Victorian influences in Lolita fashion

I’m not a Lolita, but sometimes I indulge myself and wear cute, pink skirts with plenty of flounces and I often add cute elements to my daily attire. Besides the cuteness, one of my favourite things about Lolita fashion is its Victorian origins. In this post I’ll write about five elements of Victorian fashion in Lolita style.

1. Silhouette

Lolita dresses have a well known ‘cupcake’ shape, but the real shape of these skirts is basically a mini-crinoline. If you look at the late 1850s and 1860s dresses you’ll notice that the shape of the skirts with plenty of flounces and wide hemlines is really similar to skirts Lolitas wear. Of course, Lolita styled dresses are shorter, but they’re still knee-length and that was pretty much the length that little girls wore.

2. Bodice

Shirts and collars worn by Classic Lolitas highly remind me of 1840s and early 1850s day dresses. I’m talking about a simple, white blouse with sleeves tight at the cuff and with neckline decorated with lace or flounces. Sleeves are sometimes decorated with ruffles at the shoulder and buttons can be heart shaped.

3. Cameos

Cameos are closely connected to shirts and that’s why they’re the next Victorian element. Just look at the two Old school Lolitas above; it’s almost like they’re shouting Victorian. Old school Lolita style is the eldest and it resembles Victorian fashion the most. Both of the Lolitas wear the shirts I’ve been talking about and they’re decorated with cameos. Cameos, worn throughout the whole Victorian era, instantly add antique touch to any attire. Chain watches are fairly similar accessorize and they can be worn instead.

4. Gloves

Lace gloves add an antique touch to any attire, but I have noticed that they’re mostly worn by Classic and Old School Lolitas, while Sweet Lolitas wear them rarely. I own a pair of lace gloves and they are the best thing ever. Nice decorations include ‘pearl’ rings or rings in shape of a rose, pearl bracelet with a Victorian miniature portrait or just any cute bracelet.

5. Headwear

Sweet Lolitas usually wear pink or baby blue bows but Classic and Old school Lolitas tend to wear more Victorian based head wear. Headdress is a typical Old school Lolita accessorize and it consists of a wide strip of fabric decorated with lace and bows and is tied under the chin. Headdress resembles Victorian girls head wear. Another popular option among Classic Lolitas is a bonnet in 1830s style decorated with lace, ribbons or roses.