Hello everyone and welcome to Part 2 of The Origins of Lolita Fashion!
Last time I wrote about what the fashion is and a little about the history of the early Goth and Punk movement that inspired the fashion to come onto the streets. (Read Part 1 here.)
Today we talk about the fashion itself: The inspiration behind it, and the biggest contributors to the fashion's foundation.
We now answer the question: "How did Lolita fashion become what it is?"
Now while Goth and Punk began around the late 1970s, Japan's Gothic and Punk movement began in the late 1980s to the early 1990s.
At that time, Japanese youth were inspired by all the different sub genres of Rock music, including Goth and Punk, to stand out and break away from a corporate, traditionalist, and conformist culture through fashion and music. At that time, different types of J-Rock such as Visual Kei emerged from that era. Rock bands formed and quickly gained popularity underground, most notably Malice Mizer.
Lolita fashion was born within this movement.
It rose from the idea that girls should break away from the the norm, which at the time for women and girls in Japan was the "domestic and obedient wife" model, and instead pursue their own ideas, their own aspirations, and their own ways of living out life instead of centering themselves and everything they do around taking care of a husband, and doing whatever he tells her to do.
Last time I wrote about what the fashion is and a little about the history of the early Goth and Punk movement that inspired the fashion to come onto the streets. (Read Part 1 here.)
Today we talk about the fashion itself: The inspiration behind it, and the biggest contributors to the fashion's foundation.
We now answer the question: "How did Lolita fashion become what it is?"
Now while Goth and Punk began around the late 1970s, Japan's Gothic and Punk movement began in the late 1980s to the early 1990s.
At that time, Japanese youth were inspired by all the different sub genres of Rock music, including Goth and Punk, to stand out and break away from a corporate, traditionalist, and conformist culture through fashion and music. At that time, different types of J-Rock such as Visual Kei emerged from that era. Rock bands formed and quickly gained popularity underground, most notably Malice Mizer.
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| Malice Mizer: 1992-2001 One of the most famous Visual Kei bands. Guitarists Mana and Közi originally formed the band. They have had three lead singers over time: Tetsu, Gackt, and Klaha. (Klaha Era of the early 2000s shown above.) |
Lolita fashion was born within this movement.
It rose from the idea that girls should break away from the the norm, which at the time for women and girls in Japan was the "domestic and obedient wife" model, and instead pursue their own ideas, their own aspirations, and their own ways of living out life instead of centering themselves and everything they do around taking care of a husband, and doing whatever he tells her to do.
"Lolitas do not recognize any authority. They follow only the values they have chosen for themselves, regardless of what anybody might say."
-Novala Takemoto
That kind of attitude was inspired by the heart of Punk.
Most of those girls were of course told by conformist women that they will never be able to get a husband if they dressed in Lolita, to which the response was always, "Good."
If that doesn't define what Punk is all about, what does?
As for the Gothic Part, most people in Lolita fashion argue that Mana, former lead guitarist of Malice Mizer and designer of Gothic Lolita brand Moi-Même-Moitié, pretty much set the standard for the Gothic Lolita look.
Mana took a lot of inspiration from the Romantic period, and also from the traditional Catholic aesthetic. It shows in Malice Mizer's aesthetic, and in some of the religious motifs found in the dresses Mana designed for Moi-Même-Moitié.
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| Album Cover for Malice Mizer's "Bara no Seidou" |
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| Lace Cross JSK |
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| Stained Glass Print JSK |
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| Divine Cross JSK |
Another contributor to the fashion is one of the most iconic Punk fashion designers that I believe EVERY Lolita should know of, considering that she was referenced to in Novala Takemoto's Lolita fashion manifesto Kamikaze Girls a few times:
The one and only Vivienne Westwood!
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| Vivienne Westwood in the late 1970s |
Later on the shoes became a staple in Lolita fashion!
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| The Iconic Rocking Horse Ballerina Shoe |
The high-fashion brand of the same name made its way into Japan during their Gothic and Punk movement. Other notable pieces are the heart bag, orb jewelry, and three strap shoes. Other brands soon followed these trends that Westwood set.
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| Heart Bag |
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| Orb Earrings |
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| Three-Strap Mary Jane Heels |
Westwood pieces have been featured in a lot of manga and anime that feature Japanese Street fashion, and have been also featured in the fashion magazine for Lolita fashion, Gothic Lolita Bible. (The magazine discontinued in 2017.) Here are a few scans from my own GLB volumes.
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| Novala Takemoto (Right) shown wearing a Vivienne Westwood Orb brooch. Gothic Lolita Bible Vol. 5 |
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| Vivienne Westwood Orb Pearl Choker Necklace and Plaid Blazer Gothic Lolita Bible Vol. 20 |
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| Vivienne Westwood Jewelry featured in an ad for Japanese brand retailer I-LOVE BRAND. Gothic Lolita Bible Vol. 20 |
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| Vivienne Westwood Accessories picked by the woman above. Gothic Lolita Bible Vol. 20 |
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| Closet Child ad along with an Old Baily ad featuring Vivienne Westwood. Gothic Lolita Bible Vol. 20 |
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| Vivienne Westwood Accessories. Gothic Lolita Bible Vol. 7 |
Orb earrings, an armor ring, and red three-strap shoes that resembled Westwood's were featured in the Murder Mystery visual novel DanganRonpa on the character Celestia Ludenberg, a Gothic Lolita Gambler.
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| Celestia Ludenberg Character Design DanganRonpa Official Artbook |
Vivienne Westwood was also referenced to in the manga/anime NANA many times! Nana Ozaki, a front woman of a Punk rock band, is often seen in Vivienne Westwood. (For any Lolitas looking for an anime to watch or a manga to read, NANA is a really good one, and I highly recommend it!)
(And while we are on the subject of NANA, back at the Alternative Press Music Awards in 2017, I spotted Andy Black, front man of Black Veil Brides, sporting a very familiar look! He was wearing the popular chain necklace from Japanese Punk fashion brand Sex Pot ReVeNGe.)
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| Left: Ren Honjo from NANA Right: Andy Black, Front man of Black Veil Brides, at the 2017 APMAS |
No one really knows exactly who in particular started Lolita fashion in the first place, it pretty much just came out on its own.
Why it's called "Lolita," no one really knows that either, but most argue that the name just sounded cute, and it suited the look very well.(Just to clarify for some of you, Lolita fashion has NOTHING to do with the novel, "Lolita." They just happen to have the same name!)
But where did the frills come from? Now most say that Japanese girls took inspiration from Victorian and Rococo styles and modernized them to fit the lifestyles of most Japanese youth involved in the Goth and Punk movement. (Vivienne Westwood also happened to be heavily influenced by Victorian and Rococo.)
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| Marie Antoinette: 2006 A Biopic based on the life of French Queen Marie Antoinette and her reign before the French Revolution. |
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| Victoria: 2016-Present A British TV show based on the life of Queen Victoria. |
While today Lolita fashion is mostly worn at organized tea parties and meetups, most Lolitas back then would go shopping, and/or attend underground rock shows or concerts. This meant that practicality was needed much more than aesthetic, hence why the fashion was simpler when it first began.
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| AKIRA in the live-action movie adaptation of the manga Ai Ore! Ai wo Utau yori Ore ni Oborero! (Ai Ore! Love Me!) |
But now comes more questions!
Why the long skirts? Why the long socks and high collars? Why have the shoulders covered? How could such a conservative fashion style come out of a movement that well, wanted to get away from that?
Wait until the next part, where we bring Western sexism in!
Thank you for reading, and I will see you next post!
-Blandis
