The Newbie's Guide to Lolita Fashion: Part one - What is Lolita

If you're reading this, I'm going to assume two things: 1. You don't know much about Lolita fashion. 2. You want to know more.
Well you've come to the right place! This will be an easy to understand guide filled with everything a newbie should know.

First: What is Lolita fashion? Before we dive into this, I'd like to explain what it isn't -

Lolita is not a fetish, costume, age-play or anything else but a real fashion style. Some Lolitas like to live a Lolita Lifestyle ( Which I will explain in another part of this guide ) but that is not required to be a Lolita, nor is anything else such as a particular attitude required to be a Lolita - all you need is the clothing!
Lolita fashion also has nothing to do with the novel Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov. Here are some other misconceptions about Lolita fashion.

Now to explain what it is.

Lolita fashion is a subculture that began as a street fashion in Japan sometime in the 1980s, taking its inspirations from the Victorian era, the Rococo period and the look of Visual Kei bands. It has grown in popularity and evolved quite a lot since it first began and there are now Lolitas all over the world.

Since Lolita is a very unique fashion, there are a set of guidelines as to what is and isn't Lolita. Click here to see what exactly makes up a Lolita outfit. Though that is basically what a Lolita outfit is, there are many different types of Lolita, and while all of them are different they all share their similarities, mainly the poofy skirt or dress, a certain amount of elegance, femininity and Victorian/Rococo inspirations.

Those are the very basics about the fashion, the next part to this guide will be on How to Become a Lolita. In the meantime, here are some very informative places to go to learn even more about Lolita fashion!

Lolita fashion.org

Lolita fashion's Wikipedia page

The Lolita fashion Wiki

Lolita Handbook

How to be Original in Lolita

So, you'd like to add a dash of your own personality and uniqueness to your Lolita coordinates? Fantastic! Here's some tips to help you do it.

Do: 

• Keep a Lolita silhouette.
• Make sure your colors match.
• Make sure everything else matches, too. 
• Try not to get too crazy, originality is great but you still want your co-ordinate to be easily recognizable as being Lolita.
• Plenty of research. Gain as much knowledge about Lolita fashion as possible and it will be even easier to create your own style. 
• Keep in mind that some Lolitas may dislike your co-ordinate and be open to positive criticism. 
• Try to make your outfit look as nice as possible, put effort into it. Laziness just doesn't look good.

Don't: 

• Try to be completely unique and original. There is a certain point at which breaking too many of the "rules" makes your outfit just not Lolita anymore. It's okay to break one or two as long as you still keep the Lolita silhouette. 
• Try to be unique with your first Lolita outfit. You wouldn't try to create your own recipe while you have little cooking experience and barely any ingredients, would you? Same here, chances are if you have only just gotten your first Lolita outfit, you don't have the means or the experience to make it "original". Get the hang of it first and wait until you have more clothes to experiment with. 
• Break all the rules for the sake of breaking all the rules. Understand that they are only there to keep Lolita fashion being the fashion that it is instead of turning into something else. 

Lolita Essentials

I love buying jumperskirts. I love it perhaps even more than buying any other types of Lolita clothing! However, there is more to Lolita than just the dress. 

I admit that saving up for the basics takes time, money and even more patience, but it will definitely be worth it. But what exactly should you be saving up for? Well, to answer that question, here is a list of what will make up the very foundation of your Lolita wardrobe in no particular order.

 Petticoat(s)

Having a good, quality petticoat or two from the beginning will save you a lot of trouble in the end, trust me. A good petticoat that matches the style you will most often wear is best, bell-shape is perfect for most styles of Lolita and especially Sweet but some Classic dresses would work best with an A-line petticoat. Where to buy a good, quality petticoat that isn't too costly? I myself haven't bought it, personally I've recieved my petticoats from my awesome grandmother, but I've heard nothing but good things about this one in particular, and it doesn't deflate!

 A White Blouse with Detachable Sleeves

As I've said before, starting out with a white blouse is definitely best. White blouses go with just about everything and it will save you money in the long run.

Socks

And lots of them! You can find a nice pair of plain white or black socks that will coordinate easily just by taking a trip to the mall. If you find some in cute colors that will match things you already own and/or plan to buy, then that's good as well. I'd recommend getting both knee-high socks as well as ankle socks for when the weather changes.

A Simple Hair Accessory 

This may not seem like a very important item, but personally I think an outfit looks incomplete without it! There are many things you can choose from, headdresses, bonnets, bows, ect. but whatever you choose, choose it in a color that you are sure to wear often such as white, offwhite, pink or black, to match your wardrobe. 

Shoes

Black or white shoes with no heels, I can't stress this enough. Heels will kill your feet when you walk anywhere and black or white shoes are very easy to coordinate with.

A Purse 

A purse that matches your wardrobe, not just one dress. I say this because it will save you a ton of money in the end, a cute and simple purse that matches most of the items you own will serve you well. I wouldn't choose one too expensive however, it's bound to get a bit beat up from wear ( or at least mine do ).  

Something to Keep You Warm

I don't live in a very cold place ( for instance, it's winter and outside it feels like summer right now. ) so a simple cardigan is usually enough to keep me warm. Depending on where you live, you may need a coat or a jacket, ect. so getting one will definitely come in handy. 

A Parasol

Waterproof parasols shield you from the sun and protect you from the rain all while keeping you looking adorable! 

Jumperskirts or Skirts

I have to mention these of course! Jumperskirts and Skirts are generally better than OPs when just starting out since they can make a lot more coordinates and are usually less expensive. At first you should probably just stick to one main color, pink for example ( It's the main color of my wardrobe, ha ha. ), so that you won't be constantly having to buy new accessories and clothing in a color that matches. 

I know I mentioned color a lot in this, but hey, it's pretty important when it comes to a coordinate!

When is Lolita fashion inappropriate?

This is a question that has been asked many times by many different Lolitas.
There are many different answers, but here is my opinion on it.

When Lolita is inappropriate 

• At work: Some Lolitas will claim that Lolita is ALWAYS inappropriate at work. I disagree, I believe it is only inappropriate at work if your boss doesn't allow it. If you ask to wear Lolita or a more toned down version of Lolita and your boss allows it, then of course you can wear it - but always get their permission first.
• School: This just depends on your school rules and whether or not you can handle or want to handle wearing Lolita every day, as not only is it an attention grabbing fashion whether you intend it to be or not, but it can be hard wearing it all day every day too. Sometimes it just isn't the most comfortable fashion in the world.
• Funerals: Unless the funeral is for a Lolita, I wouldn't wear Lolita to a funeral, and even if it was for a Lolita I would only consider wearing Gothic or Kuro Lolita if I were to wear it at all. Funerals are about remembering the person who died, just be respectful of that.
• Family Reunions: This just depends on your family and where they are meeting at. I would just go for a more toned down Lolita style if you do decide that it's appropriate to wear. 

Those are the only things I can think of where it might not be appropriate to wear Lolita, but above all just use your common sense. For example, I'm sure that everyone knows Lolita is inappropriate in some situations just because of practicality - jeans and a t-shirt are more appropriate for volunteer work than Lolita fashion. It's really not that hard to determine where to wear Lolita and where not to wear it, but I hope this helps. :)


P.S.  I've just decided to simply respond to comments in the blog post itself, because no matter what I try I just can't respond any other way. So yeah.

Edit - Scratch that, I just found out a way to make it work! Finally! lol

For the Everyday Lolita

Who doesn't want to look like a doll or a princess or even just dress up a bit every day?
But sometimes, it's just not practical to go OTT. So I thought I'd put together a few tips on how to go a bit more casual for the everyday Lolita.

Since school is starting again, I thought I'd mention that if you are in school and want to wear Lolita to school, these tips might be helpful to you, however you should always check with your school rules to make sure Lolita is appropriate before wearing it to school! If it isn't appropriate or you simply don't want to wear full out Lolita, you might like to simply add a bit of Lolita to your everyday look. Some good ways to do this would just be to wear a cutsew with some jeans, or just wear a Lolita skirt with no petticoat and a nice shirt or blouse. An example of a good cutsew appropriate for school -

Shoes are also something you may want to think about. Heels probably wouldn't be preferable to wear to school, but some nice, simple flats would look very cute. Socks can be anything you would normally wear that would go with your outfit. As for accessories, any Lolita jewelry will probably do, but the giant head eating bows probably won't, so you might want to opt for smaller ones or just some cute hair clips.

Moving on, now for my tips on a somewhat more casual Lolita.

The Shoes

It's not really the most comfortable thing in the world to walk around in high heels all day. Trust me, I've tried. And as cute as they can be, they aren't always the shoes you want. There are lots of cute flats out there or shoes with less of a heel and sometimes they can even be found at normal stores. Make sure they fit you correctly though, or they won't be more comfortable than heels after all. I also have a pair of boots that are extremely comfortable from a normal store, so that might be something you want to try too, if it suits you.

Petticoats

Sometimes one petticoat is actually all you may need or want, perhaps two at the most, but multiple petticoats are just not very comfortable some days. If you plan on wearing Lolita every day, only one or two petticoats might be preferable.

Tops

This includes blouses, cardigans cutsews and coats. Blouses are beautiful, but you might want to save the more expensive ones for special occasions to ensure that they remain as nice and pretty as when you bought them, other blouses you can just wear everyday, or even just wear cutsews or sometimes even nice shirts you can find at normal stores. Cardigans come in handy during cooler but not winter weather, plus you can wear them with a normal shirt to give it a more elegant touch. I'm not talking about ratty old t-shirts however, so just use your judgement on what tops will go with Lolita or not. Hint - not the ones with holes in them. 

On the subject of coats, they tend to be rather expensive when it comes to Lolita, even some from Bodyline can be over your budget, it might be worth the investment however, and there are some cute hoodies from normal stores that can work well with Lolita and are more casual than Lolita coats. Here is a hoodie from Alice and the Pirates, for example -

Socks

Knee-high socks are adorable, but sometimes not always practical, and especially in warm weather. It's usually pretty easy to find Lolita appropriate socks or tights from normal stores, ankle socks are sometimes the best choice for warm weather.

Hair Accessories

The giant bow is not necessary. It's absolutely fine if you like it, but it might not be very good to wear everyday for some people, such as myself. In fact, I don't even own a giant bow. Bows are very easy to make, in fact I am considering making a tutorial on how I myself make the bows I wear, so I find they are the perfect everyday accessory. Mini top hats might also be good for everyday if you like them, or headdresses and even bonnets. Giant bonnets might not be so good for everyday use, half bonnets however might be your thing. Sometimes though, I don't even feel like wearing a bow, just a simple, cute hair clip is enough for those days, and they are easy to find anywhere. In fact, you can find any nice hair accessory basically anywhere. 

Hairstyles

Curling your hair everyday is just going to damage it. You can just wear your hair down with a cute accessory or put it up in something simple, like pigtails. A ponytail is generally frowned upon though.

Purses

Purses are another easy to find item, and you may even be able to make them. I've seen many adorable purses that can go well with Lolita, Claires is a good place to look. I wouldn't recommend carrying around expensive brand purses everywhere, unless you want to of course, because they are probably going to get beat up and damaged and not look nearly as nice as when you first purchased them. Purses are probably going to take a heavy beating if you use them everyday, so pick something cheap but nice and durable. 

Accessories

One of my favorite things about Lolita, the accessories! Basically you can choose any Lolita accessory as long as it isn't going to start to annoy you after awhile. To much jewelry might however, so I would keep it limited to a few, nice items.

So there are the tips I have for you on wearing Lolita everyday, I hope they were helpful! 

Also, since school is starting I am more busy lately, but I will definitely still try and post frequently.

Love, Amelia Jane.

Ignorance is not Bliss.

Another appropriate title for this blog entry could have been "The Things I Wish I Knew Before Buying My First Lolita Outfit" but that is quite a mouthful!

I have learned from the mistakes I made when purchasing my first Lolita outfit ( Hopefully anyways! ). So I make this post in the hopes that Lolitas purchasing their first outfits can learn from my mistakes as well!

Mistake #1  Buying a colored blouse. 

Colored blouses are cute. Colored blouses are fine. But when it is your first blouse, you really want a white one, unless perhaps you are a Gothic Lolita, then a black blouse might be your first choice, but even then a white blouse would go with more and be cooler in terms of temperature. So when buying your first blouse, I strongly recommend buying a white one, preferably with detachable sleeves.

Mistake #2  Buying a cheap blouse.

I absolutely love Bodyline. Most of their clothes I find adorable, and the prices are very decent, but one thing I am not so fond of from Bodyline is the quality of their blouses. They are alright, but definitely not as good as they could be, especially with the quality of the lace on my first Lolita blouse. The lace is scratchy and bothersome and as cute as the blouse is, it's somewhat uncomfortable to wear. There are blouses of higher quality such as brand blouses that can be purchased at a cheaper price from sources such as the comm sales on EGL or even found at thrift stores.

Mistake #3  Buying socks with cheap lace.

Purchasing socks with no lace at all is better than buying socks with cheap, scratchy lace. Of course, it was hard to tell the lace quality by the small picture on Bodyline's website, but with Bodyline one should always be wary of the lace. Actually, I think my first mistake was buying socks from anywhere but a normal store in the first place, for the simple fact that 'normal' socks can be just as cute and far cheaper. I have gotten socks from the mall that are far cuter and have far softer lace than the socks I got from Bodyline, and they were cheaper too!

Mistake #4 Neglecting to purchase a good petticoat.

As any good Lolita will soon realize, you need a good petticoat to complete your outfit. I strongly suggest you stay far away from the petticoats at Bodyline unless you plan on either buying a lot of them, or not having a ton of poof. Tulle petticoats are definitely not the best, they will lose their poof within a few wears. While it is possible to revive them using starch, it's definitely better to save up for a petticoat made with crinoline or organza. While I unfortunately do not own a petticoat made with either of these, I've heard that they never die! If you absolutely cannot buy them however, you can buy a couple decent tulle petticoats so that even if they were to die, the sheer number of them would add poof to your skirt.


Now that I have told you the mistakes I have made when purchasing my first outfit, here are some mistakes other people have made that every Lolita should try to avoid ( In no particular order. ).

Cheap fabrics. 

 Basically, any cheap looking fabric that would be used in a costume is not Lolita. The best choice is cotton. Shiny fabric, pressed velvet and the like are very hard to make look good in a true Lolita outfit.

Scratchy, ugly lace. 

The best type of lace is soft and doesn't have an obvious, cheap netting. For a wonderful guide on how to tell good lace from bad lace by Miss Caro-chan, click here! Also, a good Lolita dress or skirt isn't a lace monster ( A dress absolutely covered in - usually bad - lace. ) and in fact, a dress or skirt doesn't even need lace to be Lolita.

Strange dresses.

If a dress has many odd colors, an unusual shape, or is based on anime, it is probably not Lolita. I'm not saying you can't be unique, but wait until you get the hang of Lolita! Even if a dress is extremely cheap, if it's clearly only meant for cosplay, it's not worth buying to wear as true Lolita, especially if it's your first outfit.

Revealing clothes.

Lolita is not about sex, nor is it a fetish. Lolita is a modest fashion, skirts should be just about knee-length and blouses should not reveal a ton of cleavage. Showing a lot of leg is generally a taboo also, but short socks are just fine on a hot day ( I know I would melt where I live if I wore knee-high socks in the middle of summer! ) and so is going without a blouse while wearing a Jumperskirt.




Take these tips as you will, you are of course free to wear what you like and that is none of my business, these are simply some things I've learned that have helped me with wearing Lolita and maybe they will help you too. The main thing you should remember is that it is okay to break a few rules, but Lolita has rules for a reason, otherwise it wouldn't be Lolita!


Love, Amelia Jane.