Newbie-Friendly Meetup Ideas:
Anything that involves a medium amount of walking.
Lolita shoes are both expensive and difficult to find. A lot of people can’t order things online or can’t order internationally, so their footwear choices are limited to whatever PayLess has this season. A lot of handmade lolitas and new lolitas have more dress options than shoe options, so planning an event where there’s a good excuse for everyone to take off their shoes is a good way of including people who might feel uncomfortable going otherwise.
When you’re sending out your invitations, throw in a quick reminder of, “Remember, you’re going to be wearing ice skates, so bring shoes you can take off and fit in a locker.” or “Fairy Tale Town Park involves walking, sometimes on uneven ground, so feel free to wear your tennis shoes, or other shoes good for walking.” Make a point of letting people know that shoes aren’t necessary, without being IF YOU’RE TOO NEW OR TOO POOR TO GET REAL LOLITA SHOES IT’S OKAY BECAUSE WE WON’T MAKE YOU WEAR THEM. Being lolita is about being classy, so be respectful and don’t make a big deal about it.
Remember that when you’re hosting a meetup in a public venue, your goal should be that the venue hosting you remembers you fondly as polite, strangely-but-nicely-dressed people who were respectful, and that the venue would enjoy you coming back.
While lolita bowling isn’t a really commonly suggested meetup, it’s absolutely a lot of fun. Most bowling alleys give you a table next to your lanes, and bringing a cute tablecloth and some tea cups to drink your soda out of makes it that much more fun. Remember that the businesses you’re at often rely on food sales to stay operating, and if you’re bringing your own food, at least purchase a couple of pitchers of soda to support them. Soft drinks from a soda fountain are usually the highest-profit item that a food vendor sells, so if you’re only going to get one thing, that’s a good one to get to thank them for allowing your group to have a good time there. Tipping is important, too. If you have the money, and you got even decent service, over-tipping just a bit can help balance out other members of your group who couldn’t or didn’t tip well.
Lolita ice skating is really fun, We already wear several layers and a lot of body covering as part of our looks, so dressing warm is easy. They’re a great excuse to break out your cute winter coats that it’s not quite cold enough for yet. You’re probably going to fall over, so bloomers or modesty shorts are a good idea. It can feel weird to wear bloomers over tights, but not as weird as worrying that someone saw your tight gusset every time you fall. Ice is made of water, so don’t wear any print that can’t get wet. The tops of rental skates can sometimes leave smudged marks on your tights, so this isn’t a good thing to wear your $50 AP tights to. Stick with the ones you can get cheap.
All of these clothing guidelines helpfully end up with, “don’t wear your really expensive lolita,” which subtly makes your lolita meetup more budget-friendly.
Unlike bowling alleys, a lot of skating rinks do not rely on their concessions sales to break even on the day’s sales.
Many mini golf places outright ban heeled shoes, and there’s a lot of walking and standing, so converse-style low-tops are my favorite shoes for that. Tea parties work well, too, or just any sneakers or tennis shoes or flats.
If you are hosting the meetup, and you want to be inclusive to new people, your meetup is a great chance to show off your ability to coordinate with less expensive and offbrand pieces. If you make sure that there is at least one person who isn’t wearing a $1000 coordinate, then you know that anyone who can’t afford a $1000 coordinate will have at least one person to relate to. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever wear your favorite pieces to a meetup. You can always wear any lolita you like, but wearing your taobao and handmade and bodyline and offbrand pieces is a really good way to make sure that new or budget lolitas don’t feel out of place in your meetups. It’s an easy and subtle way to be an inclusive host.
What are your favorite lolita meetup ideas? What are things that have happened to you at a meetup that made you feel comfortable or uncomfortable at a meetup? Do you rarely or never go to meetups? If so, why? What are things you want to see at your ideal meetup?
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