Tea Rose Garden

Owning and wearing a petticoat or pannier (パニエ) is essential for lolita silhouettes (exceptional, more challenging substyles aside). Here is a summary of the need-to-knows that will be helpful for beginners or more experienced lolitas looking to buy a new petti.

Things to consider when selecting a petti:

• Shape
• Volume
• Length
• Budget

Shape: Cupcake, A-Line (or both?)

Cupcake and A-line are the two main shapes for pettis. Cupcake pettis are full from waist to the hem, whereas A-line pettis have little volume at the waist and are fullest at the hem. Photo examples from Melikestea.

Cupcake

Cupcake pettis tend to be more suitable for sweet pieces, while gothic and classical pieces tend to need an A-line petti. Like with all things, there are exceptions but take this as a broad rule of thumb.

For more detail, see: The Lolita Guide Book

Volume: Minimal Dailywear to Poof Monster

Aside from the shape of the petti, there is also the volume to consider. If your skirt/JSK/OP has a very voluminous skirt (large hem circumference) then you will likely need a more voluminous petti to really showcase that.

The weight of your main piece also is a factor in how petti support you’d need. Heavier fabrics like velvets, velveteens, and jacquards will weigh down the poof and so need poofier pettis to achieve the same shape as lighter weight fabrics.

If your petti is not poofy enough, it changes the silhouette and vibe of the coord quite drastically. Whether this is good or bad, depends mainly on what your styling goal is.

However, having a petti that is too poofy for a narrow hem circumference will lead to it looking sadly overstuffed. Most will agree this is undesirable. An example from Baby:

Here’s a visual comparison of pettis of different volumes from Aurora & Ariel 

Things to Consider when Buying a Petticoat

• Length: Pettis should be 5cm shorter than the skirt hem. This is a good benchmark to avoid lampshading (too short) or peeking pettis (too long). If it’s your first petti, choose one that’ll work for most of your pieces to begin with. A shorter one can be worn a little lower if the difference isn’t too much or you can hike up a slightly longer one for short main pieces.
• Skirt Shape: Consider the shape of your main pieces to determine if you need an A-line or cupcake petti. Some pieces can work with both so think about your preferred silhouette.
• Budget and frequency of usage
• Colour: Consider white/lighter colours for your petti if your pieces tend to be light coloured/translucent as darker ones might show through.

Popular Brands

Most people find that brand pettis are often not worth the money because they deflate quickly and are quite expensive. Here are some preferred brands in the community:

Brand	Price (based on a 40/45cm petti)	Pros	Cons	Where to Buy
Aurora & Ariel	From USD20.99	Affordable place to start Offers many lengths and volumes of poof Offers customs	Lining is very basic cotton that shows wears quickly Deflates quickly (only organza, reports vary from 1-3 years)	Taobao Store (need SS) – CN Webstore – EN
Kuroobi	13,200 JPY Approx. USD88.46	Heat-shielding and quick-drying lining fabric stays comfortable and dry even in sweaty situations UV protection (UPF50+)	Straight edge instead of bubble edge like Aurora & Ariel (depends on personal taste) No customization Limited sizing for waist	Kuroobi Webstore – JP (need SS) Brands with collab pettis – JP Atelier Pierrot Physical Drop Hoshibako Works
Melikestea	From USD97	Specializes in voile pettis which tend to be more longer lasting than organza (happy customers report years of poof) Comes with drawstring and camisole add-ons for those who prefer less pressure on the waist Offers many colours and customization options Particularly recommend for very long, strong poof (60cm and longer dresses, heavy materials like velveteen) Offers combi pettis for cupcake and A line (Rose petticoat)	Pricier than other options Longer waiting times as most are Made to Order Longer lengths can be heavy	Webstore – EN Open to marking down if you email them.

Washing and Care

• Use cold wash, delicate cycle, and hang to air dry or lay flat in a circle on a towel or drying rack.
• Stuffing the petti into a laundry bag (or pillowcase) is recommended but not essential.

Storage

• Try not to hang pettis in a place that’ll flatten them (speeds up deflation).
• Pettis can take quite a lot of compressing, so storage bags/boxes, drawstring bags, packing cubes are also good options, especially if you have space constraints.

Tips for Reviving Pettis

• Steaming or ironing (very gently, low heat for synthetics) can help revive the poof.
• Deflated pettis can still be used stacked with others or for different styling (low poof pettis might still be suitable for casual coords or non-lolita outfits).

Additional Petti FAQ

How do I pack pettis for travel or extended storage?
A good petti is hardy and can be put in a compression bag to pack down smaller.