Lolita in Aliceland: Wonderland Inspired Coordinates

Art by Imai Kira

As Lolitas we are constantly trying to dispel the myth that Lolita is a costume, and yet, at the same time, we sort of love to dress up as other characters, Alice being one of them. Luckily, most of us tend to save our character coordinates for themed meetups and Halloween!

If you're looking for inspiration for all-out Alice Lolita outfits browse around the Bibles because there are a few volumes with Alice in Wonderland photoshoots. As you can see from some of the pictures below the photoshoots range from baby blue outfits with white frilly aprons, looking just like they pranced out of a Disney cartoon, to more toned down and romantic outfits that look more at home within the original book's illustrations.




You don't have to go all out and look like you just stepped out of a Disney cartoon to add a little bit of Wonderland to your coordinates, there are a few simple things you can wear as a nod to Wonderland.
  • Wear a bow in your hair. Alice is most often depicted with a big bow in her hair, we even call big Lolita bows Alice Bows. Pick either a large and lacy head-eating bow or a cute little one worn off to the side.
  • Wear striped socks. A pair of striped knee socks are easily picked up from just about anywhere and can give a cute Alice look to your coordinates, especially if it's a pastel Sweet Lolita coordinate.
  • Carry a card suit shaped purse. Card suits are a symbol that is so often associated with Alice in Wonderland (even though Chess themes are just as prevalent in the books!) and a number of Lolita brands, and offbrands, have released purses featuring, or shaped like, card suits.
  • Have Alice on your print. Lolita brands make tons of Alice in Wonderland themed prints! From Bodyline to Baby to Meta and many of the brands in between, one thing they all have in common is that they have many prints featuring Alice or other Wonderland characters in them. Look around on Hello Lace or Lolibrary with the keyword "Alice" and you're bound to find an Alice print from your favorite brand.
  • Wear a Wonderland themed jewelry piece. If you want something a little more subtle, and affordable, than an Alice print, look for a jewelry piece to wear with your outfit. Etsy has a large number of unique pieces but you can just as easily find an Alice themed jewelry piece in mainstream stores.
Here are some gorgeous examples of the kind of Alice jewelry pieces you can find on Etsy. As you can see, many of these can easily be worked into even non-Lolita outfits.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland but I do really enjoy the original illustrations and the creative things people do with the themes and characters in the story, especially when combined with Lolita.

11 comments:

  1. I personally always find it interesting how embedded Alice is in Lolita. I mean, I love the original book in all its crazed weirdness, but it always struck me as odd, deep down, to associate such a "drugged-up" story (if you will) with the fashion. Granted, the character herself is very much the dainty polite Victorian little girl, but I still can't fully grasp the appeal in such a messed up world that is Wonderland, compared to the very laid out ladylike lifestyle of Lolita.
    Being a Lolita, I would much rather live in, say, a book about dainty gentleman and lady bunnies, and cupcakes, if one should exist, than mean ol' Wonderland. (let's not forget now peculiar and sometimes downright mean some of the characters are to Alice! )
    Maybe it's just because there aren't many fantasy novels about Victorian/Rococo little girls? Or possibly just a portrayal of Alice herself, not in relation to Wonderland?
    Who knows~

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  2. I've always loved Alice-themed outfits. Personally I'm not ballsy enough to go all out with the apron though (B x W Millefleurs coord is my favourite Alice pic!). There are a lot of elements from these outfits that remind me of "old-school" lolita. I'd love to see an updated version though, like an OTT Alice with the apron and all!

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  3. I have to confess I hated that book... I found Alice terribly annoying and the whole plot disturbing. The clothes are pretty but for loli character I'd stick with Anne Shirley or Sara Crewe. Or Belarus.

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  4. Hello Caro-chan! You like the Tenniel's Illustrations too <3
    I love Alice, I have at least 7 books of different versions! I want to do an Alice Inspirated coordinate, I have few accessories themed, such as Alice riding a cake written "Eat me" :3 [If you want to see, both my blog and my poupée have the images, add me].
    I was taking a look on Hello lace and I found that in Japan there is a subcategory called Alice Lolita!

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  5. I think I have a love/hate relationship with Alice XDD;; I love the idea of the story and I love the original artwork... but I hated reading the actual book. For some reason, I just couldn't get into it, and I think part of the reason is that so much of the humor was rooted in Victorian culture and things that people today just can't really understand without doing lots lof background reading.

    I also agree with Kupo that it's odd how such a drugged-up book has become such a huge influence on lolita fashion XDDD I mean, I get it. Sort of. The bell-shaped skirts and headbows really do scream "Alice," but aside from appearance, what else is there? There are other books out there that seem to click a bit more with lolita fashion-- like Peter Pan, The Secret Garden, and A Little Princess. I'm sure there are others, too, but those are the ones that jump out at me.

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  6. It's a little crazy how special Alice is in the lolita world. I kind of want to know why exactly, since her "story" is really nuts. However, I really like the outfits brands come up with in her image; they always seem to find ways to keep the theme fresh! But this has been on my mind about "Alice lolita", where did the striped socks come in? The original illustration didn't have them and neither did the more famous Disney version.

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  7. Well, Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland was published during the 1860s, and striped stockings were a popular fashion trend among women during the period. I'm not sure if this is the exact reason for the striped socks, but it's the only real connection I see between Alice and stripes (aside from the striped Cheshire Cat).

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  8. I'm so glad you posted this! I came across your blog only yesterday when researching Lolita... I'm fascinated by the fashion and have been since I stumbled across it on the internet only year or two ago. This year I was presented with the opportunity to design and make a Lolita-style dress for my project in Textiles at school and I decided that I will decorate the bottom of the dress with Alice in Wonderland themed images.

    This post will certainly help! Thaaaank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! :)

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  9. Oh my goodness! I'm in year 7 (Yes, i know, I'm young to be a lolita) and I can't wait to wear some Alice lolita to my graduation (In Australia we don't have middle school) and I was hoping I could find something for it! Thankyou!

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