Kitty and the Bulldog Japanese Lolita Memechiyo Modern
Kitty and the Bulldog explores the way in which British fashion – notably Victoriana, Punk and Gothic – has influenced the development of Japan’s ‘Lolita’ style, a cult fashion movement whose defining feature has been its preoccupation with cuteness, or ‘kawaii’. The display features nine outfits recently bought in Tokyo for the V&A's permanent collections.
Lolita fashion emerged during the 1990s as a radical form of street style born out of the Japanese taste for Hello Kitty cuteness. Whether dressed in pink, powder blue, red, white or black, Lolitas are immediately recognisable by their doll-like make-up, frilly skirts, fanciful headgear, ribbons and lace.
Although the term ‘Lolita’ has sexual connotations in Western culture due to the book of the same name by Vladimir Nabokov, in Japanese culture it refers to ‘cuteness’, ‘elegance’ and ‘modesty’ and has little to do with allure. It is more akin to a kind of aggressive femininity, is meant to be confrontational, and is often a reaction to the overtly sexualised representation of women in Japanese culture.
Lolita street fashion, particularly Gothic Lolita style, has been popularised by the Visual Kei (Visual System) movement in Japanese popular music. Visual Kei is a combination of a flamboyant style of dress, make-up and hair styles with a particular music genre, often inspired by Western glam and punk rock and heavy metal.
A striking feature of Lolita fashion is the extent to which it is influenced by British culture: Alice in Wonderland, Glam Rock, the New Romantics, Gothic, Punk and Vivienne Westwood. Although the attitude and aggression of Punk and Gothic have no place in the world of the Lolita, the movement represents a similarly powerful rebellion against the conventions of contemporary society.
The Lolita fashions held by the V&A were purchased in 2011 in preparation for 'Kitty and the Bulldog', a display that highlighted the connections between British and Japanese street style, complementing the exhibition British Design 1948-2012, 31 March-12 August 2012.
The Japanese Lolita look differs from its better-known Sweet, Gothic and Punk counterparts because its starting point is native rather than foreign dress traditions. At one end of the spectrum there is the demure kimono look explored by designers such as Mamechiyo Modern. At the opposite end there are the over-the-top creations of designers like Takuya Angel, for whom samurai armour and ideas of machismo are the main points of departure.
Mamechiyo of Mamechiyo Modern spent several years dealing in vintage kimono before establishing her own label in 2003. She has set out to reinvent the kimono as an affordable, everyday form of clothing, and to experiment with the incorporation of non-Japanese elements such as the headdress, choker and decorative lace collar that can be seen on the outfit displayed here.
Kitty and the Bulldog Japanese Lolita Memechiyo Modern
Kitty and the Bulldog explores the way in which British fashion – notably Victoriana, Punk and Gothic – has influenced the development of Japan’s ‘Lolita’ style, a cult fashion movement whose defining feature has been its preoccupation with cuteness, or ‘kawaii’. The display features nine outfits recently bought in Tokyo for the V&A's permanent collections.
Lolita fashion emerged during the 1990s as a radical form of street style born out of the Japanese taste for Hello Kitty cuteness. Whether dressed in pink, powder blue, red, white or black, Lolitas are immediately recognisable by their doll-like make-up, frilly skirts, fanciful headgear, ribbons and lace.
Although the term ‘Lolita’ has sexual connotations in Western culture due to the book of the same name by Vladimir Nabokov, in Japanese culture it refers to ‘cuteness’, ‘elegance’ and ‘modesty’ and has little to do with allure. It is more akin to a kind of aggressive femininity, is meant to be confrontational, and is often a reaction to the overtly sexualised representation of women in Japanese culture.
Lolita street fashion, particularly Gothic Lolita style, has been popularised by the Visual Kei (Visual System) movement in Japanese popular music. Visual Kei is a combination of a flamboyant style of dress, make-up and hair styles with a particular music genre, often inspired by Western glam and punk rock and heavy metal.
A striking feature of Lolita fashion is the extent to which it is influenced by British culture: Alice in Wonderland, Glam Rock, the New Romantics, Gothic, Punk and Vivienne Westwood. Although the attitude and aggression of Punk and Gothic have no place in the world of the Lolita, the movement represents a similarly powerful rebellion against the conventions of contemporary society.
The Lolita fashions held by the V&A were purchased in 2011 in preparation for 'Kitty and the Bulldog', a display that highlighted the connections between British and Japanese street style, complementing the exhibition British Design 1948-2012, 31 March-12 August 2012.
The Japanese Lolita look differs from its better-known Sweet, Gothic and Punk counterparts because its starting point is native rather than foreign dress traditions. At one end of the spectrum there is the demure kimono look explored by designers such as Mamechiyo Modern. At the opposite end there are the over-the-top creations of designers like Takuya Angel, for whom samurai armour and ideas of machismo are the main points of departure.
Mamechiyo of Mamechiyo Modern spent several years dealing in vintage kimono before establishing her own label in 2003. She has set out to reinvent the kimono as an affordable, everyday form of clothing, and to experiment with the incorporation of non-Japanese elements such as the headdress, choker and decorative lace collar that can be seen on the outfit displayed here.