Breaking the Mold

In the recent 'State of Lolita' address given by valkyrie_chan on egl, one common cry was for more original coordinates. Fresher ideas, more pioneering. A sense of unrest has long been prevalent among some Lolitas that Lolita, once an original and off-beat style, was becoming more... canned. Pink coordinates with pink bows and pink socks. Everything matchy-matchy, everything smacking of each other. Faceless as a batch of cupcakes, some were beginning to worry that Lolitas were looking the same. All the same. The guidelines were quickly evolving into regiments.

Let's agree - Lolita should be original. Not all Lolitas should look the same. But, let's keep the guidelines - like modesty and quality. It's like a coloring book. You should stay in the lines, but feel free to make the sky orange and the ponies pink. It's still Lolita - but not cookie-cutter. But what is the big secret to wearing unusual or inspiring coordinates?

Maybe you are the kind of person who buys the entire coordinated brand collection - the dress, socks, hairbow, purse, and necklace (Angelic Pretty, I am looking at you). Or maybe you've decide to pick one color and stick with it - and nothing else, so help you God, will cross the threshold of your closet. Do you prefer to buy your entire wardrobe from the same brand? Or are you completely against brand, preferring to make or find your clothes?

None of these approaches are wrong! But, you can easily feel like you're wearing the same thing all the time. Maybe you're wearing pink - again - for the fifth time this week. Or maybe your Magic Whip coordinate is the last thing you want to look at by the time its fourth meetup rolls around. So what do you do?

If you look carefully at the above methods, you'll notice they all have something in common. They're all about unity. The key to variegating your coordinates is variation. Mixing and matching, adding different accent colors, and - this is most important! - taking chances with things that catch your fancy.

Let's start with the 'all-coordinated' outfits. So you have everything ever made for Magical Etoile - does this mean they only go together? Nope! Try wearing your Magical Etoile socks with Baby's Paris printed dress (you'll notice they both have Eiffel Towers!), or carry the handbag with a similarly-colored dress. Because they're all made to go together, we sometimes forget that they're also separates. And when you start to add them into different combinations, you find fresh coordinates - which means more bang for your buck!

Do you have a whole closet of black, or maybe a whole closet of pink? (I bring up pink again because some girls really do!) Try to bring in some accent colors. Maybe pink and black looks cute, or pink and blue. You don't need to build a complete other wardrobe of your new color - maybe just one or two new pieces will add the kick you're looking for. And in some cases, don't be afraid to mix different colors of lace! I know, lace color is usually a key unifier - but in small doses, it can shake up a coordinate. A black lacy bolero with a fluttery pale blue dress? Genius! Just make sure to tie the color in elsewhere with shoes, socks, or hairpieces.

If you're all about the brand - or all about burning the brand - try to go a little bit out of your extreme. Brandwhores, see what you can find at your local Claires for a funky jolt; anti-branders, maybe a pair of Alice and the Pirates socks won't kill you.

An example! A little outfit I whipped up:

-BABY pink JSK
-pink & purple glitter leopard print headband (my favorite piece! It's not Lolita by itself, but I really like it - so I chose that and then based my other pieces around it.)
-HK purple & pink glitter short socks
-white tea party shoes
-a few glittery pink & purple jewelry pieces, like my strawberry ring and a HK necklace
-pink Tenshi Neko bag

Ta-da! It's not your typical style, but it's still obviously Lolita. The unusual accessories work together to wake up an otherwise average jumperskirt.

So, fly free! Experiment a little - color your ponies pink!

Labels: shopping

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 1:46 PM