Japanese Lolita Fashion

One of my favorite fashion trends

Rebecca Holden

The Basics

What is the Lolita fashion trend? Lolita fashion draws much of its inspiration from Rococo, Victorian style and Edwardian fashion and often aims to imitate the look of Victorian porcelain dolls. Are there different kinds or is it all the same? Gothic Lolita is the best-known of the various “Lolita" looks. Other categories include “Elegant Lolita", which is often more mature-looking and contains more muted colors and floral prints and “Kuro (or Sweet) Lolita" which is identified by childish pastel colors and cute prints.

In depthOne of the major Japanese fashion movements is the Lolita movement. First off, this is not the lolita from the sexy novel. It's not a movement about a sexual style. In point of fact, there is less skin showing in this fashion style than in most others worn by young people.

The young men and women dress in a fashion related to the Victorian era, in a style that the dolls of the time were dressed in. There are a number of categories of the fashion, but frills, lace, petticoats and half-dresses are common elements.

This is related to the concept of kawaii or cuteness which can be related to a desire to return to a more innocent past time, a sort of reaction against the psychological pressures of present-day life that the young people have to contend with. When one thinks of the Victorian era one thinks about politeness, courtesy, grace and a refined approach to other people, all traits that are sadly lacking in today's world.

The fashion can also be a desire on the part of young women to rebel against the constraints still put upon Japanese women. Basically, there's a lot of reasons and explanations why people choose this fashion style.

The style is about as peaceful as you can get; there's not really anything aggressive about the style (other then all-black color which upsets some people.)

Gothic LolitaGothic Lolita: Again, there is a tendency to confuse terms. Using the word "Gothic" would cause many people to think along the lines of safety pins, all-black clothing and nasty behavior, but in the fashion sense only the all-black is actually used, and even a mix of black and white clothing will be found. The accessories carried around include purses and parasols. There is some argument I've seen about other colors; some sources say darker sheds of red, green, blue and purple will also be used, and other sources say it's almost totally limited to black and white or all-black clothing. Gothic Lolita style is usually a combination of black and white, often black with white lace and typically decorated with ribbons and lace trims. Skirts are knee length and may have a crinoline or petticoat to add volume. As in mainstream Japanese fashion, over-knee socks or stockings are popular. White or black tights are also common. Child-like shoes or boots such as Mary Janes complete the look. Frilly, ruffled or lace-trimmed Victorian blouses are also popular with Gothic Lolitas and designs are usually modest, sometimes with long lace-capped sleeves and/or high-necked blouses. I like one description that I read which compared the Gothic Lolita look to that of creepy dolls, saying that "We are dolls, they seem to say, but don't play with us. We bite." Lolita fashion with a gothic twist, perhaps the most populuar. The colors used most often for the gothic look are black and white, as well as darker shades of red, green, blue, and purple. Accessories most carried around by Gothic Lolitas are purses and parasols. They can be thought of as the "big sisters" to the Sweet

Lolitas, and don't always smile for the camera.

Kuro (Sweet) LolitaSweet Lolita: Pink and white are the main colors with lots of frills and lace. They young women will carry around teddy bears, parasols and other things which increase even further the cuteness quotient. It has a very, very innocent look to it, nothing challenging or nasty at all. (There is some argument about this, though, in that some sources say that carrying toys around shifts the style into kawaii and not lolita.) Pink, white, baby blue, soft purple, frills and lace galore. These Lolitas are sweet enough to give you a tooth ache. Plaid, fruit, and other cute print fabrics are used for Sweet Lolita, and many of them carry around cute things like teddy bears, Asian BJDs, and parasols. When asked to pose for a picture, most Sweet Lolis will point their toes in and smile sweetly.

Sweet Lolita

This shows the Sweet Lolita style quite well, the young woman carrying a doll that is wearing matching clothing. The clothing is about as non-threatening as you can get. Definitely not a clothing style that emphasizes sexual aspects, either. Just something that's pretty and cute.

What do they accessorize with?Some additions may include mini top hats, parasols, and lace headdresses, which resemble wide, elegantly decorated headbands. Other popular Lolita headgear are ribbons, lace or bows, an alice band with a bow or sometimes even a bonnet. Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other props like handbags, small backpacks and purses, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins, and crucifixes, as well as conspicuous pocket books, pocket watches, and hat boxes. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are also common, and some brands make special "gothic" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC. Some Lolitas own Super dollfies or other ball-jointed dolls and carry them when wearing the style, often going so far as to dress them to match.

What are some unique qualities to the style?

Hair is sometimes curled, or a curled wig is worn to complete the porcelain doll look. Blonde and black are the most popular hair colors, though as the fashion continues to develop, other colors (such as brown and red) are increasing in popularity.

Make-up is used to achieve the look of a porcelain doll. Pale skin with blushed cheeks and dark eyes. Gothic Lolita make-up tends to be dark while Kuro (or Sweet) Lolita tend to have lighter shades.

Lolita fashion in action

More different styles

Places to see and buy this fashion

Unless you’re out touring Japan the best place to see this is in movies.

One of the best films for seeing Lolita outfits is Shimotsuma Monogatari, or Kamakaze girls.

If this is a fashion trend you seem to be interested in it is something you can get it through websites, though it can be expensive.