The Origins of Lolita Fashion: Part 1 - The Gothic and Punk Movement

Hello everyone, and welcome to what may be this blog's best entry!

This 3 part entry is about answering the most common questions every Lolita, beginner or veteran, asks themselves at one point.

"When did Lolita fashion begin?"

"How did Lolita fashion become what it is?" 

"Is Lolita Fashion feminist?"

Now those questions have already been answered multiple times by other Lolitas with very different points of view, which I believe are all valid. 

My favorite takes in particular are from Tyler, aka ScarfingScarves, a Sweet Lolita known for the hilarious Last Week Lolita News which comes out on YouTube every week, and Megu, an Australian Lolita who made the very informative short video series Kawaii Fashion School with Deerstalker Pictures a while back.

ScarfingScarves: Is Lolita Fashion Feminist?  Part 1, Part2, and Part 3

Deerstalker Pictures: The History of Lolita - Kawaii Fashion School

DISCLAIMER: This entry is written based on my own personal research, my own personal perspective on what the fashion means to me, and my own personal experience with the fashion. If any information here is not completely accurate, please feel free to politely inform me!

This first part answers the question: "When did Lolita fashion begin?"

Now before we begin, a quick Story Time! (This has been repeated many times, so for some of you, consider this a refresher.)

When I was about 14, (That would be 8 years ago this year!) I stumbled upon the fashion by accidentally winding up in a BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT store when I wandered off while on a school club trip to San Francisco. 

BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT/ALICE AND THE PIRATES
San Francisco

I distinctly remember the very first Lolita dress I tried on! It was the gingham check op in black and white. It had a beautiful rose embroidery on the front of the dress, corset lacing, a cute check print, and lots of lace! I fell in love instantly!

BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT
Gingham Check Creeping Rose OP
2010 Re-Release

A few years later, I decided to try to look for it on secondhand. Once I got the information from Lolibrary, it took me a bit to realize that it was a re-release. (This was back in around 2013-2014.) So then I delved into the history of the dress, one thing led to another, and before I knew it, I found myself asking myself a few questions. 

"How long has this fashion really been around?"

and

"When did the fashion come onto the streets?"

Now for those who are unfamiliar with Lolita, the first question is, "What is Lolita fashion?"

Lolita fashion is the combination of the traditional femininity of Rococo, the Romantic Gothic image, and the spirit of Punk rock in one fashion style. 

The fashion typically consists of an overly frilly dress that goes down to the knees,  a petticoat and bloomers underneath, long socks or tights with Mary Jane shoes, and a headdress or Alice-style head bow on top, along with some accessories such as wrist cuffs and cute purses. 

So now the real questions as to when Lolita fashion began: When did Punk rock begin, and where did the Gothic part of "Gothic Lolita" come from?

To answer that, a little background is needed.

Most people in the Punk and Goth scenes argue that Gothic and Punk began in Great Britain.
Punk is said to have began during the late 1960s, Goth in the late 1970s, both pop culture phenomenons which spread to America during the British Invasion throughout the 1970s, and so on.
Early Punk rock bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, and American Punk rock band The Ramones, as well as Goth bands like The Cure and Bauhaus became popular during that time.

As much as I hate to sound like an elitist Gothic and Punk "gatekeeper," but historically speaking, before the fashion, there was the music.

The Punk Movement emerged from the liberal ideas of going against oppressive authority, breaking societal norms, destroying negative stigmas and stereotypes, fighting for our right to be who we are, and standing by those who are oppressed because of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation and are in need of support.

Punk rock culture is the absolute prime of Chaotic Good. It is the attitude that was needed during a time when people went to drastic and hurtful lengths to maintain conformist ways that kept other people in the dark, locked in the closet, deprived from the freedom to be who they really are.

Goth however was born from the idea of embracing and celebrating the strange, dark, gloomy and eerie things that are often feared or attacked, and allowing yourself to take a deep breath and experience sadness rather than suppressing negative emotions or simply distracting yourself from them.

Goth culture is a beautifully artistic way of giving yourself emotional, mental, and creative freedom in a society that expects you to be exclusively happy, sane, and colorful all of the time.

Those ideas were expressed through music, which is pretty much the best way to get any message through to many people!

The Sex Pistols: 1975-2008
An English Punk rock band.
They are said to have been responsible for
igniting the Punk Rock movement in the UK.
Most Notable Song: God Save the Queen

Bauhaus: 1978-2008

An English Post-Punk band popular in the 1980s. 
Known for their dark and gloomy image, which became popular within the Goth scene.

Most Notable Song: Bela Lugosi is Dead

The Ramones: 1974-1996

An American Punk Rock Band. Popular in the US and the UK.
They are said to have defined the Punk rock sound in the US.

Most Notable song: Blitzkreig Bop

The Cure: 1976-Present
An English Gothic rock band.
Front man Robert Smith is the only consistent member of the band.
Most Notable Song: Friday I'm in Love

The Clash: 1976-1986
An English Punk rock band.
One of the pioneers of the Punk movement in the UK.
Most Notable Song: Should I stay or Should I go

As Goth and Punk music gained a following, so did the fashion styles that were inspired by it.

Crazy hairstyles, ripped and washed out denim, leather jackets with studs, tattoos and piercings, band logos, and the iconic safety pin, became the most common motifs of Punk fashion.

All black clothes, black lipstick, strong eyeliner, multiple accessories usually found in Punk too, and black hair made up the Goth fashion style that most people today are familiar with.

This movement continued on into the 2000s and made way for many punk and pop punk bands, most notably Green Day, to come into the mainstream and spread throughout America and the rest of the world.
Hot Topic also became popular during that time when they sold lots of clothes and accessories typically found in Goth and Punk fashion. (Nowadays they sell mostly geek pop culture merchandise.)

An Early 2000s Hot Topic store.

Pretty soon, Goth and Punk became known throughout the world.

But when did Lolita fashion come into the scene?

Most argue that Lolita started in the late 1980s to the early 1990s in Japan when they had their Goth and Punk movement a little later.

But how did the fashion come to be what it is? Where did the lace and frills come from? Who set the standards for Lolita fashion?

That will all be answered next post, so keep in mind the attitudes and ideals of the Gothic and Punk movement!

Thank you for reading, and I will see you next time!

-Blandis

Lolita Blog Carnival: Tailoring Your Wardrobe: Making It Work & Suit You

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's Lolita Blog Carnival entry!

This topic in particular was PERFECT for me, because I myself am looking to be a professional tailor, stylist, and fashion designer!

I love to fix, alter, and create clothes that work for many different kinds of people, especially those who are into Lolita, and I also love to style outfits and make things work in so many different ways, so I am very excited to share some tips today!

When it comes to tailoring your Lolita wardrobe and making it cohesive, there are a few things that are very important to know.

1. What cuts and styles suit you best, and what is more comfortable for you.

2. How often you wear Lolita, and where do you wear it.

3. What substyle of Lolita, as well as your style out of Lolita, you wear most of the time.

Let's begin!


Cuts and Styles of Lolita Garments

The most common cuts and other garment structures in Lolita dresses are:

A-Line

Just-Waist

Babydoll

Some common collar styles in blouses are:

High Collar

Peter Pan

Low-Neckline

There are many different structures to Lolita dresses, blouses, and skirts, so the most important thing is to find the different cuts and structures you believe not only look great on you and are tailored to your height and body, but are also more comfortable for you. So here are some great tips if you want to get the most out of Lolita.

If you know how to sew and you're pretty confident in it, here are some things I personally believe you should know how to do when it comes to Lolita.

1. How to hem and sew on lace.
2. How to replace a zipper.
3. How to sew buttonholes, and how to sew on buttons.
4. How to make a shirring panel.
5. How to embroider!

BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT Rose Embroidery JSK
Kamikaze Girls (2004)

If you don't know how to sew, or if your skills are not on a professional level, here are a few very little things you can learn to do that can make a big difference in a dress.

1. How to replace a button.
2. How to tie a back ribbon with a waist tie.
3. How to make a little bow to attach anywhere on a dress.
4. How to add details to any accessory such as a hat, headband, etc.
5. How to make accessories!

(You can easily look for many tutorials on Pinterest! I will post some tutorials of my own at a later time!)

Or if you are willing and able to invest and get the best out of Lolita, get to know a good tailor!

I'm not just saying that because I'm looking to be one, I'm saying this so that you can get to know someone who could make your dream dress fit YOU comfortably, whatever body type you have!

It comes to show, you don't have to fit yourself to the dress when it is much easier to make the dress fit you!


When to wear Lolita

Depending on the person, Lolita can be worn anytime one wishes to wear it.
However, it is known for being an impractical fashion style.

So another important thing to consider when making up your wardrobe is how often you wear Lolita and where will you wear it to! Consider these questions the next time you think about splurging on something you may not even wear as often as you would like to.

What do you do for work and/or school?

What do you do for fun?

How often do you go to Lolita meetups/events?

For example:

I plan to work in an office once I finish school, so let's say I get an office job.
Of course, professional attire is required.

Misako Aoki

With college this semester, I have early morning classes, which means I wouldn't have much time to get ready unless I woke up at 5:30 every morning.
So I most likely may not wear Lolita as much as I would like to during the day, or I have to keep it simple. Also, I have to carry a lot such as my books, and my bento box, since I'm at school for a big majority of the day.

ALICE AND THE PIRATES
DIDOLuLaLa Regimental OP

BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT
School Bag

What I like to do for fun is shopping, going out for tea and macarons, sewing or blogging at home, going to small rock band shows, and a little bit of traveling every now and then!
So I like to be on the go most of the time, but I also like to be comfortable at home.

From the movie adaptation of
Musashino-Sen no Shimai

As for meetups/events, there are not a lot of meetups around my area, and the nearest ones are usually very far, so I don't attend meetups or events as much as I want to. When I do, I prefer to dress and pack light.

After knowing all of that, I can prioritize what types of Lolita dresses, skirts,  bags, and blouses work best with my wardrobe, how many of each I should have, what to invest more in, etc.

It becomes a lot easier to make your wardrobe work together very well, and it saves you quite a bit of money, and maybe some room in your closet!


Substyles of Lolita

The top three most common Lolita substyles are:

Gothic

Twilight of the Rose ~Bride of the Death~ OP

ALICE AND THE PIRATES

Sweet

Kira☆Kira Parfait OP
BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT

Classic

Lady Victorian Rose Jewelry ~A Wish on the Rose Petals~ OP
BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT

When buying Lolita dresses, I believe it is very efficient to have a cohesive wardrobe for both your "normal" clothes, and for Lolita. It makes the wardrobe look more put together, and it makes it a lot easier to choose what to wear for the week!

For example, I like to incorporate my own Lolita accessories into my normal clothes, and vice versa, so I buy normal clothes that have frills, lace, etc. and fit into my general color scheme in Lolita fashion, which for me, the main color is black, and I sometimes wear white and/or pastels such as light pink, lavender, and sax, and the occasional gobelin print!

Sonnet for Juliet Gobelins JSK
BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT

(If you're not one for incorporating Lolita into your every day wear, then that's okay! What's important is what works best for you!)

I believe it is very efficient and less stressful when your entire wardrobe just works together and looks great, so get creative with it!

So those are my tips on how to tailor your Lolita wardrobe and make it work well for you!

Thank you for reading this Lolita Blog Carnival entry!

Please have a look at these other blogs below!

The Bloody Tea Party

Cupcakes and Unicorns
In Love with a Dream

-Blandis

How Butler culture has influenced my lifestyle!

One thing that a lot of people don't know about me is the fact that I am obsessed with Butlers!

Butler culture in Japan is targeted towards young woman in their late teens to late 20s who are into traditionally feminine things.

Think "Princess Lifestyle."

From Deka Wanko, Chapter 44

Like a lot of girls who are into traditional femininity, I love the idea of being treated like a princess, which definitely adds to the Lolita aesthetic.

So why am I talking about how much I love butlers? Because Butler culture has influenced my lifestyle in a number of ways. It has influenced my lifestyle aesthetic, my interpersonal feelings, as well as my own behavior.

To show you what I mean, I will introduce you to a few things that heavily involves the Modern Maiden's idea of the perfect butler.

1. The Victorian Atmosphere

After a few years of watching Black Butler, I found out where some of the inspiration for the manga series came from: Swallowtail Butler Cafe in Ikebukuro in Tokyo, Japan. Upon seeing that such a cafe existed, I had to look into it right away. I fell in love immediately!

In case you don't know, butler cafes are cafes where you go to enjoy pastries and tea while being treated like royalty by very handsome butlers. The atmosphere of Swallowtail Butler cafe in particular makes you feel as if you were a young lady living in a Victorian mansion. On top of that, the butlers are trained professionally, almost as if they were real butlers. They do their job with the utmost dignity, and they take care of everything for you, and when most guests who have been there say everything, they mean EVERYTHING! You won't have to lift a finger!

This cafe has everything down to the decimal point as to what a maiden with refined taste desires, including the items on the menu. They have lavish afternoon tea sets, dinners, and dessert plates and some of the finest tea blends that are said to be hand-blended by the cafe's footmen! The tea is served in only the best in teacup brands and such! (I have a cup and saucer set from Paragon that is my pride and joy!)

Might I add, they also have a few Patisseries that sell the cutest cakes and sweets I have ever seen!

However, if royal etiquette does not come naturally to you, you may find that they are pretty strict about a few minor things, but this is for the sake of maintaining the theme and order of the cafe, as they do get a lot of customers, so much, you have make a reservation at least two weeks in advance! 

Here are a couple of customer experiences as to what the cafe staff's etiquette is like.

"There was a younger butler and an older butler that spoke English and explained some stuff to us. They took our umbrellas (it was supposed to rain that day) and stored them in the back for us, then some younger butlers held our bags and ushered us to our seats.....The butlers pushed all of our chairs in and placed dark blue napkins in our laps, and placed all of our bags into a collective basket to the side of the table on the floor and covered it with a cloth. But I realized I was going to need my phone in case **** called. HOWEVER you are not allowed to go get anything without the butlers to do it for you! You have to go along with the roleplay or they get very perturbed. I finally got my phone, and **** called because he couldn't find the place. I didn't know it but there were NO PHONECALLS ALLOWED. So the butlers quickly came over and were all "Oh, if the mistress would be so kind as to honorably speak on the telephone in the privacy of the outside of the cafe...blahblahblah..." (go_slow_ly)

"If you need to go to the bathroom, you just ring the bell and your butler comes and escorts you and waits until you've done your business to escort you back to your table." (Deerstalker Pictures)

For a lot of people, this kind of experience can be a little awkward, and sometimes rather frustrating and difficult to follow, making the experience a little bit pressuring. But this sort of experience can be a lot of good fun if you plan ahead and prepare for what's coming. If you plan on traveling to Japan and you would really like to make a visit, I highly suggest you triple check the times and dates before making a reservation! (The full details on reservations are on their website right here. They also have an English guide.)

This cafe is one of the places I would really like to visit before I die, and if I ever do live in Japan for a few years or so like I once said I would really like to do, you could guarantee that I will be a regular customer!

Sources
Deerstalker Pictures
go_slow_ly
Official Site

Now let us dive a little deeper into this topic.

2. Butlers and Escapism

Now as I have mentioned a bit earlier, Swallowtail was the source of inspiration for my favorite anime of all time: Black Butler. At the time I got into it, I absolutely loved the idea of having a loyal butler! Someone who is always on the dot and knows exactly what you need at the right time, someone you can trust who will never cross you, someone you can be weak in front of and won't call you pathetic, but instead take care of you, protect you, and help you regain your strength. Through Black Butler, I found an interest that took me away from a lot of hard experiences I had in school and in life in general. The idea of having a perfect butler became one of my personal escapes.

In Black Butler, even though both Sebastian Michaelis and Claude Faustus were under contracts, the relationship between them and their masters, Ciel Phantomhive and Alois Trancy, just appeared so close and intimate. Now being a single person for the majority of my life (no surprise there!) watching girls get their hearts broken by questionable men, I admit, I became more attracted to the idea of having a manservant who obligates himself to take care of me and stay by my side, rather than a boyfriend who could just drop me at any time if he got tired of me. Needless to say, that idea stayed with me a for a long time.

Through Black Butler, I have become a huge butler enthusiast in general. The whole idea of having a perfect butler to keep me in order has really fueled my lifelong desire to become a traditionalist proper lady with high standards and strict personal policies in a rather careless, easygoing, repulsive, and discourteous society. It has boosted my motivation to achieve my lifestyle goal of living my life as if I was a noble lady of the Victorian Era!

But unfortunately, the closest I have gotten to the goal of actually having a butler is the next subject here.

3. A Desire for the Perfectionist Treatment

This here, is my favorite Otome game, Butler Until Midnight, the game by Voltage Inc. which has just discontinued back in December 2018.

(An Otome game is a type of visual novel that originates from Japan. It's basically what we call a dating simulation game. The object of the game is to interact with the characters and develop relationships with them as the main protagonist. These games are usually played from a first-person perspective.)

Since I'm into the glasses type, my immediate first choice was Tomoki Matsuba, a perfectionist butler.

As I progressed through his story, I noticed the main protagonist dreaded his strict guidelines. On the contrary, I actually really loved how much of a perfectionist he was, given that I am one myself sometimes!

He knew anything and everything that I wish I was educated more on as a child such as the piano and dinner etiquette. Needless to say, this fictional character was truly the ideal butler.

Although I had very good grades and pretty good behavior as a child, I didn't like the subjects I was being taught. I wanted to learn about things like Classical Music, how to play the Violin, the histories of the Victorian and Rococo periods, and of course, Tea Party Etiquette, all which would be considered useless in real life.

Did I care? Of course not!

By the time I was in middle school, I slumped down from a little Princess to a sloppy, overexcited, and extremely awkward preteen otaku. (Note: In case some of you are not aware, "Otaku" is not something to be proud of.....)

I'm not afraid to admit that I developed sloppy table manners, little to no common decency, and my grades ranged from average to low. It got progressively worse in high school. Now in college, I'm doing much better. Not all A's, but at least there are no D's and F's now, I actually have a self-care routine, and I now have a proud collection of tea cups as well as a decent wardrobe that isn't made up of jeans, cosplay accessories, skechers, and anime t-shirts!

Interacting with Tomoki in the game made me wish I had someone like him to straighten me out at an early age, and help me break some of the bad habits I have now. It's difficult to break some habits I have like chewing gum with your mouth open, putting your elbows on the table, laughing at inappropriate times, and the worst, procrastination!

Now I admit, the first few years of my adulthood were awfully disastrous as I was getting to know a few aspects of being an adult such as the twists and wrong turns of dating life, but nevertheless no matter how many mistakes you make, there is always time to get up, turn around, change, and improve.

"BUT WHY!?" One would ask.

"WHY do you actually WANT to have good manners and good behavior?"
"WHY do you actually WANT to do everything by the book?"
"WHY would you actually WANT to eat like the Duchess instead of just stuffing your face with whatever you want?"
"WHY would you actually WANT to follow rules?"
"WHY do you seriously WANT to be a proper lady?"

"Just do whatever the hell you want!"

I AM doing whatever I want. This is what I want.
I'm not living the way I want to because I'm trying to get a Prince or something dumb and cliche like that, I'm doing this for me. I'm doing it simply because I WANT to. Simply because I get a strong sense of self from it. Simply because I feel like myself in that state of being.

"But traditionalism is not even feminist! It's outdated!"

Not feminist? Think about this.

I am a 22-year-old woman who is completely by her own free will, choosing a lifestyle that involves wearing otherwise considered conservative clothes that also resemble porcelain doll clothes that are seen on little girls the majority of the time that I would be told I am "too old" to wear, learning outdated mannerisms that make most people tell you that you have a stick up your butt, refraining from debauchery as much as I humanly can (with a few slip ups here and there) in a society where men expect that sort of promiscuous behavior from women and get angry when denied the view of a woman's body while most of the male-gaze-driven media profits off of that expectation, and participating in delicate activities such as embroidery, baking, and hosting afternoon tea that are looked down upon and considered only for the weak and spineless.

If that is not a feminist thing for a woman to choose to do, at least a woman my age in this day, I don't know what is.

The Modern Maiden's image of the Butler has taken up plenty of space in the part of my brain where the inspiration goes. I find these creative and dreamy ideas and concepts of the butler to be very interesting, and very motivational.

Point being: I like Butlers. A lot.

Thank you for reading, and remember that there's no shame in having serious reasons for silly obsessions, and neither is there any shame in having otherwise considered silly inner motivators to do what you set out to!

-Blandis

Lolita Blog Carnival: Differences between Lolita Now verses Lolita Five Years Ago

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first Lolita Blog Carnival post to this blog!

In case you don't know, Lolita Blog Carnival is a Facebook group of Lolita Bloggers who get together every week to write on a weekly topic related to Lolita Fashion.

This week's topic: Lolita Now verses Lolita Five Years Ago!

Now almost 6 years ago, I graduated high school, and I was just starting to get into Lolita. I went through a Sugary Sweet phase where I was all about pastels and sweet prints, as most beginner Lolitas are.

It was very short-lived, and frankly.....a bit embarrassing for me!

So from my perspective, back then, Sweet Lolita was the most popular substyle of Lolita. Pastel colored hair, OTT accessories, sweets themes, as well as other pastel palette styles like fairy kei were very present and very loud in Lolita fashion.

Angelic Pretty was a brand I heard the most about when I was first getting into Lolita. The current designers, Maki and Asuka, were seen as trendsetters in Lolita. At that time, colorful sweet prints, high hair, and multiple accessories were although not new trends, very popular in Lolita. (Images from the Tokyo Rebel blog.)

With Angelic Pretty's growing brand came the rising popularity of Sweet Lolita. Soon enough, the majority of Lolitas were Sweet Lolitas, and that was the image most people had in mind when they hear about J-Fashion, or see clothes similar to Sweet Lolita being marketed by mainstream Western clothing companies.

TokyoFashion.com Street Snap from June 2013

TokyoFashion.com Street Snap from January 2014

TokyoFashion.com Street Snap from September 2013

Of course with the growth and development of social media, Lolita fashion became more widespread and accessible to Western countries than it was back in the 1990s. When I first got into Lolita back in high school, back in 2011, I found the fashion through a crazy and completely unintentional visit to BABY THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT in San Francisco. When I was getting into it, I was able to look it up through the internet and find many Western sites writing about Lolita fashion, as well as finding out that BABY and Angelic Pretty both have USA stores in person, and online. Little did I know, most Western Lolitas back in the late 1990s had very little access to the fashion, except through fashion magazines from Japan that were very hard to come by at the time.

By 2013, I was a Junior in high school taking classes on sewing. At that time, I was always checking the EGL Comm sales, as well as for new blog posts/YouTube videos from Tokyo Rebel and BABY SF. At that time, I was a lone Lolita and was not involved in any Lolita communities then, so everything I knew about Lolita fashion was from blog posts, videos, and social media posts by Lolita models and Influencers like Misako Aoki.

As for Lolita fashion today, Lolita is a lot more toned down than it was five years ago. More Lolitas have cleaned up the look, even in OTT looks. With less accessories and more clean, and intricate detailed prints or plain colors with trims and textures rather than just sweets all over the place, Lolita fashion is surely a lot more classy and perfectionist than it was five years ago, or when the fashion first began to emerge on the streets of Harajuku, Japan back in the late 1990s.

TokyoFashion.com Street Snap from April 2018

This year, Mana, designer of Moi-Meme-Moitie and former lead guitarist of visual kei band Malice Mizer, made a comeback after the brand was dropped from Gothic Lolita Bible back in 2016, the magazine which was later discontinued along with well-known Japanese fashion magazine KERA, in 2017.

Mana in Gothic Lolita Bible

Lolita secondhand store Wunderwelt, known for selling Lolita pieces secondhand, now sells the brand, new and used.

Mana has also made a couple of appearances in the United States in 2018, with another one in Hawaii scheduled later this year. With the comeback of Mana and Moi-Meme-Moitie comes the revamp of Gothic Lolita.

Moi-Meme-Moitie Models from Sakura-Con 2018 in Seattle, Washington

Like any fashion style, trends change over time. I will not make any predictions as to what could trend in the next few years, because truly, who knows how the fashion will change in the next five years?

Thank you for reading this Lolita blog Carnival entry! Check out another entry below!

The Bloody Tea Party

-Blandis