Or a fetish. Or whatever people from the outside like to assume. In boredom I've went through Yelp raged over and over again. Not only that but I've frequently went to San Francisco's Japan Town decked out in cosplay, lolita, and gyaru fashions but have experienced people call these fashion statements costumes. Of course we can't blame people who aren't educated on their confusion. Though their ignorance can cause rudeness. There was once a time at J-Pop Summit my poor dear friend Trish was decked out fully in a Baby the Stars Shine Bright coordinate all out for a FASHION CONTEST and a very rude woman was automatically assuming and telling people that my good close friend had a thing for older men because of the way she was dressed. Of course I was beyond disgusted with this lady's behavior as I have been at other times when I've been mistaken as a prostitute for being in gal and not even agejo gal which is based on a sexy concept but just as an Onee-gyaru type of style. Yes we're unique so that makes us a target I suppose and now days my group is pretty immune to people's need to be assholes or even just people staring.
What makes people decide to be so horribly rude towards people who are unique is beyond me. There are of course people who are actually kind and supportive. These are the types of people Japanese fashionistas favor. We're always glad to explain things to those who are polite and kind and seriously are just curious. I've gotten tons of people randomly tell me I'm super pretty or ask where I get my clothes. Usually I get asked for pictures from tourist or those who like the fashion. For those of you interested in lolita fashion whether its just to figure out why certain places are flooded with these type of people or if you want to delve into this world yourself-allow me to educate you. This just my outlook on what lolita is and it's probably not ALL correct but I feel like this can translate well to those who aren't familiar with the Gothic Lolita life style. Lolita fashion can be considered a revival of the old style European style clothing from the 1900s and further on down in history. Like how trends are brought back with a flare in modern fashion, Japan has taken it to the next level by shortening the skirts, adding prints, and other cute qualities to the style. Lolita is the furthest thing from a fetish but the ladies who wear the style actually are trying NOT to show skin. Think of a porcelain doll elegantly on display for people to admire. That is the living portrayal of what these lolitas are trying to achieve. There are various styles of lolita and depending on that could be the form of people's confusion as well.
Gothic Lolita is more based probably on the doll concept. They're considered dark and morbid. Age appropriation would be everything between the early teens to late twenties depending on how the clothes are worn. In the West honestly speaking, I feel like we have a ways to go on figuring on what best suits what clothing because it's still a fairly new concept. Shiro Lolita is all white dresses but can also be considered in the gothic category as well as Guro Lolita which is like...blood everywhere. No really. Blood everywhere. Usually it's tainted white clothes. Think of a cute girl going on a rage spree at a hospital or something. Guro is based on a horror concept! In all these are dark concepts that are all gothic lolita. Punk rock can also being incorporated with plaids, asymmetrical skirts, boots, ect.
Ame Lolita (Literally translating into Sweet Lolita) is based on the 'kawaii' concept that perhaps outsiders are more likely to be familiar with thanks to media exposure. The problem is that 'kawaii' was marketed horribly. Kawaii can differ person to person... Tho in this case 'kawaii' is usually cute prints, lots of sweets like cake, whipped cream, cookies, icecreams are seen as prints on the dresses. They usually wear cute pastel colors like baby pink, yellow, brown, ect. and are seen with a light make-up. This is BY FAR the most difficult of sub-genres to pull off because it does look ridiculous at a certain age. Perhaps this is where people get the idea that this is age play, because it looks like something a little girl would wear. I do suggest if you do wear sweet lolita to be in your teens or have a baby faced look or you could come off as too old to be dressing the way you are.
A good alternative to Sweet Lolita is Classic Lolita. It is a blend of the gothic and sweet style. Classic also focuses on browns as wells as creams, red, green..unique colors! They can be plain prints or solid colors like the other styles. It can be a bit more age appropriate depending on the print and execution. It's kind of a country-fied feel. Straw hats and bags and checker print for the warmer months and velvet reds, and bonnets for the cooler seasons. Think of Classic Lolita dressing based on the seasons more so than the other two.
Guys fashion usually aristocrat (tho ladies can be these with frilly blouses and longer skirts!!) or the younger version being kodona. All are based on being dandies I suppose you could say. I don't have much experience in this category but think of really nice coats with buttons and boots.. They can almost look princely if not dapper! In all the desire to dress in lolita from experience is not only to feel and be unique but to really put effort into how you dress. These girls usually legitimately feel like ladies. They can feel like a princess or some type of girl in high society dressed the way she is perhaps having tea with the other girls and looking at the latest trends. Why are these clothes so expensive?
Good question! I get asked this a lot and perhaps this is why in the West the lolita community is seen as kind of strange because A LOT of us are older and that's because we can afford it. Not that girls in Japan can but they probably save up for a long time or even have super supportive parents who really like the fact that their child is unique on the weekends. We can't really say the same in some cases because either parents fear what they don't know or are in fear that we'll be targeted by the wrong type of people. So usually a lot of girls here have to wait until they're older and have their own income to choose to be a lolita-and usually its a lot of work, not only getting ready but for the expenses to coordinate an outfit! These items are usually expensive not because they're imported and jacking up the price (they're expensive in both places!) but because they're brand name designs. There are only limited amounts of a said style of dress made making it in high demand. The rarity of the print is based on how many are made but also the demand. Depending on how well the item sells and is liked can determine if the price of the dress goes up or down if it's resold.
This goes for a lot of different brands, not just lolita. I don't know how Japan works but the US depends on a lot of "fast fashion" places like Forever 21 and H&M for clothing. Our clothing is based on 'trends' that easily come and go with very few staple pieces. Japan also has a Forever 21 and such too and the fashion scene there is definitely changing because of it but the detail placed in brands like BABY, Naoto, BPN, Liz Lisa, ank rouge, ect can not be matched. Usually there are prints that can't be replicate, the name brand plastered everywhere if not, detachable pieces, line skirts and jackets. The list goes on. THIS is why when you step into BABY or Liz Lisa and the clothes are crazy expensive. These are staple pieces that are demanded after because they're unique and one of a kind!
So, no. We're not trying to look like little girls on purpose. It's just the way you perceive us. No we're not into a cosplay fetish. No we're not cosplayers. While lolita and kodona appear in anime/manga we're not cosplaying. Cosplaying is a recreational art, we're a fashion statement. We're not playing a character. We're being ourselves. Though people do bring the point up of hy is lolita themed into 'Alice in Wonderland' or have even anime collabs. Like many clothes, it's a creative outlet, Forever21 has done Alice in Wonderland and Hello Kitty collabs. BPN collabed with Kuroshitsuji and Shiki as an anime and I think BABY also did Macross F as a collab as well. It also helps the demand for these clothes to go up if it's a collab! Point is; we're still being ourselves-we don't act as a character. We work hard for our money just like the rest of you do, we probably like the same cosmetics, movies, books, ect. and you just don't know it due to our exterior. So with that said, I hope this helped you guys a little bit on lolita fashion. This is just a little inkling of explanation that kind of turned into a ranty life lesson but I hope this helps some of you!!
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