Faux Moitie & A Mana Inspired Wardrobe

Moi Meme Moitie is one of Lolita's most beloved brands, it's also one of the more difficult to fit into, afford, or get ahold of if you want anything flashier than a $350 kuro JSK. Moitie pieces often have such a unique style that they are almost in a category of their own. If you take the word of Mana as the word of God, then you could argue that they are in fact a category of their own, seeing as how Elegant Gothic Lolita and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat are phrases he invented to use specifically for Moitie. But what if you love the style but for one reason or another can't fill your wardrobe with the real deal? Well, in this post I'll be helping you add some pieces to your wardrobe that even Mana himself would approve of!

What makes Moitie Moitie?

The first step in finding the right pieces is to identify what exactly makes Moitie clothes look so different from other Lolita brands. Sure, on first glance they look like just about any other Gothic Lolita brand out there, lots of black right? But there are actually a few key differences to Moitie compared to most Lolita brands. Once you learn to recognize what it is that makes Moitie so special, you'll be able to start building up a wardrobe.

• Color- Moitie has a very limited color scheme. Most everything is sold in black, but a few pieces are also sold in a delicate off-white. Don't forget their signature blue color! While often limited to details such as lace or prints, there are a few pieces sold that are done entirely in this color.
• Shape- Moitie dresses and skirts are much less poofy than other Lolita brands, often times they are A-lined or empire wasted.
  
• Material- Very luxurious fabrics such as velvet and chiffon are usually used in Moitie pieces. Sheer chiffon overlays on skirts, as well as blouse sleeves and boleros are used much more with Moitie than in other brands. They also rely upon various kinds of textured fabric to give their plainer styled pieces a bit of interest. Unless it is a printed fabric, they also rarely ever use cotton, instead their pieces are made out of polyester, often times giving them a slight sheen.
  
• Prints- Occasionally Moitie will come out with a piece that features screen printing along the skirt edge, but the most common print to be found on their clothes is the classic floral print. Usually in dark colors, but they also release a fair number of light and romantic colored floral prints on a creme background.
  
• Details- Most pieces by Moitie are very simple in detail. Hardly any of their skirts have a ruffled hem, lace is mostly used to decorate hems, bows are very limited and often only a tied velvet ribbon, and corset lacing with grommets is often seen on waists.

Moitie themes and symbols

There are a few themes and symbols that Moitie has used since its early days. Because most of these are unique to Moitie, you'll have a much harder time hunting down a Lolita item with a similar design. Instead of being dead set on finding skirts with crosses and cathedral prints, try to add some of these designs into your accessories. It's much easier to find western Gothic jewelry with these themes than items of clothes. In fact, the company Alchemy Gothic has quite a few pieces of jewelry that features these symbols.

• Coffins
• Cast iron gates
• Castles
• Candelabras
• Roses
• Crosses
  

Taking some fashion cues from Mana

Mana is the founding father of Elegant Gothic Lolita and he is a great source of inspiration. We can look to him for both how to do it right, and how to do it wrong.

Mana Dos

• Wear elegant gloves- While Mana most likely wears gloves to cover up his big ol' man hands, gloves are still an elegant addition to any Gothic Lolita outfit. Wear your rings over your gloves!
  
• Stockings and socks- The classic Mana tights are a pair of black lacy ones, paired up with black over-the-knee socks topped with lace.
  
• Spidery false eyelashes- Mana's makeup is one of his trademarks, but look to the Don't section for more about that, I'm talking about his false eyelashes. If you would like to try false eyelashes with Lolita, look for a very pointy and spidery pair, much like the ones Mana wears. Go easy with them though, don't apply them to your bottom lids, just the top lids.
• Platform mary janes- Back in the early days of Lolita, huge platform mary janes pretty much the shoe to wear. This is probably because Mana is always seen in a pair of gigantic platforms. While this trend has nearly died out, they still go perfectly with Moitie styled clothes. Demonia sells several pairs of platform mary janes.
  

Mana Don'ts

• Blue lipstick- Number one on the Don't list is Mana's blue lipstick. Unless you are Mana, it's probably not going to look good on you. Save the blue lipstick for Mana cosplay, not everyday wear.
• Full face makeup- Again, were not cosplaying here, just trying to incorperate some Mana-esque styles into our wardrobe, so please don't think you need to cake yourself in white face paint and slather on about 6 pounds of eyeshadow.
• PVC thigh high boots- Please don't. Not even if you are Mana.

Incorporating blue into your outfits

Adding a touch of blue to an all black outfit is a sure way to get the look that Moitie has. There are all sorts of different ways to add it too!

• A single blue piece of clothing- Either a skirt, a blue velvet jacket, or a blue blouse under a black JSK. A blue skirt or blouse in just the right color blue might be hard to find, but it is something that could easily be commissioned. Or if you're feeling adventurous, you could even try dyeing a white blouse. Something like an offbrand blazer would be much easier to find than you might think, as navy colored jackets are often sold in the fall.
  
• Jewelry- A Victorian styled necklace with blue stones would look beautiful with a black dress, and necklaces like this are so easy to find too! This necklace from the brand 1928 is just perfect looking, or perhaps a blue beaded rosary or rosary styled necklace. And don't forget rings, a silver ring with a blue gem slipped over a black lace glove would complete the look.
• Ribbons- If you have a black dress with any kind of corset lacing on it, either down the front, or over shirring on the back, replace it with a blue ribbon!
  
• A blue rose- Hunt down a blue silk rose and either wear it in your hair, or as a brooch. Clothing stores often sell such hair clip/brooch roses, but finding one in blue might be a challenge.
  
• Makeup- No, I don't mean lipstick. I'm talking about a teeny bit of blue around your eyes. Keep the rest of your face more ore less natural, as is common in Lolita, but add a bit of blue eyeliner to your upper eyelid. Try Urban Decay's Bold Blue. Or, instead of blue eyeliner, go natural with your eyeshadow and eyeliner and try Urban Decay's Electric Blue mascara!
• Nail Polish- There are so many colors of nail polish out there, so you can find the perfect shade of blue nail polish to match! Besides painting the whole nail blue, you could do a french manicure of black nails with blue tips. If you can can find some black lace nail decals, they would look incredible on top of some blue nail polish.
• Hair- A few Lolitas who are very hard core about Moitie have died their whole head of hair blue. But if you're not looking for something that extreme you can go with a few blue highlights, or even a clip-on hair extension if you want something a lot less permanent. Some added blue looks best in either black or very blond hair.

Where to buy Faux Moitie and Moitie-esque pieces

There are a few places you can find pieces that would look right at home in a Moitie filled wardrobe, and even some places selling pieces that were directly inspired by Moitie.

• Chiaki-Ayumi on Livejournal- The above skirt was made by her with custom printed fabric that mimics, without being a direct copy of, the classic Iron Gate skirt, but sadly I don't know if she has any more of the fabric. She also has sold a similar skirt with machine embroidered Gothic castles. The Iron Gate print is probably one of Lolita's most sought after prints, but there has been nothing that was "close enough" until now. It's a dream come true for some Lolita's to be able to get their hands on similar print.
  
• In The Starlight- ITS often makes a skirt with a rose print on it that I think has a Moitie feel to it. They used to sell it in a much more vibrant blue, but I haven't seen that kind in stock for a while.
  
• Forever 21- They are a good source for sheer black blouses, similar to the kind that Moitie often carries. Currently there are actually 2 cardigans that reminded me instantly of Moitie, one in black and blue, and one in white and blue.
• Bodyline- They sell a near exact copy of the famous Moitie bat purse. I have this purse and I have got to say I love it. I don't know if they currently have any in stock at the moment, but Cosmates has the same purse for a good price.

Using some of the tips above I made a quick coordinate that is just a simple black blouse and JSK combo, but with some added accessories to give it more of a Moitie feel. Even though this JSK is much poofier and more traditional Lolita than many Moitie pieces, the different elements give it a new look.

Phew! This post ended up way longer than I had intended. I'm not a Moitie expert, I mostly just really love blue x black combos and the Iron Gate print!