Lolita 52 Challenge: Question #10

How I first found out about Lolita

This one's an easy one! When I was in high school, I had friends who were pretty into anime, J-rock, J-pop etc. One of them spent a few weeks obsessed with Mana and brought one of the first few GLBs to school - I think this was in 2002/3?

I first saw lolita (well, proper lolita and not anime lolita) then, but didn't quite take a fancy to it immediately - I wasn't so concerned with clothes and make-up back then.

Fast-forward to 2007/8, I was in my first year of university, was starting to take an interest in my own appearance and had been online shopping for a year. I can't remember the exact sequence of events, but somewhere in the timeline goes this:

- Saw some Mary Magdalene replicas on eBay, fell in love, ordered them and was horribly disappointed. I still hadn't known the style was called lolita, or that there was such thing as "brand" and "replica".

- Bought a second-hand GosuRori magazine at the London MCM expo and saw the difference between higher quality sewing and the cheap replica I'd bought the year before.

- Someone on another fashion forum I was on posted photos of herself in lolita, which is how I found out about the name.

- Found the Lolita Handbook, Lolita Fashion website and some other beginner tutorials. Eventually, I stumbled upon Daily Lolita and EGL.

- Found the GLB section in my local Kinokuniya, as well as the one in Singapore and started collecting them.

- While searching for cheap lolita in my hometown, I found a shop that sells offbrand and Bodyline for ridiculously expensive price tags.

Eventually, I made friends with another girl who was also tentatively looking towards making her first steps into lolita. We gave each other gentle shoves towards the fashion (back then, we were buying everything Bodyline!) - and next thing you know, it's 4 years on and here we are! She had other friends already into lolita, I think, so she took the first steps, and I followed her and eventually it kind of snowballed from there.

I still remember that somewhere between 2008 and 2009, one of the GLBs I bought had some absolutely gorgeous Victorian Maiden and Mary Magdalene dresses - they were the ones that made me gasp out loud from their sheer beauty. Till now, MM's Emanuel OP in rose and VM's Victorian Queen Bustier OP in coral both have special places in my heart for pulling me into the fashion :)

Mary Magdalene's Emanuel OP - Rose

Victorian Maiden's Victorian Queen Bustier OP - Coral

Good memories :)

Lolita 52 Challenge: Question #9

5 keywords that describe my personal Lolita style
Oh gosh, this is a hard one. Let’s see…

1. Feminine
2. Romantic
3. Older
4. Luxurious
5. Understated

Feminine – I generally like wearing a lot of florals and soft colours, which feels pretty feminine to me!

Romantic - I also like chiffon, roses, pearls and lace, all of which give any outfit a softer, more romantic feel.

Older – By this, I mean more mature styles of Lolita, like Classic and EGL. Essentially, I like the general styles of Victorian Maiden, Mary Magdalene, Mille Fleurs and Moi Meme Moitie. It’s still Lolita, but there’s an unmistakably older feel to it.

Luxurious – I’ve once said before that roses, lace and pearls are (to me) marks of opulence and luxury. I very frequently feature all three in my outfits, usually completely unintentionally. Also, I’ve always thought that Lolita clothes are rather luxurious, especially pieces by Juliette et Justine that are sometimes made of super high quality polyester that feels like silk.

Understated – Well, as understated as Lolita can get anyway! Although I enjoy looking at other girls who can accessorize with 4 rings, 20 bracelets, 5 necklaces and 8 head accessories and still come out looking perfect, I’m a relatively simple girl. Most of my outfits have a maximum of maybe two rings, one bracelet, a necklace and one hair accessory. Also, I like wearing less poofy petticoats (I’ve finally figured that it actually does freak me out when I can’t see my own feet), and less accessories + less poof = understated Lolita outfit




That’s about all, I feel. It’s really hard finding five words – everything else felt like it was too specific or generic and didn’t really encompass my entire style! I was going to put “Classic” as one, but then I realized classic isn’t the only style I wear haha.

Lolita 52 Challenge: Question #8

Why don’t I wear Lolita more often?
The answer to this is actually really simply: I just don’t have enough hours in a week to wear Lolita more often.

I work in a bank with a relatively strict dress code, and I work about 10-12 hours a day – and that doesn’t include any dinner meetings I may have to attend. Usually, by the time I get home after facing an hour of traffic, there’s only just enough time for me to have a quick dinner, shower, surf the net a bit then head for bed.

On weekends – okay, for that I have no excuse haha. Saturdays are usually days reserved for running errands, and Sundays are family days. I don’t dress up often because Lolita is often not practical for where I have to go.

Besides, I actually like full-on Lolita as a “special events” only type of fashion, like meet-ups, conventions and just generally going out with friends, rather than something I wander around the house in ^^;

However, that said, I do wear my lolita dresses in lolita-inspired outfits very often!

Here are some pieces that I do wear to office pretty often:




Of course, I don't wear them quite as frilled up as they are in these photos :)

And then there are my casual weekend outfits that are also lolita-inspired:




Hmmm I guess I actually do get my dose of lolita on a regular basis!

Mannequin Snap: Story of Queens & Angels Dress

I swear the browns match better in real life! ^^;

Except for one necklace, I haven't decided much on any accessories... Any suggestions? I was going to use my lion's head ring to suit the "nobility" theme going on (the queen on the dress and the hat kind of got me into the idea), but the shade of gold isn't quite right.

Also not really pleased with the socks. I think I'm going to stick to plain lacy tights when I wear this outfit.

Bolero, OP, Bag: Innocent World
Hat, Necklace: Juliette et Justine
Socks: Metamorphose
Shoes: Offbrand

Mannequin Snap: Quite a few!

Oh dear, I've just realised I've fallen behind on keeping this blog posted on my mannequin snaps!

Here's an update of all my previous ones in one shot, as well as the latest one:


Mannequin Snap: Office Classic Lolita?

Received my dresses from Lady Sloth and immediately wanted to wear them to the office! I apologize for the flat-ish skirt, but the dress really doesn’t take well to having multiple petticoats. This is rather fussier than what I'd normally wear to the office - actually, I usually just pop on a plain cardigan over the dress. It's so comfy that I wear it to office once a week now!

JSK: Lady Sloth
Bag: Chanel
Parasol: BtSSB
Everything else: Offbrand


Mannequin Snap: Grazia Crown

I felt inspired during a closet-cleaning session! Though this bolero + JSK coordinate is not my original coordinate, adding this JetJ skirt to lengthen the JSK is an idea that has been floating around my head since I received the skirt. This is the first time I'm actually putting all the pieces together, and I'm very pleased with the overall outcome!

JSK, Bolero: Innocent World
Skirt: Juliette et Justine
Shoes: LK Bennett
Necklace: Offbrand


Mannequin Snap: Rose Basket Angel

I was changing outfits on my mannequin and decided to toss this dress onto Manny and start a hime-esque outfit. Incomplete coordinate, but I really love how the bolero looks with the JSK.

Er sorry for the very rumpled appearance! I found the JSK lying crumpled in a heap underneath a pile of dresses XD;

JSK, Bolero: Innocent World
Necklace: Offbrand


Mannequin Snap: Lady Sloth's Mist of Venice

I spent some time removing the lace from this skirt and thought I'd put it on my mannequin for a bit! This outfit feels like something I'd wear to the office, just with some additional poof to the skirt.

(Actually, I did wear this skirt to the office with no petticoat and a plain dusty pink cardigan and it was an instant hit!)

Skirt: Lady Sloth
Camisole: Innocent World
Blouse, Shoes, Accessories: Offbrand


Mannequin Snap: Mint x Cream

Just received these shoes from Bodyline and wanted to pair them with this JSK! The cutsew-blouse looks kinda weird with a JSK... Guess it'll just have to be paired with skirts only.

JSK: Innocent World
Headband, Shoes: Bodyline
Hairbow, Necklace, Cutsew-blouse: offbrand


And now for the latest one!


Mannequin Snap: Muguet in Country Lolita

I was having some trouble coordinating this OP, because the "white" parts actually have a greyish tinge that's pretty hard to match. But then I put this bonnet on the mannequin while I was rearranging the wig it was on, and I just couldn't get the idea of a country lolita outfit with this OP and bonnet!

OP, Necklace: Juliette et Justine
Bonnet: Infanta
Hair Ribbons: Metamorphose
Bag, Gloves: R-Series
Book: Antique
Rose, Shoes: Offbrand

Lolita 52 Challenge: Question #7

Why do I wear Lolita?
I just wear it because it looks pretty to me ^^;;

The women in my family are all pretty feminine - we like sewing, baking, craftwork, dressing up, lace, fresh flowers, flirty skirts, elegant teapots... (okay, maybe that last one is just me hahaha). But anyway, the women in my extended family (on my mother's side) are all the type to appreciate frills like lolita. I've worn somewhat toned-down Classic lolita around them before and while the men laughed themselves silly, the aunties and cousins all loved it.

I've had my mum and a couple of cousins admit to me that if they'd discovered the fashion when they were younger, they'd probably have worn it too!

That said, being brought up around this sort of thing, Lolita fashion just seems to be a natural extension to things I already like. As it is, my work clothes and daily clothes are already frilly and feminine, so just adding a petticoat doesn't seem to be too big a step!

I'm also a pretty straightforward girl - if I like it, I'll get it or eat it or wear it or whatever "it" is meant to be used for ^^;

It seems like a rather boring reason to wear lolita but hey, when did we ever need a reason to wear pretty clothes we like, right? ^_^

Lolita 52 Challenge: Question #6

My Favourite Lolita Brand


As is probably obvious from all my posts, my favourite brand is Innocent World. The designs are really cute, and are easily worn in daily outfits without needing added frills to make it look more complete. A big plus for me is that the dresses fit me pretty well!

Here are some of my favourite pieces by Innocent World! But please note: I tend to follow the rule of "no more than 3 main items per brand" for my outfits, so most of these coordinations are a mixture of brands :D


Innocent World's Grazia Crown JSK
Innocent World's Millefeuille Bolero


Innocent World's Rose Stained Glass Skirt


Innocent World's Royal Library JSK

Of course, these are only some of my most recent favourites from this brand - there are other older pieces like Rococo Rose Border that are my favourites and are worn pretty regularly too!

Other favourite brands that I love, somewhat in order of preference (this tends to change every few months, but these few brands are always at the top of my list!):

1. Juliette et Justine
2. Alice and the Pirates
3. Metamorphose
4. Mille Fleurs
5. Victorian Maiden
6. Moi Meme Moitie
7. Angelic Pretty
8. Mary Magdalene (this is only at the bottom because I can't fit most of their stuff!)