Do You Want to Design Your Own Lolita Dress?
Fashion is something that has existed since the beginning of humanity, it is something that has prevailed and changed throughout the years. It is an ever-evolving part of our identity as a society. The versatility of fashion is so vast that it can be overwhelming, especially for the people who try to find their own style. But the truth is that this versatility can be used in your favor; you can be able to customize your own fashion and designs in order to create original items and unique outfits.
Most of the fashions we know nowadays started just that way; people who wanted to create exceptional pieces trying to find their own style. It is interesting to highlight that fashion trends are highly influenced by other cultures, places, and old trends; we can see a lot of that in the present fashion, and although it is true that innovation is key when it comes to styles, some subcultures have kept their fashion and constantly innovate on their items; the Lolita fashion is a clear example of this, it is a very popular fashion that is focused on the Victorian dresses. Since its popularity has risen in the last couple of years, plenty of people who love this fashion, customize their dresses to give them a unique touch. If you are a Lolita fashion lover and want to know how to design your own Lolita dress, here below you will find all the info about this style and how to tailor your dresses.
A Brief History of The Lolita Fashion
This fashion has its beginnings in the 1980s in Japan, and as mentioned above, this trend is inspired by Victorian dresses, but specifically on the Victorian dresses used by porcelain dolls. This trend also has some touches from Rococo and Baraco, and its main purpose is to show aesthetic cuteness. Once it settles its popularity in Japan and other parts of Asia, it quickly spreads to the UK and US.
Lolita fashion, like any other, started innovating and mixing with other trends like the Gothic fashion, combining both styles into a single one called “Gothic & Lolita”. This new trend represents innocence and cuteness, combined with the dark side of humanity. Although the “Gothic & Lolita” is the most common style in this fashion, there are many other styles that have been used with the Lolita trend for years, such as the Sweet Lolita; which is a more childish style, or the Country Lolita; which is more focused on a rural style. In Japan, it is pretty common to see expositions where plenty of girls are usually dressed in this fashion.
What Do I Need to Design a Lolita Dress?
First of all, you need to understand a little bit about this fashion and to have clarity on your head on what style you are going for; once you have settled the idea, it will be easier to go for the fabric you want. Apart from this, other aspects to take into account is that even though designing your own dress might be more affordable and exciting, sewing a Lolita dress requires a bit of skills; in this way, the best recommendation is to be as patient as possible.
If you are a beginner at sewing, we highly recommend you to find magazines that provide patterns for dresses in order to ease the process. So, other than that, all you will need is a basic sewing kit with scissors, thread, needles, good pins, measuring tools, seam ripper, some markers or chalk, and especially, a sewing machine.
How to Start Designing
The Lolita fashion is usually composed by a lace blouse with a baggy knee-long skirt, or else with a dress that includes a petticoat or crinoline underneath it. So, once you have in mind the style you are going for and all the tools you need, it is time to start sewing! The easiest way to start is by cutting the pattern of your skirt; take your tape measure and select the measure of your inner and outer skirt. Then, you can continue with the patter of the bodice, it is important to take measures of the neckline, the sides of the trunk, and the waist. After this, take the measures of the sleeves; it is important to remember that the longer the fabric, the puffier the sleeves. If you want to add small details like ribbons or raffles in the skirt, it is also necessary to take the measures for these patterns too. Once you have all these patterns cut, it is time to start sewing!
Start by sewing the edges of both the bodice and the skirt; when you are doing this process, it is time to add any detail you have in mind, such as frills to make your skirt look voluminous and heavy; this is up to you and the design you have chosen. Then, you can continue to wit the sleeves; double fold the edge of the sleeves and sew over them, this will help them to be resistant. While you sew the sleeve, you can add other details you have in mind and sew them over the sleeves to make them look puffy and cute. Interleaving colors can also give a beautiful look to your Lolita dress. Once you have sewed all the edges of the sleeves, the bodice and the skirt, it is time to sew everything together! After this, you can add finishing details like bows or laces to make it look sweet and cute.
Remember that you can create a lot of designs unique by combining different styles with the Lolita fashion. You can also add other accessories coats over the Lolita dress, to add an extra touch to the whole look. It is important to remember that, although there are many stores where you can buy Lolita dresses, by creating a custom-made dress, you are adding your own, unique style to a highly popular fashion.