Wednesday 24 February 2016

Lolita in Tokyo wonderland - translation

I'm finally back posting something here. This time I want to share a new translation of a chapter from the book Lolita in Tokyo wonderland. I decided to translate the shopping/building your lolita wardrobe guide, since I think it can really help these who are thinking of starting wearing lolita clothes and building a lolita wardrobe. ( ^  ^ ) 

The book itself is a very nice and informative one. I believe that even these who cannot read Japanese will enjoy this book and be able to get lots of tips on where to go and what to do in Tokyo. If you are planning a trip to Tokyo this book can be a good lolita-guide. ( ^ w ^ )

Please remember that this is a fan translation.



Shopping guide for lolita beginners


When beginning ones lolita lifestyle and starting to build a wardrobe, what things should one buy? What do you call this type of item? How do you wear it? These are some questions we will be answering in this article.



Step 1 – collecting clothes
When first purchasing lolita clothing we suggest buying a one-piece dress or a jumper skirt and a blouse. It will instantly transform you into a lolita!

Jumper skirt:
Jumper skirt is a typical item in lolita fashion. Unlike a one-piece, a jumper skirt has no sleeves and can be layered on top of other clothes with greater variation.  It is usually layered on top of a blouse and wearing a jumper skirt without anything under is not typical for lolita fashion. The word jumper skirt is often shortened to JSK.

One-piece:
We suggest buying a one-piece dress to these of you who think “I want to instantly become a lolita!”. The word one-piece is often shortened to OP.
When you have gathered the above mentioned basic lolita items, you might also want to get your hands on the following clothes:

·         Cardigan: we suggest choosing a simple one, you can use it all year and match many different outfits.
·         
s    Skirt: a skirt can be worn in many different styles depending on the top you chose.

·         Cut and sew: a very useful and enjoyable item to wear, more casual than a blouse.

Step 2 – lingerie (gathering undergarments)

To make the skirt look lolita-like puffy, with lots of volume a petticoat and drawers are a must! You can vary the number of panniers you wear depending on your liking.
We recommend to wear a pannier under lolita skirts and dresses. As an example, the brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright has 2 kinds of petticoats: one with hard tulle and one with soft tulle. The hard type can be used with skirts/dresses made with heavy fabric (like velvet) or when lots of puff is desired, the soft one can be used under skirts made with light fabric or for slightly less puff. If you want to add more puff to your outfit you can always layer more than one petticoat. Wearing bloomers under the pannier is a must in lolita fashion.


Step 3 – socks and shoes

When it comes to socks and shoes non-brand items work well, but these from a lolita brand make the lolita look more complete. There are many people who first buy lolita socks, then get an increased interest in the lolita fashion and set out to become a full lolita.

Simple white knee socks or over-the-knee socks are OK. But matching the print of the socks to ones dress/skirt makes the coordinate more fashionable.  

Most of the lolita shoes are flat with a rounded toe part, they are very easy to wear and are comfortable. Some of the characteristics of lolita shoes are decorative straps and bows.

Step 4 – collecting small items/accessories

When you have gathered the essential clothing and shoes, let’s begin gathering some small items and accessories. Some people start their lolita collection by doing the opposite and bying accessories like bows and bags first.

Hair accessories
In lolita fashion lots of individuality can be expressed with ones choice of accessories. Main head accessories are head-bows. You can even add additional bows on the sides for a more gorgeous look. Bonnets and headdresses are also popular items. In summertime you can wear a tidy hat.

Bag
Motif bags are popular in lolita fashion, there are bags shaped like for example hearts, clocks, books and  instruments. Pairing the bag with a cute plush animal purse is even cuter!

Wristband
Wristands match perfectly with hime-sleeves (princess sleeves) that open up and become wide below the elbow. It is also pretty to wear them at times when you feel like your skin is showing too much or matched with a short sleeved blouse. As the name suggest (in Japanese these are called sleeve stoppers) you can use wristbands to pull up your sleeves so that they don’t get dirty white eating.

Umbrella

Having a frilly umbrella, usable both in rainy and sunny weather is great when going out. White skin is essential in lolita fashion, so let’s keep these vicious sun rays at bay in a cute way.