What's My Japanese Clothing Size?? -- An Easy Guide

hey everyone! i get a lot of questions from all of you about what size to buy japanese clothing in, usually trying to convert it from US or UK sizes. let me tell you, that's not the way to do it! the process is very easy and works with bodyline, angelic pretty, rakuten, etc-- ANY site that shows the measurements of their clothing in CM.

so let's look how to find your size!

whatever you do, do NOT convert your clothing size using any kind of online chart. for one thing, numbered sizes vary a lot. for example, medium isnt the same with every company or country, and a size 5 might be a lot bigger in japan. THE SAME GOES FOR SHOE SIZES!! i cannot stress this enough. girls in my lolita group are always asking how to find their shoe size to buy from bodyline, because japanese shoe sizes are in centimeters instead of arbitrary numbers. i made the mistake of trying to convert my shoe size to japanese using a chart and ended up getting shoes that were either too big or too small.

so in short, whatever size you are in your native country, you might not be in a japanese brand. 

as japan uses the metric system, the measurements of japanese clothing will be given in centimeters. even if they're sold in lettered sizes like S, M, L, etc. they will usually have a description of the measurements in the details of the page.

to find out how to measure yourself for clothes, click here! to measure for your shoe size, simply take a tape measure and measure the length of your regular ol' foot without any socks or shoes on. 

now, consult the measurements on the site. for example with bodyline, they will have the measurements for each letter size in a little sidebar above where you add the item to your cart. make sure to double check everything before you buy it, and always buy a few CM bigger-- you don't want buy something that has your EXACT measurements because that would make it skintight (unless that's what you need). if there's elastic measured flat instead of stretched, then buying something that matches your measurements should be okay.

with shoes, you just want to buy a size that matches your foot measurement. always round up! you might find sometimes you'd want to buy something a half centimeter bigger in case of socks/tights/etc.

and that's it! it's really easy, and i only went into so much detail to make sure i covered everything. if there's still anything you have questions about, feel free to ask me and i'll get back to you as soon as i can! i hope this helps.

Lolita 52: How strangers react to my clothes, and how I react to their reactions

hey everybody! sorry for the slowdown in posting lately. i have another lolita 52 for you all today!

a popular topic, especially among new lolitas, is how strangers typically react to lolita fashion. a lot of new lolitas fear being made fun of, or especially being bullied in school environments. i've had kind of a mixed bag of reactions, but dealing with them tactfully is the most important thing to keep in mind. 

in the 6th grade i started to get into wearing gothic-lolita-esque outfits. it was all things altered from hot topic because i was afraid to buy brand because i was still growing and i didn't want to drop a ton of money on something that might get too small for me quickly. i got really made fun of by other students, but my middle school is notorious for TERRIBLE bullying situations. a lot of people complimented me as well and teachers and friends supported me too, so i never let it get to me. i hated the school and switched to homeschooling after one year there. but while i was there, the way i dealt with it was by just either ignoring jerks or snapping comebacks at them. 

for example, i wore a punk lolita sort of outfit to the valentine's day dance. during the cha cha slide (ahh, when i was twelve!) a boy said "where did you get your clothes, the UGLY STORE?" i replied "yeah your mom told me about it actually!" as a 12 year old i was very proud of my simple defense. it shut the kid up, so i was satisfied.

in high school, i wore lolita a lot, including simple sweet lolita outfits as well as gothic lolita. i got onto the fashion page of the yearbook for it every year, because the girls in the yearbook committee were in some classes with me when we were little and they liked my outfits.

i got made fun of a bit, but it was honestly by a bunch of jerks whose opinions i didnt care about, and some people who were close to me. my friends loved it, one of my teachers made me get up and show the class, and for the most part it was really pleasant! i got a LOT of "little bo peep"s in high school, though, to which i would just say "yeah i've gotten that a lot."

in college i've worn lolita a few times so far. one day no one said a thing about it to me, another day i got showered with compliments and a girl asked for a photo! but i never got any negative attention or creepers. if you do, just use caution and your best judgement on what is a safe situation or not.

my general advice on dealing with people who make fun of your lolita is to simply ignore them. comebacks are useful in certain pinches, but i would generally avoid them unless you know it will help and will stop the other person instead of making them fight you more. if you are ever harassed in a way that makes you uncomfortable or is really aggressive, tell someone like an administrator, teacher, or campus safety. i recommend to EVERY girl to take a self defense class. but with simple insults, if you just ignore them and show them their opinion doesnt matter, they will usually shut up. that's what i've discovered over my lifetime of wearing alt-fashion in a close-minded area.

to all lolitas reading this getting ready to wear it for their first time, good luck!

and to everyone, never let anyone ruin what you enjoy!

"I think we should enjoy life. We should wear whatever we think looks nice and wear it with confidence. That will put you in a better mood, and I think it will lead to an abundant society." -Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Cute New Hello Kitty Collections from Sanrio.com: Strawberry and Kawaii

hey everyone! ☆ there are some new really cute collections for hello kitty at sanrio.com right now, and i wanted to share my favorite items from the collections with you!

the first collection is the strawberry collection, which is a really cute assortment of some home items and a few mascot-y things like this plush. it's all really soft and sweet, with a theme of light pink and a strawberry pattern. i love how her fur is all fluffy on this plush, because it makes her unique, and strawberries are one of my favorite-ever motifs!

my favorite item by far is this adorable hanging organizer. i could honestly use one of these for my growing collection of lolita shoes. you could also put socks or tights, or even jewelry and makeup in these! it's such a cute space-saver and i feel like stuff that is so useful and adorable is hard to come by.

i also adore this jewelry box! it's so precious and dainty, and would look so cute on any vanity or dresser. i love jewelry boxes with the space for rings to be displayed, too. it's so adorable, and i love the little heart-shaped window to see your stuff! again, like most home items in the collection, it's really useful but also very cute.

 

the other new sanrio.com collection is just called "hello kitty kawaii," and it features hello kitty as different harajuku fashionistas. there's a series of plushes for each getup she wears, some bags, a cup, and keychains that are also key covers.

i'm not as crazy about this collection. i think i just tend to really love cute home items, and the other series is the perfect shade of pink. this series has thick black outlines to everything and looks a lot more like something they would also offer at target and doesn't seem as unique for a hello kitty line, but i think it is adorable nonetheless.

my favorite item is probably this really cute travel mug. i love the shape and the design is bright and cute. it's pretty much the same on all the printed items, but i love the extra pink on this cup.

i also love this overnight bag!! it's the perfect shape and is so useful. the print is more interesting because of the different little funny expressions kitty has. i love how it says "kawaii" all over, too. but it's $75.00 USD, which is way too much for me. i would rather blow that on some little twin stars stuff. i hope this goes on sale, because i really love it and i dont think one can ever really have too many bags.

what do you think of the new series? are you going to get something from one of these collections? 

let me know in a comment what your favorite item is!

and don't forget to like Pizza-Kei Cute on facebook for updates and cute clothing photos!

New Trend: Fake Thigh Highs

hey everyone! how's it going? i'm on summer break now so i should be able to post tons for you all.

i noticed a cute trend for a new type of tights i hadn't seen before lately i wanted to share with you: fake thigh highs! 

fake thigh highs are tights which have a portion printed black where a thigh high sock would cover, and where your skin would normally be showing there's pantyhose. other than the fact that this means no more slipping thigh highs, this allows for tons of cool designs to be printed on and the idea of the top of the sock to be played with!

there's generally two ways i've seen these being made-- by either adding a cool design to right above the thigh high that looks like tattoo tights, or by making the top of the "sock" portion into another shape.

 

"tattoo" style thigh high tights from Temptations

bow suspender tights from ASOS

music note tights from rakuten

totoro thigh high tattoo tights from taobao

cat tights from ryuryu

urban outfitters thi

so as you can see, i think these really only come in varieties of black at the moment. i don't know if it's something to do with the pantyhose portion, so both sections have to be made out of pantyhose material, or what-- but i'm sure that soon enough there will be even more variation on this theme. it looks really cute and i bet it'll get even more popular.

even though there's only black, i think black tights with a colorful spring outfit are a great match. i like to wear black tights with something really colorful to add contrast and ground the outfit. plus, i think these are pretty sheer and lightweight for the most part, and you have to wear them with something shorter to show the effect, so i think they're still great for dressing for springtime.

what do you guys think about thigh high tights? are you disappointed they only come in black? looking to see a type of design you haven't found yet? have a favorite pair already? leave me a comment and let me know!

and don't forget to like Pizza-Kei Cute on facebook for updates about new posts as well as just a lot of photos of cute clothes i love!

Lolita 52: Favorite thing to put on my head

hello everyone! today i wanted to do a short little lolita 52 post for you all.

what is my favorite item to wear on my head when i'm wearing lolita? well, it bleeds into other fashions too, but i love big poofy chiffon bows. i have three that i wear with lolita-- a cream one, a black one, and my very favorite, a ribbonholic one i reviewed here.

i love these big soft fluffly bows because they just look really cute! i don't have specific matching headbows to anything in my closet, just those pin-on bows that bodyline includes with their items. those can be pinned to a headband and made into a headbow, but i don't like how floppy that is. i've done it with ok results, but i just love the look of a fluffy bow clipped on the side of my head.

i wish i saw more bows like this around, but i don't see them too often. if you know of any good stores that sell big puffy bows like this, let me know in the comments, and i might have to review them!

that's all for today!

☆ ☆ Milky Planet Re-release! ☆ ☆

hello everyone! i have incredible news for you all....

angelic pretty is re-releasing milky planet!!

now, if you've been reading my blog for a while or know me at all, you know milky planet is my absolute favorite dream print. my dream item out of all lolita is the original skirt, in yellow. 

♡ so, what are my thoughts on this re-release? ♡

while i am very excited, it's a mixed bag. the new items are sort of weird, more "experimental" or "new fashion" kind of lolita cuts than the total classics of the original series' perfectly silhouettetted OP, JSK, and high waisted skirt. i don't really dig the apron-- i think on someone, it might look pretty cute, but i feel like it interrupts the print a bit. i love the star pockets, but i don't really like it all that much. i might warm up to it when i see it coordinated. i just feel like the series needs to have the print shine on its own.

as for the other items, i LOVE the JSK. i really hope that this time, AP makes a size of it that would fit me. the reason the skirt of the original release is my dream item is because the OP and JSK from the original series are too small in the bust for me. but now it seems like they're making a larger range of sizes, so maybe this will fit me-- at least, i hope so, because i am not a huge fan of these hip-cut skirts. 

why is that? again, it is an issue of how it suits the print. i think the print should fall from the natural waist. they should have gone with the original cut from this one, and just let the big change be the color. which, while i love the new colors, i am SO SAD THERE IS NO YELLOW! i love all the original colors, and the new ones as well, but i am so saddened that my very favorite colorway is gone from the lineup. i really love the pink they're using here, though, and if i can get my hands on something (preferably the JSK) i would like it in pink.

the salopette deal-- i don't think it would suit me, but i love salos on others, so i can't wait to see how all you cuties coordinate them! ♡

i hope the international site does something with this re-release and i can get an item with the money i set aside to get MP for my graduation present a year ago. i still have the money for the skirt and i could use it to get a new MP item, and if not i'm still going to get a yellow OP replica someday when DOL's quality gets better. but for now all i can do is have heart attacks while i dig for info, and hope that i can get an item that i like that also fits.... ah, the lolita life...

what do YOU think about the new MP items, everyone??

Dreamy Spring Trends

hey everyone! i wanted to talk about trends i've been noticing in japanese and alternative fashion recently. 

i've been seeing a lot of the following and love all of it to death:

• platform shoes (especially in pale colors, white, neutrals)
• romantic pastel outfits
• romantic, angelic aesthetics
• feminine things contrasted with edgy items
• oversize buttons

source: neko-milk

source: scenesrushingby

source: dolldelight

brand: tokyo bopper
source: tokyo fashion

rocking horse shoes seem to be making a comeback, too.
source: tokyo fashion

 

source: tokyo fashion

source: tokyo fashion

source: tokyo fashion

source

brand: maxstar

i'm in love with those maxstar white boat shoes. i'm definitely getting them for my birthday. they''re perfect and so versatile!

these platforms aren't pastel or pale, but they are still very cute and very on-trend:

source: milky-honey

even without pale platforms, she's still got some soft pink and neutrals going on, as well as an oversized button, which i've also been noticing as a huge trend in alt-fashion this spring. you can see it in above photos as well.

source: tokyo fashion

source: tokyo fashion

here are some more outfits and photos i feel emphasize these trends!

source: tsunderrorist

asos

etsy

source: lolitahime

source: tokyo fashion

you can get an angel ring like that from starlight deco dream, which also has a lot of romantic/angel items.

source: pastelbmob

source: taobaosux

source: pastelbmob

source: theinternetisforperverts

that's all for now!