Hello everyone!
Sometimes all of us face a question: how to afford lolita? It is not a secret that you need a constant income to replenish your wardrobe constantly. But what if you are still at school or you don`t get enough money to buy everything you want? Well, I will try to answer this question now.
1. 
But seriously, have you?
It is not a bad start, Bodyline has enough pretty exemplars. To prove you this statement I decided to make a full coordinate with one of the Bodyline dresses using only Bodyline goods. Here it is:
The total cost: 61,64$
You get: dress, blouse, shoes, socks, wirstcuffs and barrette.
Everything in the picture is Bodyline (except socks, they are from ebay). I think it looks cute enough, I would definitely wear it on a summer day for a meetup or for a walk.
The are also some dresses which are nice for a daily-wearing or for more complicated coords:
I advice you to pay attention to one-color dresses. They are easier to coordinate and they meet the main rule of a good Bodyline coord:
"The best Bodyline coord is when nobody can understand that this is a Bodyline coord".
Some advice for buying Bodyline stuff:
-do not buy the popular prints, they won`t surprise anyone
-always read the customers' reviews
-read about the materials and fabrics used for chosen item
-do not ignore shoes, Bodyline has really good pairs
-do not buy their headdresses, they are too big and ridiculous
-do not buy their petticoats either
-change the currency to yens to save some money
2. 
Buy the basic items.
Pay attention to the items which you will always need, for example a good petticoat, a pair of quality shoes and a couple of blouses. Remember that it is you starting point and these are things you primarily need.
There are many pictures of what "the basic wardrobe" consists of, but I decided to do my own list:
-2-3 JSKs
-1-2 skirts
-3 blouses (long-sleeve, short-sleeve and any design you like)
-2 cardigans
-3 types of socks (tights, OTKs, socks)
-1-2 bags
-2 pairs of shoes
-3 different headdresses
-1 petticoat
-some accessories
These items will help you to create different coords without any difficulties.
3.
Do not make impulse purchases.
One of the main lolita enemies is an impulse buying. Here are some rules to help you to avoid this:
-create a wishlist, you will see what items you really want to get
-if you have found a new item, add it to your cart and wait at list one day, if you still want to buy it - do it
-do not do shopping at night time!
-weigh the pros and cons
-imagine yourself wearing this thing, do you like it?
-think what things from your wardrobe you can coordinate this item with, if there are none, don`t buy it
There is nothing shameful in it. Now there are so many second-hand stores offering you numbers of dresses. You can find a lot of bargains there. Sometimes you can buy brand items much cheaper than they usually cost. One of the most known second-hand stores are:
-ClosetChild
-Usagi Youhinten
-Tokyo Alice
-Lolitadesu
-LaceMarket
-your EGL community
And some more advice:
-define your style, it is always easier to buy clothes in one style and to coordinate them
-define what the style means for you, is it a costume for a festival or is it what you want to wear?
-remember, it is always better to save some money and buy one quality and wishful item than many cheaper "instead" things
-do not buy anything just because you`ve got some money, wait for the best item
-wait for seasonal sales
-do not buy only dresses! blouses, socks etc are important too, they make your outfits various
Well, I hope my advice will help you somehow and you have found this post interesting. Thanks for your attention! See you soon.
One of the main lolita enemies is an impulse buying. Here are some rules to help you to avoid this:
-create a wishlist, you will see what items you really want to get
-if you have found a new item, add it to your cart and wait at list one day, if you still want to buy it - do it
-do not do shopping at night time!
-weigh the pros and cons
-imagine yourself wearing this thing, do you like it?
-think what things from your wardrobe you can coordinate this item with, if there are none, don`t buy it
4.
Buy second-hand.There is nothing shameful in it. Now there are so many second-hand stores offering you numbers of dresses. You can find a lot of bargains there. Sometimes you can buy brand items much cheaper than they usually cost. One of the most known second-hand stores are:
-ClosetChild
-Usagi Youhinten
-Tokyo Alice
-Lolitadesu
-LaceMarket
-your EGL community
And some more advice:
-define your style, it is always easier to buy clothes in one style and to coordinate them
-define what the style means for you, is it a costume for a festival or is it what you want to wear?
-remember, it is always better to save some money and buy one quality and wishful item than many cheaper "instead" things
-do not buy anything just because you`ve got some money, wait for the best item
-wait for seasonal sales
-do not buy only dresses! blouses, socks etc are important too, they make your outfits various
Well, I hope my advice will help you somehow and you have found this post interesting. Thanks for your attention! See you soon.
