Review #31: Axes Femme

In the light of my non-lolita wardrobe overhaul I've started looking into some new brands online who have a similar aesthetic but simpler silhouette, and one of them is Axes Femme. Unfortunately, most of their lovely dresses come in only one size but we were still able pick out quite a few nice items. All the clothing [other than the fur vest] we bought with the intention that if it fits me, I take it, and if not it goes into the model wardrobe.

James got me this for my birthday! It's been hidden away from me...

Axes Femme does not take international orders, but since I had made a Tenso account to order from Angelic Pretty I was all set and ready to go. We placed our order on the 11th of September, and they posted it on the 12th. It arrived at Tenso on the 13th and I paid for shipping, which was really expensive, on the same day. I guess two bags and a pair of shoes makes for heavy shipping. Anyway, we got the package [a branded box, which was nice] on the 17th or 18th, I honestly can't remember which.  Either way EMS was quick, as usual.

Since there were several items I'm just going to make some general comments, rather than go into specifics on each item, but if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Overall... I'm impressed! Everything is well made, and accurate to the stock photos and listed measurements. The red blouse fit me perfectly, including shoulder width and the sleeves, which is amazing. The skirt and culottes do not, but that was expected, and the vest is a little small but I can wear it open. Mostly I was impressed by the little details - the shirt features a playing card motif in the stripes and the lace trim on the vest has clusters of pearls and diamantes in it.

How awesome is this fabric?

The boots are gorgeous and seem very well made, but are absolutely skin tight, which is fair enough since they're a 24.5 and I need a 25. Since shoe sizing can be all over the place I thought I'd give them a try and I need to wear them for a day to see if the tightness is okay or if it gets bad after wearing. As for my gobelin bag... I adore it. Adore it. It's just... perfect. And it's made me even more excited ot get the other bag on my birthday!

You may recognise this photo from instagram...

All in all I'm really impressed with Axes Femme. And I'm really a mixture of bummed and grateful that most of their stuff is one size... bummed because I am not that size yet grateful because if I was, I'd probably be broke, but with pretty clothes.

Wardrobe Overhaul Part 2

I realised, after I started planning out my wardrobe overhaul, that the one thing I really lack are flat shoes for everyday wear. I've been living in the same pair of black-and-white sneakers for about three years, and they're pretty limited style wise. Because I'm picky, I don't like ballet flats or sandals or loafers and when presented with a choice of shoes, I always go for heels. But heels aren't practical for everyday use, so I decided that step one of wardrobe overhaul needed to be finding a few pairs of cheap flat shoes to try out some new styles. Cheap being a keyword, because I'm not even sure what styles I'm going to like and use.

So today we went to Payless and thanks to end-of-season sales scored these three pairs for $39!

 

None of the shoes are the greatest quality or the most comfortable, but they'll be good for testing out all these different style.

I was hoping to find a slightly girlier pair of black boots, but these are still really cool. It's also good because I love the aesthetic of combining girly clothes with clunkier shoes, so these will let me experiment with that look. They'll also work for grungier steampunk looks, which make me happy ^__^

My phone didn't want to get the colour of these boots right, they're a really dark wine red, not this orange-y tone. These were an impluse buy because they were $9, so why not? But I'm actually really keen to start using these ones because I love coloured shoes!

Yeah, I know. These ones aren't flat. But I thought they were worth a try since it's yet another style and colour. Again, my phone took this photo lighter than how they actually are, they're really a much richer caramel. I've never actually owned shoes in this colour before, so it'll be interesting to see if I use them. In my wardrobe I'm planning on using darker, rather than lighter, browns so I'm not sure how much I'll use them but still, worth a shot.

So that's the first [physical, at least] step of my wardrobe overhaul. Well, I did go through my existing wardrobe and take out some things to get rid of, but this is the first addition!

Wardrobe Overhaul Part 1

A non-lolita post for once, but still clothing related! I have no idea how many parts this series is going to have, so bear with me... we're going on an adventure!

Lately, I've found that despite having lots of clothes, I don't have that much to wear. Outside of lolita, my clothes are either jeans-and-tshirt casual or very dressy, without much in between. I've got some fabulous pieces, like really kick-ass jackets, that don't match anything and frequently find myself with nothing to wear. Especially when trying to put together smart casual outfits for castings... I have one red dress with a few jacket options which is my go-to and that's it. But I've never really thought about doing a dramatic overhaul until two thing happened recently. The first is that lolita has made me a lot more fashion conscious, especially in regards to colour palettes, and secondly on EGL in a FFA [at least, I think that's where it was] someone shared a link to the website Into Mind, who focus on helping you create a versatile and cohesive capsule wardrobe. And gradually, I've become enamoured with the idea of turning my "normal people" wardrobe upside down.

Already I've made two decisions about how I want my new wardrobe to be: what my colour palette should be and what my "uniform", or standard go-to outfit style, is. Want to see the colour palette?

Black and chocolate brown are my neutral colours while deep red, vibrant purple and soft peach are my main colours. The ivory, pastel pink, burnt orange and spruce green are my accent colours. These are colours that I love an that suit me pretty well, except perhaps the green, but I love it and won't incorporate too much of it.

Deciding a uniform was easy, because it's what I already do: mini skirt/mini dress with a jacket, and my second go-to is either full pants or mini skirt with an interesting top. So far my take on "interesting top" has been a nerdy t-shirt and I still want to keep my geek game strong, but I want some options that are just plain patterns instead.

My next step [and next post!] is to come up with a list of items to look out for that I need for my new wardrobe. I know, roughly, that I'm okay for black tops and all heavier outerwear but I do need some light jackets, non-black tops, pants and new skirts and dresses. So I have a lot or planning and a lot of shopping to do!

A Complete Steampunk Lolita Wardrobe for [just over] $500

It’s been a while since my last hypothetical wardrobe post but finally, I have designed one combining two of my abiding loves: lolita and steampunk! I will be honest though, and say that since a lot of the steampunk vibe comes from accessories this is really just a classic lolita wardrobe in a steampunk inspired colour scheme. Regardless, I really love it and I hope you do too!

To reiterate my usual spiel: my definition of a “complete” Lolita wardrobe is one that can yield you a pretty unique outfit every day for a week. Also as per usual, I do not include purses or accessories for two reasons. Firstly, everyone likes different things there and secondly, most girls already have something appropriate in each department. In this wardrobe in particular, what true steampunk fan doesn’t already have something coggy, some goggles or that ubiquitous octopus jewellery?

Now, on to the wardrobe breakdown!

1 OP, 1 JSK and 1 Skirt:

Again I’ve followed my usual mantra of one plain piece and two patterned ones. The solid coloured skirt from Bodyline [$53] is anything but plain in construction, and both the Bodyline OP [$47] and the Fan Plus Friend JSK [$82] have a nice balance of construction details and patterned fabrics.

1 Neutral Blouse with Detachable Sleeves:

This ivory Bodyline blouse [$47] even has a detachable jabot. Detachable everything!

1 Contrasting Blouse or Cutsew:

This lovely, detailed long sleeve blouse from Fan Plus Friend [$60] makes me drool a little on my keyboard every time I see it, so it was the natural choice for providing extra colour and detail in this wardrobe.

2 Outerwear:

Once again I’ve chosen something “structured” and something “pretty”.  Both from Bodyline, this time around the “structured” is the green sailor jacket [$27] and the “pretty” is the simple brown bolero [$20].

2 Headpieces:

Both headwear choices come from Fan Plus Friend: a standard headbow in ivory [$7] and a lovely brown bowler hat [$13],

2 Pairs of Shoes:

One day I should probably write a post about all my shoes, because maybe then I could truly manage to convey how amazing I think shoes are, and how much they impact an outfit. But for now, enjoy the two Bodyline choices in this wardrobe: ivory Oxfords [$33] and cute brown boots [$47].

5 Items of Legwear:

My usual line for legwear is one pair of solid colour tights and a patterned or printed pair, as well as three pairs of socks: a plain neutral knee high or OTK pair, a more interesting pair of knees highs and a pair of ankle socks. However, I couldn’t find a patterned knee high sock that worked with this wardrobe, so I picked two plain pairs from Fan Plus Friend [$3] in different colours instead. The plain tights are from eBay [$5] and the lovely printed pair are by Ophanim [$27] while the cute little ankle socks are Bodyline [$1].

1 Petticoat:

As always, I haven’t included an image of the petticoat because that would be irrelevant, but I am factoring in the price as no Lolita wardrobe is complete without a petticoat! I figure that $50 is a fairly reasonable average price.

Total Cost: $525

Well....that’s not too much over budget! ^__^

And now, my favourite part... sample outfits!

A very simple outfit that lets the details do the talking.

Again, a simple outfit, but this one is better for cooler climates!

A very toned down outfit that draws attention to the print on the JSK.

This is the "uber green" outfit ^__^

Lots of detail, textures and patterns make this outfit really eye-catching.

For some reason, this one makes me think of hunting parties in old movies...

I saved my favourite for last! I would so wear this for a steampunk photoshoot!

So there you have it! As you can see, there are still a lot of interesting combinations you could come up with using this simple three colour wardrobe ^__^

As always, if there’s a particular lolita style or theme or colour palette you’d like to see my budget version of, please leave a comment letting me know. And, if you liked this and feel like checking out the previous ones, I’ve done this kind of hypothetical wardrobe for sweet, classic, gothic, sailor and bittersweet lolita.

Two quick endnotes on pricing:

The prices I’ve listed are exclusive of shipping costs, because they vary depending on your location and Bodyline is notorious for spontaneous price changes, so who knows how long things will stay as I’ve written.

A Complete Bittersweet Lolita Wardrobe for Under $500.

Ahhhh, the controversial substyle of bittersweet. On the one hand, those who say it’s just sweet lolita in black. On the other, those who say it’s more like sweet with a touch of punk/pastel goth/creepy cute, and is different enough to warrant its own name. Me, I’m on the fence, though leaning more towards to latter than the former, which should be made fairly obvious by the fact that I’m making this hypothetical wardrobe. I feel that the difference lies not in the clothing choice but more in the accessories and overall vibe...something that might not be conveyed too well here as I’m adhering to my usual no purse and no accessories policy ^__^

The wardrobe consists of the following items:

1 OP, 1 JSK and 1 Skirt:

I’ve followed my usual mantra of one plain and two patterned piece, this time all coming from Bodyline. The OP [$40] has a bit of a military vibe, the JSK [$40] is just fun and the skirt [$33] is the most neutral of the lot.  

1 Neutral Blouse with Detachable Sleeves:

We all know the drill here ^__^ For this wardrobe I picked a nice black blouse from Bodyline [$33], which has a detachable jabot for even more options.

1 Contrasting Blouse or Cutsew:

To provide a bit of versatility and zazz, I decided to use a super cute pink blouse from Bodyline [$40]. And no, I’m not being biased just because I have this blouse and love it to pieces.

2 Outerwear:

Again I chose to conform to my mantra of having something “structured” and something “pretty”.  The “structured” is the black with white trim blazer [$33] and the “pretty” is the black and white hooded bolero [$33] which really does have a hood, even though you can’t see it! Both are from Bodyline.

2 Headpieces:

Once more from Bodyline we have one of those spiked headbands [$7] that are all the rage and a more traditional lolita headbow in pink [$7].

2 Pairs of Shoes:

I really think shoes can make an outfit, which is why I think it’s not a complete wardrobe with only one pair. Both my choices here are from Bodyline – chunky, punky platforms [$40] from the punk section and cute-y boot-ies [$47].

5 Items of Legwear:

You can never have too much legwear. Ever. But for the purposes of keeping versatility while limiting amounts I think you need solid colour tights and a patterned or printed pair, as well as three pairs of socks – a plain neutral knee high or OTK pair, a more interesting pair of knees highs and a pair of ankle socks. For tights I chose a plain pink pair from eBay [$5] and a pair of Bodyline’s tattoo tights [$4]. All the socks are from Bodyline; plain black OTKS [$9], nice black ankle socks [$1] and black knee highs with a pink pattern [$7] which I think are actually designed to match the OP, so it’s a win-win ^__^

1 Petticoat:

I didn’t include a petticoat in the collage because it’s underwear and, you know, it goes under things. As petticoats vary in size, price and quality I’m factoring it into the equation as costing $50 which I think is a fair enough average.

Total Cost: $429

Well, um, wow. That is very within the budget! If I were doing this for real I’d probably look into getting another skirt with some of the left over dollars, and some funky accessories!

My definition of “complete” lies in being able to wear a pretty unique outfit every day for a week, here are seven sample outfits.

TBH, I really wanted to title this one "pink bits" ^__^

This outfit has lots of detail rather than relying on prints.

A great autumn outfit!

Using the blazer really tones down the busy JSK.

All black for a bit of a gothic-y day.

A very simple outfit that would be great for summer.

The sweetest outfit of all with the spiky headband bringing back the "bitter".

As always, if there’s a particular lolita style you’d like to see my budget version of, please leave a comment letting me know. Or if you want to see me to a certain style in a certain colour scheme I’ll see what I can come up with. And, if you liked this and feel like checking out the previous ones, I’ve done this kind of hypothetical wardrobe for sweet, classic, gothic and sailor lolita.

Two quick endnotes on pricing:

One; listed prices are exclusive of shipping costs, because they vary. Also, Bodyline tends to change prices for no apparent reason, so today’s cheap shoes may be tomorrow’s expensive dream.

One dress, five looks.

Way, way, way back in the day the Lolita Blog Carnival chose to blog on a topic I thought was quite cool - designing five outfits that all make use of the same on item of clothing. This post has been sitting in my draft posts for a very long time, and now I am finally finished with it! I chose to use one of my eBay dresses because I can cheat a little - the underskirt is separate so I can use different skirts for different looks! Anyhow, there's a outfit breakdown under each picture, and my thoughts on putting them together and the final results. So, with no further ado, the five outfits!

Underskirt: Handmade

Choker and bracelet: Made by James

Cross: Tree of Life

Boots: Betts

This is a very straightforward classic-with-a-hint-of-gothic outfit. I know it's incredibly simple, but that's how I often enjoy wearing lolita. It looks great to load up on more accessories, but something so plain as this really lets the elegant silhouette stand out, and I like that. Simple outfits like this also make me feel like it's just a fashion choice, not a dress up.

Underskirt: Handmade

Bracelets and Flowers: Equip

Fur Collar: Peacoacklorum

Tights: Ophanim

Bonnet: FanPlusFriend

Boots: Betts

And, to give you something a bit more extravagant after that simple outfit - OTT classic! Well, OTT to me, some people would count this as an average lolita outfit ^__^ The tights are not the best colour match to the rest of the outfit, and I tried to counterbalance that with the different toned flowers in the hair.

Underskirt and Boots: Bodyline
Waistcoat: Target
Hairbows: Equip
Cuff: Some market many, many years ago in my teenage rebel stage ^__^

I bet you weren't expecting that! I'd have to call this outfit punk lolita because I've done something unusual here by using the printed underskirt. Since this whole thing was about trying to do different outfits, I wanted to try something very different! This outfit is definitely not something I'd normally try, but I do really like it though I certainly understand if no-one else does. And my love of waistcoats has definitely been rekindled...

Cage Skirt: FanPlusFriend
Boots: Betts
Hairbow: Equip
Gloves: Part of the model wardrobe that James has owned for who knows how long.

We own a cage skirt - how was I mean to not do an ero look? In retrospect, I really should have added a black lace choker but at the time I was enjoying the bareness of my skin. I don't have much to say about this outfit, it's not my favourite but I think it's a fairly good example of ero lolita. Even though the cage skirt leaves my legs exposed the combination of thigh high boots and the chiffon layer of the cage skirts means that it's really not that revealing. The gloves add a touch of elegance to counteract the gothicness of the boots. The hair bow brings back a hint of cuteness but not too much because it matches my hair colour. So all in all, even though I don't like this look too much, I think it's a fairly good ero lolita look.

Underskirt: Handmade

Cuffs: Made by James

Fawn Fur Collar: Peacockalorum

Fur Hat: Vintage [it belonged to my great aunt, who was quite fashionable back in the day]

Boots: Betts

I call this fur-lita! This is my favourite outfit of the lot and I am totally going to wear this to uni sometime soon. All the shades of brown are slightly different, but they still tie together nicely. This outfit is still quite casual, but has a lot more detail than the first outfit in this post. Mostly I just liked that I was able to work my leather and rabbit fur cuffs into an outfit - the are so warm and comfortable! And James made them, so naturally I am biased towards liking them ^__^

So that's my five looks using one main piece post. Want to see how other bloggers did it? 

Make Lovely

Two Teaspoons of Sugar

Hello Batty

Swirly Purple and Green Crayons

A Lace Jail

Kira Kira Shoujo

Let's Go 

Red Tonic

Melting Mind of Liz Juice

As an endnote, after doing this I realised two important things - my favourite shoes all come from Betts, and I really have a thing for boots in lolita. All boots, no knee socks! And I also want to give a thank you to the awesome James man for taking all the photos for me ^__^

Lolita Wardrobe Building

This is a theme that has been posted about many a time [to me, the best one has always been Caro-chan's and if you haven't read it, go do so now] and generally the consensus is the same. Get your basics in colours that will suit the sub-style you want to get into, and slowly build from there. The quality vs quantity debate is also something commonly discussed in online lolita circles, and though there's less of a consensus there seems to be more of a leaning towards building a wardrobe of good quality items rather than a mass of lesser quality ones. However, my thoughts on that are a different post entirely...

Anyhow, I thought I'd relate my own experience and give my current two cents on the topic of building a lolita wardrobe. I'm still a relative newbie to the fashion, and I'm sure that if I stick with lolita for a few more years my opinions will change at least a little bit. But at this point my attitude is really very simple; provided it's not going to mean you can't buy food or fuel, build up your wardrobe in whatever manner will make you happiest.

For myself, I was lucky enough that my awesome man bought em a pretty complete wardrobe right off the bat and it's been fantastic. However, the only downside of being able to get a fair bit of gear straight off is you can make some bad choices because, as always when buying clothes online, you aren't going to know how things are going to look and what you're going to like until you have it, and if you buy five dresses at once straight away, chances are they might not all work for you. So my advice on that front is to take it slow, even if you do have the means to buy your complete starting wardrobe all at once. Buy one complete outfit, perhaps with a few variables such a different socks or blouses see what works for you in it, and then go on from there.

When I sit down and think about it, things like budget and personal taste aside, I think there are three golden rules to keep in mind when building your lolita wardrobe.

Basics really are that important.
Everyone says it, and now I'm saying it. Lolita needs a petticoat. Without a petti, you just have a very cute outfit that's not quite lolita. However, I'm going to go against common wisdom and say that, right at the beginning, you don't necessarily need a great petti. My first one was a Leg Avenue tutu, and it was alright, and it was a good $30 cheaper than my Classical Puppets one. Unless you absolutely know for sure you want to wear lolita, and I'm very impressed if you do and I'd also like to ask you for next week's lottery numbers, as cheaper petticoat will be good enough for you to test the lolita fashion waters with.

It's fluffy enough ^__^

To me basics also covers more than just petticoat - it means shoes, socks and something to put on your head. Knee high socks, mary janes and a headbow of some kind are such typically lolita accessories that they should be part of your first outfit. There will be time to get experimental later.

Now, you may be wondering why I haven't mentioned bloomers as a basic wardrobe item. Though I know modesty is a lolita virtue, to me bloomers are underwear, and I think I have no right to tell anyone what underwear they should wear. Yes, bloomers protect you in the case of winds from having people see your panties, but they aren't essential.

Hear that bloomers?

Avoid things you hate.
I have never been able to wear big things on my head. Small clips, fancy hair ties, plain headbands, little bows and full size hats have always been fine. Then I enter the lolita scene and everything is headeating bows. So I try headeating bows, and feel uncomfortable and look it. The lesson in that is simple. If you don't like something normally, or something doesn't look good on your normally, you probably won't like it any more and it won't look any better just by virtue of being part of a lolita coord.

Fortunately, the reverse is also true! If you look great in blue normally, you're going to look great in that colour in lolita. As long as you adhere to the lolita aesthetic and silhouette, I tihnk its most important to wear things that are flattering and make you feel comfortable. Lolita is a fashion, not a costume, and you should never wear anything that makes you feel like it's a costume, and whatever that is is personal. For me, it's headeating bows ^__^

Find the right blouse.

This may be an odd bit of advice, but its one I've found works for me. Discover your perfect blouse...and then get five of it! Well, it doesn't have to be five exactly, but once you find a blouse that looks good and feels comfortable, try and get it in as many colours as you'd use, and perhaps buy two in whatever colour you'd use most, like white or black. A flattering blouse is important - you can have lots of lovely skirts and JSKs but without the right blouse you don't have the right outfit.

This may sound like it will be limiting your outfits by wearing the same style blouse frequently, so all I will do it point you to the tumblr of a wonderful sweet lolita, Cadney. If you browse through her outfit photos you'll notice that she has the Bodyline L364 in several colours, and she uses it very well in range of different outfits in a variety of colours.

Of course, I'm not saying stick to only one blouse, but I do suggest that when you find one that works well for you that you do get a few of it if that's at all possible. If I'm being totally honest, my next Bodyline order I'm saving for is going to be just that - repeats of the blouses I have found I like best ^__^

Now, if you are a regular reader of my blog, you'd have seen my hypothetical wardrobe posts where I build imaginary lolita wardrobes in the various style and substyles. However, this post and those are different kettles of fish. Those are my thoughts on how you could build a specific wardrobe, on a budget, to fit a particular style. This is about my thoughts on building a lolita wardrobe in general, and, since this article is already long enough, I shall end it here ^__^

A Complete Sailor Lolita Wardrobe for [just over] $500.

I am really getting a little too into my hypothetical budget lolita wardrobes, but I suppose there’s nothing wrong with a bit of obsessive behaviour every now and again. Having completed wardrobes for sweet, classic and gothic, the three main styles, I’ve decided to branch into the sub-styles, themes maybe even colour schemes, and what better way to start that than with sailor lolita? As always, if there’s a particular lolita style you’d like to see my budget version of, please leave a comment letting me know.

As always, I’ve left out a purse and accessories from this wardrobe because of two reasons. Firstly, I think the choice of both things is personal, and I don’t want to dictate styles or amounts as some ladies like just wearing a necklace and some like a million bibs and bobs, and both choices are perfectly valid. Secondly, as this is designed with a budget in mins you could probably use your existing handbags and jewellery – maybe not perfectly loli, but definitely good enough. With that said, onto the hypothetical!

The wardrobe consists of the following items:

1 OP, 1 JSK and 1 Skirt:

Normally my mantra is one plain, two patterned. However, I haven’t yet seen a nautical themed print that I’ve liked that would fit within the budget, so all these pieces feature various striped detailing rather than any of them being of printed fabric. The OP is from Infanta [$55] and both the skirt [$32] and the JSK [$75] are from F+F.

2 Blouses:

My usual choices are to have one with detachable sleeves, and something that can provide versatility. But sticking to a style like sailor lolita doesn’t really lend itself to versatility so here we just have two F+F sailor blouses, a plainer one in white with black trim [$38] and the other in black with ivory trim [$40] is a bit fancier with ruffles and a large neckbow.

2 Outerwear:

Again I chose to conform to my mantra of having something “structured” and something “pretty”.  The “structured” is the Bodyline sailor jacket [$27] and the “pretty” is the Infanta cape [$57] which is one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen.

2 Headpieces:

A white headbow from F+F [$6] is the typically lolita headwear of choice in this wardrobe, and also from F+F I’ve chosen to run with the theme even more with the adorable little sailor hat [$15].

2 Pairs of Shoes:

If only we could all have a hundred pairs of shoes, then we could match every outfit with the perfect pair. But who has the space? I went with a pair of white boots [$47] and a pair of black shoe [$40], both from Bodyline, so there were two colour options as well as styles.

5 Items of Legwear:

You can never have too much legwear. Ever. But for the purposes of keeping versatility while limiting amounts I think you need solid colour tights and a patterned or printed pair, as well as three pairs of socks – a plain neutral knee high or over the knees pair, a more interesting pair of knees highs and a pair of ankle socks. For tights I chose a plain white pair from eBay [$4] and a fabulous screenprinted Teja Jamilla pair [$30] in black and gold. As for socks, the black OTKS [$9] and white ankle socks [$1] are both from Bodyline and the stripy ones [$3] are from eBay.

1 Petticoat:

I didn’t include a petticoat in the collage because it’s underwear and, you know, it goes under things. As petticoats vary in size, price and quality I’m factoring it into the equation as costing $50 which I think is a fair enough average.

Total Cost: $529

Okay, okay. So, like with the classic lolita wardrobe, I’ve ended up slightly over the limit. Finding bargain footwear locally rather than online or perhaps dropping the Teja Jamilla tights [though who would want to!] for something simpler would be easy ways to bring this back under budget. I could also stop including petticoat costs, but it’s such a necessary lolita item it’s really not reasonable to leave it out.

Now that you’ve read though my rambling and reasoning, here are seven sample outfits.

Basic, cute and a little bit old-school.

Protect your adorableness from the cold with this layered outfit! 

A very dramatic outfit with the stripy skirt set off by black-and-gold accents.

The little bit of blue in the socks is matched by the hat in and otherwise B&W outfit.

A very simple outfit, perfect for staying cool in the summertime.

 

Just letting the dress take focus, accented by the jaunty hat.

Alright, not really "gloomy" but I was liking my alliterative theme!

Two quick endnotes on pricing:

One; listed prices are exclusive of shipping costs, because they vary. Also, Bodyline tends to change prices for no apparent reason, so today’s cheap shoes may be tomorrow’s expensive dream. 

A Complete Gothic Lolita Wardrobe for Under $500.

After running through hypothetical budget wardrobes for sweet and classic, the logical next step was a gothic lolita version, so here we have it, using the same basic guidelines to make a fairly complete and versatile wardrobe for $500.

However, before I go any further, I do want to say that I’m not a huge fan of the monochrome. So this wardrobe has a fair bit more colour in it than what the stereotype of gothic lolita would imply. I chose to incorporate royal blue with the black instead of the more typical red or white because that’s the signature Moitie colour scheme, so using the same colours is a way to take an influence from one of the big brands without necessarily using any of their pieces. However, the blue items can all be purchased in all-black versions, so just picture that if this is too colourful to fit your particular vision of gothic lolita.

The wardrobe consists of the following items:

1 OP, 1 JSK and 1 Skirt:

Normally I suggest having one of these in a plain colour, with the other two being in a patterned or printed fabric, preferably with one being more elaborate than the other. However, given the largely monochromatic nature of the gothic substyle, it’s not so easy here to depend on a cute border print or a vintage floral to get your different patterns. So here I’ve gone for an all-black chiffon onepiece [$53] which can be easily dressed up or down, a blue with black detailing JSK [$67] and a rather fancy black skirt with embroidered details [$40], all from Bodyline.

1 Neutral Blouse with Detachable Sleeves:

There are two keywords to remember here – neutral and detachable. To get the most bang for your buck this is the best way to go for a blouse. Bodyline has a nice black blouse [$47] which also has a detachable jabot, giving even more versatility.

1 Contrasting Blouse or Cutsew:

This piece is to add versatility to the wardrobe, so I went with both a different colour and a different fabric. The combination of being both blue and made of nice satin makes this F+F blouse [$45] a definite statement piece.

2 Outerwear:

Though these are terribly unspecific terms, I think having something “structured” and something “pretty” are two good choices for outerwear such as, for example, a full coat and a light bolero, or a military style jacket and a ruffled cardigan. Both my outerwear choices are from F+F; an elegant bolero [$38] and a fantastic military style vest [$58] that I have totally and utterly fallen in love with. So maybe it’s not the most gothic thing out there. I don’t care, it’s gorgeous!!

2 Headpieces:

Something unquestionably lolita, either a headbow or a rectangle headdress if you like the old school look, and something else that suits your personal style – a floral crown, a full sized hat, a miniature hat, a beret, whatever. I feel like gothic is a style where you can got a bit more old school with a rectangle headdress, here from Bodyline [$7], and a bit more artsy with a floral headband [$28] from an etsy seller that I can't find a link to any more - if you know who this comes from please let me know so I can credit them!

2 Pairs of Shoes:

You could get away with just one pair of incredibly style neutral shoes but having two different pairs makes a wardrobe that much more complete. I’m a huge shoe person so I know I’m biased here but I really don’t think you can be totally stylish with only one pair of shoes. Both from Bodyline, the kitten heels [$40] are the more elegant option while the strappy platforms [$40] are the more typically Western gothic style of shoe.

5 Items of Legwear:

Like shoes, socks and tights are one of those things I never think you can have too many of. But for the purposes of keeping versatility while limiting amounts I think you need two pairs of stockings, one that’s a solid colour and one that’s either patterned or printed. Then there are three pairs of socks – plain neutral OTKs, a more interesting pair of knees highs and a pair of ankle socks. With these selections you’ll have something for your legs from the height of summer to the depths of winter. All the socks pictured are from Bodyline; black OTKs [$9], blue OTKs [$7] and black ankle socks [$1]. Both pairs of tights are from eBay, lacy thigh highs [$8] and a plain black pair [$4].

1 Petticoat:

I haven’t put a picture of a petticoat in the collage because really, there’s no need to. There are also lots of differently shaped and priced petticoats, so I’m factoring it into this equation the petticoat as costing $50.

Total Cost: $478

Yay! Under budget! I’d probably invest in a headbow if I were actually purchasing this wardrobe, and some black flowers to clip in the hair ^__^

You will note I’ve left out accessories, jewellery and purses from this list. Most ladies will already have a collection and also, in particular with gothic lolita, there are a few different routes one can take from spikes to bats to crosses to skulls, from classical loveliness to uber gothic-ness, and even though the choice of such items can really alter the vibe of an outfit, I never want to suggest a particular route for such things.

On to the seven sample outfits!

Contrasting the soft chiffon with more structured pieces.

Simple and elegant.

A very simple kuro coord with a bit of an old school vibe.

A very richly blue outfit with lots of black detailing.

This is elegant gothic lolita, what more is there to say?

An almost sweet outfit, perfect for summer.

There's a lot of subtle texturing in this outfit. Yup.

And there you have it, a workable gothic lolita wardrobe that isn't just black, black and more black. If you have a lolita substyle you'd like to see me work up a hypothetical wardrobe for, leave a comment and let me know!

Two quick endnotes on pricing:

Firstly, all the prices here are exclusive of shipping. Lastly, Bodyline tends to change prices seemingly on a whim, so today’s cheap dress may be tomorrow’s abuse on the wallet. You have been warned ^__^