Cosplay Costumes

Lolita was influenced and popularized by the imagery of more feminine Visual Kei bands. Visual Kei is a Japanese form of rock music defined by bands featuring performers in elaborate costumes but whose musical style varies. Mana, the cross-dressing former leader and guitarist of the Visual Kei band Malice Mizer is widely credited for having helped popularize Gothic Lolita. He coined the terms “Elegant Gothic Lolita” (EGL) and “Elegant Gothic Aristocrat” (EGA) to describe the style of his own fashion label Moi-même-Moitié, which was founded in 1999 and quickly established itself as one of the most coveted brands of the Lolita scene Cosplay.

A perfect Lolita outfit is an extremely tough quest undertaken by many girls.  Often, the actual outfit worn is a far cry from the attempted or the desired one. Many girls, especially the new-comers in Lolita fashion, confuse the term ‘cosplay Lolita’ with Lolita. There are numerous clear-cut differences between the two.

Elegance-Sophistication is a must, so in case, your neckline is too revealing, one must wear a blouse beneath, or in case the skirt is too short, make another or wear bloomers.

Poise- Cosplay Lolita’s usually overdo the lace, and this is a ‘must avoid’ in order to provide a classy look. Instead a judicious balance between lace and open space has to be made, or else avoid lace completely!

Material-Cosplay Lolita is known for its fabric made of satin, therefore, any kind of shine on the material must be avoided. Instead, lightweight cotton of superior quality must be preferred.

Undergarments- A anime cosplay Lolita usually wears no petticoat, a hoop skirt, or a square dance petticoat. The latter gives an unwanted outward flare shape, where as the hoop skirt is rarely worn well. Generally, proper Lolita’s wear a petticoat style called a pannier, which enhances the skirt portion and creates a cupcake-like shape. They are created from two or three layers of crinoline netting. To identify a pannier, wear it under a skirt, it should provide a cup-cake like appearance to the outfit. Bloomers, if worn, must be above the knee and hidden from plain sight.

Hair- As such, there is no specific style of hair for an elegant Lolita, though a ponytail is usually avoided. Pigtails, straight, curly, puffy, buns, or with bangs are usually the preferred alternatives.

Footwear- A fashionable Lolita will normally be found sporting a low heel or platform mary-janes, or maybe even a cute pair of sandals. Sneakers and stiletto platforms are strict no-no’s.

Research- One of the most underrated steps in obtaining the Lolita look is scanning through magazines or internet sites for examples of the styles to be replicated.

In Japan, despite still being a subculture and fringe fashion, Lolita fashion is mass-marketed and has wide visibility particularly in the streets of Tokyo and Osaka, on television, in manga and computer games. Outside of Japan it is still a widely unknown fringe fashion although it has slowly begun to spread to other countries. Lolita fashion, along with cosplay and other Japanese cultural phenomena, can sometimes be seen at concerts and anime conventions throughout Europe and the United States. The style has not yet been mass marketed outside of Japan, although increasingly Japanese brands are available for purchase abroad directly from the brands. However, there are plenty of dedicated fans filling the still-remaining gap. Lolita fashion magazines are widely available for purchase on the Internet and at Japanese bookstores which also deal in anime and manga. Adherents often sew their own homemade Lolita outfits, sometimes offering them for sale to make up for the difficulty of acquiring them from Japan. Apart from most Western fashions, Lolita tends to hold higher expectations to those that dress it. Higher quality clothes are favored over “Cheap Cosplay” lace and cosplay-esque designs.