Japanese Lolitas

In the Japanese gallery at the V&A (proudly sponsored by Toshiba) there’s a new display of the Japanese Lolita phenomenon. It’s called Kitty and the Bulldog. A long, glass display case, contains a series of slightly larger than life models wearing different types of Lolita fashion.

Each one a perfect doll

At first, it looks a bit eerie. Cold, faceless doll-like figures, dressed in extreme style, ideas taken from various cultural forms. The eeriness, however, quickly dissipates to be replaced with a sense of quizzical wonder.

The interesting thing is how Japanese designers take ideas from other cultures and give them a typically Japanese edge. This amalgam of styles works really well in a Japanese context. It works. Even the title ‘Lolita’ is an appropriation from the west to which the Japanese have given a certain level of respectability rather than the somewhat sordid intention of the original.

This display is primarily concerned with the appropriation of the very British (the Bulldog in the title), mixed with a lot of Hello Kitty cute. The punk Lolita, for instance is, at first glance, all very British punk. Safety pins, zips, tears, it’s all there. But it’s been augmented with the addition of a Hello Kitty doll (albeit in black and white with a skull’s face). And, odd as it sounds, it works beyond the level of both styles.

Given my love of all things Alice, Enid Blyton and that whole world of very English tea and scones on the grass by the river, I was instantly drawn to the sweet Lolita.

The sweetest of Lolitas

In terms of Japanese street style (what people create for themselves rather than a design-led statement) sweet Lolita is one of the oldest of the Lolita styles.

This sort of looking back was very big in the late 1980s and then spawned many design houses that would cater for those that, perhaps didn’t have the design skills to create their own outfits.

Design houses like Alice and the Pirates created their own mixes of Anglo-Nippon fusion. (In the image above, the outfit on the right is by Alice and the Pirates.

But the desire to embellish the western into their young fashion statements has tempered off over the last decade, to be replaced with a more traditional Japanese one. Design houses like Mamechiyo Modern have reached back, spotlighting the kimino in their clothes.

Back to the kimino

I have to say that this new exhibition (at the V&A until April 2013) is fantastic and yet another glimpse into a culture that never ceases to amaze.

The V&A has posted a series of excellent articles here.