a.k.a 5 points to help you avoid
buying that weird JSK/OP/cutsew you will never wear.
1. Size is everything.
No, really. If it's too big on you, and it has lace and frills, you have the option of being a giant cupcake or a badly decorated cake. If it's too small, that shirring is going to stretch over your bust in the most unseemly manner. Just. Say. No.
And as I took quite a while to learn, length is very important too. Everyone knows that too short is bad but too long will make a height-deprived person (such as myself) look like a hobbit.
2. Pick what actually looks good on you, not what you think looks good.
This one is a little tricky. Getting a second, HONEST opinion usually helps greatly. And don't take comments personally. Remember, your friend is trying to help you. Everyone needs help, sometimes.
Think about your body size and shape. The general rules about what looks good for your body shape apply to lolita clothing as well.
Your personality matters as well. Wearing something you don't feel fully comfortable with affects your confidence. And when you have people staring at you as you walk down the street, as always happens with loli, confidence is your best friend.
3. Colour scheme
Lolita is an expensive hobby, so buying something that totally doesn't match your other clothes is thrilling, but is ultimately going to cause difficulties.
Take the time to browse magazines and pictures before deciding what your style really is (or what you think it is). It's much easier if you decide on a few basic colours that match well so you can co-ordinate different items in different ways. This saves money and encourages creativity. The same OP on a different girl can look very different depending on the co-ordinate (but you already knew that). Unless you're doing twin loli, if you look more or less like the girl next to you in the same dress, ICK. Yes, ICK.
Your colour scheme doesn't have to be boring either. Yellow, brown and mint. Purple and cream. Gray and pink. Wine and gold. Not everything has to be just blackXwhite or pink.
4. Need vs. Want
What you actually need is a blouse... but that MMM Iron Gate JSK is gorgeous and yes, you WANT it. You WANT it so bad you can feel it in your frilly little soul. But buying it will render you broke for at least another six months, without a proper blouse to wear over your skirts and under your other JSKs. So you compromise and wear something "loliable" which really is just a sad replacement. And then you post pictures on egl and feel bad when people comment negatively about it.
What you can do is start your own "[insert name of wanted item] fund". Buy the blouse that you need but try to keep within a set budget. Compromise (on brand, but never on quality). Whatever money you have left over, that goes into your fund. Remember that part about being creative? Now that you have your blouse, use it to its maximum potential. Wear it with different things, with different styles. Pin things onto it. Go crazy with accessories.
And keep saving up money to add to your fund. It will take a while but you'll eventually have enough to get what you wanted, and still have what you need.
And just because it's cheap, doesn't mean you need it. It may not even mean you want it.
5. Quality, quality, quality.
Offbrand is good. I love offbrand clothing. As long as the quality is good. This applies to burando as well. If you're going to pay so much for an item, it's only sensible that you make sure it's worth every penny.
Check the lace. Look at the details. Don't buy it if the lace looks cheap, is too wide or too thin for the item, if it just looks weird in general.
Check the construction. Is the sewing good? Are the small details in the embroidery well done? Is the material good and worth the price? Are the ribbons made of good quality and are they double-sided? Is the shape of the skirt nice? Does the colour of the lace and the material match?
When dealing with second-hand items, always make sure to pay close attention to what the seller says. If there is a defect, make sure to carefully check it and think about whether or not it bothers you. If you receive an item with a defect that was not mentioned by the seller, you have a right to tell the seller about it and see what the seller can do about it. That said, unless the seller specifically states the item is in mint condition, you probably shouldn't expect the item to look absolutely untouched. If you're not sure you can remedy the defect and will not be happy if the defect remains, best not to buy it.
The things to consider are endless, really, so the take home message is: Think before you buy.
Do you have any special tips of your own? Do let me know :)
