Lolita fashion prompt
Sep. 26th, 2022 12:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apoemismadebyfoolslikemeI completed these prompt questions forever ago and never posted them. I'm wildly late to the trend but today is the day!
1.Please tell us your Hand Name (name that’s used ONLY in internet.) and hometown.
My name on social media is usually Apoemismadebyfoolslikeme.
2.About how long is your history as a Lolita?
I had complicated beginnings and I already wrote a very detailed history on my blog.
3.What first motivated you to do Lolita fashion?
The obvious answer would be that I love the clothes. However, my deepest motivation stemmed from watching old lolita meet vlogs. There was a warmth to watching other lolitas with their comm that caused me to seek out my own local comm. They are a huge source of inspiration and motivation to continue.
4.After knowing Lolita fashion, have you had any time-gap or resistance till you actually started to be Lolita?
There was a long period of time between my slow discovery and actively wearing the fashion. I was inhibited by fear of my family and their judgements as well as finances.
5.Please define your Lolita style as much as possible. (eg. gothic Lolita, sweet Lolita, white Lolita…. Etc).
In a word? Everything. I dabble in every major substyle and there are not too many smaller substyles that I don’t like or wouldn’t consider wearing. The two substyles I wear the most are old school (we’re talking early 2000s) and sweet.
6.About how many Lolita friends do you have?
I consider the people in my local comm my friends, even if I don’t get to see them very often. So, however many people are in my comm.
7.What is the best thing about doing Lolita?
The best part is definitely the people that it has brought into my life. A close second is the sheer joy of lolita and the ability to chase my waves of nostalgia.
8. Conversely, what's the worst thing?
For me, not getting to wear it as much as I like due to family. I have to keep a lot of secrets because I know they will not understand.
8. Which Lolita Brands do you like?
If we’re talking still in existence, Baby, the Stars Shine Bright is probably my favorite brand because of the consistent quality and beautiful aesthetics. Of course, I also love Angelic Pretty. I have been disappointed with the quality of a lot of their newer releases. If we’re talking no longer in existence, early 2000’s Meta has my heart. Their new stuff is also fantastic and I think they’re objectively the best brand from a customer service and inclusivity standpoint but there is just nothing like the quality and beauty of my very old Meta.
10. What was the first Lolita item that you’ve owned?
The first item I ever owned was chocolate cardigan by BTSSB. It was wool and someone had obviously shrunken and turned a lot of it to felt but I was still happy because I got it pretty cheap. My first main piece was Angelic Pretty’s Baked Sweets Parade OP in the beige/ivory color. I didn’t understand LaceMarket at the time and only ordered from Wunderwelt for a good while. So, I picked baked sweets parade largely because it was there and not terribly expensive. You could call it a whim.
11. What is the “must have!” Lolita item?
I think a comfortable petticoat is very important. Comfortable is the key word. Still waiting for someone to make a ‘petticoat’ that is attached to a dress bodice and has no waistband. Atelier Pierrot apparently recently made one but I was unable to buy it (wasn’t on website).
12. Do you wear drawers?
Rarely to never. I have digestive issues and adding an extra waistband in addition to my petti is not okay. I usually opt for modesty shorts. Some people have no idea what I’m talking about when I say that so here is a description for the uninformed: They look like either shapewear or cut off leggings but they’re made of cotton instead of a hotter material like spandex.
13. Do you have any favourite Japanese music?
I have one Vocaloid CD that I bought when I visited Japan around 10 years ago. I had no idea what it was when I bought it and still love it for nostalgia.
14. Where do you particularly visit as Lolita?
I usually try to do something special every time I wear a full coord (i.e. not toned down to blend in) but there is no particular place that I visit when I wear my clothes.
15. About how many times per week do you dress as Lolita?
It depends on what you would consider lolita. I can’t wear full coords around my family but I wear my pieces as much as I can. Another thing that I enjoy is hanging around in a coord for an hour or so before bed.
16. Please tell us about one embarrassing episode from the time when you were
just beginning Lolita.
I don’t really have any embarrassing episodes from my beginning days. I definitely made some mistakes but I am not ashamed of them because they weren’t too terrible. The ‘worst’ thing that I did (that probably gets closest to an embarrassing episode) was buying my first pair of teaparties off of Amazon. I also ordered them in what I thought was a neutral beige/cream color. They were tan when they arrived and looked bad with 1 out of my two dresses at the time. I’ve since learned that pink is the best sweet lolita ‘neutral’ and that you can definitely get better quality shoes from Taobao for around the same price I paid. I don’t wholly regret buying them though because I have made a good cookie coord or two with them.
17. What's hairstyle and color that you think Lolita would suite the most?
I think anything goes these days, which is really nice.
18. Have you ever thought of stopping Lolita? The reason?
This is not exactly an answer to this question but sometimes I worry about having to stop because of my age. I know that you’re never truly too old but I am not sure how I’ll feel about myself when I look at my coords in the mirror someday and my face is very noticeably not young. I was raised to believe women had to stop doing and wearing certain things as they got older. Fighting such programming has been and continues to be very hard.
19. Please tell us your heart's bible as a Lolita. (anything like a book, magazine, CD, idol...)
This is very stereotypical but GLBs from the beginning and old lolita YouTube content is very special to me.
20. Do you own a doll? Tell us your feelings about her intensely!
I technically do own dolls from my childhood but they live in a box in the basement. I actually don’t like dolls because, when I was young, my parents put a shelf up high along the perimeter of my room and put dolls up there. I used to think they watched me when I was sleeping. There was also a clown on a swing that hung from the ceiling above my tv. I was very afraid of him. I don’t think the blue light from my tv shining on him from an upward angle helped.
How do I enjoy looking like a doll now in my old crusty Meta? I will never know.
21. What kind of make-up do you wear when you wear Lolita clothes?
This largely depends on the substyle I’m wearing. I tend to wear almost no makeup with old school. I wear the most makeup with sweet.
22. Have you ever secretly changed clothes in a train station bathroom on Lolita day-out?
I have had to secretly put clothes on but thankfully the worst was slipping my petti on in a parking lot.
23. Are you composed when doing Lolita all by yourself?
I don’t really go out in public in a full coord by myself. I’m usually at least with my partner. I have been in public a few times after meets while I waited for a ride and etc. and I was fine. I was worried that someone would do something to me because I was alone but that’s a fear that I have when in normie clothes as well.
24. How much do you spend in your Lolita clothes& accessary monthly?
I don’t even keep track anymore in all honesty. As long as I can pay my bills I consider myself good.
25. What is the most expensive Lolita thing you've bought so far? How much was it?
For a single item?
Probably Lace Cross by Moitie. I typically won’t spend over 400 USD for anything (unless you count buying a full set from Angelic Pretty). I’ve waited and stalked long and hard to snag decent deals for most of my dresses.
26. So far about how much has the expense been for Lolita goods?
I used to keep track but as the years have passed I stopped adding it up. I really don’t want to know and it ultimately doesn’t matter because I look at lolita clothes as an investment of sorts. I don’t mean investment as in profiting off of your fellow lolitas. Rather, if you care for your pieces, you theoretically should be able to maintain your resale value and get most of your money back should you decide to sell. In fact, I think it is very heartwarming to consider that, if you ever decide to quit lolita, that you have the power to care for and pass down pieces of lolita history to the next generation.
27. Lolita outfit really costs money. How do you raise money to cover the cost of
Lolita?
I have worked more than one job ever since getting into lolita and I live cheaply in every other way.
28. Have you ever bought from an online store? If so, please tell us its good
and bad points and some advice for the future. If not, please tell us why not.
All of my lolita clothes are from online in one form or another but I will try to make this answer valuable. BTSSB is one of my favorite online shops to buy from. It’s very easy, they remove local taxes for foreign customers, and shipping is pretty reasonable. Also, their releases are not nightmarescapes.
29. Even if you sort of want to keep it a secret, please clandestinely tell us
about a private manufacturer that is the best.
I’m assuming this means that I should reveal a little-known shop that I like? I don’t really shop anywhere that is not already known but I think that Antaina on Taobao is an underutilized resource among newer lolitas. I find the shoes to be very comfortable and they are willing to make customizations within reason. My favorite pair of lolita shoes right now is my pink tea parties by Antaina because they put a tan sole on the bottom- no more ugly black line around my shoe!
30. Is there a brand and/or an item that you think, "I could never get it! But I unreasonably want it!"?
A lot of old school is like this for me because I tend to want things from the early 2000s and even the 90s in some cases. Blessedly, I have somehow been able to find most of my dream old school pieces with a lot of patience and stalking. However, Angel OP by BTSSB from 2002 still eludes me. I’m not sure I will ever find her after missing her twice.
31. What do you think about people who only do Lolita at music-lives or cosplay?
I don’t know what music-lives are. Maybe concerts? I don’t care if people wear lolita at concerts. Lolita is not cosplay but I also don’t care if people want to wear lolita cosplay, especially when one considers that there are a good handful of characters that wear the fashion. The only thing I don’t like is when people say that cosplay lolita is actual lolita.
32. From what age to what age is it acceptable to do Lolita? Do you think that there's a state in which someone must graduate from
Lolita? (you can answer as ‘never graduate’)
I don’t think that lolita has an age range. It should be up to each individual’s comfort with wearing the fashion at their given age. The only age-related issue that I have in regard to the fashion has to do with meetups. I personally think people should be legal adults when they attend meetups unless they have asked the group’s consent to attend. In my country, adults could be held legally responsible if something happens to a minor during an event.
33. Is there a Lolita fashion or behavior that you think "I don't want Lolitas to do this!" about?
I despise reselling for profit but I’m not sure if the people doing that are lolitas. I also wish that lolitas wouldn’t sell pieces with undisclosed damage to other lolitas. Basically, I am against any sort of scamming behavior.
34. Is there something you think "Lolita has to be this way!" about?
Rules are in place for a reason but I view them more as a structure to learn from and break later on.
35. While doing Lolita, has something changed from earlier than you did Lolita?
A lot has changed since I first saw lolita fashion but I will narrow this question down. Since I’ve been actively wearing lolita both sweet and old school market prices have become extremely high. Especially old school from the early 2000s. Prices for old school pieces from this era were as cheap as 30-50 USD and now many of them sell for around 500 USD or more.
36. Do you go to school/work as Lolita?
I work full time and the most I can do is sneak a lolita cardigan into one of my work outfits.
37. Do you wear Lolita clothes as casual wear?
All the time. In fact, I wear more casual looks than full, ‘perfected’ coords. I do this largely out of necessity but it’s nice to make easy, low poof looks sometimes.
38. Do you have a boyfriend (or husband)? Do you understand each other? (I think she meant “Does he understand you (as lolita)?”)
I do have a partner- and while they don’t necessarily understand what I do and why I do it, I could not be met with more support. It’s truly more than I ever dared to hope for.
39. What do the people around you think of your doing Lolita? Do they accept it?
Most people in my daily life don’t know that I wear lolita. When I do wear my pieces casually around them, they have no idea that it’s lolita fashion. They just think I dress a bit eccentrically and wear vintage clothes. I think it’s easier to leave it at that.
40. What kind of Lolita is who has impressed you the most up until now?
I don’t have any lolita idols but street snaps touch my heart.
41. Have you ever made your own Lolita clothing or/and accessories? If so, what was the best item that you’ve made?
I never handmake anything but I do attempt repairs. The rehab project that I’m most proud of is BTSSB’s ivory round-style JSK of Paris Windows. I unknowingly purchased an absolute wreck of a dress. Someone had obviously thrown it in the dryer and the poly lining hung an entire inch or more below the outer cotton skirt. I hemmed the lining and sewed the entire thing by hand.
42. If you have an ideal Lolita outfit or coordination, please tell us.
My ideal outfit would look different for every substyle. I suppose the thing they all have in common is cohesiveness.
43. Is there a motif that you think “this is a simple of Lolita”?
I assume this means staple motif. Once prints came into fashion I think a lot of motifs became staples. Crowns, bunnies, strawberries, ocean life, bears, toys, and flowers are the first things that easily come to mind.
44. Would you want to dress your children as Lolita?
I’d like to think that I would never make my children wear anything that they didn’t like. So, really it would be up to them. I was very restricted when I was young and still am to an extent. I would want to give them the freedom I didn’t have.
45. What's your image of the ideal Lolita?
If I look into my heart while thinking of the word lolita, I see street snaps from the dawn of the fashion. They are the spirit of the fashion.
1.Please tell us your Hand Name (name that’s used ONLY in internet.) and hometown.
My name on social media is usually Apoemismadebyfoolslikeme.
2.About how long is your history as a Lolita?
I had complicated beginnings and I already wrote a very detailed history on my blog.
3.What first motivated you to do Lolita fashion?
The obvious answer would be that I love the clothes. However, my deepest motivation stemmed from watching old lolita meet vlogs. There was a warmth to watching other lolitas with their comm that caused me to seek out my own local comm. They are a huge source of inspiration and motivation to continue.
4.After knowing Lolita fashion, have you had any time-gap or resistance till you actually started to be Lolita?
There was a long period of time between my slow discovery and actively wearing the fashion. I was inhibited by fear of my family and their judgements as well as finances.
5.Please define your Lolita style as much as possible. (eg. gothic Lolita, sweet Lolita, white Lolita…. Etc).
In a word? Everything. I dabble in every major substyle and there are not too many smaller substyles that I don’t like or wouldn’t consider wearing. The two substyles I wear the most are old school (we’re talking early 2000s) and sweet.
6.About how many Lolita friends do you have?
I consider the people in my local comm my friends, even if I don’t get to see them very often. So, however many people are in my comm.
7.What is the best thing about doing Lolita?
The best part is definitely the people that it has brought into my life. A close second is the sheer joy of lolita and the ability to chase my waves of nostalgia.
8. Conversely, what's the worst thing?
For me, not getting to wear it as much as I like due to family. I have to keep a lot of secrets because I know they will not understand.
8. Which Lolita Brands do you like?
If we’re talking still in existence, Baby, the Stars Shine Bright is probably my favorite brand because of the consistent quality and beautiful aesthetics. Of course, I also love Angelic Pretty. I have been disappointed with the quality of a lot of their newer releases. If we’re talking no longer in existence, early 2000’s Meta has my heart. Their new stuff is also fantastic and I think they’re objectively the best brand from a customer service and inclusivity standpoint but there is just nothing like the quality and beauty of my very old Meta.
10. What was the first Lolita item that you’ve owned?
The first item I ever owned was chocolate cardigan by BTSSB. It was wool and someone had obviously shrunken and turned a lot of it to felt but I was still happy because I got it pretty cheap. My first main piece was Angelic Pretty’s Baked Sweets Parade OP in the beige/ivory color. I didn’t understand LaceMarket at the time and only ordered from Wunderwelt for a good while. So, I picked baked sweets parade largely because it was there and not terribly expensive. You could call it a whim.
11. What is the “must have!” Lolita item?
I think a comfortable petticoat is very important. Comfortable is the key word. Still waiting for someone to make a ‘petticoat’ that is attached to a dress bodice and has no waistband. Atelier Pierrot apparently recently made one but I was unable to buy it (wasn’t on website).
12. Do you wear drawers?
Rarely to never. I have digestive issues and adding an extra waistband in addition to my petti is not okay. I usually opt for modesty shorts. Some people have no idea what I’m talking about when I say that so here is a description for the uninformed: They look like either shapewear or cut off leggings but they’re made of cotton instead of a hotter material like spandex.
13. Do you have any favourite Japanese music?
I have one Vocaloid CD that I bought when I visited Japan around 10 years ago. I had no idea what it was when I bought it and still love it for nostalgia.
14. Where do you particularly visit as Lolita?
I usually try to do something special every time I wear a full coord (i.e. not toned down to blend in) but there is no particular place that I visit when I wear my clothes.
15. About how many times per week do you dress as Lolita?
It depends on what you would consider lolita. I can’t wear full coords around my family but I wear my pieces as much as I can. Another thing that I enjoy is hanging around in a coord for an hour or so before bed.
16. Please tell us about one embarrassing episode from the time when you were
just beginning Lolita.
I don’t really have any embarrassing episodes from my beginning days. I definitely made some mistakes but I am not ashamed of them because they weren’t too terrible. The ‘worst’ thing that I did (that probably gets closest to an embarrassing episode) was buying my first pair of teaparties off of Amazon. I also ordered them in what I thought was a neutral beige/cream color. They were tan when they arrived and looked bad with 1 out of my two dresses at the time. I’ve since learned that pink is the best sweet lolita ‘neutral’ and that you can definitely get better quality shoes from Taobao for around the same price I paid. I don’t wholly regret buying them though because I have made a good cookie coord or two with them.
17. What's hairstyle and color that you think Lolita would suite the most?
I think anything goes these days, which is really nice.
18. Have you ever thought of stopping Lolita? The reason?
This is not exactly an answer to this question but sometimes I worry about having to stop because of my age. I know that you’re never truly too old but I am not sure how I’ll feel about myself when I look at my coords in the mirror someday and my face is very noticeably not young. I was raised to believe women had to stop doing and wearing certain things as they got older. Fighting such programming has been and continues to be very hard.
19. Please tell us your heart's bible as a Lolita. (anything like a book, magazine, CD, idol...)
This is very stereotypical but GLBs from the beginning and old lolita YouTube content is very special to me.
20. Do you own a doll? Tell us your feelings about her intensely!
I technically do own dolls from my childhood but they live in a box in the basement. I actually don’t like dolls because, when I was young, my parents put a shelf up high along the perimeter of my room and put dolls up there. I used to think they watched me when I was sleeping. There was also a clown on a swing that hung from the ceiling above my tv. I was very afraid of him. I don’t think the blue light from my tv shining on him from an upward angle helped.
How do I enjoy looking like a doll now in my old crusty Meta? I will never know.
21. What kind of make-up do you wear when you wear Lolita clothes?
This largely depends on the substyle I’m wearing. I tend to wear almost no makeup with old school. I wear the most makeup with sweet.
22. Have you ever secretly changed clothes in a train station bathroom on Lolita day-out?
I have had to secretly put clothes on but thankfully the worst was slipping my petti on in a parking lot.
23. Are you composed when doing Lolita all by yourself?
I don’t really go out in public in a full coord by myself. I’m usually at least with my partner. I have been in public a few times after meets while I waited for a ride and etc. and I was fine. I was worried that someone would do something to me because I was alone but that’s a fear that I have when in normie clothes as well.
24. How much do you spend in your Lolita clothes& accessary monthly?
I don’t even keep track anymore in all honesty. As long as I can pay my bills I consider myself good.
25. What is the most expensive Lolita thing you've bought so far? How much was it?
For a single item?
Probably Lace Cross by Moitie. I typically won’t spend over 400 USD for anything (unless you count buying a full set from Angelic Pretty). I’ve waited and stalked long and hard to snag decent deals for most of my dresses.
26. So far about how much has the expense been for Lolita goods?
I used to keep track but as the years have passed I stopped adding it up. I really don’t want to know and it ultimately doesn’t matter because I look at lolita clothes as an investment of sorts. I don’t mean investment as in profiting off of your fellow lolitas. Rather, if you care for your pieces, you theoretically should be able to maintain your resale value and get most of your money back should you decide to sell. In fact, I think it is very heartwarming to consider that, if you ever decide to quit lolita, that you have the power to care for and pass down pieces of lolita history to the next generation.
27. Lolita outfit really costs money. How do you raise money to cover the cost of
Lolita?
I have worked more than one job ever since getting into lolita and I live cheaply in every other way.
28. Have you ever bought from an online store? If so, please tell us its good
and bad points and some advice for the future. If not, please tell us why not.
All of my lolita clothes are from online in one form or another but I will try to make this answer valuable. BTSSB is one of my favorite online shops to buy from. It’s very easy, they remove local taxes for foreign customers, and shipping is pretty reasonable. Also, their releases are not nightmarescapes.
29. Even if you sort of want to keep it a secret, please clandestinely tell us
about a private manufacturer that is the best.
I’m assuming this means that I should reveal a little-known shop that I like? I don’t really shop anywhere that is not already known but I think that Antaina on Taobao is an underutilized resource among newer lolitas. I find the shoes to be very comfortable and they are willing to make customizations within reason. My favorite pair of lolita shoes right now is my pink tea parties by Antaina because they put a tan sole on the bottom- no more ugly black line around my shoe!
30. Is there a brand and/or an item that you think, "I could never get it! But I unreasonably want it!"?
A lot of old school is like this for me because I tend to want things from the early 2000s and even the 90s in some cases. Blessedly, I have somehow been able to find most of my dream old school pieces with a lot of patience and stalking. However, Angel OP by BTSSB from 2002 still eludes me. I’m not sure I will ever find her after missing her twice.
31. What do you think about people who only do Lolita at music-lives or cosplay?
I don’t know what music-lives are. Maybe concerts? I don’t care if people wear lolita at concerts. Lolita is not cosplay but I also don’t care if people want to wear lolita cosplay, especially when one considers that there are a good handful of characters that wear the fashion. The only thing I don’t like is when people say that cosplay lolita is actual lolita.
32. From what age to what age is it acceptable to do Lolita? Do you think that there's a state in which someone must graduate from
Lolita? (you can answer as ‘never graduate’)
I don’t think that lolita has an age range. It should be up to each individual’s comfort with wearing the fashion at their given age. The only age-related issue that I have in regard to the fashion has to do with meetups. I personally think people should be legal adults when they attend meetups unless they have asked the group’s consent to attend. In my country, adults could be held legally responsible if something happens to a minor during an event.
33. Is there a Lolita fashion or behavior that you think "I don't want Lolitas to do this!" about?
I despise reselling for profit but I’m not sure if the people doing that are lolitas. I also wish that lolitas wouldn’t sell pieces with undisclosed damage to other lolitas. Basically, I am against any sort of scamming behavior.
34. Is there something you think "Lolita has to be this way!" about?
Rules are in place for a reason but I view them more as a structure to learn from and break later on.
35. While doing Lolita, has something changed from earlier than you did Lolita?
A lot has changed since I first saw lolita fashion but I will narrow this question down. Since I’ve been actively wearing lolita both sweet and old school market prices have become extremely high. Especially old school from the early 2000s. Prices for old school pieces from this era were as cheap as 30-50 USD and now many of them sell for around 500 USD or more.
36. Do you go to school/work as Lolita?
I work full time and the most I can do is sneak a lolita cardigan into one of my work outfits.
37. Do you wear Lolita clothes as casual wear?
All the time. In fact, I wear more casual looks than full, ‘perfected’ coords. I do this largely out of necessity but it’s nice to make easy, low poof looks sometimes.
38. Do you have a boyfriend (or husband)? Do you understand each other? (I think she meant “Does he understand you (as lolita)?”)
I do have a partner- and while they don’t necessarily understand what I do and why I do it, I could not be met with more support. It’s truly more than I ever dared to hope for.
39. What do the people around you think of your doing Lolita? Do they accept it?
Most people in my daily life don’t know that I wear lolita. When I do wear my pieces casually around them, they have no idea that it’s lolita fashion. They just think I dress a bit eccentrically and wear vintage clothes. I think it’s easier to leave it at that.
40. What kind of Lolita is who has impressed you the most up until now?
I don’t have any lolita idols but street snaps touch my heart.
41. Have you ever made your own Lolita clothing or/and accessories? If so, what was the best item that you’ve made?
I never handmake anything but I do attempt repairs. The rehab project that I’m most proud of is BTSSB’s ivory round-style JSK of Paris Windows. I unknowingly purchased an absolute wreck of a dress. Someone had obviously thrown it in the dryer and the poly lining hung an entire inch or more below the outer cotton skirt. I hemmed the lining and sewed the entire thing by hand.
42. If you have an ideal Lolita outfit or coordination, please tell us.
My ideal outfit would look different for every substyle. I suppose the thing they all have in common is cohesiveness.
43. Is there a motif that you think “this is a simple of Lolita”?
I assume this means staple motif. Once prints came into fashion I think a lot of motifs became staples. Crowns, bunnies, strawberries, ocean life, bears, toys, and flowers are the first things that easily come to mind.
44. Would you want to dress your children as Lolita?
I’d like to think that I would never make my children wear anything that they didn’t like. So, really it would be up to them. I was very restricted when I was young and still am to an extent. I would want to give them the freedom I didn’t have.
45. What's your image of the ideal Lolita?
If I look into my heart while thinking of the word lolita, I see street snaps from the dawn of the fashion. They are the spirit of the fashion.
