Lolita Shopping Online

A lot of us in the States are now into the lolita style that has been spreading like a cute and dastardly climbing rose. In my case, I have a hard time finding any of the clothes locally, and must rely entirely on online shops to feed the cuteness. I haven't found a good list of lolita shopping bookmarks online, so I compiled my own. And now I'm going to share.

Lolita Shops Online
(All shops located in the U.S. unless otherwise indicated)

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Pegasus Maiden - $70 - $90 for a dress, All loli-styles, original designs (also accepts custom orders)
Stocking Shock (U.K.) - All loli-styles, original designs (also accepts custom orders), will send price quotes on request
Rakuen Fashion - $120 - $150 for a dress (usually includes petticoat and headress), all loli-styles, tons of dresses to select from, original designs (also takes custom orders)
Candy Violet - $140 - $170 for a dress, all loli-styles, small selection, original designs
Blasphemina's Closet - $125 - $180 for a dress, mostly sweet loli style, small selection of handmade items (including accessories)
Starry Petals - $210 - $280 for a dress, mostly Elegant Goth loli style, a small selection of very good dresses, also carries cosplay uniforms
Fan Plus Friend (Asia?) - $50 - $130 for a dress, all loli-styles, wide selection and price ranges, also carries cosplay items
Momo's Handicrafts (Canada) - $35 - $85 for a dress, all loli-styles, eBay shop, wide selection and price ranges, handmade/custom items, carries tons of accessories
Retroscope Fashions - $50 - $150 for a dress, mostly Elegant Goth loli style, a small amount of really nice dresses, lots of accessories, some really nice menswear also
In the Starlight - $80 - $100 for a dress, all loli-styles, lots of selection separates, new and original designs (will take custom orders)
The White Peacock - $40 - $90 for a dress, all loli-styles, small selection of some basic dresses, lots of accessories
Shattered Glass Designs (Canada) - $80 - $150 for a dress , small selection of constantly changing dresses
Capsule Tokyo (Europe) - $200 for a dress, all loli-styles, some different designs, mostly ordered from Japan
Nique Tour (Japan) - $40 - $50 for a dress, all loli-styles, custom made dresses, eBay store, also carries cosplay items & loli accessories
Neko Works (Singapore) - $130 - $150 for a dress, Pre-order goth loli clothing items

Here's a few places not in English, so if you're multi-lingual, this may work for you:
Lucky Pinky - All loli-styles, in Japanese though
Pinky - Mostly gothic lolita, all in Dutch?
Metamorphose (Japan) - All loli-styles, tons of selection, $200 for a dress

Mostly Accessories:
Victorian Trading Company - a fun place to look for accessories like fans and other Victorian style items
Gloomth - A few goth loli clothing items, mostly goth accessories, regular shop and eBay shop
Black Alice (Singapore) - Only goth loli accessories, some Baby the Stars Shine So Bright branded things, also carries cosplay items


I even made a guide on Amazon, for anyone who's not interested in venturing very far into new online stores:
Amazon.com Goth Lolita guide

Note: Measure yourself! One of the things you're going to have to do if you're going to order any lolita dresses is get accurate measurements for the various requirements that they request. Have a measuring tape handy, and happy shopping!

Rozen Maiden (Volumes 1 - 4) - Manga Review

Overall Rating: B+

Synopsis: Jun is a teenage boy whose parents have left Japan for business and left his sister, Nori, in charge. When we first encounter Jun, we discover that he has decided to stay in his room indefinitely, refusing to go to school despite his sister's pleading. He spends all of his time ordering items on the internet and returning them before their policy expires for a full refund.

One item, with only the choice "Will you wind? Or not wind?" and mysterious instructions produces a case with an incredibly life-like and haughty little girl doll named Shinku. When a strange attack forces them to bond, Jun begins to learn of the strange symbiotic relationship he has entered with his "Rozen Maiden" and once others begin to appear, the strange story behind their creation begins to unfold.

Rozen Maiden has a lot of elements that seem very strange at first, but slowly get explained over time. And the relationship between the main character, Jun, and his sister, Nori, is very endearing. The dolls are ridiculously cute in their lolita way, and each of them has a different personality.

As more dolls become part of the story, the reader learns more about the reason behind the dolls existence, how there are only seven of them, why they must battle each other to become 'Alice' - but even four books in, you still don't have all the details, and it keeps you hooked.

The character design for this book is great. The dolls are drawn lavishly, each with their own style of clothing. The only thing I occasionally have difficulty with is understanding is when the artist/creator resorts to an over-the-top stylization of the characters as a one-take reaction. For example, Nori and one of the dolls, Shinku, are discussing what type of doll Shinku is, and Nori takes a second and then screams that she's so cute. Instead of this being a full-sized panel, Nori and the doll will be shown in a much simplified style, almost stick figures with a few characteristics of each of them, shown in a very small panel.

I know this is a regular thing in manga, but it does happen a lot in Rozen Maiden so just be prepared for it.

I have also watched the first disc of the anime (which I will review later) but I feel like it presents the story of the dolls in a way that is much more easily understood.

I would definitely suggest picking up this manga, especially if you're into the lolita or goth lolita style. I'm excited to find out more of the story of the dolls, how Jun will learn to deal with his feelings of isolation from his class, and just get to see more awesomely designed dolls.

Rozen Maiden Book 6 comes out in the U.S. October 2007.

Hobotaku Budget Tip #1: Read Manga at the Bookstore

This is the most obvious and fundamental defining features of being a hobotaku - reading books at the bookstore. It also dovetails nicely into the other attributes of being Hobotaku:
- living in the States
- being economically unable to purchase all the manga you want to read

There are a few things you can do to make this experience more pleasant for you and others:
1. Plan the manga you're going to read for immediate pickup
2. Go with other people, that way if one of you purchases something, you won't get dirty looks (also, you won't have to sit by yourself)
3. Sit someplace out of the way, like under a table, or in the cafe section of the bookstore
4. Get a couple of manga for perusing, as soon as you're done with them, replace them back on the shelves (to benefit the store, and any other hobotaku in the area)
5. Be courteous - it is the Hobotaku way!