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!

Wa and Qi Lolita

Among the hardest of the substyles to coordinate Wa and Qi Lolita tiers between what is considered lolita and what is cosplay. The seasoned coordinator might have an easier time establishing these styles into a truly Lolita outfit and not have it be knocked down as cosplay or worse and ita outfit.

I personally like Wa and Qi, dreaming of coordinated that still have yet to manifest.

The element of Japanese or Chinese traditional fashions are mixture with the lolita silhouette.

For Wa Lolita it is common to see yukata or kimono, obis, getta. Kanzashi and other traditional hair adornments are also worn. Meta also makes a kimono fabric jsk which are perfect for the beginner experimenting with Wa Loli.

In Qi Lolita it is usual to see a quipao usually modified to allow the cupcake skirt quintessential to Lolita underneath. Traditional Chinese hair adornments are also used to replace alice bows or the rectangular headdress.

Examples of a well done Wa and Qi lolita coordinate can be found here:

Wa loli 1

Wa loli 2

Qi loli 1

Qi loli 2

Brands that cater to Wa or Qi Lolita:

• Metamorphose temps de fille

Unfortunately Wa and Qi are not as commomn as before and searching in the major lolita brands will be a challenge, but if you look outside to the off brand arena you can find some elegant items.

• Fanplusfriend
• Bodyline

Another note:

Since Wa and Qi Lolita are a mixture of culture and Lolita fashion I would also like to share with you:

Han lolita a style that mixes Korean traditional Hanbok with Lolita, some examples:

• Han loli 1
• Han loli 2

Wryd Loli a style once coordinated by a member of the Livejournal Community, EGL, it s just lovely and fits with the articles theme.

If you want more info on Wa and Qi here are some links that may help:

• Waloli/Qiloli Style
• Wa loli Lolita Fashion

Shiro and Kuro Lolitas

Shiro Lolita and Kuro Lolita were also among the main substyles a few years back and have seemed to go by the wayside as of late, but with the resurgence of old school Lolita, these are two substyles worth mentioning. So what are Shiro and Kuro lolitas exactly? Lets begin in with Shiro-loli, while following all the basic guides of Lolita she prefers to dress in head to toe white, like her the Kuro Lolita prefers to stick to one color black.

Brands that cater to the Shiro and Kuro Lolis:

Items for the Shiro and Kuro substyle can be found in all Lolita brands all the rules of the basic Lolita silhouette apply with the added rule of using a one color color scheme.

Punk Lolita

The Punk Lolita like the Hime Lolita, has fallen out of popularity, but when I started it was one of the main substyles. The Punk Lolita is an ode to interpreting Lolita in any way you like. Mixing lolita with the punk elements: studded bets, plaid, torn up tights, and doc marten or engineer boots; The Punk Lolita is the tough cookie of all the Lolitas. At the forefront of the Punk Lolita is the singer and master punk/lolita mixer, Nana Kitade (pictured above).

Brands that cater to the punk lolita:

• Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Putumayo
• Atelier Boz
• Black Peace Now
• Sex Pot Revenge

Hime Lolita

Looking over a copy of Kera magazine I eyed a Hime Lolita, I looked at her intently since its been a while since I've seen a Hime lolita. I would say that Hime Lolita is the link between Hime Gyaru and Lolita, evidence is in the big hair and the crown motifs present in both styles. Of course I would never suggest that one could interchange items between the two but I wouldn't be surprised if some did managed to pull off  either style with elements of the other.

What to expect of the Hime Lolita:

This Lolita is the princess of the land, she can be seen wearing tiaras or mini crowns. Like the Classic Lolita, which takes its inspiration from the Victorian Era, it is easy to see the Rococo influence in Hime Lolita. I imagine this Loli takes great inspiration from Queen Marie Antoinette.

Brands that Cater to the Hime Lolita:

• Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Mary Magdalene
• Mille Fleurs
• Juliette et Justine