3 Replies

make sure you don't overlook basic pieces! i feel like a trap that a lot of people looking to dress in a specific substyle fall into is looking for pieces that are specifically of that style, which can make it really hard to find stuff. flex your styling skills and think of how you can dress up basic stuff like cardigans, sweaters, pants, etc. into the style you're going for (especially don't overlook cardigans. i feel like a lot of people write them off especially but if you look at viskei, y2k and other styles, cardigans and other drapy sweater things are used a lot and theyre usually solid color or basic patterned ones that they've layered/accessorized/diy-ed). another good piece for yume kawaii and general punk is a good button up white shirt to put under sweaters (im a massive sweater shill theyre such a good piece of clothing im so sorry if you live in a hot climate and all this advice about sweaters doesnt apply). this is another thing you could nab from lolita stuff is cute blouses and standalone collars

id also encourage you to try and save money for higher quality pieces. i know how it is to just want something cute for not very much, and thats fine of course, but make sure youre not buying too much really cheap clothing that isnt gonna last you very long. id also encourage some diy-ing.

anyways onto what youre ACTUALLY asking: id recommend looking at kei market or lace market. lace market is very specifically lolita, but the foundational pieces of lolita like blouses, accessories and skirts can lend themselves to the styles you want to dress in if you can find more versatile ones. id also take a look at taobao resellers (devil inspired is a personal favorite). once again, theyre mostly geared toward lolita but devil inspired in particular also has a whole section for kawaii fashion, and their selection of specifically lolita stuff is also pretty versatile. its going to be a little more expensive than youre looking for, but it can help just to get an idea of stuff to search for second hand on lace/kei market or ebay. addyharajuku on instagram also has a highlight with a list of shops that she uses for kawaii fashion

given that youre on this site i dont think i need to tell you that diy is an option, but i know it can be a little intimidating to try and customize a whole shirt or pair of pants, but give it a shot and cut up a shirt and put patches of it on your jeans to make them cooler. one simple project im working on right now is making a pair of bunny ears for this plain black hoodie i have. im just finding scraps of fabric and stitching them together and seeing what i can make, and im also gonna make some patches for it :3c watch some youtube videos by elder punks and get some ideas

honestly your best friend is hot topic. definitely get stuff like studded belts too!! for the agender necklace id go to etsy- but high quality jewelry would be at least $30. i hoped this helped !!