Themes
♔ Themes, as previously stated, use either sweet, classic, or gothic as a base before adding in a gimmick. Meetups often have specific themes to follow! Themes are very susceptible to looking costumey, so quality is especially important. They're pretty much unlimited, but here are some of the common ones.
Alice Lolita: Naturally, an Alice in Wonderland themed coordinate, specifically for Alice herself! It usually utilizes sweet as a base, but there are quite a few classic Alice prints (and coords!) out there as well. There's even some gothic and military styled Alice prints, so take your pick! The most common way to create an Alice themed coordinate is to wear a solid colored, pastel dress and put on a white, frilly apron. Dresses with card suit prints are also utilized. Examples of Alice themed coords done well (with bonus Queen of Hearts coord!): , , and . Examples of Alice themed coords done poorly: , , and .
Harry Potter Lolita (Potterlita?): Yes, this is a super common theme! If you're a potterhead lolita, oh boy is there a theme for you! Potterlita (referring to it as this because of the shorter name) is done by wearing your house colors or, alternatively, theming a coordinate after one of the characters. Classic is almost always the base style, although there have been some gothic themed potterlita coords as well. School motifs, like plaids, pinstripes, and bits of military detailing, are extremely common. Colors, unsurprisingly, are black, gold, silver, red, yellow, green, blue, and occasionally ( )onze. Potterlita meetups are often held in autumn. Examples of potterlita coords done well: , , and . Examples of potterlita coords done poorly: , , and .
OTT Lolita: OTT, the ab( )eviated form of Over-The-Top, refers to any coordinate that is extraordinarily fancy. OTT usually involves piling accessory after accessory onto the wearer, and sometimes wearing things that would be considered costumey in normal lolita. Makeup tends to be heavier, and leans further towards the more colorful or smoky side. Any style can be OTT, but the most common style to be given the treatment right now is classic. Unsurprisingly, there's hot debates over how costumey is too costumey. Again, quality and a good eye for coordination are the key components of good OTT. Examples of OTT coords done well: , , and . Example of OTT coords done poorly: , , and .
Kuro/Shiro/Sax/Pinku/Aka/etc. Lolita: If a coordinate features a single color or a single color with a white base, it's one of the above (black/white/sax blue/pink/red). It often uses old school as a base, unsurprisingly. The single color gimmick is all there is to it, really. Not going to give examples here, since you can see some in the old school section and it's that simple.
Circus Lolita: Newer than the other themes, but just as flashy, circus tends to use sweet, sweet-styled military, or military as a base. The key is to look like a ringmaster, and any circus-themed print will do. Occassionally, you will find some clown coords, but the ringmaster theme is by far the most prevalent. You see a lot of crazy, curly, teased wigs in this theme, as well as tiny top hats and even mini carousels on people's heads! Examples of circus themed coords done well: , , and . Examples of circus themed coords done poorly: , , and .
Witch Lolita: Only seen around Halloween, witch themed lolita is exactly what it sounds like. Basically, it's lolita with a witch hat. It normally uses sweet or gothic as a base, and the usual colors are black, purple, and silver. Sometimes you see a little bit of blue or white in there, too. Bats and pumpkins, as well as moons, are the most common motifs. Witch themed lolita usually utilizes lots of sheer layers, to add to that mysterious feel. Examples of witch themed coords done well: , , and . Examples of witch themed coords done poorly: , , and .
Nurse/Medical Lolita: Like guro, nurse themed coordinates have become quite common with the rise of menhera, a medical-cute fashion. Its only requirement is to look like you came from an old-timey hospital...as a nurse or doctor, not a patient! Sweet or classic is used as a base. Common colors are red, white, black, and muted pastels. Crosses, bandaids, bandages, angel wings, syringes, and nurse headdresses are all common accessories. Like with its guro sister, it needs to be fashion, and not a costume. Examples of nurse themed coords done well: , , and . Example of nurse themed coords done poorly: , , and .
