Different types of Lolita Fashion

Lolita is a subculture which originates
from Japan. The fashion is highly influenced by Victorian and Edwardian
children’s clothing and styles of Rococo period. Lolita is distinctively cute,
and its fans love it because of that. The style over the years has evolved to
different sub-styles which share the same distinct aesthetic and cuteness just
like original Lolita design. The fashion became popular in the 1990’s as a
radical form of street style. The Lolita clothing subculture is categorized
into three sub-styles namely Gothic, classic and sweet Lolita.

The fashion in the 1970’s wasn’t popular, only a few Japanese fashion houses embraced
it. The situation changed in the 1990’s because more fashion houses began to
merge it with urban street fashion thus making sexier, beautiful and cute. The
fashion hit the streets of Shibuya, Tokyo fashion districts and since then
Lolita went viral. Music bands like Princess and visual key helped to popularize the brand
within and outside Japan. In some districts, the Lolita is nicknamed “Loli” .

Classic Lolita

This
is the original and purest version of Lolita fashion. Classic Lolita has
few decorations compared to sweet Lolita, Gothic or Punk sub fashions. The
print on the dresses is simple and has few adornments. Fashion enthusiasts consider classic Lolita
as a more mature style . The reason why they consider it mature is that the
design is historically inspired compared to other Lolita styles. The style
designers focus more elegance rather than cuteness. Authentic Classic Lolita is
made from fabric with muted colors like dusty pastel and jewel tones. Also, the
floral prints or solid colors are often embedded on typical Classic Lolita thus
making more fancier regarding prints.

Gothic Lolita

Gothic Lolita
original fashion is heavily influenced and popularized by Visual band.
The Gothic Lolita frock is made of black but not all them. At times the brand
is called Elegant Gothic Lolita and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat. The names were
coined by Mana and Japanese Visual band Malice Mizer respectively. The fashion is also called Bittersweet
Lolita. The design is popular with Harajuku teens, and the clothes are
influenced by the fantasy world feel. Gothic Lolita cosplay wearers wear heavy
knee length socks and boots, bonnets and sometimes parasol which are influenced
by modeled by Rococo period fashion common features. The heavy styles influence
comes from the Eastern and Victorian Goth style. Most of its brands are
characterized by dark colors, crosses, bats and spiders. Also, other Gothic
icons and designs are seen on the dress prints. The skirts have petticoat
beneath and are normally worn at knee length.
The blouses or shirts worn together with skirts are usually lace-trimmed
or ruffled in Victoria style.

Sweet Lolita

Sweet Lolita
has more frills and lace compared to typical Classic Lolita. The brand is
different from typical Classic Lolita regarding aesthetics. The fashion uses a
lot of pink, parasol and other decorations to represent an authentic baby doll
look. The fashion is a hybrid of both Classic and Gothic Lolita. The style
originally was inspired by Victorian children clothing and Alice in Wonderland.
Sweet Lolita is characterized by pop cultures like Hello Kitty, Rilakkuma and
other popular cute culture. Pastel colors together with other mute colors paint
the fashion. Individuals wearing Sweet Lolita should wear huge Head bows, cute
purses, and elegant parasols. Generally, the fashion is worn by individuals to
look cute and beautiful.

Punk Lolita

Punk Lolita is
an experimental style which blends Gothic Lolita with rock style attributes.
The fashion is popular with both gothic and rock lovers. The style has been accepted all over the
world due to its uniqueness, craziness, and cuteness. The style was inspired by Vivienne Westwood
and influenced by British punk style. The style consist of frilly Skirts paired
with cut sews and at times it can be worn with a more delicate blouse with a
tighter skirt or pant. The outfit is characterized with feminine accessories to
lighten the look. Lolita silhouette look dictates that the wearer must have a
bell-shaped skirt which falls down about the knees but be shorter if the wearer
wants it that way.

Even
though Lolita has term has a sexual connotation in the Western world, the
Japanese use the name to refer to cuteness, elegance, and modesty. The fashion
at first was associated with Japanese schoolgirls, but currently, the fashion
trend is being rocked across the world. Before the fashion was associated with
Nabokov with tempting school girl but today the fashion it’s about cuteness and
beauty. s

The core feature of Lolita fashion is the
frilly skirt which is often created with petticoat or crinoline. The skirt can either have cloak-shaped or
A-shaped design components. The skirt or dress can be worn with either long or
short sleeved blouse. Women wearing
Lolita frequently wear fashion wig accompanied by beautiful headgears
such as hair bows or bonnet. Lolita
street fashion is normally gothic cosplay style and is popularized by visual
key Japanese popular music.

Lolita designer brands are darling of many due
to their authenticity and cuteness. The
Lolita designers make elaborate clothes which go out stock within a short
period.

Conclusion

Lolita fashion is a unique style
characterized by cuteness, and over the years the love for style has grown over
the years across the world. This shows the importance of designers picking up
classic and traditional/ ancient fashion trends and blends them with urban
fashion styles. By doing this, they will promote essence appreciating our
fashions, and many will buy and wear the brands. Lolita frocks have brought
girlish stylish in our streets .