Hello, aspiring Lolitas, dollies, little girls, Frillybutts!

I’ve been an avid, closet Lolita enthusiast for a while now, but I’ve only really seriously collected some Loli things the past couple months when I got brave enough to actually wear excessive frills and lace casually. Personally, I’m too clumsy and too poor to actually wear those amazing, $200+ dresses from Japanese, brand-name Lolita. (It doesn’t stop me from drooling over some Alice and the Pirates, though. *ahem*) I don’t have a big enough collection, but I have a few coordinates to get me going.

Thankfully, I’ve had my share of encounters with bargain items, despite splurging a little bit once in a while. I do have to tell you, though, that being a bargain Lolita is a small test in patience. However, for me, personally, it’s worth it to feel like a motherfucking princess for a few hours. :)

Pictured is my dream dress, Alice and the Pirates’ “Midsummer Night’s Dream”. I saw a Domme wearing this in a Kink.com shoot once and recognized it. I geeked out. True story.

IT’S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE! TAKE THIS.

Buying online can be a bit tricky! Do take some time to research a bit before committing on buying anything. This Livejournal community is a great resource and they’re nice enough to answer any questions you may have. There is also this Tumblr person who has some great tips!

Also, and I cannot stress this enough, STAY AWAY FROM MILANOO.COM AT ALL COSTS. Yes, they’re cheap and they usually appear to have free shipping “deals”, but they are a pretty shady company. I know that they have ads all over the interwebs right now and it’s kind of scary. There are some Ebay shops that are untrustworthy as well. Save your pennies (and nerves) for better-quality stuff!

There. I’ve done my part. And now, on to the good stuff…

BUYING SECONDHAND

First of all, there’s http://egl-comm-sales.livejournal.com/, which is the prime spot to get secondhand stuff. Yes, you do need a Livejournal account and I recommend trying to get a feedback page as well, just so you can sell your stuff easily when you don’t need them anymore. For me, buying secondhand is always the first option.

If you’re iffy about buying secondhand, do know that Lolis usually take care of their garments very well, so the secondhand stuff you’ll get will look almost new most of the time! I’d look for items from Bodyline and offbrand stuff if you’re really pressed for money. A lot of people also take commissions I’ve seen brand dresses get really cheap on there as well (And by cheap, I mean $50-$70, compared to $200+ that they originally were), even though I was never able to afford them. Don’t be afraid to haggle as well! Lolis are nice creatures. :)

There is also this forum, but I’ve never used it personally. I find that egl-comm-sales gets updated a lot more often.

EDIT: I forgot to add that you can always commission original designs from some people on the comm as well!

Thrift store shopping is a good way to find some Loli-able stuff as well! I have two frilly, lacy skirts from thrift stores that fit extremely well with the aesthetic. I could even put petticoats under them!

CHEAP RETAIL

Yep. There are also some online direct retail shops that provide cheaper alternatives to brand-name Lolita. However, these shops can be a bit tricky, as some of their products are not brand-quality, obviously. However, they are pretty good for those starting out and especially if you only want them for a bit of dress-up. ;)

Most of my stuff is from Bodyline. They used to have this amazing $20 shipping deal, but they mysteriously stopped offering it a few months ago. I’m holding out with the hope that it’ll get reinstated, though! Bodyline is amazing, as they have dresses in every sub-style and they usually have decent quality for the price. However, you do have to scrutinize the pictures very carefully to figure out if the lace looks decent on their dresses. You don’t want to get icky, chemical lace! Then again, for their prices, they’re practical for getting clothes JUST for some kinky dress-up-sexy-times. And I heard that they’ve been improving a lot more lately. I have a skirt and two blouses from them and they’re all great.

Fanplusfriend is a little pricier than Bodyline, but still “cheap” for costumes and dress-up-sexy-times clothes that won’t fall apart after a day or two.

In The Starlight is a newly-reinstated, US-based indie brand that I’ve only heard good things out of. They’re pretty cheap too and don’t have horrendous shipping prices. They also sell clothes that fit a wide variety of waistlines. YAY!

Anna House is a Chinese indie brand that I’ve been salivating over for forever. (I need my local Lolitas to do a group order so I can save on shipping, haha.) Before you freak out about the prices, they’re actually in Hong Kong dollars and you have to convert them to US dollars. I’ve heard they are near-brand quality and they’re good for getting basic blouses and skirts. And for sweeter-inclined Lolis, their dresses are cool too. Another thing about them is that they do custom-sizing, which is listed as “bespoke” on their items.

I’ve never poked around Cosmates, but it’s a rather popular shop too. And they also carry Bodyline stuff!

SHOPPING SERVICES AND CHINESE SHOPS

Alright, kids. This is where it gets complicated.

In the land of Lolita, there is a wonderful, wonderful place called Taobao, which is sort of like the Chinese version of Ebay. And it’s not just one store, but is comprised of dozens of indie Lolita brands from China. They are way cheaper than Japanese brand things and a lot of the shops also offer custom sizing. In fact, my first SERIOUS LOLITA dress was from a Taobao store called “Infanta.” And yes, it is all in Chinese, but don’t you worry about that just yet!

Here is a handy guide to Taobao on the Livejournal egl community with a comprehensive list of stores, including reviews.

There are several ways you could order frilly stuff from these stores. The first, and the easiest, because of the shopping cart option on their website, is Qutieland. They carry a variety of brands and have an easier-to-navigate system than Taobao itself. And look, it’s in English! Hallelujah! Now, the downside to Qutieland is that it’s a HELL of a lot more expensive than what you would pay if you used a shopping service.

A shopping service is basically a company that will shop at Taobao for you for a small fee and shipping. Usually, you just send them links of the items that you want from Taobao and they give you an estimate of fees. They can usually also answer questions about sizing and anything else you might want to ask. You can usually save something like $20-$30 on your order compared to Qutieland if you use them. My shopping service last time was Dollypoddle and she was very sweet. She also had really good English skills, which is a definite plus!

Clobbaonline is also an easy to navigate shopping service. I’ve never used them, but I heard that their airmail shipping is a mere $10.

I would recommend going to Taobao if you really want to splurge on something, but it is by no means cheap for mere dress-up-sexy-times clothes.

AND BEFORE THIS GETS WAY TOO LONG-WINDED…

THANK YOU. For putting up with my incessant rambling. This concludes my guide to buying budget Lolita things. If anybody has any more suggestions, kindly direct these to my ask box! I always appreciate it!

And as a final note: screw the people who say that there are Lolita rules, even though I think you should get a good petticoat, because, well, POOFY SKIRTS ARE FUN. There are no rules. It might sound cheesy, but the thing that I love most about Lolita is that the only real limit is your imagination.