Fashion In Anime: Harajuku Girls
Lolita fashion in the 2020s
While in Harajuku today (surprise – I’m in Japan!) I finally got to see lolita fashion in the flesh. Some of the outfits were so intricate, all I could think about was how long it took them to get dressed. Participants of this style have to put so much care into the little details. There is also no one way to dress “lolita”, there are different types (which I will get to shortly.)
Here are some street pictures I took. They’re taken from the back for privacy reasons:
Lolita fashion, in my humble opinion, is a perfect visualization of the importance of cuteness or かわいい in Japan. A Harvard report describes the style as a “fantasy child-inspired dress-up fashion.” Although there is arguably some truth to this, I don’t believe the main point is to dress like a child. It’s more nuanced than such a simple explanation.
Lolita fashion (ロリータ・ファッション) is a subculture from that is highly influenced by Victorian clothing and styles from the Rococo period. The style of dress popularized in Japan in the mid-1990s and has existed ever since then.
There are several types of Lolita’s such as:
- Gothic
- Classic
- Sweet
- Sailor
- Country
- Hime (princess)
- Guro (grotesque)
- Qi and Wa (based on traditional Chinese and Japanese dress)
- Punk’
- Shiro (white)
- Kuro (black)
- Steampunk
Interested in dressing in lolita-style? Here’s what you’ll need:
- Headwear such as hair bows or bonnets (similar to poke bonnets)
- Victorian style drawers (bloomers)
- Petticoats or pannier
- Hoisery like knee socks, ankle socks, or tights
- High heels or flat shoes with a bow
- Jumperskirts (JSK) and one-pieces (OP)
- Ruffly layered dresses
- Delicate accessories
- Flouncy blouse
- A bell-shaped or A-line skirt
