Japan: Lolita Fashion
One example - sweet and cute. Note the parasol
Have you ever seen one of those expensive dolls with the long curls and beautiful, intricately designed dresses that your grandmother may have played with? If so, then you already know a lot about Lolita-style. ”Lolita” is a popular sub-culture in Japan loosly based off the Nabokov’s novel of the same name but which is noted as a Japanese adaption of Victorian and Rococo children’s wear.
In some ways, this trend is almost mainstream – the brands associated with Lolita are considered as famous among their followers as Chanel or Louis Vuitton, and can be priced as much as Marc Jacobs or Bergdorf’s Fifth Floor. Many internationally renowned designer including, but not limited to Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Westwood have cited Lolita fashion as inspiration for previous collections. Another sign this trend has ‘arrived’ – many of the best known Lolita fashion designers have English section for their websites and some even offer international shipping.
Originally considered a youth culture, Lolita as a fashion style originated in the late 1980s. Still growing in popularity, its members span ages from teens to forties.
Another version from the streets of Tokyo
There are five very distant types of Lolita sub-styles: Gothic Lolita, Sweet Lolita, Pretty Lolita, Kuro (black) Lolita, and Shiro (white) Lolita. Even these categories have more deviations within them. Each has their own signature brands and identity. All the same, Lolita fashion has a sense of flexibility. Clearly a unique style of its own, it seems to ‘fit’ into the confines of other Japanese sub-cultures like Visual-kei, Cosplay, and Ganguro.
Lolita is not just a fashion style, but a community. With tea parties, shopping trips, and general get-togethers, being a Lolita means having a family wherever you go.With magazine publications such as Gothic and Lolita Bible and Kera displaying Lolita fashion from Japanese designers like BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT, Angelic Pretty, Victorian Maiden, and Moi-même-Moitié, it isn’t surprising the expansive community of Lolita fashion. There is even an English version of Gothic and Lolita Bible distributed through Tokyo Pop in the United States.
If any reader has any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. As a part-time Lolita, I would be more than happy to answer with a follow-up post.
Sarah_Rabinowe
