| Lolita Fashion |
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, Tokyo .]] Lolita Fashion ('''ロリータ・ファッション''') is part of the fashion style and subculture ''Gothic & Lolita'', which originated in Japan, largely inspired by Victorian children's clothing and the elaborate costumes of the Rococo period. Other influences include the western Gothic and Punk fashions. GENERAL FASHIONS Skirt s are typically knee length and are worn with a panier or Petticoat to add volume. Over-knee socks, knee socks or stockings are extremely popular, especially printed with roses or crowns or topped with lace. Footwear is typically cute, child-like shoes such as Mary Jane s, though Vivienne Westwood rocking horse shoes, and replicas of them are also very popular. Skirts are typically paired with either a frilly, ruffled, or lace-trimmed Victorian Blouse , often with Peter Pan or sailor Collars , or a lacey ' Cutsew '. Other garments are either dresses in one or more pieces, or Pinafore Jumper Skirts , made to be worn over a blouse. Lace-trimmed headdresses, mini-top hats worn to one side, and intricate old-fashioned jewelry are some favored accessories of lolitas. Though not the founder of the style, the Lolita fashion is often considered to have been popularised by Mana , of the band Malice Mizer and current Moi Dix Mois , who also coined the term " Elegant Gothic Lolita " for his clothing brand. The fashion started in the 70s, though it did not gain popularity and media presence until the late 1990s and early 2000s. LOLITA SUBTYPES Lolita Fashion can be classified into Gothic Lolita , Sweet Lolita, Classic Lolita, and Punk Lolita. There are also other spinoffs of the style, such as Wa-Lolita. Additionally, related sub-fashions of Aristocrat and Ouji are sometimes considered to be in keeping with the lolita culture and fashion. Gothic Lolita See Also: Gothic Lolita Influenced by certain elements of Gothic Fashion , Gothic Lolita - also abbreviated to gothloli - has probably become the most popular style within Lolita fashion and certainly the most recognized in the west. This style started as a youth subculture sometime around 1997/1998 and became a well-established genre available in various boutiques and some major Department Store s by around 2001. Some observers consider it a reaction to the "Kogal" aesthetic. It is commonly mistaken as the blanket term for Lolita fashion and Gothic Lolita in Western Lolita culture. The name "EGL" applies only to that specific line of clothing in Moi-même-Moitié , which is in the Gothic Lolita style. Non-Japanese outsiders sometimes refer to Gothic Lolita as EGL, but this is generally frowned upon within Western lolita circles, as anyone who uses it is assumed to have only a shallow understanding of the fashion. (See bottom paragraph for more.) Gothic Lolita clothes can be divided into the further subcategories:
Makeup is usually dark in color, in contrast with other Lolita genres where light makeup is used. A pale complexion is preferable, but not 'goth/white face' pale. However, in western countries it is not unheard of - and actually quite common - to have gothic lolitas with darker skin. Red Lipstick and smokey and/or neatly defined eyes using black Eyeliner and khol are often used. However, the makeup is not as heavy or dramatic as Western gothic; it is softer. The outfits may be accessorized with other Prop s like conspicuous pocketbooks, hatboxes and handbags, sometimes in the shape of Bat s, Coffin s, and Crucifix es. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are occasionally carried, and some brands make special "goken" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC . Super Dollfie s may also be carried around. Gothic Lolita was influenced and popularized by the look of androgynous musicians who pertained to the Japanese Visual Kei movement. Mana, the Crossdressing former leader and guitarist of the visual kei themed band Malice Mizer , is widely credited for having helped popularize Gothic Lolita. He coined the terms Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA) to describe the style of his own fashion label Moi-même-Moitié , which was founded in 1999 and quickly established itself as one of the most coveted brands of the Gothic Lolita scene. Another common Gothic Lolita brand is Atelier BOZ. Sweet Lolita Sweet Lolita or '''amaloli''' - (あまロリ) is a subcategory of Lolita Fashion that takes its main inspiration from Victorian girls' fashion, but is also influenced by Rococo and Shōjo manga. It focuses on the child-like aspect of the fashion and features pastels, Gingham , lace and ribbons emphasizing cuteness. Colours are light pastels, black paired with white, also colourful prints with cute themes are widely used. The garments worn are One Pieces (dresses), Jumper Skirts , Cutsews , blouses and skirts. The shoes worn usually have lower heels than shoes worn with the other styles of Lolita . Common accessories are hairbows, headdresses, bonnets, Beret s, miniature Top Hat s, and purses. Sometimes a doll or plush toy is carried. A popular example of this fashion style appears in the movie Shimotsuma Monogatari (下妻物語 - Kamikaze Girls in the US), worn by the protagonist Momoko.
Common Sweet Lolita brands are Baby, The Stars Shine Bright , Manifesteange Metamorphose Temps De Fille and Angelic Pretty . Classical Lolita . Note the man's contact lenses.]] Classical Lolita (or Classic Lolita) is a subcategory of Lolita fashion that is inspired by Victorian Girls' Fashion , Baroque and Rocaille . The style tends to be more mature and features florals, deep and muted colors, slimmer styling and empire waists. Colors often used are off white, pink, burgundy, blue, brown and black, and accessories usually worn are hairbands, hair corsages, headdresses, handbags and miniature hats. The colors used are darker than those used in Sweet Lolita , such as off white, antique white, pink, burgundy, blue, brown and black, and one piece dresses are common in the style, though separate sets and jumperskirts are also worn. Skirts are often less full than in Sweet or Gothic Lolita, and pencil skirts are occasionally made by Classical Lolita brands. Juliette et Justine is a Japanese Lolita brand that carries Classical Lolita clothing. The brand's name is a reference to the novel L'Histoire De Juliette (Juliette) and the Novella The Misfortunes Of Virtue (Justine), both by the Marquis De Sade . Innocent World, Victorian Maiden and Mary Magdalene are also Classical Lolita brands. Punk Lolita Punk Lolita (or Lolita Punk) combines punk fashion elements to the Lolita fashion. Pieces that are usually found in punk clothing, such as tattered fabric, plaids, safety pins and chains, screen-printed fabrics and short hair are incorporated into lolita. The garments usually worn are Blouse s or Cutsew s and skirts, though one pieces ( Dresses ) and Jumper Skirt s are also worn. The footwear usually worn is boots, Mary Jane s or Oxford s with platforms. The colors usually used in the fashion are black, white and red. However, a lot of punk clothing shown in the Gothic & Lolita Bible is not lolita at all, but merely a complimentary style. Many of the Japanese punk brands take influence from London's famous Camden Town Markets and similar clothing can be found there at less cost. Punk Lolita is also tied to Vivienne Westwood , who, though not a lolita designer, has items and collections with a lolita feel, especially in her Japanese collections. Common Punk Lolita brands are A+Lidel, Putumayo, h. NAOTO and Na+H. Other Lolita Styles Wa Lolita Wa Lolita (or Waloli) is the combination of traditional Japanese clothing and Lolita fashion. The name originates from the reference to Japan as "The Land of '' Wa '' ( 和 or 倭 )" (harmony). Wa Lolita usually consists of floral patterned Yukata (sometimes Kimono ) with the bottom half of the garment altered to accommodate a petticoat, or a yukata top and a plain lolita skirt. Accessories are typically Japanese, for example Kanzashi Flowers , and Geta , Zori , or Okobo are often used in place of regular lolita footwear. Qi Lolita Qi Lolita, pronounced "chee-loli", is an uncommon style of Lolita. It is similar to Wa Lolita in that it incorporates traditional clothing into the fashion, and the two are often associated with each other. Qi Lolita is a combination of Lolita style and traditional Chinese Clothing , such as the Qipao ( 旗袍 ), typically made of silk Brocade in patterns such as blossoms and flora, with decorative Frog Fastenings . However, cotton tends to be used in place of silk. Flat silk pumps are the general choice of footwear, and hair is usually worn in buns with accessories such as flowers and bun covers. Pirate Lolita While staying true to the qualities of lolita fashion, Pirate Lolita incorporates elements of historical and fantasy Pirate attire. Mini Tricorne hats, treasure chest handbags, and nautical or pirate related prints are all characteristic of this style. Erotic Lolita Erotic Lolita (or Erololi) is erotic in a fetishistic sense, rather than in the revealing of skin. Erololi can use slightly shorter skirts than other Lolita styles, but it is erotic in the conservative Victorian sense, and is often more modest than a great deal of other contemporary fetish fashions. An erololi brand is Antique Beast. Ouji See Also: Ouji The male counterpart to Lolita fashion inspired by what was worn by Victorian schoolboys featuring Knickerbockers , masculine blouses and shirts, trousers, and knee socks. Sometimes it overlaps with Dandy style. Kodona The term Kodona (from "kodomo otona", literally "child-adult") was coined by Plastic Tree 's vocalist Ryuutarou Arimura as he described his dress sense, and is often used as the Western name for Ouji fashion. The two are interchangeable. Aristocrat See Also: Aristocrat (fashion) Aristocrat (or Madam when referring to the feminine version of the fashion) is a Japanese fashion that is inspired by what is thought to be worn by European Middle Class and above status persons in the Middle Ages and by fashion worn by the upper class in the 19th Century. The fashion includes long sleeve blouses and shirts, long skirts, corsetry, pants and dresses that are styled similarly for men and women, since it is centered on androgyny and elegance. The fashion is usually seen as a mature version of Lolita and is usually worn by people in their twenties and beyond. Make-up, when worn with the fashion, is on the darker side, may be heavy and can be worn by both genders. It is often mislabeled as Elegant Gothic Aristocrat, which is a brand label created by Mana for one of the lines in his Lolita and Aristocrat fashion brand Moi-même-Moitié. While never used in Japan to describe Aristocrat style as a whole, it is often mistakenly used in Western Lolita culture. Common aristocrat brands are Atelier Boz and Moi-même-Moitié. Dandy See Also: Dandy Dandy is the western term for masculine Aristocrat and mature Ouji fashions, mostly inspired by what European upper class men wore in the 19th century. Its most outstanding feature is the use of Frock Coats and the jabot, a frilled neck piece. CULTURAL TIES Terminology Although " Lolita " is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov 's famous novel, and Lolita is often worn by teens, followers of the style do not consider it overtly sexual. In fact, in Japan many of them were unaware of the connection to the book until it was introduced to them in the Gothic & Lolita Bible as a suggested read. Instead, adherents present themselves as Child ren or baby Doll s and consider it necessary to look "cute," "beautiful," or "elegant" rather than "sexy." Japanese culture places a higher value upon extremely youthful appearance and behaviour than Western, and some adult women buy large amounts of products, such as Hello Kitty goods, that are typically marketed only to children in the West. GothLoli is perhaps a more visible extension of this phenomenon. Social typography A Culture has evolved in the west from the Lolita fashion; similar to the Neo-Victorian culture, it embraces Victorian style and sensibility and, like the fashion itself, advocates a return to the child-like innocence and feminine sweetness thought to be lost in modern day life. Like other Anachronistic fashions and cultures which revive historical styles, it will still incorporate some modern principles, technology, and style with its ideals. ''Gothic & Lolita Bible'' One magazine in particular, the quarterly Gothic & Lolita Bible, has played an instrumental role in promoting and standardizing the style. The 100+ page magazine includes Fashion tips, photos, sewing patterns, catalog descriptions, Decorating ideas, and even Recipe s. Mana is affiliated with the publication and often has exclusive photo shoots inside. ''KERA and KERAMANIAX'' KERA publications are not completely lolita, showcasing visual kei, decora and J-punk brands as well, but they are cheaper than the previously mentioned magazines and almost as comprehensive. In particular, KERAMANIAX has collaborated with brands such as Putumayo on dual-name items. Arts & entertainment Anime and Manga Characters dressed in Lolita style may be found in numerous anime and manga, some of the most prominent being Kamikaze Girls , Cardcaptor Sakura , Paradise Kiss , Le Portrait De Petit Cossette , X-Day , Sister Princess , Sailor Moon , Rozen Maiden , Princess Princess , Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase , Othello , Chobits , XxxHolic , Nana (manga) , Coyote Ragtime Show , The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya , Death Note , Negima , Karin , Princess Ai , One Piece , and recently Digimon Savers . Movies The 2004 Japanese movie ''. Literature The ''Shimotsuma Monogatari'' novel by Novala Takemoto inspired the film and manga. Alice Ever Falling is a three-volume illustrated novel series with characters dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion. Games Persona 3 has an enigmatic figure named Chidori who dresses in Lolita fashion on a daily basis. SEE ALSO Sweet Lolita see also EXTERNAL LINKS REFERENCES |
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