Wardrobe Practicality

I've admired some comparatively over-the-top strains of gothic and lolita styles since my mid-teens, but have always had difficulty obtaining all the pieces I needed--and then often times when I did, I found myself realizing how impractical some of it is day to day. Only now, at twenty-two, am I finding myself actually satisfied with what I have. There are still things I could use (*coughvestcoughcough*), but no deeply felt, urgent "needs" like in years past. The following things might not apply to you since everyone's situation is a little different, but here's what I've done to feel more comfortable in my clothes over the years.

Color coordination

Or at least, making sure your whole outfit goes together nicely if you don't like things to be "too matchy". (*coughcoughsnickersnerk*) I will of course concede that outfits can still look great if they aren't color coordinated, but I personally prefer things that way. Of course, I don't have a lot of patience for it, so this has contributed to my mostly-black wardrobe (in the photo you can see a velvet blazer, a scarf, and a knit top with a mock turtleneck that look okay if not great with nearly everything I own, partly because they're all black). However you do it, if everything you're wearing looks good together, you don't need as many stand-out pieces. Sometimes it can be cheaper and more practical to make the outfit as a whole stand out instead of wearing bondange pants with the perfect coating of hardware and straps or a rococo-inspired dress with a ginormous petticoat under it.

Stand-out pieces

That doesn't mean that having one or two stand-out pieces per outfit doesn't help a lot, though. I'm sure we've both heard this before, but it's worth repeating. In my case, a fishnet shirt (or if you can't find that, a pair of fishnet tights with the crotch cut open and the feet cut off) or a dog chain as a necklace work wonders for an otherwise plain black outfit. Even my pyramid-stud belt helps a lot (providing it's actually showing--it took me awhile to figure out that my t-shirts actually do look better tucked into my jeans/cords if I'm wearing a nice belt.)

Shoes

it makes a huge difference when your shoes look good with the rest of your outfit, and it's entirely possible to find shoes that look okay and are comfortable. For example, my default footwear is a pair of thick-soled black leather boots. They look good with most of what I wear and make great walking shoes. I can also wear them in pretty much weather, although I've heard a few people comment on how hot my feet must be in the summer even though they don't feel any more uncomfortable than they would in a lighter pair of shoes. That last bit might be a personal quirk, though. Anyway. Coordinating your shoes with your outfit instead of wearing the same pair of sneakers every day can work wonders for making your outfit look like more than the sum of its components.

Loliability

Or gothability. Since goth is a much more flexible and diverse style, I'll stick with loliability. Most lolita clothes, especially clothes aside from the fundamental blouses and skirts/dresses, are actually not that difficult to find off-brand/secondhand. When I finally got around to buying my petticoat (a relatively expensive purchase for me), I found I could make lolita coords right away (I bought a chiffon A-line petticoat, which fits nicely under a circle skirt and and an A-line dress I already owned and had been wearing without a petticoat before. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm guessing it might look okay under some pleated skirts, too). The trick here is watching out for material and colors--a lot of square dance skirts will look more clownish than country lolita because of the bright colors they use, for example. Also watch out for skirts made from generally cheapass materials. Same goes for blouses--workable blouses CAN occasionally be found in thrift stores. Ditto knit shirts that work for casual lolita (like the one in the photo, for example). Just be careful of the quality of the material and make sure they fit right.

The other part of this is accessories, especially jewelry and bags. Even if you don't have a petticoat or a skirt, be conscious of how any accessories you buy would work with lolita. Try to find things that work well with both lolita and non-lolita clothes. Keep in mind that you don't have to look like you popped out of a Baby the Stars Shine Bright ad to be lolita (although if you wanted to, you could still probably do that without buying all your accessories from them, or by only buying an accessory or two from them and getting your dress from a cheaper source.)

Everyday items

I mostly mean bags, but it also applies to things like jackets and lunchboxes or wallets. It seems to me like a lot of people just get whatever's cheap and effective regardless of what it looks like, but when I do this, it drives me up a wall with longing for something prettier. Another thing about bags that I've found bothers me is shoulder straps. Sometimes it can't be helped because of the textbooks I need for my classes and the distance between where I live and my university, but I really do prefer bags with handles instead of bags with shoulder straps because of the way shoulder straps pull my clothes around and the extra couple seconds it always takes to disentangle myself from them when I'm not in transit. That's just my preference, though. The thing to take away here is to take the time to figure out your priorities when buying things you use daily and always apply them to your purchases.

Unified wardrobe

Here's another thing worth repeating that you've probably heard before: try to make sure as much of your wardrobe as possible goes with everything else. It's quite a challenge to make sure EVERYTHING goes with everything, but the closer you get, the easier it is to have satisfying outfits to wear every day. Wearing mostly black has helped me a lot with this, but color isn't the only important factor in putting together good outfits--style, fit, and quality are also more important. I have a preference for a clean look over craploads of lace or hardware, which has served me well in this respect. For example, the scarf I'm wearing as a neck bow in the first photo works well for multiple levels of (in)formality because of the material and the simplicity, and even though the mock turtleneck on the shirt adds an elegant touch, it's still basic enough to work with more punkish or masculine-looking outfits. Black wool sweaters have also become a major staple for me whenever it's cold enough to wear them.

It's also important to think about what you'd wear a garment with BEFORE YOU BUY IT. Assuming you don't have money to burn and infinite space, it's very helpful in the long run to only buy things that go with things you already own, unless you're in the early stages of building a wardrobe (in which case, substitute careful planning of purchases to make sure the garments you're buying will go well together.)

That said, the above is merely based on my personal experiences. If you have other ways of wardrobe building that have served you well, I'd love to hear them.