San Francisco's Cherry Blossom Festival + Other Adventures

Hi guys! Long time no speak! So last weekend and the weekend before that I was super busy but in a good way. Instead of being mulled down with work and just everyday life shenanigans I got to attend some pretty fun things. Two weekends ago I headed out with my photographer friend Dennis (you know all the super shiny high quality pics I occasionally post? Those are his! :3) to attend a super small cosplay meet out in the middle of nowhere and a model shooting later on in the day.


Look for that day? I decided not to cosplay or anything since I assumed the gathering would be small and it's easier to cosplay when you're in large numbers and not get looked down upon. So I went as an onee-gyaru, meaning I wore super simple pulled back straight hair, gyaru make-up, and my Liz Lisa dress out.

I honestly wish I had dressed even lighter. Despite my dress being a summer to fall transition outfit, I was still dying from heat! The whole time I wondered how it was even possible for my make-up to stay ON this long? But it's probably because I did it around noon or so in comparison to super early in the morning.

Dennis and I got a Starbucks frappe for the ride to Stockton-in which we indulged in super delicious Chinese food. Walnut shrimps, soup, rice... I felt like it was actually super healthy and light. Depending on where you go some food can feel heavy depending on how it's made but this was really nice. Enough to get you full but not overwhelm you.

Then it was off to the gathering where we just went to honestly just say hello to two friends and derp around.

We then left to then go to the shoot. The setting was crazy amazing and the girls there were all super gorgeous in my honest opinion. I was pretty intimidated honestly by it all even though I was only there to spectate and learn. In all it was a pretty educational shoot for me. I myself have a lot to learn after watching the past couple shoots I've attended and participated in and such. Honestly as a fashionista and model, I can say that lately I've been feeling pretty dissatisfied with myself. I think real life has been infecting the world I only get to occasionally enjoy and it's been showing even in pictures because I can't see myself. I've been also trying to do an intense diet and exercise routine in time for con season as I mentioned in a previous post.

Anyway, we derped around and shot for like...five minutes because I insisted that the setting (which believe it or not was someone's backyard) was too fabulous to pass up. This is the results. I really think the dress was shot well.

At the end of the day when we left. We hunting for Korean food and Starbucks. The Korean BBQ hunt was a half way success and the drugs in a cup was a total miss because everything closed early due to it being Sunday.

The next weekend I headed out again for Cherry Blossom Festival. I ended up deciding to attend because I might have to work Fanime weekend. I headed out Saturday yet again with Dennis for another pre-adventure. I kept seeing check-ins and pictures from this place called 'Snowflake' in Fremont and after seeing this epic honey toast box with macrons  Pocky, fruit, and icecream, I was pretty set on going. On the ride there Dennis helped with with a Yumetenbo/DreamV order that I had complications with and my stuff has arrived. I'll be reviewing the haul I got in another post since everyone is asking how I got my things. I WILL say though that I LOVE what I got, especially the heart heels. Kyaa! Thank you Dennis for always helping me out and just being generally a super nice friend!!

Anyway, onward to Snowflake. We had to wait a bit but this place is pretty popular so it's understandable why. The strawberry milk tea with boba was pretty good but also pretty tart. It was a different taste. The honey box I think depends on your preference. I like my toast a bit softer but the icecream and macrons were definitely good part for me. However the strawberry shaved ice with condensed milk and lychee popping boba was a total win. In all? Go for the drinks and shaved ice!

After hitting a couple more places we decided to go to the festival a day earlier than I had planned to say hello to a couple of friends who weren't going to attend Sunday's big events. I actually surprisingly got to do a lot more on Saturday versus Sunday. Lots of saying hello and just seeing what all the vendors and a shops had to offer. It was a pretty chill Saturday in terms of sight seeing SF. It was so chill that even the ride down was in a controvertible which I have never experienced riding in (usually because I'm too made up and shit to have my hair be all fucked up) before. I ran into some gyaru at BABY which was a pretty fun highlight. The look I had worn that day was pretty fucking agejyo. I was breaking in my shoes for the next day and I wore my Ageha dress. In all, it was pretty fun.

SUNDAY was super busy at Trish's. I how I even got sleep? I don't even know. I worked on nail sets all night for Trish since she was going to wear a yukata. Then somehow managed to crank out an epic ass hair and make-up look for Trish and make-up for Gabby partially. That was even with doing myself up too! So in all three and a half people to do stuff for.

I honestly love how Trish's deal turned out. I tried to do hostess hair on her but with it all decked out with pearls, roses, and sakura. Unfortunately I didn't bring my hair spray and the hair spray I used didn't work so well. The curls and such fell flat so I just made sure to tease the shit out of Trish's hair. Eye lashes weren't too challenging other than the bottom set in which NEVER AGAIN. I love my method of bottom lashes. I'll one day show you all. I take a full upper lash that has a gradual long to short ratio in length, cut it in half, and turn it on the other side and glue that shit to my eye.

The only actual set of lower lashes I'll ever be interested in are the Dollywink ones because they're clear banded and separate. Could I call Trish's look gyaru? I don't think it was. It was it's own thing. It had hints of gyaru inspiration but it wasn't "kira-kira" enough.I still have to figure out how to conquer eyeliner on this girl!!! Everyone's eye shape/eye lids are so challenging to work with! In all though I think it turned out being a great original look.

As for Gabby's? It was super Popteen inspired. I used a lot of pink, white, and peaches. Especially blush wise was a mix of NARS 'Angelika' and a TokiDoki blush that resembled an in between of Benefit's 'Coralista' and NARS 'Orgasm' since it also has a gold sheen. Lots of high lights to give a glowy look. A Sakura crown and we were good to go.

Trish also worked on our friend Sara's make-up for her AKB48 cosplay. It was her first time wearing cosmetics and I think it turned out well.

I decided to try hime gyaru with the new clothes I got. I felt super princessy that day. I decked on lots of glitter, NARS's Angelika blush, and four sets of lashes. I did the VivaGlam Nicki 2 pale pink/lavendar color to really have everything look dark but cute since I was wearing black. Instead of using the bow I have to match the dress and heart heels I ended up wearing a flower with a tiara tucked into it for a more mature approach. I did wear Baby the Stars Shine Bright socks tho (yay I lost enough weight to where they now hit over the knee!!!) to make the whole look be girly and cute. I teased my wig out a bit since I couldn't style like I had wanted to but it looked really fully, curly, and pretty regardless.

Then we FINALLY after forever left. We were running super late and not making good time. My phone was  blowing up everyone five/ten  minutes and with people asking where I was at. I kept having to reassure everyone 'No worries, I'll be there.' The BART was being a butt, my feet were killing me, the bus was ridiculously insanely packed. In all I conquered it all just by sucking it up, walking gracefully like a lady and taking the 38 at Montgomery Station instead of down at Powell so I could get a seat and keep my balance knowing that everyone was most likely heading in the same fucking direction considering the parade was that Sunday and the road was blocked off of certain areas. I'm pretty positive parking was a complete bitch that Sunday. 



Arriving I walked around a bit, ran into people, said hello, went along for food (which yet again had horrendous timing because it was lunch time before the parade arrived so everyone wanted to eat) and got to see lovely Aya! I've mentioned before that Aya was my fairy god mother for the Liz Lisa contest I participated in back in August. I hadn't seen her since so it was so nice to see her!  Her yukata was stunning! 

We ended up dining at Izumiya where we all got our Okonomiyaki fix on. Izumiya had a menu change so there was no more chicken Okonomiyaki. Wahhh! So I ended up getting the mixed one instead which was still pretty good. I still prefer Kui Shin Bo's Okonomiyaki because they bring it out on a sizzling platter and I'm a sucker for bonito flakes. Which Izumiya tends to lack but in all it was a pretty good meal. 

Leaving that area I forgot what we did next. I THINK we got photomobbed a lot in the process of trying to find Sae. We found Wendell who said the parade had just ended and it was lovely seeing him. We finally found Sae who was also eating. I also found badass Momo who was also gyaru-ing this shit out this weekend. I also ran into Sayori who had a super epic Catherine cosplay and ALL OF OUR FEET WERE DYING. Forget the heat. It was our SHOES that gave us a work out. 

Super glad/happy that everyone got to meet each other over the weekend!! With that said the majority of the festival was spent photowhoring the shit out of PikaPika's newest machines with everyone. AH! And I got to see Lee and Aru of F3 Cosplay in the process of taking pictures. Sorry lovelies that I was so loopy. Running on two hours sleep is NOT ideal. haha~ I also got to see Charmie for a short second as well who was leaving because the poor girl was sickly. Brian was there with her as yet again I WAS LOOPY AS FUCK...due to...yeah..lack of sleep. BUT IT WAS SO NICE SEEING YOU ALL. -capsabusedone- 

As for PuriKuring I LOVE the lighting and features of the newest machines however trying to fit more than two or three people in them are a bitch! There HAS to be a machine that is as big as the older ones but as nice of quality as the new ones somewhere! I think we raided both the Cube (which isn't new and has been around since '10 last I checked -chuckle-) and the AkogareBaby3 (WHICH IS NEW).  The cool thing with Akogare is the collages set for the pictures and they break by themselves into four sets so you can split them. The Cube also splits but they don't have shiny collages. 

I think I spent a good two hours in PikaPika alone.. Finally Dennis came for day two, round two from a photography thing. I got kidnapped to go eat yet again. Kui Shin Bo ran out of my beloved Okonomiyaki SO I had to get Kitsune Udon instead which was just at good of an alternative. I spent another couple hours there with Aya and everyone. It was packed and I felt so fucking bad for the staff in there. We came in saying there was TWO people and we ended up eventually having the whole village there. Heh.. Go figure. Aya joined us for food and I got to also spend time talking to Momo for awhile too. 

Dessert was with Aya and Dennis. We thought we'd hit BellyGood before closing but nope! We ended up going to Moyo's instead for froyo.. I suicided everything into a cup like a crazy person. 

Somehow we ended up at Hotel Kabuki at the end of the day. Trish, Gabby, Momo, and other lovely people who I just met went later. In the end Dennis took Aya home and the rest of us girls all commuted together home because it was safer considering we dressed up fancy and like I thought, we got a lot of creepers. 

Those have been the last two weekends. Eventful, uneventful, crazy, and busy all in one. Thank you to everyone for a good fun time and such. It was nice seeing and meeting everyone. 

I'll hopefully have the DreamV/Yumetenbo article/review/haul up for you all real soon!!!

Solo in San Francisco + Productivity/Other Stuff + First Make Up Tutorial on ShibuHara Glitter's YouTube Account

So two weekends ago I decided to take a very spontaneous trip to San Francisco on a Friday morning solo. It had been the first time soloing the streets of the city since my college days actually, which was a good two years ago. It was actually quite refreshing spending the morning in Japan Town with Benkyodo mochi (Pink Habutai and Ichigo manjyuu) for breakfast under the cherry blossoms that had just started to bloom. I did a lot of people watching though being the dedicated gyaru I was, I did go in gyaru fashion got got quite a bit of compliments myself. 

That Friday's gyaru theme? Dark glam, and gothic. I sported a BPN Cutsew with ruffles, dark denim shorts with a studded belt, black opaque stockings, and ankle boots. I teased the crap out of my hair, did a different technique for the bottom lashes, and painted on vamp red lips. I placed all the things I needed into a rarely carried h.Naoto 'Frill' line bag and I was ready to head out for the morning. 

I definitely was out of place even in Japan Town without a clique of glam sexies that I usually followed. Being a gyaru solo is quite a challenge! I didn't get to Puri and really stop in anywhere honestly except Kinokuniya to poke at the lately Popteen, Ageha, and drool over Akira on the cover of the latest Kera. I stepped into New People and walked right back out in less than five minutes. Did a Daiso and Ichiban Kan run, chilled in Hotel Kabuki's lobby to leech an outlet for my phone I was plastered to the whole entire trip, and had Okonomiyaki. 

I've never ever actually have left Japan Town before two o'clock in the afternoon, but this was legitly possible without company and knowing exactly what I was going to do and get. However, the high light of my trip was heading downtown to Powell. I honestly haven't roamed around Powell Street or even Westfield since my birthday but knowing that there was only me to entertain I was sure that Sephora and department store make-up counters would entertain me pretty damn well. 

In all I concluded at Sephora that I need more Kat Von D. stuff in my collection of cosmetics collection and that's NARS's 'Super Orgasm' blush needed to be in my life. I need to look either like a goth chick or a fucking fairy a lot more often.

I also headed into Forever 21 just to see what all was there. WHY IS IT; that every time I lack a huge amount of bank to spree on that I always find the cutest shit. And whenever I actually do have cash to blow I never ever can find shit I want?! This is a curse! I found a couple of staple pieces I want after this job kicks in for sure. A couple studded things and classy one piece dresses. I definitely want to have a sexy dark gothic glam rock style added into every other look I do. I used to be a huge v-kei/j-rock chick back in the day but then I realized that being a girly girl was kind of fun. Now I kind of miss looking intimidating but still want to be sexy doing. SO why not blend both right? 

The HIGH LIGHT of the trip in all was going to the MAC counter to look at a lipstick that I actually spotted on their website. I'm not even a fan of Nicki Minaj but there is no denying that she is essentric as fuck. And I just happen to be just as essentric but in a well put together kind of way I hope! Anyway her MAC Viva Glam II color is gorgeous. It's like a baby pink/lavender color and I was SUPER nervous that I wouldn't be able to pull off such a bright bold color. But even the lady at the counter was all for it and the girl getting her make-up done even said I wore it well. So I had decided to purchase it. It's been forever since I actually bought anything from MAC  and so far I've been a huge fan of their lipsticks and eyeshadows. I love pigment and bright bold things so this was pretty much a must. 

I honestly think it was an investment well made as well as the trip. The trip ended there but it was for sure a necessity if you know anything about me!

In other news I've been on a huge productive streak lately. Cosplay season is coming up so I've been super strict on dieting. Unless it's an occasion like GOING OUT (which I rarely do in comparison to all of my friends)  I've been strictly sticking to a 1,300 calorie diet. I've been excercising lots. Hopefully work will allow me to attend Fanime 2013!! I have a couple cosplays and one new one to debut. 

I've actually totally finished Blue Rose. Her nails are finally done and this is the end result. I always thought of Karina being a bit of a kogal and when she's Blue Rose she'd be everything she wanted to be, a Hero but also a glamorous well put together idol. So I decided to be different and deco the shit out of her nails that she wears. If I had blue crystals for that weekend I'd probably bling out my lips. Definitely wearing tons of glitter and body glitter. I am seriously determined to make this cosplay look like no other! 

I've been on a nail fix lately actually in general. These are gradient nails I did back before the SF Solo trip! This was actually based off of the Etude House Juicy Cocktail nailpolish colors that everyone's been raving about. Instead I used LA Colors Nailpolish and a pink Milani nail polish. These babies lasted TWO WEEKS. It was seriously like having a gel manicure without the commitment! If I can figure out how in the hell to record a nail tutorial, I will for sure show you lovelies how to obtain these nails. 

Speaking of tutorials I finally got my ass in gear and made a separate YouTube account JUST FOR ShibuHara Glitter. The TsukinoAoiBluAyu has tutorials and such but it's just such a personal account and honestly in the future I want to redo some videos and film some better quality videos. Not sure how yet but I feel like I want a more professional account hence why I made this one. Hopefully I will be updating more frequently so please support and subscribe! 

The first tutorial is up. At first to go with the previous entry I did on the blog I was going to TRY to do a Tsubasa 'Ne Kamatte' look but it just turned out way too bright. It's more Popteen looking than it is Tsubasa. Not very Otona-Gal at all. So instead I entitled it Popteen Inspired Spring Look. However the one Tsubasa-like thing I did try doing was not using top liner and using false lashes with clear bands. I heard from various sources that Tsubasa doesn't use eyeliner/top liner and just applies falsies for a more natural look. It DEFINITELY  made the falsies stand out. 

This actually isn't how I do my gal make-up regularly at all, and I know a lot of people want to know what I do exactly. It's pretty complicated but I'll try to show you all eventually one day. I felt like I totally trolled you guys with a tutorial I did on an experimentation I had never tried... ha! ^^' Until next time guys!

Get the Look: Milky Bunny-Nee Kamatte Era Inspired Coordinates

Tsubasa Masuwaka has always been known to be a huge trend setter and Shibuya's Queen on the Japanese gal scene. This lovely lady was a Popteen/Popsister idol for ages and then went solo to become a wife (though now she's freshly divorced) and mother to a beautiful baby boy. However becoming a gal mama did not stop her from being the ambitious woman she truly was. Tsubasa screams product placement all over. From leg wear to GemCerey's jewelry lines-she's probably endlessly promoted to teenaged girls and women alike. Her most known products being her own make-up line through Koji known as Dollywink (focusing on eye make-up) and Candydoll (lips and face oriented) that sell like hot cakes. Recently the infamous cosmetic went for a face lift of it's own with a more elegant grown up feel compared to the cute and fun feel of the previous packaging. 

With that said, Tsubasa Masuwaka also recently decided not only to be a huge model but a Japanese singing idol under the title of Milky Bunny. Nee Kamatte is not only her sixth single after the promotional 'I Wish' for the anime Fairy Tale and Bunny Days which was a previous Candy Doll promotional song as well as 'Zurui Yo' which took on the promotions for the eye make-up line Dollywink; Nee Kamatte also happens to be the newest Candy Doll promotional song. Here are some fast fashion items that I spotted that can give you the "Nee Kamatte" era look! 

First off is the infamous red dress. Forever21's is slightly different than the original of course. It still has the cute summery feel. Just with the collar instead of the spaghetti straps-you can easily add a bunny necklace to accessorize. For 24.80 you get a trendy spring oriented dress. The lace bottom screams cute but the thin belt not only is a cute accessory but also defines the waist. The print differs a bit from Tsubasa's but I feel like it has the same type of feel. 

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?BR=f21&Category=dress&ProductID=2042597444&VariantID= 

These Vans red heart glasses are a super cute and unique add on to the dress. They're very close to the ones in the PV! I swore Forever 21 had a set of these two but I suppose they sold out very quickly. This is a super retro accessory straight out of my childhood at least! This cute additive will not only protect your eyes from the sun but will also match your dress only for 12.00~!

http://www.zappos.com/vans-heart-sunglasses-scarlet?ef_id=UKzLiAAARGwMuJJ7:20130402035201:s

When it doubt? Ebay is the way to go! Because of the the lace at the bottom of the dress, I felt like white lace socks were a bit more appropriate than the plain ones that Tsubasa was rocking. You could always opt for the plain white ones though for a more authentic look. For a little less than seven dollars, these cute lacey socks will frame the shoes perfectly and if you have a bigger or no ankle like myself will obviously slim down your ankle and distract away from that part of your leg!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Lace-Ruffle-Frilly-Ankle-Socks-Fashion-Ladies-Princes-Black-White-Retro-/220991520293?pt=UK_Hosiery_Socks&var=&hash=item33741efe25 

Oh Tsubasa, your outfit almost screams the 'Wizard of Oz' with those darling ruby red shoes of yours! These were a simple find on Forever21. No additives for 24.80. Just the real deal. Plain red pumps to finish off your super cute outfit!

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?Br=F21&Category=Shoes&ProductID=2030187374&VariantID=

You want to add on another outfit that possibly isn't as girly as the first one? Tsubasa also rocks denim in the PV while she sings with her band of bunnies! This denim shirt dress is slightly simular. Tsubasa's kind of looks like a bomber jacket of sorts and is super loose! However with a couple of modifications this would be a chic rendition of the real deal for 24.80 with your choice of a lighter or darker denim!

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?BR=f21&Category=dress&ProductID=2021839323&VariantID=


With these two cute trendy spring pieces with accessories I'm sure with cute hair and make-up your look will surely scream 'hey talk to me!' Good luck lovelies!

Gothic Lolita Fashion is NOT Cosplay (Lolita FAQ)

Or a fetish. Or whatever people from the outside like to assume. In boredom I've went through Yelp raged over and over again. Not only that but I've frequently went to San Francisco's Japan Town decked out in cosplay, lolita, and gyaru fashions but have experienced people call these fashion statements costumes. Of course we can't blame people who aren't educated on their confusion. Though their ignorance can cause rudeness. There was once a time at J-Pop Summit my poor dear friend Trish was decked out fully in a Baby the Stars Shine Bright coordinate all out for a FASHION CONTEST and a very rude woman was automatically assuming and telling people that my good close friend had a thing for older men because of the way she was dressed. Of course I was beyond disgusted with this lady's behavior as I have been at other times when I've been mistaken as a prostitute for being in gal and not even agejo gal which is based on a sexy concept but just as an Onee-gyaru type of style. Yes we're unique so that makes us a target I suppose and now days my group is pretty immune to people's need to be assholes or even just people staring. 

What makes people decide to be so horribly rude towards people who are unique is beyond me. There are of course people who are actually kind and supportive. These are the types of people Japanese fashionistas favor. We're always glad to explain things to those who are polite and kind and seriously are just curious. I've gotten tons of people randomly tell me I'm super pretty or ask where I get my clothes. Usually I get asked for pictures from tourist or those who like the fashion. 

For those of you interested in lolita fashion whether its just to figure out why certain places are flooded with these type of people or if you want to delve into this world yourself-allow me to educate you. This just my outlook on what lolita is and it's probably not ALL correct but I feel like this can translate well to those who aren't familiar with the Gothic Lolita life style. 

Lolita fashion can be considered a revival of the old style European style clothing from the 1900s and further on down in history. Like how trends are brought back with a flare in modern fashion, Japan has taken it to the next level by shortening the skirts, adding prints, and other cute qualities to the style. Lolita is the furthest thing from a fetish but the ladies who wear the style actually are trying NOT to show skin. Think of a porcelain doll elegantly on display for people to admire. That is the living portrayal of what these lolitas are trying to achieve. There are various styles of lolita and depending on that could be the form of people's confusion as well. 

Gothic Lolita is more based probably on the doll concept. They're considered dark and morbid. Age appropriation would be everything between the early teens to late twenties depending on how the clothes are worn. In the West honestly speaking, I feel like we have a ways to go on figuring on what best suits what clothing because it's still a fairly new concept. Shiro Lolita is all white dresses but can also be considered in the gothic category as well as Guro Lolita which is like...blood everywhere. No really. Blood everywhere. Usually it's tainted white clothes. Think of a cute girl going on a rage spree at a hospital or something. Guro is based on a horror concept! In all these are dark concepts that are all gothic lolita. Punk rock can also being incorporated with plaids, asymmetrical skirts, boots, ect.

Ame Lolita (Literally translating into Sweet Lolita) is based on the 'kawaii' concept that perhaps outsiders are more likely to be familiar with thanks to media exposure. The problem is that 'kawaii' was marketed horribly. Kawaii can differ person to person... Tho in this case 'kawaii' is usually cute prints, lots of sweets like cake, whipped cream, cookies, icecreams are seen as prints on the dresses. They usually wear cute pastel colors like baby pink, yellow, brown, ect. and are seen with a light make-up. This is BY FAR the most difficult of sub-genres to pull off because it does look ridiculous at a certain age. Perhaps this is where people get the idea that this is age play, because it looks like something a little girl would wear. I do suggest if you do wear sweet lolita to be in your teens or have a baby faced look or you could come off as too old to be dressing the way you are. 

A good alternative to Sweet Lolita is Classic Lolita. It is a blend of the gothic and sweet style. Classic also focuses on browns as wells as creams, red, green..unique colors! They can be plain prints or solid colors like the other styles. It can be a bit more age appropriate depending on the print and execution. It's kind of a country-fied feel. Straw hats and bags and checker print for the warmer months and velvet  reds, and bonnets for the cooler seasons. Think of Classic Lolita dressing based on the seasons more so than the other two. 

Guys fashion usually aristocrat (tho ladies can be these with frilly blouses and longer skirts!!) or the younger version being kodona. All are based on being dandies I suppose you could say. I don't have much experience in this category but think of really nice coats with buttons and boots.. They can almost look princely if not dapper! 

In all the desire to dress in lolita from experience is not only to feel and be unique but to really put effort into how you dress. These girls usually legitimately feel like ladies. They can feel like a princess or some type of girl in high society dressed the way she is perhaps having tea with the other girls and looking at the latest trends. 

Why are these clothes so expensive? 

Good question! I get asked this a lot and perhaps this is why in the West the lolita community is seen as kind of strange because A LOT of us are older and that's because we can afford it. Not that girls in Japan can but they probably save up for a long time or even have super supportive parents who really like the fact that their child is unique on the weekends. We can't really say the same in some cases because either parents fear what they don't know or are in fear that we'll be targeted by the wrong type of people. So usually a lot of girls here have to wait until they're older and have their own income to choose to be a lolita-and usually its a lot of work, not only getting ready but for the expenses to coordinate an outfit! These items are usually expensive not because they're imported and jacking up the price (they're expensive in both places!) but because they're brand name designs. There are only limited amounts of a said style of dress made making it in high demand. The rarity of the print is based on how many are made but also the demand. Depending on how well the item sells and is liked can determine if the price of the dress goes up or down if it's resold. 

This goes for a lot of different brands, not just lolita. I don't know how Japan works but the US depends on a lot of "fast fashion" places like Forever 21 and H&M for clothing. Our clothing is based on 'trends' that easily come and go with very few staple pieces. Japan also has a Forever 21 and such too and the fashion scene there is definitely changing because of it but the detail placed in brands like BABY, Naoto, BPN, Liz Lisa, ank rouge, ect can not be matched. Usually there are prints that can't be replicate, the name brand plastered everywhere if not, detachable pieces, line skirts and jackets. The list goes on. THIS is why when you step into BABY or Liz Lisa and the clothes are crazy expensive. These are staple pieces that are demanded after because they're unique and one of a kind! 

So, no. We're not trying to look like little girls on purpose. It's just the way you perceive us. No we're not into a cosplay fetish. No we're not cosplayers. While lolita and kodona appear in anime/manga we're not cosplaying. Cosplaying is a recreational art, we're a fashion statement. We're not playing a character. We're being ourselves. Though people do bring the point up of hy is lolita themed into 'Alice in Wonderland' or have even anime collabs. Like many clothes, it's a creative outlet, Forever21 has done Alice in Wonderland and Hello Kitty collabs. BPN collabed with Kuroshitsuji and Shiki as an anime and I think BABY also did Macross F as a collab as well. It also helps the demand for these clothes to go up if it's a collab!

Point is; we're still being ourselves-we don't act as a character. We work hard for our money just like the rest of you do, we probably like the same cosmetics, movies, books, ect. and you just don't know it due to our exterior. So with that said, I hope this helped you guys a little bit on lolita fashion. This is just a little inkling of explanation that kind of turned into a ranty life lesson but I hope this helps some of you!!