Prepping for a Convention: What in the World Should I Wear?

The first of the two local conventions I attend each year (since 2008), Momocon, is coming up next weekend!

I'm pretty excited for it. A lot of people I know aren't such big fans of conventions because its base is the anime community and not the lolita community. However I think it's important to try to enjoy yourself regardless! Not only are conventions a great time to have a super fun weekend out with your friends and local community, but its in a predetermined venue with activities already planned out! The possibilities for fun are endless and, myself being interested in some older anime/manga (Sailor Moon, Creamy Mami, Dragon Ball/Z/GT, Cardcaptors, Digi Charat, Glass Mask) and some newer series (Kamichama Karin, Uumeiro Patissere, Kuroshitsuji, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, cute stuff for 5 year olds...) I find myself enjoying the anime central aspect of conventions as well!

However, being a lolita and going to a convention, I always feel that it's my chance to look as over the top as I possibly can (while still being comfortable! all that walking x~x) and to be ready for endless pictures. Since Momocon really snook up on me this year, I'm not prepared in the least! I have no idea what I'm wearing and my funds are going to be pretty low this time around xD.

The biggest issue is not knowing what to wear at this point, since I'm pretty used to not having much money on me! So whats the best way to figure it out? Well there are multiple ways to play around with outfits and accessories, the most obvious being actually going into your closet and trying on as much as you can to plan it all out. I, for one, am not too much of a fan of doing that because it can actually be exhausting to try on so much clothes. So what else can you do? How do you pick the perfect convention outfit?

This is what I like to do:

☆ First, sort your closet out in your head. What are your favorite pieces? Is there something you want to wear no matter what? Is there anyone that you can borrow clothes from if you need another item you don't have? Can you buy anything you need and expect it to arrive before the convention?

For me, I've decided that I want to wear my Soft Cream skirt on Saturday. Sunday is still undecided. I also know that I only have one blouse to wear, my pink bodyline shirred blouse since I've let a friend borrow the white one that I own. So there are my basic pieces.

☆ Second, think about your schedule and the nature of the convention. Usually the most people attend on Saturday, so thats the day to knock em dead. You want Saturdays outfit to be perfect. Are you planning attending any panels or workshops? Are you participating in any? Plan your outfits accordingly.

In my case, My schedule on Saturday consists of me running/derping around the convention and joining any lolitas at the convention for a meetup later on in the day. I won't have to change clothes that day, so I won't need to worry about ease of getting out of my clothes. So now I know that I can wear eight layers of petticoat and mismatched tights that day. Great!

On sunday, I'll be participating in a panel modeling fairy kei style, so I'll have to change out of whatever I decide to wear. Since not as many people will be around on Sunday, I won't have to dress to impress, and might be able to get away with something more casual. There are a few panels I want to attend on Sunday as well, So I want to stay comfortable. Maybe I'll wear a fairy kei outfit on sunday~.

☆After you have a general idea of how you're planning on dressing, there are multiple things you can do to experiment with your outfit! My favorite few choices are:

1) Polyvore!

Speaks for itself for the most part xD. Put your clothes together, add accessories! You can add clothes from all over the web, so it's likely that you can find the actual items you're planning on coordinating with.

2)Poupee Girl

If you don't have one of these, you should! It's pretty much a fun online dress up game that never gets old, especially because new clothes are constantly added to the game. It takes a while to get your wardrobe started, but its worth it for anytime you just feel like getting dressed up -- without leaving your computer xD. You'll be surprised how many clothes like your own that you can collect!

3) Draw it out!

This is probably my favorite thing to do. If you have any artistic ability, it's fun and easy to draw yourself in the outfit you want to appear in! Be sure to limit the outfit to the clothes you have available to you, or else the purpose is defeated.

4) Try it on!

Definitely don't skip this step, ever. xD It's easy to idealize the way something fits on you, or with the rest of the outfit you have planned. I always pick days before the event to wear the outfit out. It's definitely helpful to see your outfit in action, and know that you will be comfortable in it. There's nothing worse than planning out your outfit to go to the event and realizing your bloomers are showing, or that your tights/socks are slipping, or that whatever you're wearing is way too big or too small. Try to remedy any problems you might have with your outfit before the big day.

Now that you've got your outfit carefully planned and perfected, you're ready to have all the fun you can in your perfect outfit!

This is the way I always plan my outfits when it's for a big event, so I hope this post can be of use to anyone else trying to figure out what to wear for a meetup or convention or any other event ;u;!

Thanks so much for looking~☆!