Thank you for the influx of attention. I'm making a quick faq about that knitted dress because I keep seeing a bunch of questions.
How is it being held up?
In those original progress pics it was being held up with pins with a petticoat jnderneath. I was flirting with sewing in an illusion mesh yoke and forgoing proper straps but a) the girls need actual support and b) I'd rather do something that can be reversed at a later date. As of now, she has crocheted insertion lace straps, with ribbon providing actual support.
What is the underdress/understructure like?
It's being supported by this dress that was going to be a plain thing but is now something that can be worn as a standalone dress:
And yes, I also made this. The pleats and lace on the bodice are all hand tacked and it took me about 2 months off and on. There is also a massive panel of lace on the back, cbf finding pics though.
Is there a pattern?
Yes, it is under Peacock Wedding Dress on ravelry, it is free, and I'm still updating it for clarity as I suck at explaining shit. It has four sizes but only the L is tested, so if you knit it and find something funny, message me and I'll fix my shit.
Update - Found more typos, also clarified the section of text at the end of the Angled decrease to reflect stitch counts for all sizes. Not
What about the bolero?
The base pattern is the Retro Bolero pattern by fasOLAAA on ravelry as well. I ended up changing the lace pattern and freehanding sleeves for it.
How many beads? How did I get them on there??
Lots. About 6-7k at last estimate. And I got them on there by using a very tiny crochet hook to slide a bead onto each stitch that needed one.
What other random talents do I have?
I'm a musician, you can find me on spotify under nikarra. I also sew and draw. (And can technically code in renpy but that's a whole other thing).
Returning to my tradition of posting belated coordinates six months later. These were supposed to be light autumn (light autumn core?) jfashion outfits for the start of fall, which is difficult to get into the spirit of at times due to the weather where I live.
This is what I believe to be both the most iconic era and the most misunderstood. As someone who was wearing and getting into Lolita at this time I remember it very fondly.
This is the era that really cemented lolita as what we know it as today. Due to the sheer amount of references and documentation of this era I’m going to focus less on individual items and moreso show the over all look
The regular look at the time was very elaborate and focused on creating a fully cohesive coord from head to toe. Balance, harmony, motifs, color and detail level being carried from head to toe was more important than ever. Contrary to popular belief however, piling on a bunch of accessories was not really the look. Very few Lolita’s went for the decora inspired vibe and instead went for tasteful balanced statement accessories and a lot of cohesion. Each individual item had its own detail creating a very “ott” look when paired with the trendy hair and makeup at the time as well as the busier prints and brighter colors.
Casual Lolita was still seen at the time though it seems what people call casual Lolita now is wildly different than what we called it back then.perhaps it was due to OTT very elaborate coords being the norm led to the casual coords of the time being quite elaborate in their own right. Usually using a skirt, cutsew, smaller or simpler accessories and a more wearable comfortable vibe.
“Bittersweet”, I’m not here to debate whether or not this is a substyle or a “real thing” on this post, simply to acknowledge what the term refers to. During the ott era it was a micro trend to wear a mix of pastels and black- often paired with edgier hairstyles and accessories. A lot of people compare this style to pastel goth but I think a more accurate comparison is spank! Kei being the darker sibling to fairy kei. Consider this the spank kei of lolita.
Hair and makeup typically look inspiration from another wildly popular style at the time: gyaru. With its rise and popularity, many styles in Japan used the hair, makeup, and even deco nails from the style with their own styles. This can be seen very often in lolita. Hallmarks of this being the eye droop, lashes, circle lences, big teased hairstyles, face gems and heavy rounded blush.
Though still seen, metal jewelry was quickly becoming less common with plastic chunky jewelry becoming the popular trend for brands and wearers of lolita. Jewelry that directly matched the print really took off at the time.
Novelty bags were at their peak at this time. You can often see snaps of girls carrying multiple bags! Plush animal bags had also come back around as a trend with the emergence of many iconic designs like ap’s horse bags and the lyrical bunny pochette. Tote bags that featured the dress’s print were also quite popular as opposed to the screen printed designs of past eras.
Some of the most iconic and sought after prints were from this era, it truly defined what we view as lolita and so many people cite this era as what got them into lolita. The prints were honestly really varied in terms of motifs and colors though- moreso than ever before!
While twinning has always been a thing I feel like making a 2010s sweet post without showing some of the absolutely iconic twinning coords would be a disservice to everyone. Twinning was in and of itself a trend of the time
I often see any ott sweet coords called 2010s sweet when they simply aren’t. Deco lolita definitely existed at the time but it wasn’t the common look. So if you intend to emulate 2010s iconic sweet style try and look at and truly study the style of the time! I hope this post does help clear up some of the main misconceptions.
If you’re interested in reading more here’s part 1 and part 2
Moving out of the oldschool era we start to see sweet Lolita becoming more like we know it today. While solid color mainpieces and simpler styling were still common, printed pieces and more accessories were becoming more popular.
This transitional period between oldschool and the iconic 2010s ott era is often left out in conversations about Lolita history despite it really having its own interesting trends.
In general this era was very glamorous in its trends- gyaru was a huge influence on the trends and you can absolutely see that influence.
This is the period where balancing colors and having elaborately themed coords started. Brands really started to have their own styles and identities.
As a sort of in between of heavy prints and solids appliqué prints and screen prints were very popular at the time. Brands put a lot out and the community caught onto this trend very quickly
I also often see coords from the early part of this era mislabeled as oldschool despite them already being quite modern. I do think there’s overlap, especially around 2005-2006 but familiarizing yourself with the styling differences makes it pretty easy to see the differences. The “new” way of coording at the time was far more sweet, more elaborate, more detailed, and more accessorized. THIS is the period where tea parties, modern usakumya designs, baby’s heart bags, and many other iconic designs that are often labeled as oldschool were made. Mislabeling them as oldschool both harms the ability to properly emulate oldschool and erases the history of the transitional period between then and the ott era. Wrist cuffs were also becoming common place at this point.
Printed socks started to become both more elaborate and more popular though lace topped otks stayed pretty common and popular in this period.
Jewelry got more detailed and cutesy. Plastic jewelry started to become more common, however more detailed metal jewelry was the majority of what you’ll see. Jewelry and socks that matched the motifs of dresses started to become the standard at this point.
Other accessories were very varied though mini Alice bows were really the most popular and common. A lot of fun and experimental headpieces like plastic headbands, mini hats, and the always iconic napayoshi bunny bonnet were made in this time.
Novelty bags and heavily printed totes also started to become more common and popular. Strangely it seems that plush animal bags fell out of popularity until the tail end of this era moving into the ott craze. Printed hand bags were the most popular, but some shaped novelty bags were still made- especially towards the end of this period.
This is one of the first Lolita eras where hair and makeup became a big part of styling a coord. With the popularization of gyaru you could see many influences in how Lolita’s did their hair and makeup both in this period and in the 2010s. Though the makeup was simpler and typically didn’t veer into full gyaru territory until the later part into the 2010s
More accessories like wrist cuffs, faux collars, brooches, gloves and little chains that clipped from one jsk strap to the other were seen at this time too. Faux fur in details was extremely popular with some brands even including fur trims on their mainpieces. Pearls, polkadots, charms, and florals were all also rampant.
Motifs were all over the place at the time but some of the most popular / common were: poodles, cakes / sweets, polkadots, Alice / card / trumps, berries, crowns, cats, houndstooth, florals, and crowns!
Thanks so much for reading, if you’re interested in reading more see: part 1 part 3
Oldschool sweet is the first truly recognizable form of sweet Lolita
Though during the Oldschool era the substyles had far more crossover and less individual traits I think there’s just enough that you still label coords from the time. When most people think of Oldschool they think of a solid color main piece with lace topped otks and a rectangle headdress… but Oldschool is so much more than that.
Oldschool in general was simpler, though some brands like Metamorphose Temps De Fille , Emily Temple Cute, and baby the stars shine bright were already making prints
Printed fabrics of fruits or florals were very common, but you did see a good amount of screen printed and appliquéd pieces coming out at the time too. Some very common sweet motifs in the oldschool era were:
•cats
•fruit
•alice in wonderland
•bunnies / rabbits
•bears
•alphabet / letter prints
•music notes
•hearts
The closer to the end of the identifiable oldschool era the more prints became popular! Though through most of the 2000’s prints would remain more minimal with the focus being on more structural elements like lace, bows, construction, and interesting fabric choices.
Due to the image limit on tumblr here’s a link to the correct sorting to see examples on lolibrary with examples of some early sweet prints and patterns. If you click the link on any of these items you’ll be able to view their lolibrary entries as well if available
Color balance wasn’t considered as highly as it is today, the overall vibe of Coords was more chaotic and experimental. A very make do attitude can be seen in many street snaps.
Patterned main pieces were another popular alternative to prints, things like gingham, stripes, tartan/plaid.
Bag choices were pretty varied, honestly in a lot of oldschool sweet coords people would use unique bags as the visual interest / focal point. You can already see that in someone of the coords above. Faux leather shaped bags like btssb’s heart bags weren’t very popular yet. A few brands had put out heart bags, such as milk, but they were much simpler and often real leather in limited colors. You also didn’t see usakumyas in their modern iteration until well into the 2000’s towards the 2010’s. Plush bags of the era did not have the same clean marketable look. Some common / popular bags were:
-basket / wicker purses
-plush animal bags
-tote bags
-matching fabric bags
-leather handbags
-designer handbags
Shoes at the time were much chunkier and much less cutesy even in sweet styles. Tea parties didn’t exist until a good deal past this time period- honestly most popular modern Lolita shoe styles weren’t really seen. Real leather was far more common, in a much more limited pallet. When you did see colored shoes they typically weren’t used to color balance a coord like we do now a days. A lot of different styles were worn though, including:
-Mary Jane’s
-Platforms
-Rocking horse shoes
-Boots
-Oxfords
-sandals
Socks are often overlooked in oldschool. I’ve seen so many people say printed socks weren’t worn even though they absolutely were and many brands made them. Sure, lace topped otks were the trend and the most popular option but simple motif printed socks absolutely existed and were worn!
Headpieces were one of the most varied category. So many different styles and kinds were worn.
-mini crowns
-hair ribbons
-hats
-bows
-canotiers
-mini hats
-lace headdresses
Jewelry / Accessories were one area that Oldschool definitely was simpler. However brands were absolutely making both jewelry and other accessories. Plain metal necklaces with various motifs were common, lace chokers, faux collars, capes, ties, and though extremely uncommon you do sometimes run across wrist cuffs. Hopefully there’s more of an effort to start documenting jewelry and accessories from this time since it’s quite lacking
Makeup and hair were something that like all eras of Lolita followed the over all cultural trends of the time. More minimal make or simple 90’s - early 2000’s makeup is seen often. As for hair there’s so many different styles that really it would be impossible to list them all. In older magazines there’s often sections with hair tutorials and makeup tutorials!
Common lace styles included Torchon, Cotton, Eyelet, and Raschel. Many different trims and such were used in addition to these.
Sweet Lolita through the years: tradi vs oldschool
Now that we’ve covered the bare basics in the first part I wanted to do a more in depth post on what differentiates modern sweet with a solid mainpiece, “traditional” Lolita, and oldschool Lolita.
Now I do have to say this is a pretty complex topic with a lot of nuance to it and while I can give pointers and a few answers there really is no right answer. Oldschool has a lot more to do with vibes than just specific items
First I want to reiterate a point from the first post, solids were not the only thing present in oldschool so not every solid is oldschool… and you can even style an oldschool piece in a modern or traditional way.
What is oldschool?
Oldschool refers to both the time period in Lolita fashions early days AND a way of styling that aims to accurately emulate how people dressed at the time. Think historic and vintage fashion with an emphasis on historical accuracy.
What is traditional?
If oldschool itself is real historic or vintage fashion then traditional Lolita is retro fashion. It’s a modern interpretation of some of the popular elements from Oldschool but often watered down to be more modern and marketable. The focus is more on a nostalgic feeling rather than an accurate emulation of a time period. Traditional Lolita often involves re released dresses that update and modernize oldschool pieces. We will look at some specific comparisons but a lot of the common things changes are skirt length, fabric, lace, and even length- giving it a far more marketable and clean look. Oddly unlike both modern sweet Lolita and oldschool sweet Lolita traditional rarely, if ever, features prints. The exception being patterns such as florals, gingham, and other more simple designs.
What is modern Lolita?
Well, any Lolita that came after it shifted from a more simplistic small fashion into an elaborate subculture with rules and sugary sweet plastic jewelry. It’s how Lolita looks now. If you’re interested however the entire point of this project is to cover every era of Lolita from oldschool, to 2010’s ott sweet, and all the in between.
While a lot of the differences come down to styling (which we will go over), there are also notable changes in the garments themselves.
Here’s a visual guide I made of how these classical releases by baby have changed over time. As well as how the way they style their models has changed. Usakumya is definitely the best example but I think Elizabeth shows it well too. The different fabric, the fact it fits a much larger petticoat, the length changing. All these things lead to a more modern sleek look.
Now let’s get into the meat of this topic, how to style modern versus traditional versus oldschool. I’ve broken these examples down to be really simple and a bit reductionist for sake of clarity!
Theres no one single right way to coord oldschool so for the focus of this coord i wanted to just create a very bare bones oldschool coord to show the differences between oldschool and modern at the very lowest most basic level.
Traditional Lolita often takes the rules imposed on Lolita fashion in 2010s and applies them to what would be an oldschool coord. (Ie, color balance, full petticoat, accessorizing fully,) this paired with the stylistic changes that baby and many other brands have made to modernize their releases causes a really beautiful but definitely different look. It’s much CLEANER. It has the polish that a lot of oldschool lacks.
I think a lot of the time if people aren’t aiming for just a basic oldschool look they can struggle to pick more dynamic accessories out. Based off the example coord above I’ve thrown together a little guide of items that would read as oldschool and also give the coord more flavor!
What mistakes do people often make when trying to emulate oldschool? Tea parties, modern color balance, modern looking items, modern usakumyas, over accessorizing, adhering to modern rules and over all looking too “clean”. Wrist cuffs often look out of place in oldschool coords despite being a staple of traditional. It never hurts to just play around and see how things look.
Ultimately you can wear whatever you want I just know some people DO care about accuracy so I thought this guide may help!
Sources on Oldschool
This is another great blog post on this topic:
Ever since we moved away from the era in which old school lolita was simply 'lolita', there has been a fairly stereotyped idea of what old s
If anyone has additional questions or wants clarity or something I’m happy to make a part 2
If you haven’t seen the prior posts in these series just follow the “sweet lolita through the years” tag
