30 Day Lolita Challenge - Day 10

Day 10's prompt is simply "what's in your purse?" I don't take too much along with me to meet-ups or out when I wear lolita, so instead, I think I'll write about what I take with me to cons where I'll be wearing lolita, doing panels, and having fun with friends!

I pretty much always drive to cons. I flew once, and it just wasn't worth it. So first thing is that I don't wear lolita in the car, if I can help it. It's uncomfortable and when driving it can get in the way. I'll just change when I get there. For a three day convention, I usually take at least one skirt, and either one or two jumpers. This is where having continuity in your wardrobe pays off. I can take a blouse and a cutsew, one dress, and one skirt, and I'll have three different outfits. One pair of shoes should work for both, one purse, and my undergarments. Packing lightly is very important, as you'll want to leave plenty of space for souvenirs! For a really big convention, I might take two dresses so that I can make more outfits. For example, I will be attending Otakon for the very first time this year! I'm planning on taking two dresses and perhaps a skirt outfit. I may take three dresses and be done with it, but that's an awful lot to pack.

I always take my comfiest pair of shoes for waiting in lines and walking around the convention. As much as I love my rocking horse shoes, I save those for local meets. If I'm doing a fashion show or a really big panel, then I might wear them, but I change right back after. Parasols are cute, but remember, it's just one more thing to carry around, one more thing to look after, and one more thing to pack back up at the end of the con. You won't need a coat unless you're planning to be outside a lot. The convention hall should be heated. Try to take as few things with you to the actual convention floor as possible, leave the rest in your hotel room or car.

For my make-up I have one set that I take with me. I keep it in my purse so I can touch it up even if I'm not in the hotel room. I keep everything together in a make-up bag. This makes it easy to find and you won't get it mixed up with your roommate's stuff. Nothing is worse than looking for your make-up and finding eyebrow paint for cosplay instead!

Wigs. Ugh, I hate traveling with wigs. I used to be a cosplayer. I quit for many reasons, one of which was that I hate wearing, storing, traveling with, styling, maintaining, and generally caring for wigs. So what did I do? I purchased the brown mix color wig from Gothic and Lolita wigs. It's really cute, but wigs are such a pain. Make sure you take a way of storing it for when you aren't wearing it, a wig head is ideal but they do take up a lot of space in your suitcase. Also make sure to take anything you may need to fix or re-style it. A wig brush, de-tangler, and setting spray are must haves. I didn't take them to my last convention, and it was a bit of a nightmare.

Finally, when you get to the con, make sure to hang up your dresses, skirts, blouses, pants, and/or whatever else you've brought. This prevents wrinkling, and will allow your clothing to air out from the suitcase. Use an iron if you need to, but make sure to check if that will harm your print or lace before hand! Low settings should be fine, but just be careful. It would be terrible to get to the convention, iron your dress, and have it be ruined. Get dressed up and go to the convention!

I've been having really terrible writer's block recently, but I feel like I can write lots more about lolita and conventions. Will anyone reading be at Otakon too? I'm really excited to go, especially now that designers from BABY and Alice and the Pirates will be there! But more on that later. Bye bye for now!