Crimson Reflections

First of all, if you are a lolita, and the person buying for you isn’t a lolita, and hasn’t specifically expressed a wish to want to buy you lolita, and you can afford to buy lolita for yourself, I would caution you to perhaps ask for something else as a gift. It’s always easier to buy your own clothing when you have the option, in my opinion, because you already know what you like.

But, let’s assume that you don’t have the means; maybe you are in school still and this is a holiday gift from your parents. Maybe you are older and your significant other wants to buy you something you will really like and has asked. No matter what the reason, here are some tips for making sure you get something close to what you want this season.

First of all, if there is any way that you can ask for a gift card or money (if its not awkward to do so), that may be the better option. Gift cards for Etsy shops, Angelic Pretty USA, Harajuku Hearts, Tokyo Rebel are all safe bets, as are generic Visa gift cards.

Beyond that, it’s best to focus on things that are easy to buy. That means online shops which take credit cards, are in your native language (my examples are based on English, so you may need to adjust if the people buying for you do not speak English), and ship to your location. Again, indie brands on Etsy (I suggest brands like SweetMildred, PopPrincess) or Storenvy (I suggest Belladonna) are good options, as well as the lolita collective, bodyline, Metamorphose and US shops like AP USA, Baby NYC or SF, Tokyo Rebel and Harajuku Hearts.

I suggest making an Amazon.com wishlist. They have a great add-on for firefox, as well as a bookmarklet (basically you add it to the “bookmark” bar of your web browser and you can click it on a page to add the item on the page to your wishlist. Using either of these tools, you can build a wishlist of items from any website. Be sure to be very specific about size and color for items which have size and color options. Stick to things that will not sell out very quickly, and add a variety of price points. It may be tempting to add your $250 dream dress and nothing else, but if the person shopping for you feels that is not an appropriate price for a dress, or it’s outside of their budget, you are likely to not get it.  You might include notes about which thing is your favorite, or second favorite to help someone pick as well.

I would also recommend adding loliable things from local shops, and general “cute” things you might also want. Makeup, stationary, cute shoes that are loliable (be sure to include size and color!) , etc are all great ideas.The person buying for you may just not want to buy you lolita, and in that case, providing some alternative options helps to ensure that you still get something you will enjoy.

Share the link to your wishlist with your friend, family member or significant other as early as possible, to ensure that they have time to plan, and for things to ship to you. If you know approximate shipping times for things, it’s always good to make a note of that on your wishlist in the comments.

And remember, in the end, gifts are about showing you care about someone. If someone buys you something that isn’t lolita, or isn’t what you want, you should always accept it with grace and thanks. After all, it’s really the thought that counts.

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to you all!