Eucharist

Lolita fashion (ロリータ・ファッション Rorīta fasshon or Elega-torian in english) is a fashion subculture originating in Japan that is Based on Victorian clothing as well as costumes from the Rococo period. Lolita has made this into a unique fashion by adding gothic and original design elements to the look. From this, Lolita fashion has evolved into several different sub styles and has created a devoted subculture in parts of the world. The Lolita look consists primarily of a knee length skirt or dress, headdress, blouse, petticoat, knee high socks or stockings and rocking horse or high heel/platform shoes, although other kinds of shoes are also incorporated.
Although the origin of Lolita fashion is unclear, it is likely the movement started in the late 1970s when famous labels including Pink House, Milk and Angelic Pretty began selling clothes that would be considered "Lolita" by today's standards. Shortly after that came Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, and Metamorphose temps de fille. In the 1990s, Lolita fashion became better recognized, with bands like Malice Mizer and other Visual Kei (or visual type) bands coming into popularity. These bands wore intricate costumes, which fans began adopting as their own style. The style soon spread from its origins in the Kansai region, and ultimately reached Tokyo where it became popularized throughout Japanese youth culture. Today, Lolita fashion has grown so much in popularity that it can be found even in department stores in Japan.


Style Types


Gothic Lolita

Sweet Lolita

Sweet Lolita, also known as ama-loli (甘ロリ ama rori) in Japanese, is heavily influenced by Rococo styles as well as Victorian and Edwardian clothing. Focusing on the child and fantasy aspects of Lolita, the Sweet Lolita style adopts the basic Lolita format and uses lighter colors and childlike motifs in its design.

Makeup used in sweet Lolita is common throughout most Lolita styles. Pink, Peach, or Pearl make up styles are highly 'sweet' and used by many Sweet Lolitas. This look, paired with a shade of bright pink, red or sometimes nude-pink lipstick, is commonly used as well.

Outfits consist of pastels, fruit themes (cherries or strawberries, or any type of sugary fruit), flowers (roses, jasmines, lily, cherry blossoms) lace, bows, animal themes (cats, bunnies, puppies) and ribbons to emphasize the cuteness of the design. Popular themes in the sweet Lolita are references to Alice in Wonderland, sweets, and classic fairy tales. Jewelry often reflects this fantasy theme. Headdresses, bonnets and bows are a popular hair accessory to the sweet Lolita look. Bags and purses usually have a princess-like design and often take the shape of strawberries, crowns, hearts, and stuffed animals.

Examples for Sweet Lolita brands are Angelic Pretty, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and Metamorphose temps de fille. Emily Temple cute (sister brand of Shirley Temple, a Japanese boutique), Jane Marple, and MILK are brands that carry more clothing that would be considered more casual, and are available to purchase at department stores in Japan.

Classic Lolita

Classic Lolita is a more mature style of Lolita that focuses on Baroque,Regency, and Rococo styles. Colors and patterns used in classic Lolita can be seen as somewhere between the Gothic and sweet styles; it is not as dark as Gothic Lolita, but not as cutesy as sweet Lolita. This look can be seen as the more sophisticated, mature Lolita style because of its use of small, intricate patterns, as well more muted colors on the fabric and in the overall design.

Designs containing a-lines, as well as Empire waists are also used to add to the more mature look of the classic style. Most classic Lolita outfits, however, still stick to the basic Lolita silhouette. Shoes and accessories are less whimsical and more functional. Jewelry with intricate designs is also common. The makeup used in classic Lolita is often a more muted version of the sweet Lolita makeup, with an emphasis placed on natural coloring. Classical Lolita brands include Juliette et Justine, Innocent World, Victorian Maiden, Triple Fortune, and Mary Magdalene.

Punk Lolita

Punk Lolita (or Lolita Punk) adds punk fashion elements to Lolita fashion. Motifs that are usually found in punk clothing, such as tattered fabric, ties, safety pins and chains, screen-printed fabrics, plaids, and short, androgynous hairstyles are incorporated into the Lolita look. The most popular garments are blouses or cutsews and skirts, although dresses and jumper skirts are also worn. Common footwear includes boots, Mary Janes or oxfords with platforms. Common Punk Lolita brands are A+Lidel, Putumayo, h. NAOTO and Na+H. Many of the Japanese punk Lolita fashion brands take influence from London's famous Camden Town Markets. Vivienne Westwood, who, though not a Lolita designer, has items and collections that reflect Lolita sensibilities, especially in her Japanese collections, is popular in the punk Lolita scene. Males have known to take up Punk Lolita fashion, and as well as Victorian style Lolita fashion.

Other style and themes

Because of the 'do-it-yourself' nature of Lolita fashion, many other themes have come out of the basic Lolita frame. These styles are often not as well known as the ones mentioned above, but they do showcase the creative nature of the Lolita fashion, and illustrate how people make the fashion their own. Listed below are just a few examples of the smaller subtypes of Lolita fashion.

Wa Lolita

Wa rori (和ロリ), or Wa Lolita combines traditional Japanese clothing styles with the Lolita fashion. Wa Lolita usually consists of kimono orhakama modified to fit with common Lolita garments. The bottom half of the garment is altered to accommodate a petticoat, or a kimono-style blouse is used as a top to accompany a plain Lolita skirt. Outerwear can include haori or adult-sized hifu-vests. The shoes and accessories used in this style are typical of traditional Japanese garb including kanzashiflowers, and geta, zori, or Okobo. These shoes are often used in place of the normal Lolita platform and high-heeled shoes.The origin of the prefix Wa in Wa Lolita is the kanji Wa (和), which is used to denote many things of Japanese origin.

Qi Lolita

Qi Lolita is a similar style but uses Chinese clothing and accessories in place of Japanese. Usually this includes qipao dresses modified to accommodate a petticoat. Accessories include platform-slippers for footwear and bun-covers as hair accessories.

Ōji Lolita (Boystyle)

Ōji (王子) or Ōji-sama (王子様), meaning "prince", is a Japanese fashion that is considered the male version of Lolita fashion. This style takes its influence from the clothing boys in the Victorian era wore. Though it is considered a "boy style", it is often worn by both genders.

Ōji is inspired by what was worn by Victorian boys, and includes masculine blouses and shirts, knickerbockers and other styles of short trousers, knee high socks, top hats, and newsboy caps. The colors usually used are black, white, blue and burgundy, though there are feminine versions of the fashion with a broader palette. Good examples would be some of the outfits sold through Baby, the Stars Shine Bright's line Alice and the Pirates.

Though in Japan this fashion is typically referred to as ouji, in the United States it is common to hear it referred to as "kodona" lolita.

Princess Lolita

Hime (姫), or "Princess," Lolita is characterized by a princess-style look based upon the European aristocratic style. This typically includes a tiara and a rococo style bustle back skirt. The style is often credited as being influenced by the Hime Gyaru trend that boomed in the late 2000s.

Gore Lolita

Gore Lolita (Gore Lolita) is the portrayal of a 'broken doll' or "Innocent Gore" by using items such as fake blood, make-up, and bandages to give the appearance of injury. It is suggested that Guro Lolitas wear white to "emphasize the contrast between purity and their wounds" or because blood contrasts better with white.

Sailor Lolita

Lolita fashion that incorporates the look of a Sailor. This can include sailor collars and ties, sailor hats, and stripes. Not to be confused with the common Japanese "seifuku" or sailor-style school uniform. Also popular is the related substyle "pirate lolita" with a similar nautical theme - this usually incorporates a more elaborate dress, styled with treasure chest bags, tricorns and eyepatches. Jewelry is heavily featured. "Alice & the Pirates" (a sub-label produced by "Baby the Stars Shine Bright") is a clothing brand which is well-known for its pirate-like aesthetic.

Shiro Lolita

Shiro Lolita, or 'White Lolita,' is a Lolita outfit made entirely of white/cream/off-white co-ordinates. Shiro Lolitas often pair themselves with Kuro Lolitas in twin outfits to create an interesting contrast.

Shiro Lolita can be taken from any style of Lolita, whether it be Gothic, Sweet, or Classic; if the co-ordination is completely white, then it is accepted as Shiro Lolita.

Black Lolita

Black Lolita, or 'kuro Lolita,' like white Lolita, is an outfit made-up of co-ordinates of one colour, in this case; black. Black also follows the same guidelines of most of the other Lolita styles, so is still fairly easy to pull-off for beginners.

Classic Lolita

Classic Lolita is the tamest of all the Lolita styles as many Classic dresses could pass for a garden party, church or summer dress. Unlike Sweet Lolita that is about looking cute, Classic Lolita is about looking classy, and harks back to Lolita fashion's roots in Victorian fashion, taking inspiration from the floral patterns, and the sense of elegance of the era; bold colors aren't normally found in Classic Lolita clothing.

Unlike the other styles of lolita, many Classic Lolita skirts have an A-line shape instead of the normal bell shape.

Like the other lolita styles light makeup is suggested but depending on outfit and occasion darker makeup (that still creates a soft look) can be appropriate.

Casual Lolita

Casual Lolita is a more 'toned down' version of the style, while still retaining the basic lolita elements. A favoured element in the Casual Lolita co-ordination is simplicity, so a simple cut-sew with a motif of some sort paired with a lolita skirt and hair accessory such as a headdress would be an example of the style (the hair accessories, if any, are usually toned down as well).

Casual Lolita can best be described as what a Lolita would wear when not 'dressing up': Still modest and elegant, but not to the degree of most other Lolita styles.

Casual Lolita styles can be compiled out of any colours, so long as one remembers to match styles, colours and prints appropriately, as is the case with any other Lolita style. A simple cardigan over a dress or skirt is another common example of a casual look.

Taken from wikipedia