Thursday, January 7, 2010

A Horse Of A Different Color


As related to my post about dressing in lolita around your family, this is a very similar one, about as just as important a topic.
So, today you get invited to go out with your friends. There are a variety of places that you and your friends might be going to. The mall, the movies, the arcade, theme park etc. You've picked out your most rori filled outfit. The problem? These friends don't dress lolita. Now you might automatically say "Um, so I just won't wear lolita then..?" But my answer? NO. Don't give into the impulse thinking thats the only solution to the matter. You obviously love to dress lolita, right? It's your own style and you shouldn't feel ashamed of it.

But then the question becomes, how do I wear lolita without looking like the odd ball of the group? OR how can I wear lolita without my friends running away from me? Well, based on personal experience, I have some suggestions. They might not work for everybody, but I'm sure they'll be at least a bit helpful.

First off, where are you going with your friends? I find that every place has a different sort of vibe to it, which can help with your choice of what to wear. For example, take the mall. It's filled with stores (that yes, will have super cute loli-able off brand stuff in it), food, and large crowds.

I suggest this is the place where you dress a bit more casual. Do not wear more then 1 petticoat, nothing crazy in terms of headgear or extensions for that matter. You want your outfit to be cute, but also easy to get around in. This is because you might wanna try on clothes and or anything wearable. You don't want to take 20 minutes to remove your coordinate just to try on something that normal would take 10 minutes to check out all together. Also, wear comfortable shoes, I can't stress enough how important this is. If you are shopping for 5 hours, it's best to not wear your favorite pair of Rocking Horse Shoes. Go for instead a more flat pair, like Tea Party shoes or Heart Buckles (preferably the replica versions).

The next step in this is, what should I wear as the main chunk of my outfit? Jsk/OP or a skirt/cutsew outfit? I'd either go with a JSK or skirt/cutsew outfit. Most OP's (not all though), can be a bit over the top. I'd also go with either a bold colored piece or a very tiny print. For prints, here are some examples.

Now what about accessories? Personally I wouldn't go with anything too crazy. Have fun with the tiny things like earrings and rings, but everything else I'd leave to be simple. Also go with bold colors socks or ones very a delicate design. I personally wouldn't go for stripes or a heavy looking design, unless these are the only socks you have.

Here are some other tiny things you should keep in mind.
  • If you are going to the movies, don't wear anything like a bonnet or hat. You don't want someone being rude to you and asking for you to take it off.
  • Put confidence in your step, no one wants to see a frilly lady or gentleman walk around with a sad expression.
To conclude with this question, what if my friends really aren't cool with it? Well personally then thats a shame, and you should find friends that accept you no matter what you wear. I unfortunately, when I started dresses lolita more then I did prior, I got many a bad review from people I did respect at the time.

But at the same time, I was able to find friends that either didn't care or completely supported it. The main thing to think of is, are you comfortable in lolita? then wear it! Again, you shouldn't feel ashamed of this. Have fun no matter what the occasion is, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I hope this was at least a bit helpful. Look out for Monday's next movie review.... here is another clue.

3 comments:

  1. Good article! If your "friends" are that preoccupied with your appearance and can't accept you for who you are... NEWSFLASH: They are not true friends. Luckily, I have some pretty awesome friends who love the way I dress. I even managed to convert one to the frilly side of life ^.~

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey! This is Jen. Quincy's friend. We met in NYC. Do you have any tips for adding a touch of Lolita to regular casual outfits? I would like to get a bit of Lolita touches in my wardrobe but maybe not full Lolita at least at first. Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ah I remember the first time I wore lolita around my non-lolita friends. My friends were really cool with it, and rather enjoyed what I was wearing. It was more on the casual-pink side of things, but still something they've never seen me in before.

    I was the odd one though xD People were stopping me on the street (some were kind of rude and basically interrupted me and my friends while we were talking to ask for a photo with me, and my friends weren't used to stuff like that so it peeved them a bit), but it was okay in the end.

    ReplyDelete