At some point it seems every egl fashion blogger, social media presence and youtuber etc does a 101 for lolita fashion. And here I am to join in on beating that stale ol' dead horse. I probably don't have anything new, revolutionary or remarkable to add. Mostly just going to regurgitate the same ol' thing. But I guess this is more or less for my friends or people who ask me those ever arising questions of what? where? how? and whyyyyyy??? etc. So I'll start with answering the why? Because I'm fancy, that's why!
Okay. Now to the real questions: What is lolita fashion? So there's a whole in-depth history I could get into, but since this is just a basic overview, more or less I'm just to give you a brief understanding and basic familiarity of the fashion. I will spare you the intense historic essay. Firstly, so you know what in tarnation I'm talking about; lolita fashion is also known as egl, which stands for elegant gothic lolita. And I use both terms interchangeably. Okay, cool. And since that's been addressed.... WHAT IS egl or lolita fashion??? Quit stalling and answer the question!
Lolita fashion is a jfashion style and subculture that originated from the Harajuku district of Tokyo, Japan. Jfashion is basically short for japanese street fashion and it is fashion styles and the brands that make these styles that originated from Japan. Lolita fashion stemmed from otome or maiden styles from the 1970s and became it's own distinct style in the late 80s, then became quite popular by early 90s.
1980s Otome/Maiden style from the brand Pinkhouse
Egl or lolita fashion takes it's inspiration from historical European eras of fashion and re-invisions these historical styles with a more modern take. The influence is from particularly the rococo and Victorian eras. But you can see many historical elements from different eras throughout the fashion. The noticeable similarities of egl and Victorian/rococo fashion are apparent with the 'poof' which is the use of a petticoat to create the voluminous silhouette of the skirt, the elegant or over the top opulent styling, the lace and frills etc.
Egl fashion has a tendency to focus on modesty. The typical lolita dress or skirt is knee length (and sometimes longer). The shoulders are covered by a dress with sleeves or a blouse if the dress is sleeveless. The chest is covered and low cut blouses are not suggested; there should be no cleavage showing. On the legs are generally worn tights, knee high socks or over the knee socks. The goal being to not look too revealing or suggestive. Conservatively dressed with modest amounts of skin showing.
There are 2 main types of dresses: A one piece or OP is a dress with sleeved. And a jumperskirt or JSK is a dress without sleeves which requires a blouse as a JSK will be too revealing with bare shoulders. And of course, lolita skirts can be worn as a main piece and a skirt obviously requires a blouse.
One Piece (OP) Jumperskirt (JSK)
A completed lolita outfit is known as 'coordinate' because of all of the pieces being coordinated together. However, coordinate is typically shorted and it is called a coord. The components of a completed coord can be broken down into the following pieces:
-Mainpiece: OP, JSK or skirt
-Petticoat or Hoopskirt
-Blouse (not necessary if wearing an OP that covers shoulders)
-Bloomers (not required, but preferred to keep modest) -Socks or Tights (OTKs, UTKs, ankle socks with lace) -Headpiece: Headbow, beret, rectangle headpiece etc -Wristcuffs (not always necessary is wearing long sleeves) -Jewelry (necklace, choker, earrings, bracelets) -Bag or Purse (not required but always looks good to have a matching purse) -Shoes
And yes, if a coord does not have most of these components it is not a lolita coord... but of course, casual lolita is a thing where the coord is much more toned down and missing components, however, we aren't talking about that. This is the general concept of a complete coord for the noobs. Sticking to all or most of these components is best when starting out it will help your outfit read as a full lolita coordinate.
Full and balanced coord wearing mostly pieces from Moi Meme Moitie.
Lolita fashion has 3 main substyles: Sweet, Gothic, Classic
Sweet lolita is a very girly-girl style that uses lots of pastel colors with dress prints and motifs of candies, sweets, desserts, fruits and berries, cute animals etc. There's usually lots of bows and ruffles and the ensemble is typically paired with tea party style shoes. Sometimes pastel colored wigs are worn. Brands like Angelic Pretty and Baby the Stars Shine Bright cater well to sweet styles.
Gothic Lolita is exactly what it sounds like. Egl but the gothic version. In this style you'll see mainly blacks and darker colors. Dresses without prints are commonly seen. There are motifs of crosses, bats, cathedrals, coffins and spooky other stuff. Goth styles usually have more elegant vibes compared to the playful, light-heartedness of sweet styles. Typical goth shoe styles such as chunkier platforms or mary janes are often worn with gothic lolita. Brands that cater gothic styles are Moi Meme Moitie and Atelier Pierrot.
Classic Lolita is a more mature style and can often be more toned downed compared to sweet and gothic. The color palette is more jewel-toned or neutral like beige, khaki or browns. Ivory or off-white is common in place of white. Printed dresses are less common, but things like floral prints are worn. The dresses sometimes are a little longer, mid calf or even floor length. Head wear such as bonnets, berets and other sorts of hats are worn. Motifs can be things like flowers, antique items, books etc.
The most popular egl brands are:
-Angelic Pretty
-Baby the Stars Shine Bright
-Alice and the Pirates
-Metamorphose Temps de Fille -Innocent World
-Moi Meme Moitie
There a tons of other brands, but these are the most common and easiest to get a hold of new or secondhand. There are other less expensive brands available on Taobao, which is basically Chinese Ebay, but they can be really hit or miss in regards to quality. It's best to stick with the Japanese brands when first starting out to get a good feel for the fashion. I'll included my resources link where you can easily purchase these brands and many others.
Hopefully this gives some understanding and insight. At some point I'll do more in depth coverage of various topics that are helpful. And I'll include a video that goes over some of the terminology you will encounter as you delve into egl fashion.
