Since I am going to mainly write about Lolita fashion, I find it necessary to explain the style and its basic elements. For those of you who don’t know, Lolita is an alternative fashion that originated in japan around the 80’s, but was popularized in the west in around the year 2000, depending on your definition of popular… It has become a somewhat well-known style in the west the last five years or so. Today the Lolita fashion has a distinctive set of rules and very specific aesthetics. Let’s start with a superfast summary of the silhouette.
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| http://store.vivcore.com/ |
The basic
Lolita silhouette consists of a wide skirt, around knee-length. The skirt is
worn with a petticoat to achieve a bell-shaped or A-line poof. The bell shape
is more commonly used in sweeter coordinates, and the A-line shape is more
often used in classic and gothic coordinates – but it’s a matter of personal
opinion and taste. Usually dresses are worn, that can either be sleeveless – a
so called JSK’s(Jumperskirt) or with long or short sleeves – so called
OP’s(One-Piece) The JSK is usually worn with a blouse underneath to cover the
shoulder or entire arm. Wearing a JSK without a blouse works fine – but it
usually seen during the summers when wearing a blouse is simply too warm.
Together with dress and blouse, socks and headdresses are used to compliment
the outfit. Socks are usually knee-high, or above the knee, but full tights are
also common. The headdresses consists of hats in all shapes and sizes, bows,
bonnets, hairbands and traditionally; rectangular or round pieces of fabric
adorned with lace and other embellishments that stay in place when tying them
with ribbons under the chin. Like other fashions – regular accessories like
jewelry, purses, gloves etc. are also used.
Examples of Lolita headgear:
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| Left: A bonnet with a full brim Right: A rectangular headdress |
Moving on
to specifics; Lolita garments are usually made out of cotton, and the typical
Lolita dress also features lace of good quality – also usually cotton. Dresses and skirts vary in design and fabrics, making some Lolita garments very plain while others are very elaborate and highly decorated. Printed dresses usually tend to look a bit more elaborate and decadent - all depending on the actual print present on the fabric. Prints have become increasingly popular, and border prints specifically has
been very common and is seen throughout all Lolita-genres.
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| Borderprint: The print is mainly located around the hem of the skirt |
When it comes to actually buying the clothes, Lolita garments are mainly bought from Japan and the brands located there; however - smaller brands located outside Japan has become increasingly popular and common. Today it's fairly easy to find Lolita garments that are made in Europe or America, but Online shopping definitely dominates the western Lolita scene. It is not at all common to shop online overseas; both to buy brand new garments and second hand ones. If you want the new brand-release before it sells out you don't have much choice other than to buy directly from the Japanese websites - that may or may not be translated to English. It's a bit tricky, and with custom fees and shipping Lolita makes for quite an expensive hobby. The prince for a dress obviously varies a lot, but about 24000 yen is pretty standard for a printed brand dress. With Lolita you get what you pay for. There are cheaper alternatives to the brand garments that vary in quality. The fabric, lining and lace is usually the biggest difference between a dress from a brand like Innocent world or Baby the stars shine bright, and a garment from a brand like Bodyline.
