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Fashionable Ladykiller

*:・゚✧魔法少女 ☆


User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show. so, i have been applying for work, and it just occured to me that i might be making regular income in the future... User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.
User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show. which means that this b***h is finally going to be able to afford lolita. User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.
User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show. what are your tips for saving up money? how do you navigate the EGL comm sales? what would you suggest for buying your first pieces, and how to build a closet? User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.
User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show. i'm just so happy that i'm finally going to be able to buy the clothes that i love ;v; User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.

☆ 魔法少女✧゚・:*
Dont spend money you dont have. I find that in general just people tend to mentally spend money that they dont physically have yet, or even worse go with the credit stuff thinking you will pay it back later. Plan out exactly your life. What you make, what your bills are, how much you have extra, and then put some of that away for savings. You dont want all of your extra money to be spend on stuff. Try not to have too much cash ebcause it is easier to be responsible with a paper trail, and recipets are easy to loose but you can always see how much you took out with your debit.

Now a days, people dont just use egl sales comm, but there is lacemarket, fb sales and the other japanese 2nd hand sales sites. So keep your options open. For egl sales, your first thing is to get a feedback page (you have to look up how to do that). Then its like any other sales platform, you browse through what is posted, make a comment or pm to buy.

Your first pieces should be generic pieces that will be used in more than out oufit. Of course things like a petti but you want to buy a blouse, and shoes that you can wear with a few dresses. White, black, brown, pink. Chances are you will be getting one of those colors depening on the style.
For budgeting, like mentioned above, figure out what your monthly expenses are going to be, food, gas, any bills, and then go from there. Set aside money left over from each paycheck to use building your wardrobe.

Decide on the style you want to go with. A lot of people buy their dress first, and this is perfectly fine. But you want to make sure that you have all the items to make up your coordinate (and your petticoat, very important) before you actually wear it. I kind of suggest going with your dress first because then you can pick out items that go with it and pick a proper petticoat for the shape of said dress.

As a general guideline your color coordination is safest going this route:
sweet: white
classic: cream/ivory
gothic: black

And you'll want to get a blouse, socks or tights, and if you can afford it, a very simple, generic shaped back that matches. Simple is easier to start with, but you can add items that eventually go with specific dresses (jewelry or socks that match the dress) if you'd like.

Shoes and headwear usually match the dress for basic coordination, but you can also start out with white, cream or black depending on your style and start adding other colors down the line.

With every new main piece (dress or skirt) that you add, at least you have something that is bound to go with it. That said, all those colors go with any style TBH, it just depends on the colors in the dress itself.

What I like to do when I build my wardrobe is add a new color and legwear (or shoes) that goes with dresses in my closet. I'll go on a little buying spree for awhile focusing on that color, and then move onto the next. Add new main pieces into the mix, especially when they will work with other items I have easily.

And then it just becomes rinse and repeat. I find this way makes it pretty easy to expand into different styles because once you get the white, cream, and black covered you can add a dress of another style into your wardrobe and you have things to wear with it. A lot of the colors I have work in different styles so I can go from super sugary sweet to very mature and refined looks.

But honestly the speed at which you acquire things entirely depends upon your disposable income. The more money you have to throw at lolita things, the faster you're going to build up a cohesive wardrobe. When you start out, you may have to begin with cheaper options (at least in parts) to get the ball rolling, but you can eventually sell and replace items for nicer ones later on.

legnanellaf5
Now a days, people dont just use egl sales comm, but there is lacemarket, fb sales and the other japanese 2nd hand sales sites. So keep your options open. For egl sales, your first thing is to get a feedback page (you have to look up how to do that). Then its like any other sales platform, you browse through what is posted, make a comment or pm to buy.


Eehh, I still find it useful. I've purchased a few things from there recently (including a dream dress) that weren't listed up on the other western sales comms. It's still worth browsing.
For tips on wardrobe building and budgeting, I would definitely check out Fyeahlolita's posts about these subjects.

In terms of buying, depending on what you're looking for, it may or may not be the best idea to only shop secondhand. Personally, I'm someone who loves older pieces and solid colours, so almost my entire wardrobe is completely secondhand. Because of this, I am able to scoop up older pieces for much cheaper on places like Y! Japan Auctions because solid colours aren't popular and nobody else wants them. However, if you are the type of person who goes for popular prints, then buying secondhand isn't necessarily the best way to go about budgeting, because these items will inflate in price, so actually buying new is the wisest decision. Obviously, depending on your taste and buying habits, you have to change the way to budget to suit it.

I think an important thing to consider is that you want to keep your wardrobe balanced out and cohesive, so that you get the most out of what you buy. Decide your colour pallet and write out all the things you will need to expand your wardrobe in a balanced way.

In terms of where to look for stuff, I shop mainly on Japanese consignment shops and auctions. Lacemarket is wonderful, but if you're looking for basics I find that it's much cheaper to find things on auction or consignment. Look on Closet Child, Tokyo Alice, Alice+Fururun, Usagiyouhinten, Maidenclothing, and Violet Blue. With the exception of Violet Blue, all of these stores will ship directly overseas. It might be a little difficult navigating at first, but the price is really worth it.

Also consider using Taobao to stock up on nice basic pieces. Of course, brands like Chess Story, Krad Lanrete, and R-Series have come out with very beautiful pieces in their own right, but if you're looking to start out, basic blouses like the ones from Dear Celine and 69th Department, as well as petticoats from Classical Puppets are pretty indispensable. Infanta, Surface Spell, Surface Spell Gothic, Pumpkin Cat, Ichigo15, White Moon, Akane&Alois, and Kidsyoyo are also great brands to browse.

Romantic Lover

One thing I always recommend for beginners when I mentor,
is to pick a very orthodox and simple dress that
anyone could start off coording easily. BTSSB
has a lot of dresses without designs or prints on
them that are great for girls just starting out in the fashion!

Since your hopefully just beginning to have money for lolita,
you'll want to start off small.Try saving up for big brand items
or whatever else you want.; pace yourself.
Your going to start off wanting to buy the world,
but take your time! Bodyline,
while not the nicest shop
does have some excellent pieces
Bodyline or Lolita Sales on Facebook.)
**Bodyline also has regular sales. They even have one
going on right now that a lot of girls are taking advantage of!

Also, try not to worry about which style your going to
want first, just pick out a dress you like.
Refining your tastes and interests in particular styles
will mature and refine in time!

Hardcore Unicorn

Pretty much what everyone else has said and...

- Watch the secondhand market -- both Western and Japanese. Certain pieces are really expensive on the Western market but relatively cheap on Japanese auction sites. There are also some pieces that lose their value after hitting their peak in popularity and some that remain expensive despite their age i.e. Iron Gate. There are also some less popular or older brand pieces out there that are cheaper than Bodyline.
- Quality over quantity. Having a lot of pieces is nice but I like having a couple of really nice dresses I really adore over a wardrobe full of dresses that are so-so.
- Don't forget about accessories. It's really easy to go crazy and get a bunch of main pieces but accessories are just as important. The good news is that depending on the style you're going for, accessories can be relatively cheap. It's also nice to support local artists and buy handmade accessories. smile

olive buffet's Datemate

because Lolita dresses are sooooo expensive, if I were you this is how I would budget:
it's $100-150 for a decent sewing machine
then, if you don't already have it, an iron and ironing board
and then the rest of the sewing materials

You can get fancy dress patterns at thrift stores for like $1
I save up money by being really stubborn. But do I find a dress I really want on egl comm sales, FB or lacemarket I always ask the seller if they're ok with a 50/50 payment plan (they usually are).

For your first dresses it really depends on which style you are interested in, bodyline is good for babbys first dress if you are into sweet. Taobao is a great place to browse for cheaper lolita dresses, but make sure you don't accidentally purchase a replica if you don't want to be lynched by your local comm.

When it comes to building your closet it really takes a lot of patience, it takes some people a few months to put together their first proper coord depending on your economy.

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