anxiousI'm new to this community and am still gathering up my courage to dress in Lolita on more than just a rare occasion, but I absolutely love the fashion and am working to expand my wardrobe. During Innocent World's recent sale, I took the plunge and bought my very first JSK and blouse. I received them yesterday, and have a few questions for all of you more seasoned Lolitas.
Pics are at the bottom of my rambling text.
First of all, I was very surprised when I opened it that the material is shiny. I knew the dress was supposed to be as that is what the description read, but I also assumed it would be thicker and, well, better quality, I guess. More along the lines of a cotton sateen than almost a poly satin blend. I was extremely surprised that the blouse was made out of a shiny material as well! I know that shininess is generally not preferred for Lolita, since it has a tendency to look cheap, but this is actual brand, so maybe it is ok? I was just really surprised and a little disappointed that I spent almost 100 bucks for a polyester blouse. Is this fairly normal for IW or brands in general? It's not super shiny, but it definitely isn't cotton.
Is shiny acceptable when it's brand?
Secondly, I'm rather tall (5'9") with a broad build and a long torso. I was pleased to see that the long length from IW is actually long enough! However, the proportions on the top are a little wrong. The boob portion (for lack of a better term) sits about 2 inches higher than my boobs do. The straps are buttoned and there is about 3 inches of extra length on the straps, though, so I can make the straps longer than they fit right now. The blouse, on the other hand, is significantly too short in the sleeves (sigh). I'm considering either altering it to a short sleeve blouse, or just trying to resell it and find a new blouse that works with the JSK. I tried pulling it up to a 3 quarter's sleeve length, but the wrist area is too small for that portion of my arms. Any suggestions? I hesitate to alter something that was so expensive, but at the same time, I don't want it to just sit in my closet going to waste. Does anyone have any good recommendations for stores that might sell blouses for long monkey arms?
I'd also love tips on how to coordinate this dress in different ways! Sorry for the tired, no makeup, no hair styling look. I took these immediately after getting the dress and had just come home from work after ~12 hour day.
Shiny blouse:
Dress on me- you can see how it's sitting a little too high, and how my sleeves are too short:
WOAH that's a lot of wrist:
