Lolita 52 - My First Meetup

Since this is a fresh new blog, this September is going to be all about firsts. This week I'll begin with My First Meetup!

Now, when I first got into the fashion (less than 2 years ago!), one of the things that appealed to me most was the social aspect. Most of my other hobbies are solitary in nature - drawing, playing handheld video games, spending time on the internet, and more recently, running. So the fact that people got together and dressed up in frills outside of the convention scene (I had had past experiences with conventions and cosplay) seemed like a lot of fun. So once I found out about the existence of local communities it was a short time before I tracked mine down.


I hadn't been in the fashion long at all when I joined my comm and attended a meet up. At that time I was very frugal and excited about the fashion, but even a $50 dress from Bodyline seemed pricey to me. So like lots of beginners, I made my skirt, thrifted a (not very appropriate) blouse, and picked up some flats and a bag that only very marginally coordinated with the outfit in color. I honestly hadn't spent a lot of time researching the fashion beforehand - probably less than 3 months - but I was determined and excited. I cringe looking back on it, but I'll share my outfit with you.

The start of my chocolate obsession - if you can't tell my skirt features truffles!

The meet was held on a beautiful spring day, which I think was very symbolic. It was an adorable picnic held outdoors in a cute suburban park with 5 other lovely girls coordinated far better that I. One of the girls had made all the food herself, and I had one of the most delicious cupcakes I had eaten in a long time. The girls were very polite, friendly, and complimented me on my skirt construction. After the picnic we played a round of croquet (I did not do too well), and then walked around a nearby lake, stopping to get a drink at one of the local cafe's surrounding it. I also had some of my first experiences with the public's reaction to lolita - nobody was outright rude, but they did ask us if we were in a play - I guess that would be an easy assumption to make of a group of girls in extraordinary outfits.

Looking back, I wish I had spent a little more time researching the fashion before jumping headfirst into the frills, but it is fun to look back on and see growth! What was your first meetup like? Did you spend time planning the perfect coordinate or were you excited to jump right in? Let me know in the comments!