As a lolita, how often have you heard, “The fashion is so pretty, but I could never wear it. It’s too much work!” While it’s true that over the top looks may take longer, I wanted to demystify the fashion with a “get ready with me”. I timed myself as I put together a coordinate for going to H-mart and getting some groceries for the week.
9:50-10:06 AM
Pulling together the coordinate
Most experienced lolitas have a method for pulling coordinates together. Today, I wanted something that wasn’t fussy or too attention grabbing. I pulled out this JSK from Dollbe that I won in a giveaway. Previously I styled it to highlight the florals in the print. This time I wanted style it in a more gothic way.
Speaking of which, did you know that Mint of Dollbe is currently running a GoFundMe to build a new studio for the brand? If you want to support a Black owned business that has sizes XS-6X, please donate what you can so Dollbe can get a dedicated work space!
I picked out approximately 90% of the coordinate in 5 minutes. Then realized I hated all my black head pieces and spent 10 minutes looking for inspiration on Instagram.
10:06-10:15 AM
Shower
California’s in a drought. Saving water is super kawaii.
10:15-10:28 AM
Getting dressed
My coordinate includes a blouse from ACDC Rag from the now defunct Fickle Wish, petticoat from the Black Ribbon, JSK from Dollbe, necklace from Mossbadger, tights from Teja Jamilla, headdress from Paradise Rose, ring from Neant Glass and shoes from John Fluevog.
10:28-10:40 AM
Hair
If I were going to a meetup, I would blow dry my hair. Since I’m just going to the grocery store, I’m fine with braiding my wet hair and letting it air dry.
10:40-10:52 AM
Make-up
Since I wanted to experiment with a more gothic style, I tried darker eyeshadow and a deep purple lip. (Sorry, it’s hard to apply eyeshadow and photograph, so this get ready with me won’t have a make-up tutorial section)
10:52-10:53 AM
Grabbing shoes and heading out the door
These Fluevogs were the perfect finishing touch for a gothic coordinate.
My routine took me a few minutes over an hour from picking out my coordinate to heading out the door. As this get ready with me demostrates, getting ready in lolita fashion doesn’t have to be a tedious process. While that’s definitely longer than throwing on jeans a t-shirt, it’s not an hours long process. I think that if I weren’t washing my hair and if I hadn’t gotten distracted by my head piece, it might have taken only 45 minutes.
What’s your lolita routine look like? Do you take more time, or less time than I did?
Usually it takes me about 1 hour to get ready in lolita, because my hair is thick, so it takes a long time to dry 🙁 , I would wash my hair the day before the meet up or if I’m having a bad hair day, I would wear a wig! I think for me hair is the most time consuming part, because I need to make sure all my hair pieces are secured before going out. I learned my lesson because one time, my ponytail extension fell off while I was on an escalator! #MostEmbarrassingBehaviour
I think that wigs are great way to get out the door quickly as long as they stay on your head. Even if you had one bad experience, I’m glad they work so well for you otherwise!