Lolita clothes for BJDs

I told you I wouldn't be able to stay away from talking about BJDs for long! This time I'll be talking about the different places you can get Lolita clothes for ball-jointed dolls. Good Lolita doll clothes are sometimes rather difficult to come by. Most places will sell Lolita inspired clothes, but they are usually a little off, they'll either be too sexy, too J-rocky, or just too damned ita. When shopping for doll clothes, you sometimes have to be willing to spend a lot of money to get something that looks good. Or, at least, a lot of money for something so darned tiny. While the sites I've listed here are not the only places to buy Lolita clothes for ball-jointed dolls, they are some of the better places out there, with higher quality products, and an idea of Lolita that is pretty much spot on with what actual Lolitas wear.

If you want the absolute best for your doll, you're probably going to want to hunt down some official Lolita brand dresses for you doll. Volks will on occasion release limited editions of dolls that come with a Baby, The Stars Shine Bright or h.NAOTO complete outfit, these usually sell for over a thousand dollars. Sometimes they will also release limited sets of clothes, while much cheaper than buying them with a full doll, you can still look to spend about 300 dollars per set. These sets can be pretty difficult to come by, so you're most likely going to have to look on the second hand market for them, and because of that, expect to pay a bit more than their new price, although I have found a few deals on just the dresses alone (they tyically come with shoes and purses and other accessories), and have seen some of them go for less than $200. I'm not actually very well versed on Volks and the things Volks does, and I've had very little desire to spend 300+ bucks on my dolls clothes, so I'm not the best person to ask about these collaberations. Take a quick peek at this list of Volks collaborations with various Lolita brands.

Besides impossible-to-find ultra-expensive brand pieces, Volks puts out their own doll clothes, some of which are Lolita clothes. The quality is usually very nice, comparable to the brand pieces they put out, and is usually a lot easier on the wallet. Volks dresses go for about 50-100 dollars, most of them being about $60. On the second hand market I've picked up several Volks Lolita dresses for $30.

The indies Lolita brand Milky Ange sells doll sized versions of all their clothes. While these are rather easy to pick up, Milky Ange ships to the US and there are always a lot of different styles in stock, they are still rather pricey. Just a little cheaper than their people-sized versions, Milky Ange's doll clothes will cost you between 100-230 dollars, most of which are about $140.

DollHeart is well known for putting out beautifully made, detailed Lolita outfits and shoes. They are usually released in limited quantities available for pre-order only, but they are not difficult to get a hold of at all, it's mostly just the month or two wait that kills me. Their outfits are usually around $100, but are well worth the price as they are usually made up of several pieces, typically a blouse, underskirt, petticoat, overskirt or dress, and accessories, that can be mixed and matched with whatever else you have.

Arcadia Dolls is a shop selling a variety of doll clothes, many of which are Lolita or very Lolita inspired. Their clothes look to be of excellent quality and are priced at around $70 per dress. Sadly, this doesn't include things like bloomers or socks, but some of their designs are just amazing!
Kon'D has a few choice Sweet Lolita dresses. I've never bought from them, but their pieces look to be rather good quality and their designs are just too cute! They are a much cheaper alternative as well, their dresses costing around $50.

Cotin Doll World is another great place to buy teeny tiny Lolita dresses. Prices range from 60-100 dollars. I've not yet bought from this store, but their pieces do seem wonderfully made and come in a variety of very cute designs.

Honig Doll sells a whole lot of incredibly cute Lolita pieces for a really great price, about 35-60 dollars. I've not bought from them personally, but a friend has, and they are all great quality pieces.

Dollmore is a site that sells tons of doll clothes, and scattered around the hundreds of different outfits they sell are a few really great Lolita pieces. Their clothes come from various places, so the prices and quality range quite a bit, from 30-100 dollars. But for the most part you can pick up a really great quality Lolita dress from Dollmore for around $50. You just have to do a lot of hunting for a good dress on their site, because there are quite a few pieces that look okay at first, but are way too short or just not as cute as they looked on first glance.

How To Own A Closet Full Of Black Skirts

I love black skirts. I love them a little too much I think, I have a ton of them, and sometimes it's kind of hard to justify owning so many skirts that are essentially just "plain black skirts". That's right, just plain black. Not black with some other color of lace or a black colorway, but Black x Black. If you are more into Gothic Lolita than other styles of Lolita, the black skirt is a staple of your wardrobe, but it can get a little boring. So in this entry, I'll be looking at all the different kinds of "plain black skirts" there are. By no means are these all the different kinds of styles black skirts can come in, and these different styles can be mashed up almost endlessly. But hopefully this will show you that you don't just have to stop at one or two black skirts before you start to feel guilty that you're filling your closet with things that look too much alike.

Basic black Lolita skirt

Skirts from Mary Magdalene and Baby, The Stars Shine Bright
First up is the basic Lolita skirt. It could come in any color and it would still be perfectly Lolita, but you want it in black. It's a cotton gathered skirt, fancied up a little bit with some ruffles or lace. This kind of skirt is perfect for just about any look, from Kuro to Gothic to Classic, it all just depends on how you accessorize it!

Different material choices

Skirts from FanPlusFriend and Metamorphose
Up next is the black velvet skirt. This can be exactly the same as the basic Lolita skirt, except it's made out of velvet. The velvet will provide instant contrast and interest to any traditional cotton pieces you are wearing. Embossed velvet is also a good thing to look out want your skirt to really stand out. Velvet pieces add a bit of maturity to an outfit, and can easy give an outfit a Classic Lolita look.


Skirts from FanPlusFriend and Rose Melody
Next is the black brocade or jacquard skirt. Which is a fabric choice that is a little bit harder to find in Lolita, but a lot of indies or Gothic brands will tend to carry a few brocade or jacquard pieces. These skirts are usually done in a different style than the traditional Lolita skirt. Instead of gathered, they are often A-lined, and they usually rely on the interest of the fabric texture, rather than additional lace. These skirts tend to be very Gothic, and often very Aristocratic.


Skirts from Moi-même-Moitié and h.NAOTO
Finally we have chiffon, and chiffon-like skirts. They are often made up of lots of ruffles or layers, to really emphasize the sheer, light look of chiffon. Many chiffon Lolita skirts will look like a very fancy petticoat! Skirts made out of chiffon can be very versatile, it all depends on the skirt and what you accessorize with. Chiffon skirts are used often in Punk, Gothic, and Ero coordinates.

Different shapes

Skirts from FanPlusFriend
Besides different fabric choices, there are also many different shapes that you can consider when looking to add a new black skirt to a wardrobe. For Gothic Lolitas, one of the most obvious choices is the bustle skirt. There are a lot of different ways a skirt could have a bustle, the two most common ways are tiers on the back of the skirt, or fabric gathered to create a runched up effect. Bustled skirts work best with Victorian inspired Gothic Lolita coordinates. But can sometimes even work nicely for Classic Lolita.


Skirts from FanPlusFriend and Peace Now
Asymmetrical skirts are a great way of making a coordinate look unique. There are many different kinds of asymmetrical skirts, from one side being longer than the other, to a ragged handkerchief hem. Skirts like this will work wonderfully with Punk, Gothic, or almost Aristocratic coordinates.

Different details

Skirts from Angelic Pretty and Innocent World
There are many different kinds of details that skirts can have that will add a bit of variety to a wardrobe based on one color. One of these details is pleats. They can either be a few large box pleats, or the whole skirt can be covered in them. Pleated skirts are often times plain, since there isn't much you can add to pleated fabric besides a bit of lace on the hem. Pleats can either give a simple and mature look, or a spunky Punk look to an outfit.


Skirt from Moi-même-Moitié
A few brands out there that put out black skirts with black or dark gray prints. This always looks incredible, the ink of the print giving off a subtle shine, and is a really great way to buy a printed skirt that you don't have to worry about matching the print to your blouse or accessories.


Skirts from h.NAOTO
Distressed details are also an awesome way of making a plain black skirt really interesting. They can either be torn hems, overlapping prints, or a crazy mishmash of different kinds of black fabrics. Heavily distressed skirts, in the style of h.NAOTO, can be paired up with a very plain and traditional cotton Lolita blouse or even another distressed piece. The best part of skirts like this is that you can never really go overboard with the look. The more rips and tears the better!

Shop Spotlight: Seiyaleo

This Shop Spotlight is on Seiyaleo on Etsy, a crafter of adorable things such as this little Strawberry Fields brooch. Her sweets pieces would be a perfect addition to a Decora outfit, or even a great addition to a more toned down Sweet Lolita outfit. For when you want to add just a little bit of Decora, but don't want to feel like you've jumped head first into a sea of rhinestones and fake strawberries.

Her brooches, such as Afternoon Tea, are my favorite. They're just too cute, and the stitching is perfect. This little elephant pin looks like it would be right at home on an Emily Temple Cute casual coordinate. Aside from felt brooches, Seiyaleo also makes candy covered necklaces, as well as other adorable pieces that would be just perfect outside of Lolita.

I haven't been doing these spotlights as much as I would like. Does anyone out there know of any shops selling hand made cute stuff?

Thank you for 1,000 hits!


Thank you!
Tack så mycket!
Vielen dank!
Just a quick thank you for 1,000 hits. I know that's not a whole lot of hits, but it still made me happy to see that my counter went up over a thousand while I was away for a couple days. I've also noticed that I've been linked from quite a few German and Swedish Lolita blogs. Thank you to everyone who's been keeping up with my blog!

Putting some romance in Gothic Lolita

I love the Romantic Goth style, it's so soft and swishy and delicate looking. Dollpart made a post a while back that was a bit of a What Is and How To using Lolita brands as examples, I guess I'm going for the opposite with this post. Instead of trying to go for Romantigoth using brand examples, I'm trying to add some Romantigoth aesthetics into a Lolita coordinate. If you can't tell a Cyber Goth from a Romantigoth, or didn't even know there was a difference, go check out her post, it's a great starter!

This probably looks like just a regular Gothic Lolita coordinate! But I've done a few different things that I think really give it a Romantic Goth look. I feel like there are a few difference between the two styles that really stand out. Traditional Gothic Lolita is often times very clean cut, it has minimal lace and it's very opaque, favoring cottons or other very solid and sturdy fabrics.
  • Blouse- I've used a gauzy and ruffly black blouse with a lacy camisole underneath. Look for something with a lower cut neckline, and go for fluttery, rather than ruffly.
  • Skirt- In this coordinate, the skirt is the only strictly Lolita piece, while I've used a Fan+Friend skirt, it can be any black brand skirt. I say this is strictly Lolita, because I think the shape of the skirt is essential in this coordinate to keep it within the realms of Lolita, and not just Goth.
  • Parasol- I traded out a brand parasol with an offbrand one that I feel is a bit softer looking, it's made out of a similarly gauzy material and has a lace trim, instead of a waterproof ruffle.
  • Hair- To emphasize the Romantigoth aspects of this outfit, I would not go with any traditional Lolita hair, i.e. pigtails and a head piece. I would go with something simple and wavy, and instead of any kind of truly Lolita head piece, I chose a black rose head band. Or even pulling a little bit of your hair back and tying it in a ribbon. With hair, you can really emphasize the romantic aspect of the look. Think runaway princess, not a whole bottle of hair spray.
  • Gloves- Gloves are rarely used in Lolita, but I think they add to the romance of the outfit. Go with delicate gloves such as these. Stay away from cheap lace or satin. These would be even more Goth and less Lolita if they were fingerless gloves.
  • Jewelry- There are quite a few pieces of jewelry in this coordinate. A pretty little brooch with feathers would look lovely tucked into the ruffles on the blouse, a bracelet made out of a variety of black pearls and beads, an assortment of rings, a longer black pearl necklace, and Victorian inspired earrings and necklace. Stay away from anything too chunky looking, instead think Victorian, and don't be afraid to really layer on the necklaces. Once more, go with the runaway princess look, like you were trying to take all your most valuable pieces with you. A variety of different necklaces and rings can also add a bit of a distressed look to your outfit, without having to go into Naoto-esque rips and tears.
  • Purse- Instead of any kind of Lolita purse or tote, I've gone with a very Victorian beaded bag. Something small and grown-up looking, instead of the rather large and cutesy purses Lolita brands tend to carry.
  • Tights- I've decided not to use socks, or solid tights, but instead have used a pair of lacy tights. They keep up the theme of sheer and gauzy.
  • Shoes- I think the shoes and the blouse are the most important things that separate this outfit from a plain ol' Gothic Lolita outfit. Instead of chunky Lolita shoes, I've gone with a pair of pointy toed Victorian boots. Anything pointy and heeled is sure to make this coordinate look a bit more romantic.

Valentines in the middle of summer and ducks

I love the Lolita Valentines community, so it was really great to see a meme going around this week urging everyone to make valentines for all your Lolita friends. I was going to make a post before they all went up, but I just got home a couple days ago and have spent my time making a bunch for my friends.

This week there were 626 valentines posted! Usually there are between 20 and 30, and sometimes only a dozen are posted. I can't believe how wonderfully this meme ended. I think this was just about the sweetest idea I've seen in a while, and such a refreshing thing to see in a community that is sometimes overrun with wank. Even if you forgot or just plain didn't have the time to make valentines in time for this week, there's no reason why you can't get out there and start making cute valentines for your friends and Lolitas you admire! Lolita valentines are a thoughtful thing to make no matter when you make them.

A project in a similar vein is DeathxChidori's Duck project, which is a goofy way of saying we've all made some mistakes in the past in regards to basic manners and plain ol' not being a jerk to each other. I'm also planning on participating in this project along with a whole group of friends who will be attending a meetup tomorrow.

Bonnets: not just for Sweet Lolitas

I've recently found myself oogling over bonnets. I never really thought they were for me, they just seemed too toddler-ish, or at the very least, reserved specifically for Sweet and Classic Lolitas. Which were styles I never could quite get into. But I've been discovering more and more bonnets that cater to the Gothic Lolita. Who knows, one day I might actually work up the nerve to wear one! But until then, I'll just continue window shopping for the perfect bonnet for me.

Above is the Versailles Rose Bonnet, from Alice and the Pirates. Currently Baby sells a few other bonnets, most of them the same style as the one pictured above, the exception being the Mary Rose Bonnet, a beautiful straw bonnet that has a very Victorian feel to it. It would be perfect for these late summer days. The bonnets for sale at Baby are the most traditionally Lolita bonnets. They can work easily for Classic or even Sweet Lolita in black, but might too ruffly for Aristocrat and would definitely look a bit off with the more gothicky Gothic Lolita styles.

Bodyline is currently stocking a very lovely bonnet for a very reasonable price. While the cheap price ($22!!) is very tempting, according to people who have bought this, it is a bit difficult to get to lay on your head as it is shown in the stock photos. It will either require a lot of pins or a small hair comb sewn onto it to get it to stay as perky as it looks in the photos. But I think if you don't mind a bit of work, this could be a perfect Gothic Lolita bonnet.

Antique Beast sells this gorgeous bonnet. Which, now that I look at it, looks like the inspiration for the Bodyline bonnet. Of course, this one is going to be much harder to get your hands on outside of Japan, and will cost you about $130.

Triple Fortune, another indies brand that might be very difficult to get a hold of outside of Japan, sells a variety of beautiful and extravagant bonnets that boarder on hat.

If you would prefer something historically correct, and are willing to spend at or above brand prices, there are many places out there where you can buy a very lovely bonnet. Or, if you're very craft, you can make your own bonnet. This might be a very fun project for when you just can't find your dream bonnet.

A few times I have seen vintage Victorian pieces worn with Gothic Lolita. They have always lead to very unique and beautiful coordinates. I think a Victorian era bonnet would be the perfect finishing touch to a Gothic Lolita outfit. If you can manage to find a vintage piece in good condition, and for a reasonable price, there's really no reason not to try it out! Personally I've seen Victorian era head pieces for sale for as little as $20. Keep your eye out at tag sales, antique stores, or eBay for bonnets that would put even Triple Fortune to shame!

Rose flavored desserts

I love rose flavored candies, teas, ice cream, and just about anything else flower flavored. If you've never had it before, it might seem a little strange, but it's a flavor that grows on you. What does this have to do with Lolita? Well, nothing really, besides the fact that I really like it, and roses are cute, right?
  • L'Anis de Flavigny makes delicious rose and violet flavored hard candies with an anise seed in the middle.
  • Teavana sells Rose Marzipan Delight tea. Which is also incredibly delicious.
  • Try some Greek rose petal jam on your toast in the morning.
  • Rose Turkish delights are always a great snack, and can usually be easily found at TJ Maxx for some reason, in the gift/food sections.
  • Keep a pack of Kuwarinka rose gum in your purse
  • I couldn't find any online, because it's a difficult thing to ship, but local Indian markets will usually stock rose flavored ice cream.
  • If you're good in the kitchen, you can make your own rose water and start trying out recipes with it. Try these lavander and rose cookies!
So whether you just want to try something new and tasty, or you're looking for something sweet to add to your next meet up's picnic, try something rose flavored.

Inspiration For Lolitifying Your Life

Many Lolita's love to Lolitafy their life, in addition to their selves. There's something wonderful about surrounding yourself with beautiful and interesting things! Whether or not you consider yourself a "Lifestyle Lolita" it's still a lot of fun to add a bit off ruffly fantasy to your life.

When you want to Lolitify your life and start decorating your house or just your bedroom to match your own personal Lolita style, there are a few ways you can go. You can go for a very rich and Victorian look, with lots of gilt and velvet, perfect for a Classic Lolita. You could also go the Sweet route, with fluffy pink throws and delicate pastels. There's also the more Gothic style, with lots of dark colors and curious objets d'art. Of course, these aren't the only styles of decor you could go for, and they could be mixed up in infinite ways. Who says you have to keep your black velvets and ceramic unicorn lamps separate? My own personal decor style is a bit of Gothic Victorian Eccentric. I love romantic pieces of Victorian furniture, black bed canopies, brocade comforters, and unusual collections. I also must admit I'm a hoarder of "strange" things, my current love is antique books, I have them stacked up all over the place! So you will have to excuse me if my tips and ideas tend to lean more in the Gothic direction.
Ideas for Lolitifying a room
  • Start a collection of something curious. Pick a theme and a place in your room to display it. If you have limited room on top of dressers and such, look for a fancy little shelf on which to display your finds. Your collection could be something simple like cute ceramic figurines, or something very specific. Among the many things I collect (or rather, accumulate) is religious medals and interesting Victorian photos.
  • Use pieces of your wardrobe as decoration. Remember Momoko's room from Kamakaze Girls? It was a dark crowded attic with Baby dresses hanging from her walls and ceiling. While you may not want to live in a burando maze, it's still great inspiration. If you're willing to put whole dresses on display, go for it! I think the most perfect addition to a Lolita room is a vintage dressform. I have one that I found in an antique store a few summers ago that I love to dress up. If you're not quite willing to use dresses as decoration, because of pets or dust, put some smaller pieces of jewelry on display. I also have a blue glass display hand that I have practically encrusted in Lolita rings and necklaces. A fancy wall mounted coat rack makes a great display for necklaces too.
  • Make an inspiration board. An inspiration board is really just a fancy word for a pimped out cork board. Cover yours with Brand post cards, tags, photos of Lolita outings, or anything cute and inspirational to you as a Lolita. Here's a tutorial for a really awesome one. I would love to do one like this with a big gilt frame. My current inspiration board is an old coark board I covered with pink leopard faux fur with glitter covered thumbtacks. Xan-chan accused me of being deco for it, but I just wanted something pimpin.
  • Add some greenery. Or maybe some faux greenery if you don't think you can manage a real plant. A lovely vase of fake flowers is just as good as a little potted plant for bringing a little bit of the garden indoors. If you're feeling particularly crafty and green thumbed, try making this beautiful Victorian Terrarium.
  • Decorate your walls. So many people live bare walled lives! Which is just sad because there are so many ways of decorating your walls. You can hang up adorable prints in pretty frames, fancy mirrors, framed butterflies, shelves, drapery, almost anything! Try to avoid things like tacked on posters, and photos, if you really must tack stuff on your wall, make an inspriation board. Start accumulating small and pretty picture frames and fill them up with cute prints, either taken from magazines, or bought from artists. Instead of scattering them througout a room, cluster them all up in one spot, so you have a mini gallery all on one wall!
  • Decorate your floors too! Don't settle with just a plain rug, even if you've had the same awful beige rug in your room your whole life, you can still add a touch of elegance with a small throw rug. Lovely oriental style rugs can be found cheap at many places. To get an opulent over-the-top look, buy a few oriental style rugs and use them all in the same room, layering them or placing them at angels if you have to! If you wan't something a little different, check around on eBay for tapestries. You can usually find vintage tapestries the size of a small rug for about 25 dollars, including shipping. Tapestries come in all sorts of different styles, from cute animals, majestic forest scenes, or even religious figures. I actually collect vintage tapestries with religious scenes on them, I use them on the tops of my dressers.
  • Lighting. Candy Lights sells adorable silicone dipped light bulbs and light strands. They are just about the cutest lights I've ever seen! They look like wonderfully sweet candies and they give off the best soft pastel glow. If you need more to light your room than just a strand of fairy lights, be on the look out for any fancy lamps, they can be found just about anywhere for rather cheap. I'm so in love with pretty lamps, I have a great big red chandelier type lamp, covered in crystals with clear silicon dipped bulbs that look just like real flames. In contrast, I also have a ceramic leaping unicorn lamp! There's no need to settle for a plain desk lamp when there are so many interesting ways to light your room!
  • Don't forget the kitchen! I love fancy plates. There are so many places you can get fancy Victorian style dishes, one at a time, for a good price. Home Goods usually has a ton of them for sale. Ebay is another good choice for import kawaii style bowls and plates, I'm such a sucker for cute bowls that have kitties painted on them. Asian grocery stores are another awesome place to find plates. They usually have a rather large selection of traditional fancy pates, with floral and gilt designs, and also Asian designs as well. I have all three of these kinds of plates and bowls mingling in the cupboard

Places to start looking for treasures
  • Thrift shops, antique stores, and yard sales. Your best bet in finding something unique and cheap is to dig around thrift store and other such places. Most of the things I decorate are thrifted. Make a day out of it, invite a few Lolita friends and go on a treasure hunt! Just be sure to wear something appropriate, you really don't want to be wearing anything light colored or any huge petticoats. Things can get a bit dusty and crowded in such stores, you don't want to knock something over with a petticoat and get an expensive skirt dirty at the same time.
  • Home decor shops. If you don't have any antique stores in your area that are reasonably priced, home decor shops, like Home Goods, are a good place to find faux antiques pretty cheaply.
  • Design Toscano. I love this place, while they do have many things of questionable taste, they're awesome for adding the final touch to a room. I'm madly in love with their Eiffel Tower telephone.
  • Madam Talbot's Victorian Lowbrow. I love this site! It's like a wonderful Victorian yard sale/art show. If the prices are a bit high, check out their awesome poster section. They're very affordable at about $13 and just incredibly cool.

Looking for some inspiration?
  • Gothic & Lolita Bibles. There are a few features on rooms scattered throughout the Bibles, but there is also a ton of inspiration in the backgrounds of the outfit shots. The Gothic & Lolita Bible Extras are a good source of craft projects too.
  • Jars of Cute. An adorable blog filled with adorable things to buy. They range from accessories to room decor, look around! You might find something that would be just perfect in your room!
  • Shabby Chic blogs. Using ideas from Shabby Chic blogs can be a great way of adding a bit of ruffles to your room. Think of it as a mash up of Classic, Sweet, and h.NAOTO. It's pale and fluffy and tattered at the same time! Some great Shabby Chic blogs are Chez Fifi, Vintage Flair, Oh So Pretty (which sadly hasn't been updated in a very long time), and Gathering Dust.

Bittersweet Lolita?

I don't frequent the main Lolita community too often, so I'm usually one of the last to know about new trends unless someone tells me. I recently learned about a new (ish?) phrase going around: Bittersweet Lolita. Referring to sweet designs and prints in black. WTF, why can't we just call it Sweet Lolita like we have been? Or even just forget about this new obsession for creating new and wacky labels and just calling it Lolita.

Because the Lolita community tends to revolve around the internet, whether we like it or not, silly things like this always seem to pop up. We need something to label our daily outfit shoots, new interests to add to our profiles, or something we can type into a search engine to fine exactly what we want.

I guess I am what you would call a "Bittersweet Lolita", As I type I'm decked out in Baby's Virgin Mary JSK in black, paired with a cute little Baby bunny eared hooded bolero. My closet is sprinkled througout with the black versions of prints, and if I could afford it, would be bursting full of them. But the term makes me cringe, it has the same ring to it as "Little Big Girl" does, from way back in the day when that was an acceptable alternative term for Lolita. I just don't care for it, for both the phrase and the idea of having to box myself in to not just one style, but one specific color. I'm quite happy just being called Lolita.
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