Chiharu's Creative Corner

It’s nearing Summer and that means the weather will be getting hotter. Lolita consists of layers on top of layers which will seem like an utter nightmare!

Wear lightweight fabrics and loose some layers. Put your velvets away in your wardrobe for a few months. The breezier, the better. Start from the inside out. It can be something as simple as just not wearing bloomers, but you can keep going from there and loose the blouse and just wear a jumper skirt, and then loose the socks or tights. If you're afraid of committing a lolita faux pas that can sometimes even be considered or labeled "ita" as some lolita elitists would say by going blouse-less under a jumper skirt, don't worry about it! The blouse under the jumper skirt can add an unnecessary layer.

Going blouse-less is usually seen as okay nowadays, and a lot of lolita brands even make halter styled tops in the summer that are meant to be worn without a blouse underneath. There are however some jumper skirts that look absolutely fine without a blouse. These usually have some sort of decorative details around the top, an interesting cut of the collar area, and maybe even a lace overlay on the shoulders. If you still want to wear a blouse under your jumper skirt, it's a good idea to find some very breathable blouses otherwise it'll make the jumper skirt and blouse a very warm combination. Even if it's a little bit see-through it's not really going to be that big of a deal because you're going to be wearing them underneath. In my opinion, when it is really hot out, I'd rather dress more casually than overheat.



Try to stay away from long sleeves. If you do decide to wear long sleeves be prepared for your arms to feel extremely warm. Chiffon blouses will be able to give your arms air.



Usually blouses are worn under a jumper skirt. Salopettes and with skirts however, there's a second option. Cutsews are casual t-shirts with a thin cotton material. They also come with cute prints such as bunnies, ice cream, bows, etc. Chiffon black cutsews are also available for Gothic. If you wear skirts more than jumper skirts, invest in some cutsews. They're much less stuffy feeling than button-up blouses and the fabric usually breaths better.

Bloomers help with keeping you more hot, so instead skip the bloomers and wear a simple pair of shorts. Whether it's pajama, a casual Fairy Kei, or just a pair with frills.

The less layers you wear the cooler you will feel. The great thing about this item is that you can skip the cutsew or blouse and still fit in with the proper Lolita aesthetic and you will feel better in the hot weather. Go with a breathable fabric such as cotton for the dress and choose a short-sleeved piece over a long-sleeved one. Avoid a high neckline style if possible since necks can be sweaty places! If it is really hot and you want to wear a jumper skirt without a blouse, go for it! Whether or not you wear a blouse is your personal choice. Do what makes you feel comfortable!


In cool weather, I always wear over-the-knee socks or knee socks over tights or leggings to keep my legs warm. When it’s warm, I'm usually okay with wearing knee socks since I’m usually cold, but I know that sometimes, it gets really hot! For some people, wearing knee socks or thick socks can be unbearable in the heat. I've seen a lot of cute ankle socks, so I think this would be a great summer alternative to knee socks and over the knee socks. Most brands carry ankle socks with lace tops that look very cute with lolita shoes. If you find cute crew socks, those could also work. If your not comfortable with short socks you can also wear thin lace tights. Another thing to keep in mind is your leg wear. Full tights or stockings, or even knee or over the knee socks can hold in heat and make you uncomfortable. One good alternative for more mature and elegant styles of lolita such as Classic and sometimes Gothic is lace stockings because they still allow air circulation.


Open shoes will give your feet more air which will cool you down. You can also wear tea parties, but just try to avoid boots. If you're not wearing socks, of course, try a pair of summery platform or heeled sandals in a matching color.


One more big issue is hair. Do you wear a wig? Is that too many layers? What about if you just have really long or thick hair? How do you keep a cute elegant lolita look without getting overheated? My best advice, is to use your natural hair and avoid wigs if possible. Go easy on your hair. You're probably not going to want to use a whole bottle of hair spray in the heat of summer, or worse yet, a wig because they trap heat from your head. If you want to wear a wig then try to wear a shorter wig. Bobs or boy cuts can be really cute with Lolita and great for hot weather. If you keep hair off the back of your neck, it will cool you down. Another option is to just pull your hair into an updo. Depending on your hair length this will differ. Pulling your hair up and keeping it off of your neck and shoulders is a great way to keep cool. Wear your hair either down and loose, with maybe a bit of a wave to it, or up in something very simple like curled pigtails.


In addition to keeping your hair light and simple, wear an easy head piece. In the heat of summer you're not going to want to wear a big square headdress that just makes your head hot, instead go for a simple headband with a flower or a bow on it. There are a ton of cute hair scrunchies and hair ties out there! You can tie your hair back in a ponytail or in twin tails. You could also do a cute side ponytail, or a nice braid! An updo or bun would be another very elegant possibility. You can use hair scrunchies in your real hair, but you could also style your wig! I think less hair accessories can help keep your hair cool in the summer heat or at least I feel more comfortable with small clips and barrettes.


A short-sleeved or three-quarter-sleeved bolero or cardigan is a cute way to stay covered up in the summer heat. Look for a thin or open-knit one so you can keep cool while maintaining modesty! You could skip the blouse and wear a bolero or cardigan over a jumper skirt as well. The less layers you wear, the cooler you will be. You can probably find cheap loliable boleros or cardigans easily in local stores as well. Even a plain solid-color one could work in many coords! A basic bolero or cardigan can be worn in and out of Lolita. If you want a made-for-lolita bolero or cardigan at a good price, check community sales online, or local swap meets if there are any.


Sun hats will help protect your head from the heat, they can also look really cute. There are many adorable and functional summer hats out there, and I think many of them are loliable. Go for a wide-brimmed hat for the most protection against the sun, but you can also choose to wear an adorable boater hat or a simple straw hat. If you are wearing a floral dress or skirt, a hat with silk flowers on it would be a cute addition. You might be able to make a cute visor hat work as well. For example, use a pastel pink visor with a pink sweet lolita summer coordinate. You could also wear a nice sun hat with a wide brim as part of your coordinate to help shade your face from the sun.


Parasols provide great shade from the sun while also acting as a stylish accessory. If you want an easy-to-carry parasol, look for a collapsible one or a light one. That way, it will not weigh you down when you aren’t using it. There are so many gorgeous lace parasols and parasols/umbrellas with ruffles along the edges that I’ve seen online. Parasols create shade and also look adorable. Try to avoid the ones made out of lace, they don't create shade and just acts as a decoration. Brand Lolita parasols are really pricey, but also really gorgeous.


Summer its a great excuse to wear summer themed clothes or accessories. Dress for the season. Wear a lot of light pastels or look for prints that feel summery to you.


Sunblock is important: Sunblock helps protect our skin from Ultraviolet radiation which the sun emits. It can also cause skin cancer. So to stay safe wearing sunblock can help. You don't want to get sunburns! Sunburns aren't fun. Bug repellent is also a good idea since you do not want to get tick or mosquito bites. You can easily find combination sunblock and bug repellent lotion! Lip balm with sunblock is also a good thing to stash in your purse. Also, remember to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration! Stay safe in the summer. It's important to keep hydrated by drinking lots of liquids. In the heat your body needs more water then usual otherwise you could collapse. Electrical, battery or hand fans can be a big help! They give out a cool waves and also can look cute.

On a Sunday afternoon in Harajuku, Tokyo, one is likely to spot a girl or two who stands out a little incongruously among the crowd of brightly-dressed youths. While her peers are wearing jeans, miniskirts and even colorful printed yukata, she’s more likely to be wearing a dress you would expect to see in a Victorian fashion plate – lacy and black, or perhaps a pastel pink, combined with petticoats, platform Mary Jane's and a bow in her hair. What's this fashion or subculture, and how does it reflect Japanese society and culture? Will it evolve in the future, or is it a static snapshot of twenty-first century youth rebellion? How does it compare to the more well-known Western Goth subculture?

Lolita began in Harajuku, Tokyo in the 1980's when Omotesando and Takeshita-dori, streets in the Harajuku district, were closed to traffic on Sundays. This closure allowed youths to gather in Yoyogi Park and the surrounding streets to listen to rock music performances, shop, and simply spend time among other young people. Youths and street performers started appearing in wild, unconventional outfits which gradually developed into recognisable styles such as lolita, yaru or kogal, decora and ganguro. These styles were catalogued by a street photographer namd Shoichi Aoki, in his magazines: STREET (1985) and FRUiTS (1997). Photographs from FRUiTS have now been released as a compilation in a book of the same title and toured both Australia and New Zealand as a photography exhibition, allowing Westerners a glimpse of this “grass roots” Japanese street fashion movement.

Lolita fashion was popularised with the establishment of brands such as Baby, The Stars Shine Bright in 1988 and Manifesteange Metamorphose Temps de Fille in 1993. Other brands include Angelic Pretty, Innocent World, and Mary Magdalene. While most brands cater to the Japanese market, the advent of Western interest in the lolita subculture has meant that some brands have begun selling to Northern American and other Western countries; some brands such as Metamorphose have developed English-language websites to cater to this interest. Primarily, however, brands still aim their clothing at Japanese girls in their teens to mid-twenties.

Stylistic influences for lolita fashion spring from a variety of eras, the most easily recognisable being the Victorian era. The fashion is more akin to children’s clothes from this era than adults’; skirts generally fall around knee-length rather than the full floor-length gowns, and the exaggerated wasp-waist corsets are not often worn. Influences are also taken from other eras such as the 1950's and the French Rococo style, but while lolita has a historical look and feel, it's not from any particular period and tends to blend multiple historical looks together for its own individual and recognisable lolita style.

The lolita style has since developed into multiple sub-genres, the most notable being gothic lolita (known in Japan as gosurori, a contraction of the phrase). Traditional lolitas wear pastel colors, embroidered cotton prints and lace, and sometimes carry toys such as porcelain dolls or teddy-bears. The gothic lolita is more likely to wear black lace, monotone black, grey or white dresses, and crosses or crucifixes in a style more akin to western goth. However, the main emphasis is still on Victorian styling.

This style has been popularised by Japanese visual rock bands such as Dir En Grey and Malice Mizer; Mana, the leader of Malice Mizer, has established his own store named Moi-meme-moitie, which sells a distinct style known as Elegant Gothic Lolita. Other styles include punk, sweet (with even more pink, baby blue or white and a surfeit of lace) and classic. Some followers of the fashion choose to combine lolita with other popular street fashions, leading to hybrid styles such as cyber-lolita or wa-lolita, where a traditional Japanese aesthetic reflected in the kimono-style garment is combined with the bell-shaped skirt and headdress worn by lolitas, but the most popular styles remain sweet, classic and gothic.

The style could easily be confused with a sexual fetish, due to its namesake the novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. The lolita subculture emphasises modesty and youthfulness, as well as drawing from the Japanese kawaii aesthetic, and isn't considered overtly sexual by its followers. Most Japanese lolitas aren't even aware of the original source from which the fashion’s name was drawn, although the Gothic & Lolita Bible, a popular magazine for those interested in the culture of lolita, highly encourages the reading of that novel. One of the more unusual aspects of modern-day Japanese society, at least to western eyes, is the prevalence and even acceptance of the ‘lolita complex’ or lolicon, where middle-aged men are attracted to young girls and often seek out pornographic manga which is readily available at bookstores and train station kiosks. There are hints of the ‘lolita complex’ evident in lolita fashion, the young women who adopt and wear lolita aren't catering to middle aged men’s pornographic fetishes, but to their own desires to be cute and non-sexual.

In fact, some lolitas state that one of the attractions to the lolita subculture is the lack of sexualisation in the fashion. In a society where the rise of “sexy beauty” has resulted in clothing such as miniskirts and shirts which emphasise the breasts, as well as breast enhancement and other cosmetic surgeries, lolita is seen as a reversion to demure clothing which allows women to dress for themselves, rather than for the attention of men.

Whether lolita is a fashion or a subculture is a matter of some discussion among followers. Many women wear the style only on weekends and for concerts, possibly as a form of escape from their more prosaic everyday lives and of course, simply because it’s cute. Other women say that lolita is a lifestyle, and even when not wearing the clothes, they try to incorporate the lolita ethos into their everyday lives. Momoko, a character from the novel Shimotsuma Monogatari (Kamikaze Girls) by lolita novelist Novala Takemoto, expresses the wish that she could live in the carefree, whimsical and hedonistic Rococo era. No matter whether a lolita wears the style simply as a fashion or sees it as a lifestyle, the culture of lolita is an escape to a fantasy world free of pressures of modern-day society and adulthood.

Japanese women of today have wider societal roles than those of their mothers, they are still expected to enter employment only until marriage and childbirth, and while employed they are generally placed in lower roles than men. It is still common for a young woman to be employed as a greeter or elevator girl at a department store, or as the office lady asked to make tea and photocopy documents at a corporation. Additionally, Japanese culture emphasises the importance of motherhood as a “sacred mission” and discourages women from pursuing a career as it distracts her from her main task of motherhood and running the family home. Thus girls and women who wear lolita are rejecting the societal expectation of low-importance careers and homemaking in favor of a fantasy in which they can "fulfill their own sense of princess-like aesthetic beauty" and avoid growing up in a more mundane world.

This rejection of societal norms by lolitas reflects the rise in Japanese society of young people, especially women, known as ‘parasite singles’. Millions of young Japanese are choosing to stay living with their parents into their twenties and even thirties, working for a living but spending their income on material items and refusing to get married or have children. Lolita fashion is expensive; items from brand stores range from one hundred to five hundred dollars, and a full outfit may cost as much as a thousand dollars. The fashion began in the eighties, reflecting the affluence of Japanese society created by the ‘bubble economy’. Due to the youthful nature of lolita fashion, many girls are supported by their parents in their buying habits, but for others in their twenties, the only way to continue buying such items is to remain living in the family home and use discretionary income to buy clothes, rather than establish one’s own independent life.

It's possible, but difficult, to become a lolita without spending exorbitant sums of money; some women learn to sew their own clothes or choose to buy from indie or independent brands. However, most Japanese girls will agree that in order to be accepted and respected by other lolitas, it is necessary to buy some brand clothing. This aspect of the lolita phenomenon reflects the obsession with brands found elsewhere in Japanese society. Other parasite singles may buy expensive brand-name handbags or jewelry. As Professor Masahiro Yamada, who coined the phrase, states, on average women lose two-thirds of their spending money when they marry. The rise of parasite singles does not surprise the sociology professor, who also attributes their prevalence to Japan’s affluence during the 1980's. Despite the downturn in Japan’s economy during the nineties, it appears that both lolitas and other Japanese youth have discovered one way to maintain their high discretionary spending and affluent lifestyle.

Lolita fashion appears at first glance not only to be a rejection of societal expectations in favor of a luxurious, responsibility-free life, but of the homogeneity of most Japanese culture and society. Until the mid-sixties, most women shared a common beauty ideology, and even today the kawaii aesthetic permeates most mainstream fashion. In contrast, lolita offers distinction and individualism from the normal fashion style. However, upon closer examination, lolita has a distinctly paradoxical nature towards individuality of style. While it is true that it offers individuality from the mainstream, it still maintains strict rules about coordination and combinations of style.

Additionally, brand clothing is generally offered in only one or two sizes, often very small and designed for the flat-chested, short and thin Japanese girl. In this way, lolita maintains homogeneity of style and appearance even while it simultaneously offers an opportunity to break away from mainstream fashion. While lolitas may be alone in smaller rural areas, as is depicted in Shimotsuma Monogatari, Tokyo lolitas gather in groups in Harajuku, many wearing matching outfits. This conformation and group ethos reflects the larger Japanese group culture and allows people to feel a part of a group or subculture even when they do not fit into the norm.

Comparing lolita with the western goth movement, it's easy to draw parallels. Both lolita and goth are marked by striking fashion, a rejection of societal values and expectations, and “a longing to escape to another world.” However, whereas lolita incorporates the ‘cuteness’ found in more mainstream fashion, Goth fashion intends to both reject and parody mainstream fashion and good taste, aiming for a dichotomy between beauty and repulsion. Lolita generally emphasises childlike innocence and purity, which tends to be expressed in sweetness and optimism, Goth veers more towards morbidity, sexual fetishism and pessimism. Even gothic lolita, which shares with western goth a fascination with religious imagery and Victorian nostalgia, still shares the ethos of lolita that is a yearning for a carefree, whimsical world akin to Rococo. In contrast, goths emphasise their separation from mainstream culture by yearning for tragedy and the darkly powerful, finding beauty in the darker side of life. These differences mean that if one were to compare a lolita with a goth, both would strenuously disagree.

Lolita as a fashion and a subculture is easy to categorise as a static rebellion of Japanese girls against expected societal roles and appearance. However, to file it away as such a phenomenon is to ignore that, twenty years after the establishment of the style, it not only still exists but is spreading both in Japan and to the western world, in no small part through the power of the Internet. Online forums now exist for western lolitas to discuss the fashion, share photos, and even sell or trade items; one of the most popular has nearly seven thousand members from all over the world. Due to this worldwide interest, brands such as Baby, The Stars Shine Bright are establishing overseas stores; Baby has opened a store in Paris and is due to open another in San Francisco.

Furthermore, western lolita brands which cater to the different size and shape of Western women are developing, although none have yet reached the same level as Japanese brand stores. While some adherents of the fashion believe that the growing popularity will create bastardisations of the style that so many love, others point out that as lolita reaches the mainstream, the clothing will not only be more available but more affordable. While lolita may have begun as a fashion for Japanese girls who wished to step away from sexual fashion, reject societal expectations and revel in a world of luxury and individualism within a group of like-minded friends, it will continue to evolve into a fashion and a lifestyle loved worldwide as women simply enjoy “being a princess” in a modern-day society.

Lolita (ロリータ) is a Japanese street fashion and a subculture which originated in Japan that draws its inspiration primarily from the clothing and general aesthetics of the Victorian and 18th century French Rococo period, but also takes influences from current fashion trends. It's widely known for its intricate and delicate doll-like appearance based on the concepts of kawaii and otome. 

The lolita fashion tends to have a distinctive silhouette, which is achieved with the use of corsets and full petticoats, and often focuses on the cute or feminine, sometimes taking inspiration from antiquity. The general look therefore consists primarily of puffy knee-length dresses and skirts, lacy blouses, and varying forms of headdresses. Hand-held items such as dolls and plushies are sometimes carried in order to emphasise the childlike look, and make-up is often kept to a minimum.

It's true that most fashions are open to various interpretations, the term lolita is used exclusively to describe a very specific look that is created by abiding by a number of strict guidelines and principles. The “rules” of Lolita fashion don’t exist to limit the wearer, but are rather qualifiers of what makes an outfit lolita.


Although the term "lolita" may be off-putting to those who first hear about the fashion because of the connotation it holds from Vladimir Nabokov’s famous novel, which changed the meaning of the name for most people in the Western world revolving around a sexually precocious young girl and her relationship with an older male protagonist. The original followers of lolita fashion, as well as the majority of lolita fans across the world today, don't consider the style to be an explicitly sexual one. The concept of lolita fashion is typically thought of as cute or exquisitely charming, but most adherents believe that neither the term nor the style has anything to do with sex.

While sometimes synonymous with perceptions of bondage and other sexually-related ideas in the west, tends to be just the opposite when coupled with lolita fashion in Japan, as Tiffany Godoy’s Style Deficit Disorder informs us: “Abstinence, girlishness, and virginity were prominent themes. Girls covered up so very little skin was exposed, and wore lace and other frilly material almost to excess. They covered their legs with knee-high socks and wore Odeko shoes, characterized by a prominent rounded toe, rather than high heels.”

It's generally assumed though that the name of the fashion comes from a distortion of the meaning while word-borrowing from English. In the case of the fashion, the term “lolita” only refers to the child-like nature of some of the clothes and is also used because of the beauty or cuteness of the name. Lolita fashion is emphatically not about looking sexy and is instead about looking cute or elegant.


No one is exactly positive when the fashion appeared, but it's commonly believed to be back in the late 1980's with the emerge of brands such as MILK, Pink House and Pretty now Angelic Pretty. Early Lolita fashion was largely influenced by natural-kei, and would hardly be recognized as lolita by today's standards. The fashion was relatively unknown, until the early 2000's, when it got it's big boom through visual-kei bands, such as Malice Mizer, who incorporated dramatic make-up, strikingly unusual hair styles, and extremely elaborate and androgynous-looking costumes into their rock, punk, and metal performances. Malice Mizer's guitarist Mana fronted the fashion scene, and popularized the term Elegant Gothic Lolita when he opened Moi-même-Moitié, a Gothic Lolita brand.

Fans of this musical style began adopting similar costumes into their own street looks, and consequently, there was a distinct line between those who wore lolita clothing as a way of supporting the musical scene, and those who dressed in Lolita clothing only as a fashion trend. Lolita began to gather worldwide support gaining enough momentum as the fashion became more accessible through a variety of physical stores and clothing lines outside of Japan, and online web shops existing purely as a means of selling and showcasing lolita clothing in all of its varieties. The depiction of lolita is present in music videos, film, manga, and anime.

From 2000 to present, Lolita fashion has undergone an extensive metamorphosis. Early designs were rather simple, and often in the now infamous black and white color scheme. gothic, kuro and shiro were incredibly popular, and ama lolita was very toned down. Up to 2005, clothing prints were relatively rare, and the few that existed consisted of simple motifs. During 2006, the brand Angelic Pretty introduced the beginning of the ama lolita style as it looks today. The prints got more intricate and detailed, floral prints became more rare. The style changed from a more classic look, to a more childish and cute over-the-top look. ama lolita is presently the most popular lolita style.


The majority of lolitas just happen to like frills and historical clothing, a few prefer to lead a "lolita lifestyle" which one sees Lolita as more of a philosophy of living beautifully rather than just dressing it. A lifestyle Lolita generally dresses daily in the fashion, interacts with the local lolita community and may have feminine hobbies such as baking, sewing, embroidery, and other old-fashioned women’s activities. Some lifestyle lolitas adhere to the ideal of leading the life of a princess, and surrounds themselves with beautiful things and adopts certain mannerisms such as extreme politeness or ladylike behavior.

Community interaction is a large part of being a lolita, and is something that is enjoyed both by general fashion fans and lifestyle lolitas. Local lolita communities often arrange special meet-ups, where lolitas of all ages participate in activities such as picnics, tea parties, and visits to museums, amusement parks, or even art galleries. Every meet-up has its own specific rules and clothing codes. Many lolitas who don't dress in the fashion on a daily basis, sees meet-ups as a perfect way to go over-the-top with their outfits and show their love for the fashion.