#combining styles

[lolita-tips]

i'm not sure if i want to go for sweet or classic (but still sort of sweet?) in terms of style? i only have one dress (secondhand indie brand OP) and a blouse on its way so i'm a little new to this. i've been low-key into the fashion for a while but everything is a bit overwhelming atm!

In the earlier days of lolita I feel like the lines defining the styles were more distinct, but nowadays I find that those lines are becoming more blurred and honestly, less important. There are a lot of pieces out there that can be used in coords of different styles and there is a lot of combining of styles as well, so if you feel that you love classic and sweet, there’s no reason you should have to choose. You can wear one or the other, or a mix of both!For example:

The above coord is a bit of a mix between classic and sweet. The color scheme is more traditionally classic, as are the style of boots. The style of collar of the blouse she’s wearing is more traditionally sweet, as is her hairstyle. The beret and style of bag lend themselves to both styles. Overall the coord combines both styles very nicely.

These two coords also combine elements of both styles. The colors are more typical of classic but have been showing up a lot more in sweet lately, especially since Angelic Pretty has started doing a lot of tartan prints. The styles of blouses they’re both wearing also sort of straddle the line between styles. The lace tights are a little more on the classic side while the frilly ankle socks are a little more sweet. The large bow right in the front of the head is also more typical of sweet as are the pigtails, and the beret again works with both styles.

This coord overall reads very sweet with the headbow and hairstyle and general styling, but the coloring and themeing of the print can lend themselves well to either style or a mix of both.

The point is, don’t worry about choosing just one style! Choose pieces you love and focus on making a coord that looks nice without stressing out about what style it is.

[lolita-tips]

how important is it to know what lolita style im wearing? i have a coord that i love but i think it looks kind of like a combination of a lot of different styles and i don't know what to call it. thanks

As far as I’m personally concerned it doesn’t really matter at all. As Lolita has evolved a lot of lines between the styles have been blurred. Of course there are still things that are very easy to categorize, but there are others that just aren’t. There are a lot of prints now that can easily fit into multiple styles depending on which color it is or how you coordinate it and Lolitas are crossing style lines and mixing things a lot. If you’re planning to share the pictures somewhere and tag them it can be a good idea to have some idea what style categories your coord could fit into, even if that means tagging it as multiple different styles, but in general just worry about putting together a nice coord and don’t stress about whether it’s Gothic, Sweet, or anything else.

[lolita-tips]

am i overthinking this, or is it ok to wear black and white scalloped shoes with a coord that isnt that old school? ive been wearing this one pair of mary janes with white scallops for almost a year, as it's hard to find shoes that fit me but those do (i have 2-3 other pairs of loliable shoes but those are my favorites). also, can you wear a blackxblack old school skirt with a pair of socks that are more 2010s-style, or would lace topped socks look way better? :S thanks

I think black and white scalloped shoes are really cute and while they might be a bit old school on their own, as long as the coord is also in the same color scheme and has a bit of that sweetish look I think it’ll be fine.As for the socks, it definitely depends on the individual pieces. It could potentially look fine but I can’t really say without seeing the skirt and socks in question.

[lolita-tips]

Can you make sweet lolita more "mature" looking without it turning into classic lolita?

If you’re trying to make Sweet Lolita more mature it is helpful to borrow certain elements from Classic Lolita and merge them together. Innocent World is a good brand to look to for reference as to how you can do this.If you’re a fan of cute prints, try toning them down a little with more realistic looking designs. For example, if you want a print with rabbits, instead of this:

Try something like this:

It still has cute rabbits but the colors are more muted and it’s easier to coordinate in a mature way. Muted colors are a key factor in general. You can still wear pastels, but if they are more muted as opposed to being super bright they will give your whole coord a more mature look. You can also wear ivory or cream instead of white to achieve the same effect. If you don’t want to give up your super sweet prints you can always consider choosing them in a colorway that isn’t super bright and coordinating them with other pieces that are more mature to help tone them down.

Another option that can help is mixing your bright pastels with darker colors like black or brown. Angelic Pretty’s Chocolate lines often do this and are good examples to look to.

Simplifying your hair styling and accessories can also help. Once again, draw inspiration from hairstyles you find in Classic Lolita, but maybe wear them with Sweet hair accessories. Consider toning down your headbows though. Instead of a huge bow, consider a smaller one that sits to the side or maybe a hat like a beret which have a mature look but also come in very sweet designs.

[doodle-boy]

Rag and Doll

[lolita-tips]

Do Loltias stick to one particular style (e.g. gothic, sweet, etc.), or is it okay to switch styles or mix them together?

Some will stick to whatever style is their favorite but there’s no reason you can’t switch between them or do a little mixing and matching if you want to. I would probably say most Lolitas switch styles depending on their mood or if there’s a theme for an event and it’s very common to mix styles nowadays.

[lolita-tips]

Hello! I was wondering, would mixing mori kei and lolita work well? I really like the warm and cozy feel of mori and the sweet look of lolita. Is there any way that I could mix the two?

Of course! It has been done before and it’s really cute. It’s easy to find Lolita in muted, earthy colors and you could even use forest themed Lolita prints. Mori also uses a lot of layers and has that warm and cozy feel like you said so you could use sweaters, cardigans, shawls, and soft crochet lace and that sort of thing.