Lolita fashion goes big at Individual Fashion Expo

October 3, 2008 by Dennis Amith

In a recent article in the Daily Yomiuri, Kumi Matsumaru wrote about the popularity of lolita fashion.

Matsumaru wrote, “On Sept. 23, JCB Hall in Suidobashi, Tokyo, was packed, mostly with women wearing clothes that were clearly out of the ordinary. Some of them were wearing skirts flaring wide from their hips, seemingly inflated by hidden devices called panniers. There also were those in frilly blouses and maidlike head accessories held in place by ribbons tied under their chins. Many of them wore platform shoes and dramatic hair arrangements to complete their look.”

“They gathered at the hall to see the Individual Fashion Expo IV, an event showing the latest autumn and winter collections of 23 designers and brands that are known for Gothic, Lolita, punk or Gosu-rori (Gothic Lolita) tastes.”

“The show started with the designs of Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. Sitting in a swing that hung from the ceiling, the models showed fluffy Lolita dresses in snowy white and candy pink.”

“Alice And The Pirates made a sharp contrast to that girlish collection with a more edgy look in black, white and gold, shown to the sound of thumping music, before the latest dreamy, even toylike, Lolita collection of Angelic Pretty hit the catwalk. Clad entirely in pink, each model appeared onstage holding a bouquet, a flower basket, a stuffed animal or an umbrella to enhance her girlish image.”

“The event went on to present the works of 20 more brand names along with live performances by three visual-kei rock artists or groups, Kanon Wakeshima, Jealkb and Plastic Tree. Although punk and visual-kei rock fashion also was presented in the three-hour event, the flavor of Lolita seemed to be particularly strong throughout the it.”