"Itas" and how to Not Be One

Before I begin talking about itas, I'd like to define what an ita is. An ita is someone, generally new to lolita, who hasn't gotten the fashion right. The common consensus is that "ita" comes from the Japanese word "itai": literally "ouch!" Itas make mistakes regarding lolita fashion that renders their outfits not quite right. I'm going to talk about common ita mistakes and how to avoid them, as well as talking about problems with more stubborn itas.

Let's get started!

COMMON ITA MISTAKES......

1. Not wearing a petticoat
2. Inappropriate accessories
3. Improper coordination
4. Calling lolita a cosplay or costume
5. Wearing clothes that are obviously poorly or cheaply made
6. Mixing colors that don't match
7. Accidentally (or purposefully) sexualizing lolita
8. Getting excited and making a coord out of non-lolliable clothes

Let's start out with petticoats. I commonly see newer lolitas forego a petticoat, whether it's because they didn't know to use one, or they decided they didn't need one. I'm here to tell you....you need a petticoat. There are exceptions for casual lolita, of course, but for every other sort of coordinate, you need one. There are no buts about it. One of the most important things in lolita is the shape of your silhouette, and without petticoats, you will not achieve the proper volume needed for this shape. Therefore, petticoats are a requirement in lolita.

Another thing I see with itas is some truly horrendous combinations of accessories: leg warmers, cat ears and collar, rainbow stripe socks, neon wigs, and more. Neon usually has no place in lolita at all; there are of course some prints that feature neon colors, but cheap Halloween-bought wigs are not usually compatible with lolita coordinates. 

Regarding the rainbow socks (which seem to be really popular for some reason), just don't wear them. Please. I don't think I'll ever live to see them successfully integrated in a coordinate. They're more suited for decora. And cat/kitten accessories....Western lolitas seem to really hate the whole ears/collar combination, and I can't say I blame them. They don't lend a nice look to lolita coordinates, even if there's cats in the print. Rabbit ears, bear ears, and deer antlers all seem to fit the lolita aesthetic better.  

One of the keys to coordination is to take inspiration from your dress or skirt (or salopette, or what have you). My Infanta Dolly House OP in pink is really easy to coordinate; if I want, I could wear a pastel pink bonnet like the teddy bears in the print. Or, I could wear pastel macaron accessories (like the ones on the dress). Even if your dress doesn't have a print, this is still fairly easy to do. 

(Infanta Dolly House OP)

  (AP Sentimental Scallop OP)

For instance, I have Angelic Pretty's Sentimental Scallop. The gingham fabric goes great with a straw hat and light pink or white accessories (white can bring out the trim of the dress, pink the ruffles). I find that, with a straw hat (that has a pastel pink ribbon on) lends this dress an adorable country look. Even without a print, it's still possible to coordinate quite easily. Again, you just need to take inspiration from the dress itself. And if you need help, check out lolita-advice on Tumblr (it's a blog I run to help newer lolitas and older lolitas alike!) Or, you can search for the dress online and see what other people have done for their coords.

Also....lolita is not a cosplay or a costume. It's a fashion drawing on aspects of the Rococo and Victorian periods. It's possible to do lolita-inspired cosplays, or themed coords (like Harry Potter themed coords, for example), but it certainly is not ever a costume. Many lolitas say that they feel more confident and comfortable in lolita and will get highly offended if you call lolita a costume so maybe.....don't.

So one of the number one mistakes I see is people wearing cheaply made clothes, or clothes made of costume fabric (think cheap velvet, scratchy lace, and shiny satin). These clothes are fine for costumes...but as we've discussed, lolita is not a costume. The fashion prides itself on having well-made clothes; quality is important. As such, shiny dresses with heaps of raschel lace are considered unacceptable (and actually quite insulting). 

As you can see, the lace quality is less than stellar.

Here, the dress is made poorly with cheap shiny fabric.

Both of these dresses would be considered very ita. Their poor construction and cheap components do not work with lolita. It would be fine to wear these if you want (not everyone can afford how much lolita can cost)...just don't say it's lolita when it isn't. And these dresses definitely aren't lolita. 

Now on to colors. A coordinate needs to stick to a specific color palette; if you have say, a pastel pink dress with a print that has other pastel colors, you wouldn't wear shoes that aren't also pastel (or white). Mixing bolder colors with pastels can be a risky business, and it can also look quite tacky. Sticking with a specific color palette (usually based on the skirt/dress you're wearing) is the key to having a really pretty coordinate.

So you know how feminine things have a tendency (at least in the US) of being sexualized? Well, unfortunately for us, that's still the case here. Especially with sweet lolita is the risk of being asked the question "are you an ageplayer?" You might be, of course, but lolita has nothing to do with kink (as it is literally just a fashion) and many lolitas prefer the two stay far, far away from each other. In this manner, lolita is sexualized, and it can also be sexualized by wearing the wrong things and calling it lolita (like wearing maid costumes and calling it lolita).

Above is a picture of what is most certainly not lolita. However, due to the lace and frills, it can be mistaken for lolita. One of the big problems is that someone could wear something like this, go around calling it lolita fashion, and then give a bunch of people the idea that this is what lolita fashion is. The fashion then becomes inherently sexualized to that person. There's nothing inherently wrong with sexual stuff or something being sexualized; the problem comes in that lolitas (some of them minors) are made uncomfortable by being sexualized in this way.

Finally, some people get so excited on finding lolita fashion that they scramble to find something in their wardrobe that will suffice (I find this actually quite adorable). The enthusiasm is great but the coordinates....not so much. Most clothing is non-lolliable (meaning it won't work for lolita). Again, I love how excited people get, but you usually have to wait to get lolita clothes before making your first coordinate. Many seasoned lolitas get irritated when people using clothes they had lying around tag their coordinates as lolita, especially because a lot of them are looking for actual lolita coords and don't want to have to sort through people wearing...non-lolita clothes.

I know how tempting it is to dive into lolita right away, but it is a fashion that requires patience, planning, and money. It's definitely not a fashion you can make using what clothes you have in your closet, as many clothes simply aren't the right shape or style. It's totally fine to tag your outfits as "lolita-inspired", but please-don't fill the lolita tags with non-lolita things (it's a pet peeve, for me). 

The final thing that I didn't list was the amount of people who refuse to follow the rules of lolita, while still calling their outfits lolita. This fashion is one that has a few rules that you need to follow, and you don't get to break the rules and still call it lolita (again, just call it "lolita-inspired"). If you're a newer lolita and you don't follow the rules....you're simply not a lolita. Which is fine! Just please, don't tag your things as lolita. You may also mislead other people who are discovering the fashion. I can't tell you the number of times someone has asked for constructive criticism and then said "well, I'm going to do what I want." Please. Please don't ask for concrit if you don't actually want it.

That's where I'll leave it for now. If you want to know how to get into lolita, I'll be writing a post about that soon, so stay tuned!

Petticoats in Lolita Fashion

So, you're interested in lolita fashion. However, you're not really sure how to get the iconic skirt shape that is a must for the fashion. Keep reading for a full guide to the petticoat: how many to wear, the different kinds, where to get them, why to wear them, and more!

Alright, let's start with the basics-the different petticoat shapes. In lolita, there are two main skirt shapes, the bell and the a-line.

~Main Skirt/Petticoat Shapes~

Below is a bell-shaped skirt (Milky Planet OP by Angelic Pretty).

Just like the name says, the skirt is shaped like a bell. Bell-shaped skirts usually flare out from the waist, instead of the hips or bust. The bell shape is very popular in sweet lolita.

Now we have the A-line! (Dream Sky OP by Angelic Pretty)

See how the edges are straight instead of curved? It mimics the shape of the letter A (as you can see). I find that most A-line dresses flare out right under the bust instead of at the waist, but of course there are exceptions. A-line skirts are popular with classic lolita.

There are other skirt shapes as well, but these are the two main ones that are used in lolita to get the iconic silhouette. 

So, you may be asking why you need to know what the skirt's shape is to be able to use the right petticoats. This is so you know what shape of petticoat to use! A-line skirts use a-line pettis, and bell-shaped skirts used bell-shaped pettis. It's super simple!

Below is a bell-shaped petti.

Notice how its shape is identical to the bell-shaped dress? It's super easy to match up skirt shape and petti shape. The same goes for the a-line petticoat. The shape of the petti should match the shape of the skirt.

A huge no-no in any fashion is using the wrong petti-you wouldn't use a bell-shaped skirt under an a-line dress. It won't fill the dress out properly and it just looks.....wrong. So be sure to match the shapes up!

Alright, so now that we've discussed the basic shapes of petticoats, it's time to talk about how to wear them...

~How Many Pettis to Wear~

To properly utilize a petticoat, you need to first know what look you are going for. Are you going for a more casual lolita coordinate? Something over the top? Or just a regular coord? It's important to know, as different amounts of petticoats can be used for coords.

With casual lolita or outfits that are lolita-inspired, you might forego a petticoat entirely. Some dresses have a lining that uses a small amount of tulle for poof, and for casual lolita coordinates, this small poof might be all you need. It isn't required to wear a petticoat with casual lolita, since (as the name implies), the outfit is meant to be more casual and easygoing. Especially if you're planning to travel, walk around a lot, go shopping, etc., casual lolita can be perfect. Extra pettis can weigh you down and get in the way (believe me, I've knocked over plenty of things with my skirts while shopping). Hence, it is perfectly fine to wear one petticoat or merely have the tulle lining of the dress act as a petti (but don't call it lolita-casual lolita is kind of its own category). 

It's also a good idea to have a thinner petticoat, whether for hot summer days or again, for more casual occasions, to have your coord be less bulky.

With regular lolita coordinates, you usually want to wear 1-2 petticoats to achieve the desired shape. I find that, with my bell-shaped lolita dresses, 2 petticoats are usually perfect to get the right amount of poof. Again, this will depend on the specific dress or skirt that you have. Lighter materials like chiffon may not need as many pettis to get poof, while I find that my heavier cotton dresses can need up to 3 pettis to support the fabric.

Again, it's really dependent on the dress, the fabric, and the quality of petticoats you have.

Regarding OTT lolita, most lolis like to go for the maximum amount of poof, using 2-3 petticoats (I've even seen some wear four). Because OTT stands for "over-the-top", it makes sense that lolis would want to go for the biggest skirt possible, stacking pettis to achieve the desired shape.

Remember that this is just a guide, though, and you can wear as many or as few pettis as you like to match what YOU want in your coord. However, if you aren't wearing any pettis at all, be sure to mark your coord as casual or merely lolita-inspired. Without the proper skirt shape, an outfit cannot be considered lolita, as the silhouette of the skirt is (again) one of the iconic features of the fashion.

~Where to buy Pettis~

One question people ask me a lot is where I purchased my petticoats from. I have one petticoat from Classical Puppets (purchased via MyLolitaDress) and a few other pettis from Leg Avenue (purchases through Amazon). The Classical Puppets petticoat that I have (seen here) is a really nice quality, and it has an adorable cotton lace trim. Being of higher quality than the LegAvenue pettis, it uses less scratchy material and looks nicer.

However, the Leg Avenue pettis also do the job, and they are less expensive (they're about half as much as the Classical Puppets petti I have). For people looking to do lolita on a budget, or people who need a petti ASAP, I would recommend Leg Avenue. Their pettis are also excellent for putting under my Classical Puppets pettis to help get extra poof.

Several taobao resellers (including MyLolitaDress) sell petticoats. I would suggest checking out reviews and ratings for the petticoat you're eyeing. I would also suggest staying away from Bodyline petticoats; most lolitas say that they lost their poof quickly.

If you're interested in buying Leg Avenue petticoats or other inexpensive options, I would try Amazon. Leg Avenue sells through Amazon, as do other sellers who offer petticoats. Again, be sure to read reviews to make sure that your purchase will be worth what you pay for it!

I wish I could offer more suggestions but I do not want to recommend any petticoats I haven't personally tried out!

~How I Wear Pettis~

The majority of my dresses have bell-shaped skirts, so what I usually do is wear the Classical Puppets petti on top of any other petticoats I wear. Because it is the petti I have that is the nicest quality, it looks the best if accidentally seen-which is why it covers the other petticoats. My personal experience is that you only really need one nice petti; it's not required to have multiple forty dollar petticoats to get the volume you want. You don't even have to invest in one nice petti if you don't want to! Again, I do suggest it, but it's more personal preference, and it's certainly not required.

I also usually wear tights if I'm stacking pettis. The rougher Leg Avenue petticoats are usually against my legs (my bloomers aren't always long enough to cover all of my leg), and the fabric has a tendency to irritate my skin. If you think the same may happen to you, I would suggest tights or bloomers to help protect your legs from rubbing against the petticoats. 

To get the right shape, I will pull on my skirt or dress, and then shimmy the petticoat so the waistband is right where the dress cinches in before flaring out. With my bell shaped skirts that flair from the waist, I will put the waistband(s) of any pettis I'm wearing and have them sit right on my waist as well to optimize the petti. If your dress flares out from the bust and you have a petti on your waist, it won't look right.

You can put your petti on before your outermost layer(s) if you want, but I usually get them on after depending on how I pull on the dress or skirt. If it can go over my head, pettis first. If I have to step into it, pettis last.

Again, remember to match up colors, and try not to use petticoats that are brightly colored or too long. You don't want your petticoat to be showing at all. It should be completely covered by your dress/skirt.

~Why You Should Wear Pettis~

I have seen a lot of newer lolitas question the need for petticoats, and I'm here to tell you: lolita fashion would not be lolita fashion without the petticoat. The main things that set it apart from similar styles like fairy kei, creepy cute, and pastel goth are the shape of the skirt and the use of historical undergarments (pettis, bloomers, etc). Lolita is an homage to Victorian and Rococo fashion, and part of that history in the fashion is the skirt shape that was popular in those times.

Disregarding the need for petticoats is throwing away one of the biggest parts of the fashion, and something that ties it in with history. One of the requirements for a lolita coordinate (exempting casual) is...PETTIS! 

They make or break a lolita coordinate. So don't forget yours!

~Extras~

• If your skirt is really heavy, you can try a hoopskirt with a petticoat over it to soften the shape of the hoops
• Too many petticoats will put strain on your back and hips/waist
• There are a lot of tutorials on how to make pettis, so if buying one is too expensive, making one is always an option
• Your petti should somewhat match your color scheme-don't use a black petti with a pink dress
• Petticoats have been around since at least 1585 (Wikipedia)
• Rockabilly fashion also regularly uses the petticoat