The term “off-brand” is defined as something that is not identified with a major brand name, whether you’re talking about Lolita or anything else. In the “real world” one might, for example, say that boots from Dr. Martens are brand while a similarly designed (yet significantly lower cost and quality) pair of boots from Wal-Mart or Target would be off-brand. It seems like a pretty simple concept but in the Lolita world it can be a bit tricky depending on who you’re talking to. Some Lolitas will tell you that anything not from a major Lolita brand is off-brand. In that case, brand would be Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, etc. and off-brand would be Bodyline, any stores on TaoBao, etc. Other Lolitas will tell you that off-brand is anything that wasn’t originally meant to be used for Lolita. In this case, other terms are thrown into the mix such as major brand, minor brand, and indie-brand to describe any brand or shop that offers products specifically made for Lolita. For the sake of the matter at hand, we will be using this latter definition of the term.
Lolitas may choose to incorporate off-brand pieces into their wardrobes for a variety of reasons. Some Lolitas do it because it is often more cost effective than buying from Lolita brands, others do it because they want to avoid shopping online, and some do it just because they happen to come across something cute and think it would work well for Lolita. No matter what your reason is, it’s important to know what makes something work for Lolita and what should be left out. A term often used for off-brand pieces that can be used for Lolita is “loliable” which is just short for “able to be Lolita.” But what exactly makes something loliable?
One of the biggest mistakes made by many beginner Lolitas is thinking that something having lace or frills automatically makes it loliable. In reality, there is much more to it than that. Lolita is about a certain aesthetic; a look that balances cute and refined, girlish and elegant. It’s not just about having lace and frills, but also about making sure those things are in the right places and achieving a cohesive overall look. The best way to learn about what kinds of things will work for Lolita is to really examine things that are made for Lolita and taking in all the things they have in common. For example, take a look at blouses made by Lolita brands. While there are often differences based on substyle, (Sweet Lolita may use a lot of extra frills, Classic Lolita may be more subdued, etc.) you will notice many similarities as well, such as similarly shaped collars and sleeves and of course an overall very feminine look.
Taking these observations into account you may find many off-brand blouses that will work very well for Lolita. Peter Pan collars which are very common in Lolita are also found on a lot of women’s blouses outside of Lolita. Department stores like Kohls as well as fast fashion stores like Forever 21 and H&M often carry popular styles like this. Things like high collars with frilled fronts are less popular but can often be seen on blouses found in thrift stores as they have been popular in the past.
(Above: Some blouse from Lolita brands alongside similar off-brand pieces.)
Loliable accessories are probably the easiest things to find from off-brand sources. Legwear like solid colored and lace tights can be found all over the place. Some less common pieces like good quality lace gloves can be found at vintage or antique stores as well as reproduction shops that you might find in historical areas. Jewelry is another big thing to find off-brand but where you find it can often depend on the substyle you’re looking for. Pay attention to common themes and motifs in the different substyles to get an idea of what kind of jewelry might work with it. Jewelry for Classic Lolita will have an elegant, often antique look and could potentially be found at antique stores or the reproduction shops mentioned before. Jewelry for Sweet Lolita is often very girlish and might be found at stores like Claire’s. Jewelry for Gothic Lolita will often be along the same lines as more elegant gothic looks and can sometimes be found in stores like Hot Topic, but this is a place to be especially careful. While Hot Topic may have some loliable pieces it is important to look at them with a critical eye as they are infamous for making things that they want to be Lolita but don’t meet the standards of the fashion. Because of this, most Lolitas prefer to avoid them for anything other than the occasional accessory for use in Lolita.
(Examples of loliable jewelry found from off-brand sources.)
When it comes to buying off-brand shoes to use in Lolita it is just as important to research what they should look like just as much as you would anything else. Mary Janes are very commonly associated with Lolita but that doesn’t mean every style of Mary Janes will work, you have to keep the Lolita aesthetic in mind. Lolita shoes can be flat, platforms, or have heels but when it comes to heels it is best to avoid them being excessively tall and thin which tends to have a more mature, often “sexy” look that takes away from the girlish nature of the fashion. Some substyles will open you up to using other styles of shoes, for example Oxford heels and T-strap shoes are popular in Classic Lolita. You can also alter shoes as you could with other things to make them fit Lolita. A lot of Lolita shoes include decorations like scalloped edges and bows but these things can be difficult to find on adult shoes outside of Lolita. Websites like etsy are good places to look for things like shoe clips that can be added to shoes to give them cute details like that.
(Above: Examples of a few kinds of shoes often seen in Lolita.)
The most difficult things to find off-brand are skirts and dresses that work for Lolita. One of the staple design features of Lolita is the full skirt which means there has to be a certain amount of gathered fabric at the waist so the skirt can hold a petticoat. This paired with the fact that that Lolita skirts should be around a certain length to retain the modesty factor can make it hard to find loliable skirts and dresses in regular stores. Places that specialize in retro styled clothing may have skirts that can work with the right petticoat but they can often be nearly as expensive as buying Lolita. Vintage and thrift stores can be good places to look for skirts, especially if you have some skill in sewing and can make alterations. Some Lolitas have found square dance skirts that have plenty of room for a petticoat but the shape tends to flare differently than Lolita skirts and sometimes they have questionable quality lace and other decoration but with a bit of alteration they can be made over into something great.
There are a lot of places to shop for loliable clothes and accessories. From thrift stores to shopping malls, you never know what great things you might find. As many great places as there are to find Lolita, there are plenty of not-so-great places too. As mentioned before, there are places where you may find things that the designer intended to look like Lolita but really aren’t. Hot Topic is one offender but costume shops are another. Every year around Halloween, costume brands will inevitably make some form of “Harajuku girl” or “Goth Alice” costume and accessories meant to look like Lolita but they just look like what they really are: cheap costumes. While you might sometimes find cute Gothic jewelry or petticoats (that usually aren’t great on their own but can be great for layering) at these stores but it’s best to avoid the full costumes, cheap wigs, and weirdly shaped mini top hats.
Lolita takes a lot of research in general and becomes more difficult when you start looking for loliable pieces off-brand. But whether you’re doing it to save money, avoid shopping online, or find a wider range of sizes, the extra work can definitely be worth it.
(This article was originally posted in August of 2016 to Cosplay Crisis and has been modified to fit Tumblr formatting. Photos have remained formatted as they were when the article was originally published.)
