the other day, I was looking for a short concise video to explain something
and I realized I haven't done this with lolita fashion
most of my videos assume you already know what it is
but in case you don't or you need to share this with someone
here is lolita fashion explained in 5 minutes or less
lolita fashion is an alternative style that started in japan
although it takes a lot of it's style influence from France and England through Rococo and Victorian fashion
and this style has been evolving since the 1980s
with traces of it back to the 1970s
one defining element of lolita is the volume of the skirt
which comes from not only the design, but from wearing
a petticoat or crinoline underneath. skirts are generally bell shaped
cupcake or a-line
the length of the skirt is generally just below the knee
at the knee or a few inches above
this style has nothing to do with the Novikov book
or adapted fims of the same name
the term lolita first appeared in a fashion magazine
Ryuko Tsushin in September 1987
from there it was picked up by
different fashion brands in order to help identify the style
Japanese speakers did not think of the connections or
ramifications of this, they just thought lolita sounded cute
lolitas do not wear lolita fashion
there are lolita characters in (Japanese) media that people cosplay
but its similar to saying cosplaying a goth cartoon
doe'snt make you a goth
it's simply a character that is wearing that style
there are 3 main styles of lolita being: sweet, gothic, and classic
however, there's an endless number of substyles
that you can wear
the most well known brands of lolita based out of japan
are listed on screen now
however, there are a large number of brands from all over the world
lolita is especially rapidly growing in China
with a large number of brands being housed on Taobao
available through shopping services and Taobao resellers
people wear lolita fashion for a multitude of reasons
that differ from person to person but mainly just because they like the clothes
its just clothes
researching a lot of lolita examples by searching
lolita fashion tags or or egl community
in places like instagram or other social media
can help you get a better sense of common pieces
and styles used in lolita
always search for "lolita fashion" and not just the word "lolita"
as it can result in wrongfully tagged things
there was a fashion magazine called Gothic and Lolita Bible
which you can find for sale second hand online
and theres also websites that have really helpful scans of them
this magazine really helped me understand lolita
when I was starting out. the most well known use of
lolita fashion in media would be Kamikaze Girls
which depicts two different Japanese substyles
being loita fashion and yanki
the character Momoko in Kamikaze Girls
is sort of a heightened characterization of lolitas
but is a great example to see and understand the fashion more
although this film is from 2004
and this style of lolita that Momoko wears is now considered old school,
with solid colours and lace
there's nothing wrong with this style and its been making a resurgence lately
and I love it. you are welcome to experiment
with the lolita style but, it always helps to
have a fleshed out understanding of it first
please also remember that lolitas are trying to maintain the style
and it will help if you acknowledge that you are being experimental
and not trying to redefine lolita
the fashion is believed to have emerged in Harajuku
where the shopping district closes car traffic on sundays
and people gather to share alternative style
through the years, lolita has been seen less and less
in Japan and less local fashion people
gather in Harajuku as it has become slightly overrun with tourists
combined with the closure of several clothing labels and the magazines
going out of print lolitas overseas have a sense of
urgency to keep the fashion alive for fear of it dying out
although lolita has become less popular in Japan,
the style is growing more and more worldwide.
here are some helpful terms you may need to know for lolita
theyre on screen now. this fashion is a hobby
and is also associated with lifestyle because it has
a very strong community around it. this community is
all over the world and holds meetups, events,
and often has content at anime conventions
the best way to get involved and find your local community is through Facebook
or looking for conventions near you with lolita content
there is a large number of online communities
and lolitas to follow online and support
however, please don't take your entire sense of community from
the internet and remember that it's very different
from going to in person events
there are times when one loud person will feel like the whole
community is bad, when it's just one bad egg
this is often why the lolita community gets a bad rep online
and I recommend
going to in person events when you can because
you will meet wonderful, kind, people
have more questions about lolita fashion?
Hi I'm lor, a lolita fashion Youtuber
and i have over 300 videos on the topic
for you to enjoy and learn
I am going to link some specific beginner ones
that you may have questions about in the description below
whether you are interested in the fashion yourself,
or if someone introduced you to this video, thank you
for giving me some time to explain lolita fashion