Lolita Fashion "Costume Play"
These are the REAL Harajuku girls. Gwen Stefani's take on Harajuku girls is based off of the Lolita fashion that is taking over one of the trendiest areas of Tokyo. It is a type of "costume play" where girls dress up in Victorian-era clothing.
This has become a huge phenomena in Japan. Stores with specialized costume play outfits, as well as cafes and restaurants with lolita fashion waitresses have popped up all over Japan. Popular Lolita fashion models, such as Misako Aoki, have even appeared in Japan Fashion Week.
There are a whole range of Lolita styles, but the most popular are punk lolita, gothic lolita, and sweet lolita. The thing that all the styles have in common is the distinct notion of burlesque sexuality.
[Photo: Sweet Lolita via]
As designer Maiko Fujii explained in
Al Arabiya News,
“Japanese girls love cute things, but they also love things that are slightly disturbing. I think girls sometimes get enthralled by something forbidden, something ghastly."
Sweet Lolita:
[Photo via, via]
Punk Lolita:
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Gothic Lolita:
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