Lost In Translation

Tokyo's freakiest fashion trend: goth Lolitas

GOTHIC-&-LOLITA-flat-cover_.jpg
Westerners have always had a curious fixation with the styles and trends of Japan. It is a country, after all, where people cry and scream in the presence of Tinsley Mortimer's handbag collection. A bit harder to mediate with American fashion sensibilities, however, is Japan's current obsession with "Gothic Lolita"—a rather bizarre sartorial milieu in which ruffled skirts, lacey stockings, and Mary Janes are paired with black eyeliner, facial piercings, and other accessories typically associated with students responsible for school shootings.

Far from being a fringe trend, Gothic Lolita clothing and accoutrements are widely available in Japanese shopping malls, as well as recognizable on popular TV programs and in high-fashion magazine spreads. While the prevalent Goth-Lo aesthetic isn't nearly as overtly sexual as Nabokov's heroine, the juxtaposition at the heart of the look—that of the cheerful schoolgirl as pained social pariah—is certainly visually jarring. Below, an exclusive look at Masayuki Yoshinaga's Gothic & Lolita (Phaidon Press), a collection of the photographer's work documenting one of the most popular fashion genres in Tokyo and Osaka.

SEE THE PHOTOS >>


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