At this stage, you also want to decide on a substyle of Lolita for yourself. Don’t worry! You don’t have to stick with just one (there are many). Many lolitas have several substyles in their clossets. Make your decision based on the fashions that you like the best. For example: If you feel more comfortable wearing black all the time, you might want to go with gothic or kuro Lolita. If you like grunge or punk style, you might want to go with punk Lolita. Keep in mind that punk Lolita is a more difficult substyle to pull off and you’ll need a little bit of experience with Lolita fashion in order to pull it off. Punk and gothic Lolita are 2 very different substyles, so be familiar with what sets them apart so that you don’t get one confused for the other. Another example: I like punk and gothic and might incorporate them into my Lolita wardrobe too, but usually I tend to go for more vintage-inspired looks and prints, so classic or sweet Lolita are the substyles that I lean towards the most. Also, keep in mind that just because a dress is black, doesn’t mean that it’s gothic Lolita. It can also be sweet Lolita depending on how you coordinate it. There are many sweet Lolita dresses that are black.
This is sweet lolita
This one is gothic lolita
See the difference? Gothic Lolita is a more elegant substyle.
And this one is punk lolita
Now for some Lolita-related terms that you might need to get familiar with when it comes to making, buying, or reffering to Lolita clothes: Because Lolita fashion originated in Japan, some garments are reffered to by different names, although inspired by the English and French languages. A JSK or “jumper skirt“ is a sleeveless Lolita dress. It is usually worn with a blouse underneath, but it can also be worn on it’s own.
A “cutsew” or “cutsaw” is a slightly more casual lolita blouse made of jersey/knit fabric.
A “jabbot” is an ornamental cascade of ruffles or frills down the front of a shirt, blouse, or dress. It can be stitched on directly to the garment or come in the form of a necklace or choker that is removable and can be used in different coordinates.
This one here is a removable jabbot.
A “Kachuusha" is a headband, most often with a big alice bow on top.
An OP, or “one piece” is a Lolita dress that has sleeves.
See how it differs from a JSK? It could have long sleeves too!
A “pannier” or “petticoat” is a type of underskirt usually made of tulle worn to give volume to skirts.
Basically, a tutu skirt.
In this series of tutorials, I will be showing you my methods for making the Lolita garments pictured here. First up, the JSK! Keep an eye out for the tutorial. J
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You can also try EGL comm sales here on Livejournal for used lolita clothes.
If you want to try out punk lolita, I encourage you to do so, but it's not something I would suggest for a beginer. It's not as easy as it looks to achieve the look. In my opinion, there's a very thin line between punk lolita and visual kei, so you have to be cearful when you wear it. Also, make sure it's elegant enough so that you don't look like you're wearing costume.