I guess Monday mornings at work aren't as fun without at least one lengthy, informative entry, so I've decided to post antother tutorial. This is in answer to all the questions concerning "Where can I buy gothic lolita clothing?", "I want to buy this piece from XXXX brand in Japan, do they ship?", and other questions of that nature. Updated on 3/1 with another shop.

If you are interested in starting your gothic lolita collection up, but don't really have an eye for design and/or can't sew well, you can always use our wonderful free market system to buy clothing for yourself. Of course, if you are just getting into the fashion, you probably want to know where you can get your hands on some of this wonderful stuff. You have essentially four choices: Commission, Overseas Sellers, Errand/Auction Services, American Sellers.

Commission-- The community has a lot of wonderful seamstresses and tailors who can make you excellent garments at reasonable prices, custom-made to your designs and measurements. This can be the most satisfying way to build your wardrobe, but you have to keep in mind that most of the people who make clothing do so as a hobby or a way to supplement income. Therefore you have to give them time and understanding concerning pricing. After all, if you want a nice dress, you have to buy nice material ($$$) and give the person enough time and money to make it worth their effort.

I don't want to show any prejudice in this tutorial, but I have two young ladies that I would trust with my life when it comes to fashion. missmeganmaude and cygnebleu. There are several other awesome people on this list, who also do such commissions. Please comment below if you would like to people to know that you are offering services. Additionally, check this entry for the most complete thread on seamstresses and online sellers in the community.

Overseas Sellers-- Some Japanese companies sell overseas! The ones that are currently offering overseas shipping are as follows:

-Baby The Stars Shine Bright: One of the "couture" gothic lolita companies, with a specialty in the traditional view of gothic lolita. The prices are pretty high, between $75-$400 depending on the item and time of the year. You can sometimes catch their sales. Instructions for overseas orders are written in English here.

--Moi Meme Moitie: This brand is very couture, seeing as it is the personal brand of Mana, the most infamous gothic lolita of all. CD Japan has begun to offer this brand's clothing through their own store, although you can expect to shell out some considerable cash for the items.

-Metamorphose Temps de Filles: This is another "couture" gothic lolita company, who tends to break the margins of the gothic lolita style in design and fabric choices. Although prices are pretty high, they have some pretty regular sales, and have just put out a new "crown label" that has more economical designs.

-Kazuko Ogawa: This shop is run by a professional designer, who is willing to do custom sizes and ship internationally. Her designs are high quality and show a bit more maturity in their styles, for an "older" gothic lolita or aristocratic look. Her prices are comporable to the couture gothic lolita brands.

-Candy Fruit: This shop specializes in "maid" dresses, some of which overlap with the gothic lolita style. The prices are somewhat lower than the couture brands, but the quality is also lower as well. Since it caters to a more sexualized type of cosplay, you have to keep measurements in mind.

-Cosmates Japan: This shop also runs auctions on eBay underneath the user ID cosmates_japan. They sell the "Bodyline" brand of gothic lolita clothing. The prices are somewhat cheaper than the couture brands, but so is the quality. Lots of cheap lace, not so great sewing. Nonetheless, some of the pieces look really cute, and they generally make good "filler" pieces for a gothic lolita wardrobe.

-Milky Ange: This shop used to specialize in just maid-style costumes, but have expanded their line into lolita items. It is a smaller brand that has prett decent quality, but most of the designs are produced in a limited amount, so it will definetly give you a unique edge!

For any overseas purchases, you will usually need to make a direct bank transfer to the shop's account. There are many methods of shipping that can be used, but EMS is the fastest and most reliable way to ship. I've never had any problems with SAL shipping, but it is definetly slower and more risky.

Errand/Auction Services

Yahoo! Japan Auctions are the equivalent of eBay when it comes to the number and scope of the auctions available. However, most auctions will not ship overseas, so all the great bargins available have been blocked from greedy Western imperialism.... until now. There are several auction services who will bid on products for you, and then ship them to your home:

-Rinkya: This has the best browsing system of all the auction services, but the fees are generally higher than most.

-Otaku-Ya!: There is no browsing system, but the service is cheap and reliable.

-Akibado: Another cheap, reliable service that has no browsing system.

If you want to buy directly from a Japanese store that has no overseas shipping, you'll have to use and errand service (also known as a "courier service"). There are quite a few out there listed on Google, but I have personally used Crescent with great satisfaction. Additionally, the talented sumirechan who wrote the "secondhand lolita" tutorial is now offering an errand service. Since she is so personable and detail-minded in her work, I give her a high reccomendation.

American Sellers-- There are really too many sellers to list at this point. The most current listing can be find in the links section of Avant Gauche underneath the "Where To Buy" section. Naturally, each seller varies in skill, quality, and price range, but one can get a pretty good idea of quality based on the website's pictures and their design. If you are a seller, but not listed at Avant Gauche, please comment below to get notice on this entry!.

This thread also contains an extensive list of community members who have stores/commissioning services.

Panic Doll is also a good site for casual lolita clothing and accessories. Definetly try pairing one of her cute tops with a fluffy skirt for a more relaxed look!

So, there you have it, a quickie tutorial on "how to buy gothic lolita clothing", if you live overseas and have a craving for some clothing. Now you just have to find the cash...