Fashion rant: Anything and everything goes?
Cracks me up how some people are so desperate to call some of their outfits "Lolita". Like, if you have a skirt with some knee highs and some bows on your shoes - it's automatically Lolita, albeit the "casual" kind.
The basic elements of a style are what make that look what the style IS. Mod has clean lines and mini-skirts with bright colors: You wouldn't and couldn't call something frilly mod. Bohemian looks include gauzy fabrics, multi-colored prints and a "hippie" aesthetic, Gothic (for simplicity's sake, old school, post punk Gothic) doesn't just mean BLACKEVERYWHERE - there's certain elements you have to incorporate for it to be considered Gothic.
Now, can you mix and match styles? Absolutely. Can you experiment? It's encouraged! That's one of the things fashion is all about! BUT - don't call a look something that it's NOT, and when you post in a community or attend an event that was specifically designated for a certain kind of look and style - and you don't dress in the elements that are specific TO that style - don't get all defensive and hurt when someone calls you out.
Some of the main elements of Lolita are puff sleeves (or some kind of variation of a period element, such as bell sleeves, lower-arm puffs, etc), lace, ruffles or bows on blouses, skirts or dresses, petticoats under bell-shaped or a-line skirts, shoes that feature buckles, ribbons, or bows, etc. Now, some of these elements are more crucial than others. The look of Lolita was pretty much developed out of the shape of the skirt/dress that was achieved with a petti, bloomers, or both. Of course, you don't need *all* of these elements in one outfit, and you can interchange them, and even add some other influences...but if you don't have ANY, or say, if you only have one or two(example: a puff sleeve tee-shirt, or shoes with bows on them) and either of those aren't one of the foundations of Lolita...guess what? You can't call it Lolita. >.<
/rant
*edit* I'd like to add that, everyone makes "mistakes" in fashion. I've worn some awful, horrible, god what was I thinking kind of outfits. I even remember when I first tried Lolita...I had the petticoat down...and NOTHING else. That was like, 7 years ago. XD I realized after much studying (Yes, I studied fashion. Kind of materialistic I know, but I wanted to be a fashion designer once upon a time.) I was getting it all wrong. However, I did come up with some cute ideas for other looks along the way. I'm not discouraging experimentation. At all. I just question why, when something looks so different from the intended look, do so many defend it as being that look? I see it all the time, all over the internet! I guess it's a petty pet peeve. >.>
The basic elements of a style are what make that look what the style IS. Mod has clean lines and mini-skirts with bright colors: You wouldn't and couldn't call something frilly mod. Bohemian looks include gauzy fabrics, multi-colored prints and a "hippie" aesthetic, Gothic (for simplicity's sake, old school, post punk Gothic) doesn't just mean BLACKEVERYWHERE - there's certain elements you have to incorporate for it to be considered Gothic.
Now, can you mix and match styles? Absolutely. Can you experiment? It's encouraged! That's one of the things fashion is all about! BUT - don't call a look something that it's NOT, and when you post in a community or attend an event that was specifically designated for a certain kind of look and style - and you don't dress in the elements that are specific TO that style - don't get all defensive and hurt when someone calls you out.
Some of the main elements of Lolita are puff sleeves (or some kind of variation of a period element, such as bell sleeves, lower-arm puffs, etc), lace, ruffles or bows on blouses, skirts or dresses, petticoats under bell-shaped or a-line skirts, shoes that feature buckles, ribbons, or bows, etc. Now, some of these elements are more crucial than others. The look of Lolita was pretty much developed out of the shape of the skirt/dress that was achieved with a petti, bloomers, or both. Of course, you don't need *all* of these elements in one outfit, and you can interchange them, and even add some other influences...but if you don't have ANY, or say, if you only have one or two(example: a puff sleeve tee-shirt, or shoes with bows on them) and either of those aren't one of the foundations of Lolita...guess what? You can't call it Lolita. >.<
/rant
*edit* I'd like to add that, everyone makes "mistakes" in fashion. I've worn some awful, horrible, god what was I thinking kind of outfits. I even remember when I first tried Lolita...I had the petticoat down...and NOTHING else. That was like, 7 years ago. XD I realized after much studying (Yes, I studied fashion. Kind of materialistic I know, but I wanted to be a fashion designer once upon a time.) I was getting it all wrong. However, I did come up with some cute ideas for other looks along the way. I'm not discouraging experimentation. At all. I just question why, when something looks so different from the intended look, do so many defend it as being that look? I see it all the time, all over the internet! I guess it's a petty pet peeve. >.>