The Bare Basics of Lolita: Substyles

Here's the second part of our Lolita Basics series - Substyles! Again, most experienced Lolitas will be very familiar with these, but if you're a new Lolita dipping your toes into the waters and you've stumbled upon this blog, this might help you explore what pieces and styles call to you. Everyone has different tastes and Lolita comes in every flavor. Plenty of Lolitas have outfits that fall into different categories, though others prefer to stick to one or two substyles. As always, these are broad generalizations. I cannot possibly cover all the ways you can enjoy Lolita substyles! While I can't possibly list every substyle, these are some of the common ones you'll run into.

Quickly, all Gothic & Lolita Bible scans are from the Lolita History Gallery.

Classic

Classic Lolita enjoyed a surge in popularity a few years ago. It leans into the Elegant side of Lolita, rather than Sweet's cute factor or Gothic's dark tones. Common color palettes include muted pastels, earth tones, and jewel tones. Solids, tartans, stripes, and florals are the traditional patterns, but with the upswing in popularity, brands have really branched out! Keys, cutlery, trains, crowns, classical art, architecture, music - there are so many motifs to choose from! You'll see more tights and over-the-knee socks, as well as boots and pumps in lieu of tea parties, rocking-horse shoes, or platforms.

Oftentimes I see coordinates revolving more closely around the early inspirations for Lolita in terms of fashion history. Rococo and Victorian-based outfits bring interesting cuts, intricate bonnets, and elegant accessories. Keep your eye out for hats, pearls, and opportunities to mix fabrics! Lace, faux fur, wool, cotton, and satin will surprise you together so long as they're combined tastefully.

You'll find Classic pieces from most major brands and plenty of indie brands, but Innocent World, Mary Magdalene, Victorian Maiden, and Alice and the Pirates will pop up in your search quite often.

Sweet

When you look for Lolita fashion on any social media site, you're going to see Sweet Lolita everywhere. It's cute, colorful, girly, and full of fun! There are a thousand motifs that go with this style, so you're always going to find something you love. Toys, candies, desserts, animals, clouds, chocolate, carousels, fruits, perfume bottles, cosmetics, fairy tales, stars, if you name it, I can find it for you. And where patterns are concerned, you've got any option from solid colors with cute appliques and cuts to stripes, gingham, tartan, and polka dots. Color palettes tend to skew towards pastels, but really can include anything. If you see animal ears in Lolita, it will probably be here. Bonnets are frillier than the ones used in Classic Lolita, shoes are rounder, petticoats get fluffier, and looks play around more with waistlines and sock lengths.

Sweet Lolita loves cuteness. It oftens gets a lot of flak from non-Lolitas who think the themes and motifs are too childish, but it really grabs at one of the core tenets of the fashion: have no shame in liking what you like!

There's no question that Angelic Pretty is one of the titans of Sweet Lolita, though most brands will also have Sweet pieces due to its massive popularity.

Gothic

The original rocket to international introduction! Gothic Lolita is all about the darker side of elegance and cuteness, often taking inspiration from Victorian mourning attire. Unsurprisingly, black is typically the primary color, though it's far from unusual to see jewel-tone accent colors or outfits made entirely of white or grey. When not focusing on fabric textures and construction details, main pieces might sport Gothic architecture, crosses, coffins, bats, or roses. The use of electric blue in this substyle is a direct influence of Mana-sama of Moi-même-Moitié, who uses it as his trademark color. You can usually spot at least a touch of it in his every outfit!

Aside from the completely different color palette, Gothic tends to play more with hemlines and fabrics. Black-on-black tends to work really well with fabric mixing, so you'll see the use of lace, ribbons, chiffon, and ruffles to create interest in a piece.

Moi-même-Moitié is the Gothic brand that everyone knows, but you'll find pieces from nearly everywhere. Other brands that either produce mainly Gothic or lean into it include Elegy, Atelier Pierrot, Antique BeasT, Alice and the Pirates, and Black Peace Now.

Punk

Now we're getting into the less-popular styles, but Punk is still its own thing. Borrowing from punk trends in the 90s and 2000s, you'll see a lot of black mixed with bright tartans, metal accessories, pleather, big old boots, and (my personal favorite of the style) asymmetrical hemlines. Like, I cannot stress enough how interesting I find the hemlines. By definition, Punk thrives on pushing the boundaries of what it means to dress in Lolita. You're much more likely to see rule-breaking and bending! Fishnets, shorter skirts, bare arms, and distressed textures won't be out-of-place.

The tricky part of dressing in Punk is reining yourself in before you cross over into Not-Lolita territory. Skirts shouldn't be too short and you still want your outfit to look balanced.

If you decide you want to give Punk a try, look out for the brands h.NAOTO, Putumayo, and Alice and the Pirates. 

Casual

While Casual Lolita isn't a true substyle, I really wanted to put it on the list because of how much I love and rely on it. This is basically Lolita simplified. Forget the piles of jewelry and tower of headwear, hang up the latest print explosion, and put away your extra petticoats. You don't need a fancy coordinate to be cute! Any style can be made casual. You'll see a lot of casual coordinates make use of skirts and cutsews or cute t-shirts. Hairstyles and headwear are kept simple. Instead of your fanciest princess sleeves, opt for a cute cardigan. Really, this is just Lolita made simple.

Most brands will put out something you can use to wear Lolita casually. Look out for simple pieces that can be dressed-down for a nice day out shopping or a coffee date with friends!

Other Substyles or Themes:

There are other substyles that you'll hear about, though they could be considered sub-substyles or blends of the ones we've already discussed. Lolita speed round!

Country

Dress by With PUJI

One of my favorite substyles, this is a blend of Sweet and Classic that gives an air of being out in the country! Fruits, florals, and ginghams are your typical motifs and you'll see lots of straw hats, baskets, lace, and the occasional apron. 

Guro

Outfit by Diamond Honey

Guro isn't quite Gothic and not quite Punk, but its own horror-based substyle. I see this style go one of two ways: broken doll, which typically comes with cracks, bloodsplatter, and bandages, or medical-themed with nurse hats and needle prints. This is perfect for those of you who have a strong artistic streak and a passion for horror makeup!

Kuro/Shiro

An example of Kuro Lolita

Plenty of Lolitas will revolve their wardrobe around one color. Kuro and Shiro are all-black or all-white outfits, respectively, and are exactly what they sound like. You may think that Kuro sounds like another word for Gothic, but it's not. The outfits in construction are functionally Sweet, just in black!

Sailor

The big brands put out sailor-themed releases almost every summer. You'll see classic navy collars, strategically-placed stripes, anchors, red, white, and blue color palettes, and cute hats!

Hime

Dress by Miss Han

"Hime" is the Japaense word for "princess," so, obviously, Hime Lolita is a very princessy substyle! Think Marie Antoinette. Get yourself layers, big bell sleeves, fancy jewelry, teased and impeccably styled curls, and beautiful, intricate dresses.

Wa

Wa Lolita is modelled off of traditional Japanese kimono and yukata and often features beautiful, thematic prints. Metamorphose Temps de Fille is very well-known for their kimono prints! Be so careful when trying out this substyle, as a poorly-done coordinate can turn offensive.

Qi/Han

Dress by Ocelot

Modelled after Chinese qipao and hanfu, this substyle uses traditional cuts, fabrics, and embroidery in pieces. As with Wa, try out this style with respect and research to prevent a coordinate from looking costumey.

Ero

For the record, to cover this base, Lolita is not a fetish or a kink. That said, Ero Lolita is the provocative side of the fashion. It's slightly more revealing, often forgoing a blouse and adding in elements like bustiers, high heels, and sheer tights. A few years ago, there was a fun trend of wearing a translucent overskirt with a cage petticoat to reveal fancy, lace-trimmed and ruffled bloomers underneath.

Nun

Dress by ZHIJINYUAN

Arguably a substyle of Gothic, this was not so much a thing when I was first starting out! My memory is a little fuzzy and I'm sure plenty of people were wearing similar coordinates beforehand, but I remember Ista Mori's Nameless Poem OP skyrocketing in popularity and bringing nun-themed Lolita to trend status. Crosses, long sleeves, and high collars trademark this simple substyle.

Old-School

Another favorite of mine, this is a popular throwback to the early years of Lolita. Instead of the prints so popular now, the focus is on solids and simple patterns with more complex construction. Ruffles, pintucks, lace trim, tiers, or ribbon lacing will serve as decoration. Add a bonnet, a bow, or a rectangle headdress and a pair of Mary Janes to top off your look, and don't forget to look at old Gothic & Lolita Bible or Kera scans for inspiration! Metamorphose and Baby, the Stars Shine Bright put out plenty of old school pieces, usually riffs on their classic pieces from past years.

Some may also blend Lolita with another street fashion like Decora, Steampunk, Mori, Fairy Kei, Dolly Kei, or Cult Party Kei. Really, what I want you to take away from this is that there are so many ways to wear Lolita fashion, and there's a substyle for everyone!