Frills, Pants and Cake - Lessons in Kodona

There are times when donning the dress, the petticoat, the bloomers, the tights, rocking horse shoes tends to be cumbersome. And reserving that extra two hours of primping your hair and face to be picture perfect becomes increasingly tedious and time-consuming.

There are days when you just feel like wearing pants.

While majority population of lovers of Lolita fashion are girls, not all of them are fond of wearing skirts and petticoats. Some prefer to be the princely counterpart, the crook for her arm, or to simply stand out even further amongst the sea of skirts.

Boystyle, as it's commonly known (also kodona or ouiji. I tend to define kodona as a younger version, and ouiji looking like a fop), is a subcategory in Lolita fashion, and the name pretty much explains it.

Dress androgynously and feel dandy. Tap into your inner George Sand.

However "boystyle" is not just throwing on your Sunday best. You should be as meticulous, if not more so, with your appearance as much as you do when wearing Lolita. In addition, you don't have to buy brand (but a pair of Alice and the Pirates pants won't hurt either).

When dressing "boystyle" you should consider a few things:

• Use a three-piece suit as a model. For those unsure of the term, it usually encompasses a jacket, a vest, and trousers (or capri pants for a more youthful look). For a casual look stick with vest and trousers.
• Iron everything! No one likes a wrinkled shirt. You'll not only feel neater and cleaner (but you'll impress your mom too).  Optional: creating a crease in your dress pants.
• Avoid Shakespearean "poet shirts" - they tend to give off that costume appearance. 
• Whether you're a girl or guy, make sure tuck your shirt in. No one likes the unkempt look (unless that's the look you're going for)
• A vest hides everything!
• Dandy and Wit has good tutorials if you're unsure how to tie a bowtie or need to pack a suit coat.
• When you wear suspenders make sure you know how to get out of them in case of an emergency.
• The sky's the limit when it comes to shoes. Platforms, noisy dress shoes, and heels never hurt anyone (Louis XIV wore heels and nobody complained). Just make sure it works with the outfit, but not overdone.
• For inspiration I recommend look for any period movies with Hugh Grant. Also Paul Bettany in A Beautiful Mind.
• When in doubt: Keep it simple!

Hope this helps if you ever decide to try boystyle or want to simply impress a girl you know how to dress. Or just want to be manly for a day.