Dress thumbnail 1
Dress thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Dress

2005-2011 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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. 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 first three sections of the display are devoted to Sweet, Gothic and Punk Lolita. The final section, Japanese Lolita, shows how a fascination with the exotic and alternative has resulted in the reappropriation and sometimes extreme recasting of traditional modes of Japanese dress.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Polyester and lace
Brief description
Dress, polyester and lace, designed by Mana at Moi-même Moitié, Japan, 2005-2011
Physical description
Dress, black polyester, with the bustier decorated with a blue lace cross on the front, black lace trim and ribbon lacing on the sides.
Dimensions
  • Height: 75cm
  • Waist width: 33cm
  • Hem width: 73cm
Gallery label
Moi-même-Moitié is one of the best-known Gothic Lolita labels. It was established by Mana of Malice Mizer in 1999 with the strap-line 'Elegant Gothic Lolita Aristocrat Vampire Romance'. It has two main lines: Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) for women and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA) for men. The use of dark ultramarine blue in combination with black is a distinctive feature of the MMM look.(11/12/2012)
Object history
This item is part of one of the "Gothic Lolita" outfits on display from 23 April 2012 to 27 January 2013 in the "Kitty and the Bulldog" display at the V&A.
Subject depicted
Summary
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. 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 first three sections of the display are devoted to Sweet, Gothic and Punk Lolita. The final section, Japanese Lolita, shows how a fascination with the exotic and alternative has resulted in the reappropriation and sometimes extreme recasting of traditional modes of Japanese dress.
Collection
Accession number
FE.249-2011

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Record createdOctober 28, 2011
Record URL
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