Lolita Charm: Under the Parasol: The Growing World of Cute Fashion

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Under the Parasol: The Growing World of Cute Fashion

It's been evident in the Japanese fashion world for some time now. Whether you get your fashion fix on Tumblr, reading Kera, Alice Deco, or even the old staple Gothic and Lolita Bible, you've probably seen evidence that lolita, while still a strong backbone to the Japanese feminine fashion world, is not alone any longer. In the last year or two, lolita fashion has been joined by its new sisters in the cute culture: pop-kei, mori-girl, otome, dolly-kei, and various pop-loving forms of gyaru. While some styles are new on the scene, and some are old hands (the gyaru movement being one of the many big sisters of Japanese fashion, paving the way back in the day), there is one fundamental difference to our current fashion evolution: for the first time, it seems like the cute fashions of Japan are starting to blend.

Lolita fashion is well-known for not only its unique look, but also its unique spectrum of styles beneath the lolita banner: styles ranging as diversely from classic lolita in subtle browns and bordeaux to sugary pink sweet style and the crazy world of punk lolita. The many re-interpretations of lolita style meant that although the fashion is structured, there was 'something for everyone', so long as you could pick a flavor (or two), and according to the great gods of lolita, Kept Them Separate. Why? We're not sure exactly. For being rather open-minded people, lolitas tend to love labels. And names. And subcategories. And sub-subcategories. (Does anyone remember the term 'bitter-sweet lolita?' Sub-sub-sub!) I suppose it's simply part of our perfectionist nature rearing its head.

But recently that all began to change. In a chicken-or-the-egg scenario, lolita fashion finally started coming out to play with its sister styles. It's hard to say if this began with outside styles or blends within the substyle of lolita - whether the fairy-lolita came first, or the sweet-classic lolita, etc. I like to think that in Japan, girls simply pick out whatever things they love and find adorable and slap them into an outfit, without much thought for a label - though this might be fanciful thinking on my part. If you're in love with, say, punk studded belts and Angelic Pretty's newest pastel creation, and you can give them a twist so they work together, why not give it a go? Pairing odd combinations and themes and un-like things into one whole concept is the true recipe for pioneering fashion.

But what about 'the book'? What about the nay-sayers who may look at a coordinate and say with disgust, "Well, you can wear it if you like it, but just know it's 'not lolita'."? I recently had this conversation with a reader who felt the urge to tell me, nice try on ________ article, sweetie, but really, you've gotten this whole fashion wrong. When it comes to x style, you're just 'doing it wrong'. Well...

Why There's No Such Thing as 'Doing It Wrong'

I grew up in the 'lolita era' (2006! I feel old...) heavily influenced by the notion of 'doing it wrong'. When I was a young lolita, the general lolita communities had set me up with a puritanical fear of the lolita version of the fashion 'stocks' so to speak, known back then simply as 'lolita_fucks'. Girls were instructed with this community, bent on criticizing fashion don'ts (for those unaware, consider the Neighborhood Watch crossed with the fashion police), as well as the handbook and a series of instructive articles. Lolita fashion was something to be studied, and mastered, and a good by-the-book, community-approved outfit was graduation.

The notion behind this approach was purity of the style - the general fear was that lolita, a delicate flower, was an endangered species in need of preservation, particularly as we removed it to the reaches of the West. It seems rather an odd fear now, as lolita begins to expand and mix with its fashion relatives. What were we so afraid of? The sparse, once-in-a-blue-moon Hot Topic dress that looked like a bad gawth anime explosion? That lolita might become too 'westernized' if we let our socks slip an inch or two? Lil Mama, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga have all sampled the pink Koolaid, and the world did not end. Lolita, ever more resilient than we give it credit for, did not die out. In fact, I would say that lolita fashion's travels, expansions, and shoulder-rubbing with other styles have not weakened it, but made it stronger. Foreign lolitas, be they from Chile, or Sweden, or California, or Toronto, breathed new life into lolita than if it had stayed put in Japan. There is stronger love for the old style of lolita, and lolita has found stronger love in its new acolytes who are charmed with kitten-patterned tights from SPANK! and antique carpet bags from Grimoire.

Fashion is interpretative. Fashion is based on a concept, which each individual forms and interprets into something visual. Lolita fashion, for example, is based around the concept of a delicate, princess-like doll or maiden, with a fantasy bend. Mori-girl is based around the concept of a maiden living comfortably in the forest, with a rather whimsical, antique sense of wonderland. Pop-kei is based on the concept of LSD (I kid, I kid.) Fashion is a creative process, and like anything creative, cannot truly be standardized. We can set up guidelines and boundaries. If we choose, lolita can be no more than a coloring book - a route paint-by-number. But I think lolita fashion, and we, who love it, don't need to be content with that kind of self-imposed glass ceiling. Let's give lolita fashion credit for its resilience, its ability to grow and adapt and keep the same heart. But let's also give ourselves some credit - credit to our creativity, to trust ourselves and make great leaps of fashion faith.

Here's the truth about fashion (and blogging, and life, and everything else you'll ever need to do, really)... Great fashion requires balls. I'd like to be poetic and princess-ly and rephrase that, but there's no other way to say it. Julien at inoveryourhead.net said it best:

Your fashion choices, your words, your decisions – all need more BALLS.

You worry what people think about you because they won’t like you, or they’ll talk behind your back. But really, they’ll admire your courage and adjust just fine.

You’ll question yourself at the last minute, maybe think you’re crazy, but sometimes, you need to be uncomfortable and make mistakes. Jumping this far will give you the strength to jump further next time.

Sometimes, I like to think about all the people who almost made the right decision. They got to the edge and then just… stopped. These are the almost-Steve-Jobs, the almost-Vivienne-Westwoods, and the almost-MLKs. They all had very good reasons. There are millions of them, and you know none of their names.

Where are you right now? What is the worst case scenario? How likely is it? What about the best?

Either way, you’re going to be dead soon. You might as well do something fun, in the meantime.

At worst, you’ll laugh about it later. At best… well, you know.

Still on the topic of balls, here is a little more encouragement from Evbogue.com's 27 Reasons Why Your Blog Doesn't Deserve to Exist (about blogs, still applicable to fashion in this case):

Guess what, there are 1,971+ million people on the Internet.

Someone is going to hate what you’re saying in that mix. You’re going to get a lot of emails saying “why would you EVER do that amazing thing that I don’t have the balls to do?” [ ... ]

Instead, you’re trying to make all 1,971+ million people (including your mom) on the Internet happy, aren’t you?

Whenever I get the mental wail of 'but what will people think?!' playing on repeat in my head, I think about the above quote. Instead of doing something amazing, or what feels right, or what makes you happy, you're trying to people-please the entire world (basically, 1,971+ million people on the Internet, plus your mom for good measure). And suddenly, the idea of toeing the line and playing it safe seems ridiculous. And that's when I have the guts to pull on four rainbow petticoats, four-inch pink platforms, and top it all off with a miniature carousel on a headband.

And yes, some people may not like it. I'm not a huge fan of certain fashion styles myself. No one person is going to like everything. You're not required to like everything. But seeing as fashion is really an artistic process, and art is entirely subjective, there is no right or wrong. I'm not here to discuss the merits of petticoats versus not petticoats, or why we need to shun plasticky lace. We're not talking about bad cosplays gone wrong. We're talking about the freedom - and the evolution - to experiment with the fashion. To take liberties, and thus, perhaps, create something fresh and inspiring. So, here's your assignment: pretend you have no idea about labels and styles and subcategories. Take your inspiration and resources and clothing and accessories from absolutely anywhere and everywhere: the forest, or 80s cartoons, or Japanese claw machines, or your favorite vis-kei star, or wherever you find something that speaks to you. Blend well, and see what new flavors happen.

For all you girls (and guys) about to lace up your tea parties, or Doc Martens, or neon pink puffy hi-tops, walk out that door, and show the world what it means to be part of the street style movement, we salute you.

Announcement! Lolita Charm is in the process of moving house! Lolita Charm, at its Blogspot address, is moving to a new name and domain, powered by Wordpress. This move has been a long time in coming, and I will keep you updated on the specifics when the actual, final move occurs. This is why we've reverted to the native commenting system. The new site has a working commenting system, for any readers who know my struggle with that! - and is currently having all of Lolita Charm's old comments and articles completely transferred to the new site. When this is finished, I'll begin the process of changing over your subscriptions (through Google Friend Connect, if you're a Google follower), and I will be announcing the new site soon, perhaps within a week or so! So please bear with me and thank you very much for reading Lolita Charm! I very much hope you'll stay with the site as it turns to its newest incarnation!

Psst... if you found the new site already by accident (it's currently mirroring the articles), feel free to follow!

Labels: culture

22 Comments:

At May 10, 2011 at 4:34 AM , Dreams on Earth said...: This article has completely made my day. I'm about to print some parts of it and stick them to my mirror to see them everyday XD. It's incredible how we often forget we can't please everyone :D
Always a pleasure to read you! ;)
At May 10, 2011 at 5:51 AM , Mjauki said...: Thanks for making this articel , was planing to go out plain and boring today, change my clothes to my regular style after reading this! Thank you!
At May 10, 2011 at 6:31 AM , LittleMusicMonster said...: I love this post. You see fashion and dressing up the same way as I do!
At May 10, 2011 at 7:05 AM , Anonymous said...: "I like to think that in Japan, girls simply pick out whatever things they love and find adorable and slap them into an outfit, without much thought for a label - though this might be fanciful thinking on my part."

To be honest, this is how I've always dressed. After, of course, "learning the ropes" of Lolita and figuring out the "rules", I started adapting some of the Lolita aesthetic into my regular style, because while a JSK and blouse isn't something I want to wear every day, a frilly skirt and t-shirt? Awesome! I figured, though, that posting my "I'm not entirely sure this is Lolita but I'm wearing an AP skirt and it looks cute?" co-ords wouldn't go over well in the community, so I just never posted photos. Thought about getting a look-book, though.

BTW, I am TOTALLY in the midst of saving up for a white "punk" belt to match some of my sweeter skirts!
At May 10, 2011 at 8:15 AM , Zeruda said...: THIS.

Amazing article, Victoria Suzanne. Amazing.
At May 10, 2011 at 8:32 AM , †DIXMACABRE† said...: I absolutely couldn't agree more with every single point you made. Well worded, great read! I love to mix it up, try new things. I like so many styles I can't just stick to one. I love integrating morigirl and dolly kei elements into classic lolita, and pop-kei elements into sweet.

I always see street snaps of people in Japan really mixing it up and they look fab. And look at Alice Deco mag! That has to be my favorite lolita publication because they bring so many new looks to the table! Sometimes things work, and sometimes things don't, but how would you know if you didn't try and see right?

Anyways, really everything you said here is just so true, I hope to see people experimenting more with lolita fashion!
At May 10, 2011 at 10:49 AM , KittyDragon said...: This is a great article. I think that this is something a lot of people are afraid to say. They want to try something different but are afraid of what people will say on places like egl. I'll be honest I don't post on community sites like that because I know I don't fallow the "book" all the time.
We should all dress for ourselves!
At May 10, 2011 at 11:38 AM , Misamane said...: I loved this article! Cold I translate it intro portuguese and put it in my blog?
At May 10, 2011 at 11:53 AM , MonochromePastel said...: Hi! I am a long time reader and first time commenter! I really liked this post. It was something that I think of a good bit from time to time. I really do not understand who can say who is lolita and who is not. The lolita culture was founded on creativity and originality (like most Japanese street fashion) so to say that there is one right way to wear lolita seems very backwards in my opinion. I really enjoy blending a few styles at a time (sweet-gothic, decora-classic, fairy-kei-Decora, and so on). I am also a firm believer that you do not have to wear the clothing everyday to say you are a part of it. I wear normal jeans and t-shirts during the week; but I also enjoy putting some of my decora accesories in to still make a statement. Fashion is not meant to be regimented. I say as long as you are happy; you can blur the lines of what is lolita and what is not as much as you want!
At May 10, 2011 at 12:39 PM , Chopsticks said...: This is why I love your blog. There was so much fear about whether or not I was "doin' it right" when I started in lolita, but now, I will wear motorcycle boots with Angelic Pretty if I damned-well feel like it!!
At May 10, 2011 at 2:48 PM , Heidi said...: love this article!!
At May 10, 2011 at 3:48 PM , Amelie May said...: Great article! You're right about the styles starting to mingle-- I think it's a wonderful thing but many people seem to disagree. I've seen a fair bit of mini-drama recently about crossovers (and even bona fide Lolita substyles-- apparently Punk Lolita is tacky and not Lolita enough? Since when? Where did the Punk and Visual boom of the mid 2000s go?)

I've recently made the decision to stop thinking in terms of labels myself-- I'm switching to a Gothic Ouji and Vis-kei style (from super-Sweet Lolita; scary!) and the more I look for inspiration, the more I just can't bear the thought of never trying something because it "isn't in the book". It was actually quite a hard mindset to break myself out of, not least because part of me wants to be able to categorise things neatly like that, but it's so exciting to think of all the new looks that could be created!
At May 10, 2011 at 5:30 PM , Varina said...: Thank you so much for this article! I am new to lolita fashion, and find myself sometimes thinking there are too many rules of what is or is not lolita and some elements that don't really mesh with what I like to wear and think is becoming on me personally, so I can never be a "real" lolita. This article is a wonderful reminder that we are supposed to be having fun and experimenting here and that perhaps taking the proper wearing of a ruffly, cupcake-printed pink dress very, very seriously is contradictory.
At May 10, 2011 at 6:02 PM , Anonymous said...: Right, I've got to say something. I've read your blog over a few months now and have one enquiry.

When did you go from dismissing 'closet lolitas' to saying 'break the rules'? Also giving out fashion advice does count.
I understand your listening to your readers and know them well, but you must also consider those who aren't deep into this 'circle'.
I am, what you may refer to as a 'closet lolita' and quite frankly I can see why some may see this post ever so slightly hypocritical and also be offended from reading previous entries.
I'm poor, so I can't afford decent clothes as much as I'd like. I'm a full time student without parental or any other form of financial assistance, so I don't waste any money that I do have on clothes.
Don't get my wrong, I love fashion, heck I study it! But what I often get perplexed by is people setting some guides or 'rules' then seemingly break them later.
I'm not being malicious or rude with intent to hurt you, I'm just trying to help you see where a careful reader might see a few flaws in the messages your trying to communicate.
Good luck with all your endevours and please don't take this the wrong way, once again I'm not trying to upset you to make myself feel better.
At May 10, 2011 at 9:44 PM , ChaoticOasis said...: I really like your blog, and you have inspired me quite a bit. However, this particular article seems a bit.. contradictory?

Perhaps I'm just not understanding the point of this article. If it's just to play with fashion and create looks that you like and are fun, that's great! As long as you're not labeling your look incorrectly.

I think Lolita fashion has been resilient because of its attachment to the rules. Some rules can be broken, successfully even, but a complete disregard for all the key elements of Lolita makes an outfit no longer Lolita. Though someone may be a lifestyle Lolita, if they're wearing a short skirt with no poof, cheap lace all over, hi-tops and a casual tee - no matter how cute or full of brand the outfit it - can you consider it Lolita? The impression I'm getting from this article is that those who wear the fashion dictate the rules and can change any rule at will and still label it Lolita.

Sorry if I'm not fully understanding this article. As I said, you are very inspirational, and I wish I had the drive to create such a great blog and keep at it so diligently :) I would love to hear your thoughts on, maybe, where you believe the line is between what is Lolita and what isn't?
At May 11, 2011 at 12:50 AM , Unknown said...: This is an amazing article i love what you said about fashion being interpretive!
At May 11, 2011 at 4:55 AM , Julia said...: I agree with your post.
Fashion is a form of art and I think we should wear what we want, without follow any rule. Or maybe the only "rule" is to dress appropriately for the situation (not miniskirt and top in a church).
However, I'm also a bit confusing, because I though you followed Lolita rules....

By the way, why are you moving your blog?? I moved one month ago from wordpress to blogspot because I thought it works better.... O___o
At May 11, 2011 at 11:10 AM , Victoria Suzanne said...: @MageWeave: I think you should post your photos for others to see, even if not in a lolita setting! I love seeing what people do with their items to make different styles and coordinates. If you don't want to subject them to the lolita gamut, then definitely consider a different media form like your own blog, lookbook.nu, or even just Tumblr.

@Misamane: Sure! Just please include a link-back and credit :)

@Amelie May: Punk lolita is tacky?! Who makes these kinds of generalizations? I'm not a big wearer of punk lolita, but it's actually one of my favorite styles, especially when it has a sweet edge. Nana Kitade's punk lolita makes my heart melt, really! Now I feel beholden to come up with my rendition of punk lolita XD Good luck with your switch, it's a very exciting thing!

@Sabayon: I love your comment about how odd an idea it is to take too seriously dressing up as a pink frilly cupcake! Great point!

@Anon: The previous article about 'closet lolitas' wasn't meant as a 'who's lolita and who's not' set-up, but more as a call for girls who love lolita to saddle up and try to really experience the style firsthand, rather than loving it from afar. In this article, I'm encouraging girls to throw out the labels and really play creatively with the fashion - which doesn't require a lot of money or brand, by the way. Some amazing coordinates can come from offbrand, vintage, or DIY, which I encourage in this post as well particularly, because that's how we get more playful, expanded styles and trends. The closet lolita article is not enforcing any specific rules for the fashion or lifestyle. I re-read the article about closet lolitas, trying to see your angle, but I really don't see them as related. I appreciate your comment however, because comments that disagree or ask me to clarify my points really make me think and reconsider things, so I enjoyed reading your take.

@ChaoticOasis: Lolita is a structured fashion and needs to retain some structure if you're going to call it lolita. I do agree with this statement. However, what I think the point this article is, why do we really need to label our fashions at all? Technically it is the street fashionistas and brands who wear/design the clothes and then decide if it's lolita. They come up with their own interpretation of lolita and then market that as their brand image. Angelic Pretty makes things we consider lolita, in their own Angelic-Pretty-ish way. For example, when they make ruffled sneakers, do we consider them lolita? The line isn't really clear, is my conclusion. If you wear them in a way that is lolita, they can be... or if you wear them in a way that is pop-kei, they're not. Then there is the question, are individual garments lolita, or is lolita only really composed through a single coordinate? It's hard to say. So you could say that the brands, and the people who wear lolita on the street, are always defining and re-defining lolita, within its original concept. It's the concept of lolita that unifies it, even without many of the 'rules' we consider irrefutable. Take, for example, the bell-silhouette, often considered a lolita must. Plenty of brands have used other silhouettes at times to represent the lolita concept - such as Innocent World's longer dresses, or Victorian Maiden's mermaid skirts. The lack of silhouette doesn't make it not lolita, it's simply a different interpretation of the lolita concept. The fashion guidelines of lolita are actually rather arbitrary - if the concept was the same but had a hypothetical staple mermaid silhouette, rather than the bell, would that make lolita completely different? I hope that explanation makes sense, you asked a great question! I really had to think about that!
At May 11, 2011 at 4:10 PM , Ana Carolina said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At May 11, 2011 at 4:38 PM , Ana Carolina said...: you made my day shine bright. i loved the post!
At May 13, 2011 at 3:06 PM , Celmisia said...: You are a great writer and it couldn't have been said better than this. Thank you for writing this post! It made my day. If I hear another "But thats not really lolita..." or "Well, you should do it a little bit more like this or like that." I'll PUKE! "Good taste is the end of creativity."
At May 15, 2011 at 4:05 PM , Michi said...: I've been meaning to read this post form the moment you posted it, until the moment I did just now, and I'm super glad I did.

THANK YOU for pointing out that fashion is about liking what you wear, wearing what you like, and not some stupid rule book. I love you for it <3

Being shot down as a starting lolita, because I didn't do it by the book, made me dislike lolita (stupid reason, yes I know). Now I learned to not care what other people think of me. One day I want to wear something gyaru, the other day I want to wear something mori, or I mix it with cute little bows. And it makes me feel much more comfortable in my cloths <3 Which is what I want from my cloths/style.

Thank you again <3

I'm super looking forward to your next post.

Chibiohimesama

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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Under the Parasol: The Growing World of Cute Fashion

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