Here are some wigs I have been working on! The first one I did I wanted it to be a cute but low maintenance wig with a color that complimented my skin tone
I first split the wig into to low pigtails and thoroughly brushed each side, then I crimped it for volume brushed it out and braided it together
Here’s what I looks like on
I really loved the results of the first wig so I styled a second one! It was originally a Junko wig but I have been doing a lot more Lolita then Cosplay so I chose to style it more for Lolita fashion instead, although I think it could still work really well for Junko
I first styled this base wig which can be used on its own for casual looks
Then I brushed and straightened the already crimped pig tails
Having recently cut my hair pretty short, I thought about writing a post about how I’m approaching having shorter hair! Head accessories are a key part of lolita fashion and I see a lot of places where newbies will ask about short hair, here’s my two cents!
1.) Headbands
A classic accessory very easily found that won’t overwhelm your head now that there isn’t as much hair to balance it out, you could wear flower crowns, ones with little bows, plain ones, the options are endless
2.) Ponytail Clips
You like having short hair day to day but want to still be able to be OTT sometimes? I reccommend ponytail clips! Like the kind that come with Cosplay wigs, some sellers allow you to buy them individually.
3.) Berets
A personal favorite of mine! Also it seems as if they have been growing in popularity lately, a lot of indie brands will sell them in matching prints to the dresses they sell! I adore my spooky macarons beret from Lady Sloth
4.) Ribbons
Ribbons are super versatile and amazing for casual lolita, you could tie it into a headband, or braid it into your hair.
5.) Themed hair clips
You can use this to decorate a more plain headband or by themselves to make a look more coherent.
❄️ Sew rhinestones onto white accessories or tights for a glittery look that mimics when snowflakes fall onto your hair
❄️ Get bundle up into cute outdoor gear go sledding then drink some hot cocoa
❄️ Put on festive music for whatever winter holiday you celebrate and sing along
❄️ Go on a walk and take pictures of the festive storefronts you see!
❄️ Try baking a pie!! I associate pies with the holidays and with winter
❄️ Watch cute festive movies!
❄️ Do a closet clean out and home declutter, see if there’s anything that your friends may enjoy and give them a gift! (Be sure to be thoughtful though)
❄️ Try using winter themed stickers on your Instagram posts
❄️ Build a snowman!
❄️ Make yarn snowballs and have a faux snowball fight at a meetup
A screenshot from Alice Closet! It’s free and really fun to play
For my last YouTube video I read an article from the Princess Portal “Undefining the Lolita Lifestyle” and it was filled with examples of how lolitas participated in the culture of the fashion even if they weren’t able to purchase or wear the clothing. I also have been seeing a ton of debate on replicas on Tiktok. This inspired me to write this article for aspiring Lolita’s to be for ways they can participate without supporting things that harm the creatives and artists we depend on for our fashion.
6 Free or Very Low Budget Ways to Participate in EGL culture
1.) Decorate your space to match your desired aesthetic!
Often there can be ways to make your room or your home cuter! Take inspiration from lifestyle Lolita’s and “lolify” your space! You can add lace trim, put fake skulls, or put up temporary floral wallpaper, whatever matches your desired aesthetic.
2.) Check out the music associated with your desired substyle, and Visual Kei!
Learn about the musical inspirations behind our styles. Visual Kei helped kick it off for us all but especially for gothic lolitas. If you’re into the gothic substyle, try listening to goth bands. If you’re into the Classic substyle take a look into classical music. If you’re into sweet Lolita take a look at 90s and early 2000s jpop!
3.) Follow Lolitas on social media and on their blogs!
It will go a long way once you get in the position to be able to participate in the fashion portion! You can get different perspectives, fashion inspiration, ideas and opinions all around you. You can check out older blogs to learn about the history of the fashion and look to newer ones to see what’s going on now!
4.) Decorate your electronics!
I’m a big fan of using Picsart to make cute mobile backgrounds for my phone. You can also decorate the outside too! Whatever your aesthetic is, with electronics it can be easy to create and change with your whims.
5.) Start a Fashion Journal or Inspiration Board
This can be physical or digital, take whatever inspires you and put it in a place where you can look at it all together. It can help you plan what you’ll actually want to wear and buy once you get into being in a place where you can participate in the fashion
6.) Check out cute fashion video games!
My absolute favorite for this is Alice Closet, it’s free and the fashion is clearly lolita inspired. It’s a lot of fun and even if you can’t collect physical clothing it’s really fun to collect the digital outfit sets.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how to participate in the community and the culture of lolita fashion even if you are on a completely bare bones shoestring budget. Remember you need to take care of yourself first. This fashion is a luxury hobby and I have gotten myself into too much stress overextending myself. I hope you take these ideas and have lots of fun!
The cheapest way to wash and care for lolita fashion is to do it yourself! If you’re someone like me and wear lolita multiple times a week it becomes very impractical to wash every single item by itself as many guides on washing lolita fashion recommend. Here is what I do when I have a lot of clothes to wash,
A few things to note here,
You will need a tub or an equivalent large container that can hold water
This process is best begun on a morning as it takes about 24 hours to complete
Only use clothing you are absolutely certain won’t bleed, we are mixing colors to achieve bulk washing our clothes
Steps to Wash
1.) Gather all of the lolita clothing that you need into a hamper and bring that hamper to your bathroom
2.) Put your laundry detergent into the bathtub and start filling it with water
3.) Dump that hamper into your tub then even out the pile
4.) Finish filling the tub with water until it just covers all of your clothes
5.) Swish those clothes around and then let them sit for 30 minutes
6.) Once you come back you may notice the water will look yellowish or grayish, that’s sweat and dirt coming out of your clothes
7.) Drain and fill your tub at 30-minute intervals checking the color of the water each time you return, once you are happy with the color of the water it’s time to start the drying process
8.) Now drape your laundry all around the tub to let it drip dry, return later once it is no longer dripping and is now damp.
9.) You will either need a drying rack or a clothesline for this part, now you will take your clothing and hang it up spacing it out as much as you can.
10.) At this point you have the opportunity to save yourself some ironing time down the road, I find if you arrange your pleats and smooth out your dresses you can often prevent wrinkles at this stage.
11.) Leave your dresses to dry overnight and you can put them away in the morning.
I have used this technique multiple times and find it works really well for me! It also has the added bonus of working as a humidifier for my apartment during the dryer months.
Luna By The Lake With Cake 