What Makes You Excited About Lolita Fashion Today?
Like anything, lolita fashion constantly changes and
evolves. That is to the detriment of some, who may have given their heart to
past trends (oldschool or heyday of OTT Sweet), though not all. To me there is
still plenty to be excited about in this fashion and community today and below
are just some of the examples.
New releases
I can’t imagine a world where we would not look forward to
the new releases. And whilst I personally may look out for Angelic Pretty’s
less and less, as their designs just miss the mark for me, there are still
plenty of creators who keep me excited and interested. I love seeing what
Metamorphose comes up with and over the past two years or so I’ve really grown
to love them with my whole heart. I’m also always excited to see what my
favourite indie brands release. Their designs are either more personal or
catered to what the community wishes to see (either in print or cut). And
whilst they may sometimes be absolutely wacky, too much so to be considered
lolita, seeing the next weird design from a Chinese brand is also exciting in
its own way, as we get to see someone push the boundaries of what we thought
this fashion was and is. I think it’s safe to say that once we lose our
excitement to see new releases, we’re either ready to move on to another
fashion or we’ve found out exactly which lolita era tickles us most.
My current favourite new release and obsession.
Meetups and events
It’s fitting that this post comes right before this year’s
International Lolita Day. Regardless of whether it’s a small gathering or large
event, any chance to wear this fashion with others who also love to dress up in
it is simply amazing. This is exciting on so many levels, from picking out your
outfit (and making it fit the theme, if there is one), to seeing friends you’ve
maybe not seen in a while, all the way to enjoying the occasion itself. Not only
this, the more meetups I organise, the more I enjoy doing so and it’s wonderful
when others respond positively to your ideas. I get just as excited about finding
lovely venues, thinking of themes and coming up with activities to do as I am
as a mere participant in these things. Equally, I love to read about other
people’s experiences of various meetups and events, wherever they may take
place and however big they may be. These days YouTube dominates as a platform
to share one’s experiences of those events and I do like a vlog that showcases
what the event was actually like, but I’m oldschool and nothing beats a
well-written blog post for me. Living vicariously through other people’s
experiences of events that I couldn’t attend (and maybe never will have the
opportunity to) is just as exciting as going to events yourself and I feel like
it brings us closer together as a community.
 |
| I am absolutely hooked on the hype of big lolita events and hopefully, one day, I'll be able to organise one too. Picture from The Grand Embassy venue. |
Community’s output
Speaking of blog posts and YouTube videos, the lolita
fashion community is creative not only in their outfits. Whether you want to
read something, watch something, look at pictures, learn new crafting
techniques, buy someone’s handmade goods or more, there are numerous members of
our community who give back in the form of some creative content. These days
they will be dominated by YouTube and Instagram, as their visual nature suits
the visual side of lolita fashion, and it’s incredible what kind of a variety
we get just in those two. Then, of course, there are blog posts and artists, as
well as a seemingly never-ending stream of people willing to dedicate their
time to create a zine (only last week I discovered that another one, Just Below
the Knee [https://www.facebook.com/jbtkzine/], has already been published). The
creative output doesn’t seem to end and it’s exciting to find something new to
admire and be inspired by – regardless of whether that’s a new Instagram
account or a zine, they are all valuable contributions to our community.
 |
| Dentelles magazine is a great example of how our community does more than just dress up in fancy clothes. Many of us create and those creations then enhance our individual pastimes and leisure. |
The shopping
Last but certainly not least, the shopping itself is still
one of the most exciting feelings in this fashion. Whether in person or online,
from the moment you find something and purchase it all the way to when it
arrives and you can feel it, the whole process is a true endorphin rush. Of
course, like anything that releases endorphins, this can get addictive and the
hoarder/collector nature of this fashion only encourages spending more, so it’s
important to have strategies to keep your shopping habits in check. Still, I
won’t deny that it’s exciting to buy things (especially when they’re items you’ve
been searching for for a long time) and to then receive them.
What gets you excited about lolita fashion today? Have you
been in the fashion for long enough to find some things excite you less than
they used to? Or do you always find something new that gives you that rush and
ooh-ah-ah sensation? Share your thoughts and make sure to read those of other
bloggers who participate in this week’s Lolita Blog Carnival prompt!
Hahaha it's all about the shopping! Shopping is the start of it all!
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, I agree with all you've said here. There's a lot of things to enjoy and experience int he fashion and it's great that there's so many things to keep us excited.
Without the shopping, there wouldn't be any of the other stuff!
Delete