Lolita Tips! ~ How do I choose accessories to match my outfits?

Hello my perfectly round peaches! ~

This week, I asked to my readers about what would they like me to talk about on my blog since I needed a bit of inspiration... So today I decided to write about a subject that was requested by one of my readers (and friend!) Claudia! I'm back with a "Lolita Tips" post. ^w^ (Do you remember the first one I did ages ago?)

So this time I'll write about how do I choose accessories to match my outfits! ~ It's a pretty big subject to cover and I have a lot to say about it so make yourself a little cup of tea and enjoy! ^w^

I love accessorizing my outfits, it's one of my favourite part to coordinate in an outfit and it can drastically change the whole look of your outfit too! :3

For each type of accessory I'll show you some examples, explain briefly why and how I coordinate it the way I do and the brands/shops I recommend for each category! ^w^ But keep in mind that most of my pieces have been bought 5 to 9 years ago so similar ones might not be available anymore... TwT Sorry...

~ Headwear ~

For my outfits, personally I like a lot of balance in terms of colour. I like to match my headbow and my shoes to the colour of my dress or skirt. It also helps that I have the matching headbow for a lot of my main pieces... But if I don't have it or I don't feel like wearing it I'll usually wear a plain headbow that matches the colour of my dress or skirt.

If I'm wearing an Old-School Lolita look, I'll almost always wear a rectangle headdress because I think that is the headwear accessory that represent the Old-School Lolita look the most. Again, I will match it to the colours of my dress or skirt.

If I'm going for a Country Lolita look, I'll always wear my trusty straw hat that I'll coordinate with a matching straw bag. ~ I also like to add a small matching bow to my straw hat too! :3

My favourite shops/brands for headpieces are; Anna House and Bodyline (for headdresses). I will also search for headpieces on Taobao or Etsy but I don't have any specific shop in mind to recommend. ^^''

~ Necklaces/Neckbows ~

I'll usually coordinate my necklace to the colour of my blouse if I am wearing a jumperskirt just so the necklace will be contrasting with the jumperskirt and will actually balance out the outfit.

When I am wearing a skirt, I'll coordinate my necklace with the colour of my skirt, again to create a contrast with my blouse that is usually a different colour than my skirt.

I also really like to wear neckbows when I am wearing skirts! ^w^ I think it's a bit unusual in Lolita fashion but I kind of like to think of it as my signature look, is it weird? XD; I'll usually use the detachable waist bow or the detachable bows from the skirt as a neckbow when I coordinate my outfit. ~

Sometimes I'll chose a necklace with both the colour of my main piece and the colour of my blouse if I have a necklace that would match nicely.

My favourite shops/brands for necklace are; Holley Tea Time, Cute Can Kill, Paradise Rose... I also like to turn random cheap charms (from Etsy) into necklaces.

~ Broaches ~

 

Usually, broaches is the accessory I'll be the most creative when coordinating my outfits... Because that means I'm going for a more OTT (Over The Top) look with a lot of accessories and colours.

For broaches, I'll usually chose a couple of them in both the colour of the blouse and the colour of my jumperskirt. I'll try to arrange them nicely so the broach that matches my necklace isn't directly next to it and I'll usually place a broach that is the same colour of my jumperskirt between them just so it will make an interresting contrast and decorate the front of the jumperskirt nicely... (Think of it like placing christmas ornaments evenly in a christmas tree, literally! XD)

I like to have a broach on one side that is more of an "accent broach" and two other smaller ones on the other side. I think it makes the coordinate a little bit more dynamic. If I am going for a more casual and daily look without too many accessories I'll sometimes choose only one broach as an accent.

I'll sometimes wear broaches on my headbow if I am going for an extra OTT look, which is usually contrasting with my headbow colour.

I don't usually wear broaches when I wear skirts or it is extremely rare. ^w^''

My favourite shops/brands for broaches are; Chocomint, Kawaii Goods & Holley Tea Time. You can easily find some broaches in the same style I wear on Etsy too.

~ Wristcuffs/Bracelets ~

For my wristcuffs or bracelets, I like to choose some that have both the colour of my main piece and the colour of my blouse.

When I wear bracelets, I usually wear some on both of my wrists. Also, same as my broaches, I like to have an "accent" bracelet that is more detailed and a more simple one.

I'll wear them so the colour of my ring contrast with the colour of the bracelet. I also make sure to wear my "accent bracelet" in the opposite wrist that my ring is so it create a more dynamic outfit again. ^w^

My favourite shops/brands for wristcuffs/bracelets are; Princess Pearl Designs and Bodyline for wristcuffs. Chocomint, Claire's and the dollar store for bracelets... Most of my bracelets are either handmade or from local stores really. XD;

~ Rings ~

I usually only wear a single ring because I have sensory issues around my fingers and I don't deal well with a lot of rings. ^w^''

I'll make sure it contrast with my bracelet or with the colour of my blouse if I am wearing a long sleeved blouse.

My favourite shops/brands for rings are; Holley Tea Time, Cute Can Kill, Paradise Rose... And random shops that sells cheap cabochon rings in Etsy. ^w^''

~ Socks ~

 

I'll usually choose socks that contrast with the colour of my skirt/jumperskirt and that matches with my blouse. I think it's a winning combo for colour balance. Also, if I can I'll try to chose socks that have details that matches with the colour of my main piece.

My favourite shops/brands for socks are; Bodyline, Secret Shop & Anna House.

~ Bags ~

For the bags, I like to wear one that matches with my blouse and my socks when I wear a jumperskirt; or just my socks when I wear an OP. It also helps me decide my "accent colour" when I wear an OP. I like that because I think it helps to break the main colour of the dress in half and add a little bit of detail near the waist area.

When I wear skirts I'll usually go with a bag that matches the skirt itself or the blouse, heavily depending on my mood.

I'll sometimes go with an "accent bag" that have a lot of colours when my outfit is more on the OTT side or when I feel creative and colourful! ^w^

I'll also always wear a straw bag in a matching colour for whenever I wear Country Lolita. I think it's a staple of the style and it helps to tie the straw hat into the outfit too! ~

My favourite shops/brands for bags are; Loris, Bodyline (for totebags) and random shops on Taobao.

~ Themes & Textures ~

Now that we covered mostly the colour of my accessories, I want to touch a little bit about the themes and the texture of the accessories I use in my coordinates. ~

~ Themes ~

 

Most of the time, I will chose a theme for my accessories that matches the print of the main piece I am wearing or the general vibe I want to give to an outfit.

My favourite themes/shapes for my accessories are; Bows, stars, hearts, flowers, bunnies, ponies, candies and strawberries. :3

I think that for most of my outfits my most versatile accessories are the ones shaped like a bow, heart or flower because it can pretty much go with anything and you can't really go wrong with them. Same thing with a generic dot, bow, laced or heart pattern for socks. ~

~ Textures ~

 

I also like to keep the "textures" of my accessories the same. I will usually coordinate yarn accessories together, clear/plastic ones together, pearls together and tulle together. I think that it's that little touch that shows that you took the time to think about the composition of your outfit and the accessories. I think it look less "messy" when the accessories are the same texture, or at least not more than two different ones.

That's about it for the subject of how I choose accessories to match my outfits! ^w^ *Whew!* That was a long one... XD;

Also, please keep in mind that all the advice in this blog post is my own advice for my own outfits so they will look nicely balanced and accessorized, which to me is a must in Lolita fashion. I have very high standards for my outfits, even daily, and I personally like everything to be perfectly balanced and to match in term of colours, themes and textures... It is what makes my outfits my own! So my advice is there for the people who like my coordinating style, but it's up to you to coordinate your outfits the way you want! ^w^

Until next time my pretty shining stars! ~