



Let’s touch upon a touchy subject. Gothic and Sweet Lolita fashion is undoubtedly on the decline in Japan — in the sense that fewer Japanese are wearing the style, and it’s not as visible in magazines and media. Sad, but true.

Personally, I’ve been feeling indifferent towards Lolita fashion as of late. Metamorphose’s bonnets and prints are as cute as ever. But the silhouettes, styling, materials… not much has changed in the past decade.

I still find Lolita designs beautiful. But I find more variety — and growth over the years — in other alternative street styles such as punk, electro, fairy kei.

One might say that the static styling — the “variations on a set theme” — are part of the EGL appeal. However, to me (and many Tokyo consumers), it’s not enough to motivate continued purchases. My eyes wander to Hellcatpunk’s leopard prints and polka dots.

Anyone have thoughts about why Lolita fashion is lessening in popularity? Perhaps the fuzzy bunny-girl and Mad Hatter aristocrat styles are not as accessible to customers.

I feel that most Lolita brands haven’t made enormous strides in design and presentation. The Metamorphose dress on the mannequin and cluttered store don’t exactly signal “top of the game.”

The catalogs and styling are also same-old.

On the flip side, I remain impressed with h.NAOTO, who designs in a variety of underground styles. In his Frill collection, he isn’t afraid to take risks with unconventional materials and flourishes. I think he pushes the fashion-forward envelope and succeeds.

I can’t wait for the IBI and Sixh runway show at Anime Matsuri in Houston; as you know, I’ll be a special guest at the anime convention! All information about the March 18-20th event is in this post; I hope you and your friends can make it.

What are your thoughts on the controversial subject of Lolita fashion’s lessening hold in Japan? Are you also a little bored with the recent offerings from the brands? I look forward to your comments; be nice to each other.

All these images were taken in Laforet, the Harajuku department store. To see Lolita fashion and how it changed over the past few years, there are photos from almost all the Tokyo stores in my shop guide.

Bonus: Sebastiano Serafini drew us with my fat Scottish Fold cat! There are more photos of Basil Farrow on his blog, and posted on my Twitter.

Japanese Word of the Day: Gentai = Decline

Song of the Day: Onmyouza – Kureha