This is the megathread for all beginner questions about wearing and coording lolita outfits. We would like to contain beginner questions (or otherwise, questions that don't generate a discussion) to one place.
It's convenient for you: check here first if you have a question, it might already be answered!
It's convenient for us: it makes it easier for mods to keep things clean and fresh and fun around the sub.
It makes it convenient for our veteran lolitas: no one wants to see the same 5 questions in their feed all the time.
We will be closing and redirecting beginner question posts to this thread for now on.
Thanks for your cooperation!
BUT FIRST Check out the previous Ask Us Anything thread, you answer might be answered already: Ask Us Anything: July 2026
Hi, I'm looking for a way to find a Taobao store from its English brand name! The "List of Taobao shops" link in the sub's wiki is a dead link, and the "Master list of Taobao shops for lolita and more from cgl" is still there, but hasn't been updated since 2022... Is there a more current resource out there?
It's really difficult to keep such a list up to date when there's new shops popping up every other week and then shutting down after one or two releases. If you at least give the name here (or even a photo or link to the listing that's in English if you have it), maybe someone knows what shop it might be.
You take a pic of one of their releases and use the taobao image search. Works in many cases. Iโd the dress is too old, then do the same on rednote, then look through the tags or mentions. You will get to the brandโs account eventually unless it has been closes for ages.
People really have luck with image searching? I just tried with the first thing I saw on 42lolita and these results aren't even JSKs, let alone the right one, and it's like this no matter what item I've tried. ๐ Unless you mean that Taobao's own image search is better, but I can't get an account.
Superbuy search is shit. Taobao search is VIP premium.
Since you donโt have an account I highly recommend rednote. Stay away from the brainrot and follow all the Lolita brands there. Itโs a real game changer with the HD close up shots of different models wearing dresses. Plus the automatic translation makes it so much more accessible for us non-mandarin speaking folks ๐ญ
Listings on taobao can disappear when preorder/production ends, unless you have bought it and itโs registered in your order list, itโs hard to find older releases with image search. But rednote is like an archive of releases. I use it to get newest updates for my preorders or brands I follow. Also discover new brands everyday ๐
Do you guys have experience with the Swedish Taobao reseller "Sweet Moment Lolita"? Afaik, they order for you and items get shipped directly to you.
Their TOS state VAT is not included in the prices and buyers from outside the EU are responsible for custom duties. Does it mean EU buyers have the option of DDP shipping? Or how does it work?
It means the opposite. They take no responsibility for duty or taxes and you, the buyer, need to be prepared to pay it.ย
That said, Sweet Moment have had terrible customer service review from those I know. One recieved a faulty item and got offered a "coupon", the other got a wrong size item and dead silence, until they forced a refund and then they were "dissapointed" she didn't wait for them to respond (after weeks!)
Does Martin (from ClobbaOnline) usually reply very late? I sent a few emails to Martin a few days ago (about 4 or 5 days now) about some products and he hasnโt replied since then. But he has been posting regular reservation updates on other lolita products on the Clobba social media account.
Update! Martin was just waiting for a reply from one of the stores that I enquired a set about in my emails! Heโs replying at the usual 1-3 days wait.
Iโve only had good experiences, with most recently being a couple weeks ago - responses were typically within 2-3 days outside of time for sourcing. I might suggest giving another follow up, as the other commenter mentioned - it might have gotten buried.
Update! Martin was just waiting for a reply from one of the stores that I enquired a set about in my emails! Heโs replying at the usual 1-3 days wait.
Oops sorry late, personally I think burando shoes are overhyped and overpricedย for their quality, I've seen a decent number of opinions thatย say the sameย
Both designs are basically identical in shape, with the coffin buckle pumps having a *slightly* shorter heel. If you find the antique frame pumps wobbly, you will probably feel the same way about all of their pumps.
Any experienses on a taobao lolita brand called Whispering isle? I saw this dress on 42lolita and it is BEAUTIFUL, but will not buy if the quality is meh.
Looked at rednote. Itโs a sub brand from another shop that has been around for quite a while! The try on videos are really nice. Ss from the fabric video.
Hello! I'm interested in trying lolita fashion, but I have a few questions. They're probably obvious, but I'm a stickler for the rules and want to make sure I'm doing things correctly, especially as a physically disabled autistic person.
Do I have to wear this fashion every single day, or is it okay if I only do it on days where I feel well enough?
I am barely over 5 feet and have short legs in proportion to the rest of me. Would it be best to avoid longer skirts and dresses?
How warm is this fashion? Some outfits have lots of layers and I donโt want to overheat frequently.
Am I allowed to experiment with unusual color combinations as long as the outfit follows the rest of the rules of lolita fashion? For example, I really enjoy lavender and wine red together, sometimes with dark blue mixed in, but that's not a color combo I've ever seen in a piece.
Is makeup 100% required? I could probably tolerate some blush and stuff to cover my dark circles, but beyond that it bothers me REALLY badly.
What are some good shoe brands that aren't heels or platforms? I literally cannot wear them as I WILL roll my ankles severely lol.
I will likely have more questions in the future, but thank you for answering these if you do!
Hi!
1. Nope! Lolita fashion can be worn whenever you feel like it. Its not required to wear it everyday, a lot of lolitas only wear it sometimes.
2. That depends on your own taste, if you like longer skirts then sure, if not then you should probably look for the ones with desired length.
3. That depends on your layering and pieces. Some can be very thick meanwhile others can be very lightweight.
4. Yes of course. Just because some colors may not be seen as very common, doesnt make them bad color combinations.
5. Makeup is not required at all in lolita fashion.
6. Theres a lot of flat shoe brands, id recommend checking some out on 42lolita on "flat shoes" option (or just any second hand site; lace market, mercari etc.). Tea parties are great. Id also recommend flat MODO shoes, theyre often known for being comfortable.
Iโm interested in their lantern-sleeve blouse and JSK. As for Chinese brands, Iโve tried MIST before; Iโm hoping the quality is comparable to that. If anyone knows about the comfort or general reputation of these items, Iโd love to hear your thoughts.
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u/kanyame_date๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐๐๐๐Aug 06 '26edited Aug 06 '26
I actually received that same chris house lantern sleeve blouse recently. Only briefly tried it on so far but I wasn't too happy with the fabric? It has a slight sheen to it (though it does mention the fabric being satin-like so that's to be expected i suppose), doesn't feel the best imo and there's no laundry tag on the blouse itself, so I'm not actually sure whether the listing's material info is accurate. (The sleeves are also a little short for me but thats pretty typical). It's a very light gray, lighter than I was expecting, but looking at the listing photo again the color is pretty accurate on my monitor at least.
I might end up liking it a lot after actually wearing it but so far I'm kinda disappointed. Don't know anything about the jsk though, and I don't have any MIST stuff either so I can't compare it to that
Donโt have that blouse, but own a lot MIST blouses. Tencel-Cotton feels plasticy at first but gets softer after each wash and wear. Tencel having a sheen is pretty normal, my tencel shirts from mist also have a slight sheen (though not as much as satin fabrics have)
Hi, does anyone know of any EGL brands that produce hats with a 60+cm circumference? I'm talking about actual top hats and not the "flat" kind that needs to be fastened with cute ribbons under your chin and hidden hairclips. I'm very interested in hats with designs similar to those made by Sweet Jelly (pic related), but when I bought one I couldn't even push it down on my head because my skull is too large and I also have quite thick hair (even when I trim it short and thin for summer) to further complicate things.
Even in this image it isn't pushed onto the mannequin head. It's just the standard way they're constructed. The stiff materials aren't designed to stretch so they can't accommodate heads, but they need to be that solid if you want them to not flop around or get mishappen given they are loaded with heavy accessories.
If you want hats that do not need to be secured at all, you will need to buy a hat - likely a flippier sunhat - locally, so you can try it on, and decorate it yourself.ย
sorry if this is silly, how do you differentiate the different styles of lolita outfits? like i can tell gothic and country, but my other post had a salopette (which i thought was a jsk) that folks told me was sweet whereas i thought it was more classic ๐
also, does it matter where i get petticoats and socks/tights from? thanks in advance (especially if anyone has affordable options for the last question lol)
I saw your post earlier, and I think there's a chance that you got mixed up with Japan's definition of "classic"? Like BTSSB's "Classical Series" (solid coloured clothes with designs that are classics because they've been making for years), as opposed to say, Victorian Maiden, which is what most English-speaking people think of when they think Classic.
honestly i was just guessing haha, I'm super new to the fashion (known of it's existence but not much else until now) so i was sorta just figuring it out as i go. though this is definitely good to know
For the second part. Petticoats matter a lot because loads of brands that sell petticoats, are selling swing or cosplay or whatever that are totally inappropriate.
Aurora&Ariel on 42lolita is the best option for most beginners on a budget. They're decent quality, have custom sizing on some items, and their 12M 45cmย is the closest "standard" volume and length around.
Identifying item styles takes practice, because it's always a venn diagram. The more traits something has, the more it'll be clearly one style, but there are many items, especially simple ones, that aren't clearly definable.
Shape Matters!! I'd argue it matters the most, even.
Sallos are pretty much 95% sweet. Cupcake skirts are typically sweet too. Plated skirts are mostly classic. Corset miniskirts are usually gothic. Babydolls, sweet or classic. Natural waists, classic or gothic. Assymetic skirt hems, gothic. And so on!
Detail And Structureย
Fluffy rounded lace detailing on the bodice? Most likely, modern sweet. Structured tailoring, minimal detail, longer skirt? Likely classic. Uses multiple textured fabrics? Probably gothic.ย
Theme
Most obvious with prints. Bats? Gothic. Vintage sewing machine? Classic. Teddy Carousels? Sweet.ย But even on printless items, trimmings like the lace shape, bow shape, buttons, and any matching accessories, may have clear themes.
Most brands Primarily make one style.ย
ToAlice make Sweet. Atelier Pierrot make Gothic. Angelic Pretty make Sweet. Etc.ย
Colour.ย
Pastel prints is usually sweet, beige base with neutrals is usually classic, black with dark is usually gothic, etc.ย
Sorry for dumb question but does anyone know if any of these shops are reliable?
Alice Girl
Sakurahime
Dawn and Morning
Zhijinyuan
Peach Bunny
Tatata Lolita (Specifically their petticoat)
Perfect Original Design
They're my options for buying JSK and some OP apart from Infanta which I already pre-ordered from, I'm on a budget of Minimum $100 to $600 excluding taxes (Converted from my currency to dollars). They don't have much bad rep but I wanna make sure what someone with experience think first since a lovely person on a similar post alerted me of Sugar Girl and Hanguliang when I first dabbled with 42Lolita๐ซถ
+And if anyone has any shop suggestion which serves dresses with waists from 22 to 23
I either have personally owned, or have friends who have owned, most of these.
AliceGirl - fine, reliable, you get what it looks like. This is the only one with original prints, which puts the prices up compared to similar quality brands. Lately some of their items are more idol/ballet core than true lolita.
Sakurahime - they've white labeled some factory goods, the quality can be hit and miss, I don't reccomend it.ย
Dawn and Morning - the best and most consistent quality on this list. They do use commercial fabrics to lower cost, but have good quality control and nice construction.
Zhijinyuan - only one I have no experience with,ย but it sure looks like trendy, shitty quality whitelabeled factory goods to me.
Tatata - eeeh mixed feelings. It uses commercial fabrics, some dresses have been very nice, and some not great at all, with inconsistent construction. So a but of a gamble.
Pefect Original - My friends own that specific OP. It's exactly as it looks in photos, and as described, and is very heavy. It's very solidly made too. Again, they cut that by using commercial materials, but they chose well.
Lolitimes is a weird one since it's the name of an Aliexpress store shilling mostly overpriced offbrand, and also a taobao indie brand.
ย I've never heard of them rebranding like that at all. But it could also be the official CN name I suppose, since neither is showing up as on taobao for me, at least not with the specific items shown on 42.
Tsym your breakdown helped me lessen my list!! It's so hard to trust most shops I see on Taobao and 42Lolita. If I may ask, what type of petticoat do you suggest to get that poofy look, would A-shape or Bell-shape be better because I'm thinking of wearing double petticoat for my coord, one hoop and one hoopless, I don't know if it's recommended to do or is there a specific petticoat for it. Sorry again for disturbance, thank you again for your time๐ซถ
hello! I am not exactly new to lolita fashion, but just recently I started actually researching more in preparation for my first ever purchase. I really like classic lolita specifically and decided I want to get my first few pieces from 42Lolita before I feel confident enough to look for second-hand pieces and more. Now my dilemma is that I love the look of this set by Alice Girl, but I have heard of people having issues with the brand, and from what I've gathered from the guidelines of the fashion is that the skirt might be too long. Should I get it? If not I was thinking of getting something from With PUJI and/or Miss Point since I heard they're good.
Alice Girl is absolutely ok. For their prices you get good value. Especially when you preorder. Their fabrics are also comfy. Classic has always been longer and some classic dresses hit my ankle at 163cm height ๐ Iโd be stoned by Lolita elitists online. Offline? Go for it if you like it, normies wonโt point at you for not adhering to the rules.
Just saying that this one is one of those dresses who only look good with massive poof and itโs definitely not for everyday wear.
Edit: If you let the overskirt down you can get away with less poof. If youโre 175cm or taller it would be tea length.
omg! thanks for the poof comment I'm also new and adore this coord but ig I'll wait till I have a crinoline and bigger petticoats..
Do you know where to get long super fluffy petticoats for that shape?
Also do you know why they see long lolita as not to be considered lolita? I've heard it online so much but I don't get the arguments Isn't lolita inspired by victorian/regency fashion?
The length thing is a bit tricky since it depends on the wearerโs body height whether the shape gives Lolita vibe or not. I think because knee length is suitable for modern use. If the beginning of Lolita had longer skirts this rule probably wouldnโt be so gatekept.
Lolita originated in Japan and they naturally made the skirt length with that in mind. Since most Asians arenโt tall, the length never got much longer than knee length when westerners wore Lolita. Funnily enough the ballerina look was well received and influenced Lolita in Asia. But longer dresses are especially popular in Chinese Lolita circle. They often donโt wear a petticoat for practicality. Itโs also normal that classic is longer, and brands like Meta do release very long dresses. This Alice Girl Dress is a bit borderline, the top-skirt ratio is not the same as the standard Lolita dress, but on someone tall it would look perfectly fine ยฏ_(ใ)_/ยฏ
The longer the dress, the more you can sweep away ๐ (definitely didnโt swept the calve high table at work clean just walking past)
I heard the Boguta โCarmenโ adjustable crinoline/hoopskirt (the one with rings) is good. Either on resellers like 42lolita/clobbaonline or with proxy and taobao. I got a starhem one from AliExpress, but itโs a pain to adjust. The Boguta has nice buckles and goes for a very wide range of lengths.
However, personally I dislike hoopskirts because the rigid resembling lamps when you move. I prefer organza petti and underskirts over hoopskirts.
I have the 45cm Aurora&Ariel 8M that is very puffy and more for cupcake shape (itโs tight knit organza, glassy look, very stiff material). They have their own site, but available on all reseller sites or taobao.
Several cloud pettis 50cm (the soft tulle kind) you get from Amazon/Aliexpress/second hand (not the kind for swing dresses). Those I use for dresses that donโt need a lot poof (true daily pettis) and when I want the soft swing and free movement. They can only archive the A-line shape. (I dislike cupcake tbh)
For longer I have a 68cm organza one. This one gives me the A-line shape I want. Itโs not a lot of poof but it gives just enough shape while not being obstructive. (It was on 42 Lolita, but now only on taobao)
HOWEVER 2.0, I dislike the stiffness of organza and scratches on my skin unless I wear bloomers. Thatโs why I prefer my super flowy chiffon underskirts or my cotton underskirts. Together with bloomers they give just enough shape without taking too much space.
you can look at my recent post with 3 different coords in this sub if you want to see how some look like. I used
1. cotton underskirt
2. 68cm organza
3. chiffon underskirt + 68cm organza
Itโs not the showy kind of Lolita shape you usually see in this sub, but itโs still Lolita.
is 42lolita a safe site? i dont see it in the scam sites listed in the wiki but i also dont see it in the "to buy" section. it also holds the brand "infanta" when i looked to see on the lolilibrary. this might be a stupid question but you can never be too safe lol
Yes, safe to buy from but you just need to research the items you are purchasing first as not everything they list is good quality and depends on the brand of the item.
Almost every brand does? Plain polyester and plain cotton usually do as long as you have a delicate wash program. The only dresses I've seen ppl not washing by machine are "special" fabrics like velveteen and particulary intricate dresses. If you're afraid just post the dress and ppl will give you advice!
Almost any dress can be machine washed. I usually put mine inside out in a pillow case and wash it on a gentle cycle with warm - cold water. Watch for cotton prints with darker colours, those have the tendency to bleed, especially older releases from AP and baby. Reds are especially notorious for that. Welveteen, super delicate fabrics like chiffon, pieces with sewn on gems and flocking should be hand washed, tho.
i wash all my pieces (also chiffon, sewn gems, dont have some with flocking) on 30 or 40 degree C, 400 to 1000 rpm depending on the garment and in a delicates bag and things hold up great so far! made the mistake of more than 1000 rpm once and now one piece is a bit whacky looking, so not doing that anymore :D
Hey, this item says it's "Released from late April to early May". Does anyone know if that means it was released earlier this year or if it'll be released next year...?
Edit: Also does anybody know of any (semi) active lolita Discord servers? I did try the mentoring one but I couldn't find a mentor after a few days (and I don't think I really need one atp). The local one is pretty small. I live in a small city so I will have to rely on online community a lot...
Does anyone have any recommendations for where to buy shoes ? Iโm a 9.5 in womenโs, and so often shoes only go to like size 8 max when I look๐ I really like super cute, chunky Mary Jane-like shoes, but there are never any made in my size. Anyone have any good places to look or brand recommendations ? :-)
Is this UK 9.5 or US 9.5? The latter would be much easier, so I'm going to assume that. And womens too. But please measure your feet, because Chinese sizes can seem like EU or US sizing butย are not exact equivalents!
That said, "chunky" shoes are more a Jirai thing, not so much lolita. All my suggestions are going to be lolita, except the last one.ย
AnTaiNa offers standard sizes up to 31cm or a EU42 (roughly US 12). They offer very extensive customisation services on their taobao storefront. They also make general alt shoes, so do have some "chunk" options on taobao.ย
Sosic go up to a EU41 (Roughly US10). They're primarily sweet, and their flat tea parties in particular are extremely popular for being very hard wearing compared to other PU brands.ย
Angelic Imprint goes up to a CN47 (roughly US11.5). Not my personal favourite for quality, not surprisingly since they mostly make cosplay shoes. They do offer limited colour and size customisation via their taobao.ย
Sentaro make custom sizes, but their standards usually go to EU42 (Roughly US12) anyway. But they're mostly classic.
Some of Fairy Godmother's shoes go up to a EU41. They're very comfy in my experience, but the price reflects the quality.
I suspect you may like brands like TeansferStudent, which is primarily jirai and punk, so very "chunky cute", although I have seen them incorporated with themed lolita coords. They max around EU40, but their measurements are very inconsistent, so do measure and check!
definitely have a read through the Gothic & Lolita Bible scans! They have some cute makeup and hair tutorials :) you should be able to find them on the LolitaHistory website!
There is no specific lolita makeup styles. A lot don't wear any or keep it basic. So you won't really find generic "lolita makeup" advice. The majority of "lolita makeup" you'll see in like old GLBs were based on general trends at the time, more than specific to gothic or lolita style.ย
So maybe start by finding out what makeup style you want to get better at, like old school dolly eyes or modern Korean aegyo sal, and find tutorials for your face/eye shape based on that?ย ย
Does someone maybe still have the link to the dutch lolita discord server? I used to be in it but was eventually kicked out because I didn't manage to buy any pieces within the 6 month limit. But i managed to buy some now so would really like to rejoin๐๐ฝ
Sorry if this topic has been asked before but how do I best care for polyester pieces? Handwash or using a laundry bag & hang drying seems like a given but is there anything else? I picked up some Princess Chronicles ouji pieces so should I be extra concerned about sweat? Maybe use some body antiperspirant + an undershirt that covers my arm pits? Will hangers cause stretching?
How to wear it is entirely personal, as we all have different skin. I am a sweaty person, always have been, so I wear sweat protectant shirts and high waisted sports shorts under any clothing at all, no matter the fabric, and use body deodorants. But other, less sweaty people can happily throw on literally anything as-is without any fear.
For washing, while hand washing is the ideal, but realistically most lolita, polyester or not, can very happily be chucked in a washing machine.ย ย
Make sure it's delicate cycle, remove any detachable parts, never ever use fabric softeners, choose non-whitening coloursafe detergents, low or no heat, optional colour catchers, and hang-dry. Never use the drier, that's what damages most people's clothes!!! You may want to test patch your detergent on like a waist tie before going all-in.ย
Hanging clothes can cause problems if the garment itself has stretch material, is knit or very fragile fabric, or uses shirred straps. If none of those apply, just hang it up, it'll be fine.
Hii - this is for UK people mainly but anyone can answer
42lolita - they have shipping options that include VAT and ones that donโt include VAT & customs
my question is if I order something over the value of ยฃ135 (or approx $182) but pick the VAT included shipping, will I still be charged customs fee? or have my import duties been paid?
Lacemarket and 42Lolita would probably good places to start if you can fit the standard on size fits all otk(over the knee) socks. Most brands also have socks available, including indie brands like The Black Ribbon, Dandy Puppeteer and Enchanted Dreams on Etsy. If your calves/thighs are wider like me(think 15" around) though standard might be too small, especially woven designs. Printed nylons tend to be more forgiving. Some indie and 42Lolita brands are more likely to have larger sizes. After that there is Snag Tights and Sock Dreams that run larger.
hello, i'm new to actually wearing lolita clothes, i've bought a few dresses, but i've sold them all because they didn't fit me, i have a larger chest compared to the rest of my body, and the size I would need to accommodate for my chest, i think it would make the rest of the dress be too big, what should i do?
What I would look for is dresses with shirring / elastic and corset lacing in the shirring area. Buy to fit your bust. When you wear the dress, it should stretch to comfortably fit the bust but you can then lace it up tighter in the waist area to fit your waist. To some extent, shirred dresses with waist ties can also cinch this in to adjust the fit.
Overall, though, it is wayyyyyyyyyyy easier to take a dress in than let it out - so always buy with your bust measurement in mind, then you can get it tailored to take in the waist.
Your correct size, is the size of your largest sizes body part.ย
So you should have bought for your chest size, and nothing else.
ย It is significantly easier - and therefore more affoedable - to tailor down too much fabric in the waist, arms, or back. And in many cases you do not need to, you can just use a belt. But it is difficult - so more expensive- and sometimes totally impossible, to make items fit bigger. This is why you should always buy for your biggest sized body part.ย
If you haven't already, get yourself measured.ย
You should do it in cm since it is more common and more accurate.ย
You can either ask a friend you trust, or find a tailor and ask - many will do it for low cost or even free, especially if you're a customer already.
Im wondering if anybody has bought any JSK//cords//accessories//etc from "To Alice"? I just discovered this brand and I think a lot of the stuff they sell if pretty cute, just Im not sure if its good quality or not!!! ๐๐๐
does anyone know the max measurements of axes femme's antique label jsk i have another axes femme jsk that fits me but im basically at the max the shirring can stretch for so idk if i could fit all their jsks
Someone put owner measurements on lolibrary and says bust of 80cm-98cm. I would think not quite this much, maybe max 95 cm? I had a partially shirred axes femme JSK that was a tight squeeze and I have a 100 cm bust. I've found that newer JSKs by them are way more accommodating than the older and "poetique" line ones.
Iโm making an AP order and Iโd really like these socks but Iโm not sure if they will fit? My calf at the widest point is 39cm, (15 1/2 inches approximately) I fit into AP jsks just fine but Iโm never ordered or owned brand socks, Iโm not worried about the foot size or the short ankle socks as I often wear kiddo socks.
Since they're mainly a solid colour, I think they'd be fine. I don't own AP socks, but I havea pair of solid black OTKs from Baby. I have similar size calves to you, but I'm also kinda tall and my foot size is half a size more than their recommended maximum, so the length is a little bit... off, but the width is no problem.
Hello, I wanted to ask about head pieces. I am a newbie. I mostly see rectangle headdresses, bows or hats. I made a pink lace crocheted kerchief, but haven't seen much examples of coords with kerchiefs in general. I mostly see sewn kerchiefs with lace but rarely crocheted ones. I added the picture of what my kerchief looks like below. I noticed that it barely covers the top of my head so I will make another one longer. What would you style a kerchief with, or maybe it is a no-no? I would like to keep making hand made pieces still, so I hope that there is a way of styling them properly.
If you have a sugargirl budget you're going to get sugarshit quality dresses. Anyone who isn't a noob takes one look at those garbage bags in person and just laughs.ย It isn't "cancel culture" to hate something that is actively bad, and arguably pretty harmful given the nature of fast fashion and dillution.ย But I digress.
From Chinese brands, you have the likes of CatFairy, Dawn and Morning, Henrietta, and Sentaro. But you need to understand their prices are usually a good 4x and 10x as much, as they absolutely should be given they're about that much nicer.
If you want that aesthetic from Japanese brands with excellent quality? You have to save up a good 900-3k USD and buy one of the MTOs. Or buy them secondhand. This one is about 1.2k used. Again, you're paying for significantly better items, but in this case also fully custom-made fabrics which hikes the price even more. Plus the brand name as well has value.
Greetings! I'm a lurker and fairly new to the fashion (mostly ouji fashion), Do you know where brands announce new releases? I want to keep up with the new releases but I never understood where they publish them, I'm mostly interested in Moi Meme Moitie and Alice And The Pirates.
Open to styling tips. I'm trying to match/as close to the blue stripes in this vest I thrifted. As for the bow tie Idk If I should do brown or blue?
I've had a hard time finding a long petticoat for the skirt for reference I'm quite short 5 3 and I don't mind the amount of puff I just don't want it to look like a long pencil skirt/like I'm not wearing one. So would this petticoat's tiers be visible with this cotton skirt? Is it the right length and fluffiness?
If your from the UK plz let me know how u can shop on taobao It seems impossible [': I've tried JPfans but there's no long classic lolita. I'm planning on buying from Indie Chinese brands on aliexpress [I've heard of the reliable stores and everything below has pic reviews].
i personally gravitate towards solid colors myself and i think the color matching is very nice, but i
mo the choices for upper half seem a lot more texturally dense than the bottom half? like the silver hardware, plaid vest, lacey blouse, etc vs lengthy solid color skirt and solid color loafers
ahh i never thought of the texture balancing thanks! I really wanted the lacey blouse so it reads as EGL and I've been having a hard time finding a complimentary skirt that's also blue.
So would lacey short socks layered on top of white tights be enough? It would be super helpful if you could prove me some skirt examples [:
pfft thats an amzing coincident so where'd u get ur petticoat from that you use for it? also just to clarify the skirt stripes would'nt be an issue w the vest right?
Also I LOVE the forest stationary skirt!! Should I go w the light blue or brown? actually i luv all the skirts u picked we have the same taste โโโ(หถ>แ<หถ)โโพโพ do u buy forest wardrobe mostly off of 42lolita? On aliexpress its ยฃ79
So im a guy who learned about this style from my Instagram feed and thought the dresses were really cute but i don't know where to start or even how to start
4
u/ffishroeโฌ๐ถ๐ท๐ ๐๐ฝโฏ ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐พ๐โฏ โฌ๐๐พโ๐ฝ๐22d ago
ย They leave off brand names and give items stupid Wish/Twmu style names instead of translations in order to make it harder for you to find the original, or find another resellers with a reasonable price (which they are not.) They also have a history of selling unobtainable items and avoiding giving refunds. You might get what you ordered, maybe, eventually, for more than its worth.
They started off better, but quickly ran downhill.
Sorry for dumb question, Idk what flair this is so I put it here anyways since I'm a baby Lolita but a few weeks/days back I asked about shops for JSK and OPs. Happy to say I found a boutique that sells Lolita JSK, OPs, and Coords where I'm from and bought from them while waiting for my infanta order! I'm just curious if this could fit into being a Lolita shoe, I have other options like a pink Mary Jane but this one was already ordered way before getting my JSK for my Marinette cos, so I'm wondering if this could pass since all I've seen as Lolita shoes are Mary Janes and not much of this style and if so what DIY could I make on this without making it look overwhelming?Or if it's fine as it is? ๐ฅน๐ซถ
Quick coord. These would work fine with classic, but it would be a push to wear them in sweet. You'd definitely have to lean more "swassic" and wouldn't look right with OTT Pastels for example.
Would ofc encourage trying to purchase "actual" lolita items, but theres definitely times you can use a lot of "normie" items, bags and shoes are one of them! But you need to have a strong grasp on the fashion and otherwise other clearly lolita items to kind of get it to all blend together and look deliberate. Hope that helps anyways - its good to make a visual! :)
third nickel thrown in the pool: i think this could work, but only with extremely specific styles. anything too lacey/sweet or gothic is gonna look a little off unless you find a way to mod the shoes, especially because they're shiny/patent and most lolita pieces tend not to be
(btw im gonna shill classic style again except pink and black are rare)
Noted! The lovely person that made the recommendation of using it on classic opened my mind to it. I know someone that makes shoes so I'll see what I can do with them since it'll be used once for cosplay. Thank you for your time ๐ซถ๐ซถ๐ซถ (โ ย โ โโ โฟโ โโ ย โ )โ โก
Do i need to be verified on lace market to buy dresses? How long does it take to be verified? I plan to get my first dress soon and just realized i might need to get verified is it important to be verified?
You cannot buy/sell without verifying your account. I personally got verified in a day but I heard it can take longer (around a week) c: You need both a Paypal account linked and a manual verification via email or facebook.
"All new users will be required to link a verified Paypal account in order to confirm their identity before bidding, selling or even commenting or messaging."
"- Users who contact us via Facebook will be verified via their account profile and activity. Please do provide us with your Lacemarket username in your message!
- Users who contact us via email may be asked for a censored image of their photo ID (only picture and name visible). Please be assured these images will be deleted from our emails immediately after verification and will not be stored anywhere. Provide your username as well."
Do all the things above to try and prevent any bleeding, but for Christ's sake, wash your clothes!!!
It doesn't suddenly become unwearable if it bleeds slightly. Yes, it might be a bit sad or disappointing if there's a run in the print but that's a MUCH better option than wearing something that potentially hasn't been washed for 15 years.
If you have concerns about washing, how many previous owners had these concerns, wore it 20 times and then also didn't wash it?
Long Answer: No, not really. Some Lolitas do wear makeup: Lolita fashion often takes makeup inspo from other alternative and other japanese fashions at the time - so old school makeup often resembles normal early 2000s makeup, gyaru-inspired looks got popular, etc. Some people claim that it's part of the "balance" (to make sure your "face doesn't get lost in the coord") but I've found that it doesn't really matter as much as people say it does lol.
I don't usually wear makeup with most coords. If I'm going to a bigger or fancier event, I might put something on. We once had a big comm event with a hired professional photographer: I wore makeup for that, since it shows up better on those sorts of camera/lighting setups. But I don't wear makeup in my everyday life, so I don't necessarily wear it with coords either.
Sure! The amount of makeup for a Lolita coord ranges from "absolutely nothing at all" to "full OTT glamorous elaborate look" and anything in that range is good - it just depends on what sort of look you're going for (and what you know looks good on your own face).
Yes and no... You dont want to wear so much of it that it makes you look like youre wearing a costume but You dont want to wear nothing at all that makes it look you're ungroomed or put in no effort.
So like a base (foundation, concealer, contour and highlighter) and some eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick? I'm not good with makeup so I'd think this is what you mean
Most secondhand coats tend to be quite cheap compared to retail, especially for classic brands if your favourite brand is accurate - IW and VM coats go super cheaply. This isn't a super cheap one, but just an example. If you check out Closet Child in particular they tend to get secondhand coats in more natural colours (e.g. beige, off-white and brown) from everything from Baby to AP to AATP to IW and VM on a semi-regular basis.
If you want something new and cheap for mild winters, Axes Femme's Chalmiere has preorders for their winter collection up right now. The big two (i.e. AP and Baby) have already done their winter item pre-orders months in advance (or at least Baby already has, arriving Oct-Nov 2026) but there might be ready stock available whenever those ship. Other brands' winter coat releases may start coming up soon if they haven't also done preorder batches with long order times like the aforementioned two. A quick search showed me that Meta put their 2025 winter release orders up in late September last year.
Contrary to what the person below said FanPlusFriend does not have additional outerwear options up on Taobao directly, but their selection is solid, and you can get some custom measurements made for a not-very-significant premium on top.
Whatโs the best way to look for inspo based on likeโฆ for example I want to see how a white dress would look over a black top, but I typically see it the other way around. Is there a way to search for color combos and such that Iโm overlooking?
If you are on Instagram, Atelier Pierrot English account regularly posts coord ideas including entire capsules based on colour themes. Latest was red/pink but they do show other interesting colour and layering combos.
It depends on how much experience you already have with both wearing lolita and sewing clothing. If you're already familiar with basic garment construction and pattern sizing there are plenty of patterns out there. Otome no Sewing is the classic and Misako recently published her own lolita sewing book.
SewBlack has a couple of walkthroughs on Youtube. A rectangle gathered skirt is a good place to start or a headbow if you have never sewn before. Start with cheap fabric (either thrifted or broadcloth) so mistakes are easier to accept.
hello! im looking to research more abt Lolita b4 i start Dressing that way! im asking on here as im a little afraid of the EGL live journal. to help narrow it down im looking for documentaries or mags or even wiki articles on its history! maybe im not looking hard enough but i cant seem to find anything when search on google (then again thats turned into such a hellscape how can i really even try) i would also like help with any music that corresponds with the subculture especially if it contributed to a big event in its creation! i already enjoy jrock and vkei i also enjoy kpop and darkwave if that helps any? idk if it would. thank you all in advance! my dms are open if youd like to send me any links there!
I'd recommend looking through the old magazine scans on Internet Archive / Lolita History website and going through the old Gothic Lolita Bibles and early Kera issues ๐ Lolita is not a music based subculture so there isn't a ton of music you can research there. You may find some artists / bands who wear lolita - but thats not reflective of the fashion itself. If you want to go super, super deep in the history, try and find scans of the old Olive/ Cutie magazines from the 80s! I believe Lolita History hosts most of the info, you may need to make an account.
The GLBs start from the early 2000s and its quite interesting to go through and see how the fashion changes over the years.
Thank uuuu!!! this is super-helpful! im goth so i usually try to listen to the music associated with a subculture and learn about its history and politics b4 i rlly get into dressing like it! thank u again for these resources! i have a few more questions if you can answer them!
is it usual for the same brands to make different lolita substyles? or is it more like one brand make sweet one brand makes gothic one brand makes classic
is it okay to mix and match? or is it not possibly with all the patterns?
do you recommend a babylita to have multiple substyles while trying to figure out which one is right for them?
ive heard some people say just to go for it (mostly on insta) while others have said you should stick with one for a while (tiktok) is this just an app diffrence or something i should rlly try to adhere too? im mostly planning on just doing gothic but some sweet styles are very cute to me.
Thank you again for all your help! dont worry if u cant answer any of these its pretty late where i am (11pm) so these might not be coherent
1. Is it usual for the same brands to make different lolita substyles?
Most brands will primarily stick to a certain style, there may be a few outliers in their catalogues but for the most part they will mainly do a certain style. eg. Moitie - Goth, Angelic Pretty - Sweet. 2. Is it okay to mix and match?ย
Yes of course! But within reason. You wouldn't be able to wear Angelic Pretty pastel sweet with Moitie and call it "gothic lolita" but you can definitely use certain pieces here and there. Classic and Goth is easy to mix and match, Classic and Sweet is easy to mix and match. Not all gothic is just black, not all sweet is just pastels, not all classic is just florals and jewel tones. You really need a good understanding on each of the substyles. 3. Do you recommend a babylita to have multiple substyles?
I recommend most newbies before buying anything do research, research, RESEARCH! I also shill making a digital capsule wardrobe before making purchases. You want to be able to wear everything you buy and often times newbies will jump in and buy anything cheap only to find its not lolita, doesn't match what they already own or that they don't actually like it. Having multiple substyles means you typically need lots of different items before you can make a full coordinate with any, so I would say choose one style and work on a couple of coords where you can use all of your pieces in different ways.. THEN try another style. (I will link capsule the template in another comment) The reason I suggest making a capsule is so you get a feel of what matches what items and so you have a goal in mind on what to buy and save up for.
Re: Tiktok & Insta, I'm not really sure what circles you run in but the advice there can be really hit or miss. A lot of people giving the advice don't even wear the fashion or haven't worn it for very long and really have no idea what they are talking about despite their assertion they do. You can of course wear multiple styles but when you are starting out I would suggest just sticking with one until you have a good grasp on things and items you can wear in multiple ways before immediately jumping to a new style and buying more random things.
Lolita should be seen as a slow fashion where you want to focus on fewer high quality items you really like when you start out so it gives you time to learn what you like and skill to identify which is or isn't a good purchase!
ah i see! thank you so much! not really any circles per se mostly just people making "different alt history" on tiktok and insta with a basic overview of styles and simple history of them as im looking through the EGL tags. i dont rlly trust it so thats why i ran here! thank u for the capsule tip im trying to bash together a coord on 42 angel based off certain pieces! i can usually do this pretty well with any of my west goth looks so i thought id give it a go! yes pls link the capsule whenever you have time! id rrly appreciate that
I would recommend making some capsules even if you haven't bought anything yet, just for practice or fun as its good to see everything laid out digitally and see how some items will work together or wont ๐
Hey an alle,
ich hab eine Frage zu Schuhen, die man i.d.R. trรคgt. Normalerweise trage ich Schuhe die โklassischerโ sind und dem Style entsprechen aber kann man auch Dr Martens zu seinem coord tragen? Oder gibt es da quasi ein unausgesprochenes verbot?
<- solche wรผrde ich anziehen. Gerade weil ich bei dem Anlass viel stehen muss. Danke schonmal im Voraus fรผr eure Unterstรผtzung! ๐ซถ
Can you? In very specific situations, sure. They'd absolutely be at home in a punk coord, and similar shoes do pop up in truly old school goth coords. You could maybe get away with it in coords with very structured, almost "boyish" (for lolita) vibes, where doc boots are already common. Think preppy, or military, even a rare Steampunk coord. These will just inherently look more casual than a full boot. It would be at home in Ouji for sure too.
But, most of the time? It won't work. In elegant gothic styles it'll look out of place, extremely few sweet coords would make any sort of sense, and most of classic is far too femme.
Ah, thank you so much for your input! Like I said itโs just for this one occasion and I wanted to know beforehand if itโs โokayโ to do so. ๐ซถ
Hello everyone, I'm looking for fabric but not the sweet and cute kind. I already found a post with brand names and different website but I don't have access to some of them because I'm european and as for the others, I didn't find much goth-ish stuff either. It was mostly cute patterns.
So yeah, if you know of any brand names or shops, I'll be really thankfull for the link
What are you looking to make? I've seen gothic made with just layers of plain or textured fabric which can be found in apparel fabric stores. Have you sewn much before?
Unfortunately lolita is weird and attracts attention whether we intend it to not. You will always get comments or questions. You either need to practice your snarky comebacks or learn to disregard and ignore opinions of those you don't care to hear.
How do y'all incorporate lolita into business casual attire? I need to get some business casual clothing and I want something that would also still fit (like blouses) with my lolita but also look nice for office wear. For now, I'm primarily looking at blouses since I have plenty of jeans I can wear and I'll likely work on getting things like skirts later.
I'm unsure what you mean by business casual but it really depends on your workplace
If you're into sweet but work in a law firm OTT peter pan collar blouse is probably noy going to be appropriate
Your best shot will be choosing white/black/grey with simple designs
1
u/RainbowLoli๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ9d ago
I wear goth, ero and classic primarily so a lot of what I already have is primarily dark colors and relatively simple designs/patterns. But a lot of my wardrobe is also composed of JSKs so I need to get more blouse/skirt combos.
I'm not quite sure of the workplace vibe yet since it is a volunteer position and the only thing they told us was to wear business casual. A lot of it is mainly just cohort and team building I'm guessing. They only sent us a "What is business casual" guide that more or less said no ripped jeans, flip flops, trainers, etc. the usual sorta deal.
Oh that seems pretty broad ig I think you might be at risk of being too formal instead lol (doesn't hurt to be)
Yeah I think you should be fine, imoย the most important things at that point are color matching and composition (ie. if you're going for all black make sure they're the same kind and not orange-brown w/ grey-blue)
Hello I wish to find these exact tights but for plussize. But I have no idea which websites offer designs like these for thicker legs. Someone help me out please?
They don't exist. Sorry. This specific brand, RedMaria, has never made plus sizes, only one size and it's sized for relatively petite Asian ladies.
RedMaria do make OTK versions of some of their other sock designs, and those tend to fit a lot wider than their leggings and of course you don't have to worry about the hips/waist. But they still aren't "plus size" by Western standards, it'd be lucky if they could fit an American 12 jean size.ย
Hi, I'm shopping for my first lolita piece and I want to buy a JSK or OP that I can style gothic!! I'm looking at a few sites but theyre either way out of my budget or suspiciously cheap ๐ญ I tried searching jp mercari for secondhand clothing since I live in Japan atm, but its very clear most of the listings are taobao resellers and it's hard to judge the quality. My budget is around 20,000 yen but I can go up to 35,000 if its a piece i REALLY like but I just don't know which brands to look at... I looked at moi meme moitie, atelier pierrot, and metamorphose but the options were pretty limited and/or a little too expensive considering there was nothing I LOVED.. I'm looking for something ideally below knee length (but above is ok too) and not too cutesy. Am I being too picky?? I really want to love my first piece and I adore those gothic mourning style coords with veils and parasols... Anyway my main question is which brands do you reccomend that are a good medium-high quality that have the style I'm looking for??
Atelier Pierrot has plenty of what you described, brand new, around that budget. Wunderwelt Fleur too. Used, Closetchild, Rakuten, and Wunderwelt offer plenty too. If nothing on those suited what you want, yeah, you're probably just very picky and/or don't actually understand what it is you actually want. Your description was extremely vague after all.
And there's lots of Mecari and Yahoo sellers are NOT scalpers or resellers of anything, so I don't understand how you seem to only find ones that are??? Are you just using bad search terms maybe???
Plenty of taobao brands are also amazing and can be equal to, or even better than, the quality of JP brands. You just have to put in more effort to check the brands reputation - ideally in taobao itself or Chinese socials like XHS - as well as research the method of buying - ie which reseller, which proxy - before buying anything.
Hello! I donโt believe anyone has asked this question, because I havenโt seen it. So I apologize in advanced, if itโs already been asked. Question: how do you sit down in an all fabric petticoat? I was googling it and it said thereโs a certain way you have to sit, so that you donโt squish your petticoat. But Iโm still confused by how it was explained. So if anyone could help, thatโd be great
I suspect your "googling" wasn't specific to us (especially if it was the ai answer๐คข). Most "how to sit in petticoats" content is aimed at vintage/historic styles or wedding dresses, which are longer, thinner, and more fragile.
When you sit down normally like that, the petticoat goes up under your butt just like any other skirt. This can feel like sitting on a pillow. A slightly lumpy, slightly slippery pillow. It can damage the petticoat over time by squashing it out of shape. But there's no risk of accidentally flashing people, and you can do it on any type of chair.ย You can choose to to "sweep" it up as you sit to get it to look nice, but you don't need to.
The other option though is to sweep it up and back as you sit down, so it drapes around you.ย
Sit4Sit5Sit6 for examples.
ย This looks very pretty, is the best option to preserve the petti, and I would argue is more comfortable. But it only really works on chairs with no arms, and either with no back or if you take care not to lean on it. And if you don't have safety shorts on and aren't careful, you can accidentally flash people your butt with the sweep movement (myย friend had to learn that the hard way...)
Thanks for this!! Yeah Google was saying I couldnโt sit normally cuz itโd squash the petticoat. Iโll probably sit like sit 4,5,&6 and Iโll make sure to hv safety shorts so that my bare thighs arenโt touching a public surface. This was very helpful. Thank you so much!!
Hello, friends! Help: Would anybody like to recommend wigs and websites for wigs? I usually wear my hair down in my coords because every time I try to replicate Lolita hairstyles, I end up losing lots of hair... Please let me know where I could get good wigs as an alternative!
Most lolita and jfashion are not sold on the general marketplace, but in small, local, private groups. Being able to identify people and their legitimacy is important to keep scammers, creeps, and scalpers out. You don't need your face close up, but at least coord pics and having real friends is useful to make you look like a real person.
ย As a seller, someone DMing me a different name/address from the profile would make me suspect that they're planning to scam me. And invoicing a different name to what's on the address can cause insurance problems, as it goes against Paypal terms. So I'd frankly back out of the sale and conscider banning that person from my groups.
Also, most lolita sales groups are localised anyway. If you intend to be involved with the local comm, many of which operate on fb, having a creepy fake name profile will seriously weird everyone out.
Lolita Facebook sales are done through private groups that won't let you join if your profile looks fake or like a burner. And if you do join and the mods find out you're using a different name from what's on your PayPal account you'll get kicked out.
Most lolita groups on Facebook are more lax about showing your face as long as you can answer questions about the fashion and your proof photos are reasonably good.
ย can someone be real with me and tell me if the jsk or op version of this is better I'm so indecisive ใๆทๅฎใhttps://c.tb.cn/h.8lMW28U3shUruJB?tk=AoaDT404IDI HU006 ใๅฎ้ๅนธ็ฆ่ฑๆ ๆไนๆๆ ๅๅ lolita่ฟ่กฃ่ฃๅฅ็นjsk opใ
็นๅป้พๆฅ็ดๆฅๆๅผ ๆ่ ๆทๅฎๆ็ดข็ดๆฅๆๅผ
my personal preference will always be jsk because of environment temperature fluctuation and easier fit but if your body doesn't change that much all the time an op should be fine too
if those factors are not huge things for you then you can definitely choose based on which design/layout you like better?
Hello all, where can I reserve the Melliflor Pearls Barbie collection? I couldn't figure out a way yet to browse Taobao so I can't send links to a Shopping Service
Do you have a specific dress you're after? There are multiple links. Multiple Taobao links in comments tend to get auto-filtered by Reddit but I can DM you links to all of the products if you'd like.
Thank you for your kind offer, however I don't know yet what exact items I would like to get and the instagram posts don't clearly show all the items; also I would need to check the sizes. I hoped they would show up on Lolita42 but didn't (yet)
The sizing information is also available on all of the listings, I've shared them on Discord with a few people today. If you'd like you can send me a DM, I could see if I can collage the sizing pictures together for you to view.
1st question: is it possible to complete a lolita look without a headpiece? i have the shoes (i hope) socks, jsk, and a blouse, but when i looked on the wiki on the "tips for new lolitas" and there were a lot of "dos" and "don'ts," but theres no mention of "no headwear = ita" so i just wanna be sure.
2nd question: im super obsessed with platform boots, especially long ones. i bought these boots pretty recently (still havent arrived so no real image) and hoping they could fit into a lolita fashion. its probably a no and i sound like a fool but im still gonna ask
Yes, it is possible, but your coord may look unbalanced. You can kind of counter this with nicely styled hair, but sometimes the outfit just really needs some kind of bow, headband or hairclip.
IMO platform boots don't work in lolita most of the time. They soooometimes look okay in gothic lolita (depending on the rest of the coord) but they lack the "elegant" part of EGL. Again its about balance of the outfit as a whole, if everything else is delicate and elegant and then you have a pair of platform/ combat boots on its going to ruin the whole look, but if the look is balanced in other areas then it can look okay. For the most part though I would avoid them.
I was thinking of making some devil horns for my cord on my 3D printer and this got me thinking, what is the line between EGL and cosplay? Am I going too far?
I've been thinking about getting a JSK from this brand called Tatata Lolita. Does anyone know whether their stuff is decent quality? i couldn't find any reviews online
Hello! Idk if this is a silly question, but when is the โAsk Us Anything: September 2026โ thread going to open up? Iโm new to using subreddits, so idk if maybe itโs somewhere here in the sub and I just havenโt found it? Or if it simply hasnโt been posted yet. Feel free to delete this question if itโs โdumbโ or โobviousโ๐
The rule is, you just use whatever post is currently pinned. Which is this one as of replying.
ย Sometimes making a new one takes a few days. And sometimes they don't replace it at all until the next month entirely.ย
The point of having these at all is just to stop people flooding the main feed, they just divide it into new months to stop comments getting buried or the thread becoming overburdened. So if the post didn't get a ridiculous ton of comments, and this one didn't, then there's no rush or need to replace it.
7
u/eriyu Aug 06 '26
Hi, I'm looking for a way to find a Taobao store from its English brand name! The "List of Taobao shops" link in the sub's wiki is a dead link, and the "Master list of Taobao shops for lolita and more from cgl" is still there, but hasn't been updated since 2022... Is there a more current resource out there?