Lolita Terminology

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By virtue of becoming its own subculture, naturally lolita fashion began to develop its own lingo. Below is an Alphabetical list of commonly used terms to help you navigate this lacy world. Terms and definitions have been pulled from various resources such as HelloLace, FYeahLolita, and Lolitafashion.org.

Lolita fashion terms and definitions:

A&P/AatP- The abbreviations for Baby's pirate themed line, Alice and the Pirates.
AH- Short for Anna House, a Chinese Lolita brand.
A-Line/A-Line Petti- The shape of a dress or skirt, which flares out to create the silhouette of an A.
Ama/Kote/Sweet Lolita- Ways of saying Sweet Lolita, known for bright colors and imaginative prints. The first two terms are not used very often.
AP- Short for Angelic Pretty, a Japanese Lolita brand.
Bibles/GLB/Gothic & Lolita Bible- The name of a Japanese fashion magazine.
Bloomers/Drawers- Shorts-like undergarment worn under dresses and skirts.
Blouse-A feminine style of formal shirt made of woven fabric.
Bonnet- A form of headwear with a large brim framing the face, used in various lolita styles.
BPN- Short for Black Peace Now, a goth, punk, and gothic lolita clothing brand.
Brand/Burando- "Brand" is used in reference to the big name Japanese Lolita brands such as Baby The Stars Shine Bright, Angelic Pretty, and Metamorphose. Brand is often synonymous with good quality and expensive.
Brolita- A male who participates in the Lolita fashion by wearing the "girl" styles, not necessarily something like Kodona. This term is rarely used.
BtSSB/Baby- Short for Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, a Japanese Lolita brand.
Bustle Skirt- A skirt that is pulled up in the back to reveal an underskirt.
Canotier- Often a circular headdress with lace, ribbons or flowers that sits tilted on the head.
Classic Lolita- A more mature, classic style of lolita. Often has an A-line silhouette and floral patterns.
Comm/s- Short for "communities" as in local or international lolita communities.
Coord- Short for coordinate, meaning a coordinated outfit.
Cupcake Skirt/Cupcake Petti- The shape of a dress, skirt or petticoat, which flares out to create a silhouette similar to the top of a cupcake. Often used in sweet lolita.
Cutsew- An article of clothing made out of thicker t-shirt material, often much cheaper than other brand items.
EGA- Stands for "Elegant Gothic Aristocrat", a term coined by Mana for his brand, Moi Meme Moitie.
EGL- Stands for "Elegant Gothic Lolita", a term coined by Mana for his brand, Moi Meme Moitie.
Ero Lolita- Ero is short for "erotic". An Ero Loli may dress more challenging than the average Lolita, displaying cleavage or use fetish elements and materials in their outfits. This style is very rarely seen, and can be controversial as many do not classify it as a proper lolita substyle.
ETC- Short for Emily Temple Cute, an older lolita/otome brand that has a slightly more mature look.
Fukubukuro/Lucky Pack- A grab bag type of sale that Lolita brands often have. Contents could either be a randomly colored dress made specially for the Lucky Pack, or it could be the years left over sale goods.
Gosurori- The Japanese pronunciation for the fashion, and how it is translated on Japanese websites. This term is rarely used. Also the name of a Japanese pattern mook.
Gothic Lolita- One of the major and most recognized styles in lolita fashion, it has both cute and gothic elements.
Guro Lolita- A horror-themed style, often using blood stains or broken doll themes. Not a true substyle, and used more for special events or Halloween.
Half Bonnet- A bonnet with no back, looking more like a headdress with a brim that frames the face.
Headbow/Katsuyasha/Kachuusha/Alice bow- A bow worn on the head, usually attached to a headband, it can be any size so long as it's not tiny.
Headdress- Any type of lolita hair accessory.
Head Eating Bow- A really large bow worn on the head, so large it often overtakes the whole head.
Hime Lolita- A substyle that incorporates extravagant lolita, and sometimes borrows elements from Hime Gyaru fashion.
Ita- An insult used to describe an outfit or a person that is trying to be Lolita, but failing somehow, usually mightily. In Japan "ita" means "ouch" as in it hurts the eyes to look at one.
IW- Short for Innocent World, a Japanese Lolita brand.
Jabot- An ornamental cascade of ruffles, frills or lace down the front of a shirt, blouse, or dress. Sometimes removable.
JetJ- Short for Juliette et Justine, a Japanese classic lolita brand.
JSK/Jumper Skirt- A sleeveless dress, designed to be worn over a blouse.
Loli- Short for lolita. This term has come to mean an underaged girl in the anime/manga community, and is thus now rarely used in the lolita fashion community.
Lace Monster- Western term to describe a dress with a very large amount of lace.
Lolify- To make something more Lolita looking. This term is rarely used.
Loliable- Something that is not made to be Lolita, but can easily be worn with a Lolita outfit.
Kera- A Japanese fashion magazine with news and photos on cute trends, including lolita.
Kuro/Kuro Lolita- An all-black coordinate.
Mana- A Visual Kei artist and owner of the brand Moi Meme Moitie.
Meta- Short for Metamorphose, a Japanese Lolita brand. Their full name is actually Manifesteange Metamorphose temps de fille.
MM- Short for Mary Magdalene, a Japanese classic lolita brand.
MmM- Short for Moi-même-Moitié, a Japanese Lolita brand owned by Mana, or Malice Mizer fame.
Mook- A word used in Japan to pretty much mean "magazine book", in reference to very thick, book-like magazines. The Gothic & Lolita Bibles are mooks.
Offbrand- A piece that is not from with a big name Japanese brand, a seamstress, or a lesser Lolita brand.
OP/One Piece- A dress with sleeves that is meant to be worn on it's own.
OTK- "Over the knee"; a type of sock that goes several inches above the knee, but is not thigh high.
OTT- "Over the top"; used to refer to an outfit that is very detailed and elaborate.
Ouji/Boystyle/Kodona/Dandy- The "male" equivalent to lolita which focuses on more princely fashions. The latter two terms are rarely used.
Pannier/Underskirt- Underskirts that are worn under lolita skirts to change the silhouette or add length. Sometimes used to refer to petticoats on Japanese websites, but in fact mean two different items.
Petti/Petticoat- An underskirt made out of chiffon or tulle that is used to fluff up your skirt to get an A-line or cupcake-shaped bell silhouette.
Pirate Lolita- A style with pirate elements. Not a true substyle, and used more for special events or Halloween.
Punk Lolita- A substyle which integrates punk elements. This style is rarely used.
Qi Lolita- A substyle with traditional Chinese elements.
Rectangle Headdress/Maxi Pad Headdress/Maxi Pad- A rectangular hair accessory that ties underneath the chin with a ribbon. The former is the correct term, however many use the latter two casually or as a joke.
RHS/RHSes- The singular and plural short form for Rocking Horse Shoes, platform-styled shoes with wooden soles, coined by Vivienne Westwood.
Rori/Rorita- Lolita is often pronounced, or even misspelled as "Rorita" in Japan. This term is rarely used.
Sailor Lolita- A substyle that incorporates sailor, marine, and nautical elements.
Sax- Short for Saxon Blue, it means "light blue."
Shimotsuma Monogatari/Kamikaze Girls- A popular book about a lolita and a yankii written by Novala Takemoto. This book was made into a live action movie, as well as a manga.
Shiro/Shiro Lolita- An all-white coordinate.
Shirring- Stretchable gathering found on dresses, blouses and skirts.
Shoop/Shop- Literally meaning Photoshop, this is used to say someone has edited their photo.
Sock Toppers- A removable decoration to sit at the top of one's socks usually made from ribbon and/or lace.
SS/Shopping Service/Ordering Service- A service that one would use to purchase items from shops that do not ship overseas, or for various auction sites.
Tea Parties/Tea Party Shoes- Flat, extremely popular round-toed shoes released by Angelic Pretty.
UTK/kneehighs- "Under the knee"; a type of sock that reaches the knee, or a few inches below it.
Twinning- Two or more lolitas dressing up in the same outfit, sometimes in different color schemes.
Wa Lolita- A substyle featuring traditional Japanese elements.
Wrist Cuffs- A wrist accessory, like a bracelet, made of lace.