Things I learned from cosplay that I apply to lolita.

It may be taboo to mention cosplay and lolita together in one sentence, but all joking aside, I think there is a lot that I learned from working on cosplays that helped me put together better lolita outfits! There is always something to be learned from others, even though they may be completely unrelated.

(Cosplayers: CureCos)

1. If you are planning a complex coordinate, test it out before you debut it.

A big thing I have realised (especially with over-the-top coordinates) is that I always end up regretting adding something to my outfit because it was just way too much upkeep. Whether it was a mini-hat that doesn't sit on your head for longer than a few minutes before it comes tumbling down, or a beautiful detail that you end up covering with a scarf, or even a pair of super-uncomfortable eyelashes that look perfect with the outfit but you just can't wear to the meet-up, doing small test runs of parts of an outfit are absolutely vital to ensure that you have a good time when you go on that outing. It's one thing I've definitely learned from cosplaying--you don't want to wear armor that ends up badly chaffing your shoulders because you never did a test run beforehand.

2. Lolita is head-to-toe, not just about the dress.

When you dress in lolita, you are fitting a certain overall aesthetic, not just wearing a petticoat and leaving the house. You need some make-up (at least a bit of concealer and powder), an appropriate hair style, and good shoes. A cosplayer would never be able to cosplay someone with bright red hair without an appropriate wig without just looking sloppy, and even lolita fashion has those kinds of standards.

3. Work within your means.

Sure, that Angelic Pretty headbow would be absolutely perfect with this dress, but you don't have forty dollars to blow right now. Try and DIY something on your own, or find someone to commission something cheaper for a fraction of the price. Check out Etsy, or even ask a family member for some help with adding that perfect touch to your coordinate if it is just too expensive for you right now. You may even want to walk away from that perfect (and expensive) coordinate for some time until you have the money for it later. The same can be applied to cosplay, that full scale-mail cosplay for a character you have always dreamed as dressing up as is just so expensive, so look into a temporary solution, or just pick a different character for now.

4. No cheap material!

This is pretty self-explanatory. You never want to use cheap supplies for your lolita coordinate or your cosplay or else you just look like some unfortunate figure-skating wardrobe accident.

5. If you wear a wig, get a high-quality one.

Another self-explanatory point,  but you never want a wig that is shiny and reveals a bunch of wefts when you pull it over your head. A wonderful coordinate or cosplay is easily ruined by a bad wig. Of course with cosplay, it's generally a base rule to never really use your natural hair since most anime characters have extravagant hair colours and styles, but of course that isn't the case with lolita. Wigs have been becoming more of a staple in the fashion though, so I thought I would include this little lesson.

Even though I understand that they are completely different hobbies, there are a lot of practical lessons that criss-cross along both hobbies that I think people can learn from!

Does anyone else cosplay and also wear lolita fashion? I know I'm more into the crafting aspect and almost never end up wearing my cosplays, but I want to do it more often because it just seems like so much fun! I'm holding off on it now since I'm having a lot of budget (and room) constraints. I have no idea where I can store my cosplays, I barely have room for my clothing as it is. ;A;

Check out the outfit I posted recently!

Hope you all are having a wonderful week!! Until next time~