What is an ''ita'' and how to avoid being one

Volume 4: what to avoid in Lolita

In my previous posts, you learned what is Lolita fashion and where to buy it, but what should you avoid to build good coordinates?

Disclaimer: you can wear whatever you want, just don't call it Lolita! 

What is an ''ita''?

Ita Lolita is a negative term used to describe attempts at the fashion gone wrong. Often, ita outfits are associated with poor quality clothing, not-so-coordinated coordinates and using non-lolita and cosplay items.

There are some things to know if you want to steer clear from the ''ita'' label and ace your coordinates even as a beginner.

Avoid costume fabrics. Satin, stiff laces and stretch velvets are cheap fabrics used in
costumes and they will make almost anything look like a terrible halloween dress. Most dresses like that claim to be ''Lolita'' are just poor quality cosplay attempts. Lolita is meant to look elegant, no matter which style you’re going for, and using low quality fabrics, ribbons, etc. definitely takes away the aesthetic you should be looking for.

costume satin dress

Stay away from dresses with too much lace. Lace should be a detail, not a focus. Adding random lace won't make a dress more ''Lolita'' and the quality of the fabric used is very important! You want you dresses to look good. If the color of the lace and the fabric are really far apart, they should be well balanced. Avoid dresses with cheap and scratchy lace with no real thought put into where it's placed. An example of lace details gone wrong:

Too much lace on the skirt and bodice, looks stiff and scratchy and sticks out too much on the black fabric. 

And an example of a dress who did it right and why:

Different, high quality lace designs are used and aren't just thrown around randomly creating a mess, but they compliment the black fabric of the dress adding a nice detail without sticking out too much. It's about balance. And quality.

Don't immediately try to be "unique"- You really can't mix the style up successfully until you get the basics and you know what you're doing. Keep it simple when you’re starting out. Don't try to add too many colors or details or mix sub styles. I suggest to not mix j-fashion sub styles and Lolita either. It can be confusing to understand how to put them together. Learning the basics and putting simple coords together will help you learn to coordinate a successful and beautiful outfit in the future. Slow down and really take some time to figure things out rather than just throwing together this, and that. A big part of Lolita is good coordination, this can mean a lot of things. Putting colors together, knowing what accessories look good together, coordinating your hair and makeup with your clothes, etc.

Keep your love for anime out of Lolita. Do not let anime influence the way you look at Lolita. The characters from Rozen Maiden aren’t Lolitas. Misa Amane from Death Note is not a Gothic Lolita. There are very few proper representations of Lolita in anime. So as much as you may love anime, leave that love of anime out of Lolita as much as possible. Lolita is NOT cosplay.

Avoid Amazon, Milanoo and Wish. I've said this in the last post but I'll say it again. Don't. Shop. There. Seriously, it's not worth it. Most ''Lolita'' dresses that they sell are really just cheap manufacturing cosplay dresses like this one. This is not Lolita. They're not worth the money.

Research. Really. I know when you're just starting out, the urge to wear it is strong! You want to look like that right now but the more research you do, the more you will be able to understand things like which stores to avoid, what looks ''costume-y'' and what doesn't and how to spend your money on items that are actually worth it. This way you'll develop you eye for the fashion and help figure out what's tacky, what's ita etc. along with understanding what you like best and what doesn't really suit your tastes. Look at coordinates and talk with other Lolitas, don't be afraid to ask questions! The Lolita subreddit is very helpful. Knowledge comes from experience!

This post is not trying to discourage anyone! Lolita can be really hard and the sooner you see that, the sooner you can overcome it.

If you like something that other people call Ita that’s okay, like I said in the disclaimer, there's nothing wrong with wearing something that's simply not Lolita, you can rock whatever you want! Just remember that just because you do like Lolita, doesn't mean that you have to force the label on every frilly dress you see.

I hope this last and brief guide was helpful and that this series could answer most of your questions on Lolita fashion. As always, if you have any questions you can leave a comment here or find me on my other socials. Now that you know all the basics, it's time to go shopping! 

See you in the next post. ^^