Lifestyle Ideas: Quarantine Edition




All of us in the San Francisco community are on a shelter-in-place lockdown until April 7. We are allowed to run essential errands like getting groceries, we can take walks while keeping distance from others, and we still get mail, but cannot otherwise leave the house. That leaves many of us in isolation from our local communities. That being said, we can still find ways to keep each other company and indulge in the fashion. I made a list of 50 lifestyle ideas, inspired by this Livejournal post from 2005. These are suited for those under quarantine or under a shelter in place order, and updated to include ideas for working lolitas and activities that use the technology we have 15 years later. I'd like to get to 101 ideas, so please comment, email, or message me on Instagram if you have any you'd like to share.

50 lifestyle ideas for those stuck at home:
  1. Host a fancy dinner for your housemates, or a romantic dinner for your significant other if you live together. Dress up and light some candles.
  2. Sit outdoors or find a sunny window to read a book. Put on your favorite sunhat for protection and enjoy the fresh air. 
  3. Have a lolita laundry day. This can be a chore, being stuck inside is a good opportunity to do it 
  4. Put on a classical music playlist while you do work around the house. 
  5. Write letters to a loved one on fancy paper. Not being able to visit can be hard, a snail mail letter is very special 
  6. Try designing your own dresses or prints. Digital art is very accessible these days, and makes it easy to share your creations 
  7. Make or install a color theme based off your favorite print for your terminal or text editor of choice, here is an example for inspiration. 
  8. Make yourself an apron or linen dress for doing chores in 
  9. Break out the nice dishes for fun and order delivery. Don't forget to give a generous tip to the delivery person given the pandemic situation. 
  10. Put on a nice coordinate for the workday while you work from home 
  11. Have cheese and wine night, a tradition in the SF comm. Put on a coord that feels like evening wear.
  12. Play games online with comm members. If you like to build, try making a cozy cottage or gothic castle in Minecraft. 
  13. Make something for your pet. A small accessory to go on a collar or harness, a fancy pillow, or sachets of catnip. 
  14. Do some cable management. Look for cables and cable ties in your favorite colors. You can even add bows to the ties if you'd like. 
  15. Play historic parlour games with housemates or friends online 
  16. Become more well-rounded in your knowledge, take an MOOC from a university to learn about a subject. Try something different from your formal education or profession, and get cute notebooks and pens take notes with.
  17. Try a new makeup look. Find another lolita who inspires you with an iconic look and try out their makeup.
  18. Develop a daily ritual that helps you feel more feminine or frilly, like having morning coffee or tea in a special cup 
  19. If you're lucky enough to live with other J Fashion wearers, hold a fashion show in your home. Keep it private or stream it to friends. 
  20. Spend time with your pet(s). They will love the attention and company.
  21. Support other community members and shop for your next dress or accessory from an indie designer or a small business shopping service 
  22. Organize your wardrobe. Take some time redo your accessory or legwear storage, sort your closet, or sell unwanted pieces 
  23. Start a blog with how you're keeping yourself occupied (meta)
  24. Learn to preserve food. If you have extra fruit, try making and canning jam, making a pie, or turning it into bread. If you have extra veggies, give pickling or brining a shot and experiment with the perfect brine recipe 
  25. Study a new language, find another community member online to practice with 
  26. Find something ordinary in your home and use it as a still life for sketching 
  27. Get a cute day planner, or try bullet journaling. Many of us are working from home and may need to add some of our own structure to the workday. Set little goals for yourself and track your accomplishments. 
  28. Maybe a bit macabre, but put together a coordinate inspired by the pandemic. Maybe your inspiration is ladies during the Spanish flu, nurses caring for patients, or cyberpunk looks. 
  29. Have tea for one. There are some very cute tea for one tea sets out there. 
  30. Practice your musical instrument of choice, or compose a song
  31. Join or setup a Discord server for you and other lolitas 
  32. Make your own bread or tortillas. Being able to make staple foods we normally buy is important.
  33. Wear decadent loungewear. Being dressed to the nines all the time (or even dressed in normie clothes) doesn't work for some of us. Get cute loungewear to feel elegant while you're at home
  34. Find classical dance tutorials on youtube. Try ballet and find a makeshift barre in your home
  35. Repair items in your wardrobe. This is a great time to do your mending. Sew buttons back on, shorten JSK straps, or anything else. 
  36. Decorate your home with flowers. you can order silk flowers online, or try to find some at a local grocery store.
  37. Set up a photo booth in your home to document your coordinates. get creative with natural lighting, or find some inexpensive photography lights online. You can even use your phone with a tripod and timer or bluetooth remote 
  38. Decorate your workspace. Hang brand postcards, flowers, novelty brand calendars, or fairy lights 
  39. Have a picnic. Spread out a blanket in your yard, on your patio, or indoors. Picnic can be done with housemates, pets, or even solo.
  40. Start a scrapbook. Have pictures of you and your frilly friends professionally printed.
  41. Decorate a sun hat. Summer will be here before we know it, decorate a hat to protect yourself from the sun that suits your style 
  42. Make a lolita website. It can be your homepage with links to social media, or you can design your own blog.
  43. Make a dish from your parents' or grandparents' recipe book. It's a good way to get in touch with your culture or family history, and a way to connect with relatives 
  44. Long-distance twin. Find someone with whom you share a main piece and twin with them. Take pictures and send them to each other
  45. Catalog your wardrobe. Take pictures of your items and make an archive for your future self.
  46. Practice needle arts: crochet, knit, embroider, or cross-stitch 
  47. Give yourself a manicure. It makes typing and pouring tea more fun. 
  48. Start your garden, get your soil ready or germinate seeds in egg cartons.
  49. Hold a virtual tea party with your comm. Make a theme, do silly online quizzes, or shop online together.
  50. Stream an opera or ballet, a lot of our fashion takes ideas from these, see if you can find new inspiration 
I hope you and your loved ones are well. We'll make it to the other side.

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