Lolita Fashion & sneakers

Long time no see! After almost 5 years without a new entry, I decided to write on this blog again! Not sure I will be very consistent, but I hope there will still be someone out there who'll enjoy reading my entries!

So today, I wanted to write about some "controversial" topic: sneakers in Lolita fashion. Some might think they are a fashion faux-pas or a big no-no, but I personally don't think so. 

You might think that wearing sneakers with Lolita is a recent trend, but I have been in the fashion for 15 years now and even back then they were already around. First, because let's be real: it was not always easy to buy Lolita shoes. It can be because of the small Japanese sizes, of the expensive shipping costs or because some of us have to wear orthopedic shoes.There were plenty of reasons.

Funnily enough, one of my very first Lolita item was a pair of white Secret Shop tea parties. I loved them and wore them A LOT, until they basically fell apart, but honestly they were really painful to wear. I hate flat shoes, they make my lower back hurt, but I also dislike high heels as I have weak ankles. But my 2010 self was less chill than now: I had to wear Lolita shoes. Now that I'm older (my 20s are long gone), I'm all about comfort and being able to walk so I adopted several pairs of cute sneakers to wear with my outfits.

So why are sneakers still looked down upon?
We get that Lolita fashion has rules and has a certain aesthetic than must be achieved. But these are not incompatible with wearing sneakers. Lolita brands such as Alice and the Pirates, Angelic Pretty and Emily Temple Cute have released sneakers designs as early as 2009. If brands themselves release them, it should be OK then, right?

BTSSB Pony in Sweet Dream Sneakers, released in 2009

AatP Emblem Applique Sneakers, released in 2009

Angelic Pretty Double Ribbon Sneakers, relased in 2011

I clearly remembered wearing a coordination with Converse shoes for my birthday in 2010 and dug up some pictures! I had these shoes way before I got into the fashion, I was a student with no income so I was a bit more creative and tried to make things work with my casual everyday wardrobe and my Lolita closet. I was actually super proud of how the pink x black Converse were matching perfectly with my Angelic Pretty Fantasic Dolly JSK! Haha.

You might think I wore sneakers out of necessity, because I couldn't afford anything else back then and that as soon as I was able to buy real actual Lolita shoes I would drop them. But honestly, I liked them so why stop wearing them? 

Fashion is all about experimenting, so of course it will evolve with time. Lolita fashion now is different than it was in 2010 because many people integrated their own style into the fashion, tried new things. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, but this is what keeps the fashion alive.
Am I nostalgic of the good old 2010 era? Yes. But I am also excited to see how the fashion has changed, how some rules have become more of guidelines and the freedom it gives! 

Now, don't get me wrong: I don't think any random sneakers will work with the fashion. The key word here is: aesthetics. If you're following a colour scheme, a theme, if the shoes have some ribbons or lace, it will definitely work! If you plan to wear your random running shoes, well that might not work though.

So now, some concrete examples! The first pair of sneakers that I bought in the intent to wear with Lolita fashion was the Puma Suede Bow shoes. They're basic sneakers, but with a super cute bow at the back which is the key element here. I don't think I would have bought them if not for those bows.
I even wore them for a full day in Harajuku last year and I was so happy I did because I already went for a full day of shopping there with actual Lolita shoes and it was a nightmare for my feet! Haha

Puma Suede Bow shoes in black

Cute black bows at the back!

And here are some example of them worn! I wore the first outfit in 2021 for a day in Bern with a friend. Second outfit is from 2023 during my last trip to Tokyo. 

More recently, I also got a pair of sneakers from Japanese brand Axes Femme and these are probably the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn as they have a padded sole. Axes Femme is known to release clothes and accessories that work well with Lolita, so when I saw those cute shoes with pearls I was sold! I got them in the beige colourway and they work really well with Sweet and Classic outfits! 

Axes Femme sneakers with pearls

Casual summer outfit with Axes Femme sneakers

Axes Femme also very recently released some Converse-like shoes with bear appliques that I could not resist buying (I am obsessed with bears at the moment, but that's another story... haha).
As soon as I received them, I made an outfit with my Angelic Pretty Dreaming Present JSK which also features bears and I think that was a perfect match!

Axes Femme Bear Embroidery Sneakers

Bear themed outfit!

I hope that you are more familiar with sneakers in Lolita fashion with those examples.
To sum it it, if you're considering getting sneakers to wear with the fashion, ask yourself these questions: 

1° What style would they go with? Sweet, Classic, Gothic? If you're going for Sweet, you might want to get sneakers with bows or ribbons while if more on the Classic side, you can choose more elegant ones with pearls or lace adornments for example. 

2° Are they matching in colours? If you're planning a lavender outfit, you might want to buy lavender sneakers ( Buffalo has some really cute ones!). Do not wear random black sneakers if you're wearing a full pink outfit.

3° Do they follow a theme? Like I did with my bear outfit. You can totally buy sneakers with a cherry print or a flower pattern! 

Do you wear sneakers with Lolita fashion?

If not, would you like to try it out? 

Or are they a big no for you? 

What brands or designs do you recommend? 

Let me know in the comments! 

Personally, I bought these sneakers this year to wear everyday, but they actually have a cute beige heart applique so I might want to include them in a coordination:

New shoes to experiment with!

Thank you for reading ♥