Classical Lolita

Of the three styles Classical Lolita has the most apparent reference to the Victorian age, and the Rococo era.The Classic Lolita exudes elegance in muted tones and floral fabrics, relaying a more subdued but still Lolita style.The basic silhouette is present in Classical Lolita, but brands have been known to lower the hem or even get rid of the bell shaped skirt in favour of a more lady like pencil skirt a la Victorian Maiden or even use bustle skirt bringing back the late 19th century feel.

Brands that cater to Classical Lolita:

• Victorian Maiden
• Mary Magdalene
• Innocent World
• Juliette et Justine
• Millefleur
• Megan Maude
• Blasphemina's Closet

Sweet Lolita

Probably the most popular and the one most people associate with Lolita. She is the sugary sweet princess that portrays the innocent and colorful side of Loli.

Like her Gothic Loli sister she also has the basic silhouette but she dresses in pastels, cute prints and themes.

Though at the beginning sweet lolita was very similar to today's Classical Lolita , brands like Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, and Metamorphoses temps de fille have given its unique personality that is bubbly and whimsical.

Brands that cater to Sweet Lolita:

• Angelic Pretty
• Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Metamorphose temps de fille
• Emily Temple Cute
• Heart E

Gothic Lolita

Perhaps the first to develop with in the fashion scope of Lolita, Gothic Lolita or GosuRori was birthed by the visual kei artists and fans. Mana the most recognizable Gothic Lolita and member of many Visual Kei musical groups among the Malice Mizer, has described the style as elegant coining the name Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL). Mana is also the owner of his own Lolita brand, Moi-même-moitié, a brand that caters to Gothic Lolita substyle.

So who is the Gothic Lolita?
She hangs in the delicate balance between the sugary sweetness of the Sweet Lolita and the darkness of Western Gothic Styles. Like most of the other Lolita sub-styles, she works with in the silhouette though the gothic Loli employes darker colors and themes. Crosses, bats, coffins and perhaps a few skeletons are mixed in with themes of roses, Gothic iron gates and exquisite lace

Many brands cater specifically to the Gothic Loli

• Moi-même-moitié
• Excentrique
• Atelier Boz
• Black Peace Now
• h. Naoto

Styles and Future Articles

The fashion genre Lolita encompasses several different styles, each with its unique character and guidelines.

• Gothic Lolita
• Sweet Lolita
• Classical Lolita
• Kodona

Right now I am planning on making article dedicated to each of the mayor sub-styles with Lolita

I also plan coming up with some interesting tutorials for hair wear.

Updates: Blog, Vlogs and Other Interesting Sites

The Lolita community has grown in last few years and the media has been jumping strides to cater to the new population. Now there are more blogs, vlog and sites that either have a full on lolita theme or have a small post featuring the fashion.

There has also been recent media attention, beside the regular newspaper or newscast, a show called Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty recently aired an episode which featured Japan and a little bit of Lolita fashion . Maki and Asuka had about a nano second of air time and sure they lumped it all into the "harajuku girl style". I won't go into a rant about it, but if you haven't seen it you can watch the segment here.

On to the blogs:

Gothic Lolita Sewing and Other Amusements has become one of my followed blogs, written by Ra, it features her adventures in Lolita and gives many tutorials for the sewing inclined Loli.

Ra mentioned to me NMRFXXR ( aka Saku)'s blog I love the photography and the coordinates I love the rocker aesthetic, though dandy/kodona is the main element any Lolita can learn something about creating an elegant ensemble.

For all the rule breakers there is Andrea's blog Screw the Rules, because rules are meant to be broken.

And the Vlogs:

Desany is a building up her channel LolitaCupcakeXD over in youtube land, I especially love her skirt tutorial.

Lolita blogs, vlogs, and articles

There are many sources to satisfy your hunger for Lolita. I have added on post listing sites and databases to help you understand the basic rules of Lolita.

But perhaps you would like to know more but form an actual Lolita, herself.

Well, of course you have me, but please don't believe I know everything there is to know about Lolita, go out there and get other perspectives. I know I do.

So here's a list of some blogs I follow:

Lolita Charm and The Charm Channel : A blog and vlog by the lovely Victoria Suzanne. She features articles that inspire thought, helps out the fashion conscious and teach us to make our own Lolita items.

The Princess Portal and The Lost Princess : Princess Skye's old and new blogs. The Princess Portal older entries (Which I believe are still available) Have many tips on being a lifestyle Lolita. And her new blog The Lost Princess though not Lolita centered can still give us many ideas that we could modify to fit our needs.

Miss Lumpy : By the darling Miss Lumpy, gives us a new perspective on being Lolita and molding it to fit our lives.

One Thousand Frills : By the charming Cassandra or sweetly nicknamed Cassu, offers us advice on all styles of lolita, necessities before a meet up and other helpful and sometimes overlooked details.

My Sweet Blog (Princessly Living): a blog I recently was introduced to by a fine member of the EGL Livejournal Community member. I find a lot of inspiration from this witty writer


I will be adding more sources once I've found them, keep a look out for your won as well.

How?

So you know the what, why and where of Lolita fashion. Surfing through brand sites you find yourself looking through the prices and wondering how anyone can offer to be a Lolita.
No worries... most sell their souls-kidding though I have to admit some Lolitas seemed to be the reapers of the souls by the way the act. Yikes!

But back to the main topic: Lolita on a Budget!

How can achieve the dream wardrobe with a whole army of financial set backs?

In today's economy I am still surprised to see some of our favorite Lolita brands still open for business. Yay, for them!

But I am barely staying a float.

So what is a potentially great Lolita to do? I won't have the heart to spend 200+ plus on any garment when that money can go to more important things but I don't want to give up my frills and lace.

EGL Community Sales, Ebay, Closet , Bodyline, etc. to the rescue. Not all Lolis have the loot to fling at APs new marvelous prints. And sometimes to afford a new dress Lolis resort to putying their older garments on sale. You can find great deals on "vintage" prints and designs by going to your follow Lolis.

When buying make sure to have a good idea of what you already have and look for items that you can mix in with what you own, so that you can get more bang for your buck.

If your building up your wardrobe buy pieces in solid colors that can mix well with adorable prints.

Seamstresses and Homemade: Is another way to get your dream wardrobe, with the added benefit of getting a quality garment fit specially for you. This is also a great choice for Lolitas that don't fit in to brands limited sizing. Ay how I wish MM would produce bigger sizes.

Remember to buy quality materials, read the Lolita Handbook for tips on proper fabric, lace and everything you'll need.

I shall be adding tutorials later on so be on the look for those.