This is a quiz of 100 different questions about lolita fashion. It was first shared in 2001, and was originally written in Japanese. It had a few different translations, and this version is mixing and matching a little bit from those translations.

The questionnaire is quite long, so I am slowly answering each of the questions over time.

1. Please tell us your name, birthday and where you’re from.

   My name is Carmen, my birthday is 27th February, and I'm from England.

2. What is your height, weight, clothes size and shoe size?

   I'm 5'0. It's hard to say what my clothes size is due to vanity sizing. But my shoe size is about a UK5.

3. Why did you start wearing Lolita Fashion?

   I started wearing lolita fashion at the end of 2022 as a way to express myself. Originally I was planning to start wearing just gothic fashion, a lot of people in my life have a very poor attitude towards alternative fashion, so I hadn't really worn it, despite feeling like that was how I should be dressing for myself. The more I started to dwell on these values, the more I started to think about the kind of fashion I'd liked when I was younger, and the world hadn't beaten me down the way it has now. I started dwelling on the frills and lace and chunky footwear I knew of lolita fashion, and so I decided to just take the leap.

   Originally I was going to pick up one or two outfits, but the more I stepped into it, the deeper I fell. As I began engaging with the online community, I learned more about the fashion and its' history, and began to feel like I had a place - and when I finished my first coord, I knew that this was how I wanted to dress whenever possible.

   I like that I can take up space, while feeling feminine. I feel like I can stand out in a way that is familiar to myself. And to me, lolita is a style with a very punk attitude - lace is just a more complicated type of fishnet.

4. What’s your favorite genre(style) of Lolita?

   My main genre of lolita is gothic. However I will lean the styling to fit with what kind of mood I'm feeling. I've worn coords that have styling that leans classic, old-school, and punk. I have also used aspects of sweet - but I definitely wouldn't consider myself to be a sweet lolita. Overall I really love the romantic and elegant feel of a lot of Atelier Pierrot-esque gothic aristocrat styles, and I feel like this most portrays my ideal, or goal self. However I know myself to be more of a cute person who is very unintimidating, so cute styles are also something I wear a lot.

5. Express in your own words, the ideal of your above answer.

6. Do you have any piercings, and if so how many?

   I have my lobes pierced once, and I also have 1 of my nostrils pierced.

7. What is your favourite brand?

   Atelier Pierrot, definitely. I really love the romantic feel of the clothes they make, as well as the more cute everyday stuff by their sister brand Vallee Iys. I also like how the staff make you feel like we're friends even though I'm on the other side of the world. Their live videos and instagram presence helps me to feel like part of the community, and their coord pictures helped me to pick up making lolita coordinates in an easy to understand way.

8. What is your favourite piece of clothing?

   Probably the Long Bustle JSK by Atelier Pierrot. I think it's really elegant and pretty, and it's also incredibly comfortable to wear. The ability to bustle up and down makes it quite versatile, and the diameter of the skirt means you can even wear it with a hoop crinoline. I have this in 3 different colours but my favourite colour is definitely the black.

   

9. How many Lolita friends do you have?

   I'm in a discord channel where I have a lot of lolitas that I'm friends with online, we interact across social media, and do events, and sometimes even take part in other hobbies. In real life it's a little harder, since I live quite rurally, but I have a couple of people who I've easily clicked with, and I always have a lot of fun when going to lolita community events

10. What is the best thing about being a Lolita?

    I love that I'm able to express myself through my clothes in a feminine way, and I also really love the community. I think if it wasn't for other community members being so welcoming, I might have lost interest, but I love how I can come up with what many people might consider to be the most insane outfit ideas and other lolitas will be encouraging me to go even further with it. Attending community events gets me out of the house too, after the covid-19 pandemic I realised I didn't have much of a social life anymore, and now with things like afternoon teas and market events, I regularly have something to look forward to.

11. On the contrary, what is the worst?

    Certain people have a quite different image of the fashion to how I see it, and I often worry about how these people percieve me and the negative attention that I might be getting from these people. For example, I've had to block a lot of people on my Tumblr account, in attempt to avoid my photos being shared on Tumblr blogs that are NSFW. Discovering my photos are shared in these places can be quite unpleasant.

12. What magazine(s) do you read?

    I don't usually read magazines. I have a couple of Fruits publications, and I often like to look back through Gothic Lolita Bible scans that are available online.

13. Headdresses vs Bonnets vs Ribbons (Headbows)?

    I really like the classic rectangle headdress for day to day, they sit flat to my head and are easy to dress down. I also wear a lot of hats. I like wearing bonnets, but they always feel like a big investment due to discomfort around the ribbons and stuff, so I don't wear them all that frequently.

14. Do you wear bloomers?

    Yes! But not all the time. Often if I am wearing full coverage tights I don't. But I usually will wear bloomers if it's an outfit making use of socks instead.

15. Do you tie your headress in the front or the back?

    I tie it at the back 99% of the time!

16. Do you have a favorite music genre or band?

    Probably my favourite band of all time is My Chemical Romance . But other music I've been listening to recently includes Strawberry Switchblade , NECRONOMIDOL , Joy Division/New Order, and Hanabie . I'm generally a fan of rock and pop music, and I also like a lot of dance music too. After listening to the soundtrack for Katamari Damacy a few times, I got a lot of interesting Youtube suggestions for more experimental albums, so I've been listening to some of those also. My most recent favourite has been an album called Entomongaku II which feels very much like the concept is "music that bugs might like".

17. What is your phone ringtone?

    I keep my phone on vibrate so I've never heard it! I checked and it's just set to the default ringtone for an iPhone. I have never even thought about changing it.

18. Do you go to lives/concerts in Lolita?

    No. I've not been to a concert since I started wearing Lolita, and it's unlikely that I'd wear lolita to a concert since I get warm easily.

19. For those that go to lives/concerts, do you headbang?

    No! I rarely go but I definitely don't do that. My head would hurt too much.

20. What colours do you like?

    My favourite colour is purple! But I also like other colours. Rich reds, deep blues, and pink. And black of course.

21. What are your hobbies?

    I like playing video games! I'm a big fan of Final Fantasy 14 Online, right now. I play a lalafell, and do raids and treasure hunting with my Free Company. I also like to draw, and crochet, and I am very slowly learning another language. I also attend an online Dungeons and Dragons session every 2 weeks. Probably the hobby I spend the most time on though is online window shopping.

22. What is your favourite perfume?

    I got a perfume bottle as a gift about 10 years ago and I've just been using a little bit of that ever since. I don't really tend to wear perfume that often.

23. Being a Lolita, is there anything you are careful of?

    Wind! It always blows up my skirt which can be embarrassing.

24. Where do you usually hang out?

    In my house. I need to get out more...

25. How many times do you wear lolita a week?

    Right now probably about once or twice since it's quite hot, but over winter I would wear it about 3 or 4 times a week.

26. Please tell us an embarrassing story you are guilty of from your early days of wearing lolita

    One of my first coordinates, I wore a hoop that was just too big for my skirt. I tried to make it work, but it just looked really bad...

27. What is your hairstyle and hair color now?

    My hair is brown, it's a medium length with some layers, it has a little bit of a wave/curl to it. And I have a full fringe.

28. How long is your lolita history?

    I've been wearing lolita fashion since December 2022!

29. Do you have a dedicated place for storing lolita?

    I keep my lolita somewhat separated from my other clothing, but it does share a rail, and a room.

30. Up to now have you ever thought about quitting lolita?

    No, but I was quite exhausted by trying to wear it over summer, I was worried I'd never feel like wearing it again.

31. What is your motto?

    I don't really have a motto, but I really value not putting too much pressure on myself, and only doing what I feel capable of doing.

32. What is your future dream?

    I'd like to live in a place where I can look out each day and just see the beauty of nature. I don't want to have to work hard every day, I want to be able to take it easy, and enjoy smelling the flowers, or rather, listening to the sound of nature.

33. Is there any celebrity you think “This person definitely suits Lolita!”?

34. Please tell us about an item that is full of memories

35. What is the very first item you got?

    

    The first item I got was this dress, For Valentine V, by LeFlacon.

36. When having your photo taken, do you have a pose you always do?

    I like to put one hand on my waist, and use the other hand to push my skirt out. I think this is flattering and helps the camera to pick up any ruffles in my skirt, while still letting me show off a ring on my other hand.

37. What is the "Bible" of your heart? (Like what book, magazine, CD etc represents you?)

38. What is the height of the tallest shoes you wear?

    13cm I think. They are the New Rock Neptuno boots. I think they are my tallest shoes

39. Have you ever worn a tiara?

    I wore one one time when I was very small, I think it was for my uncle's wedding but I can't really remember. I just remember that the teeth felt strange against my head.

40. Occasionally do you want to try Ouji?

    I wasn't really interested in trying Ouji fashion until I saw a certain post by Satsuki from the Atelier Pierrot Instagram, wearing a pair of Herhum shorts. I ended up buying the shorts and now I need to figure out how to put together a coordinate with them.

41. What kind of lace do you like?

    It's not technically lace, but I really like broderie anglaise. It makes for really cute styles of outfit. I also like lace applique ribbon, especially if they have a rose motif.

42. Do you have dolls? If you do please tell us about her!

    I have a lot of dolls! I'll be adding a separate page to share pictures of them soon. I have 2 Smartdolls, several Pullip and Blythe dolls (some custom Blythes), I have a couple of ball-jointed dolls, and I also collect a lot of fabric art dolls.

43. What’s inside your Lolita bag?

    I like to bring with me:

    • My phone
    • My keys
    • My purse
    • My sunglasses
    • A small hairbrush
    • Lipstick
    • Deodorant
    • Folding umbrella
    • A hand fan

    Depending on the weather and how big my bag is. Items are roughly in order of priority. I tend to bring sunglasses because I am quite sensitive to light.

44. What’s your favorite flower?

    I like bluebells!

45. What is your favorite accessory right now?

    My favourite accessory might be my LaLuice bunny bag. It's so cute, and you can fit a surprising amount into it for an unusually shaped bag.

46. What is your favorite or recommended cosmetics?

    I like Barry M and also NYX for lipsticks, since they have a variety of colours that I don't see as often from other brands, whilst keeping the price quite low. I also have a lipstick from Kiko Milano, which was the only place I could find to offer the shade of blue that works alongside dark blue gothic coordinates.

47. Big and beautiful eyes are the proof of a doll! So, do you wear false eyelashes? Also if you have any tips for application please tell us.

    I don't wear false eyelashes. This website used to be called doll-lashes and I renamed it because I realised that I probably didn't really have enough of a focus on my eyelashes to use a name like that.

48. What is your particular eye makeup?

    I have a pencil liner that I put beneath my eyelashes. I don't like to wear a lot of eye makeup, since my eyes are quite sensitive.

49. Is your lipstick red? Blue? Black? Pink?

    I like a nice purpley red colour, my favourite lipstick is a colour called Dahlia Kisses by Barry M Cosmetics.

50. What color do you use often for your manicures?

    I usually don't paint my nails, but if I do I prefer to paint them black.

51. Have you ever stealthily changed into your clothes in a train (or public) toilet?

    No, I tend to leave the house as I mean to be dressed. I have added or removed a couple of under-layers in the bathroom though.

52. Have you ever done a twinning coord? A triplet coord? What are your thoughts?

    I've done online/remote twinning! But never in person.

53. What are you doing to keep in shape? Any recommendations?

    I like to go on walks sometimes but I need to start getting back into shape really. I can feel my muscles becoming less useful every week when I try to carry heavy bags of shopping!

54. Wearing lolita alone. Are you okay with it?

    Yes! Sometimes I get nervous going out in public alone, but it isn't specifically because I am wearing lolita.

55. How much do you spend a month on clothes and accessories?

    I'd rather not say!

56. Was there a considerable time difference between when you found out about Lolita and when you started wearing it?

    Yes, about 15 years. But I would say that I rediscovered it last year under EGL tags on Instagram.

57. What is the most expensive thing you’ve bought up to now?

    Probably my Vivienne Westwood Rockinghorse shoes. They were incredibly expensive but they are so cool. I got them the day queen viv herself died, as I was worried they might change which items were available after her death.

58. Lolita is really expensive. How to get money for it?

    I work a job where I get paid quite well. I didn't wear the style until I had more than enough money to pay for it.

59. Just between the two of us, generally how much have you spent on Lolita altogether up until now?

    Let's just say that I probably spend around 1/4-1/3 of my paycheck each month on new and secondhand lolita pieces.

60. What shop do you want close to you?

    Atelier Pierrot, definitely.

61. Just between the two of us, are there are any shops you think are a total ripoff?

    As far as lolita shops, from what I have heard Moitie haven't been making things to quite the standards that people are familiar with from them in the past, ever since being taken over by Wunderwelt. From my understanding this is why their older items have raised in value so much. But the real rip-off is fast fashion places such as shein. I feel like they target people who don't have a lot of money, and encourage them to waste it on clothes that fall apart after one wash. It's really frustrating.

62. Do you use online shops? If you have what are the good and bad points about it? If you haven’t, please tell us why.

    I would say I predominantly shop online. One day I'd love to visit a lolita store in real life.

63. Just between us, even if you want to keep it your own secret, what’s an indie brand that makes you go “this is exactly my style”

    I really like Heavenly Garden's clothes for day to day lolita wear, they're comfortable and wearable.

64. I definitely won’t get it! But I really really want it! Do you have a certain something from a certain brand that you want?

    It's a little controversial, but I like a lot of the more casual clothes that Angelic Pretty have been making recently. I don't really want to start creating sweet coordinates, but I think the slightly sporty and comfortable style of some of the coordinates I've recently seen utilising Angelic Pretty items is something I really like. Especially with this year's halloween print being so cute. I also really liked the Miffy collaboration - I think I would have thought about buying it if the price had been a little lower. I am sure it is worth every penny, but I just don't see myself wearing it enough for it to be worth it for me to buy it.

    

65. What do you do wih pieces you get bored of?

    I haven't had chance to get bored of anything just yet, but if I'm not feeling super creative about one of my pieces, I'll look into how other people have styled it, and maybe pick up some new accessories to get more wear out of it. I do have one dress that I've been considering selling, but I've kept it because it was so cheap, I feel like it will be a good piece to wear to something that I might not want to wear one of my more precious pieces to.

66. What is the last thing you bought (even outside of Lolita)?

    Colour catchers for use in my washing machine. I have a black and white dress I want to wash, but I was worried about the dye running, so I had been looking for solutions to this problem.

67. Is there something you’ll probably never have it again, but you can’t forget about?

    Not for lolita. I'd like to say I've had this before with other clothing categories, but I've actually forgotten now.

68. What do you think of people that wear lolita only to lives/concerts?

    I can understand wanting to get dressed up for these events specifically. I know that a lot of people got dressed up especially for the My Chemical Romance concert I went to in 2022, despite a lot of the people having moved on from the way they dressed as a teen many people came back to dress up just for this, and I think that was really nice.

69. What do you think of people that don’t wear makeup with lolita fashion?

    Sometimes I don't wear makeup with lolita fashion! I think it's become a little more open to people who might not want to get quite as dressed up. But I do think it's best to try to match your makeup with your outfit a little bit.

70. There’s a Lolita wearing the same coord as you! What do you think?

    I think, I want to be excited about it! But I might feel a little disappointed if I've spent the time to plan my outfit and somebody else has had the same idea, especially if I don't know them. I like to try to wear lolita in a bit of a unique way. But I think it'd be really fun to plan to meet up in a matching outfit with a friend.

71. From what age until what age do you think is forgivable to wear Lolita?

    I think it should be fine for your whole life, but I also do feel that I prefer more mature elements to coordinates where the person also looks mature, since it feels more consistent. Examples include longer skirt lengths or less bright colour schemes. That being said, as more older people choose to dress alternatively, I think that it will become more familiar to see older people dressing in styles, so perhaps I will change my opinion over time. And I'm always happy to see people wearing gothic fashion at all ages, so I think gothic lolita is a style that can be suited to all ages.

72. In what situation do you think you would have to stop wearing Lolita?

    It's been too hot to wear lolita recently! I also don't like wearing lolita for barbecues. Since when I go to barbecues I always get a strong smoke smell in my clothes, which is hard to remove. I can't think of a reason I'd have to stop wearing lolita forever.

73. Do you have any “Stop doing this!” warnings?

74. Do you have any thoughts about what a Lolita should be like?

75. Excluding question 73, is there anything you don’t want a Lolita to do?

76. What do you think of boys wearing Lolita?

    I think it's fine for boys to want to wear lolita, and I'm happy to see all sorts of people engaging in the community. I think I can understand why some people might be nervous though. There are a lot of people who come into lolita hoping for a space where they can safely be feminine, and I think as long as all people in attendance are respectful of this, I am happy. I have so many thanks to give to the people moderating the community groups in the UK for ensuring that all potential members are vetted - men, women, nonbinary - so that the people attending events are safe and comfortable.

77. Since wearing Lolita has anything about changed from before?

78. What do the people around you say about you wearing Lolita?

    Most people in my life have been positive, even if they don't really get it. There are a couple of people who started to avoid me after I started to wear it regularly, and I felt that this was a bit unkind.

79. In the midsummer heat, what kind of Lolita do you wear?

    I try to wear lighter clothes, I have a jsk by Kuroobi which has thermal fabric to help keep you cool, and the petticoat is built in. Things that don't need a petticoat as much are quite good. I also like to choose cotton fabrics.

    

    Kuroobi Mini Thermal JSK

80. Do you wear Lolita to school/your workplace?

    I usually work from home, but the last time I went into the office I wore lolita. I'm not sure whether I will next time, since I will be helping to host a session on a serious topic, and I am worried about how I will be percieved.

81. What are your regular style of clothes?

    Since I work from home, I usually wear an oversized tshirt with comfortable clothes on my bottom half. I also often like to wear long skirts. When I go anywhere, I always want to wear lolita, but sometimes it isn't practical or I know that the person I am going to be with will be unhappy.

82. Are you opposed to second hand clothing?

    I'm not opposed to second hand clothing, and I own a few secondhand lolita pieces (and more secondhand non-lolita pieces). However I do try to buy new from brands, since I know that the economic situation right now is really hard for a lot of these small businesses, and I'm able to support them like this. I also think it's helpful for the brands to know which clothes I like, so that they are more likely to make more. For instance, me and a few other lolitas are big fans of purple, and Atelier Pierrot have been catering to our tastes by adding more purple to their line this year (with help from the influence of Connie). Since they know that purple items have a pretty solid audience especially overseas, they feel more able to take the risk of choosing this colour for their releases. This is a small example, but it really expresses how buying directly from brands can make a difference.

83. Do you have a partner? And do they understand Lolita?

    I have a boyfriend, we have been together for a long time now. He doesn't really understand the concept of wanting to wear fancy clothes like lolita, he's more of a skinny jeans and various black tshirts guy, but he is supportive of my style and often encourages me to feel more confident to wear pieces that I love.

84. Please tell us the image of your ideal guy

    I've been with my boyfriend for a long time, so I can't really picture myself with anyone else. I like that our values and life goals align on all the important things, and I also love his beautiful brown eyes and dark hair. His drive to learn and improve himself is also very impressive to me, as well as his ability to cook nice food.

85. Is there a Lolita that has left a big impression on you?

    There are a lot of lolitas that have left a big impression on me, but I think there are a few people who I really admire in the community, or who really influence my sense of style. The first is my mentor, who goes by ghostlieangel on Instagram. She really helped me to find my footing in lolita fashion, she's helped me a lot with my coordinates since I started, and I really love her coordinates and the jewellery that she makes.

    Another person who I really admire is Satsuki who manages one of the Atelier Pierrot stores. I always feel really inspired by her coordinates, and she has a very cool style of posting which seems effortless yet inspirational. I often look to her posts when thinking about how to coordinate various items.

    A third person, and the only person on this list that I have met in real life so far, is Tonblackberry. While her sense of style is a lot more classic than mine, the thing that I really admire about Ton is her confidence. She is always one of the first people to step up for others in the community, and she is always planning fun activities for the community here in the North of England.

    Although there are many more lolitas that have left a big impression on me, the last person I am going to mention is Connie, who doesn't update his own Instagram very much anymore, but he runs the Atelier Pierrot English Instagram page. This person has done a lot for western countries working with Japanese lolita brands, most known is his advocation for plus sizing, but more close to my heart, by advocating for more purple items to be released by Atelier Pierrot. He also introduced the livestream shopping to Atelier Pierrot and Laforet Harajuku, which revolutionised buying lolita for western lolitas.

86. Have you ever made your own clothes? If so what kind?

    Nope. I bought a sewing machine but I haven't used it much.

87. Have you ever made your own accessories? If so what?

    I have a knitting machine, so I've made a lot of hats over the past couple of years. I crochet and would like to make something with this skill someday, but I don't always have the motivation to complete a project.

88. Is there an item you’ve made that you think “It’s a great success!”?

    I made a shawl for my nan's birthday a couple of years ago, and I was so proud of it. It's probably the best work I ever did, I spent about a month on it working almost non-stop. The outcome was so soft and silky.

89. If you have an ideal coord, please talk about it.

    I really love when a coord represents how I feel that day. This is why I end up with a lot of different items! Some days I want to be a pretty and delicate flower, some days I want to have a more practical or country feel, some days I want to be a frumpy ball of lace, and other days I want to be an elegant noblewoman that definitely isn't a vampire.

90. Is there someone you admire? What kind of person are they?

91. For one day you can go on a date with that special person. They will also be wearing their favorite clothes. So who is it, what are you wearing and where is the date?

92. If you could open a shop in the future, what kind would it be?

    I would like to open a shop that sold cute desserts and cute accessories. I'd want to cover an antique & gothic style of desserts and accessories, and perhaps maybe I could actually sell a couple of restored antique items. I think it would be nice to sell tea but out of a variety of mismatched cups and teapots, like a mad hatter's tea party. But maybe people could choose their own cups?

93. Unconsciously, this catches your eye! Which motif is it?

94. Would you also want your child(ren) to wear Lolita?

    I don't plan to have children, but if I did I'd want them to feel free to wear whatever they felt comfortable in. I do think it'd be nice to put a small child in pretty dresses, but most likely I'd rather choose something inexpensive and easy to clean.

95. How much do you spend on each piece of clothing?

    That's a secret! Well, most of my main pieces from Atelier Pierrot and the brands they stock, are usually within the range of between 25-35,000 JPY. Though sometimes I am able to get them secondhand for a lower price. Things like blouses and skirts are usually less. I think the cheapest things I own (other than accessories) were probably around 30 GBP after conversion, but I had to pay for shipping which often doubles the price if I'm buying just one thing.

96. This is a Lolita! If you think there’s a gesture like that please tell us.

97. Even if it’s only one time I wanna wear it! Is there something you want to wear other than Lolita?

    I always wanted to try wearing a style like Decora. I have a couple of things like brightly coloured overalls, but I never end up buying accessories to match, so I never end up putting together a decora style, it always ends up more like pop kei, or just colourful clothing.

98. Looking at your Lolita, if you could use one word to represent it, what would it be?

    Maybe cute?

99. What is your image of an ideal Lolita?

100. 大変お疲れ様でした！ Please share your thoughts on taking this questionnaire.