OK! This is the post I've always been wanting to make, but keep putting it off. Basically, it's a 'There Are No Such Things As Rules.' There are no brands that you should stay away from even when you're above 20, there is no height limit (skirts can be short AND overknee too) or weight limits or skin colour or whether brand or offbrand is better or whatever nonsense people have been recently preaching. It's like the way some people hate redxpink together - who gives a fuck as long as you're happy and it looks good?

TL;DR: Only the item counts, everything else doesn't.

There *are* however, rules to everyday living. It's called context and social law. Context means that you don't turn up for a parent-teacher meeting in a leather miniskirt, or upstaging a bride at her own wedding. Context also means turning up for work dressed apporiately; either in smart casual or coperate attire. It means being respectful and apporiate for the situation at hand, and applying due consideration to everyone else involved. It has nothing to do with being a lolita, and everything to do with courtesy (and a decent human being!). Without context and social law, society would fall into chaos and no one would know how to behave when your bestest friend pukes on your boyfriend's shirt at your mother's dinner party. (apporiate answer: remove shirt, borrow brother's t-shirt for boyfriend, remove said friend into bathroom and then into a cab, apologise to everyone at present and help mother clean up mess.) These laws don't only apply to lolitas though, they apply to each and every person on earth so no worries - we're not being discriminatory here.

TL;DR: Dress apporiately for situation at hand

Finally, I want to tell everyone that wherever you are, wherever you live - no one really follows you with a camera. If you decide to go to the supermarket in the middle of night dressed in Moitie irongate and crocs, no one is going to care. No one cares because neither daily_lolita nor egl nor getoffegl or whatever latest wank group exists; can see you from a million gazillion miles away even with Google Satillite. Just, don't post it. Don't post things that you know will be inapporiate to egl. In the beginning (we're talking about...2 years ago here) you could post it to Daily_Lolita. But. That was a long time ago. Now you can't. Daily lolita has morphed from wearing lolita clothes in an everyday NON-lolita manner to a picture of a full-lolita today. Big difference. Don't post. Or post only to your flist, under lock and key with the safe knowledge that everyone won't spread it around.

TL;DR: No one is forcing you to post. If you wanna wear Moitie with crocs, fine. JUST DON'T POST IT.

Now let's have some pictures of how you can fully utilise every single cent spent on your lolita wardrobe. Almost everything I have *is* lolita, but so I have to make use of everything no matter what situation. It *is* possible to wear lolita items every day. It is *not* possible to wear lolita, the style everyday. I've tried my best to use as many brands as possible (especially those with overseas shipping) and cover most major social situations.

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The Pant Suit

Perfect for formal coperate sectors such as Accriture (finance), Cooperate Law, Civil Service and other occupations that require a strict working dresscode. It's also very good if you work in a very 'boys' club' enviroment where you wish to be taken seriously as a woman. For work pants, look for those with darts around the hips for shape and non-crumpling fabric like polyester or silk. The length should be cut slightly over the ankle (for heel allowance) and should have a smooth flow. Do not ever ever buy linen pants unless you want to spend the next 3hrs slaving away at the iron.

Blouse Innocent World Pants Jcrew Bag See By Chole Shoes Jimmy Choo

The Skirt Suit

Yet another formal attire. I prefer skirt suits to pant suits during job interviews as they lend a more feminine appearance and yet look really really smart. They're also very good for client meetings, AGMs (annual general meetings), conferences and such. Key details to note when purchasing a skirt-suit: the jacket seam must fall perfectly on the shoulder, cuffs should not extend over 2 finger-widths over the wirstbone, the skirt should ideally 'skim' just at the knee to give a slim silouhette.

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Blouse Angelic Pretty (bow detached) Skirt Innocent World Jacket Ebay Bag Chole Shoes Christian Louboutin

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Blouse Donna Karen Skirt Baby, The Stars Shine Bright Jacket Innocent World Bag Tony Burch Shoes Jill Sander

Skirt Set

Skirt set is office wear that is smart casual; which means formal but not formal enough to have a jacket. In this kind of scenerio you can actually get away with quite a number of things such as cardigans, pleated skirts, certain subdued florals and a good tartan. You can opt for shorter skirts such as Victorian Maiden's floral skirt or something longer from Jane Marple or even a simple dress. Things like turtlenecks (all brands sell them), coats or jackets with small ribbon details, cardigans, small side-ribbon hairbands are definitely doable. If your office is a bit more on the creative side, you could probably get away with wearing more 'daring' colours like brilliant fuschia, peacock blue, dark yellow ochre and others.

Turtleneck: Innocent World Skirt: Sonia Rykiel Cardigan: Baby The Stars Shine Bright Bag: See by Chloe Shoes: Lanvin

Evening wear (Formal dress)

Even though a lot of lolita clothes may be considered formal due to the lace and excessive fabric, it isn't usually modern or flexible enough to wear on it's own. Formal evening wear covers events such as wedding dinners, annual office dinners, charity events, ballet/opera/theatre/high-end dining and anything that requires a credit card to pay. I think nowadays people don't normally wear gowns, which is why I prefer a more modern type of knee-length dress with enough skin, but still apporiately covered with a shawl.  Showing your shoulders is perfectly fine (especially if you have nicely toned arms!) in evening wear but generally, keep in mind - less is more. If you are emphasising your shoulders, keep your skirt to the knee. If you're showing off your legs, keep your shoulders cover. Emphasising one aspect tends to draw the eye to your best parts while discreeting hiding the worst.

Dress: Victorian Maiden (alternate dress by Innocent World)  Shawl: Valentino Pearl Choker: Ebay Bag: Marc Jacobs Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Evening wear (Formal set)

Same as above, but in a skirt set form. While a dress is often considered the norm in formal evening wear, it is possible to wear a skirt set so long as it is apporiately glamourous for the event. Skirt sets are also a bit more forgiving on most body types, especially if you have a disproportionately large bust/waist ratio. Try to go for evening colours like rich purples, dark forest greens, navy and other jewel tones. When in doubt, diamonds will always add a sparkle! (just don't do a p.diddy and bling it all out. Think tasteful, not obnoxious.)

I also suggest seam stockings to go with this coordinate.

Turtleneck: Baby The Stars Shine Bright Rosette Skirt: Marc Jacobs Lipstick: Lacome Necklace: Van Cleef & Arpels Bag: Judith Leiber Shoes: Valentino

Cocktail/Party wear (casual)

I think we're all adult enough to realise that yes, some occasions people do like to go dancing and drinking with friends. On these occasions it's more like a fun, flirty thing where you go have drinks at the bar and chat (and check out which guy in the hottest on the floor). While it's perfectly OK to wear lolita on these occasions, I'll rather not unless it's a special night or something.  I personally don't like going into a hot and sweaty club dressed in a petticoat, bloomers, skirt, blouse, cardigan and such. It's restrictive, a tad inconsiderate and I would be worrying all night about stains. Best kind of party wear: a short mini-dress with shirring or something equally loose, something sparkling and a pair of shoes are comfortable to dance in but looks sexy too.

I personally like cutsew JSKs for this purpose, and this one by Emily Temple cute has lamé in it! Perfect for partying :D

(Alternate dress by Metamorphose)

Lamé JSK: Emily Temple cute Hairband: Ebay Necklace: Angelic Pretty Bag: Bottega Veneta Shoes: Brian Atwood

Trendy Casual wear

'Trendy Casual' covers things like meeting friends for afternoon lunch, going to University to see Prof., meeting boyfriend's parents etc etc. They are generally unfussy, and meant for casual wear such as running errands and meeting the non-lolita people in your everyday life. These kinds of clothes are literally 'building block' type of coordinates. Stuff like cutsew + skirt or JSK + cardigan - what most people would term as 'casual lolita'. Yes! Casual lolita is important because that's what ordinary people are. Ordinary people have to queue at post offices, go to the supermarket to buy groceries, pay bills, meet teachers, go on dates and all these little minute details that make wearing full-on lolita less than practical. These kinds of outfits are cute enough, but they don't really catch the eye as much as say.....totally decked out platform shoes, socks, headdresses, petticoats etc. Even 'discreet' styles like Classic lolita may be considered inapporiate as it is too formal and yes - it does look strange no matter how people argue otherwise. All lolita looks strange. Gothic looks as strange as Classic looks as strange as Sweet. Give in a bit, and be practical. Sometimes, it's better to just keep those kinds of outfits for meetups.

The first outfit is deliberately more formal than the second due to the varying levels of 'casualness' in a day.I'll wear the first for important school meetings (presentations), and the second for personal things like going to the post office or checking the uni library.

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JSK: Jane Marple Cardigan: Baby, The Stars Shine Bright Hairbow: Angelic Pretty Tights: H&M Bag: Marc Jacobs Shoes: Christian Louboutin

(alternate dress by Angelic Pretty, for a more retro look)

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Hoodie: Baby the Stars Shine Bright Skirt: Metamorphose Hairbands: kids' shop Bag: Eri Fetherson Shoes: Vintage

Formal Day wear

Covers events such as garden wedding parties, Race Day, afternoon tea, baby christenings and other formal day events. Dressing in the day is a bit different in the sense that the fabrics and colours tend to be lighter - voile instead of velveteen, chiffon instead of brocade and more cottons. Colours tend to be on the pastel or dusty side too; soft greys instead of black, peach/pink instead of fuschia and alice blue instead of navy. I personally don't really like red in day wear because afternoon sun can be very harsh on the colour, and make a person look sallow/overdressed.  Generally, I'll stick to white or something equally flattering like champange, rose and natural tones. Those shades reflect light on your face; makes you look brighter and more vibrant.

(alternate dress by Metamorphose, along with matching cardigan)

Hat: Milk JSK: Innocent World Watch: Van Cleef & Arpels Bag: Chanel Shoes: Marni

Retro Casual wear

For those days that feel a bit vintage, a bit lolita and a whole lot of fun! I think it is suitable for dates, house parties, meeting old relatives, meeting boyfriend's parents, afternoon lunches and most semi-casual/casual occasions. It's a bit fun and sweet, and would go down really well in summer. The use of almond and dusty blue is much softer than the usual red-retro style too, so it doesn't look as harsh but still interesting.

JSK: Metamorphose Sunglasses: Ebay Hairband: Ebay Bag: Valentino Shoes: Christian Louboutins Nailpolish: Hard Candy (or most brands really)

OK, I hope you enjoyed this post! It took forever to code @_@;;;

cheers,

tsu