Lolita Glossary

This glossary is going to be very similar to existing Lolita glossaries. I am writing it to be more comprehensive, however. I will update it whenever I realise I have left out something, so it will likely grow.

• AatP - abbrev. Alice and the Pirates
• alice bow - n. Another name for a head bow, an Alice Bow is a large decorative bow worn on the head. See head bow.
• Alice and the Pirates - n. Sister brand to Baby the Stars Shine Bright, well known for producing more classic and Gothic pieces when compared to parent brand BtSSB.
• Angelic Pretty - n. Japanese Brand famous for producing sweet Lolita pieces and some very popular printed pieces. Well known for its "blood bath" releases where whole sets sell out in a matter of minutes.
• AP - abbrev. Angelic Pretty
• A/P - abbrev. Alice and the Pirates
• Aristocrat - n. A unique and separate fashion from Lolita, Aristocrat features longer hemlines and more mature styles and shapes of clothing. Often referred to as EGA, or Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (as coined by Mana).
• Atelier Boz - n. Japanese brand known for Gothic and Aristocrat pieces, famous for their "Roland" Jacket. 
• Atelier Pierrot - n. Japanese brand known for their Gothic pieces and stunning satin corseted strapless dresses. An "atelier" is an artist's workshop. Pronunciation guide.
• Baby - abbrev. Baby the Stars Shine Bright - informal, conversational.
  "I own, like, 5 Baby dresses. They're my favourite."
• bible - abbrev. Gothic and Lolita Bible.
• bloomers - n. Undergarment worn beneath the skirt and petticoat. Resemble very loose shorts, often trimmed with elastic, ribbon, and lace, they are meant to protect the Lolita's modesty and prevent any embarrassing up-skirts, as well as adding a darling peek of lace in errant wind. Most bloomers cinch in near the bottom, either with elastic or a ribbon. In addition to being practical for modesty reasons they can provide a barrier between the skin and the petticoat, which can be abrasive, and can also help with thigh-chafe. 
• Bodyline - n. A Japanese store that sells cosplays, lingerie, and alternative fashion pieces. Often considered a relatively safe place for newbies to purchase their first pieces of Lolita fashion, provided that they can steer clear of replicas or bad-quality materials. Got a pretty negative reputation due to their former owner Mr. Yan and his sexual proclivities towards minors. 
• bonnet - n. A headdress that consists of a brim, either stiff or floppy, ribbon ties, and an optional hat-like back. Half-bonnets do not have the back, and somewhat resemble ruffly visors. Soft bonnet, Full bonnet, Half Bonnet.
• boystyle - n. Umbrella term to describe the more masculine counterparts to Lolita fashion. Includes Ouji, Aristocrat, and Dandy. These styles are unique and separate from Lolita fashion, but when someone says "boystyle" in a Lolita context everyone else has a rough idea of what they are describing. Better reference: Buttcape
• brand - n. term used in reference to any company or creator of Lolita fashion pieces. When used as a proper noun it refers to any of the main, famous Japanese brands (Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Innocent World, etc). Brands may be "indie", "western", "Chinese", "Japanese", or any other assortment of descriptors. 
• brolita - n. a term that can be used to describe a male-identifying person who wears Lolita dresses. It can be a pitfall, as many people do not use the term to describe themselves for various reasons. Often best to just call a "Lolita" a "Lolita".
• BtSSB - abbrev. Baby the Stars Shine Bright
• Baby the Stars Shine Bright - n. Japanese Brand famous for producing sweet Lolita pieces. Was featured in the 2004 film "Kamikaze Girls". Famous for its adorable mascot Usakumya. 
• burando - n. ironic pronunciation of the word "brand" using a Japanese accent. Usually directly references the famous Japanese brands. 
• canotier - n. A kind of head accessory. Usually round and trimmed with lace and ribbons, it is meant to be worn like a slightly askew small hat. May be attached with a headband, alligator clip, comb, or ribbon ties. May also be other shapes, such as a heart, a star, or other novelty shapes. Image.
• C/L - abbrev. Crown Label
• colourway - n. synonymous with "colour", this refers to the different hues a dress of the same series came in. This word is used when describing print and non-print releases, as many aspects may be different between each colourway in the same series. 
• comm - abbrev. Community
• community - n. Lolitas tend to gather in communities. Some are local, some are nationwide or international, and some are based on specific niche interests online (ie. Old-school, punk, sewing). Almost all Lolita Communities will have some level of online presence. This presence used to be centred around the EGL Livejournal website, but now it is fragmented across several platforms, most notable of which is Facebook.
• coord - abbrev. Coordinate, coordination. Pronounced "kw - ord", like sword, or "koh - ord", depending on regional accent and preference.
• coordinate - n. A "coordinate", or "coord", is the name for a Lolita outfit and all of the associated accessories, such as a purse, shoes, jewellery, and hair accessories. 
• Crown Label - n. A secondary fashion line by Meta, Crown Label is more "sweet" or "pop" than usual Meta fare. This line also tends to have pieces that are more casual or may work better with non-lolita cute daily wear. 
• cutsew - n. pronounced "cut - sew". Occasionally misspelled as cutsaw. A knit top. Generally refers to the Lolita-friendly knit shirts with lace, ruffles, and print detailing. May refer to a dress or a hooded sweatshirt of a similar design and material.
• EGA - abbrev. Elegant Gothic Aristocrat
• Elegant Gothic Aristocrat - n. A phrase coined by Mana to describe his brand, Moi Meme Moitie (the original phrase was Elegant Gothic Aristocrat Vampire Romance, I think?). A unique and separate fashion from Lolita, EGA features longer hemlines and more mature styles and shapes of clothing. Also referred to as simply Aristocrat fashion.
• EGL - abbrev. Elegant Gothic Lolita. Also used to be the main hub of online activity for the Lolita Community at egl.livejournal.com. EGL is returning as a preferred acronym and title for the fashion to distance us from Nabokov's "Lolita", and to stop using old tags on sites like Tumblr and Insta that have been coopted by sexual predators and fetishists. 
• GLB - abbrev. Gothic and Lolita Bible
• Gothic and Lolita Bible - n. Japanese quarterly publication featuring gothic and Lolita fashion street snaps, sewing patterns, brand releases, and articles. Went on print hiatus in 2017.
• head bow - n. Another more commonly used name for an Alice Bow. It is a bow worn on the head, either attached to a hairband, alligator or banana clip, or a comb. Typically refers to bows of a relatively large size. Image. 
• head-eating bow - n. refers to very large head-bows that somewhat look like a large pac-man mouth is consumng the head of the wearer. Very common from BtSSB.
• headdress - n. Vaguely refers to any number different kinds of head accessories used in Lolita, but often directly refers to either a canotier or a rectangular headdress.
• ita - n. A negative title for someone who is wearing a poorly coordinated Lolita outfit. Can also describe a garment or a specific kind of detail found on low quality garments, such as poor quality lace or costume cat ears. From Japanese "itai", an exclamation of pain roughly equivalent to "ouch".
• IW - abbrev. Innocent World
• Innocent World - n. Japanese brand known for their classical designs and demure, elegant dresses. As of January 2022 they closed their last physical store to focus on their web-store and pre-order releases.
• JSK - abbrev. Jumper Skirt.
• Jumper Skirt - n. in Lolita fashion a Jumper Skirt is a dress with no sleeves but with shoulder straps instead. They are usually meant to be worn with a blouse or similar top underneath and are considered a staple of a Lolita wardrobe. 
• katyusha - n. Also spelled kachusha or kachuusha. Japanese term for a headbow. History. 
• KC - abbrev. Kachusha.
• Kera - n. A Japanese publication (once print, now online) that features fashion and has a subsection for Lolita fashion.
• kodona - n. an antiquated and incorrect name for Ouji and Boystyle Lolita Fashion. 
• loliable - adj. a description for an item that was not designed for Lolita but may still work well in the fashion. 
• lucky pack - n. Many Japanese companies do not like to carry last years stock into the New Year, so to clear out old stock they sell "Lucky Packs", or fukubukuro. They can be sold at any time of the year now. In the Lolita Fashion world these typically consist of a random dress, a random blouse, and a random headdress from the previous years' releases. Some have even older contents that was dug out of a warehouse. Contents may be different, and there are often several price points for several different kinds of Lucky Packs released by the same store. In recent years some brands have been making garments specifically for Lucky Packs and you may have a choice of a specific theme, print, cut, or size. Oftentimes, unless the contents were made to be sold in a Lucky Pack, they will contain less popular releases and colourways that didn't sell through. Can be cheaper than buying the items separately, but beware the expensive postage due to volume / weight.
• maxi-pad headdress - n. a old name for rectangle headdresses. Dubbed so due to the shape and size of the headdress resembling feminine hygiene liners. 
• Meta - abbrev. Metamorphose Temps de Fille
• Metamorphose Temps de Fille - n. Japanese brand famous for their fearless, quirky designs and Wa Lolita pieces. While the whole brand name is "Manifesteange Metamorphose Temps de Fille", even the company does not feature this mouthful on any of their modern websites. Generally the brand is referred to as simply "Metamorphose" or "Meta" for short. Pronunciation guide. 
• MmM - abbrev. Moi-même-Moitié
• Moi-même-Moitié - n. Japanese brand founded by famous Malice Mizer guitarist Mana in 1999. Features the Gothic Lolita style, well known for beautiful and coveted dresses. Pronunciation guide.
• mook - n. portmanteau of magazine and book, a mook was usually a Japanese quarterly magazine publication that was very thick. For instance the Gothic and Lolita Bible was a mook.
• offbrand - n., adj. Refers to something that is not from any recognised Lolita brand or J-fashion, even the small indie ones. Examples of offbrand: Primark, Walmart, Payless Shoes, Forever 21.
• One Piece - n. a dress with sleeves. It is meant to be worn alone in most cases, that is without a blouse underneath. The abbreviation OP can be used to refer to any dress with a bodice, with or without sleeves on some Japanese webshops.
• OP - abbrev. One Piece
• OTK - abbrev. over the knees
• over the knees -n., adj. Describes socks that are meant to be worn over the knees. 
• OTT - abbrev. over-the-top
• Ouji - n. A kind of boystyle often featured alongside Lolita fashion. Pronounced "oh - jee". Usually uses short trousers, either knickerbockers or pumpkin pants, smaller hair accessories, and more masculine cuts of tops, and vests or gilets. Also occasionally features "buttcapes". Otherwise themes, colours, and styles can be very similar to Lolita fashion. Better reference: Buttcape
• over-the-top - adj. Over-the-Top refers to a way of styling a coord and is not a substyle on its own. To achieve an OTT coord one must use many accessories, coordinating many different details, all to match one theme. OTT is best achieved when the main piece, the dress, has many complex aspects, like a detailed print or many heirloom details like ruffles, lace, and pintucks. Larger accessories and costume-like elements tend to appear in OTT coords, such as scepters, crowns, wings, and massive hair or wigs. They often appear in fashion and runway shows. It is generally advisable not to wear OTT coords to just any casual meetup, as they tend to attract a lot of attention and questions from curious passerby and can be very fussy to wear. They are best to wear to special teaparty get-togethers, or even to fashion conventions. Example 1, example 2, example 3, example 4, example 5, example 6
• pannier - n. see petticoat.
• parasol - n. An umbrella meant to protect not from precipitation but from the sun. Lolita parasols tend to be trimmed with ruffles and lace, and may come in various colours. Some are even lined with material that absorb or reflect more UVA and UVB rays than standard umbrellas. They are often used to provide relief from the heat of the sun in the summer as Lolita fashion can be unforgiving in the heat. They are also useful in preventing sun-damage to the skin.
• petticoat - n. Supportive undergarment worn beneath the Lolita skirt or dress to give volume to the skirt. It is worn at the natural waist, over any other undergarments but under the dress. Comes in 2 typical shapes: a-line and cupcake / bell-shaped. Cupcake petticoats are best when worn with gathered rectangle skirts, a-line for high-waisted dresses and flared skirts. Also sometimes referred to as a pannier.
• petti - abbrev. petticoat.
• rectangle headdress - n. a rectangular headdress that resembles a bonnet without a pronounced brim. Often trimmed with lace and ribbon and featuring ties to go under the chin, but can be attached to clips or a hair comb. Example.
• RHS - abbrev. rocking horse shoes. 
• Rocking Horse Shoes - n. Created by Vivienne Westwood in 1985-86 and featured in the manga "Nana", RHS became popular within Lolita fashion from the late 90s onward. The unique curved shape of the platform makes them very easy to walk in, and even allows the wearer to balance on their toes and appear like a ballerina en pointe. They have since been copied by many other companies, but remain a hallmark of Vivienne Westwood. Image 1, image 2, image 3. learn more about RHS here
• shirring - n. elasticated gathered panels that give stretch and variable fit to clothing. Learn More.
• shopping service - n.  A shopping service can help with purchasing items overseas when they are not available on an international webstore or must be purchased from a brick-and-mortar shop. You can also use a shopping service to purchase items from many sources and combine into one parcel for international postage.
• SK - abbrev. skirt
• Skirt - n. Basically the same as a skirt outside of Lolita fashion. In order to be useful for Lolita fashion a skirt usually has to be long and full enough to be supported by a petticoat. The term "skirt" also refers to the skirt portion of a JSK or OP. 
• SS - abbrev. shopping service.
• Victorian Maiden - n. Japanese brand known for releasing Classic Lolita dresses.
• VM - abbrev. Victorian Maiden