really gorgeous. Maybe someday I will get a Lolita parasol? It’s definitely on my wishlist!

7. Remember your summer essentials!

Sunblock is important: you do not want to get sunburns! Sunburns are not fun. 😦 Bug repellent is also a good idea since you do not want to get tick or mosquito bites. You can easily find combination sunblock and bug repellent lotion! Lip balm with sunblock is also a good thing to stash in your purse. Also, remember to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration! Stay safe in the summer.

~Be sure to read other blog posts on this topic for the Lolita Blog Carnival!

Lace a la Mode, Ima-Princess, Ramble Rori, F Yeah Lolita, The Bloody Tea Party, Starry-Eyed Lolita, Jess Cosmic Delight, A Sweet Lolita’s Disney Life, Lolita in the Sky with Diamonds, Alpine Heidi

Full-out coordinates (So far, from 2013)

June 3, 2013 / lolitaland / 7 Comments

Warning: Photo-heavy post ahead!

If you would like to see some of my Casual Lolita coordinates, click here.

I really enjoy planning out Lolita coordinates. Sometimes, I find it difficult, but nevertheless, I always find it fun! I love figuring out which clothing articles to put together, and which accessories to add to the outfit. And then wearing the coordinate is a great feeling too! I used to feel awkward wearing Lolita in public, but now, I have built up more confidence. I can wear casual lolita in public by myself, and I’m fine with wearing over-the-top lolita as long as I have at least one friend with me. Maybe eventually, I’ll build up my confidence even more so I can wear over-the-top lolita on my own in public.

Here are some of my favorite full-out coordinates from this year, so far:

This is the outfit I wore when I twinned with my friend Megan! ❤ I miss her already. Hopefully we will be able to hang out in Lolita again this coming autumn! (And perhaps we can try to twin again…?) Megan and I also love dancing… and we were thinking of maybe doing Kpop dance covers… in Lolita. (Not sure when that will happen… but maybe sometime in the future if we have time to learn dances and such!)

Here’s the Sweet Lolita coordinate I wore to a local mall meet-up, featuring a BTSSB cutsew and an AATP skirt. I love the pastel pink and white in this coord! Unfortunately, not all of the whites match… (I find whites really difficult to coordinate… If anyone has advice, please let me know. Thank you in advance!)

This was my first attempt at a Country Lolita coordinate. I really love the red and white gingham print, and I’m really happy that everything matched up well. The cutsew is from Dear Celine (a Taobao brand), and the skirt is from Angelic Pretty (I snatched it off the comm sales a while ago). I really love the bonnet look, and I hope I pulled it off! There’s one thing that annoys me though… I have red and white wrist cuffs, but I completely forgot about them. They would have matched this coord so well! Next time, I’ll try to remember to wear the wrist cuffs. I can probably work the wrist cuffs into another coordinate as well…

Above, you can see my friend Megan on the left! We are not twinning in this photo, but we were hanging out in Sweet Lolita coordinates together. I’m wearing a BTSSB babydoll JSK and headbow that I got from the comm sales (I believe the set was originall a lucky pack?). Fun fact: the knee-high socks I am wearing are socks that I’ve had since 5th grade. I’m so glad I’m a pack rat and never gave them away… xD I am not sure how well the blue cardigan matches with my coordinate, but it was chilly outside and I did not want to take off the cardigan. (And the cardigan matched better than my sweatshirts or winter jacket… xD)

The following two coords are quite different, but I used the same wig for both. I really love how this wig looks, and I love how both coords turned out.

My favorite JSK: the Bertille Rose from Innocent World ❤

This coat is really warm and I love the detachable fur collar! Maybe I can use the collar with another coat or jacket? Or maybe even a blouse?

In case anybody is curious, the wig I am wearing is the Empress Collection wig in Chocolate Brown from Gothic Lolita Wigs.

I really love the following coord… and I think it was the first coord I put together that I was proud of. I wore this outfit to my very-first Lolita meet-up! ❤

I still love that bolero too… I found it at a thrift store at such a cheap price! The only annoying thing about it is… how it sheds off feathers. The fluff at the collar and the sleeves are feathers that just love flying everywhere. Those brown platform shoes broke (the soles came off)… but they are fixed now. I’m a bit scared to wear them again though! If I wear them again, I’ll probably only wear them for short periods of time, or bring spare shoes with me just in case something happens to them again.

And here is one of the Customer Coordinate showcases for Gothic Lolita Wigs that I was featured in:

I can’t believe I actually got accepted to the showcase again. >w< The above coordinate was what I wore to the Conbust Lolita Fashion 101 panel. I love the Alice in Wonderland theme of this Bodyline JSK!

I really hope I have made some progress as a Lolita since last year. ❤ I would love to receive feedback and advice from other Lolitas, so please don’t be shy! I appreciate constructive criticism.

My First Time Twinning

May 17, 2013May 17, 2013 / lolitaland / Leave a comment

Before heading home from college, I had the opportunity to twin with one of my new Lolita friends! We dressed up in matching split-wigs and matching Fruits Parlor Replica OPs from Bodyline. We wore different socks, accessories, and shoes, but I hope we still look like Lolita twins! It was fun doing an OTT Sweet Lolita coord again.

Here is a photo of us twinning together:

I really love my friend Megan’s cute fluffy hair accessories, barrettes, and mini-bows! We are wearing different hair accessories, but we have the same large headbow, and we both added a ton of hair things to decorate our wigs. Our wigs are not identical, but they are similar; they are both pink and blonde split wigs with ponytail falls. My wig is a few inches longer than Megan’s wig, and the curls’ shapes are slightly different. The tones of the pinks and blondes are also different, but they are close enough to show that we are twinning, I hope! I really wanted to wear wrist cuffs to match with Megan’s wrist cuffs, but unfortunately, I only have these brown x pink wrist cuffs. I hope the brown isn’t too noticeable… If I ever make or get plain pink wrist cuffs or pink x black wrist cuffs, I’ll be sure to coordinate this again, and try to coordinate everything better.

As for socks, Megan modded her socks and added cute cherry charms! My socks are really old socks I’ve had since early middle school… but the pastels work great for Sweet Lolita!

We are both wearing Bodyline shoes, but Megan is wearing white rocking horse shoes, and I’m wearing black platform heels. The shoes seem very opposite, but I think both shoes work well with these coordinates.

I really hope I can twin again in the future! Twinning is a lot of fun. ^_^