LaceMarket Lessons: Things I've Learned from Buying Lolita Secondhand

Buying secondhand is my favorite way of buying lolita. You can get great pieces at a fraction of the price and you get to help a fellow lolita out by taking pieces off their hands. Unfortunately, I've also gone through a few bad experiences (latest one involved receiving a very damaged Angelic Pretty skirt.) I want to pass on a few lessons I've learned the hard way so your future secondhand adventures go without a hitch!

1. Ask sellers to be specific and ask for extra pictures when unsure

A lot of sellers list their items in broad terms such as "gently worn" and "slightly damaged". Ask them what exactly they mean by their descriptions. The Angelic Pretty skirt I bought was listed as slightly damaged. What I received? A skirt with mysterious blue stains on 1/4 of the skirt! The stains do not come out. She had taken a single photo of a small section of the skirt. I should have asked her just how much of the skirt was stained and multiple pictures to prove it.

2. Always ask about waist ties

Sellers always forget them. They forget them in the pictures, they forget them in the packages and they even forget to tell you they don't have them! If you care about waist ties (like I do) please make sure to ask! My AP skirt (in addition to the stains) came without waist ties, a detail the seller left out.

3. Always ask for tracking and insurance

Yes, it'll cost you extra but you won't regret it. You'll know where your package is at all times and if it gets lost, you're covered for it. Seriously, do not skimp on this!

4. Ask if they've washed the garments

A lot of people spend their entire lolita lives without washing their garments. You don't want to receive a dress that reeks of meetup B.O. If it's not washed and they're unwilling to do it, make sure the price is worth it and be prepared to wash it when you get it.

5. Be wary of sellers with very little feedback

I feel kinda bad saying this, but the only times I've had bad experiences has always been with extremely new sellers. I'd love to give them a chance to build feedback, but my wallet can't afford the risk anymore. New sellers tend to make a lot of mistakes in the whole process. This can involve problems with shipping, delays, and communication.

I don't mean all new sellers are like this (I'm new to selling and haven't had problems). I'm also not saying you should 100% avoid them, but make sure to prepare for possible newbie mistakes. They can sometimes cost you extra money (especially if the seller refuses to take responsibility.)

Summary: When in doubt, ask ask ask! Most problems can be avoided by asking questions. If a seller seems snippy about answering then move along. OH! But don't ask questions if you have no intention of buying; that's rude!

Have you learned any lessons in your own shopping endeavors? Please share them in the comments!

A Full Lolita Coord for $133~!

My favorite thing to do on quiet nights is to go to the archives of my favorite blogs and re-read old posts. Last night I ran into Victoria from Parfait Doll's Lolita Blog Carnival post on making a full coordinate for a low price. As soon as I saw it, I yelled "I'm in!!" (in my head of course haha!) Their limit for that old post was $100 but I gave myself a bit extra (and I'll tell you why in a bit!).

We all know it takes quite a bit of cash to put together a nice lolita outfit but who says you can't do it for much less than the usual hundreds? It's hard, I know, with the luxurious dresses and detailed accessories it's easy to wear a coordinate worth well over $400! Not today! This outfit can be yours for $133 (minus shipping) and is a great coord for a beginner sweet lolita!

Everything is from Bodyline!
JSK ($33) | Blouse ($47) | Shoes ($40) | Socks ($13)

The JSK (The Dress): Instinctively, I wanted to choose an OP to cut down on costs (because you don't need a blouse with an OP) but you can get so many more looks out of a JSK! Not to mention that this adorable JSK is only $33 and one of my favorite pieces on Bodyline's website right now. I'm actually considering buying it soon!

The Blouse: This is a big reason the coord came over the budget (it's the priciest piece in the coord) but I have a very good reason for refusing to replace it: It is unbelievable versatile. For starters, this blouse has detachable sleeves. You can wear it as is or you can remove the long sleeves and just have the puffy short sleeves. This'll make wearing lolita in different seasons so easy! Another great detail? The jabot (aka the ruffly neck piece) is also removable! You can wear it for elegant looks or to add more interest to a skirt/blouse coord or leave it out and replace with a bow! This one blouse gives you 4 DIFFERENT LOOKS! I'd say that is well worth going over budget.

The Shoes: These are one of my favorite pairs of shoes on Bodyline, they are so cute and they have really good reviews. Another bonus? They come in 11 colors! For this coord I chose pink because I really couldn't resist how nice they look with the JSK but if you want more bang for your buck, I'd get a white pair. With white shoes, you can expand your wardrobe to many more color possibilities.

The Socks: Same reason as the shoes, I couldn't resist getting the pinkxwhite socks! They look so cute in this coord. Again, if you want them to be more versatile, you can easily replace them with plain white socks to wear with more outfits.

"But Aleks, what about accessories?" Well dear, I left them out because they are extras! But let's say you got a bit of extra birthday money (or Christmas money on the way ;D) then here's a few extras you can get:

Headbow: Sweet Mildred ($20) | Bag: Loris ($28)

Lolita is a pricey fashion, but it's possible to make a cute coordinate for significantly less than usual! Also remember that you probably already own accessories and bags that would work great in lolita. To be a lolita on a budget you don't have to sacrifice style, you just gotta get a little creative!

Forever 21: Cute Cardigans for Lolita!

It's late fall and we're nearing winter (well, at least on my side of the world) and I've been late on the layering game. I've been looking around for some cute sweaters or cardigans for layering and ran into a few finds that would be great not only for casual wear but for lolita as well (and they're inexpensive to boot)!

Also available in Yellow
$22.80

Their Floral Lace Cardigan is super cute and has the added bonus of being cropped! You and I both know it's tricky to find a cropped cardigan amongst the sea of boyfriend cardis. The pink is perfect for sweet and classic and the yellow would be really cute in sweet, classic and maybe even sailor!

Also available in Navy
$24.80

Their Lace Front Cardigan looks pretty similar to the first but comes in different colors. The sleeves on this one are short but could be saved for the late spring! The white one would look so sweet in a WhitexPink coord and the navy one would look beautiful in classic paired with wine red.

$19.80

Crochet Collar Cardigan- A mint/sax cardigan with a crochet Peter Pan collar... Um, can you say "Perfect"?? Lolitas that love mint know it's a hard color to come by in mainstream fashion. This would look so cute with Bodyline's Bunny Cinderella JSK or skirt in mint or lavender.

$24.80

Enchanted Sheer Kimono... Despite the cringe-worthy name, this would be a very cute sheer layer for a cult party kei inspired coord! Over a white dress or a classic dress and paired with maybe a flower crown, it would look so gorgeous.

Forever 21 always has cute cardigans and accessories perfect for lolita. It's where one of my favorite blouses is from!

What mainstream store(s) do you go to fluff up your lolita wardrobe?

3 Secrets for Someone Just Getting into Lolita Fashion

I'm so excited to introduce Lolita Blog Carnival posts into my blog! For those that don't know what it is, Lolita Blog Carnival is a weekly blog post done by a group of lolitas that discuss the same topic relating to lolita fashion.

This week's topic is a little funny to me because I'm technically just getting into the fashion! Even though I've been admiring the fashion for over 7 years, I only now just started dressing in the clothes. Don't be fooled though, I've definitely picked up a few things for those of you that are completely new!

1. This video will help you coordinate like a pro.

Seriously guys, when I found this video I swore I heard angels singing. It teaches you how to balance your colors in a coord so it looks perfect!

2. This video will tell you all you need to know about Bodyline.

Don't be the newbie that asks "Is Bodyline a good place to shop?". Everybody hates when this question is asked because there's hundreds of reviews that say it's good but most newbies don't bother to do their research! This video not only shows you that Bodyline is good but also shows you what items are best and tips!

3. This video will teach you how to tie the perfect waist bow

A shopgirl from Baby the Stars Shine Bright teaches you how to tie the perfect bow, need I say more?

So there you have it! These videos are some pretty great resources to make a brand new lolita feel less worried about being new. They helped me a lot and I hope they are useful to some of you too!

Other cuties talking about this:

Hello Batty
Hello Kitty Loves Disney
Her Lumpiness
ImaPrincess
Lace a la Mode
Lolita Glamour
OhVelveteena!
Pretty Little Habits
R Gorey
Smithsonian
Sun In Our Hands
The Bloody Tea Party

Lolita Calling Cards

The other day I was reading an old article by Victoria over at Parfait Doll about "lolita calling cards". They're basically the best thing ever! Imagine this: you're at a convention, or at a meet and you meet this wonderful lolita. You guys quickly chat, take pictures and go on about your day. Wait, was her name Susan or Suzanne? I can't remember... Or maybe she did give you her contact info but... uh oh. I can't understand her handwriting... This is where the calling card comes in to avoid that!

You can carry a small stack with you and hand them to lolitas you would like to stay in touch with or to give away at cons so people that take your picture can look you up later! I really do wonder why this hasn't caught on!

Victoria really did write up a very good guide on this so if you're interested in making your own, definitely go check out her article. I've just printed out my first batch and have a few additional tips to add on!

Tips~

• Make sure the fonts you choose are legible when the image is small. Test it out by shrinking the card to scale (typical US business cards are 3.5 × 2 inches) and printing one out.

• Need them printed ASAP? Go to your local Staples or print shop. Many will print them within a few hours (but will cost a bit more)

• I printed mine using Overnight Prints. I designed and ordered 100 calling cards on Monday night, chose a deadline (I needed them by Friday at latest) and they were delivered Today (Wednesday morning)! Price? $9.95 for the cards and $11 for shipping. They gave me a discount though so the total was $17.52.  Maybe a little pricey but Staples wanted me to order a minimum of 200 cards which was definitely too much for me to start out with!

• Don't have Photoshop? Download Photofiltre! A free editing program that does a lot of the same things (It's what I used for my calling card)

Do you already have calling cards?

Would you consider getting some?