Purae Fox
Ahh okay, I understand. And yeah it's not a form of cosplay. However it's kind of ironic how I see a lot of Lolita at Anime Conventions, probably because it does quite frequently appear in anime.
It's good that you like it
smile . I've always admired it, however it is not for me. I love the style but it is rather expensive, and where I live I cannot casually go down the street wearing a gorgeous gown without getting a few raised eye brows. Kid of sucks really...
Lolita's beginnings actually have nothing to do with anime. Lolita came out of the natural-kei trend of the 1980's (think Little House on the Prarie-style pieces), which in turn was a direct response to overly sexualized postwar Japanese fashions ^^ Its current popularity came from the visual-kei bands of the late 90's, whose members often wore gothic lolita pieces. Fans started imitating them, which led to an interest in the fashion overall, which led it to become a major fashion subculture instead of a minor street fashion.
I can't speak for every lolita, but I tend to go to anime/Japanese culture events (including conventions) because they're often the only local outlet for lolita events c: I don't hate anime but I personally don't watch very much of it and I wouldn't consider myself a fan, and I wouldn't go to a con just for the anime. My area doesn't have many lolitas immediately around me, so it's often the only time I get to attend bigger meetups.
As for price, there are a lot of gorgeous (and IMO better than brand) pieces available for well under $100. You can also buy used and get gorgeous pieces for extremely low prices. I generally consider my lolita wardrobe pretty large, and it's mostly composed of brand pieces, but on average I'd say I pay about $150 per dress and $100 per skirt (vs. $400 for a new dress and $200 for a new skirt).
As for wearing lolita on your own... I wear it daily and I can say with certainty I'm the only lolita in my immediate area, and the raised eyebrows really aren't that bad c: Most people are just curious, not hostile, because it just looks like I'm going to a fancy event. Obviously I'm not wearing over-the-top coordinates all the time (for instance, if I wear
this dress out I'll take off the lacy sleeves and wear a nice bolero over it, or if I wear
this one to work I'll add a wrap cardigan and a high-collared blouse with minimal ruffles, and I typically replace head-eating bows with small sidebows and hats, skip colorful wigs, and wear minimal accessories), but my outfits are still very recognizably lolita and stand out. Being in this fashion kind of requires you to have a thick skin, but at the same time it's important to recognize that creepers and jerks are in the extreme minority.
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