Necklace thumbnail 1
Necklace thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Not currently on display at the V&A
On short term loan out for exhibition

Necklace

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
Metal
Brief description
Necklace, metal, designed by Shunsuke Hasegawa at Putumayo, Japan, 2005-2011
Physical description
Necklace, silver coloured metal chain, with a tridimensional crown pendant suspended from the end.
Dimensions
  • Crown height: 40mm (Note: Measured by conservation)
  • Crown width: 45mm (Note: Measured by conservation)
  • Circumference of chain, when closed circumference: 590mm (Note: Measured by conservation)
Gallery label
Putumayo opened its first shop in Harajuku's Laforet department store in 1990. It specialises in mid-range teenage and young women's clothing which mixes hard-core Punk with whimsical girliness. On the outfit displayed here, an alley cat with an eye-patch and spiked collar sports a British-style crown, while playing card motifs on the frilly skirt recall Alice in Wonderland's Queen of Hearts.
Object history
This item is part of the "Punk Lolita" outfits on display from 23 April 2012 to January 2013 in the "Kitty and the Bulldog Lolita fashion and the influence of Britain" exhibition at the V&A. Part of the V&A British Design Season.
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.264-2011

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Record createdOctober 31, 2011
Record URL
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