Between my blog and my social media audience, I get lots of questions about affordable options for lolita fashion. J-fashion is a niche, luxury hobby, so it may be outside of some people’s budget. However, I think with the right combination of patience, bargain hunting, and luck, you can find things on a budget. Since I have a sizable wardrobe, I’m not always hunting for deals anymore. But I am nothing if not a people pleaser and I needed content for my blog so I challenged myself to look anyway!
I wanted to see what budget coordinates I could make solely by looking at a single shop. My rules:
- The coord had to be only using items from a single shop.
The items had to be something I would actually want to wear. - The coordinate had to be as complete as I could make it.
- The coordinate had to contain at least one accessory .
- The items had to be budget conscious.
- I had to choose different styles and pieces (ie one skirt, one OP, one JSK, one sweet, one gothic, one classic) for each coord.
Obviously, these prices don’t factor in shipping, which will change depending on your location. With that in mind, here are some budget friendly coordinates from a variety of retailers. (All items were for sale as of January 28, 2024. Obviously, since these sites have constantly rotating inventory, things may have sold by the time you read this post.)
Closetchild
If I woke up tomorrow and had to start my lolita wardrobe over, I would start with Closetchild. Their selection and prices are hard to beat.
I started with an Innocent World OP as my main piece. This dress has a bust up to 120 cm, making it a decent option for my 98 cm bust. Since a main piece has sleeves I don’t need to worry about a blouse (though if I wanted to add one, I would look for an Axes Femme turtleneck cutsew). I opted for a Jane Marple navy beret and a Milk crown barette for accessories. The socks are pretty boring, but something I could easily wear in many other coordinates.
- Innocent World OP – 8800 yen
- Jane Marple Beret – 4510 yen
- Shirley Temple Socks – 1320 yen
- Milk Barrette – 880 yen
- Shoes – 2,200 yen
- Total 17,710 = 119 USD
Wunderwelt
This coordinate was challenging for me because I was trying to find a “sweet” main piece that I could actually see myself wearing from Wunderwelt. While I don’t love the pink, the rabbit, tea time these,. And blues in this Leur Getter JSK are things that would genuinely work with my existing wardrobe. Rather than get a blouse, I opted for a pop of color with this Jane Marple bolero. I can’t tell how well the blues match, but I think it’s close enough for me. Wunderwelt had only a handful of blue headpieces, so I opted for a very neutral J Et J headbow, which I think reads sweet enough for this print. I also had to snag the “bunny academy” bag from AP for an expensive but very fun accessory.
Wunderwelt had essentially no used legwear, so I had to dip into their “official retailer” selection of items. These socks really aren’t my favorite, but they were the only thing that even sort of matched.
- Leur Getter JSK – $70
- Angelic Pretty Purse – $54
- Jane Marple Bolero – $28
- Juliette Et Justine Headbow – $27
- Innocent World Shoes – $35
- Little Rose Planet Socks – $10
- Total $224
Lolita Collective
There’s definitely a large jump in price because the Lolita Collective is carrying new items and is paying for retail space in the United States. It was time for a gothic look so I opted for this amazing JSK from Nightwhisper. Though there are cheaper blouses than the one I chose, I don’t care for cropped blouses, so I know I wouldn’t wear them. Instead I opted for a high neck lace blouse that would also look cool with skirts. For the tights I opted for a pair of tights with crosses, though I think a solid black tight (with this same blouse in black) would look fine with this dress on a budget. I topped it off with a two way brooch for my hair and an acrylic necklace as an accessory. While this is the priciest coordinate, I think we got a lot of bang for our buck!
- Nightwhisper Lolita JSK – $175
- Ruby Rabbit Tights – $25
- Xilia Blouse – $40
- Sweet Dreamer Rosette – $35
- Alice in Halloween Necklace – $18
- Total $293
42lolita
42lolita does sponsor me (so be sure to use code LOVELYLACEANDLIES at checkout), which is the reason that I chose to use them over another Taobao shopping service or reseller. Obviously, you can find these indie brands directly through Taobao or through another service as well. I wanted to showcase a skirt, so I went for this cute classic skirt and vest combo. If you’re really trying to do a budget friendly option, you could skip the vest and this would be a very cute coordinate. I accessorized with a beret to go with the academic vibe of the skirt and added a key necklace since it felt a little collegiate as well. To round it out, I added a pair of loafer inspired heels.
- Tiny Garden Blouse $18.99
- Forest Wardrobe Skirt $49.99
- Forest Wardrobe Vest $30.99
- Sweet Dreamer Beret – $22.99
- Rose of Sharon Necklace – $13.99
- Total $136.95
Lacemarket
Since Lacemarket can have everything imaginable, I looked for a Japanese skirt that I would like in my own closet. This Meta skirt in pink isn’t my first choice, I like country well enough and I knew I could work with gingham. I looked for a solid colored blouse with a peter pan color and some cute ankle socks. I definitely splurged on the bag, but I think it’s necessary to sell the country lolita look. I topped it off with a straw boater for a coordinate I would have to wear to a picnic in the summer.
- Metamorphose Skirt – $50
- Tiny Garden Blouse – $15
- Straw hat – $20
- Metamorphose Basket Purse – $50
- Kuma Kumuya Ankle Socks – $15
- Total – $150