Lolita (ロリータ・ファッション, ^? roriita fasshon) is a fashion subculture in Japan that is primarily influenced by Victorian children’s clothing as well as costumes from the Rococo period. Fashion refers to styles of dress (but can also include cuisine literature art architecture and general comportment that are popular in a culture at any given time For the term in biology see Subculture (biology. For the song by New Order see Sub-culture (song. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The term " Victorian Fashion " refers to Fashion in Clothing in the Victorian era, or the reign of Queen Victoria (1837&ndash1901 Rococo is a style of 18th century French art and Interior design. Lolita has made this into a unique fashion by adding gothic and original design elements to the look. The goth subculture is a contemporary Subculture found in many countries From this, Lolita fashion has evolved into several different sub styles and has created a devoted subculture in Japan. The Lolita look consists primarily of a knee length skirt or dress, headdress, blouse, petticoat, knee length socks or stockings and rocking horse or high heel/platform shoes. Often to emphasize the childlike look, teddy bears and dolls such as Super Dollfies may be carried. The teddy bear is a stuffed Toy Bear. It is an enduring traditional form of a Stuffed animal, often serving the purpose of comforting children often abbreviated SD, is a brand of Ball-jointed doll, or BJD, made by the Japanese company Volks. ^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Subtypes 2.1 Gothic Lolita 2.2 Sweet Lolita 2.3 Classic Lolita 2.4 Punk Lolita 2.5 Other Lolita 2.6 Wa/Qi Lolita 2.7 Ouji/kodona/dandy (male Lolita fashions) 3 Lolita 4 Influence of Lolita and Gothic Lolita 5 Anime and Manga 6 Lolita culture 7 Gothic & Lolita Bible 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

History

Lolita as it is known today started in the late 1970s with the formation of famous labels like Pink House and Milk. Shortly after that came Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, and Metamorphose temps de fille. (Shortened to Baby or BTSSB) is the name of a Japanese clothing boutique chain created in 1988 by Akinori Isobe and his wife Fumiyo Manifesteange Metamorphose temps de fille (Shortened to Metamorphose temps de fille, Metamorphose or Meta) is the name of a Japanese clothing boutique chain It wasn’t until the 1990s that the Lolita fashion trend began to pick up with bands like Malice Mizer and other Visual Kei (or visual type) bands coming into popularity. Malice Mizer (マリス・ミゼル Marisu Mizeru) is a Japanese rock band and part of the country's Visual kei movement refers to a movement among Japanese musicians, that is characterized by the use of eccentric sometimes flamboyant looks These bands wore intricate costumes, which fans began adopting as their own style. ^[2] The style soon spread from its origins in the Kansai region, and ultimately reached Tokyo where it became popularized throughout Japanese youth culture. The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan 's main island Honshū. A youth subculture is a Youth -based Subculture with distinct styles behaviours and interests Today, Lolita fashion has grown so much in popularity that it can be found even in department stores. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. ^[3]

Subtypes

Gothic Lolita

Gothic Lolita (known in Japan as gosurori, "goth-loli") is a mixture of the Gothic and Lolita fashion. Gothic Lolita or " GothLoli " (ゴスロリ —) gosurorii) sometimes " Loli-Goth " has two definitions The origins of the Japanese Gothic style can be traced back to the English New Wave Movement during the 1980s: however, the Japanese Gothic scene is fundamentally different than the Gothic subcultures of the west. ^[4] This Gothic fashion has been adopted into the Lolita fashion through the use of darker make up, clothing, and themes in the design. Gothic fashion is a clothing style worn by members of the Goth subculture. Unlike other Lolita Styles, Gothic Lolita darker colors are used for makeup. Red lipstick and smoky or neatly defined eyes, created using black eyeliner, are typical styles. ^[5] The Gothic Lolita makeup is not as heavy or dramatic as the Western gothic counterparts. Newer makeup styles emphasize lighter colors but still retain the heavy eye makeup. ^[6]

The outfits themselves use dark color schemes like black, dark blues and purples. Black and white is the most common color scheme in this look. The KuroLoli subset uses a strict black-on-black color scheme. Gothic Lolita outfits often use less detailed fabric than other Lolita styles. Cross jewelry and other religious symbols are also used to accessorize the gothic Lolita look. Religious symbolism is the use of Symbols including Archetypes, acts artwork events or natural phenomena, by a religion Other accessories, like bags and purses, are often in uncommon shapes like bats, coffins, and crucifixes. ^[7]

Like many other Lolita fashions, the Japanese visual kei movement was responsible for helping to introduce and popularize the Gothic Lolita style. One artist in particular, Mana, a Japanese musician and fashion-designer, is considered to be the major force behind the popularization of the Gothic Lolita style, though he is not credited with creating it. Mana’s own Gothic Lolita fashion label, Moi-même-Moitié, has grown to be very successful. Moi-même-Moitié is the Gothic Lolita fashion label of Mana, the former co-founder and guitarist of the Visual To describe the designs of his new label, he coined the terms Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA) . Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL is an off-shoot of Lolita fashion –style clothing popularized by Japanese musician and fashion designer Mana. Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA or Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL is a subset of Gothic Lolita fashion popular in Japan ^[8]

Sweet Lolita

Sweet Lolita (amaloli) is heavily influenced by Rococo styles as well as shojo manga (girls' manga). Focusing on the child and fantasy aspects of Lolita, the Sweet Lolita style adopts the basic Lolita format and uses lighter colors and child fantasy themes in its design. There are many elements that show up throughout the fantasy genre in different guises

Makeup used in sweet Lolita is common throughout most Lolita styles. A natural look is emphasized, to help maintain the child like feel of Lolita. Light pastels, light pink, and natural colors make up the Lolita makeup color scheme. ^[9]

Sweet Lolita fashion places its focus on the child-like aspects of Lolita design. It does this by using pastels, gingham or other colorful prints, lace, and ribbons to emphasize the cuteness in the design. Popular themes in the sweet Lolita are references to “Alice in Wonderland”, fruits, and cake. ^[10] To keep with the child feel of sweet Lolita, the shoes usually have a smaller heel than that of other Lolita styles.

Jewellery often reflects this fantasy theme: Popular motifs include cherries, cakes, hearts, ribbons, and bows. Headdresses and bows are also a popular hair accessory to the sweet Lolita look. Bags and purses are often in the shape of stuffed animals or hearts. A stuffed animal is Toy Animal sewn from Cloth, ^[11]

Also included in Sweet Lolita are the sub-genres of ShiroLoli, which uses a strict white-on-white color scheme, and Country Lolita, which incorporates gingham prints and straw baskets.

Momoko, a protagonist in the book/film Shimotsuma Monogatari (Kamikaze Girls in the US), is a popular example of sweet Lolita. Kamikaze Girls, known in Japan as is a Light novel written by Novala Takemoto that has been adapted into a Manga and film She idealizes the rococo period and likes to spend her time acting like a sweet and innocent child. She wears a popular Sweet Lolita brand called Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. (Shortened to Baby or BTSSB) is the name of a Japanese clothing boutique chain created in 1988 by Akinori Isobe and his wife Fumiyo Other Lolita brands include Manifesteange Metamorphose temps de fille and Angelic Pretty. Manifesteange Metamorphose temps de fille (Shortened to Metamorphose temps de fille, Metamorphose or Meta) is the name of a Japanese clothing boutique chain ^[12]

Classic Lolita

Classical Lolita (Classic Lolita) is a more mature style of Lolita that focuses on Baroque and Rocaille styles. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Rococo is a style of 18th century French art and Interior design. This look can be seen as the more sophisticated, mature Lolita style because of its use of small, intricate patterns, as well more muted colors on the fabric and in the overall design. The colors in the classic Lolita style are lighter than those in the gothic Lolita, but are not as light as those used in sweet Lolita . ^[13] Empire waist dresses are also used to add to the more mature look of the classic Lolita. An Empire silhouette is created by a woman wearing a high-waisted dress gathered near or just under the bust with a long loose Skirt, which skims the body Shoes and accessories are less whimsical and more functional. Jewelry with intricate designs is also common. The makeup used in classic Lolita is often a more muted version of the sweet Lolita makeup, with an emphasis placed on natural coloring. This Lolita style uses slimmer dress silhouettes than its counterparts to add to the mature style. An example of the classical Lolita brands are Juliette et Justine, Innocent World, Victorian Maiden and Mary Magdalene.

Punk Lolita

Punk Lolita (or Lolita Punk) adds punk fashion elements to Lolita fashion. Punk fashion is the styles of Clothing, Hairstyles, Cosmetics, Jewelry, and Body modifications of the Punk subculture. Motifs that are usually found in punk clothing, such as tattered fabric, safety pins and chains, screen-printed fabrics, plaids, and short, androgynous hairstyles are incorporated into the Lolita look. The most popular garments are blouses or cutsews and skirts, although dresses and jumper skirts are also worn. Common footwear includes boots, Mary Janes or oxfords with platforms. ^[14] Common Punk Lolita brands are A+Lidel, Putumayo, h. NAOTO and Na+H. Many of the Japanese punk Lolita fashion brands take influence from London's famous Camden Town Markets. Camden Town is the district of London, England around Camden High Street, in the London Borough of Camden. Vivienne Westwood, who, though not a Lolita designer, has items and collections that reflect Lolita sensibilities, especially in her Japanese collections, is popular in the punk Lolita scene. Dame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI, (born 8 April, 1941) is an English Fashion designer largely responsible for bringing

Other Lolita

Because of the do it yourself nature of Lolita fashion, many other subtypes have come out of the basic Lolita frame. These styles are often not as well known as the ones mentioned above, but they do showcase the creative nature of the Lolita fashion, and illustrate how people make the fashion their own. ^[15] Listed below are just a few examples of the smaller subtypes of Lolita fashion.

Wa/Qi Lolita

Wa Lolita (or Waloli) combines traditional Japanese clothing styles with the Lolita fashion. Traditional clothing Jūnihitoe Kimono Hakama Yukata Wa Lolita usually consists of kimono or hakama modified to fit with common Lolita garments. The bottom half of the garment is altered to accommodate a petticoat, or a kimono-style blouse is used as a top to accompany a plain Lolita skirt. Outerwear can include haori or adult-sized hifu-vests. The shoes and accessories used in this style are typical of traditional Japanese garb including kanzashi flowers, and geta, zori, or Okobo. These shoes are often used in place of the normal Lolita platform and high-heeled shoes.

Qi Lolita is a similar style but uses Chinese clothing and accessories in place of Japanese. Usually this includes qipao and cheongsam-dresses modified to accommodate a petticoat. Accessories include platform-slippers for footwear and bun-covers as hair accessories.

Ouji/kodona/dandy (male Lolita fashions)

Ouji (王子　or Oujisama　王子様), meaning "prince," is a Japanese fashion that is considered the male version of Lolita fashion. This style takes its influence from the clothing boys in the Victorian era wore. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities ^[16]

Ouji is inspired by what was worn by Victorian boys, but can be worn by either gender and includes masculine blouses and shirts, knickerbockers and other styles of short trousers, knee high socks, top hats, and newsboy caps. The term " Victorian Fashion " refers to Fashion in Clothing in the Victorian era, or the reign of Queen Victoria (1837&ndash1901 Knickerbockers were a men's or boys' baggy knee Trousers particularly popular in The colors usually used are black, white, blue and burgundy, though there are feminine versions of the fashion with a broader palette. Make-up, when worn with the fashion, is usually light and minimal, though sometimes when women wear it, more make-up is used than what they would wear with Lolita. Ryūtarō from Plastic Tree and Yukke from Mucc are two of the most popular wearers of the oujisama style. Plastic Tree (プラスティック トゥリー is a Japanese rock band that formed in late 1993 in Chiba, Japan. is a Japanese rock band formed in 1997. Named after a character from the Japanese children's TV show Ponkickies the band is also known by the name 69

The term kodona (from "kodomo otona", literally "child-adult") was coined by Plastic Tree's vocalist Ryūtarō Arimura as he described his dress sense and is often used as the Western name for the fashion. Plastic Tree (プラスティック トゥリー is a Japanese rock band that formed in late 1993 in Chiba, Japan.

Lolita

Although "Lolita" is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov's famous novel, and GothLoli is often worn by teens, most followers of the style do not consider it overtly sexual. Lolita (1955 is a Novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris, later translated by the author This page is about the novelist For his father the politician see Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov. Adherents present themselves as Victorian children or baby dolls and prefer to look "cute" rather than "sexy". Many Lolitas claim that the term 'Lolita' doesn't necessarily have anything to do with sex at all. The usage of the word may also be considered wasei-eigo. are Japanese Pseudo-Anglicisms English constructions not in use in Anglophone countries nor by English native speakers but which appear in Japanese. Japanese culture places a higher value upon extremely youthful appearance and behavior 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. The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over millenia from the country's prehistoric Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture which combines influences from Asia full name, is the best-known of many simply drawn Fictional characters produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. GothLoli is perhaps a more visible extension of this phenomenon. ^[17]

Influence of Lolita and Gothic Lolita

Gothic Lolita was influenced and popularized by the imagery of more feminine Visual Kei (or "visual rock") bands. Visual Kei is a Japanese form of rock music defined by bands featuring performers in elaborate costumes but whose musical style varies. Mana, the cross dressing former leader and guitarist of the Visual Kei 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. ^[18]

Anime and Manga

Due to the popularity of this cute style with many fans of Japanese animation and comics, characters dressed in the "Gothloli" style may be found in numerous anime and manga. (anime in Japanese, Some of the most prominent are Paradise Kiss, Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, Rozen Maiden, Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase, Othello, Chobits, xxxHOLiC, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (Infinity Arc), Princess Princess, Godchild, Dazzle (manga), Death Note, and Pitaten. abbreviated to "ParaKiss" by fans is a 5 volume Manga series originally published in Shodensha's Zipper magazine which has been adapted into a 12 episode is a Manga and Anime series created by Asuka Katsura. The original 2 volume manga was published in 2004 is a Manga by the group Peach-Pit, with an Anime series of the same name Tsukuyomi -Moon Phase-, known as "Moon Phase" in the United States is a Manga series by Keitarō Arima about a young vampire girl named is a Shōjo Manga series by Satomi Ikezawa. It was originally serialized in by Kodansha Bessatsu Friend and collected in is a Japanese Manga created by Clamp. It was published by Kodansha in Young Magazine from February 2001 and November 2002 and collected pronounced "holic" is a Seinen Manga series planned and presented by Clamp. is an ongoing Manga series by Clamp. It is currently being serialized in Shōnen Magazine. known in the English editions as Godchild, is a gothic Shōjo manga by Kaori Yuki. is a Japanese Manga by Minari Endoh. There have been ten volumes published in Japan as of December 25 2007. is a Manga series created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata. is a Japanese Manga created by Koge-Donbo which was serialized in MediaWorks' Shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Comic Most of these titles appeal primarily to male fans rather than the gothlolis themselves. However, large numbers of gothloli girls are visible at manga events such as comiket. They often buy doujinshi based upon their favorite bands, dolls and movie characters; and some are interested in other kinds of cosplay apart from gothloli style.

Lolita culture

In Japan, despite still being a subculture and fringe fashion, Lolita fashion is mass-marketed and has wide visibility particularly in the streets of Tokyo and Osaka, on television, in manga (see Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa for an example of gothloli inspired manga) and computer games. abbreviated to "ParaKiss" by fans is a 5 volume Manga series originally published in Shodensha's Zipper magazine which has been adapted into a 12 episode is a Japanese manga author. Her Pen name comes from Japanese singer Eikichi Yazawa, of whom she is a fan Outside of Japan it is still a widely unknown fringe fashion although it has slowly begun to spread to other countries. Gothic Lolita, along with cosplay and other Japanese cultural phenomena, can sometimes be seen at concerts and anime conventions throughout Europe and the United States. The style has not yet been mass marketed outside of Japan, although increasingly Japanese brands are available for purchase abroad directly from the brands. However, there are plenty of dedicated fans filling the still-remaining gap. Gothic Lolita magazines are widely available for purchase on the Internet and at Japanese bookstores which also deal in anime and manga. Adherents often sew their own homemade lolita outfits, sometimes offering them for sale to make up for the difficulty of acquiring them from Japan. ^[19] Many adherents also purchase lolita outfits, accessories and dolls online from Japanese brands such as Baby, The Stars Shine Bright or through Ebay or other fellow lolitas.

Gothic & Lolita Bible

One magazine in particular, the seasonally published 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 recipes. This magazine is scheduled to be released in an English language version in February 2008. ^[20]

See also

• Gothic Lolita
• Lolicon
• Madam
• Aristocrat
• Elegant Gothic Aristocrat
• Neo-Victorian

References

External links

• Lolita Gallery
• Alternative-Fashion.com's Lolita page--a break down of history, style, and more
• Lolita Fashion.org informative website and community forums
• Lolita Handbook - Guide to Lolita fashion on Livejournal
• Avant Gauche - Lolita Shop Reference and Image Galleries
• Loli-Pop: A Downtown Auckland View on Japanese South Fashion

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