#combining styles

In the earlier days of lolita I feel like the lines defining the styles were more distinct, but nowadays I find that those lines are becoming more blurred and honestly, less important. There are a lot of pieces out there that can be used in coords of different styles and there is a lot of combining of styles as well, so if you feel that you love classic and sweet, there’s no reason you should have to choose. You can wear one or the other, or a mix of both!For example:

The above coord is a bit of a mix between classic and sweet. The color scheme is more traditionally classic, as are the style of boots. The style of collar of the blouse she’s wearing is more traditionally sweet, as is her hairstyle. The beret and style of bag lend themselves to both styles. Overall the coord combines both styles very nicely.

These two coords also combine elements of both styles. The colors are more typical of classic but have been showing up a lot more in sweet lately, especially since Angelic Pretty has started doing a lot of tartan prints. The styles of blouses they’re both wearing also sort of straddle the line between styles. The lace tights are a little more on the classic side while the frilly ankle socks are a little more sweet. The large bow right in the front of the head is also more typical of sweet as are the pigtails, and the beret again works with both styles.

This coord overall reads very sweet with the headbow and hairstyle and general styling, but the coloring and themeing of the print can lend themselves well to either style or a mix of both.

If you’re trying to make Sweet Lolita more mature it is helpful to borrow certain elements from Classic Lolita and merge them together. Innocent World is a good brand to look to for reference as to how you can do this.If you’re a fan of cute prints, try toning them down a little with more realistic looking designs. For example, if you want a print with rabbits, instead of this:

Try something like this:

It still has cute rabbits but the colors are more muted and it’s easier to coordinate in a mature way. Muted colors are a key factor in general. You can still wear pastels, but if they are more muted as opposed to being super bright they will give your whole coord a more mature look. You can also wear ivory or cream instead of white to achieve the same effect. If you don’t want to give up your super sweet prints you can always consider choosing them in a colorway that isn’t super bright and coordinating them with other pieces that are more mature to help tone them down.

Another option that can help is mixing your bright pastels with darker colors like black or brown. Angelic Pretty’s Chocolate lines often do this and are good examples to look to.

Simplifying your hair styling and accessories can also help. Once again, draw inspiration from hairstyles you find in Classic Lolita, but maybe wear them with Sweet hair accessories. Consider toning down your headbows though. Instead of a huge bow, consider a smaller one that sits to the side or maybe a hat like a beret which have a mature look but also come in very sweet designs.