♥ Lolita Fashion in Media: Anime & Video Games ♥

Since lolita has been a part of Japanese culture for well over 20 years now, it's not surprising to hear that it has influenced creators of anime, videogames, and other forms of media. These designs can range anywhere from amazing to down-right terrible. Today I'd like to show you a few of my favourites, a few funny designs, and a few that are confusing.

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With anime, for the most part, it's a minefield filled with awful 'lolita' inspired outfits. Certain series do try fairly hard to get it right, like Rozen Maiden, Paradise Kiss, or Black Butler (with kodona, anyway), but quite often it's a miss rather than a hit. I'd rather not spend a lot of time displaying the endless "meh" designs, but you can see quite a few of them on the Anime Character Database here.

A few designs that I think have great potential are from the series Fantasista Doll. They can be a little bit out there, as it is anime, but for the most part I find them close to recent lolita trends! Other characters from the series are influenced by japanese trends and tropes like other jfashion styles, maids, military outfits, schoolgirls, and more.

Another character I really like is Ruri, from Oreimo. Her outfit is very reminiscent of old school gothic lolita but steers very far from most 'old school' inspired anime outfits! It's actually fairly on par! I wouldn't be surprised if a lolita brand have or will make a collab with this anime in mind.

It's nice to see that not all Lolita fashion in anime is terrible or innacurate. I do hope to see more accurate outfits and current lolita trends in anime in the future!

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One of my favourite lolita-inspired outfits in videogames is worn by the character, Cordelia from Shadow Hearts: Covenant. Cordelia is a ball-jointed doll controlled by her master Gheppeto, for use in battles. Cordelia is a magic-type character, and equips different outfits to use different elements and powers. Most of Cordelia's outfits are fairly normal and cute outfits, but one of her outfits, Dark Beauty,  looks like something straight from Moi Meme Moitie! The game was released in 2004, so it's a little surprising they got it so accurate for the styles of the time!

Shadow Hearts isn't perfect however, and they can get things very, very wrong. While still one of my favourite characters, Hildagard Valentine, or Hilda, has an outfit that isn't the best representation of the fashion. Hilda is a vampire, who's believes she's an amazingly strong superheroine. Her combat revolves around 'Calories'. (It's very tongue in cheek, don't worry!) When she is thin, her abilities are magic-based, whereas when she is chubby, her moves are melee-based. She can also transform into a pink bat.

As a character, she is great and her outfit suits her for her personality for sure, but it still isn't a very good representation of the fashion. I do think with some modifications, it does have great potential though!

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RPGs aren't the only games with lolitas in them, as fighting games also have a few frilly ladies! On the right, is Ninon from the King of Fighters series. While some of her outfits can be a little bit strange, they definitely put  the effort into making her outfit reflect the fashion it is inspired by. Granted, the spikes on the headdress, the roses on her tights, and the corset are a bit out there, but it looks like an outfit a lolita would wear. It's a little dated, as the game was released in 2006, but I think she's still a good representation of lolita fashion.

Ninon

Lili

However, with every great Ninon, there is a confusing Lili. Emilie De Rochefort, also known as Lili, is a characer from the Tekken fighting game series. In designing Lili, the creators explicitely said they were influenced by lolita fashion. I can understand they have to design the outfit with the mechanics and keep in mind the full-body movement there characters have, but I wish they could have done a little bit more research before slapping the 'lolita fashion' tag on the character.

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There are many, many more characters out there that I would love to write about but I don't want to get too carried away! If you enjoyed this article, please let me know! I can definitely make a more in-depth part 2!

♥ Making the Most of Your Lolita Communy! ♥

My favourite part of wearing lolita fashion is having the support, friends, and good times that come with having a lolita community. There are many lolita communities worldwide, both online and in offline local communities spanning cities, countries, and continents! For many people, it can be difficult to find a community for them or it can be hard to adjust or fit in to their new found community. With this entry today, I'd like to try to help in making finding your community and making the best of your community!

Finding Your Community

There are plenty of online lolita communities, though not a lot of them are very active. The most popular and knowledgable is of course, EGL on Livejournal, but there are plenty other lolita communities such as the LolitaFashion.org forums,  Gaia Online Lolita Fashion subforum, and Lacebook (which is invite-only at the moment). As well, there are communities devoted to all J-fashion styles such as Harajuju and My Asian Fashion. All of these communities have varying sizes, activity, and experience levels but the large variety means there will be a forum for everyone.

Personally I've found quite a few local communities have a strong online presence, most often on Livejournal and Facebook. A currently anonymous person created a wonderful directory of Lolita communites around the world, including their online communities and where to join them. It's incredibly helpful in finding a group of lolitas closeby.

If you cannot find a local community, there are plenty of places to ask! Personally, I found asking on EGL will usually point you in the right direction. If there is absolutely no lolita community local to you, and you'd like to make one, Facebook is a great place to create one as I've found it can be easy to find other local lolitas via other related interests there.

Joining Your Community

Once you've found your local or online community, don't be scared! If you're nervous, it can be good to lurk and observe for a bit, but I've found diving right into it and introducing yourself is very worth it! With all of the communities I've joined everyone has been welcoming and kind to newcomers and your local community should be no different.

A thing to keep in mind in joining your lolita community is how you come across to others. Sometimes people can unintentionally come across rude, so just try to visualize how your writing will come across before you post it for others to see. If you can try to be polite, be kind, and try to avoid being blunt when you first start being active in your community. Once people have seen you in person, or have talked to you online for a period of time, it will be easier for them to understand your personality and nuances in your text.

Interacting With Your Community

When you're part of a lolita community, you should try make the most of it.  Be active online and offline if you can. Communities are a great resource, as they're a great way to make friends with similar interests, and best of all, wonderful support in advice on coordinating, buying and selling, and other things related to the fashion.

A great thing about local communities are the meetups. They can be an absolute blast and it's a great way for everyone to show off their best new thing and favourite outfits. I personally adore meetups because I feel much more confident wearing lolita with others wearing the same. I highly recommend going to meets, even organizing them if you can. They're definitely worth a try!

Now lolita communites can be great, but they can also be difficult at times. Not every group is guilty of it, but many can have issues with some members being unpleasant, having attitudes, or worse, spreading gossip and drama. Though it can be tempting at times, I cannot stress strongly enough, do not let yourself get involved in that sort of thing. People can be frustrating, events can go wrong, but don't let it go beyond that. A teeny bit of drama can explode in a very destructive thing. It's best to just let things slide and not effect you. Time heals all wounds, and drama too.

With that said, drama is not normall a problem and I've found most communities to be wonderful, fun, helpful, and an amazing thing to be part of. It can be daunting, and a little frightful, but taking that first step to be part of a community is definitely worth it. I'm part of many communities myself and I am very glad for that. I hope you can find a community for you, too!

♥ Pairing Unusual Items With Lolita ♥

Note: I'm going to apologize if this article is a bit poorly written or worse than my other articles, as I'm currently under a lot of medication while writing this. Next week I have dental surgery and right now I'm on a multitude of pills.

One thing I'm a fan of, and I know for a fact other lolitas enjoy, is pairing unusual or non-lolita items with the fashion! The items can be anything from 'normal' fashion staples like leather jackets to vintage 1950s pieces or even . Today I'm going to give a few tips on how to make unusual items work with lolita!

Don't forget the colours of your outfit: Treat matching the item like you would any other item in the coordinate. It has to take a colour from your coordinate, whether it matches the base colour of your pain piece or pulls out a more subtle colour from your outfit.

When matching colours, avoid using your accessories to 'add' a colour into the coordinate. By adding colour without pulling it from the main pieces, it can make the accessories pop out too much and have the coordinate a bit 'off'. For example, if the item you're adding is black and the dress is a pastel print, adding black tights, wristcuffs, and accessories, everything will look a little off even if its masterfully balanced.


Make sure it matches the 'theme' or aesthetic of the outfit: The item has to flow with the outfit and look like it belongs. For example, a leather jacket fits well with punk, but would look out of place in sweet. In situations where the item doesn't match the 'look' of your outfit, you can always change it so that it does match! Any item can be fixed with a little ribbon, lace, paint or any sort of modification if done right.

[Source - MissAngelaLovesTheCute @ Tumblr]

Make the item noticeable: Try not to let the outfit overwhelm the item but also don't let the item be overwhelming. If your item is large and/or extravagant, try to pair it with an extravagant outfit. If your item is simple, try to keep the outfit simple. As well, you can make a simple or plain item more extravagant by adding to it, but you can't really make an extravagant item simple without heavy modification.

The example below is good, because the hat is kept balanced with the outfit by the large parasol. As well, the floral print of the dress matches the flowers of the hat, drawing it in. In addition, she could improve her outfit by adding a small feather pin to address the feather on the hat, and possibly lacey socks to balance it all together.

[Source - MyLolitaFantasy]

Pairing unusual items with lolita is a great experiment in coordinating and can be very fun! As well, it's a nice way of making your coordinates stand out! I hope you all enjoyed my tips and maybe even start experimenting by adding new things to the fashion! Who knows, you might make the next big trend!

♥ Lolita Hairstyles I'd Like to See More Often ♥

With lolita being a style with such diversity between designs, outfits, and substyles, I'm very surprised with the lack of different hairstyles. While I love the array of different curly and wavy styles that are commonly worn, (and I do love me some wavy, curly lolita hairstyles) I would really love to see a world of more varying lolita hairstyles! Here are a few favourite styles of mine that I personally would like to see paired with lolita more often.

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Despite the 'traditional' beginnings of lolita I think the boost of bright colours would look nice with the fashion. I love the look of using unnatural colours as highlights or an notable 'accent' colour, and not just the usual way it is done in sweet with the two-toned wigs that match the colour of the dress. It has been done before, with the punk and gothic substyles, but I do wish it was done more outside of the box with sweet lolita and other substyles!

[Source? - GLB? AP?]

[Source - B2C Umeda @ Rasysa]

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A style I absolutely love is when hair is brushed to one-side, especially in high-low updos. This style is fairly common with Gyaru, but I think it would look especially cute with lolita. I have seen it a few times with casual lolita outfits, but I do wish it was worn more with lolita. It's okay to break the symmetry associated with lolita outfits!

[Source - Mahaloa @ Rasysa]

[Source - Arena @ Rasysa]

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Another style I am very fond of, to be worn with lolita style or otherwise, are boyish short styles! While they work perfectly with ouji/kodona, they're hardly worn outside of that substyle. I think a pirate-loli with a pixie-cut or a sweet lolita with a prince-like head of wavy curls just sounds too cute! Though lolita may be traditionally an ultra-feminine style, I think short styles like these can work nicely in a feminine way as well!

[Source - HAIR SNOB @ Rasysa]

[Source - Za/Za Aoyama @ Rasysa]

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Lastly, a style that I absolutely adore, and wish was worn more often, would have to be afro lolitas!!! They can look downright silly if they're done the wrong way, but I just adore the look of an afro with lolita. In both natural and unnatural colours, afros are a super hairstyle that I think works very well for the fashion. I can understand wearing them could be a little bit daunting, especially if one doesn't have the natural hair for it, but I think it's a style well worth wearing!

[Source - Damare Kozou @ Yaplog]

[Source - SmileySquid @ Blogspot]

Some people think afros can be too costumey or clown-like, which I can understand how the style could come across like that. If an afro is too much, why not wear large, puffed out crimped hair? I think it could look very doll-like and cute!

[Source - Raffine @ Rasysa]

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Let me know what you think: Are my opinions a bit too wacky, or do you agree with my thoughts? In your opinion, what hairstyles do you think should be worn more often with lolita fashion?

♥ Music for Lolitas of Every Style ♥

I'm one of those people that likes to have music to fit everything about their day. I like to listen to fast paced songs when I'm driving, cutesy songs when I'm going for walks, and videogame music when I'm working out. (It keeps me pumped up, haha.) This makes me think though, could I have different music for when I'm wearing different styles of lolita?

When I think lolita bands, I think of the obvious. Moon Kana has modeled for the GLB multiple times, and sports lolita fashion regularly. Though her music can be very eclectic, she is indeed a representation of lolita fashion. Akira Takarano of ALI Project has made lolita part of her artistic style from the beginnings from the sweet, cute music the band started with  to their more recent darker, operatic works. But aside from those two, who else could represent our fashion suitably? 

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Music for A Sweet Lolita

Kanon Wakeshima - Known for [Skip Turn Step] [Still Doll] [Marmalade Sky]
In her music videos and albums Kanon usually wears lolita fashion or historically inspired frocks, so in that alone she's already great for fans of lolita. Her music is centered around the beautiful sounds of her cello playing, with peppy and cheerful (for the most part) lyrics. Her music is often lively and cute, though sometimes her music can be slow and serene. I think her music would also be suitable for classic lolita, but ultimately fits best with the styles of sweet.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Known for [Pon Pon Pon] [Invader Invader] [Furisodation]
For fans of 'kawaii', OTT, or all things creepy cute, Kyary is the best possible music to compliment your style. Kyary started as a fashion blogger, who wore various harajuku kei styles, including lolita fashion! With her cheerful lyrics and incredibly catchy tunes, it's hard not to sing along and dance along. Her creative and bizarre fashion and music videos are also a neat plus! 

YaoYao - Known for [Honey] [Tell The Love] [Free Love]
I first noticed Yao Yao for her adorable cover of KARA's song Honey, and her adorable use of Bodyline's lolita items in the music video. While her sexy look can be a bit off putting for some, her music is cute and sweet!

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Music for A Gothic Lolita

Kalafina - Known for [Red Moon] [Magia] [Lacrimosa]
With their powerful voices and beautiful melodies, these women are one of my favourite bands to listen to. Their musical has a classical instrument flair similar to Kanon Wakeshima, but their music has a much darker, gothic tone. Their music varies from loud rock to melancholic balads, and it's all enjoyable. These talented women are a must-listen, in my opinion.

Buck-Tick - Known for [Dress] [Romance] [Gessekai]
Now the hunky looks and smooth voice of the lead singer should be good enough of a reason to listen to this amazing jrock band their dark, gothic music is perfect for the gothic lolita. Buck Tick have been active for three decades, and are often credited as some of  the 'fathers of visual kei'. Over the years they have experimented with many different musical styles, including gothic, punk, darkwave and other music styles. This band is a real treat for those who are fans of gothic music, visual kei and anything in between.

Rasputina - Known for [1816, The Year Without Summer] [Gingerbread Coffin] [In Old Yellowcake]
This band is incredibly popular is gothic fashion circles, and there is no suprise why. Their music is gloomy, creepy, and thoroughly enjoyable. Their music is a interesting mix of classic instruments, modern electronic, and dark lyrics, but it comes together to make such an interesting and rich sound.

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Music for A Classic Lolita

Kokusyoku Sumire - Known for [Le Poison] [The Secret Tea Party] [Gekko Renka]
While they do often wear gothic lolita, their style is not explicitly lolita. Their big skirts, lace and frills combined with their unique style makes an interesting 'old country style' sister to lolita. Their music is so incredibly unique, mixing operatic singing, classic instruments (including an accordian) and their own sense of style. Their calming, and at times funny, music is wonderful to listen to, and flatters the classic lolita lifestyle very well.

Sucrette - Known for [Love Prologue] [Whistle and Love] [My Brilliant Summer]

Though I personally don't know much about the history of the artist, Sucrette has a sweet, lovely voice that is a joy to listen to. Her soft singing isn't overly sweet, and her musical style has a really nice, calm sound. It's the perfect music for laying in a bed of grass, staring at clouds.

Fleet Foxes - Known for [Montezuma] [Blue Ridge Mountains] [Mykonos]
These 'mountain men' are famous for their soothing indie folk sounds. They came to be known worldwide in 2008, and ever since they've been releasing their relaxing melodies worldwide. Their music may not stray from their slow pace and soft voices, but despite this it ranges from catchy upbeat tunes to slow and sad stories. Their lyrics are a blessing to listen to, with a poetic nature that is very enjoyable.

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I hope you all enjoyed my musical choices! Do you have any musicians that you think fit perfectly with lolita?
If you do, please leave a comment below!