Getting to Know: Mary Moos and the Lolita Fashion Part 3

Please read Part 2 of the interview before reading Part 3

Modeling for her friend Tyler's brand, Lily of the Valley Designs. From left to right: friends Aisha, Martha and Mary Moos

Lolita Fashion Activities

You like the fashion, want an outfit and maybe a few accessories. Where in the world do you begin? For Mary she does most of her shopping online. However, her clothes are custom made to fit her body measurements from a variety of friends and seamstresses online. “She'll give me a price point and work with me on my idea and then make the item to my measurements, it takes a month or two to make it.” Not only does Moos shop solo, she also attend group outings in Philadelphia, called lolita meet ups, which involves shopping for items and clothing related to the lolita fashion. “It's not really hard to find a place to shop for cute things that could work with a Lolita outfit. We usually go around the Rittenhouse Square area, which has a bakery with macarons (the official lolita food!), an H+M, and tons of fancy little boutiques, or we go to South Street, which has lots of vintage boutiques and cheap jewelry shops”

Now you have your outfit and accessories, but you want to try to have a lolita fashion related event of your own. You have an idea and envisioned the outing, but you need help to make it happen. For Moos, when she is in such a situation, she mentions “it to someone with more gumption to actually get the idea going.” As a result of the assistance, the individual “did a really great job putting the meet up together and a lot of people showed up.”

Besides being the organizer of a small meet up, there maybe an opportunity out there for lolita fashion goers. One such activity is participating in an event, such as a convention, but as a speaker of a lolita fashion related panel. “I think the key to running a good lolita panel or lecture, since there have been many years of introductory lolita panels and so many people know about it now, is to first pick a topic that hasn't been done…To be a speaker on a panel, whether it's an introductory panel or something entirely new, it's important to be prepared and knowledgeable about the subject.” Even if you are knowledgeable about a perfect topic for a lolita fashion panel, there is another important component in a speaker event: the audience. It is important to gain and have the audience attention. Do you want your audience member to fall asleep on you? I know I would not want that to happen. However, do not fear, because visual aids, such as digital slides, will be helpful in keeping the audience alert and focused. According the Moos, “engaging the audience by handing out prizes, asking for volunteers, or entertaining questions makes the panel more interactive and then everyone is more likely to pay attention.”

Mary Moos’s Planning an Event Schedule:

1. Month or so before the meetup: Set a date, see if there's interest
2. Two weeks before the meetup: Make reservations if necessary, advertise to interested parties
3. Night before the meetup: Set out my outfit, make sure I have everything, includibng everyone's numbers are in my phone
4. Day of the meetup:
1. Wake up early, shower, spend way too much time on my makeup and hair
2. Get dressed
3. Get ready to leave
4. Inevitably forget something
5. Go back to get it and miss my train
6. Get the next train and try to get to the meetup a little bit before other people so I can greet people

Mary Moos Panel Schedule:

1. Months before con:
1. Send in panel submission to panel coordinator of the con and wait for approval.
2. If it gets approved, brainstorm with co-panelists about the format of the panel, what topics should be discussed, how to approach sensitive subjects, how to divvy up speaking and content duties
3. Start working on powerpoint or notes or visual aid
2. Night before panel: Actually finish the powerpoint at 3 AM
3. Morning of panel: Put together outfit and spend too much time in the bathroom fixing makeup and stuff, piss off con roommates
4. Right before panel: Get terrible jitters
5. During panel: Make jokes no one gets, laugh for a whole minute at the fact that you just said "cut up your midsection" when talking about blouse+skirt coordinates, have the audience stare at you like you're a lunatic

© 2010 Linda Thai

Thank you Mary Moos for the photograph! Stay tune for Part 4 of the Mary Moos interview!