The Appeal of Alternative Japanese Fashion

There's as many different styles of clothing as there are people in the world. However, there's a certain appeal of Japan's street fashion that draws people to it from all around the world. Why do so many people like Japanese fashion? Well...

1. It has a little something for everyone

Anybody with a passion for fashion will find something to suit them in the long list of Japanese street styles. Do you want a loud, colorful look? Hadeko and/or FRUiTS has you covered. Want a mature, elegant style? Classic lolita or aristocrat are your best bets. Pastels and cuteness? Fairy kei and sweet lolita. You like vintage clothing and an overall "antique" aesthetic? Dolly kei! Maybe you're looking for something without many rules- then shironuri could be the one for you. Japanese street fashion encompasses everything from the elegantly simple to the wildly over the top. 

Decora, in this case, is wildly over the top.

Of course, that's only the styles that have names. Japanese fashion isn't limited to a handful of distinct styles. While labels are convenient, it's encouraged to mix-and-match and create your own style! Maybe you like the accessory overload of decora but want something less cutesy and more dark. Go for it! If you're in love with western gothic fashion yet really, really love the loose, earthy layers of mori kei, why not just take elements from both? Experimentation is highly encouraged in these communities, and are one of the reasons Tokyo has one of the most progressive fashion scenes in the world.

Many people also just flat out reject the confines of individual styles and just create a unique look of their own, often drawing inspiration from the Japanese brands themselves. Lately, more and more very unique outfits are appearing on Japanese fashion blogs.

2. It's fearless

 Let's be honest- while some alternative Japanese styles are toned down, most of them stand out. A lot. A common theme expressed by the community is a desire to be themselves and show the world who they are through their style. This is especially significant in Japan, whose collectivist attitudes generally value fitting into the crowd instead.

Of course, the plainer styles stand out in their own special way. Nowadays, it seems like it's all about being the most fashionable and beautiful person in the room. However, rejecting modern beauty standards and expressing just your whole, natural self is an amazing thing. Truly all these styles, at every point on the spectrum between bold and subtle, are fearless.

3. It has a great community

Japanese fashion is popular enough to have all kinds of communities, in all kinds of different languages, for all sorts of different styles. Fairy kei (and similar styles) is gaining more and more popularity among internet communities. There's large networks of people online who dress in fashions like mori kei and natural kei. There's lots of gyaru bloggers and even some local gyaru communities outside of Japan. Lolita is popular enough worldwide for there to be a decently-sized lolita community in almost every major city! Japanese street fashion is gaining more and more momentum, and with it is a growing group of people that support each other, hang out with each other, and ride drama rollercoasters together. 

Japanese fashion is all-inclusive, unique, and a great community. So the question isn't why people like it - the question is why people wouldn't like it!

About Cult Party Kei - What is it?

Cult party kei is a relatively new style, and can be somewhat difficult to define. It's aesthetics come from the Koenji shop Cult Party (now called Virgin Mary), whose brand concept is "eternal girl that creates the world". It can best be described as girly, pale, and whimsical. Like similar styles mori kei and dolly kei, cult party kei has an overloaded silhouette achieved with lots of layering. However, instead of an old-fashioned/antique look, cult party kei is much more cutesy.

Soft pastels paired with lots of white is the most prevalent color scheme. Very rarely is only one color featured; pastel pinks, blues, yellows, and purples can all be used together! However, all the pastels aren't allowed to take over the outfit. The white helps balance all the color.

 

Sleepwear, especially nightgowns/peignoirs, are one of the biggest cult party trends. They're easy to find, easy to customize, and add a dreamy touch. Usually they're sheer or embroidered.

 

Religious motifs are extremely rampant in cult party kei. Cross necklaces, specifically red cross necklaces, are one of the most popular accessories. Inspiration from religion is right in the name, after all!

 

In addition to religious motifs, cult party kei has a lot of cute motifs! Stuffed animals, anime merchandise, and character purses make up the adorable side of the fashion. Outfits heavy with cute motifs usually show obvious fairy kei influence.

 

Most cult party kei appears to have a crafty, homemade element. Sometimes this can cause the outfits to look a little off, which is absolutely perfect for this style! Think items like pompoms, anything knitted, quilts, customized tote bags, etc.

 

Cult party kei hair has all sorts of different flavors. The most common colors are blonde, light brown, and dusty pink/lavender. Almost everyone wears bangs, and while there are unlimited hairstyle options, the most common ones are double buns, loose curls, and braids. The hime cut (see the girl on the left) is also very popular. Note that a lot of cult party hair is left very messy; almost as if they'd just gotten out of bed!

Patchwork is also very popular. It adds texture, color, and general interest to an outfit. It's almost always colorful!

 

Dark cult party kei is a small substyle. The main difference between it and normal cult party is that it has darker colors instead of the usual dusty pastels. However, it isn't just all black! As seen above, dark cult party is still varied, cute, and mystical.

 

Flower crowns have immense popularity in all sorts of alternative fashions, and cult party is no exception. However, if flower crowns are worn, the flowers are small and in several different pale colors. They're almost never loud and large (as a lot of flower crowns nowadays tend to be).

Cult party kei isn't just for girls! Boys can rock the fashion, whether they opt to wear the usual skirts and tights or go for a slightly more masculine twist.

It leaves a lot of room for experimentation! Unlike fashions like lolita that have a distinct set of rules, cult party kei is a more general aesthetic that allows you to express yourself in a large variety of different ways. Seen above is a sort of marching band inspired outfit, and then a traditional/oriental look. Other variations include military (with military jackets and hats mixed in with bundles of cute accessories) and a lolita-cult party hybrid.

How to Dress in Lolita Fashion

Lolita is a fashion that stemmed from natural kei and otome kei in, you guessed it, Japan. Its defining features are a poofy skirt (which requires a petticoat to be worn underneath) and a frilly, romantic, and modest look.

The Lolita Basics

Image from lolitafashion.org

The Skirt - The skirt is arguably the most important part of a good lolita outfit. The standard shape is either bell-shape (pictured above) or A-line. The bell-shaped skirt has extra fabric gathered near the top so that it flares out at the waist with the most volume around the hips. Its flare looks similar to a bell. In comparison, the A-line skirt slowly gets wider as it goes down. The most voluminous part of the A-line is the bottom, so it looks like an A. All skirts should be no more than a few inches above the knees; any larger gap is pushing the boundaries of what can and can't be considered lolita.

Undergarments - Petticoats and bloomers! Petticoats are required to give skirts the iconic lolita poof, and bloomers can give a little more volume to the skirt, keep the petticoat clean, and prevent strangers from seeing your undies if you're hit by an unfortunate gust of wind!

The Blouse - If you're wearing an OP (one piece dress), then you won't need to worry about wearing a blouse. However, you will if you wear a JSK (jumper skirt) or normal skirt. Covering the shoulders is one of lolita's basic requirements! If you wear a JSK and want your outfit to be undeniably lolita, you must wear a blouse underneath it, no matter how hot it is! Alternatively, you can wear a bolero made in a breathable fabric to hide the shoulders but still stay cool.

Shoes - There are no specific rules regarding shoes, besides the fact that they should match the overall aesthetic of the outfit. For example, when wearing a fancy dress, don't wear converse! When you're wearing an all-black outfit, don't wear brown shoes! Shoes that work well with lolita include mary janes, tea parties, the notorious rocking horse shoes, lace-up boots, and miscellaneous fancy heels. Shoes that don't look great are sneakers, almost everything open-toed, excessively steep heels, loafers, and anything else casual-looking.

Socks - Just like the shoulders, a lolita's legs must be covered. Ideally you should wear knee-highs, OTKs (over-the-knees), thigh-highs, or tights; however, recently ankle socks have been growing in popularity.

Headwear -  You must wear something on your head, even if it's only a small bow or headband. Popular choices are the Alice bow (the large bow worn directly on the top of the head), the rectangular headdress, the half-bonnet, hair corsages, the full bonnet, and the mini top hat. 

Hair - Nowadays a lot of lolitas wear wigs; however, they're certainly not a requirement. All you need to do is have nicely styles hair, preferably in a natural color or an unnatural color that matches your outfit (for example, pink hair with a pink Angelic Pretty dress). Acceptable hairstyles range from long loose curls to elaborate updos. As long as it doesn't look out of place, it should be fine.

Choose a Style

There's three main distinct styles of lolita. Of course, your personal wardrobe or even specific coordinates may be a mixture of these.

Sweet Lolita

Sweet lolita (also called ama lolita) is the most child-like and currently most popular style. Its color palettes are almost exclusively bright pastels, and brands like Angelic Pretty often release dresses covered in animal, dessert, and castle prints that work exceptionally well with sweet. Large wigs, accessory overload, and loud prints are extremely common.

Gothic Lolita

Gothic lolita focuses on being dark and elegant. Outfits are usually all black/gray or monochrome, though sometimes deep jewel tones are added into the mix. While sweet lolita can be considered cute, gothic lolita can be seen as darkly beautiful. The (in)famous black/white combo that used to be the lolita color scheme is considered gothic lolita.

Classic Lolita

Classic lolita is the most toned down, mature, and refined of the three major substyles. It has the heaviest natural kei and historical influence. Most classic lolita outfits use either solid colors or floral prints, and if pastels are used, they're usually much more muted than what you'd find in sweet lolita. Accessories are generally minimal, and headwear like bonnets and vintage hats are often used. Classic is the tamest style and can sometimes be passed off as a very formal outfit for church or a tea party.

Where to Buy Lolita

There are a variety of places to buy lolita clothing, ranging from the extremely costly to the relatively inexpensive. 

Big Brands - Large Japan-based lolita brands put out the highest quality items, and molded the fashion into what it is today. For example, the most popular brand for sweet is the legendary Angelic Pretty, Moi Meme Moitie is known for its stunning gothic pieces, and Mary Magdalene has simple yet elegant historical pieces perfect for classic. A few others include Baby, the Stars Shine Bright!, Metamorphose Temps de Fille, Juliette et Justine, and Victorian Maiden.

Indie Brands - Lolita indie brands are very small, and usually run by one person or a tiny handful of people. Many make items to order, which make them a perfect choice for lolitas who can't fit into restrictive brand sizing. Two of my favorites are 4 O'Clock and The Floral Notebook. An almost complete list of indie brands can be found here.

Taobao Brands - Taobao brands are still technically indie brands, but they deserve their own category. Taobao is basically the Chinese equivalent of ebay or amazon, and a lot of the merchandise there sells items for very, very low prices. However, there's a catch: you have to pay for international shipping, which can get really expensive. You will also have to use a shopping service, though some brands will allow you to e-mail them and order pieces directly. Some of my favorite Taobao brands that I've ordered from are Chess Story and Infanta. I'd also recommend Classical Puppet's petticoats, as they're fairly inexpensive and very long lasting. 

Bodyline - Bodyline is a Chinese costume shop run by a rather creepy man named Mr. Yan. His items can be of questionable quality and it takes a trained eye to pick out the good items, but Bodyline has gained immense popularity among lolitas because of how cheap it is. Any lolita that will never be able to afford a wardrobe of brand will probably pad it with Bodyline pieces.

Second-hand Sales- Want brand, but have a limited budget? Just missed a release of a dress you fell in love with? Second-hand sales communities like the EGL Community Sales and Closet Child are popular places for lolitas to sell their items. You can pick up dresses after the value has gone down. Also, if you're willing to look past a strange stain or missing waist tie, you can buy a slightly damaged item for a fraction of the retail value! Like Bodyline, second-hand sales communities are a great way for lolitas low on cash to afford the style they love.

Conclusion

Lolita is a fashion that may be daunting to the beginner. Just do your research, hunt for the best deals, and make sure you have a good idea of what is and isn't lolita before putting together your first coordinate. Good luck, and have fun!