In Defence of Tacky

Elegant. Cute. Polished. Those are just some of the many adjectives used to describe lolita fashion. For the most part, that is the aura that we aim to embody. Even when we try to look at this fashion through the lens of the people unfamiliar with it, some of the more 'out-there' looks are still perceived more positively than negatively.

Picture from Carbon Costume.

Yet in the last few years I've noticed more and more people embrace items and looks that one can only describe as 'tacky'. The very definition of the word says that it means 'marked by a lack of style', something all people interested in fashion tend to steer as far away from as possible. And I, for one, am loving this tacky moment! I think that it is far from lacking style – in fact, I firmly believe that if someone is able to turn a seemingly tacky item into a great outfit or look, then that shows incredible style!

First of all, let’s start with the obvious icon here: the grandma couch floral. Oldschool lolitas in particular have created a special place in our community for these, with particular adoration for Meta’s florals like the Gobelin Rose or the Bouquet print. Most people outside of this fashion (and probably some within our community who do not appreciate that this is where we came from) would say this is more of a fashion crime than a fashion win. Most people don’t aspire to look like Victorian wallpaper or a dated couch. That is their problem. Because those who rock this look are nothing short of fabulous. And maybe the haters should be careful because with that level of floral camouflage they may receive retribution for their hateful words when they least expect it…

The O.G. tacky moment. How many wishlists is she on now?
Picture from Pinterest

But whilst the grandma couch floral look is iconic and continues to enjoy popularity to this day, this type of florals doesn’t get released much nowadays, if at all. The only ones I could think of were mostly from indie brands specialising in oldschool. But that doesn’t mean that new ‘tacky’ things aren’t entering the market. Another thing that used to be quite hated on by the lolita community that’s been having a great revival moment in the last couple of years is leopard print. Oh, how the Meta haters used to slag off the three that they’ve done back between late 2000s and mid-2010s! And now look at us: Angelic Pretty has done two leopard releases, Baby and AatP have put out some leopard print coats and hats for winter, and my favourite – the Physical Drop OP – really captured the Osaka obaachan penchant for animal prints. I so very nearly bought that for myself…! Of course, there’s a very valid place for leopard print in mainstream fashion, as well as some specific subcultures (like rockabilly), but it’s still not universally appreciated and lolitas have their own work to do to accept leopard print for the jewel that it is.

Do I regret not getting this, you ask? Yes. Very much.
Picture from Lolibrary.

Of course, things that have been considered tacky by others aren’t the only things. If as a community we’ve managed to overcome our distaste for lacemonsters (when the lace is nice), then I believe us to be capable of more. And the people who actively choose to create something that could be considered a tacky outfit and then rock the hell out of it are the heroes we need. My own tartan menace from The Queen is Dead is barely the tip of the iceberg, as are the many clown coords that came off the back of circus lolita having its moment. There are so many more flavours of ‘tacky’ that people out there are trying, from clashing patterns to overloading the outfit with colours to the most ridiculous prints that they can find and styling them accordingly… Thanks to wacky Chinese brands supplying us with prints like pizzas and burgers, the world literally is your oyster and all that you are limited by are your creativity and courage. Dressing like a presenter on a children's morning television show that’s all about arts and crafts is a valid look in other fashion substyles and notions such as dopamine dressing, so if that’s what floats your boat in lolita too, then all the power to you!

My peak tacky moment! Even my boyfriend was surprised that this is what I meant by "head-to-toe tartan"

Point is that fashion is forever changing, whilst personal style and joy are for you. If you’re wearing lolita just for some sort of external validation rather than for yourself, then maybe your heart isn’t really in it? What may have been frowned upon five years ago could be the thing now or a year from today. You might end up becoming an early champion and a pioneer – or you might not, but you still would’ve had fun in that outfit that was so silly you couldn’t stop smiling. If ‘tacky’ is defined by a ‘lack of style’, but style is personal – then there is no tacky. Only things that you decide to wear.