DRESS LIKE A DOLL - Part One in Land of Lolitas

So here comes the first post on fun & playful ways to dress. I have dived into the great big world wide web & gathered information & pics for the post, in order to create an overlook of & introduction to Japanese Lolita fashion & today in particular gothic lolita. 

I adore how the outfits are inspired by dolls.  I'm one of those people who always get compared to a doll because of the round babylike features of my face. So why not just go all in? When I attempt to wear Lolita inspired outfits I mix & match & tone up or down in order to fit my mood & I have never tried the full on version of the lolitalife, even though I still dream of it:-)  I have promised myself to try it at least once & also - remember to include a photosession, as it seems I never really take pictures of myself in my wildest outfits.

There are some keynotes that you need, if you want to live the Livin' Doll Lolita Japanese style. Here comes knowledge for you:

LOLITA FASHION

ロリータ・ファッション,  

Rorīta fasshon

 

ORIGIN & FACTS: 

•  Lolita is a fashion subculture originating in Japan that is primarily influenced by Victorian clothing as well as costumes from the Rococo period. Lolita has made this into a unique fashion by adding gothic and original design elements to the look. 

• From this, Lolita fashion has evolved into several different sub styles and has created a devoted subculture in Japan. The Lolita look consists primarily of a knee length skirt or dress, headdress, blouse, petticoat, knee high socks or stockings and high heel/platform shoes.

• Although the origin of Lolita fashion is unclear, it is likely the movement started in the late 1970s when famous labels including Pink House, Milk and Angelic Pretty began selling clothes that would be considered "Lolita" by today's standards. 

• In the 1990s, Lolita fashion became better recognized, with bands like Malice Mizer and other Visual Kei (or visual type) bands coming into popularity. These bands wore intricate costumes, which fans began adopting as their own style. The style soon spread from its origins in the Kansai region, and ultimately reached Tokyo where it became popularized throughout Japanese youth culture. Today, Lolita fashion has grown so much in popularity that it can be found even in department stores in Japan.

• In Lolita fashion, it is generally accepted that "Lolita" does not refer to Vladimir Nabokov's famous novel (which btw is my favorite novel ever...)

• Lolitas generally present themselves more as Victorian children or porcelain dolls and prefer to look "cute" or "beautiful" rather than "sexy".  

• The name Lolita could potentially be considered ironic since the fashion was partly created to fight the growing exposure of the body and skin in today's society, specifically in regard to young women.

• Lolita fashion could even be considered a movement where girls ranging from pre-teens to late 20s fight the current fashion with modesty. Some women say that it allows them to feel young, cute, beautiful or off-limits. 

 

One follower of the Gothic Lolita fashion explains:

"We certainly do not do this for the attention of men. Frequently, female sexuality is portrayed in a way that is palatable and accessible to men, and anything outside of that is intimidating. Something so unabashedly female is ultimately kind of scary—in fact, I consider it to be pretty confrontational. Dressing this way takes a certain kind of ownership of one’s own sexuality that wearing expected or regular things just does not. It doesn’t take a lot of moxie to put on a pencil skirt and flats. It’s not, as some commentators have suggested, some sort of appeal to men’s expectation that women should be childlike, or an attempt to pander to pedophiles. Pedophiles like little girls. They don’t like grown women who happen to like dresses with cakes on them. I’ve never been hit on by a pedophile while in Lolita. We don’t get into it because it is some sort of misplaced pedo complex or anything, and the objective isn’t simply to emulate little girls, despite the name Lolita."

• It is often assumed that girls who dress in Lolita follow a Lolita 'lifestyle' in which they seek to emulate the mannerisms, etiquette and the aesthetic of historical time periods, specifically that of the Victorian era. 
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• Although some do choose to follow their own interpretation of a Lolita lifestyle, there are others who simply enjoy wearing the clothes. For the majority of Lolitas, dressing in the fashion does not mean changing personalities and habits: it may simply be a preference of style or a statement for modesty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

GOTHIC LOLITA

GothLoli ゴスロリ, 

gosu rori

• Is a combination of the Gothic and Lolita fashion. 

• Gothic Lolita fashion is characterized by a darker make-up and clothing.  

• Red lipstick and smokey or neatly defined eyes, created using black eyeliner, are typical styles, although as with all Lolita substyles the look remains fairly natural. 

• Though Gothic make-up is associated with a white powdered face, this is usually considered bad taste within the Lolita fashion. 

• Gothic Lolita usually uses dark color schemes including black, dark blues and purples, although black and white remains popular.

• A Gothic Lolita outfit is usually comprised of black or rich dark colors such as burgundy, purple and navy.

• It is common for this style to involve details in complementary or contrasting colors, such as the infamous black and white coordination choice.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR YOUR GOTHIC LOLITA OUTFIT

• You must remember that coordinating a lolita outfit is a bit like making a cake. You can take away or replace a couple of ingredients, but if you take away the butter, the sugar, and the milk, it just stops being cake.

HEADWEAR

• A lolita almost always adds decoration to her hair, because it would be a wasted surface if one could not slap a bow on it. The traditional head covering is the headdress, which may come in all shapes and sizes, but is typically rectangular so that it may arch over the head like a headband. The Alice bow is also popular. This is a large bow made to sit on top of the head. Smaller bows, such as on barrettes and elastic bands, may also be used if one wants a less overpowering look. Hair corsages are more common among classic lolitas, as are vintage-style hats.

 

BLOUSE

• In general, lolitas prefer to minimize exposed skin, and so shoulders are, of course, usually covered. Most jumper skirts are made to be worn over a blouse. A typical lolita blouse buttons in the front and features a collar which is, traditionally, in the rounded Peter Pan style.

BELL SHAPED SKIRT

• The ideal lolita silhouette is of the bell shape, whether she is wearing a dress or a skirt. This shape is achieved thanks to the petticoats and bloomers beneath. A skirt which cannot fit enough petticoats underneath to achieve this shape is usually improper for the style. A Lolita skirt should be no shorter than 2" above the knee.

UNDERGARMENTS

• An oft-ignored but vital key to a proper lolita's attire, bloomers and petticoats should top every new lolita's shopping list. A proper petticoat is necessary to achieve that bell shape that is so essential to the lolita silhouette, while bloomers are necessary to retain a young lolita's modesty. 

• You may be asking yourself, "but why should I need such fancy underthings if nobody else is going to see them?" Because, my dears, you are wearing a skirt in the shape of a bell. 
• You may recall that if a real bell swings upwards, much as a bell-shaped skirt may do when a lolita is moving around, the interior becomes quite visible. 

• For a lolita with naught but her hot pink Hello Kitty panties underneath, this is unacceptable. 
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• Wearing a set of matching bloomers keeps one's thighs--and all else--well protected from the casual eye.

LEGS

• Though a lolita's skirt may scandalously reveal her knees, a lolita tends not to expose her legs too often, as this would be improper. It is generally good practice to cover one's legs at least up to the knee, which means wearing knee-length socks. 
• Other options include over-knee socks, stockings, and opaque tights. Sheer tights tend to be too "sexy" for lolita, while ankle socks, especially those topped in lace, remind one too much of unassociated subcultures such as Sissy, and are simply less flattering on people's legs.

 

FOOTWEAR

• The traditional footwear of choice for lolitas is the Mary Jane, but similar options are available. A proper lolita shoe should feature a closed, rounded toe as well as chunky, thick heels or platforms (although flats may also be an option). Boots fitting into this criteria are quite common with brands, though care must be taken not to go too edgy in one's boot choice. Another favorite style, owing to the popularity of Vivienne Westwood in Japan, are rocking horse shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Some additions may include an Alice in Wonderland-style apron, tiny top hats, parasols, lace gloves, and lace headpieces. Mostly black or white, headgear might consist of a headband with ruffles, ribbons, lace or bows. Sometimes even bonnets are worn.

•  Goken Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other props like conspicuous pocketbooks, hatboxes, handbags and other bags, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins, and crucifixes.

  Hair may be curled to complete the porcelain doll look. The naturally dark Japanese hair color may be lightened to blonde or kept black. Some may choose to wear wigs as well.

• Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are also common, and some brands make special "goken" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC. Also, many Goken Lolita own Super Dollfies and carry them around.

 

ERO LOLITA

• This is a very confused, and often controversial style of Lolita due to the fact that a lot of people who are un-familiar with the style or Lolita fashion in general may get it wrong.

• Although Lolita, or 'Erotic Lolita,' does sound that it may be a little less modest, and a little more tongue-in-cheek this style does not involve suddenly being naked, and wearing only an Alice-bow. 

• This style contains more fetish elements such as leather, collars, and corsets that one may not be able to pull-off in any other Lolita style while still maintaining a fair amount of modesty. Skirts for this style may be a little shorter than usual, but nothing overly provocative.

• Ero Lolita may be one of the only Lolita styles where you may be able to pull-off fish-net stockings if co-ordinated properly. This is one style of Lolita that should not really be attempted by a beginner.

• Make-up for this style can be a little more mature, and a little less 'girly' than the other styles.

& finally to round this topic off 2 snaps of MOI in my one gotjic lolita dress. They are the only ones I have of the outfit, even though I have worn on several occasions. I have to get some better ones... Anyhow - you get the idea right?

I hope you've enjoyed the post (you better) as it took the most of my Saturday evening to do it - LOL. Now I will jump into bed & probably dream og lolita outfits all night. Sleep tight<3

SOURCES FOR THIS POST

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita_fashion 
• http://www.lolitafashion.org/
• http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/fashion/gothic_lolita.html