I was about to say lolita is probably capitalized in the title because that's how formal titles are supposed to be formatted with, all major word capitalized, but then they capitalized lolita in the middle of a sentence so never mind . It's just wiki how being wiki how.
Apparently wikihow illustrations are drawn by severely underpaid artists from the Philippines 😕 that’s why they always look kind of wonky... sad but true
I've always been curious how they manage to get so many specifically drawn images for the site.... I'll have to look into it further myself (not out of lack of trust just more curiosity) It's sad how poorly artists are treated in the West's industry already, I can't imagine 'working' in conditions that barely recognize you as human. It hurts knowing those people likely don't have better options either.
The art is bad because they commission artists who get paid about 2-5 dollars PER PIECE! So I actually stopped judging the art style because if I got paid less than minimum wage for a WHOLE ASS DRAWING I'M NOT TAKING MY TIME ON IT!!!
@lilcoffeebean As an artist who takes 3.5-4 hours on a whole piece usually MAX... I agree and hope they're fast workers like me because I'd feel so bad, again as an artist, knowing they slaved all day and night for weeks possibly doing these pieces...
@@WrenHuang I really hope so as well like I pray that they don't spend that much time on a piece it's really not fair as an artist as well it would break my heart it's just really not fair
I know the wikihow drawings can be silly, but keep in mind that they are made by independent contractors in countries with different work laws, usually the Phillippines, for as low as $0.40 per image. They also have to follow really strict aesthetic guidelines.
Adding to the handmade thing: sewing in itself is a whole skill that takes time and patience to learn to create a well-constructed garment. When my friend and I started in 2009 the only resources we had/knew were Japanese brands which didn't always have international shipping or English shops yet, and Bodyline. We started trying to recreate different jsks we saw online. It definitely helped learn about the fashion but the sewing quality wasn't always there! My friend really took to garment making and spent the time learning the craft and can make amazing dresses now.
Same! When i discovered lolita around 07 or 08 i learned to sew bc i wanted to wear lolita but my measurements didnt fit with japanese brands which were all available at the time. Thinking back now my first garmets werent lolita lol but over time became more lolita as i learned to sew and make garmets better. But yea it takes a while to learn to sew then to learn to properly make a jsk. I would suggest to start with lolita skirts before jsks as they are easier to make and great for beginners too.
@@hayleyscomet3447 I don't know who's telling you this - but don't take it to heart. The problem is, a lot of people see lolita for the first time (myself included) and think something like, "I need to dress this way RIGHT NOW" even without the right stuff to do it, which leads to rushed coords that aren't made well. When you can sew well and are good with design there is absolutely no reason you can't make a beautiful dress or any other piece of clothing. Lor has a video, "Opinions on handmade lolita" highlighting some wonderful handmade items ~
monochrome rose oh ok. That’s awesome! Thanks so much for the info! If I actually make dresses I’ll be sure to do plenty of research and time my time. I’ll also be sure to watch Lor’s video :) I’m still a beginner even though I have loved the style for a long time now. I also love fairy kei, visual kei, and decora.
@@PheonixStarsx Mr Yan was the former owner of bodyline. And frankly he has done so many things its hard to list them in a comment. Lor made a video about "the shady past of bodyline" where she extensively talks about it. Check it out! Edit: and I also love your profile pic. Connor supports human rights! And android rights
I think the capitalized "L" was proper in this circumstance because it was in the title of the article. I was taught in school that all words in titles should start capitalized unless it is a word such as "a, the, to" etc. Though I'm no expert in writing or journalism lol (it definitely wasn't right when used in the middle of the sentence though...I'll give you that 100%)
*listening to this while sewing ruffles for a high waisted lolita skirt* XD Not offended, I agree with you. It's much better to lurk and study before jumping in head first and wasting time on a garment you'll never wear again with pride.
Germany has this "used clothing" website called Kleiderkreisel which also offers quite a lot of lolita things including used brand pieces (with affordable shipping within Germany/EU), from my observations and experiences most sellers on Lace Market are from the US which makes the shipping costs skyrocket. For instance within the EU you pay 5-10 bucks extra, but from the US it can be up to 50 bucks, which is quite a bit considering the piece itself is probably gonna cost around 100-250 bucks. (depending on the brand)
I really like lolita. The feeling of being feminine and dainty. I love vintage aesthetics too. Ruffles, bows and such. I do it as a brolita though. So pieces are a bit harder to comeby especially shoes. I do love crafting though and scour thrift stores and found an OP that fits.
I am always surprised, that the word lolita being capitalized is bothering so many people. I can understand, what the point is, but I just don't make that conclusion. Maybe because German is my first language and in our language every noun is capitalized and so I see the word 'Lolita' used in the fashion-way very often in our communities. So this makes me really unsure, if it is bad and non-german lolitas will think, that we are weird or even harmful to the fashion for doing that.
I learn something new every day! And no wonder my German acquaintance when speaking has what I thought, was random capitalization. No, she just caps the nouns out of habit then? I will ask her lmao! This is very interesting!
I don’t think it’s harmful I just think it’s because in English only certain nouns are capitalized, one of these being titles, and some lolitas can get a little annoyed because if someone is perceptive enough or paying attention they make question that what’s being talked about is the fashion and not the book/movie.
I reckon if you want to sew your own lolita clothing and you are a beginner at lolita and/or sewing, having a purchased lolita dress is one option, but what was much more helpful for me was having a purchased multi-sized paper pattern with detailed instructions, like McCalls M2035 or Simplicity 8444. Drafting your own pattern and adding seam allowances for example based on a video or an Otome No Sewing magazine adds more work for you and as a beginner you are much less likely to pick up on any drafting mistakes. Unfortunately sometimes you will have to draft your own or at least make adjustments so that the finished garment will fit you. the Simplicity and McCalls patterns are available through size 4- 20 but you need to read the pattern envelope carefully to make sure you have the correct size range. Two pieces of advice I would add- Do follow the instructions on the pattern exactly and tick off steps as you go. Sewing is complicated enough already without trying to take shortcuts or confusing the order of steps :) Do expect to make lots of mistakes on your first few attempts at sewing, so don't expect what you make to be perfect, and don't try to over complicate the design on the first attempt, there's plenty of time for that later as your skills improve and you experiment with what you can do! Second hand cotton bed sheets are a great source of inexpensive, good quality fabric that is much easier to work with than fabrics such as satins and other synthetics that look really cool but are slippery to work with. Working with inexpensive (but not cheap!) fabric to start out with takes a lot of stress out of trying to make a perfect outfit on the first go. You can also buy cotton prints designed for lolita on sites such as Spoonflower, although I have never bought fabric for lolita online so I cannot make recommendations.
When you had a “hmmmmm idkkkk” reaction to the Top Hat and then posted the picture of you in a black bowler hat. I just wanted to point out that certain styles and designs of top hats can be worthy of a lolita coord but yes, BOWLER hats are NOT a good idea! Especially for more boy-like coords. This is my opinion, not my trying to state as facts. I apologize if I was rude. Just pointing out that Lor had a bowler on when she was hmmmming abt the top hat option
"Buy some pieces first to fully understand the style before making it." T H A N K Y O U. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I am a seamstress and I'm much more experienced now than I was when I started, and ffs when I started I couldn't even make a proper headbow. I thought I had the look down but I didn't at all. Not even in the slightest bit accurate and I didn't realize that until I got a headbow secondhand and was like ".... O h....." Making your own lolita IF YOU WANT IT TO LOOK GOOD is absolutely 300,000% NOT CHEAPER THAN BUYING IT PREMADE. You have to buy nice quality fabric, nice quality lace, interfacing, lining, trim, possibly boning, and you spend hours drafting or adapting patterns to properly fit the lolita style. Not to mention the hours cutting those pieces, hours spent messing up and having to rip seams to sew them all over again, or hours spent doing a mock-up with muslin or cheap cotton which I WOULD ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMEND. DO NOT SHOP IN THE JOANN'S QUILTING COTTONS FOR FABRIC TO MAKE YOUR DRESSES OR SKIRTS WITH. JUST DON'T. OTL Honestly I'd avoid Joanns altogether because it's overpriced AF but also if it's the only thing in your town I get it and nobody can fault you for that.
I'd like to add that fabric can be ordered online. Kona cotton comes in about a million colors and it's nice, thick cotton. I'd say it would be a good starting point.
So is quilting cotton not a good fabric for lolita? I’ve only sewn “regular” dresses/clothing before, so I don’t know much about making lolita dresses. What fabric do you use?
@@bethm5852 Quilting cotton is not meant for apparel making of any kind, not just lolita. It's for quilting. It's an extremely light weave, so the fabric just straight up isn't durable enough to be worn, it literally comes apart. If you want to make cotton clothing, you need to look for cotton that is specifically from the apparel section of any fabric store. Typically it'll be a tighter weave so the fabric is more durable--a good way of checking how lightweight the fabric is is by holding it up to the light and holding your hand on the other side of it to test how see-through it is. The lighter the weave (and thus the more translucent) the more delicate it is. That being said, you CAN use quilting cotton for pieces that don't endure a lot of stress--ie, headbows. I make headbows out of quilting cottons all the time and they're fine. Just don't use it for main garment pieces, ie dresses, blouses, skirts, etc.
You should try to get a gothic lolita, maybe holly to talk about the gothic lolita article too. When Tyler made her vid "WikiHow Could You?" I gave the "how to be a gothic lolita" page a visit and at the time it was much better than the general lolita page. There were like 7 things that I didn't like too much as far as I remember. Maybe some experienced lolitas fixed that page too
I was eating while watching this video and from 10:41 to 10:48 I choked on my oatmeal out of sheer fear!!! XDD Tyler's eyes bore into the depths of my soul and made me go like "AHHHHHHHH!!" needless to say, I had to pause it because then I proceeded to die of laughter. Am I the only one? Yes? Okay...
8:28 again, that’s something that takes skill and knowledge. I follow handmade lolitas on youtube who do it really only cuz they can afford fabric but not most lolita items, but they talk about how time consuming it can be and they’ve been doing it for a couple years. Like I personally plan on making my own skirts some day, but I’m gonna make sure to look up patterns etc and try to follow those to make sure they’re made right. It’s easier to turn a lolita skirt into Ouji shorts than to make a skirt from scratch I think. Also making your own accessories and headpieces are always good if you know how to do it, but it depends on how much you actually WANT to.
Praying for your cable right now... I'm actually quite shocked with the quality of this article as there was a LWLN episode on the horrible article that was there then (wiki how could you).
I made my first jsk before I bought any actual lolita pieces. The way I attached the skirt made the shape, uh, unique. I definitely learned a lot from making it, and looking back now that I've built up my wardrobe I'm still glad I made it, but I don't wear it very often lol.
@@CutekumavtThere's videos of it on my channel, inhad plans of trying my hand at being s lolita youtuber as well, but I only ever got 2 vids done lol. it was actually a circle skirt attached to a bodice in a way that made it a little bunched up looking. It's kinda hard to describe. It was my first try at making up a pattern myself.
So I would say there's a mild exception for vampy goths and renfaire folk for getting into lolita and using "nonlolita" peices early on. Because there is overlap within these styles and typically people within these subgenres will own expensive rufflely blouses and understand the style guide (obviously on a case by case basis).
Sewing your own clothes always costs me more than just buying an item lol. But! I can customize it to my size. Never sew to save money. Sew because you love it 💜
I can't imagine sewing your own coordinates for lolita. There is a reason the fashion is expensive and its because, even buying the fabric at wholesale for as cheap as it will go, you would spend hundreds of dollars in material--to say nothing of the time spent actually mocking up a pattern and assembling it so it fits to your body. Alternations could be done, for sure but you would have to be extremely ambitious to make your own set of clothes from the ground up.
The capitalization of the title is how titles are supposed to be capitalized in English. The first and last word are always capitalized and the only words not capitalized between those are articles (in this case “a”) and prepositions (in this case “to”).
We tried to create our own version of an Innocent World skirt (Classical Lace Skirt in brown, to be specific) and we got a decent quality cotton instead of the thick, heavier fabric that the skirt appeared to be made of and it still costed pretty much the same to make the skirt as it would have costed me to buy it, just also with the added stress of trying to find a pattern similar enough. So you can take it from me, Innocent World has very very reasonable pricing for its clothing :b Although granted, since I've never actually ordered from the site before idk how much shipping would have added onto it. But since patterns are so tough to find and since it takes out the effort of doing the actual sewing process, the shipping price might just still be worth it.
The Rilakkuma plushie cupcake thingy is super adorable 😍 it looks really special with all the details... I want one 😺 I really like the red hair with the pink dress looks so pretty
I’ve thought about sewing my own lolita clothing so many times, but I make cosplay and I know for a fact that between it won’t save me any thing once I calculate materials + time 😂😂 I’m just gonna continue to buy things lol
I agree 🥺👉🏻👈🏻 I’m still new to lolita and I know some of my pieces could be better (cough cough my blouses), so I always ask for advice, and say it’s not a full coord, but still feel cute. Also I second the sewing as well, I don’t sew lolita outfits but I sew for cosplay and I have spent over £100 on fabric (just fabric, no detailing like buttons which I will also need), then on some of my lolita pieces I have brought.
I sew my own lolita and I agree with everything you said. When I started, I was a teenager who couldn't buy stuff online and the things I made were terrible. I then bought some offbrand and brand pieces, and learnt how to sew properly, and now I make clothes because I enjoy it and can make something unique.
concerning when they said "we can find lolita everywhere " I see where they come from, most of my blouses are actually vintage blouses that I got in vintage stores, they're off brand but they're well cut, nicely conserved and good quality, they fit really well w my JSK! I have tried them w gothic lolita, classic lolita and sweet lolita (althought the sweet pieces I own have more rococco prints which fit more the vintage side oof the blouses)
I understand your capitalisation pet peeve because it can remind people of the book title, but it's so unrelatable as a German person because every noun is capitalised in German, otherwise it's incorrect, so lolita is always capitalised in German texts lol. Also, others have said it but the capitalisation in the title is correct. This is standard capitalisation for titles in pretty much every style guide. You even see it in the way most song titles are written. However, in the main part of the text the capitalisation is wrong. Possibly a German person with a bad grip on English spelling rules? Or just an English-speaking person with a bad grip on English spelling rules. Seen my fair share of those during my time on the internet lol. I also read something about the weird wikiHow illustrations the other day: They are so low quality because wikiHow pays really badly for them and they need them very quickly, so most artists do not want to do the job. A lot of wikiHow art is actually just traced from stock photos so that it's finished by the deadline. It really sucks. I wish the website would pay artists more and give them more time. I'm sure it would improve both the art and the well-being of the artists.
It's ten times easier and cheaper buying an Op or jsk...or even skirt that is lolita. I have yet to this day found shoes or like blouses that fit the style in random clothing stores. And then again, now when I manage to find one, it has to be undone and sewn to modify... so yeah... second-hand rocks and made me reach the ideal I wanted. It's still an expensive fashion, people need to keep that in mind. You can make up your own fashion with what feels right to you and it might be much enjoyable to some people,and cheaper/easier to do/find... After years I only realized I couldn't build a bigger wardrobe and felt comfortable with fewer pieces, exploring more kinds of fashions on the side. It just felt more refreshing and enjoyable.
You may like realistic then,I am as a artist see people who do like symmetry too! I won't see the scale for now but it needs shading or other good terms values for rendering for the final project that can be called edit still.
Do you think dark aesthetic lolitas have it easier styling nonlolita items than light/sweet aesthetic ones? (p.s. my phone gave me trouble with not capitalizing the L word lol)
In my experience, not really. It's still a bit of a struggle finding things that are cut right, and there's always the dreaded (and eternal goth problem) of the black being wildly different shades. Lol Nobody realizes how many shades of black there are in clothes till they're trying to perfectly match a top and skirt. Plus gothic lolita brands like Moitie use weird ass shades of blue and the like which are a nightmare to pair with. You kinda get stuck in a black/white/grey scale trying to work with different textures more than color pairing. It's a whole other challenge trying to coordinate the pieces you have in new ways.
The point about sewing your own clothing not being cheaper is SO true, and it was such a splash of cold water on getting into that hobby. At best it will cost AS MUCH just in fabric as the equivalent online or on the rack. When using nice materials like cotton, linen, or silk you're lucky to get it that low. Factoring in notions like lace, ribbons, or buttons makes it even worse. If you're an elitist like me who longs to be surrounded by cotton lace it's freaking over 😂 It's a very rewarding hobby, but it's not the same as cooking for moneysaving.
Do you maybe have some links for the shops you had logos for? I couldn't read some of them and wanted to check them out. I'm currently looking for pieces for my second coord, and I wanted to look into some actual lolita shops.
Attention people who wanna try making lolita clothing! Thrifting a bedsheet or two is a lot cheaper than buying actual fabric for your dress projects, and it's a good alternative if you're a beginner dressmaker. Look for soft cotton fabric in colors suitable to your preference (even better if they're one of those envelop-type sheets meant for your comforter cause more fabric yay) and don't shy away from patterns, especially florals and polka dots!! While not a lolita myself, I've loved and appreciated the style since I was twelve and I've been making bedsheet dresses for a little while now!! If you plan on making dressmaking a permanent thing, you should probably invest in some pretty fabric when you get good enough, but that is not entirely necessary. The most difficult part of making a dress is the bodice and for that you will have to learn how go draft a bodice sloper, but the rest should be quite easy. Good luck 💖
10:57 looks like they drew Demonias! 🙀 I mean you can totes pair them into a coord but you like... gotta know how to build a coord properly first tbh and it depends on which pair of Demonias you have 🤷🏼♂️
2:16 since it’s a title lolita should definitely be capitalized but idk about the Be. Maybe that too? It’s been a while since I had to write a title like that lol
The reason the title was the way it was is is because it's one of those where all the words in the title are capitalizes except for words like 'be' and 'the' uwu I do it a lot with my titles in like notes and stuff
I love lace market that’s like the only lolita store I shop from now on because it’s affordable and the clothes are cute. I’m a teen and a beginner even though I tried to get into lolita almost 2 years ago but I just got a job not too long ago so I finally have money to pay for it :D Also my moms getting me a BB&B necklace because you were sponsored by them so that’s how I found them (I think it was you) and I loved them so my mom bought me a necklace i love it I’m waiting for it to come tho
On the sewing front we have far more resources than we did in the past. Join Lolita Sewing Collective on Facebook, grab any copy of Otome no Sewing and yes you CAN make a really nice lolita piece. No you don't need fancy brand prints either. OnS even gives step by step pictorials of how to assemble their patterns too. Yes practice your sewing but honestly like lolita, even folks who sew have their 'Ita' stage too. That said I disagree with Lor that you should avoid sewing lolita pieces because with sewing you don't learn unless you SEW things. Yes you will make mistakes but with each new piece you will learn more. Don't forget this is about making the garments fit you too, no one gets that right on their very first garment. I still own my horrid first attempt at sewing lolita and it's what drove me to keep making it. Now I've an entire handmade wardrobe because of it! I didn't even use any seam finishing techniques on that first 'dress' and it was made from bedsheets of all things. I wouldn't of had the drive to continue if I hadn't bit the bullet and made it though. It's also incredibly easy to make lolita skirt silhouettes too. With making it yourself you will have the right proportion of fabric to your waist as well so it's an even bigger win there. You don't need to deal with bought dresses being too short or blouses not fitting over your hips either (I have a huge gripe about that from both lolita and regular stores). If you don't want to use lace trims or can't find quality ones, focus on elements like ruffles, pleats and pintucks. These will increase both your patience and your sewing skills. Nothing screams patience more than willingly putting over 50ft of pintucks onto a dress.. darn thing is still my fave dress despite the mental torture..
The strange thing about wanting to learn how to sew for lolita fashion is that as soon as you ask for good resources on how to do it (even on the Lolita Sewing Collective), lots of people immediately question why you want to do it and tell you not to bother. I had that happen to me recently. Of course, I didn't let that deter me. I went to the Historical Costumers to learn how to sew things properly. The only problem with that is that now I kinda want to learn how to sew true Victorian fashions instead of lolita.
@@missmeg4199 I do Hysterical Sewing too! (Mothers term haha) I'm currently incorporating what I know from both (despite the copious amount of folks gatekeeping that it's too costumey for lolita of all things haha!) There is a lot of valuable information in sewing various historical garments that transfer rather nicely into lolita sewing. I think the appropriate response to the 'why would you want to sew lolita?' would be 'why not?'! I have noticed on Lolita Sewing Collective is that there is an influx of alterations vs making from scratch. They do have a bunch of files if memory serves correct with resources though and some shared patterns. The Otome no Sewing books are a highly valuable resource even if you can't read Japanese (cause we can get Google translate with the photo mode on our phones that insta-translates). Especially with things like a princess line bodice. There's quite a big difference in the cut of a Japanese one vs a western one which I wouldn't of personally noticed if I'd never got the books! That said take the themed dresses they have with a pinch of salt, some are questionable. MissCarolbelle has a blog dedicated to virtually all the patterns in those books. There's also a livejournal patterns masterlist for the GosuRori books too (some big brand patterns in there too). Don't have a link but it's out there! RU-vid wise there's Attitude Lolita and Mode a la Belle. Avoid Yumi-King ones though as the tailoring advice isn't the best
I have been looking into getting into lolita but I am a plus-sized woman and I have seen a few pages for custom sizing. One is called soufflesong, fanplusfriend, and the other is called lolitawardrobe. So other lolitas are they a good web page and if they have something from another page that doesn't offer might size is the ripping them off or is it a good thing? This is so close to my heart I just want to pick the right thing for my first outfit in my size to please do teach me or give me links on a page that I might get my first lolita dress.
Sewing lolita certianly is possible and I find it quite fun. But if you go that route, it isn't likely to be a way to save lots of $$$. But I've gotta say that sewing lolita really drove me to get better at sewing. So if you love to sew, it's a great way to challange yourself and improve.
Titles have all words capalized except for words like with one or two letters unless it's the start of a title A Tale of Two Cities. When I started I had no money so I made lolitable outfits, using my reenactment petticoats. Once I started getting income I bought a jsk and a petticoat immediately
ok so forgive me if I'm transgressing any boundaries.... I was thinking. is it possible to make a really cute lolita jsk using African print? I'm Nigerian and I really like the look of the fashion but sometimes I feel like if I were to wear it I would be distancing myself from my culture... it's already enough to grow up in America. so does anyone have any thoughts on this?
You absolutely could, lolita fashion is very focused on shape, you would have to be careful to balance the colors properly but, I think it’s very doable. If it’s a new style for you, I would definitely recommend studying dresses brands put out to find the right shape and color pallet.
Molly Brown wow, thanks! Now that I think about it, it does make sense. Maybe one day I can work with a seamstress and make it work. I’ll think about it haha
I Believe that i may be a lolita. I have always loved the styles. I am mostly intrested and am more excepted in society If I wear early 1900's vintage clothing. I have always been intrested in gothic styles. I currently struggle with DID. So my Other personalities are a middle and a little. I am very confused but would love to learn more.
You capitalize lolita when using it to refer to a group of people because then it is being used as a proper noun, just like you would when using other commonly used terms as a title for a group, i.e. Girl Scout not girl scout or Suffragette not suffragette. It's not about fashion vs. book, it's just grammar.
As a seamstress, the only reasons you'd want to sew your own are because you're a material elitist, because you have an odd shaped body or are very plus sized, or because you like the idea of doing a repetitive task for hours. Learning how to sew is a pretty big task, and with lolita's love of ruffles and shirring it's an even bigger task than "drafting the basic bodice". Also prints need to be a certain direction, unless you already know how to sew and love sewing, sewing lolita is a *big* jump from 0 to like 50 or 60, not as hard as corsets but pretty tough
Lor: I just don't like it when the word "lolita" is capitalized if it's not at the beginning of the sentence Tile: How to Be a Lolita *according to wikiHow .____________.
i think they should had left the drawings without the faces, it looked better. i laughed so hard when you mentioned the hat part then you showed your picture lol
