A Lolita's Temptation

I've never been quite sure where I stand on lolita replicas. I own a few Bodyline knockoffs, such as Innocent World's puppy jumperskirt. All of my lolita-specific shoes are some kind of copy - I've never bought brand shoes before. Even my wonderful new boots (which I haven't taken off since! agh, so comfortable!) are really Chinese replicas of the infamous Doc Martens. But I always drew the line at bigger things, like replicas dresses and skirts, especially prints. Lately however, my resolve is wavering.

You can now get plenty of 'replica lolita' including:

• skirts
• dresses (jumperskirt and onepiece)
• shoes
• hairbows
• wristcuffs
• coats
• purses

If you're on a fixed budget, or a new girl in love with brand but out of love with brand prices, this could be your best option. I consider replicas useful to my wardrobe especially if the original is sold out or no longer available. I also like to wear lolita fashion as much as possible, and lower-priced clothing or replicas are a great way for me to pad my wardrobe with pretty things, while saving money. The average brand lolita skirt, new, will probably cost about $180 or more depending on the current status of the yen. To have enough skirts to keep up a day-to-day wardrobe can be a wallet-breaking expense for many girls.

Several of my friends noted that replica brands will often make their items in 'bespoke' which means to your measurements. Brand again pulls the exclusivity card by selling one-size-fits-all... unless, of course, it doesn't fit you. Another friend mentioned that she'd rather by the real thing in the face of 'replica stigma', where you're looked down on for purchasing the knock-off and supposedly disrespecting the original brand name and designers.

While I was writing this article I ran across this video on the nature of fashion and copyright. I'm a business major eyeing the notion of eventually working in the fashion industry (marketing and sales, not design) and I gotta say this kind of thing fascinates me. It answers a lot of the questions lolitas have puzzled over as we look at first the original, then the replica, and back again.





I was amazed to see that replicas, what the speaker calls 'fast fashion' or part of the trickle-down fashion effect, are actually what starts trends. For something to be a trend, someone has to take a hefty amount of inspiration from someone else - something we often calls copying. And replicas lead to what we're seeing very commonly in lolita fashion - the 'democritzation' of fashion. If anything, the replica has helped spread the Angelic Pretty version of lolita over a further economic demographic, over further reaches, making them ever more the face of sweet lolita. The idea of Angelic Pretty's lolita - is that something we should consider a closed circuit, or should it be allowed to grow and expand? The idea of lolita originally came from the streets; much Japanese fashion still does, as we can see the forerunners of fairy-kei having their ideas produced into boutiques like Nile Perch and Spank!.

It all comes down to individual choice. But it is fascinating to see exactly how fashion circulates. Do replicas deserve their 'stigmas' if copying and inspiration are the powerhouses behind the fashion world to begin with? Is exclusivity something we should cultivate, or is it better to open up the world of lolita fashion to anyone who wants to enjoy the designs and beauty? Is copyright even going to be a lasting notion in a world increasingly based on free exchange of knowledge and ideas?

By the way - I've changed the commenting system to Disqus and it's being a glitchy right now. Even when it says 0 comments, they're just not registering on my Blogger template. So don't be afraid to leave comments! Hopefully they'll be working soon.

Labels: culture, discussion, shopping

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 4:03 PM