A while back, Caro of F Yeah Lolita did a beautiful post about creating a complete lolita wardrobe with intent to wear lolita fairly often and create as many different outfits as possible from a limited collection of clothes. The post is a really good primer for what lolitas should look for when they're initially building a wardrobe, and I highly recommend that you take a look at it. Especially the section on colors.In that post, she created a list of basic items that can be combined and recombined for a wide variety of different outfits. This list included:
- 1 good petticoat in a color that works with your wardrobe.
- 1 piece of "special wear"
- 2 easy to coordinate dresses (probably JSKs)
- 2 skirts in 2 different designs.
- 5 tops of various designs, some of which are cutsews, and one of which is a "statement" top in either a contrasting color or of a fancier design.
- Headwear that matches each of your skirts or dresses.
- 2 pieces of outerwear, such as boleros, cardigans, or light jackets.
- 1 pair of shoes that matches everything.
- 1 purse that matches everything.
- As many different pieces of legwear as you can accumulate.
- Lots of different accessories.
However, this list isn't going to work for everyone.
Lolita is often seen as a subcultural fashion of capital-r Rules. Skirts must be so long, layering must be done in this specific way, you must wear these things in order to be a lolita. But Caro's list isn't RULES. Her list is guidelines, and you can easily adapt it to suit your personal style and, perhaps more importantly, your body shape.
