/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

[Anonymous No.7038003]

As a graduation gift, my Mom offered to buy me a Sugary Carnival replica. This will be my first lolia item and even though I've been browsing /cgl/ and following lolitas for years, I definitely don't want to mess up if I want to continue with lolita.
Can we have a thread for new lolitas? Any tips from more experienced lolitas on do's and dont's, coords and anything else will be greatly appreciated!

[Anonymous No.7038027]

Don't buy a replica.

[Anonymous No.7038031]

Sugary Carnival goes for cheap these days because of the re-releases and replicas. Buy the real thing.

[Anonymous No.7038034]

Do:
>Buy a petticoat as soon as you can
>Get a lolita blouse (in either black or white depending for what style you're going for) that you can wear with several things.
>Get a pair of lolita shoes that will match most of your wardrobe (again, pick a color that you'll be using the most).
>The accesories come LAST, you have to buy all the essentials first. I keep seeing girls prioritizing all the accesories but having a shitty coord with no petti and that's a no-no.

DON'T:
>Buy from Milanoo. Their quality sucks.
>Wear weird coords when you're just a begginer. It's better to first wear simple outfits and then as you evolve go for more unique coords.

Anc I can't come up with anything else, I wish you luck OP!

[Anonymous No.7038039]

Anon, why don't you buy a nicer dress than a replica? I know you want SC, but you'll probably be disappointed with the quality of the fabric, construction, and print.

If you're doing it for monetary reasons, I would suggest looking at taobao brands. If for size/fitting reasons, again taobao and also local/western indie designers (or check out some secondhand shirred brand, depending on your measurements).

I say this as someone who bought a replica as my first dress and who now can't stand the thought of going near one. Some are certainly better than others, but none that I've seen are particularly good.

[Anonymous No.7038049]

I recommend buying from an indie Taobao store instead (non-replicas). The quality of the replica won't be worth it and you'll end up disappointed in the end.

[OP No.7038061]

>>7038034
>>7038049
Thank you!
>>7038039
Yes, my Mom is a single mother and I don't want to put any more financial stress on her by asking for anything that isn't a replica.

[Anonymous No.7038065]

If you really want this replica, go for it.
But if you do, buy the Oo Jia one as the DoL has fades fabric and generally bad quality.
However, you can find much nicer quality in non replica Taobao shops such as Infanta, Chess Story, etc.

I completely agree with >>7038034
You do need things like shoes, blouse and petticoat before you can wear this out.

[Anonymous No.7038068]

>>7038061
You can find dresses secondhand on the eglcomm sales. Replicas run 80-100 USD, I've picked up nonprint dresses in perfect condition or about 50. That'll give you some extra cash to purchase a petti/accessories/whatever else as well. No use having a bad-quality dress that you can't even wear properly.

[Anonymous No.7038069]

>>7038061
If it was any other replica, I would say get the replica. But the real Sugary Carnival is so easy to get your hands on now, and it goes for much cheaper than other second hand brand pieces.

If you shop Taobao, make sure to keep in mind the shipping and shopping service prices. Those add up, which is why I never use Taobao to buy only one item.

[Anonymous No.7038094]

>>7038039
Agreed. Either look for second hand non-replicas or wait a bit and save up a little more. One would think replicas will look decent but in the end, the fabric is stiff and scratchy, whereas brand is soft and high quality. Same with the lace, the print, etc. From afar they look alright but up close you can really tell the differences.

[OP No.7038102]

>>7038065
>>7038068
>>7038069
I have the petticoat and blouse together, but do you guys think it's a better idea to go to Oo Jia, or just wait until we have better funds to buy second hand? We aren't in a very good financial standing which is why I wanted a replica for now, I know it's not a good fashion for low funds right now. Sorry for asking so many questions.

[Anonymous No.7038110]

>>7038102
Wait. I did the same thing when I was a newbie. Didn't save up and bought a replica. I'll admit, when I got it, I thought it was the most amazing thing on the planet. Then after a while, I saved up and bought actual brand. I was stunned by the difference in quality, the softness of the lace, the just luxurious feeling of it all. The replica I once loved seemed cheap and ugly. I hid it in my closet and promised to never buy another.

Have you considered buying from a seamstress? There are a lot of them out there that have premade pieces that will be easy on your budget and unique!

[Anonymous No.7038117]

I would actually recommend the Chess Story lucky pack as a good "begginer" pack haha. It has a JSK, a blouse, hair accesory and a pair of socks. It's nice quality and not as expensive. Plus after that you only need a petti and shoes.
(Link for this is here: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=2013.1.0.179.JCKdwU&scm=1007.77.0.0&id=18847035220&pvid=9faf0e37-12cb-4a73-9248-678aff33426a&ad_id=&am_id=&cm_id=&pm__blank))

So if you like the style you could consider this. Dig around Taobao indie brands and you'll find non replica dresses that are cute.

[Anonymous No.7038116]

I really want to get into Gothic lolita style. What are good brands/prints to get started? (I really love things such as Vampire Requiem..it's a dream dress of mine)

And when dealing with a mainly black coord what color tights are appropriate if you can't get the brand ones that go with the dress?
Is doing things such as wearing colored tights with black lace tights over top of that appropriate? Or are lace tights a no in general?

[Anonymous No.7038120]

If you want to get the replica, go with Oojia's. Don't go with DOL's, it's complete shit. OoJia's is nicer, but not nearly as nice as brand is. But it does look much better than DOLs. Just be sure to give very precise measurements (vertical measurements for shoulder to waist going over the bust, etc) as well as the given measurements.

It is nicer to save up for the real thing, or to buy taobao/bodyline/indie rather than a replica. But if your heart is set on it, nobody's gonna stop you.

[Anonymous No.7038124]

>>7038102
You could get something like pic related from infanta. You don't need a shopping service or anything, it's nicer than an Oo Jia replica and it's higher quality.

[Anonymous No.7038122]

>>7038116
Start by plain black dresses, like second hand Angelic Pretty or BTSSB in all black. Or get a seamstress to make you a simple dress or JSK. Then you should work your way up with prints.

You should also check Rose Melody on Taobao, they're cheaper than brand and still nice quality.

[Anonymous No.7038128]

>>7038102
Oo Jia is still quite expensive for someone with low funds tbh.
The DoL isn't super bad as some claim (I owned it at one point then sold it off) and much cheaper than Oo Jia.
You're right, this fashion is a very expensive one.
I don't know how old you are, but maybe you can do something to make money, like a paper round, baby sitting or filling the shelves at the local grocery shop?
That should take the strain of your mother, plus, wouldn't you be super proud if you paid for it yourself, especially if it's the real one?
You or your mum (as some have rules about minors) could also post a wtb on the many facebook comms.
Even the replica is cheaper secondhand.

[Anonymous No.7038132]

>>7038116

Sheer-ish (40 denier) black tights go well with gothic.

[Anonymous No.7038135]

>>7038122
I can actually sew! (I'm also a cosplayer) I've got a few patterns downloaded from lolita blogs and I was going to start by making myself a skirt.
Would using this fabric print be a no?:
http://www.joann.com/holiday-inspirations-fabric-scary-night/zprd_11683596a/

It was closest to the kinds of prints that I liked and I figured if I messed it up or decided it wasn't a style that looked nice on me I wouldn't be out too much money..

[Anonymous No.7038136]

>>7038102

Replica are expensive and overpriced, what makes you think if you're tight on money you have to get a replica? Also consider the shipping costs from outside of the country for a replica. It's much cheaper to buy something second hand with domestic shipping too.

[Anonymous No.7038139]

>>7038128
or if you are able to get that part time small job, you could offer to pay it half and half with your mom :)

i used to do that when i was younger and couldn't afford everything by my own

[Anonymous No.7038144]

>>7038135
To be honest, I think this is cute. But maybe work with black fabric and use that one for a border detail? It looks like a very busy print.

[Anonymous No.7038147]

>>7038135
I like the print on that, very nice for upcoming Halloween, but it looks like quilting fabric, so you should definitely line it.

[Anonymous No.7038153]

>>7038135

Do yourself a favour and buy the Otome no Sewing book(s).
These are good, recent patterns specifically for Lolita.
It contains pretty much everything, ops, jsks, skirts,blouses, bolero's, headwear, outerwear, accessories
Versatile patterns usable for any style, classic, gothic, sweet, you name it..

[Anonymous No.7038160]

>>7038102
I say you could probably find something cheaper or about the same price on taobao that looks nicer. This one is from Infanta and with ss fee runs you about 75

[Anonymous No.7038162]

>>7038135

That print looks very nice.

[Anonymous No.7038165]

>>7038160
or this one from ichigo 15 that does custom sizing for free. 80 with SS fee

[Anonymous No.7038190]

>>7038116
you can ear colored tights with black lace on top, just make sure the lace tights are nice. Also the taobao store chess story has nice gothic items. Also blouses could be easier to find at a upscale gothic store, just check lace quality, or go for ruffles.

[Anonymous No.7038196]

>>7038144
That's exactly what I was going to do! I was going to make the top of the skirt black and use this as a border. Should I maybe put a black ruffle or buy a nlce quality lace to put at the bottom of the border print? Or just leave it plain to start?
>>7038147
It's thicker than quilting fabric but I always like to line skirts anyways. Especially since this fabric has got a lighter base to it and if held up to the light it would be semi-sheer.
>>7038153
Awesome! Thank you so much for the suggestion! Something like this is exactly what I wanted. I like having all of the basics down in one collection!

[Anonymous No.7038201]

>>7038190
I wear lace tights a lot and I'm not afraid to splurge for ones with a thicker/nicer weave to them. Especially since cheap ones will just rip and last maybe two wears if you're lucky.

I've never purchased anything from Taobao so I'd have to do some research there as well. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Anonymous No.7038210]

>>7038196
You should definitely add some nice lace anon!
I don't know what pattern you have but maybe do a skirt like this? the two top tiers can be black with some nice lace in between and the bottom one can be that fabric

[Anonymous No.7038225]

>>7038196

It's really nice to have good patterns at hand indeed.
There are currently 3 of these books, the first one is getting harder to find but issue 2 and 3 can still be bought at yesasia for $18.49 a piece and if you buy both you get free shipping.

There are also the Gosu Rori issues but they are quite outdated and because they are made after fans that send in a drawing of what they wanted it's sometimes really ita.
But each book does have a nice pattern here and there so I do like them.
If you like oldschool these are really good.
They are getting hard to find though as most of them seem to be out of production.

[Anonymous No.7038226]

I wouldn't recommend a Sugary Carnival replica, more often than not the print is wonky and faded.

A good shop I've found that makes basic lolita skirts is http://www.rabbitheartshop.com/

Taobao's also good. A good shopping service I've found is Loli-Loli Paradise on Facebook.

[OP No.7038249]

Thanks for everyone's help, you guys are great! I'm making my decision, so I want the focus to be on other new lolitas who post in the thread. :)

[Anonymous No.7038286]

>>7038027
>>7038031
Seriously? Fuck you people. Don't tell someone what to buy or what not to buy. I'd never spend more than $100 on a fucking dress as I already think $100 is enough. My closet only consists of ugly ass fucking cheap, damaged brand, Bodyline, and replicas.

Fuck off.

[Anonymous No.7038289]

>>7038201
this taobao video is amazing! It explains how to use and order using taobao spree, but also talks about general info about where things are on taobao. http://youtu.be/fl-lsLbVZgo

[Anonymous No.7038292]

>>7038039
I disgaree 100%. While Oo Jia is nicer than DoL, Oo Jia has amazing quality. I've always been shocked when I go to meets and my comm girls confuse it with legit brand.

DoL isn't shit quality. The only color to NEVER get by DoL is black, because their black fades. They don't sell lavender SC anymore, but when they did, it was amazing quality (I bought it in 2011).

[Anonymous No.7038296]

>>7038286
Obvious troll, please do not feed

[Anonymous No.7038301]

>>7038136
>Brand are expensive and overpriced
Fixed that for you.

[Anonymous No.7038308]

>>7038296
How am I a troll? Let people buy what they want.
Anyone outside of lolita and designer brands will agree when I say $100 is fucking expensive for a dress. It's a fucking dress.

[Anonymous No.7038335]

>>7038292
I never said anything about DoL. I said that some replicas are better than others, but no, they still are not as nice as most taobao brands or secondhand brand.

Also, I've seen DoL's SC, and it looks like shit. You have no sense of quality.

[Anonymous No.7038343]

>>7038308
I've bought secondhand AP (a nice print, no less) for $120.
I've bought nonprint AP in amazing condition for $90.

This whole "brand is only for rich bitches" argument is falsely premised and the fucking motto of itas everywhere.

[Anonymous No.7038349]

>>7038308
>your opinion

[Anonymous No.7038348]

>>7038292
I don't know. I bought my friend VR in navy from DoL and the color looked awful and faded. In general I wouldn't recommend DoL cause on all the dresses my friend has the fabric is awful.

[Anonymous No.7038358]

>>7038308
You're in the wrong fashion sweetheart.

[Anonymous No.7038362]

>>7038335
>Also, I've seen DoL's SC, and it looks like shit.
I'm gonna have to agree with this. My friend bought one and it had a whole list of problems. Canvas-like fabric, uneven hem, "Angelic Pretty" logo on the bodice was upside-down, bows were are crooked, uneven and falling off, strap was twisted, print was blurry with inaccurate colors, etc.
It wasn't Milanoo-tier garbage, but we had to spend some time fixing up all the wonkiness.

[Anonymous No.7038368]

>>7038343
Agreed. There are even some nice non print second hand brand dresses for $50 you only have to look around on comm sales and find those.

[Anonymous No.7038366]

>>7038362
>*were crooked
Hello typo

[Anonymous No.7038374]

>This will be my first lolia item and even though I've been browsing /cgl/ and following lolitas for years

I feel like you should know better than.

[Anonymous No.7038383]

>>7038308
don't know about you but i was about to drop $140 on a Banana Republic dress this weekend because it felt magical in my hands. unfortunately it was not a petite, nor was it flattering. but I was still hot and ready to spend that cash. In comparison I've only spent, at most, $100 on second hand brand,

[Anonymous No.7038385]

>>7038343
I've gotten prints for 100-75 and non prints for 50-75. For real, there is no 'it's too expeeeeensive' excuse if you're willing to be patient and a little flexible with the pieces you pick up.

[Anonymous No.7038387]

>>7038153
Not OP, but thank you for suggesting this. Been out of the fashion for a while and wanted to start sewing again. But I wasn't were to begin. These books will help me a lot!

[Anonymous No.7038419]

>>7038292

Agree with you 100%.
I have 7 Oo Jia dresses, all of them are really good quality.
The fabric is very beautiful.
Most of those dresses have a different design than the original by my request, that's also something I really like.

[Anonymous No.7038424]

>>7038387

I'm glad I could help!

[Anonymous No.7038437]

>>7038419
Seconded

My items from her are all really nice for the price, no regrets

[Anonymous No.7038444]

>>7038165
Anon, you do know that if you're only ordering from one store you don't need an SS now, right?

[Anonymous No.7038452]

>>7038308
Do you buy your regular clothes at walmart or something? Even middle of the road department stores sell dresses for more than $100, especially nice dresses.

[Anonymous No.7038459]

>>7038027
>>7038031
Yea you both need to shut up and stop telling people what to do with their money. Im with >>7038286 on this one

[Anonymous No.7038501]

>>7038459
Alright, samefag.

[Lilitu !!xrorRTcEU5x No.7038527]

>>7038153
Where would you reccomend buying the books from? I was looking for them in my usual places but having no luck

[Anonymous No.7038563]

>>7038527
Honto.jp is probably the cheapest if you get SAL shipping.
guide: http://kaizora.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/how-to-signup-for-honto/
search term: 乙女のソーイング

Yesasia is super easy and a comparable price if you get their free shipping, but slower.

It's going to be hard to find book 1, as it seems to be out of print, and book 2 looks like it might be going the same way, so I'd get it sooner rather than later.

[Anonymous No.7038571]

>>7038527

Yesasia, not expensive and they have free shipping.
Their page is in English and it makes shopping very easy.

[Anonymous No.7038579]

>>7038563

Issue nr 1 is still being sold at Amazon.jp

[Anonymous No.7038988]

>>7038579
It's only available through third-party sellers and 'used' in varying qualities, I can't get it to allow me to check out to a USA address even though the third-party seller specifies it does international shipping... anyone know a work around for this? The other second and third can be ordered easily though since it's direct through Amazon

[Anonymous No.7039069]

>>7038988
I've never been able to get it to ship international from a third-party seller, sadly, even when they've offered it. You might have to send them a message or something, idk.

Book one is on Kinokuniya, though! http://www.kinokuniya.com/us/index.php/fbs003?common_param=9784834733761

[Anonymous No.7042901]

>>7038988

I wasn't able to do that either, so I used an SS and they shipped it to their place and then to me.

[Anonymous No.7042918]

>>7038444
N>>7038444
that anon, but I did not know this. Please explain?

[Anonymous No.7042924]

>>7038444
? What? please explain? Some stores used to take international orders, but it varied from store to store depending on what each store owner wanted to deal with... I don't see how that would have changed since that would seem to be an entire site change...

[Anonymous No.7042925]

>>7038459
>>7038286
Saaaame faggot

[Anonymous No.7043048]

Don't
Buy
a
Replica
you
Summerfag

[Anonymous No.7043103]

I ever bought an Innocent World printless OP from comm sales at $45. That's half of what a craplica costs.
>most lolis who start off with a craplica regret it later
>even if you aren't *~discriminated~* openly by other lolis IRL the truth is that it creates an impression that you may be one of those "art theft is gglorious!!!" sort of person.

We aren't forcing you to spend your money how we want you to. You asked for advice and it was given. How you wish to throw money away is not within our jurisdiction

[Anonymous No.7043121]

>>7038117
I agree with this.

OP, you'll soon regret it if you get a replica. Get a taobao brand jsk and blouse.

[Anonymous No.7043475]

>>7043048
Oh my I wanna know the context for that photo.

[Anonymous No.7043605]

>>7042924
You should ask about it in the taobao thread, I don't use taobao, but I do have this image saved and can show you how to get there on the website.

[Anonymous No.7043825]

When brands have sales you can get beautiful things for really cheap. I recently got a brand new chiffon Baby dress for $80 from the Japanese site. They were selling it one the US site for almost $300.

[Anonymous No.7043842]

>>7043475
It was for a television show?

[Anonymous No.7043846]

>>7043605
Troll detected.

[Anonymous No.7043942]

>>7043846
Bitch detected

[Anonymous No.7044416]

>>7038034
>Don't Buy from Milanoo. Their quality sucks.
OR they will take your cash and never send you anything as they are a huge scam!

[Anonymous No.7044425]

>>7038061
Agreeing with the anon who suggested taobao, check out Infanta before you commit to SC as their recent sweeter prints have been so cool. Their quality is great and you will be able to get a really nice dress (and likely a matching headbow) for around the same cost that you would pay anyway. Infanta dresses have better resale value than a replica and that means that if you want to sell it or trade it later you can rather than practically giving SC away.