The novel (if you are wondering) is about a middle aged literature professor who is obsessed with a 12 year old. He becomes sexually involved with her after becoming her stepfather. Thanks to the novel lolita generally refers to a sexually precocious girl.
Anyway, many people now think of lacy clothing and looking almost like a doll when they hear “lolita.”
Lolita has specific qualities as a fashion no matter which classification you are looking. Part of the lolita fashion is to combat the sex that pervades modern culture. The goal is to look cute and elegant: not sexy and provocative.
1) Modesty
Lolita fashion doesn’t show a lot of skin. Because it is based on Victorian and Baroque, the fashion features knee length skirts, petticoats, corsets, floor length gowns, blouses, knee high socks, and head wear.
2) Elegance
The fashion is trying to revive the elegance that characterized Rococo and Victorian fashion. Instead of showing cleavage, a lolita seeks to accent a pin or a brooch that reveals some part of her personality.
3) Cuteness/ Kawaiasa
It is also an attempt to look cute as opposed to provocative. This is why lolita fashion often looks disconcertingly young or doll-like. The idea is to have an elegant silhouette while having endearing elements and adorable aspects. Knee high socks coupled with a wide knee-length skirt and umbrella brings to mind a young girl and a genteel lady in one conflicting package.
Lolita Styles
There are 4 main styles in lolita fashion. Each keep to the 3 major characteristics but place an individual twist on them.
Gothic Lolita
This is probably the style most Americans associate with lolita fashion. GothLoli, as it is also known, combines Goth with the characteristics of lolita. Black is paired with sharp contrasted colors (red, red lips for example) or neatly outlined eyes. However, GothLoli still seeks to look natural. White powdered faces are considered bad taste. The usual accessories of Goth are also common: crosses, coffins, crucifixes, bats, and so on.
Classic Lolita
This branch resembles GothLoli but favors antique and floral patterns. Classic doesn’t go into the dark edge like Gothic Lolita, nor does it go into the saccrine sweet look Sweet Lolita aims for. It favors intricate details, a-line designs, and the high waist style (called the Empire silhouette).
Sweet Lolita
This is the style that screams baby doll. Sweet Lolita favors fantasy Victorian clothing, child motifs, and bright colors. The colors are pastel (to feel very young), fruit themed or flower themed. Lace, bows, ribbons, and animals associated with childhood are favored. Think Alice in Wonderland and you have the style.
Punk Lolita
On the opposite end of Sweet Lolita, Punk Lolita adds tattered fabric, ties, chains, plaid, and short hair to the Victorian look. Punk is an offshoot of the 90’s grunge movement. Punk can swing between the blacks of GothLoli and the sweetness of Sweet Lolita styles. Punk Lolita looks the most modern of the styles. It lacks the same level elegance of GothLoli and Classic because it shows a bit more skin and the tattered accents break up the lines. However, Punk looks less jarring and “weird” than the other styles. Punk Lolita draws less attention while still remaining modest, elegant, and cute.
Aristocrat
This style is considered the most sophisticated and elegant. It builds upon the Victorian theme to create a noble, mature look. Of course, it still remains kawaii. This is one of the styles that men wear.
There are other styles of lolita. Some are based on traditional Japanese or Chinese dress; others are focused on simplicity as opposed to frilly lace.
Lolita is interesting because modesty is its main focus. Good lolita fashion bares very little skin. Rather cuteness and elegance reveals the person under the clothes.
Guys can be Aristocrat or Ouji, a unisex sex of lolita. I personally think the Victorian style suits look less pretentious than our modern suit. They have more utilitarian aspects to them: a long trench coat would shed water in addition to looking nice.
A note on “punk lolita” not meaning any disrespect to an otherwise well written article, but punk is not an offshoot of 90’s grunge… punk as a fashion style and as a musical movement has its roots in “proto-punk” of the late 60’s and early 70’s with bands such as “Love”, “The Stooges”, and “MC5” for example… this further evolved into the “true punk” of the mid to late 70’s with bands such as “The Sex Pistols”, “The Clash”, “The Damned”, and “The Ramones” to name but a few… this doesn’t even touch on the “second wave” of punk in the early to mid 80’s. Grunge on the other hand is a late evolution of the “garage rock” of the mid to late 60’s, which is similar to “proto-punk” but not the same beast, with bands like “The Seeds”, “The Leaves”, “Unrelated Segments” and “The Sonics” for example. I hope I haven’t offended or gone on too long with my comments. Have a great day.
Thanks for the information and corrections! Most of what we see of grunge styles comes from the 90s way of dressing as far as I can tell. It is interesting how music and clothing styles develop and mix with each other over time. In some cases, they become something that is almost completely different from their roots such as Elvis’ rock compared to modern rock.
Most of this is very accurate, but some of it is a bit off : ).
There is a style of Lolita fashion for men, called “Ouji”. It’s actually a unisex style, but many men wear it. Same with Aristocrat.
The images under Classic Lolita is actually Goth (the one on the left) and Aristocrat (the one on the right). Classic is more flower prints, and antique inspired looks. Here is a good example of Classic Lolita! —–> http://gothiclolita.wz.cz/gallery/classic_lolita4-b.jpg
Also, Aristocrat is a style of it’s own. And the first picture under Gothic Lolita is actually more along the lines of “Ero Lolita” or just Goth. Aside from that, this article is pretty much dead on. Good article Chris!
I’ve been into Lolita fashion for 10+ years. : ) Hope this helps some! And for those new to the Lolita world, welcome!
Thanks for the corrections! I’ve amended the article to make it more accurate.
When I was researching the specific styles I found differing opinions on exactly what each style entailed. There seems to be a bit of a grey area between some of the styles. Goth and Aristocrat can blend into each other a fair bit, depending on the person’s personal touch.
You’re welcome! : D Glad I could be of help!
And yes, some of the styles can be a little hard to differentiate between sometimes. I think that just makes it more fun, it means people are still experimenting while leaning toward the style they like most. <3
I still have a bit of trouble differentiating Aristocrat from Goth sometimes as well!
Erm Just so you know that left ‘gothic lolita’, Olivia is right, it isn’t. You said yourself lolita is about modesty and that is anything but. I’ve seen girls attempt ero lolita getting skirts as high as this http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/22600000/lolita-lolita-fashion-22650793-600-800.jpg but even that’s pushing it. I’d say she’s just a plain goth, especially with that emphasis on the chest.
Thanks for the heads up. I meant to remove the image, but I forgot! I now removed the image to fix any misconceptions. I’ve seen some pretty skimpy goth outfits (even compared to that old image) so even the image you posted in your comment is fairly modest.
I appreciate the corrections! I have a difficult time categorizing the styles since one person’s modest is another person’s risque.
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I am glad you enjoyed the Lolita article!
Cute! :3 I’m thinking of wearing a sophisticated lolita dress to my Prom~
The sophisticated lolita styles is very nice looking. It also stands out compared to more traditional dress styles.
I’m familiar with lolita…girlfriend loves the stuff so I have to put up with it CONSTANTLY. Although, I’m not arguing, when she’s in a loli outfit she looks really cute :).
Some lolita outfits look very out of place. I am a fan of the aristocrat look, however.