/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>part of the problem is there's no actual history behind it. what you call 'otome-kei' is what the girls of 80s/90s would call 'lolita'. it's more of a fledgling term than an actual history. Those lolitas of 80s/90s would have grown up by now, so ETC/JM caters to that and developed to a less sweet yet still feminine style. Even now, it's contentiously debated on whether ETC/MILK/JM is considered lolita or not (go check futuba board of 2chan, and look at the JM threads. you'll need a proxy server because only a japanese IP can access it)
(source: https://egl.livejournal.com/12194587.html))

>- lolita style and otome style are frequently interchanged in the West, particularly in egl they don't seem to differentiate at all but are they interchangable? If you consider lolita a mix of Visual-Kei and Natural-kei then lolita and otome are definitely NOT because otome is more influenced by the shibuya-kei than visual-kei. I find it interesting because otome style tends to release "lolita-able" items more than lolita brands releasing "otome-able" items. For instance, I'll be hard-pressed to find a JM style skirt in BTSSB but finding a lolita style skirt in JM is not too difficult.
(source: https://lolita-indies.livejournal.com/3166.html))

>to make an analogy, i think you could compare IW putting out JM-esque prints to AP using more and more decora elements or Btssb drifting towards a hime-gal looking style. all fashion styles constantly evolve & influence each other, and there doesn't have to be one which was there first, or a clear 'genealogy' to them.
(source: https://lolita-indies.livejournal.com/3166.html))