Posts Tagged ‘lolita’

July 20th, 2008 what is lolita?

lolita seems to be one of those things which are difficult to define. you could set up vague boundaries, but do you punish those who transgress by saying, “you are definitely not lolita, now gtfo“?

it is a little like that, reproducing ingroup and outgroup behaviour in various guises, be it social outings or people you converse with online. if lolita is a form of aestheticism, then i don’t want the ugly examples anywhere near my eyes, right?

examples of lolita style outfits that are visually pleasing, to me at least…

lolita has quiet crept into the lives of some western girls. egl (elegant gothic lolita) on livejournal is the biggest english lolita community on the net. its bible, written by members, is the lolita handbook. if you’re a newbie, and messing up badly in your daily lolita pictures, or posting incomprehensible questions, then that’s where you’ll be pointed to. however, the creator does say it is only intended as a guide:

Also, I know I’m generally very supportive of pushing the limits of lolita, but this is really meant to give people a very clear idea of what lolita fashion is and I didn’t want to encourage a lot of weird stuff that could easily go wrong. Because I’m currently the only one writing this, there’s bound to be a pretty hefty bias so think of this more as an editorial than an encyclopedia.

the number of times i’ve heard “a cupcake shaped skirt” quoted by others as the foundation of lolita alone… and when i hear people say that there are defined rules, i think they must have been reading this. because there is no equivalent in japanese…

baby the stars… + angelic pretty

sweet lolitas in pink and blue outfits from baby the stars shine bright or red and yellow jumperskirts from angelic pretty seem to rule the lolita magazine spreads at the moment. but they’re not the only kinda of lolita! this blurb, written on behalf of the japan fashion association, gives a clue to its origins and looks:

Then, the later half of 80’s, an independent designer from a major apparel company’s brand “MILK” has established some new brands named “Jane Marple” or “Emily Temple Cute“. These brands have created an initial image of Lolita Fashion.

jane marple and emily temple cute are not considered lolita brands in themselves today, but are often worn by lolitas. jm is characterised by british taste and quirky prints, while etc is soft and girly.

And then, other new brands; “Baby, the Stars Shine Bright” or “Heart E” born in 1988, was said to have establish the current Lolita Fashion Style.

baby the stars shine bright, heart e, and other brands during the late 90s and early 00s were considerably less ‘cute’ but darker in their designs. see these before and after shots:

the line between gothic and gothic lolita is quite blurred at times. if lolita leans towards cute, but gothic lolita leans towards maidenly, then what about clothing which is black, yet still has cute elements of ribbons and lace and maybe fairy tale motifs?

for another look at the boundaries of lolita, this is marui defines it in its editorials in kera magazine:

what they have called “lovely lolita” fits squarely in the current popular definition of lolita, but what about the “romantic” counterpart? looks more like casual clothing with ruffles. ruffles may be the important part about this look, as it’s used similarly in the vogue china editorial:

so merely romantic looking casual ruffled wear definitely isn’t lolita. but then again, what about the person who wants to dress lolita everyday, but can’t wear a frilly jumperskirt with blouse and headress to work?

By the way, my friend who’s a salesclerk in a sweet shop wears an Emily Temple Cute skirt, blouse, cardigan, knee socks, and boots when she commutes to work. She also has a really cute outfit of tartan skirt, hoodie, and knee socks. I’m sure people are going to say “That’s not loli!” but I think it’s loli enough. (source)

and if lolita is defined in its broadest terms, then kera in 2001 had it laid out in this way:

divided into two subsets, gothic lolita (featuring former moi-meme moitie designer kobayashi alice) and lolita, gothic lolita prefers a darker palette with accents of white. whereas lolita is interpreted as sweet, childlike, with red and pink. but is casual lolita still lolita? in this case even her non-petticoated skirt is given the tick.

and even if you are a bad lolita (italoli - ‘painful‘ lolita; or otaloli - otaku lolita) it’s still lolita, just a little tempered with bad taste.

i still find myself going back to kuroloki’s post, which really sums it up for me:

In my world, if you say you’re a Lolita, then you’re a Lolita. Unless you are just saying it to get attention, in which case nobody likes you, Lolita or otherwise.

May 24th, 2008 jane marple and the otome vision

i am terribly overinterested in clothes right now, moreso than ever in my life.

maybe i need the distraction.

maybe i’m making up for being a plain child.

whatever the reason, i am totally beset by jane marple (jm) clothing. named after the lady detective of course, and prim like her namesake, but uncharacteristically designed for fun too.

i also like the lolita style very much, the concept which now generally includes knee length skirts and dresses over a petticoat with most regular flesh covered up, like a demure young maiden (no, i am not here to shoo away nabokov’s novel). otome-kei (or, maiden-style) is a label i’m not sure exists outside of western lolitas who like to have guidelines for defining styles, but if the definition of otome-kei (in moe, of all things) is accurate, it would involve dressing up without regarding the male gaze, going about daily life in beauty and innocence. i think that is the otome vision i get from jane marple.

the basic history part: lolita has its roots in the early incarnations of country-ish looks, spawning brands such as pinkhouse and wonderful world. milk also originated in the 1970s, and designers from that brand branched off into their own labels, including shirley temple, and emily temple cute. jm was another offshoot of milk, and the company was founded in 1985. while i don’t have any pictures dating back that far, past designs are just as wonderful as the present:

besides the occasional lolita-ish elements that appear from time to time in jm, there is a big british feel to it as well, perhaps a nod to the influence vivienne westwood had on japanese fashion in the 80s?