Let's Join the Lolita Blog Carnival! (One JSK, 5 different outfits!)

Dear Sparkly Eyed Dolls,

I am so excited to be writing my first Lolita Blog Carnival post! I didn't sleep last night to ensure everything would be done on time. The task is, "Take one staple wardrobe item, like a skirt, JSK, or OP, and make 5 different coordinates with it. May also be great to talk about budget." I thought this was the perfect topic for me to start off with. My blog is all about budget and making what you have stretch as far as you can! I can just about guarantee that every one of the outfits pictured in this post were bought for 50 dollars or less (Not including shoes, I only have a few pairs of shoes and they are an investment always.) and with a shared JSK that really can save money. Being able to put together different looks with one piece of clothing is a key part in wearing something like Lolita regularly. Okay! On with the show. Let's start! 

Outfit 1- Fairy-Loli Fun Fun FUUUNN!! 

This was easily my favorite outfit! Can you see I made use of that Tunic I bought for around 4 dollars at Target.com. This outfit is incredible fun to wear and just brings me to life inside when I wear it. I think this one suits me the best. Remember that pink Bodyline JSK because you might be seeing a lot of it very soon!

I felt I looked like a Lala Loopsy here myself! Can you picture it? I can! Suzette La Sweet's silly cousin Skiteanna LaSweet! (My pen name last name being the same as hers was unintentional, but I'm not bothered at all by it~! I love the Lala Loopsy doll line.)

Outfit Rundown 

Bow-Kroger (1.50$)

Glasses- Rue 21 (Free, but one get one free sale!)

Wig- Bodyline (bought from a seller online for 15 including shipping) 

Pink Confetti Tunic- Target for about 4.17$ on clearance ~ 

High Waisted Pink JSK- Bodyline (I believe I think I spent about 25 a few years ago) 

Cupcake necklace- Gift from my Japanese teacher (She made it!)

Tights- Rue 21 (I think the pack of pink and black was around 4)

Shoes- Bodyline (They were 40$)

Other jewelry is thrifted, given to me, or from Mcdonalds (The watch)

Whole outfit total- 89.67$, without the shoes it comes to 49.67$

Next up! 

Outfit 2- Little Lavender Dreamer

This was my favorite shot in this outfit! I really wish I had a matching purple ribbon to tie around the waist of the dress to finish off the look.

Outfit Rundown 

Bow- Kroger ($1.50)

Wig- Bodyline (bought from a seller online for $15 including shipping) 

Blouse- Goodwill ($4.19)

High Waisted Pink JSK- Bodyline (I believe I think I spent about $25 a few years ago) 

Backpack- Goodwill (It was a long time ago I think it was around $2)

Tights- Walmart ($1.50)

White Shoes- Walmart ($8)

Without shoes- $49.19 With shoes- 57.19

Wow stuff really adds up, huh?

Outfit 3- Causal...Fairy-Loli...thing....I guess (XD")

This would be a good outfit for a day out at the park, a walk, or to go to school in.

Bring a jacket for when you get chilly.

In this outfit I'm using the JSK as a skirt by putting a shirt on over it. This is one of my favorite JSKs to wear as a skirt! The key to this look is less poof, lower poof. This would be a great time to layer short petticoats/panniers like I do. I used one pannier with some lift and wore it midway down my hips to give it the casual shape I wanted.

After school on the walk home (or just when it gets a little colder if you didn't wear it to school) a simple hat like this fit right over the double bun hair style. I stuck the hair bows in my lunchbox (I use it as a regular bag.)

Outfit Rundown 

Hat- Target ($10)

Glasses- Rue 21 (Free, but one get one free sale!)

Shirt- Walmart (I think it was around $7)

Jacket- Christmas gift one year (I think it was around $16 and bought at Walmart)

Hello Kitty Lunchbox- Gift from Mckinley

High Waisted Pink JSK- Bodyline (I believe I think I spent about $25 a few years ago) 

Polka dotted Leggings- Goodwill ($2) 

I don't have the foggiest clue how much those socks were, but they were from Goodwill

Shoes- Goodwill (I think they were $7 or cheaper)

Overall price with shoes-$51  Without shoes- $44

OH I forgot  to add the bows, they would only be $1.50 each, I get most of my bows from Kroger.

Outfit 4- A More Traditional Sweet Lolita Outfit (Caps everywhere because they just look nice, some things are titles and such yadayada~) 

I really wanted to do more hair styles, but you know how it is when your curler breaks and you loose all your hairpins in a move right? Made things a bit harder as far as hair is concerned. No one is more disappointed than me that I couldn't use my real hair more.

.....I am sensing a pattern here...

Bow and ...oh what else? "I guess I'll get the matching bag!"

Outfit Rundown

It can be difficult to remember actual prices,  bought a lot of this stuff a long time ago! (XD")

Bow- This came off my Bodyline Carousel Skirt and I think the bow is a free add on to the skirt~

Wig- Bodyline (bought from a seller online for $15 including shipping) 

Blouse- Goodwill ($1.50)

High Waisted Pink JSK- Bodyline (I believe I think I spent about $25 a few years ago) 

Carousel Bag- Bodyline (I don't remember what I paid, maybe $7?)

White Tights- Walmart ($1.50)

Shoes- Bodyline (They were 40$)

Total without shoes- $50 With shoes- $90

Outfit 5- Winter ...erm... Wonderland?

Winter is coming soon so I decide to do a warm outfit last.

Outfit Rundown

Earmuffs- Bodyline (I think they are $6)

Bow- Kroger ($1.50)

Scarf- I got that for Christmas long long ago in a galaxy far far away

Blouse- Given to me by Louise

High Waisted Pink JSK- Bodyline (I believe I think I spent about $25 a few years ago) 

Tights- Walmart ($1.50)

Shoes- Gift for my birthday one year

A lot of gifts this time! Let's add it up~

Total- (Shoes cost me nothing so it would be useless to do a separate total) 34

So to do a quick recap we had

1.

2.

3.

4.

and 5 outfits from one JSK

The JSK I picked, I picked because the simplicity. The simpler the skirt, dress, or JSK the easier it is to coordinate the way you want. When the piece is one solid color you can choose your own color scheme more freely. In a dress with a loud print you can be slightly limited in color selection. When first starting, it may be better to buy simple pieces that you can dress up any way you choose! It is easy and quick when your just starting out to buy just a dress or 2 in colors you like to wear, so will therefore own a lot of or have plans to own more of. Also, did you notice the shoes and JSK usually almost made up the whole price? Other things can be picked up very cheap and you never know what you will accumulate over the years! 

 A few tips

~ If your using a print dress and your at a loss for how to coordinate it, look at the colors in the print. Bringing colors out of the print can really make the little details stand out more. You could also accessorize around a theme, I always find that to be fun and easy!  

~ Don't worry about making a million different perfect outfits when your just starting out. When you just start in Lolita you are still deciding how exactly you want to look in Lolita and your still in the early stages of collecting pieces you may need to create different outfits. Just wear your new JSK without a blouse when it first arrives if you want! Sure it may be against the rules, but I sure didn't wait to buy a blouse before I tried on my first JSK (This one, actually). If your worried about being perfect on your first try, just remember. The fun part of Lolita is the journey! (Though the end result is still pretty fun too!) 

~ Don't worry so much about doing everything right!  I think you should learn the rules, gain inspiration, then brake the rules a little! If it looks good to you and you love it then that is absolutely all that matters! You shouldn't be too afraid to be yourself because of what people might say. The point of fashion is to be yourself and express yourself. Your awesome! Be proud of it!~ 

~ Don't worry be happy! That can be hard advice to follow. Things get bad for everyone, some more than others. Everyone has had at least one bad day. Even if you don't feel like smiling smile, even if you don't feel like dressing up in your favorite outfit, do it anyway! Sometimes you have to force yourself to think your happy on bad days and it can turn into being happy! That works pretty often for me, but that isn't always the answer. A thing to remember is that fashion should make you happy! If it isn't making you happy anymore find out why, maybe you found you took an insult to heart and it's been dragging you down. It can be hard, but try to remember tip 3! At the risk of rambling I'm going to leave it at that. 

So, which outfit is your favorite? Do you have any tips you would give about coordinating outfits around one piece of clothing? I had a really good time with this post and I hope to do more Lolita Blog Carnival posts in the near future! I hope my first one was a success! 

Other super blogs who also joined in on the fun! 

Swirly Purple and Green Crayons

Sparkling Girl

A Lace Jail

Hello Batty

2 Teaspoons of Sugar

RedTonic

Make Lovely

Liz Juice Melting Mind

(I was up all night AGAIN, so) Sleepily Yours,

Skiteanna La~Sweet

(Wrote this yesterday, but posted today as soon as I got up! I actually got some sleep tonight~)

Let's Go Back To School! (Fairy kei and Sweet Lolita Back To School Guide)

Dear Frosted Cake Toppings,

It's that time again boys and girls! Time to go back to school~ I thought I would make a post to help out those sleepy fairy kei girls and sweet lolitas who don't like to wake up in the morning. I always didn't like to get out of bed when it was time for school and would of faired better the first part of the day just staying up all night, though then later in the day I would be passing out! Anywho, this post will cover ways to look cute, even when your too tired to put in the effort or don't have a lot of time in the mornings before school.

Princess Skiteanna's Guide To Sleepy Princesses Going Back To School

Image from http://static.desktopnexus.com/thumbnails/136659-bigthumbnail.jpg

(This was written with the assumption that the reader wants to wear fairy kei or sweet lolita to school.)

Step 1: Make Time To Plan Before You Head To Sleep!
It may seem like a no brainer, but don't let time get away from you! I know when school first started each year for me I was able to plan the first few weeks then for some reason I just got lazy and plans fell through. Remind yourself somehow that you need to set out things for the morning. Ever since I discovered the "Sticky Notes" function on my computer I have been able to keep myself on a schedule like never before. I'm a computer addict myself, so I am able to see the sticky notes several times a day. I write something I need to do that day and maybe make daily or weekly schedules of things that need to be done. So, if you just make a small note to make sure you have clothes set out for the next day by, say, 7 o'clock then it might help you remember! Or, if your not big into the computers you could just go the old fashioned route and write it on your hand~ Try not to put things off and get too busy or you may find yourself passing out at night and rushing to get ready in the morning! (Sticky Notes can be found on most if not all Windows 7 computers, I don't know about others since I have Windows 7, but you could always check. Plus, added fun, you can make the notes pink! I wish they had cute stickers to add to them too!)

Step 2: What's The Plan? 
I have had the problem of going too elaborate for a school day. I wake up and I am just too tired to put on the layers and layers I had planned out and end up wearing something dull and uninspired. When planning school outfits always take into account your normal morning energy level. Also, another mistake I have made in picking outfits for school is not taking into account comfort and convience. We are at school and possibly on our feet for many hours and the halls are crowded with kids and sometimes it can be a tight squeeze to get to our desks. Now, we don't want to be getting ran into all the time and we don't want to run into things which might disturb the other students or cause things to be knocked over. We certainly won't appear as poised ladies that way (usually)! When planning outfits we have to take a lot of things into consideration like the things I have mentioned. Make sure it is an outfit you will have no problem wearing all day at school and will be willing to change into in the morning. (Try and give yourself at least an hour to get ready and make sure to decide if you want to shower in the morning or before you go to bed.)

I threw together a few example outfits on Polyvore for fun~ Let's go look how they turned out!

In this first arrangement I tried to make an outfit that works for both casual lolita and fairy kei and would be fairly simple from top to bottom. The picked items are not set in stone items, just ideas of the types of things that would work, something cheaper could easily be substituted. 

Instructions for this type of look 

Head: Just pull back your normal hair into pigtails or some hair style and decorate it simply with cute hair clips.

Torso: Find a cute cutsew that matches in color scheme with the outfit in some way.

Bottom Half: Just find a skirt tha could work in casual lolita and/or fairy kei that also has a color scheme that works with the rest of the outfit. (In this case mint/pink/lavender)

Legs: For this I just have plain tights because I prefer them, but socks could serve the same purpose. 

Shoes: For these shoes I thought something fun to do would be to mix and match the colored shoe for a bit more fun and it went with the mix and matched-ness of the hair clips. What I wanted was on this side < I wanted a mint shoe and the other a pink or lavander shoe, but for some reason I couldn't find a mint shoe on Polyvore like that.

Bag and Accessories: I just chose a lollipop bag, but any cute matching bag would work. As for other accessories something simple like a few pink and lavender bracelets and some kind of necklace. For this outfit a good necklace would be one with a lollipop to match the bag. (Also, I think large pink glasses would be great accessories for school to give you that "smart and cute" look ;) )

For these outfits I paired a more fairy kei outfit with a more simple sweet lolita outfit for some variety. Just follow most of the guidelines above for these outfits too. For those of you who love fairy kei, I would try and steer away from the tutus and tights combo during school and for you lolitas I suggest you don't forget your bloomers at home(A lot of schools have stairs and we can't be sure what people walking below us can see.) Also, when wearing petticoats under skirts try to wear a less poofy one and keep it more casual to give yourself room to walk around things. The shoes should be comfortable, something easy to walk around in that will likely not start to hurt your feet. I also included a jacket on each, because you have to remember a lot of the time schools keep the air condition very high, so even if it's warm outside, it may be cold inside. 

Image from http://www.electricalice.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/TK-2010-07-25-003-001-Harajuku-600x900.jpg

This outfit is one I found that would be perfect for wearing fairy kei to school. It is simple and not too poofy to walk the halls.

image from http://www.lolitafashion.org/images/casual10.jpg

These casual lolita outfits would also be just perfect for wearing to school. The poof is a bit smaller and they are sooo cute and well coordinated. The hair is also good, a simple style for a sleepy morning~

Step 3: Remember Hair and Makeup
Even if you have a wonderfully designed outfit, it can be taken away from considerably if your hair is an unbrushed rats nest! Of course you don't have to do anything fancy~ If your super tired in the mornings you could just have a simple prestyled wig ready to go or do a very simple hair style. Here is a link to a great video for simple, quick, and easy hair styles perfect for school! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ha6kjiY_VU&list=UUIdyhVaEoOKd28MEm60A8VA&index=16&feature=plcp) and this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvZ5TvrWN_E) For make-up some mascara, eye shadow, maybe some white eyeliner, and generous amounts of pink blush to the cheeks (Maybe concerler if you need it.) I'm sorry I wasn't able to upload make-up and hair tutorials of my own for this, but I am not able to film right now, though I would love to try my hat at make-up and hair tutorials in the future! (Though I have no expertice with that at all really.. hehe!)

Step 4: Try and Smile!
When you have a smile on your face you'll feel happy and look more approchable, even if you are really super tired and feel a bit like a groggy grumpy monster~ You don't want to give all of the possible new friends the wrong impression!

image from http://images2.fanpop.com/image/polls/350000/350696_1262320515644_full.jpg

Step 5: Check Your School Dress Code!!
Maybe this should of been number one. Go on your school website or something before school starts and see if a dress code is listed. Breaking the dress code could result in being forced to change or being sent home. Be sure you know what is appropriate for your school. Another thing to take into consideration is if you have a lot of messy classes, like pottery. (I had that one year and could almost never wear fancy clothes to school with the constant fear of the clay splattering all over them.) Here is a nifty little guide to being lolita even in a school uniform! http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Lolita-in-a-School-Uniform

Now to the next thing I wanted to cover in this post, back to school sales!! I don't know about all of you, but I love back to school time for one reason. BACKPACKKKSS! I am a backpack NUT and they have some of the cutest ones ever and I need to get back to the store to pick them up before they are gone. You don't have to be headed to school to take advantage of the sales, I graduated highschool last year and always make sure I look at all the stuff for back to school. They have cheap things good for any artist or writer that are very cheap! Plus, they are great for keeping things organized around the house. Just a passing thought, but don't forget to check those back to school sales before they're gone!
I am actually doing another post after 3 in the morning, it's 5 am right now. (OTL) I pick horrible times to write for my blog, but at least it gets done. Though, I kind of think I forgot a lot of things I planned to include in this post! If I remmeber anything I will just add it later, I am starting to get so sleepy that I can hardly type coherent sentences anymore. Talk to you soon! Have a sweet day and if you have any tips for back to school or ideas for future blog posts feel free to leave a comment! (By the way, if you do a few jumping jacks when you wake up you will get the blood flowing and feel more awake!)

As Always and  Ever So Sleepily Yours,

Skiteanna La~Sweet