[ NIHON BUNKA KENKYUU ] BUNKEN 101: Reviews, comments, and insights on Japanese pop culture.
First of all, I would like everyone to know that I am: 1) not a Lolita; and 2) not a fashion designer. However, having been exposed to the Japanese rock and visual kei scene for the past ten years, I am fairly familiar with the different schools of fashion followed not just by the bands but also their fans. Punk, Aristocrat, Neo-Japonesque, Decoraa and Lolita are not alien concepts to me, nor am I ignorant of current western fads on cut, color, and style. With this in mind, please forgive me as I launch a cutting tirade against one of my favorite scenester pet peeves: the Bad Lolita.
I'm sure you're seen at least some of them in a local convention or event -- badly decked out in unkempt thrift store finds and sporting half a stick's worth of eyeliner around their eyes. Now I have nothing against pre-owned clothing, nor do I have a problem with people trying to wear make-up like MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE. It's the sheer number of bad fashion choices, heaped one on top of the other, that really ticks me off.
Case in point: tiered black pleated skirt with industrial lace trim plus fake CHUCK TAYLORS with mismatched shoelaces plus A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS baby tee equals Punk Lolita, right? Wrong! So is indiscriminately studding any articles of black clothing with safety pins and dog chains. Distressed fabric and mismatched clothing are some of the cornerstones of Punk and visual kei fashion, but there are right and wrong ways of going about it. Before putting together your next goth/emo/punk outfit, do your research! Flip through online magazines! Browse through other people's sites! The Internet is there to help! Srsly D=
My next pet peeve are girls who have maid uniform-style "Gothic and Lolita" dresses made bespoke, but go all wrong in their choices for fit, fabric, and trim. These girls don't seem to remember the three C's of basic dressmaking they taught every private Catholic schoolgirl in this country: cut, color, and cloth.
The clothes should fit you perfectly -- they should hug your figure where it matters and flare out dramatically where it should. The color and print of your outfit should flatter your complexion, accentuate your figure, and hide your flaws. The fabric and lace trim should be of the finest quality you can afford -- cheap satin should be avoided since it shines like a waxed floor, while inexpensive lace should be a last resort since it is scratchy and shoddy-looking. You're already spending all this money and effort to dress in Lolita-style, don't shortchange yourself -- do it well!
Wrong accessory choices also ruined many an outfit for our local Lolita wannabes. Maryjanes are the shoes of choice for Lolitas, but that does not mean that any kind of maryjane will do. School shoes are definitely out -- they are far too squat and inelegant looking to be proper Lolita. As are maryjanes with six-inch high stripper heels -- Lolitas as supposed to be sweet, not sassy and too overtly sexual.
If you are wearing tights, go for the most opaque pair you can find; see-through stockings won't cut it -- they will just make the rest of your outfit look cheap and half-assed. And make your headdress selections carefully! If you are making them yourself, fight the temptation to be lazy and finish them off properly; sticking any old thing (like refrigerator magnets or giftwrap flowers) on a headband or a pair of barrettes and calling them Lolita accessories is a definite no-no!
Last but not least, I have an axe to grind with bad Lolita attention whores. For the love of all that's holy, please refrain from inflicting your horrible "glamour shots" on your fellow J-rock fans by posting them in public domain. What you do with your pictures on your personal MULTIPLY pages is none of my concern, but if you insist on adding them to -- say, you COSPLAY.PH resume, under the pretense that it is "Gothic and Lolita Cosplay", then you and I need to step out for a second so I can slap you silly.
Lolita (or Punk, as the case may be) is not "cosplay", it is "fashion" -- meaning that you wear it on a daily basis and not just break it out when you and your equally uninformed friends have an anime convention to go to. Lolita fashions -- no matter how extraordinary or exotic they may appear, are real clothes. So unless your daily t-shirts and jeans or public high school uniforms mysteriously, magically fall under the category of "Cosplay", then Gothic and Lolita outfits do not belong there either.
I am not a brand snob -- I do not automatically consider all branded Lolita clothing as flawless, nor do I dismiss indie or self-made Lolita clothing as inferior. It's all just a matter of putting them all together the right way. Lolita is not just a fashion -- it is a philosophy, a way of life for the many Japanese girls and soon the numerous international ladies who strive to follow it. Local Lolita wannabes should not insult the community and ridicule their efforts by aping their sense of aesthetic poorly, and mangling it beyond recognition. Just a few clicks of the mouse, just a few careful stitches, and a lot of love and care, makes all the difference between a genuine Lolita, and Ms. Bad Lolita.
Thursday, 29 May 2008
Friday, 30 May 2008s’okay—you were just voicing your opinion. as was i, although not as nicely.
in a nutshell, all i’m trying to say is: doing something well is one thing (and i would be the first person to walk up to these people to compliment them on their efforts), but doing a half-assed job at it is a waste of time, effort, and resources.
it is also affront to the geniune fans of the genre—whether it is fashion, music, or something else entirely, since it appears like the bad fans are pulling the community down and making everyone look (and feel) equally horrible.
Posted by magnetic_rose at 01:15 PM
Friday, 6 June 2008hello, very well said! i like this article. its your opinion you could say what you want, i respect that and i’m happy. i agree with you.
lolita is not a cosplay but a fashion! i also agree with what you said that half-assed job is just a waste of time, doing something with all your heart and patience is what builds up a true lolita.
Posted by voiceofmana at 07:31 PM
Monday, 7 July 2008well this really gets me! lolita in chuck? >_< hahaha! well my sister want to make a lolita costume but she dont know what materials to use… hope you can help me guys.... can you send me the proper way of a lolita get-up? my sister is an anime lover and she watns to be member of ongaku too… i dont want her to end up being a poser neither a bad lolita ^_^. need some tips!
Posted by Harrysaint at 06:19 PM
To think I’ve been going to the communities who bash people who do these kinds of fashions horribly :\ For me, it’s not just the fact some people try to doll up in Lolita fashion or in VK, but I guess it’s also following a trend again. I’ve been seeing a lot of cos-trippers in cons lately, and it’s just not cosplay. It made me check on my own way of dressing up to events and I’m trying to tone down myself.
I think it’s all just a fad for them. Hopefully, we (including myself >A<) we learn from our trial and errors, or we just give up the idea and appreciate others who can do it well instead ^^
Sorry for the ramble
Posted by sm16 at 11:39 PM