Tea Rose Garden

When and where did Lolita fashion begin? When did Lolita fashion begin to look like Lolita does today?

Lolita fashion originated in the Harajuku district of Tokyo in the 1970s. Magazine scans, timelines, guides, and more can be found in the Lolita History & Old School section of the Tea Rose Garden Library.

What are lolita substyles?

Sweet, classic, and gothic are the three primary lolita substyles. All of these substyles have guidelines to help you achieve the look! Learn more in the Tea Rose Garden substyle guide.

I’m plus size – can I wear lolita fashion?

Yes! Plus-sized lolita options are provided by many brands, including Atelier Pierrot, Metamorphose temps de Fille, and Maxicimam. Learn where to shop, brand pieces with plus friendly sizing, and more ​​in the Plus Size Resources section of the Tea Rose Garden Library.

Help! How does lolita sizing work? What’s my international shoe size? 

Letter sizing is arbitrary- it’s best to know your body measurements for shopping. Learn how to measure yourself for garments, find garment measurements, and determine your Chinese or Japanese shoe size in the Sizing section of the Tea Rose Garden Library.

What is old school Lolita? How do I wear old school?

The old school era of lolita is considered to be 1999-2005. Many people commonly use “old school lolita” to describe sweet lolita from the old school era, although both classic and gothic lolita were popular at this time as well. Learn more about oldschool in the Lolita History & Old School section of the Tea Rose Garden Library.

What is proto Lolita?

“Proto Lolita” is a recent name used to describe the experimental fashion of the 70s-90s that would eventually evolve into lolita. This was a transitional period that was pivotal in separating what would become lolita fashion from other popular Japanese fashion of the time.

What is Ouji?

Ouji is the princely companion style to lolita. You can find beginner tips, sizing, and shopping information in the Ouji section of the Tea Rose Garden Library.

What’s this dress? How do I learn more about it? 

Lolibrary is a volunteer-run archive that documents lolita items and publications. Brand tag guides can also help you identify when an item may have been released. Learn more in the Lolibrary & Item Identification section of the Tea Rose Garden Library.

Where can I buy Lolita fashion?

You can buy lolita new or secondhand from Japan, China, and some western brands and sellers. Learn more in the Shopping section of the Tea Rose Garden Library.

How do I purchase Lolita fashion from Japan?

You can use a Shopping Service to purchase from Japanese shops, both in person and from online shops which don’t ship from Japan to other countries. They will purchase items for you and ship them to your home country. Learn more in the Shopping section of the Tea Rose Garden Library.

How do I purchase Lolita fashion from China?

You can use a Shopping Service to purchase from Taobao and Xianyu. You can also go through a reseller to purchase items from Taobao. Shopping services and resellers will purchase items for you and ship them to your home country. Learn more in the Shopping section of the Tea Rose Garden Library. 

What is Taobao?

Many Chinese lolita brands have shops on TaoBao, a Chinese shopping platform. You can use a TaoBao agent, or Chinese shopping service, to purchase from TaoBao.

What is Xianyu?

Xianyu is a Chinese second-hand shopping platform owned by TaoBao. You can find second hand Chinese releases on Xianyu as well as second-hand Japanese brand.

What Taobao resellers are recommended?

Many resellers of Chinese lolita brands are unreliable, unreasonably priced, and don’t truthfully represent their stock, but there are also resellers who provide consistently good service at fair prices. Learn more about the resellers Tea Rose Garden recommends here.

Help! How do I clean my Lolita garments? Can I wash them?

Lolita garments can and should be washed! Stain removal is an important skill. Learn more about how to care for your lolita garments in the Garment Care section of the Tea Rose Garden Library.

Can I sew lolita fashion?

Yes, you can! However, sewing lolita fashion is often as expensive as buying new garments and is challenging for beginner sewists. Tea Rose Garden recommends waiting until you already own and have worn a few lolita garments before you start sewing. Find patterns and other resources in the Sewing & DIY section of the Tea Rose Garden Library.