Frills, Johann Strauss, Afternoon Tea, And Innocence.
Elegant Gothic Lolita
Lolita fashion is :
Cute. Even the most gothic or deconstructed lolita maintains that cuteness. Youthful. This could be tied into the cute factor, since cute is generally applied to more young/youthful people and things? This can especially be seen in the number of outfits that incorporate elements seen in school uniforms like schoolgirlish plaids, sailor collars, etc. Even the most mature lolita styles seem to retain the feel of youth. Youth, however, does NOT necessarily translate into very-young-girl-style. Compare Angelic Pretty to Mary Magdalene or BabySSB to Victorian Maiden. Feminine. It's pretty self explanatory to me. But examples can be the emphasis on curved lines, soft fabrics, and typically feminine motifs such as hearts, flowers/floral prints, and butterflies. Punk lolita has the least of this element, but I think it's still there. I think the line between "just punk" and "punk loli" can be seen partially in whether or not strong feminine elements have been incorporated. Detailed. This does NOT necessarily mean all loli is frilly or elaborate. There seem to always be little details in lolita clothing that make the outfit, be it pintucks, matching laces, embroidery, ruffles, shirring, richly textured fabric, unusual collar or skirt shapes... I could go on and on. But little or nothing is ever left plain. Some exceptions to the plainness are certain pieces from brands like Atelier Boz or Moi Meme Moitie, but one could argue that the details there are the very crisp, very clean lines of the garments, the very "rich" fabrics and trims. Deliberate. In lolita done right* all the elements are carefully matched to each other, the outfit is planned; even the punky side of lolita looks like you deliberately and carefully matched pieces cobbled together from a war zone. ^^ Lots of lolitas have mix and match style wardrobes, *but* the empasis is on the "match" part of that. There is often careful attention to the lines of the outfit, the flow of colors and patterns, etc.Not overtly sexual. There is a sensuality and flirtatiousness in this fashion, and occasionally innuendo, but I think most would agree that the traditional style/clothing itself is not overtly sexual. The only time I have seen overt sexuality described as part of lolita fashion is -here-, in the description of "erololi." This is the only time I've seen the term erololi. The community seems split between people who feel overt sexuality has no place in the fashion and don't seem to consider erololi part of their view of the lolita world, and people who feel that excluding all clothing that could be said to be sexualized constitutes elitism and excessive purism. The people WEARING the fashions may be utterly chaste and modest or extremely sexual, however.
