Lolita Fashion Trends Translated Between the East and West
Alison Rushing
University of Memphis
“Lolita fashion is “fusion of Victorian era dress, Rococo costume, and various Japanese street fashions.” (Gatlin, 2014) Lolita fashion started in Japan, but is popular and even produced in other countries. The fashion has its origins in Tokyo, as illustrated in Perry Hinton’s journal on Lolita fashion. Hinton says, “Unconstructed by the traditional fashion industry, Japanese high school girls had generated their own “runway” on the bridge of Harajuku Station, between Shibuya and Shinjuku, that led from the Meiji shrine down to the fashion boutiques of Takeshita Dori.” (Hinton, 2013) With a lot of description to where Lolita fashion happened, Hinton explains that where teens hang out in their stylish clothes creates a local home for the look itself. Lolita is worn by women across the world, including the United States with popular brands sold in San Francisco (Bennett, 2011).
Even though Lolita fashion is considered Japanese, the Japanese designers took their inspiration from French and English styles of the past, specifically Rococo and Victorian, so there is a communication from the West to the East, happening in the very beginning the fashion’s inception. Monden explains that even though the Japanese Lolita designers took their look from the West, it is still uniquely Japanese because it is “kawaii” (cute.) Kawaii is a distinct part of Japanese culture. Bernal also cites Holly Hobby dolls, Wednesday Addams and Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland as other influences on Lolita fashion.
Kawaii is a large part of Japanese culture. Other kawaii street fashions exist outside of Lolita fashion, such as “fairy kei” (fairy style) and “Decora kei” (decorated style.) Fairy and decora take a very child-like look (similar to Lolita considering they are kawaii and cuteness is depicted as child-like.), although in very different ways. Both styles use a lot of accessories, although decora goes overboard on accessories such as hair clips. Fairy kei uses pastel colors while decora is usually bright, rainbow-like colors. Fairy and decora have drastically different silhouettes from Lolita fashion, using clothing items such as shorts. Lolita fashion only uses knee length shorts when dressing Ouji, or “boy style.”
Monden talks about Lolita fashion by its term also commonly used, Gothic and Lolita fashion, although gothic is only one substyle within Lolita. Monden looks at the difference between western “goths” and says “There is a sense that Western Gothic often symbolises rejection of and rebellion against mainstream culture” (Monden, 2008.) Westerners have been influenced by Japan’s cute culture in and other fashion styles came from it. Monden says that “Kinsella claims that the Japanese cute style has directly and indirectly influenced Western youth culture since the 1990s, most notably in the ‘Riot Grrl’ style, where ‘[r]adical, assertive young women began to wear baby-doll dresses or old-fashioned frilly frocks, with Dr Martin [sic] boots and other macho accessories’.” (Monden, 2008.) Western youth, according to Monden, have been dressing cute outside of Lolita.
Lolita fashion is also popular in Western countries. Along with women wearing Lolita, Western countries have their own independent Lolita designers, like Lady Sloth in Poland (Sloth, 2019). Korea has independent designers as well, such as Haenuli. Independent designers exist in the East outside of Japan. Every design someone creates brings something new to the fashion, with both Japanese and independent designers. Lady Sloth makes “classic Lolita” styles as well as a focus on a “creepy cute” designs with prints of macabre and supernatural motifs like bats and Ouija boards. Lady Sloth also designs a “casual Sloth” line of clothes that don’t quite fit into the formality of Lolita fashion, knit sweaters and shirts.
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Interestingly, some members of the Lolita community, or more so leaders of the Lolita community who run forums and sites online; consider authentic clothes and accessories from Japan to be more authentic than outside of Japan. GothLoli, a Lolita website, stated in their rules that the community should only use their site to buy and sell authentic Lolita items (Monden, 2008.) This approach protects the status of “brand” clothes. “Brand” refers to Lolita brands in Japan who are the most popular. They also happen to be the most expensive of Lolita clothes. It is possible that less expensive, independent Lolita designers are a result of “brand” popularity. A lot of Western Lolita community member place “brand” in very high regard and favor their coordinates (outfits.) Brand clothes are generally treated as more authentic (Monden, 2008.)
Lolita fashion is a subculture. The clothes become part of a lifestyle and ideology for the people who wear it. ‘Lolitas’ spend time shopping for clothes, arranging outfits (known as coords), and critiquing each other’s coords, and socializing at meetups and conventions. Japanese Lolitas meet in Tokyo and American Lolitas meet through meetups and fandom conventions. “Subcultures are defined by where they congregate, the music they listen to, the celebrities they worship and idolize, the magazines they read, and, most importantly, the way they dress.” (Kawamura, 2012, p. 4)
Lolita subculture is defined by geography (Kawamura, 2012.) Lolitas are known to hang out in Harajuku and Gyaru-o girls likewise hang out in Shibuya (Kawamura, 2012.). Subculture deviate from norms. Although a subculture exists within a society, like punk in Great Britain, punks stand out and try to not really fit in with other British. Lolitas considered rather eccentric looking, stopped for pictures or curious looks. While in their styled outfits, they stand out. Gatlin says in her anthropological thesis on Lolita subculture that Lolitas are primarily women ages eighteen to twenty-five, middle class students and workers (Gatlin, 2014.)
Western indie brands make larger sizes and their own prints at more affordable costs. Lady Sloth makes plus sizes and offers a custom sizing option. Elegy, an indie brand based in Ohio, takes commissions for design and special sizing. Brenan looks at localization in her analysis of Monden’s paper, The Transcultural Flow of Demure Aesthetics: Examining Cultural Globalisation through Gothic & Lolita Fashion. Brenan says, “In some instances, Western Lolitas are actually influencing and changing the face of Lolita fashion. For example, the use of long petticoats or long skirts has only become popular in Lolita since the fashion gained popularity outside of Japan. This is perhaps simply because Western Lolitas tend to be taller and must “localize” the fashion to fit their needs.” (Brenan, 2015.) Monden, according to Brenan, compares punk and Lolita trends in an example, like a metaphor, of a Finnish punk and a Japanese Lolita and what they share. Both women challenge our perceptions of femininity, either by being unfeminine in the punk fashion or hyper feminine in the Lolita fashion. Brenan says, “female Punks and Lolitas both seek to express themselves in a way that is separate from dressing for the sake of sexual attraction or approval.” (Brenan, 2015.).
Lolitas do most of their shopping online if they live away from the brick and mortar Lolita shops, as most of them do. The different kinds of shops include Brand shops (shops run by the most popular brands), indie brands, Taobao shops, Etsy shops, and Storenvy shops. Taobao, Etsy, and Storenvy are solely online retailers. Indie brands look to Brand to make decisions about their designs and what is in fashion. (Gatlin, 2014.) “The most popular Japanese brands among American Lolitas are Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Alice and the Pirates, Moi Meme Moitie, Metamorphose Temps de Fille, Mary Magdalene, Innocent World, Juliette et Justine, h. NAOTO, and Emily Temple Cute.” (Gatlin, 2014.) Brand clothes are expensive and only made for Japanese sizes, which makes them less accessible to foreigners.
Even though Western Lolitas are very focused on the rules of Lolita fashion to look “Lolita” like the Japanese, they certainly make their own rules. For instance, etiquette rules which lend to freedom to tweak and inspire more design to their Lolita coords.
Lolita started as a fashion, being worn, in the 1970s, when it was mostly kurololi (all black fabric) and shirololi (all white fabric). (Gatlin, 2014.)
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In the 1990s, Lolitas wore more styles of dress and developed substyles. (Gatlin, 2014.) Substyles are defined by cut and print of the dress. For example, Sailor Lolita uses a sailor collar like Japanese girls’ school uniforms, and rich colors like navy blue, but still conform to the silhouette of Lolita with a full, knee length skirt.
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Another example is, sweet Lolita, a popular substyle characterized by pastels and prints of idyllic images of childhood such as candy and small animals.
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The primary styles of Lolita are “classic lolita”, “elegant gothic lolita”, “sweet lolita” and “Kodona” (a masculine adaptation of Lolita) (Gatlin, 2014.) “Other sub-styles of Lolita include bittersweet Lolita (a combination of elegant gothic Lolita and sweet Lolita), sailor style, hime Lolita (princess style), country Lolita, aristocrat (a more mature version of classic Lolita style), Guro Lolita (gore), punk style, wa Lolita (traditional Japanese look), OTT Lolita (over-the-top Lolita), shirololi (all white), and kurololi (all black).” (Gatlin, 2014.)
Lolita fashion can be put in many small boxes by style. Some of these boxes are classic Lolita, sweet Lolita, punk Lolita, gothic Lolita, sailor Lolita, hime Lolita, stream punk Lolita, country Lolita, pirate Lolita, and Wa Lolita. (Lolita Substyles) Each sub-style of Lolita fashion can be attributed to an approach to kawaii, although by different standards. (Nguyen, 2016.)
Lolita is a fashion trend developed in Japan. Lolita fashion is worn primarily by women, although “aristocratic” style men’s fashion exists within the subculture. and is characterized by knee length bell shaped and A-line skirts. The Victorian and Rococo periods are Lolita designers’ primary sources of inspiration (Bennett, 2011). However, Lolita aesthetic leans more toward Victorian fashion considering Lolita is, by rule, modest and Rococo was low-cut and mature (Younker, 2011). The association with Rococo can be seen in sweet and OTT (over the top) sweet lolita looks, with its attention to detail and “frivolity” (Younker, 2011.) Prints on Lolita skirts, especially in the sub-style sweet Lolita, often depict scenes one would associate with childhood.
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Figure 6 Rococo Inspired Fashion
“Lolita style taps into the Japanese shoujo fantasy of an idyllic childhood, a girl’s world of frilly dresses and dolls. Eighteenth-century France and the Victorian England of Alice in Wonderland connate magical worlds for the shoujo in a culture where adult duty and responsibility remain less desirable than worlds of the imagination.” (Hinton, 2013) Lolita fashion, although a subculture, is a part of a larger culture of cuteness in Japan. From the moment one steps into an airport in Japan, their world is filled with cute things from “no smoking” signs to slot machines. (Younker, 2011.) The word cute is translated to the Japanese word “kawaii” which directly translates to ‘loveable.’ (Younker, 2011.)
Terasa Younker, in her thesis, attributes Japan’s obsession with cute things to a way to relieve themselves from the psychological stress and dreariness of adulthood. In Japan, adulthood is viewed as dreary and burdensome. (Younker, 2011.) Kawaii is a way to revisit the joy of childhood. The stress of adulthood begins for Japanese youth after elementary school when the pre-college academic rigors begin, with cram school ending at 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. (Younker, 2011.) Cram school is an extra school Japanese high school students attend to study more and increase their test scores. Furthermore, adulthood has a special kind of stress on women who make a lower wage than men, are expected to marry and raise children and not have a social life after marriage (Younker, 2011.) Lolita fashion is however, does not depict any childhood that a Japanese woman had, but a Victorian child from Europe (Younker, 2011.)
Younker explains Japanese women’s passion for Lolita and the dark side of their future as adult women:
“However, behind the lace trims and glitter is a very nihilistic element of Lolita, revealed by the dark, sardonic side of this fashion. Although the Lolita may find temporary relief in her attempt to create an eternal childhood, try as she may she cannot completely isolate herself from society’s pressures. She knows, at least subconsciously, that someday her imaginary world will come crashing down. Although most Lolitas will insist that their lifestyle will not change as they age, it is rare to see a Lolita older than forty, though they do occasionally exist. This struggle against inevitable capitulation may help to explain the militancy of many Lolitas, who wear their clothes proudly and vow fervently that they will “follow their own path”, as well as some of the disturbing, cynical aspects which seep into their culture.” (Younker, 2011.)
Cuteness in Japan predates Lolita as a response to post-war culture in a form of “rebellion” in the late 1960s (Younker, 2011.). Terasa Younker illustrates that “Rather than challenging “the Man” through angry and sexually charged forms such as Punk and Rock, which were favored by Western youth, Japanese mainstream culture simply refused to grow up.” (Younker, 2011.)
Younker especially describe ‘sweet Lolita’ as rebellious because the aesthetic is one of the most extreme and child-like forms of Lolita fashion. Younker makes sure the reader knows that ‘sweet Lolita’ is child-like and not adolescent-like. She also describes the persona the woman in sweet fashion projects as “imaginary.” Lolita fashion has a make-believe quality to it because Lolita’s are still dressing outside of their society’s norm. They are make believing that these are normal clothes and that they are as sweet and innocent as the prints on their skirts.
Younker proves that wearing Lolita in Japan is an act of rebellion when she interviewed Japanese Lolita-wearing women and reported that they experienced social pressure to not wear Lolita.
Lolitas do not like their clothes to be misconstrued as cosplay. This is because “cosplay is often viewed as a type of performance to the Lolitas.” (Gatlin, 2014.) Lolitas’ clothes are not costume to them, they are fashion, even if it appears eccentric as a costume does. Lolitas take steps to remove the cosplay element from their outfits and communities. They are against wearing costume items with their coordinates such as animal ears, tails, prints depicting anime, and props such as swords. (Gatlin, 2014.) Ignorance of non-Lolita people often frustrates Lolita community members, and it is often assumed that Lolita fashion is a form of cosplay (Bernal, 2016.)
Western Lolitas, especially, experience misunderstanding from the public over what their intentions are with wearing their style of clothing. The Japanese named the fashion Lolita, whether it had any connection to the book of the same title, “Lolita” by Nabokov. The book is little known in Japan. “Lolitas have been challenged over the notion that their juvenile look stems from a sexual fetish. “In Japan, where the fashion originated, Nabokov’s books Lolita is less known, and is less of a problem. In the West, the book’s pedophilic associations haunt our community.” (Blauersouth, 2011.) Brenan points out that Lolita fashion is ironically modest. It is such that modesty is a part of the aesthetic rules, for example shoulders must be covered for it to really be Lolita.
Lolitas will argue in their defense that modest fashion cannot be sexualized. However, according to Younker, in her journal article “Lolita: Dreaming, Despairing, Defying”, the Loli-con (Lolita complex) is a complex in which Japanese men find juvenile women, or actual juvenile girls, sexually attractive. Younker says it is not a coincidence that this phenomenon arose at the same time as Japan’s cuteness and Lolita trends. “At its basis, Lolicon stems from a desire to have sex with a girl without any resistance, or without all the trouble of a mature adult relationship.” (Younker, 2011.)
Winge states in her journal article, Undressing and Dressing Loli: A Search for the Identity of the Japanese Lolita, that Westerners have abstracted Lolita fashion in a more sexualized manner. She references Gwen Stefani’s music video, Harajuku Girls, as an example of sexualized Lolita fashion. But, Winge acknowledges that members of the Lolita community would not identify with Stefani’s video, and even take offense.
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Lolita can be described as a lifestyle, or philosophy, beyond just a fashion aesthetic. Nguyen describes Lolita as “a philosophy or a feeling close to the heart with an emphasis on understanding and advancing a personally defined concept of beauty that includes a sense of kawaii deviating from mainstream tastes.” (Nguyen, 2016.) Kawaii and shoujo (for girls) have a lot more to their meaning than just a look. However, there still is a fantasy aspect to dressing in clothes considered unusual to the rest of society. Lolita fashion is also fantastical because it is inspired by fashions from the past; Victorian and Rococo are considered eras. Lolita community members take the term lifestyle to its own meaning. They refer to lifestyle Lolita as wearing a Lolita wardrobe every day. Some may even consider it to mean participating in the community as well. Bernal describes the identity of a Lolita as ritualized. “She explores the practice of "parading" as an integral part of the process of becoming "Lolita" and how this behavior becomes a means to finding one's place within the subculture, and society” (Bernal, 2016.) Bernal claims a woman’s behavior will change as she wears her Lolita coordinate. The Lolita sets herself a part from normal society considering no one, except other Lolita community members, wear clothes like her.
Lolita fashion is a Japanese subculture fashion that is worn and reinterpreted across the world, creating multiple Lolita subcultures. Independent designers create a new approach to Lolita every time she or he designs a new coordinate or creates clothes in larger Western sizes. Lolita is commonly worn within the American geek subculture, at Lolita and other fandom conventions celebrating similar interests such as comics, anime, and cosplay.
Lolita clothes create a subculture by fostering activities around coordinating, wearing, and buying the fashion, such as online chats, meetups, and conventions. Members of the Lolita community have a lot of rules that dictate what they will and won’t wear with their dresses. Those rules and the popular prints have changed over the decades, to the point they have an aesthetic within Lolita called “old school.”
Members of the Lolita community take offense to their clothes being misconstrued as a costume and at any connection with Nabokov’s novel about a promiscuous girl by the same name, Lolita. Western Lolita members especially, because the book Lolita is more known in their culture, dig their heels in at the mention of the book.
There is a performative aspect to Lolita fashion even though Lolita community members take effort to approach their fashion as real clothes and not costume. There is however fantasy to what aspect of themselves they portray as the idea Lolita exists in the Rococo and Victorian periods.
Works Cited
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