/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

Browsing lolita threads for the past few months has subconsciously affected my clothing standards.

I moved out of my apartment last week. During moving, I trashed 1/3 of my wardrobe due to mold (why the hell do my apartments' architects keep putting clothing closets in the BATHROOMS??? OF COURSE MOLD WILL GROW). Donated another 1/3 of my wardrobe because they're too big for me now. Now my already measly wardrobe is down to 1/3 of its original size. I *might* have 20 items in total, excluding lingerie. Tee shirts, tank tops, pants, and a single dress.

I went into some stores today to rebuild my wardrobe only to find extremely poor quality fast fashion stuff that'll last me 10 wears at most before the fabric pills like crazy and the print fades to a shadow of its former self. Poor construction, loose threads, raschel lace, and thin fabric. Worst yet, these shirts are priced at $20+. I would pay maybe $8 for these tops. Before discovering lolita, I thought $20 was a perfectly fine price.

Lately, it happens even with brands: I browse LM and cringe at the price for the quality I see gulls receive. I'm watching handmade lolita YT videos to build up on secondhand knowledge before breaking out my sewing machine to just DIY a dress in order to avoid it all. At least if it turns out crappy, I'll have enough knowledge of sewing to recycle the usable fabric for another item.

OT but, gulls, where do you buy your quality non-lolita clothing? What do you pay for at most for items? i.e. $20 for a tee shirt, $60 for a normie dress, etc.