Lolita vs Other Fashions: Introduction

I love Lolita fashion, it is easy to tell. I dress up. I gush at new prints and releases. I dream of Lolita. I stalk blogs and site dedicated to Lolita. I write a blog dedicated to Lolita fashion. I love Lolita fashion, I do, I do, I do.

Now don't get the wrong idea, this isn't one of those post about how Lolita Fashion is superior to other fashions, or how much I hate [insert fashion] because it clearly taking Lolita fashion in the wrong direction. No, this article isn't about that at all. Indeed it is quite the opposite.

I am sure that since Lolita fashion first occurred as an epiphany there has been a desire to stretch it in many directions. To combine it and mod it to suit all taste. There are some that would get red faced arguing that Lolita wasn't intended to be that way but for those that believe that, there are many others that are just itching to explore the boundaries of what Lolita fashion can be.

This is an intro to some of the more controversial lolita hybrids. A series titled Lolita vs Other Fashions.

The next number posts will try to detail these new emerging fashions, I hope you enjoy them. I invite you to comment on any Lolita hybrid you want to see. Of course please give me your opinion of the subject of these lolita hybrids.

Many thanks and much love to you.

Sailor, Pirate Lolita

The next set of Lolita sub-styles are the center of many debates of whether they count as an actual sub-style ( ie sweet, classic, or gothic) or if they are cosplay.

I like to begin with a definition of cosplay or costume play:

A type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often ^[2] drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and Sci-Fi as well as other pop-culture. Favorite sources include manga, anime,tokusatsu, comic books, graphic novels, video games, hentai and fantasy movies. Any entity from the real or virtual world that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Inanimate objects are given anthropomorphic forms and it is not unusual to see genders switched, with women playing male roles and vice versa.

Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centered around role play. A broader use of the term cosplay applies it to any costumed role play in venues apart from the stage, regardless of the cultural context.

From Wikipedia

I like this definition, it is very in-depth. Of course it can be taken to mean that Pirate and Sailor are or are not cosplay. Ultimately it is in the eye of the beholder. For our purpose we will describe these styles as a sub-style of Lolita.

Sailor Lolita:

Sailor Lolita was more popular a few years back and like other sub-styles has fallen out of favor. Of course the name clearly implies what it is, it is lolita infused with the sailor theme.

Popular motifs are anchors, nautical strips, sailor collars and ties, cute sailor style hats. The usual colors are white and navy, white and black, or white and pink but red, white and blue combo can definitely work to achieve this look.

Since this sub-style isn't as popular there aren't many brands that release sailor style lolita. If you are interested in wearing this style be open to searching through off-brand sites like Bodyline and Fanplusfriend, or being vigilant for any brand releases.

Pirate Lolita

Pirate Lolita is rarely seen but it hasn't truly gone by the wayside. Baby's Alice and the Pirates is a brand that caters to this particular style.

Within Pirate Lolita there are sub-styles too.

• Sweet : link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4
• Gothic : link 1, link 2, link 3
• Classic : link 1, link 2, link 3

These separations have much to do with color, and motifs used. Sweet pirate lolita uses pinks and pastels, while gothic might use darker colors like black and purple , etc. Classic would probably dive into browns, maroons.

All use the same motifs with slight modification:

Skulls and cross bones, treasure chest, jewels, pearls, swords, cannons, eye patches, buckles

The use of tricorn hats, big lapels, buckle shoes and boots is prevalent.

Again Baby's Alice and the Pirates is a great place to begin your pirate lolita wardrobe but other brands, off brand and non japanese brands do occasionally release pirate theme items.

So keep an eye out if this is your flavor of Loli.

Happy Valentine's Days

I thank you for being my readers. I really appreciate your readership and hope to bring you many more interesting articles soon.

I wish you all a fabulous Valentine's day. Remember that it the day of love and friendship, so don't just give loved to your significant other spread to all your friends too!

Much love to you all!