Part Four: Styles and Themes
♔ Before going through the many, many styles, here's a quick note on styles vs. themes! There's a very fine line between the two, but styles have enough unique elements to stand alone, while themes use the different styles as bases. Again, the lines are pretty blurred, so here's what's generally accepted (as far as I can tell).
The Basics
♔ When you first start out in lolita, you'll want to stick to one of these three styles until you have the basics down and can coordinate outfits well. It may seem constricting, but it'll save you from a more embarrassing ita period. You may not even have an ita period at all!
Gothic Lolita: The darker style of lolita, pioneered by Mana and his fans. Gothic is characterized by religious themes, gothic architecture, and motifs pertaining to gothic horror. Elegance is prized over edginess, although there are more visual kei influenced gothic coords. Common gothic accessories are feathered hairpieces, cross necklaces, and big, stompy boots. Keep in mind, gothic doesn't have to be all black! Other common colors include ( )ight blue, white, wine, and deep purple. Examples of gothic done well: , , and . Examples of gothic done poorly: , , and .
Sweet Lolita: The most traditionally cutesy style of lolita, pioneered by ( )ands like Angelic Pretty and BTSSB. Sweet is characterized by sugary themes like cute animals, cakes, sweets, cheerful florals, fairytales, and other such motifs. Lace usually is , and colors stay pretty strictly in the pastel zone. As lolita has evolved, sweet's taken on a more classic-like slant, but it's still as sugary as always. Common sweet accessories are fun-shaped purses, giant bows, fluffy wristcuffs, and teaparty shoes. Common colors include pink, sax blue, mint green, red, light yellow, white, lavender, and even navy and black occassionally! Keep in mind, sweet is pretty much never neon colored; the color palette normally looks like . Examples of sweet done well: , , and . Examples of sweet done poorly: , , and .
Classic Lolita: The most Victorian/Rococo inspired style of lolita, ( )ought into the spotlight by the ( )ands Innocent World, Victorian Maiden, and Mary Magdalene. Classic is characterized mainly by its simplicity compared to the other styles (although is something to behold!). It's a lot more demure, and many dresses could easily be worn as vintage sundresses. Usual motifs are Victorian-style florals, antiques (such as antique letters, china, or teddy bears), stripes, elegant architecture, and plaid. Common accessories are flower crowns, berets, simple necklaces, pearls, and antique jewelry. Common colors are wine, forest green, all shades of ( )own, ivory, navy, antique gold, antique silver, and muted pastels. Examples of classic done well: , , and . Examples of classic done poorly: , , and .
Branching Out
♔ Once a newbie (or babylita, if you will) has mastered their chosen basic style, they may choose to try and coord in one of these more difficult styles. The reason these styles aren't reccommended to beginners is because of their more specific, more intricate nature. Some require prior, extensive knowledge of other styles, and some require a lot of different, expensive pieces to put together a good outfit. These styles aren't really ones you'll hear other lolitas identify themselves with, and are mainly worn for themed events. You'll hear a lot more "I'm a sweet lolita who wears hime occasionally," than "oh, I'm a hime lolita." Old school and punk seem to be exceptions to this unspoken rule.
Wa Lolita: Wa mixes aspects of traditional Japanese clothing with the silhouette and aesthetic of lolita. This makes it pretty dang hard to wear. If you don't know how to wear a kimono/hakama/yukata properly, you probably won't pull off wa. It takes a bit of creativity as well. Thankfully, wa has become much easier to wear due to Metamorphose Temps de Fille releasing several wa-styled collections over the past year! Colors and motifs are similar to traditional Japanese kimono patterns. Examples of wa done well: , , and . Examples of wa done poorly (pretty much infinite if you search "wa lolita"): , , and .
