Is EGL Fashion Still E?

Look up definitions of the word “elegant” and what you’ll find points to things that are relatively conservative-leaning. They’ll talk about grace and being attractive in appearance, they’ll mention being refined and dignified, they’ll include the ideas of luxury and tastefulness in that, they’ll refer you to synonymous words such as stylish, beautiful, and sophisticated. Both now and in the past, our idea of elegance was shrouded in an aspirational spirit. It was something to strive for to match the occasion (think being a wedding guest) or even to elevate oneself to (as daily elegance was afforded to upper social classes more easily than the working ones). For all that the concept of elegance may be relatively achievable, since most visual representations of it that you’ll see lie in simplicity (“simple” being so often paired with “elegant” in all those SEO-optimised entries), societally it is an incredibly classist concept, rooted not just in timelessness, but in quality that is durable and therefore, costly.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels.

When the terms Elegant Gothic Lolita and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat were first being coined, you could see those values represented in the clothes themselves. Look through the first few issues of Gothic & Lolita Bible and you’ll find simpler silhouettes with tactically used details amongst all brand releases, even the sweet ones like BtSSB. That lolita fashion back in 2001 was borrowing a lot more from gothic was evident in how it looked then, aided by the state of textile technology at the time that hadn’t yet given us the prints that the fashion is known for now. Whether you consider that 2000s lolita fashion look gothic or not, it was certainly fair to call it elegant, even by mainstream fashion standards. 

Left to right: Maxicimam's Large Rose Print Torchon Lace JSK, BtSSB's Tartan Check JSK, and Moi-meme-Moitie's EGL-04027 JSK.
All photos from Lolibrary.org.

But what about now? Whilst more streamlined, sophisticated designs are certainly coming out of the gothic and classic brands, those aren’t the most representative examples of lolita fashion in 2025. And for all that our shadowban fighting is making many switch from using “lolita fashion” in favour of “EGL” or “EGL fashion”, is it still accurate to call it all elegant? Is Meta’s Frill JSK’s elegant the same as that of Atelier Pierrot’s Blessed Veil OP or as Sheglit’s Cross Strap JSK? How does AP’s Compact Toys series or BtSSB’s Sweetheart Parfaiteria series or even AatP’s Poseidon Chris fit into the idea of elegant? I think that if we are to be able to continually call every substyle of lolita fashion EGL, then we need to shift some definitions of “elegant” around.

Left to right: AP's Compact Toys JSK, BtSSB's Sweetheart Parfaiteria Scallop JSK, and AatP's Poseidon Chris JSK.
All photos from Lolibrary.org.

Whilst the EGL label, from what I see, is fine to remain as it is when referring to gothic lolitas (duh!) and classic, since they attempt to look traditionally elegant far more than cute, to use it in reference to sweet lolita feels like a bit of a stretch – in the context of all lolita fashion. When in contrast to mainstream fashion, all substyles of lolita, sweet included, embody some qualities that are encapsulated by elegance. With the self-explanatory exception of casual, lolita is a much more formal fashion than mainstream wear. Yes, sexy elegant exists, but for the most part even mainstream fashion considers elegance to be relatively demure, something which lolita fashion has plenty of in its core guidelines.

Moreover, sweet prints might not be the immediate first thing that comes to mind at the word “elegant”, but even the princessy solid-coloured cupcake dresses of today, whilst over the top, have that fairytale kind of elegance. Because it’s not always about clean silhouettes and minimal details – historical nobility, whose fashion lolita takes plenty of inspiration from, would certainly have a lot to say about the elegance of frills, laces, and adornments. It’s important to remember that whilst fashion influences can come from anywhere, one of EGL’s original inspirations were the Victorians and the French Rococo. That is an entirely separate understanding of the concept of elegance, one which has not survived the WWII fabric rationing and the subsequent rise of youth culture as the driving force of fashion as opposed to rich aristocracy. How both ironic and fitting that lolita fashion, inspired by clothes from a time when the rich aristocratic adults dictated what’s fashionable, is craved by the youths, yet afforded most easily by the adults of today.

Left to right: Meta's Eternal Bride JSK, Mengfuzi's Showa Doll JSK, AP's Sugar Wing JSK.
All photos from Lolibrary.org.

On the other hand, the nuances of 2025’s digital age have affected lolita fashion in ways that I think take it away from being “elegant”. For the majority of its wearers it remains a means of self-expression and part of community bonding. Lolitas gather, both in person and online, and the clothes are both our main subject of interest and a way to spot one of us in the wild. But there is no denying that against a sea of the mainstream, alternative fashions stand out and of the substyles that we have, sweet lolita is the most visible one. And there are some who are more interested in the performance potential that it offers than in the fashion itself. A bright pastel coord attracts attention, which may just be the hook that a content creator needs to win against the algorithm of their content platform of choice. Whilst this can still be a fun exploration of one’s individual style, it is anything but elegant, curated to attract attention first and feel authentic second. To me, whether you understand elegance through the dictionary definitions or the historical context, that kind of attitude simply doesn’t align with the concept. It isn’t inherently wrong nor does it make those acting like bad people. But it does make calling that EGL feel disingenuous.

Whilst there is an argument to be made here that elegance is as much about the behaviour as it is about the aesthetics, I won’t go into it. From the early days of lolita fashion we’ve been arguing that they’re just clothes with no bearing on your behaviour. Sure, if you want to act more elegantly, then do that at your own leisure. Equally, a dickhead in frills is still just a dickhead. Despite whatever impression the legacy of things such as The Princess Code may give, it doesn’t dictate how lolitas, individuals and as groups, act and to project the idea that your clothing should dictate your behaviour takes the whole fashion much closer to costume and dress-up play than fashion. Lolita fashion doesn’t inherently come with any predetermined behaviours or savoir vivre guides that you must follow in order to belong. Therefore, it isn’t the behaviours that make one an Elegant Gothic Lolita. In fact, I’d say that feigning elegance for the wrong reasons (to appear as better than others as opposed to being respectful towards others) is the exact opposite of what elegance is at its core.

Secret Honey's Disney dresses may be popular with lolitas, because the fashion attracts plenty of cosplayers, but we all know that they're not lolita.
Photo from Hana Castle Store.

Ultimately, the nature of language is that words change meaning or acquire new ones. It is the users of that language who determine how it’s used – it’s how grammatical forms that have been considered incorrect become acceptable. A language that stagnates is a dead one. The same applies to the idea of an Elegant Gothic Lolita. We understand that the term doesn’t exclude classic or sweet lolitas, having come from Japan, where the substyle divisions differ from those in the English-language communities. Why can’t the same be of the “elegant” part of that label? What’s elegant has changed, from the Rococo period to now and from the mainstream to the alternative. Whilst many EGL wearers still aspire to look elegant, it has been overtaken in the priority ranking by striving to look cute and to feel good and like oneself in those clothes. And in my opinion, since the elegance that we value the most as a society is one that is true to the individual, so long as lolitas find a way to use their frills to express themselves authentically, then regardless of their coord’s substyle – they are Elegant (Gothic) Lolitas.

To Boldly Frill at a Time of Safe Bets

It’s such a current word right now, isn’t it? And so relevant to lolita fashion because of its roots. If it weren’t for a bunch of young Japanese women who defiantly did their own thing instead of conforming to what was expected of them, then we’d probably all be in a very different hobby and community right now.

But is that defiance warranted these days? The most that we get to see it in lolita communities is online lolitas defiantly calling an elitist anyone who tells them not to buy something questionable and makes a suggestion of saving up. And even as many of us recognise and actively choose this look in the face of what is considered fashionable or attractive in the mainstream, very few of us wear frills out of a strong sense of Eff You to the society at large. Are we even defiant anymore? Do we need to be?

I think so, on both accounts. In significantly smaller ways, nonetheless we are. Defiance and spite are incredibly powerful motivators for the right people, many of whom end up being the driving forces for new looks in fashion. These days I see lolitas boldly wear items that were previously considered ugly or undesirable, from ita bags to Marble’s lace monsters. Big events and special occasions, as well as the need for visibility if you want more than mere crumbs of the social media algorithm, push people to try out looks that don’t fit the typical lolita coord ticklist and come out with something fun and fresh. And actually, the need for comfort is as big of a driver for defiance, with people swapping pinching tea parties for flexible sneakers and ditch layers that aren’t practical for the weather whilst retaining style.

We live in times when, whilst it can still be a marker of social status, fashion is also so much more about play than it was historically for most. Whether as means of creative expression or a no-buy necessity, I see more and more people play with their coords, sticking a metaphorical middle finger up to the rules. Of course, individual ideas fail or they don’t match another individual’s tastes – that’s fine, that’s part of the deal. That doesn’t make the attempts any less valid.

To get even more macro about it, as the world gets eerily more conservative in response to the events unfolding on the global stage, it is the few souls who still choose artistic expression and non-conformism that help us hold onto our defiance. You might have a strict dress code for work – but no-one can stop you from wearing Angelic Pretty socks under your work trousers or a Moitie necklace under your shirt. You might not look forward to relatives questioning your life choices over dinner, so you choose to misdirect their attacks towards the choice of clothes you make to earn yourself some peace from the Big Questions. You might even be blocking more creeps on a dating app than you ever wanted to see – but by defiantly sharing your EGL pictures you know that the long game will result in someone who won’t try to stifle your individuality out of their own insecurities or need for control.

Small acts of disruption accumulate. And you are part of that by choosing to engage in a fashion that by all mainstream standards is simply outlandish, whether you realise the impact of that decision or not.

Is lolita fashion defiant? Duh. It always has been. Continue this noble tradition whenever and wherever you can.

This brief opinion post was brought to you by Bibliotheca's theme of Defiance. For all of my Capricorn instincts to be contrarian, if a group of great bloggers says "Let's do something", then you know that I'm there.

Lolidrobe Reassessment Post 2025.02

What? But I have literally just done one of these! At least one of those three months feels like it has entirely disappeared and never actually existed.

New additions

Moving flats has put a stop to a lot of spending that wasn’t furniture, household stuff or food. I mean, a £120 dress or a £120 wardrobe to move my cardigans from the floor and into someplace more protected is (sadly) a no brainer.

• 3 boleros (2 classic in brown and 1 gothic in black)

Yes, that really is it. I know.

Spring-summer has blessed me with Millefeuilles. Sure, that means that I now have three brown Millefeuille boleros, which is more than anyone needs, really. But more importantly, I have all of the lace patterns now, which felt like it’d be a much harder thing to achieve. It means that I can ease off the hunt a little bit. One day I will hopefully be able to replace some of these with other colourways for a more balanced collection, but at the moment, my inner collector-archivist is extremely happy. Expect a proper appreciation post sometime in the future!

Possible new looks

That being said, with hardly any new purchases, especially as the boleros all somehow crowded into June, there are no new looks to showcase. And we can all imagine what kinds of looks these three would create. So instead I’ll showcase three pictures from the last three months where I thought I was being very creative in one way or another. 

Coord from June.

Coord from April.

Coord from May.

Need list progress

Still no progress here. I keep thinking about putting in an order for a wine underskirt and then it keeps not being a priority.

That being said, I noticed that my brown Sosic Shop heels are peeling along the toe box platform. They are a little bit sweeter than where I’m leaning these days, so maybe, if I manage to replace them with something else (maybe another Elf Armorie or Modo pair?), then I’ll throw in that underskirt to the Taobao order. We’ll see. But actual progress, I’ve made none.

Added brown shoes to replace.
Click to enlarge.

Current wishlist progress

Did I mention that I scored more Millefeuille boleros? Shell Lace and Pure Smooth acquired, as well as a black Cross Lace (although I’m reluctant to give up my navy Cross Lace, I’ll think on that). I almost didn’t buy the Shell Lace one because it isn’t my size, but I was reminded that I collect these for scholarly reasons and quickly slapped some reason into myself. So here we are, only one Millefeuille left to find, let’s see if we can make it happen this year!

Dresses though… Nope. Come back another time.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

New Year’s goals: progress summary

A relative success with the goals so far, if I dare say so myself.

• Did I get my pieces altered? The work has started. Or started as much as it can given that my seamstress is focusing on other work for now, so two of these are sort of waiting for now. But I’ve sent one piece to Naddine Atelier (IW’s Revival Sweets Teddybear JSK), so there is some movement. Also, I changed my mind on the Charming Town skirt, that’s now getting sold, so one thing fewer to consider. Just leaves Haenuli’s Lovely Memories and AP’s Cinema Doll to alter.
• Have I bought more classic and casual main pieces? Not this quarter because I hardly bought anything. There are still the bits I got last quarter and I am in the process of doing a bunch of sales to fund some replacements, so maybe next time we’ll see some movement here.
• Have I gotten roped into organising anything? Yes and no? I told myself that I’d only organise the Christmas lunch this year, which is still the case. However, since then the Christmas lunch has grown to be a bigger Christmas lunch for the Winter ILD thing. It’s still only one thing though. But yeah, a very grey area on how to consider this.

Writing this as it’s too warm to wear more than one layer, frills remain on my mind, but only in a theoretical sense. They have been a bit on pause because of the house move and because of my ongoing sales, but there’s an air of optimism in all this. My wardrobe is changing in a way that will suit me more. I’m trying to put less pressure on myself, just generally, but especially in terms of what to wear and how. And amidst all this, as my focus has now gone primarily towards writing, everything else has naturally had to take a bit of a back seat. Yes, I still have way too many things going on at once – but more importantly, the things that I dedicate my attention to are all making me excited for the next steps. And that’s the sort of energy that I want more of over the rest of the summer and going into autumn. Hopefully you’ve also found some things that spark your excitement.