the history of lolita: an essay!

What is Lolita fashion?

Lolita fashion (ロリータ・ファッション) is a fashion style/subculture that has taken heavy inspiration from victorian clothing and some motifs from the rococo period. It varies depending on the substyle, as do basically all subcultures or fashion trends. A key feature of Lolita fashion is the volume of the skirt, usually made by wearing a petticoat or some type of crinoline. Some other features are blouses, hair bows, bonnets, knee socks or tights and cute shoes.

The history and evolution

The origin of the fashion is unclear, but at the end of the 70's a new movement known as Otome was founded, influencing the style. Before Otome-kei, there was already a distinct rise of cuteness culture and love for sanrio (who then started ecperimenting with adorable and cute designs). After the cute style became popular around the 1980's, Otome DIY also became just as popular, and thus, dolly-kei was born-- lolita's predecessor!

Around 1977-1998, a big part of the Harajuku shopping district had closed because of car traffic on Sundays. Because of this, an increase in interaction between pedestrians in Harajuku started and when "cute brands" started to sell cute clothing, it resulted in the commencement of the style that we now know as Lolita-kei.

The term Lolita was first used in the fashion magazine Ryukou tsushin is the september '87 issue, and shortly after that, some lolita brands emerged. Lolita became more recognized/accepted with v-kei bands (a blog about this style coming soon! keep yer eyes peeled) like Malice Mizer and others becoming more influential and popular. These visual-kei bands wore elaborate clothes, as v-keis do, that fans began to adopt. During this time Japan went through an economic downfall, leading to alternative youth and fashion cultures )and even club cultures!) such as gyaru, v-kei, and lolita )and v-kei inspired clpthing like Mori, Fairy-kei and Decora).

The lolita fashion style quickly spread from the Kansai region allllll the way to beloved Tokyo, and partly due to the economic depression, there was a huge growth in the cuteness and youth cultures that originated in the seventies. By the late nineties, the Harajuku bridge became known as a meeting place for youth who wore Lolita and other types of alternative fashion, and thus, Lolita had its' rise, causing a surge in warehouses and Lolita clothing production. It was around the time that interest in Lolita fashion began entering countries outside of Japan,with the Gothic and Lolita Bible (a magazine) being translated and produced outside of Japan, with the help of yhe publisher Tokyopop, and FRUiTS publishing and english picture book of J-street fasdhion in '01.

The style, like all styles, became popularized through the internet and more shops opened abroad, such as Baby, The Stars Shine Bright in Paris and in New York. Sadly, the youngins that gathered in Harajuku or at Harajuku Bridge had disappeared... One explanation is that fast fashion had reduced the consumption of street fashion (overconsumption wins again... damnit). Some magazines were on hiatus or ceased publishing. Fortunately, FRUiTS has been brought back as an epublication with an english version.

The values and motives behind Lolita

Like gyaru and many other styles, Lolita was a resistance against Japanese society but it was also against its' and strict gender roles and overwhelming responsibilities and expectations apart of them. Wearing fashion inspired by childhood clothing and cuteness was a way to escape adulthood and to revisit the wonders of youth. Some lolitas say they enjoy the fashion purely because it's fun and not as a resistance against the traditional ways of japanese society,for self confidence or for an alternative identity (ooouuuh alter ego hardcore).

The Gallery

The end of the Gallery

That was really fun to write (is it sarcasm?) and the only source i had was freakin' wikipedia....... BUT! i hope you learned something from this, cultivated a new interest or atleast liked it, and i will see you next blog!!! buh-bye... love you!