Exciting News from Volks USA & Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Baby the Stars Shine Bright (BtSSB) is one of my absolute favorite stores for Lolita fashion. It was the very first brand store I was introduced to so it has a special place in my heart. It was announced on Wednesday that they are now opening up a brick and mortar branch in New York right next to the re-opening of the Tokyo Rebel store.

This is a big deal for all of the American Lolitas who are into and are just getting into Lolita fashion. Now it will be easier to get brand items in the United States without having to go through the trouble of getting a Japanese proxy or deciphering Japanese websites. In all, it will be easier to get into the fashion. And with the new official store front, it might mean a growth in popularity. Either way, for me, it would mean having the chance to save up and actually visit a BtSSB store in my lifetime.
 

Another exciting announcement has to deal with the Volks Ball Jointed Doll store (specifically the US branch of the Volks store). Volks is one of the oldest dealers of ball jointed dolls as be know them and they have been in business for ten years now. Recently, they closed their storefront in San Fransisco and temporarily closed their Volks USA website. There was rumor and speculation all over the BJD community if Volks was closing their doors to the US market or if there was going to be something big coming.

Volks is going to be releasing the Full Choice System (FCS) on their US website in August. This means that Volks is trying to expand their market and they will be competing with the other companies that have been offering that feature online.

As far as I can find, the details have not been fully announced, so I'm not sure if the FCS will allow us to receive a doll with eyes, wig, clothes, and a face-up like it would if you were to get one in the physical store, but this is a huge step forward for people who have been wanting a Volks doll from the system (or really a new Volks in general). I am looking forward to seeing what this online system will have to offer and will start saving up in anticipation of getting one before the end of the year.

The Lolita Lifestyle

There are people out there who say that the Lolita Fashion is just a fashion choice and doesn't dictate the rest of their lives. Then there are the people out there that say that because they wear Lolita, they choose to live in a more elegant way. Then there are people like me who live a lifestyle that fits in perfectly with Lolita, but they found the fashion last.

Any way you put it, the Lolita Fashion is going to have some "lifestylers" out there. These are the people who want to live like what they perceive to be the perfect Lolita Lifestyle. For many people, as soon as you say the words "Lolita Lifestyle", the first thing that pops into their head is Momoko from Kamikaze Girls.

Momoko is (at her core) a spoiled brat who lives in the most elegant way possible. She doesn't like sports because it isn't dainty enough. She prefers to embroider, look at pictures of flowers, eat only sweet things, listen to classical music, and basically live a life of elegance and luxury as best as she can. Don't get me wrong, I love Momoko and Kamikaze Girls is one of my favorite movies out there, but I don't think it portrays a good version of the Lolita Lifestyle that everybody thinks of.


A lifestyle is more than a style of dress or what music you prefer listening to. A lifestyle is made up of your hobbies, habits, general aesthetic and (for some people) your job. I'm not saying that you should go out and try to find a job that fits in with you love of the Lolita fashion. But if you want to make your love of Lolita fashion part of your lifestyle, then you should do it.

 A lifestyle makes up who you are and you shouldn't be chained in by what you think that other people think you should do just because you are a Lifestyle Lolita. As Momoko would say, "if it makes you happy, do it!"

Almost all of my hobbies fall into the category of the Lifestyle Lolita, so I am going to do a series of posts about Lolita friendly hobbies if you are interested in picking a couple up. There are tons of activities out there that could be considered proper for the sometimes cute, sometimes sassy, sometimes elegant lifestyle of a Lolita, so I am just going to write about the hobbies that I have a personal experience in. Keep your eye out for them and I hope that you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.

Lolitas in the Closet

There were debates floating around on EGL about if you have to be actively wearing lolita fashion to be considered a Lolita (with a capitol "L") at all. There is one side that decided that you did have to be wearing the fashion to be a part of the lifestyle. There is another side that thought that you don't have to be wearing the fashion actively, but you have to be working your way up to wearing the fashion to be considered a Lolita.

I have considered myself part of the lolita lifestyle for a year now and I don't wear the fashion yet. Part of it is because I don't have the spare money to buy anything new right now. Part of it is that I just didn't have the right amount of confidence to wear it earlier because I discovered it when I was still in college and my confidence in my body image was still developing.

If you take a look at my other activities and my other interests, it wouldn't be a big surprise that I am into this fashion. I enjoy knitting, spinning, tatting, embroidery, sewing, quilting, crocheting, tea, reading, classical music, cats, and many more that makes up the span of the "lolita lifestyle". But if you take a look at what I wear and the make up of my living space, you wouldn't have any idea that I was into cute and frilly at all.

I think that if you are in the lolita closet, then you should come out for yourself. Just recently I picked up an old copy of the Gothic & Lolita Bible and showed it to my mother. She thought it was funny that I was drawn to such a girly fashion, but was glad that I was getting in touch with my feminine side at last. I needed to share this with my mom to consider myself "out of the wardrobe" so to speak, but others may not need to take a direct approach. If anything, start to match your decor to what you are interested in. Or maybe make yourself a giant head eating bow.

For all of you lolitas still hiding in the closet, please come out and accept that there is nothing weird about liking this fashion. Be proud of you interests. You will feel a lot better once you do.

Lolita and Age: Only for the Young?

There is a disturbing trend going around the lolita community recently. "Old" people are starting to drop out of the community and out of the fashion. I know that it is their choice on what they choose to spend their money on and what they wear, but these people aren't old. These are the people that are just barely turning twenty-two or twenty-three.

Yesterday, Aly Buttons (formally Miss Lumpy) officially announced that she is going to be turning away from the lolita fashion because she is getting older and she feels that her obligations are shifting. I don't blame her for feeling this way. We all change with time and our tastes and style changes. It's part of what makes us human. But, what does this mean to the older lolita bloggers that are still out there and thriving like Miss Caro-Chan of FYeah Lolita or Victoria Suzanne of Parfait Doll or Alice of Pink*Milk*Tea? What does this mean to older girls who are just starting to get into the fashion but can't afford any pieces at this time because they are in college and trying to make ends meet?

This is hitting me fairly hard because not only was Aly Buttons one of my favorite lolita bloggers, we were also around the same age group. I didn't discover the lolita fashion until I was already in college around my twenty-first birthday. Two years later and I just turned twenty-three at the beginning of the month. I also don't have any dresses, but I finally have enough confidence in my ability to coordinate and in my self-image to start to get together some coordinates and start wearing them. Finding lolita is what dragged this academic tom-boy into fashion in the first place.

I am finding it very hard to believe that this fashion is only supposed to be for the young pre-teens and teenagers who can't even afford Bodyline rather than their older counterparts who have jobs and can support this type of fashion. Obviously this won't prevent me from just getting into and enjoying this fashion, but I am afraid that girls will feel pressured to give up the hobby that they love just because they hit a certain age.

A Closer Look at Sweet Lolita

Picture from lolitafashion.org

"Fashion is interpretative. Fashion is based on a concept, which each individual forms and interprets into something visual." -Victoria Suzanne, Parfait Doll

As much as I love classic lolita, I also have a strong draw to sweet lolita. Sweet lolita is a very distinctive style. It stands out among the other lolita styles simply because it is so sugary sweet. If anything can be decked out with pastels and covered in cupcakes, teddy bears, and kittens, then by the stars somebody out there will do it.

Sweet lolita is also one of the only lolita styles I have seen to be pushed into the over-the-top category. This is where the lolita pushes everything to the extreme. Petticoats get bloomed up to make wide cupcake skirts. Circle lenses and extreme eye makeup gets applied to make them look even more doll-like in appearance. Big curly wigs come out that might or might not be pastel colored themselves to get covered with bows and frills. The dresses get covered in busy cute prints. In my opinion, it is one of the boldest styles to wear because you have to be confident to go out looking like a giant pink cupcake.

I also really like Sweet lolita because it looks so innocent. This is the style that really hearkens back to childhood for me. In fact, if my mother had made me wear petticoats, it would be really similar to what I liked to wear before frills became too "girly" for  me.

What people should know about sweet lolita is that it is not just about looking like a cupcake and it is not just looking like a pink cupcake. Sweet lolita comes in all shades of colors. The signature color for sweet lolita seems to be pink, but it looks just as lovely in shades of pastel blue, butter yellow, lavender, and if you are lucky minty green.If you go back further in history and look at shops like Baby, the Stars Shine Bright (BTSSB) you will even see that bright reds and darker shades can even be classified as Sweet lolita. The border prints a la Angelic Pretty are very popular, but Sweet lolita can also be well done if it is done in a solid color or an all over print as well.

I really like sweet lolita. I think the style is adorable and it is one of the ones I can see myself wearing because it would make me feel pretty. It is not the only style I see myself wearing, but it is one of the ones that has charmed its way into my heart. 

A Closer Look at Classic Lolita

Picture from lolitafashion.org

“Lolita do not recognize any authority. They follow only the values they have chosen for themselves, regardless of what anybody might say.” ― Novala Takemoto
 
 Understanding the lolita fashion is simple enough. All you really have to understand is the basic silhouette and remember that the key to any lolita fashion is modesty.  That means skirts are down to about knee length, knee-high socks are in, blouses are worn with jumperskirts, and you don't show off your cleavage. Knowing those basic guidelines is easy enough, but what about all the different styles? You have classic lolita, sweet lolita, gothic lolita, hime lolita, and more. What's the difference between all of them?

Out of all of the lolita styles, I feel drawn to classic lolita the most, so that is the style I'm going to talk about first.

When people talk about classic lolita, they like to reference it as the "grown up sister of sweet lolita". On one hand, this is an entirely true statement. Classic lolita looks more mature and grown up than sweet lolita. It focuses a fair amount on solid colors and floral prints instead of the bright pastels and sugary sweet candy prints of sweet lolita. Classic lolitas are also more likely to wear tights instead of knee high socks. Brands like Victorian Maiden and Innocent World are also more likely to focus on simpler all over patterns than prints (but they still have their share of classic prints). Gloves and hats also seem to play a part in this style more than the oversized bows and bonnets.

In my opinion, classic lolita is more about looking refined and classy. Imagine being invited to a fancy garden party. All the flowers would be blooming all around you, the guests are decked out in their formal sun dresses and pearls, and even the refreshments are stylized in a manner that says "this is important, this is classy, this is sophisticated". That is what classic lolita is trying to embody.

From Rags to Frills

Drawing by the talented AmaneMiss on deviantArt

"Shedding my disguise of being normal for the princess I am is priceless. The world has enough ordinary people. Why waste my life trying to be mediocre and average as well? I refuse to be common. I refuse to assimilate." -Lady Kristen, Princessly Living

I am not fashionable. I have never understood high fashion or why every one of my classmates were obsessed with the latest styles on Seventeen or Vogue when I was in high school. My "style" consisted of jeans (that may or may not have had holes in them), oversized t-shirts, and a pair of sneakers. When I got older, that expanded to several pairs of different earrings and a little bit of eyeshadow if I was lucky.

 I have been looking at lolita fashion for long enough that I know that it is not a phase that I am going through. I would truly like to start wearing it because I like the style. But, I wasn't sure why I still liked the style. Compared to all of my other friends, it is more frilly than anything else I have seen. Being a full-fledged gamer tomboy when I was younger, this fact both amused me and made me wonder why there was such a shift. I used to complain when there was even a little ruffle or piece of lace on my clothing. Now, I'm flocking to a fashion that is covered in ruffles, lace, bows, ribbons, and even sweets (in the case of sweet lolita).

I sat down for a while to think about it. I have always been overweight. I have never really felt pretty. I have always wished I had the confidence of some of my favorite television heroines like Wonder Woman, Sailor Moon, and Piper from Charmed.

Then it hit me.

Ever since I started to get interested in this fashion, I could imagine myself wearing it and I felt pretty. When I felt pretty, I felt more confident and kick ass. Who cares if the fashion was different? I could bring in different styles and make it truly my own. Having an off day? How about a fun skirt with no petticoat and a favorite blouse? Need to be more professional? How about a more simple skirt with a blouse and a hand-knit sweater vest over it and business shoes with a strand of natural pearls? Want to go over-the-top? Break out all of the crazy candy colored accessories and have a blast!

For once, I feel like I can finally wear something that will make me look good and make me feel like a princess while wearing it. For once, I feel beautiful and I don't even wear it yet.