A Stylish Paper Doll July: A Strawberry Lolita Dress

A strawberry themed dress with tights and a purse. A paper doll coloring page.

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So, when I did my strawberry doll I somehow got in my head that I wanted to draw a strawberry coordinate in the Japanese street fashion of Lolita. I really love how detailed these styles can get and it was great practice for working on my linework in Procreate. I got a new tablet recently. It’s bigger (which is amazing), but it is also much more sensitive. I am having to learn how to use the stabilization features a little more.

Anyway, this was a challenge for me, but I am happy with how it came out and, as I always do with Lolita fashion, I had lots of fun coming up with ways to include strawberries. I wish I’d gone a little further with the pattern on the dress, but I am still not very confident with patterns in Procreate.

A Dive into Classic Lolita with Lapis

A classic lolita paper doll printable coloring page with one doll, four dresses and two pairs of shoes.
A classic lolita fashion inspired printable paper doll with four dresses, two shoes and some purses.

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Classic Lolita fashion inspired today’s printable paper doll. As I know I’ve explained before, but in case anyone is new around here or doesn’t remember- Lolita fashion is a Japanese street alternative fashion style. It is based on Victorian children’s clothing taken to the logical extreme of ruffled absurdity. Lolita fashion also has a bunch of sub-genre’s (like anything in the alt-fashion world). There’s sailor Lolita, gothic Lolita, sweet Lolita, and, of course, classic lolita which is what I’m sharing today. I thought this article was a nice quick overview of the major three styles- sweet, classic and gothic.

Classic Lolita is generally thought to be a much more toned down and refined Lolita style. It’s often called a little more mature, but that’s just in comparison to Sweet Lolita, which can be… a lot. I haven’t done a sweet lolita paper doll printable set yet for the Jewels and Gemstones. So, I’ll link this Sweet Lolita paper doll from my Dames and Dandies collection. You can see the contrast between that illustration and these without much trouble, I think (well, I hope anyway.)

There’s certainly some cottage-core trend filtering into here too. There’s a lot of scholarship about how times of social unrest also tend to be times of feminine dress. The Great Depression, for example, heralded a return to lady-like. There’s really no proof for the so-called Hemline Theory– where skirt length can be tied to economic highs and lows. Personally, I think it’s more likely that people just want a return to what they see as “safe” and “normal”. In times of social upheaval, that’s a return to a pervious time that’s perceived as being idyllic, even if such a time never actually existed. Anyway, I digress…

I keep a Lolita fashion Pinterest board for all my gathering up documentation on this fashion style. This dress and this dress inspired today’s dresses, though I think one is more gothic than classic. This paper doll was one of the few times when I’ve really dived into a color scheme. I don’t tend to use these sorts of muted soft colors that often, which is a pity, because I really love how it looks. Makes me want to use these sorts of colors on more printable paper doll creations.

Diamond Exploring the Nautical Cuteness of Sailor Lolita Fashions

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Lolita fashion is a Japanese alternative fashion style that is based on Victorian children’s clothing and all things cute. Let me be clear- if you know anything about actual Victorian clothing, this is not Victorian clothing. It’s Victorian clothing taken to the absolute extreme of ruffles and matching and theme. Like anything in this world, there’s a lot of sub-genre’s of Lolita fashion.

Sailor Lolita, one of the many genres of this style, emphasizes pleats, sailor collars, and all things nautical. If you want to see more of this style, I have a Pinterest section for Military and Sailor Lolita Fashion. While I love a lot of different Lolita styles, the thing them I find most interesting is that (despite the name) it is a hyper-feminine style without being sexualized- necklines tend to be high, skirts are at least knee length, shoes are often without heels.

One thing I find interesting is that elements of Lolita fashion has become more mainstream as the cottagecore trend seems to be flourishing at the moment. I’ll be curious to see how these hyper-feminine styles evolve over time and if they stick around after the trauma of the pandemic. Cultural upheaval often seems to bring about a flourishing of feminine clothing styles- the Great Depression, the Aftermath of World War 2… etc.

Anyhow, this isn’t the first time I’ve done Lolita fashion for Jewels and Gemstones 2.0 paper dolls, I did a Gothic Lolita foray back in 2020. To fill out my themes, there are several other Lolita sub-genres I should explore like sweet, wa, qi, and classic. However, for the moment, here’s nautical. (And yes, some of these pieces came from a Jewels and Gemstones 1.0 set.)

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A Gothic Lolita Paper Doll

Every year I ask my patrons for ideas. I don’t promise to draw those ideas, but I always like to know what my patrons are interested in seeing. Plus, I run out of ideas sometimes.

One of my long time patrons, Denise, asked for some Gothic fashions and let me decide what genre to explore in that larger subgenre. I have been wanting to draw some Gothic Lolita clothing for a long time, partly because I really wanted to draw a bonnet.

So, Denise, here is a gothic Lolita paper doll for you.

A gothic lolita paper doll with curled hair, 3 dresses, tights,  shoes and accessories.

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Gothic Lolita clothing is often called “Victorian Children’s Clothing Inspired”, but it is not really Victorian clothing. It is a ruffle and lace obsessed fever dream of Victorian clothing. And that’s part of the fun!

Historical accuracy has no place here.

If you hop over to my Lolita Fashion Pinterest Board, you will see a lot more of this style. A few specific sources for these dresses include this gothic look and this purse and this dress and this dress. I actually drew a few more dresses that didn’t fit on this page, so they’ll be going up for my Patrons in the next few weeks.

A gothic lolita paper doll with lavender hair, 3 dresses, tights,  shoes and accessories.

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A few things I love about Lolita fashion, in no real order-

  • I like drawing ruffles
  • There’s a super high level of coordination, so I tied everything together with ruffles and roses.
  • There’s something really refreshing about a fashion style that is both super modest and super feminine. It’s not something you see a lot in fashion, I feel like.

The color scheme here is black, red and lavender. I feel like if there’s one downside of doing gothic fashion it is that it is… well, it’s black. Don’t get me wrong- black is a perfectly nice color- but it is all black. I try not to make my paper doll clothing all black, because I feel like it obscures the line-work a lot. However, since you have a black and white version of this gothic Lolita paper doll, you can make this one all black (or all purple, or all green) if you wish.

In fact, with a different color scheme, this set could totally be sweet Lolita or classic Lolita.

In the words of the college students I work with- You do you.

And on that note, I wanted to pause here to thank my Patrons who have supported me. Consider joining us if you want! You could get your idea drawn.

Qi Lolita: A 2019 Patreon Friday Paper Doll

A qi lolita fashion paper doll dress coloring page with accessories inspired by Japanese street fashion. for the curvy Jewels and Gemstones paper doll series. A qi lolita fashion printable paper doll dress with accessories inspired by Japanese street fashion. for the curvy Jewels and Gemstones paper doll series.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

One thing I am super excited to do in 2020 is get to share some of the Patreon Friday paper dolls I created in 2019. Not all of them, of course, but a few. My 2 dollar Friday Paper Doll Club folks got pretty close to 52 extra paper dolls (I did miss a week here or there with travel/moving/job interviews).

If you’d like to join the 2 dollar a month Friday Paper Doll Club it’s super easy. Just hop over to Patreon and sign up. The best part of signing up now is that you get access to all the paper doll outfits and dolls I created for 2019, which makes this an even better deal.

Inspiration for Today’s Printable Paper Doll

There’s a Japanese street fashion style called Qi Lolita. Lolita is a fantasy version of Victorian clothing. Qi Lolita is that same style crossed with traditional Chinese clothing. This dress provided both my source image and my color scheme, which is part of why I like it so much. It’s a very unusual color scheme for Lolita clothing and I really loved that about it. At least, I haven’t seen a lot in these colors, I might just not know the right brands to be looking at.

Sources: This dress was some of my inspiration. Also, these shoes and this purse.

Learn & See More

On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & my other Lolita fashion paper dolls
Around the Internet: My Lolita Fashion Pinterest Board and a Qi Lolita Overview

Last Thoughts on today’s Qi Lolita Paper Doll Dress

When I look back at a year of paper doll creations, there’s always one or two that I’m still pretty happy with. There’s also always one or two I’m sort of not sure about.

In deciding to offer a 2 dollar Friday Paper Doll Club to my patrons, I knew one perk would be that I would then recycle some of the content over the next year, allowing me to double the lifespan of some of my paper doll creations. So, I’m pretty happy to share today’s Qi Lolita paper doll dress and maybe entice a few of you to consider joining us over on Patreon.

Classic Lolita Dress With Hat and Boots

A Classic Lolita inspired coordinate for my printable paper dolls with a purse, hat and shoes.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
Of all the Lolita styles, I like Classic Lolita the best. It’s by far my favorite style.

Classic Lolita is the most mature and subtle of the Lolita styles. This is an example of the style and so is this and this dress too. I love it.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
This is a case where there were super specific source images. Classic Lolita is very much Victorian influenced (yay!) and sometimes a bit less matchy-matchy than the other Lolita styles. I had a lot of fun creating this Lolita coordinate.

Specific Source Images: This Lolita dress, this purse, and these boots.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Lolita Fashion Paper Dolls & More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Lolita brands like Innocent World, Mary Magdalene, and Victorian Maiden

Last Thoughts
The Jewels & Gemstones have a few different Lolita sets. One in Sailor style, one in Qi Lolita for my Patrons and yesterday’s Valentine’s Day outfit.

Over on Patreon there’s a circus set today.

Well? What do you think of my foray into Classic Lolita. As always, I love to hear what you all think. So, leave me a comment.

Sweet Lolita Valentine’s Day

A Valentine's Day inspired Lolita paper doll outfit.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
In the world of Lolita fashion (which is a street fashion from Japan), the outfits are called coordinates. This references the extreme level of coordination each outfit entails. Unlike in contemporary US fashion where “matchy-matchy” isn’t a good thing, Lolita fashion encourages thematic dresses.

A strawberry coordinate, therefore, might not just have a dress with strawberries on it, but strawberry purse, cardigan, shoes, tights and a color matched wig.

This is, in fact, part of what I find so charming about Lolita fashion.

So, today’s Valentine’s Day paper doll outfit is a heart based coordinate. I could have also done a card, letter based coordinate, but I wasn’t that creative.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
Sweet Lolita is today’s theme which is a Lolita style that most folks are most familiar with. Lots of pastel and things. I chose to draw a JSK (jumper-skirt) over a white blouse. Initially, I thought about making these pieces separate, but as it turned out that didn’t work very well from a paper doll engineering standpoint.

Specific Source Images: This JSK (jumper-skirt) from Angelic Pretty. This purse from MILK.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Lolita Fashion Paper Dolls & More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Lolita brands like Angelic Pretty, millefleurs, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, and metamorphose temps de fille

Last Thoughts

If you really like all things Lolita, I’ve done two other sets for the Jewels and Gemstones. One in Sailor style and one in Qi Lolita for my Patrons.

Tomorrow there will be a classic Lolita set (another genre in the Lolita world) and that’ll wrap up this week.

Opal In Sailor Lolita Fashion

Today's paper doll is a foray into sailor Lolita fashion which is a Japanese street style based on Victorian children's clothing.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
Caveat: I am not Japanese. I have never been to Japan. I don’t really know what I am doing here.

I am fascinated by Japanese street fashion, specifically Lolita. Lolita is a Japanese street style heavily influenced by Victorian children’s clothing. It relies on outfits, known as coordinates, usually around a specific theme. Part of why I find Lolita interesting is that I am very familiar with how Europe reinterprets Asian styles. However, Lolita is how Japan reinterprets Western styles.

From a paper doll perspective, the heavy coordination that underlies the aesthetic is super fun. It’s not a strawberry covered dress, for example, but a strawberry dress with matching bag, tights, shoes and headpiece. Who doesn’t want to draw that?

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
There are dozens of sub-genres in Lolita fashion. I chose sailor Lolita for today’s paper doll. It’s a nautical inspired style, not to be confused with pirate Lolita or actual Japanese school uniforms which often are also sailor influenced.

Specific Source Images: Sailor Lolita Dress by Dear Margaret, Sailor Hat from Alice & the Pirates, & Shoes by CodeNoir (technically for a BJD, but I can live with that)

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Lolita Paper Dolls & More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Wikipedia’s Lolita Article, My Pinterest Board of Lolita Fashion, Magical Girl Me (Fashion Blog), F Yeah Lolita (Fashion blog), & Lolilibrary (An Archive of Lolita clothing, very much work in progress)

Last Thoughts
You can see exclusive content & help support Paper Thin Peronas on Patreon.

Be sure to let me know what you think of the new paper doll series in the comments.

And this is certainly not my last foray into Lolita fashion. I love this style.

Happy March! Here’s Akiko in her Sweet Lolita JSK

A Sweet Lolita paper doll with a ruffled dress, purse and two pairs of shoes in color or black and white for coloring. Free from paperthinpersonas.com.

Printable Black & White PDF Printable Color PDF More Paper Dolls & Clothes
Today, I am pleased to share version 2 of Akiko whose rocking a Sweet Lolita dress and ringlet curls. For those of you not aware of the Japanese alternative street style known as Lolita, here’s a brief run down- It’s a alternative fashion style from Japan- think Gothic fashion or Punk fashion in the United States and the UK. According to Lolita the influences are Victorian children’s clothing. As someone whose seen a lot of Victorian children’s clothing, I don’t quite agree, but you can decide for yourself if you want by looking through my Lolita Fashion pinterest board.

One thing I adore about Lolita is that it is not just about the dresses. Rather, the idea is to put together a “coordinate” which is a perfectly coordinating outfit from the tights to the dress to the bonnet. This is not surprising given that this style came from the country that developed a system of colors and motifs for kimonos based on the seasons when they were to be worn. Talk about matchy-matchy.

Anyway, within Lolita, as within almost every alternative fashion scene on the planet, there’s an endless collection of sub-genres and variants. The three major genres are Sweet Lolita, Gothic Lolita and Classic Lolita. I love this post from F Yeah Lolita with example wardrobes in each genre.

For my first Dames and Dandies foray into Lolita (and not my last, never fear) I went with Sweet Lolita, though there is a Gothic Lolita variant on my Patreon page that I hope you will download and play with as well. I tried to capture the bell shaped skirt and I designed what is known as a JSK (Jumperskirt) which is a sleeveless dress designed to go over a blouse. I made 2 matching pairs of shoes and one purse.

So, I did my usually research hunt for reference photos when I started my latest Lolita fashion paper doll. My previous favorite fashion blog devoted to Lolita, F Yeah Lolita has not updated in a long time. So, I dusted off my librarian searching skills and found a few new ones that I really liked. Magical Girl Me, Lolita Fashion on Tumblr and Miss Carol Belle’s Lolita Fashion Sewing and Pattern Advice all appear to be currently active, if you’re looking for more information on Lolita styles. I also had fun reading through Lolita Tips. Reading through that led me to the amazing Loli Library where I think I could easily get lost for hours staring at pretty dresses.

So, let me know if you like this Sweet version or the Gothic version better in a comment. I’d love to know! And if there’s a great Lolita fashion blog I don’t know about, I’d like to know that too!

Need a Doll to wear today’s outfit? All the A Pose Dolls & Clothing

A Princess or Hime Lolita Dress for the B&B Printable Paper Dolls


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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Princess Lolita Or Hime Lolita Dresses

A printable paper doll Princess Lolita or Hime Lolita dress with thigh high socks from paperthinpersonas.com. Available in color or black and white for coloring.

A paper doll Princess Lolita outfit with thigh high socks from paperthinpersonas.com. Available in color or black and white for coloring.

Today’s paper doll dress is my first attempt at Hime Lolita or Princess Lolita, because a Patron asked for it and I believe in doing what my Patrons ask for. Princess or Hime Lolita dress is even more over the top than regular Lolita and is often accessorized with crowns, gloves, and that sort of thing.

I decided for my foray into Hime Lolita to keep it a bit sedate. A lot of the dresses designed for this style feel a bit 18th century to me, so I designed this dress to have the look with flounced sleeves and a false stomacher. I chose yellow for the roses, because I liked how it looked with the teal dress. I’ve always had an affection for yellow roses. I based today’s dress on this dress and this dress.

Like most street styles, Lolita is rife with nuance and narrow variation.

Nearly everything in the world is more complex than it seems on the surface. Years ago, I was good friends with a guy who worked in a record store, back when such things still existed.

He was a huge fan of metal music, so one day I confess that I knew very little about metal music and asked him to explain the genre to me. I discovered, to my surprise, dozens of sub-genres that I had never known existed. It was actually totally fascinating.

I feel the same way about Lolita fashion. I’ll probably never “get it” as much as an insider would, but I’m always up to the challenge of learning something new.

My question for all of you is, what do you love that has nuances in it that might surprise people?

For me, I can wax for hours about historical books. I love the tiny details. I realize most people don’t get super excited by goffered edges or booksellers stamps, but it makes me happy.

Need to get a Bodacious & Buxom paper doll to wear these fabulous clothes? Pick one out here.