#offbrand lolita

[starwarskawaii]

Roji Roji has to be the most underrated brand in all of egl. I mean, like, have you seen those jelly bean socks??? I got them in two colors. I never get ANYTHING in two colors.

[cheapieclassic]

🍃Eucalyptus print dress from an H&M tablecloth - I made this AGES ago and forgot to post!

🍃Self drafted bodice with inverted box pleat skirt. The tablecloth and buttons are both thrifted.

🍃Styled with thrifted silk shirt and agate jewellery 🌿

[dabigothic]

໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১

sleepy rainy morning before work

[strawberryteabunny]

weekend wardrobe 🥀

[addoration]

gotta stop saying im not a gothic lolita when half my dresses are literally like this

[mesmir-ized]

(late post , oops !)

kentucky derby coord ! 🐎👒

[lilac-nites]

i have too many to show pictures, but offbrand cropped cardigans and offbrand textured tights are the backbone of my casual lolita outfits. The best part of offbrand cropped cardigans is that I thrifted all of mine. I'd avoid plain stockings like these as they look a little too plain, but tights with a texture to them like these are great for lolita in the winter. Also offbrand Mary Janes are so easy to find. There was a trend of platform mary janes recently and you can find them all over depop and vinted.

>🍓<

Would any lolitas mind sharing their favourite offbrand lolita pieces? I want to show that you don’t have to drop a lot of money on brand to have a super cute coord.

Hand-me-down shoes, a vintage blouse, legwear from a lingerie shop, a novelty bag from the children’s section, a jacket that you cut up and repurposed into a skirt, hair accessories from Claires… whatever you have in your wardrobe.

[starwarskawaii]

*looks outside at the smoke* I hope the world doesn't end before I get my taobao order

[cheapieclassic]

🍀Ivy Dress🍀

Hello friends! Heres a better look at my recent tablecloth-flip :)

Made from my self-draft sundress pattern, it was a challenge to make the most of the small Irish tablecloth I fell in love with 💖

Styled with thrifted cardi & bag, plus a necklace I've had since 2007 :")

Heres to all you hobbits, lotr weirdos and fans of green magical girls 💚🍀🐛🍃🐸🌱🌿

[lilac-nites]

Nothing to add but this article by rainedragon about design replicas. It took me a while to understand what a design replica is and I found this article very helpful.

I hope you don't mind if I ask a question I'm a noobie in egl and jfashion in general and I was wondering if it's ok to purchase replicas that are permanently discontinued or from defunct brand's? I don't want to support replicas but a lot of my dream items are very overpriced on the aftermarket :'(

it's no problem at all! apologies for my answer being quite long, i have a lot of thoughts on this.

depending on who you ask, the answer to this question will almost always differ. the whole replica debate has been quite controversial for a long time. what you decide to do is ultimately up to you and your beliefs. given that you're new to the fashion, it would be best to give yourself time to form your own opinion. i'm not trying to dissuade you with my answer or seem impartial, so i would like to remind you that you're completely free to disagree or do your own research! with that being said, i'm open to explaining what i personally think about it and why i hold the opinion that i do.. but first, some initial context and history on replicas:

if you comb through old discussions on blogs and on livejournal in the early 2000s, replicas were a lot more common with less stigma surrounding them compared to now. you could chalk this up to a number of reasons: comm members being young at the time, japanese brands not being nearly as accessible as they are now, sales platforms being underdeveloped without all of the rules we know today being in place yet, and for the same reason that there were a lot of general unrelated misunderstandings of the fashion itself back then, ignorance. it understandably takes a lot of time to research certain topics, especially with the existing language barrier and the fashion still being rather new to a majority the west at the time.

the general consensus on replicas has changed, or rather, evolved since then. to give a fair warning, a decent amount of replicas are often frowned upon within the community. that's not to say all replicas are, or that the community operates as a hivemind, because others will disagree with this sentiment. rather than there being an existing black and white answer i could provide you with, it's more so determined on a case by case basis. there are varying levels of what's deemed acceptable versus unacceptable, depending on a combination of some specifics of the item itself and who you ask. most people tend to go by the standards of the FAQ of lacemarket—the largest and currently most commonly used EGL sales platform—which (reluctantly) allows design replicas of nonprint dresses and accessories like bags and shoes, but disallows replicas of dresses with prints, brand-created mascots and characters, or any brand name logos. this portion of the FAQ was borrowed by the illegal replica item guidelines first written and enforced in 2012 by the moderators and admin of the original secondhand EGL sales platform predating LM—egl_comm_sales on livejournal. from what i remember, these were initially instated due to legal threats from AP.

they're both linked for you to check them out yourself, but to give a short explanation: design replicas that aren't copyrightable are not illegal to sell. both guidelines have been determined by what is considered legal or illegal under US/Japan's copyright laws.

a couple of lolita brands, namely ones that retail in the US and that can afford a lawyer to assist them through the process, do have trademarks registered here.

(1 / 2 / 3)

i don't support most replicas personally, and don't own any myself. that's not to shame others for doing so, it's simply a matter of personal opinion. i do think replicas are more "convenient" so to say, when it comes to availability, affordability and sizing for many.. but it's important to consider that this convenience is made available at the expense of the designers and the company itself. when it comes down to it, i strongly believe it's art theft.

many have justified replicas by citing that certain brands are "large enough" for it to not matter, and that it's only hurtful to "indie brands" but are heavily overestimating the size of said "big" brands to begin with. despite brands being largely known and considered "big" within lolita, i find even the biggest examples to be miniscule outside of the subculture itself. lolita brands are considered to be "luxury fashion," but that's specifically within lolita. when compared to near universally known large corporation designer luxury brands that also get replicated, take Chanel or Gucci for example, they are different in many ways. brands like Angelic Pretty and Baby are very well known strictly in terms of the lolita community.. as the biggest brands that exist, really. but to put it into perspective: when we leave this already very niche sphere of fashion, a typical person on the street is very unlikely to recognize or know of either of these brands, but very likely to know the popular "normie" luxury brands. when comparing profits, number of clothing articles and accessories produced, or even the number of employees behind these operations—they're in completely different leagues. AP and BTSSB make, give or take if i had to loosely estimate, somewhere between 100~200 of each release. according to what (limited information) could be obtained through public records, each are reported to have about 60~68 employees. purely taking these as estimation references rather than exact numbers due to it being quarterly report data. so where does this leave the rest of lesser known lolita brands if these two are at the top? the numbers on all counts would (assumingly) be even lower.

(1 / 2)

i do think replicas are hurtful to the fashion/hobby itself due to how niche the hobby is and small the community is. realistically, there isn't a plethora of endless brands we have to choose from. it's important to show support to the brands we do have available to us to keep them up and running and to not take them for granted. brands, especially ones running on a smaller scale, come and go throughout the years. many of them discontinue due to lack of sales. i find that funneling money to producers of replicas doesn't always take away money from these brands, for example: it wouldn't necessarily directly impact a release that isn't currently being sold, or a defunct brand as the one you mentioned. however, almost everything is available secondhand with patience.. and if at a higher price, waiting for a different listing of it, budgeting, saving, or sometimes even negotiating a hold or a payment plan with the seller are all options. there's always a question of, "if i'm buying something secondhand, the brand isn't directly getting my money anyway.. the seller of the dress is. so why does it matter?" but buying brands secondhand also supports brands. any money that isn't going towards replicas that harm brands is still helping, even if indirectly. buying replicas does financially support the production and the practice of making them, and other replicas they may be making that could be harming active brands and designers. this includes websites that advertise their replicas as originals and scam the unknowing.

plus, for what it's worth: it helps to imagine yourself in the shoes of the designer. i always think that if i created a design or had drawn something original that i was proud of, and if it were stolen and reproduced for someone else's profit, i'd be pretty upset about it. if i love a design enough to want to buy it, i would not want to offend or harm the individual who made it. for some of us, they're just products or clothes. but a lot of these were once, or still are, the designer's dream or passion.. a soulful creative project made out of love and made with a lot of effort. replicas are like thieves of originality and of this inspiration, in a way.

i believe avoiding replicas is not only ethical, but it lends to the existence and longevity of the fashion as we know it (a slow fashion, not a fast one.) i love the fashion and subculture and will always choose to support the brands we have while we still have them, both directly and indirectly.

[strawberryteabunny]

Frederick’s 30 Days Day 5: Do you have any off brand / atypical lolita pieces that you use often in your coords?

Yes! This vintage Gunne Sax blouse pops up all the time (along with other vintage/offbrand blouses)- I also like using offbrand printed long sleeved tops for casual coords in cooler months.

I think these three items are my most frequent offbrand/non jfashion things I wear- vintage Gunne Sax blouse, vintage apron, and bustier I sewed lace on (I think from H&M or Target?)

I couldn’t find a coord where I’m wearing all three together (although I’m sure I have), but here’s the blouse and bustier with a Baby skirt (and I’m pretty sure the cherry clips from below are clipped on my headdress too).

I also tend to use a lot of Liz Lisa items, and other himekaji brand stuff like bags, sweaters/cardigans, shoes, and cutsews: a lot of them fit perfectly into lolita IMO even if they’re not from a lolita brand.

Older coord with Liz Lisa cutsew and bag (I have this bag in pink and bordeaux and I wear them all the time), Ank Rouge beret, Honey Cinnamon jacket and offbrand socks I honestly don’t remember where I got.

Some hair accessories I wear a lot-

Either on their own in casual coords, or I tend to add the clips on to rectangle headdresses.

My favorite winter coat is also offbrand; this is from Collectif which does a lot of 1950’s inspired designs. (I also have an AP Bunny-chan coat, but as I wear more red than pink in winter it doesn’t get out as much sadly 😔 )

[aguas-ucia]

I'm convinced Marcille would love lolita fashion. This was so much fun to draw with my favorite brands! Coord rundown under the readmore

1st image - Moi Même Moitié Blouse: Torchon Lace Frill Blouse Skirt: Rose Cross Skirt Bag: Coffin Cross 3 Way Bag Rest: Offbrand.

2nd image: Baby The Stars Shine Bright Head: Spindoll Half Bonnet Blouse: Double Collar Pintuck Sleeve Blouse JSK: Lace Frill JSK Rest: Offbrand

3rd image - Mary Magdalene: JSK: Elodie Doll JSK Blouse: Curious Blouse (B-grade) Hat: Whyteleafe Canotier Hat Shoes: Sylphid shoes. Rest: Offbrand

4th image - Juliette et Justine Bustier: Brebis Egarée Bustier Skirt: Jupe Empire des Volant Rest: Offbrand.

[joyeuselacelife]

A chocolate sweet lolita fit!

Skirt: BTSSB's Kuma Kumya Sweet Chocolate

Beret: Alice on Wednesday

Bag: Qpot

Others: Offbrand or Taobao

[alexvandrya]

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔞𝔯𝔨 𝔪𝔬𝔬𝔫 𝔦𝔰 𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔡𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔩𝔢𝔢𝔭𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔥𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴 𝔦𝔫 𝔰𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢,

𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔟𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡𝔶 𝔠𝔞𝔭𝔢 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔨𝔢𝔰 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔭 𝔫𝔬𝔦𝔰𝔢𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔳𝔶 𝔞𝔯𝔪𝔬𝔯

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔩𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔨𝔫𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔢𝔵𝔞𝔩𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔰𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔰𝔨𝔲𝔩𝔩

𝔚𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔲𝔯𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔬𝔣 𝔞𝔫 𝔞𝔯𝔪𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔥𝔬𝔟𝔤𝔬𝔟𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔬𝔫 𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢

𝔅𝔢𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔠𝔩𝔬𝔰𝔢𝔡 𝔩𝔦𝔭𝔰 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔯𝔦𝔣𝔶𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔴𝔥𝔦𝔭,

𝔅𝔢𝔠𝔞𝔲𝔰𝔢 𝔇𝔲𝔩𝔩𝔞𝔥𝔞𝔫 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔳𝔢𝔰𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔰𝔬𝔲𝔩🩸

•

FINALLY after six months I finally pieces this coordinate together ive been planning it for half a year… the only piece that’s missing is the cape I ordered but hopefully it will be here soon 😭 How do you all feel about “Knight lolita” I kinda want it to be its own substyle now…. Maybe…. What do you think? Im planning even more in the future 👀 !

Coordinate:

JSK, Headdress - “Dullahan” by Krad Lanrete

Chainmail - Etsy

Undershirt - Offbrand

Wristcuffs - Moi Meme Moitie

Sword Hat - Mademoiselle Pearl

Shoes - Demonia

Socks - Red Maria

[20dollarlolita]

The differences between EGL and Loliable (with fewer cats).

For the version with fewer facts and more cat, please click here.

One of the biggest problems with doing handmade or offbrand lolita fashion is that it's very difficult to understand exactly how detailed a piece needs to be to pass as a lolita fashion piece. As we'll get into here, you generally need to have a detailed piece, and then put details on the details, and then maybe add a couple more details onto those details.

Not every single piece of a coordinate needs to be 1000% standalone lolita. There's lots of offbrand pieces that you can use in a coordinate, which we generally call "loliable". The really important component to remember is that, if every piece of your look is loliable and not lolita, at the end of the day, you're not wearing lolita fashion.

And, if your goal is to wear lolita fashion, building a look that isn't lolita is not accomplishing what you want.

When I was thrifting a while ago, I found this blouse, which has nearly the same construction as one of my lolita blouses. This felt like a really good chance to show the difference. Both of these blouses could be worn in a lolita coordinate, but only one can stand alone as lolita fashion.

So both of these are blouses with short, puffed sleeves with button cuffs. They're both fitted at the waist. They both have a front bib detail with a ruffle around the edge. They both close in the center front with buttons.

The Innocent World blouse (the lolita blouse) has a peter pan collar, and the offbrand blouse has a stand collar with a ruffle. That's their major construction difference. The other difference is that one has a cat on it.

Let's start our comparison with the cuffs. The Innocent World blouse is gathered into the cuff. The cuff has a lace applied flat onto the cuff. It also has a ruffled tulle hanging off the edge, making a frill. The offbrand blouse has a plain cuff.

We're going to compare the bib detailing by tucking the blouse into a high-waisted skirt. This lets us focus on this detail instead of getting distracted by fit.

We're going to start with the ruffle around the edge of the bib. This is really the only main detail that the offbrand blouse has. It's a cute little ruffle, and it draws attention to the bib. The ruffle is the same fabric as the blouse. It's totally fine.

The IW blouse uses a gathered lace as the ruffle around the edge of the bib. This is more detailed both because there's a pattern in the lace, but the lace itself is a different fabric from what the blouse is made of. Incorporating coordinating textures that are not identical is incorporating additional levels of detail.

The IW bib also has three lines of ruffles on each side of the bib itself. Two of those are the same lace that was used on the bib, and one is a small ruffle of the same fabric the blouse is made of. Again, incorporating different textures into an area increases the amount of details. It also allows you to put more detail into a piece without it seeming crowded.

Finally, the IW blouse has some large, elegant buttons that have a lovely texture on them. They're not just functional; they're also nice to look at. The offbrand blouse has those standard faux-pearl white shirt buttons that you get in every mending kit every stocked in a hotel room. They are about as generic as buttons can get.

If we're going to add another note, it's that the Innocent World blouse has details on the bottom edge. There's a button at the bottom to keep the blouse closed, and it has a little ruffle. Not pictured, but there is a tie on the back of this blouse, so that fit can be adjusted a little bit. That tie also adds a nice detail to the back of the blouse.

Let's talk about fit for a second. Full disclosure, the offbrand blouse does not fit me very well, and that's not doing it any favors in this regard. The IW blouse is also a tighter fit for me, but the button spacing and the interfacing on the front placket really help with the fit. The offbrand blouse doesn't have any buttons past a certain point, so the bottom flares open in a inverted V.

In addition to the button spacing, the Innocent World blouse is fitted with front and back princess seams, and then also with a dart on each side. It's specifically cut so that the bottom of the blouse can cover the waistband of a lolita skirt, and then flare a little for the skirt. While you can find nice princess seams and darts on offbrand blouses, it's really only on lolita blouses that you'll see them cut to fit a lolita skirt.

The offbrand blouse is fitted with dart tucks. A dart tuck is like a normal dart, but the ends are left open. This is intended to provide fit at the waist, but then leave the rest of the piece open. The downside of dart tucks is that, if the piece isn't loose and open and billowy, they will never sit flat. There will always be that pleat area in there. It will just be stretched flat, the way it is on the picture of me up there.

This is not to say that pieces with dart tucks can't be used for lolita fashion, but it's a really good example of how something that loliable can be different from something that's lolita. As you can see in the top pictures, with a high waist skirt covering the dart tucks, the blouse works pretty okay. However, when it's in the open, it starts to look really disheveled. You can't wear this blouse at the tightness that you usually wear a lolita blouse and still have it look lolita. Clothing that fits well enough to look professional and extravagant is a bit part of the lolita concept, and you don't want a garment that looks messy.

So, in conclusion, 1) you can probably put more details on that garment, and as long as it doesn't look messy, it probably makes it look more lolita, 2) you can probably put more details on those details, and as long as it look not messy, you're probably fine, 3) blouses are only like $35 on Amazon and if you're making your own garments, adding a truly lolita blouse can really elevate the look and help you from having your coord overcome with loliable pieces and trending away from actual lolita and 4) if the blouse doesn't fit you and isn't really lolita then there's no crime in giving it to the cat.

[floofvoid]

Coord for half of my work day today.

I haven't worn lolita since the museum meet up, and I've not had the drive to do it outside of meets in a long while. Today was a lolita day, though.

JSK: AP

Blouse: AtePie

Headdress: AatP

Shoes: TUK

Wrist cuffs: made by a friend

Socks: offbrand