Japan streetwear artist Minori will be in Hawaiin for the Nov. 19 opening of the “Harajuku: Tokyo Street Fashion” exhibition at Honolulu Museum of Art. She will be greeting fans from 10 a.m. to noon in the exhibition gallery that day, and on Nov. 20 will be giving a free shironuri, or white makeup, demonstration, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Honolulu Museum of Art School. Register by calling 532-6741.
BY NADINE KAM
My introduction to the world of Lolita dressing came via one of the early Kawaii Kon events. I was there merely as a curious bystander covering the fantasy world for my blog; I didn’t dress for the occasion.
That didn’t stop people from staring at me and gasping as if I was more of a curiosity than the cosplayers and Lolitas surrounding me.
“What? What?” I’d demand from them, and they would spill: “OMG, you’re so cute and tiny; you’d be a perfect lolita.”
Hmmm. Not something I aspired to, although I was fascinated by the dresses, the culture, the lifestyle. I wondered why anyone would want to go out dressed like a Victorian or baby doll, or some perv’s dream girl.
The Honolulu Museum of Art is now examining some of these roles in an exhibition opening Nov. 19 and continuing through April 3, 2016.
The museum’s textiles curator Sara Oka spent two years of planning and research for the exhibition, including making two trips to Japan, where she immersed herself in the culture, going to concerts to people watch and to butler cafes catering to Lolitas, who cultivate an “Alice in Wonderland” Victorian look, with ruffled dresses topped off with a bonnet, ribbons and flat shoes accessorized with a feminine handbag.
Because of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita,” about a middle-aged man’s passion for a 12-year-old girl, Oka said, “People in the West have a different undertanding of Lolita than the Japanese. There, it’s associated with innocence and cuteness, without any of the sexual connotations we think of.
“At the butler cafes they greet you as ‘princess,’ and you’re not allowed to lift a finger. They’ll pour your tea for you,” Oka said. “When you wear the dresses, you have to have the whole persona, the proper mannerisms and way of speaking. It’s not a costume to them, but a lifestyle.”
The Harajuku movement didn’t start out so regimented and codified. In the 1980s, it was more of a free-style, homespun movement that found a home around the Harajuku train station.
“They cherished a handmade look, put together strange colors and layering was an important element,” said Oka, who was assisted in her journey by Kiyoe Minami, a Robert F. Lange Foundation research assistant in the museum’s Asian Art Department. Minami grew up in Tokyo, near Harajuku, and said, “I was there just about every weekend when I was a teenager.”
Minami, an only child, was indulged by her mother, who would help her create her California girl and roller skate doll ensembles, which she said reflected her fantasy of living the American Dream. “People were influenced by rock ‘n’ roll, and movies like ‘Diner’ and ‘American Graffiti.’ “
Others embraced styles from the British punk and New Wave movements, or adornment from India and other exotic locales.
“Harajuku is about change and accepting any trend,” Minami said. “It’s the opposite of Ginza, which is high-end fashion, really conservative and never accepting something new from outside.”
The look began evolving when businesses moved in to sell the trend to the mainstream in the 1990s. One of the first brands to be established was Jane Marple in 1985, and today, there are dozens of brands precribing head-to-toe looks, often for about $500. Included in the show are creations by Achachum, Angelic Pretty, Atelier Pierrot, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Dog, H. Naoto, Jane Marple, Juliette et Justine, QPot, and Tokyo Bopper.
Steampunk Lolita design by h.NAOTO.
Within the Lolita category are variations such as Sweet Lolita whose pastel dresses bear prints of cupcakes, candies and desserts; Classic Lolita whose dress features somber colors and Renaissance imagery; Goth Lolitas who dress in Victorian black; and the newest Steampunk Lolita with a Victorian-meets-apocalypse aesthetic.
Other looks to be featured include the Mori Girl, inspired by forests and natural fibers. Adherents of this look wear a natural, woodsy assortment of vintage earthy colors and layers, often integrating elements of crochet, knit and lace. Dolly Kei, an offshoot of the Mori Girl, incorporates elements of Eastern European folk costumes.
Kawaii, Decora and Fairy Kei looks are cute, girly looks dominated by pastels or bright colors, use of childlike hair clips and bows, and the layering of furry toys and plastic jewelry. American creations such as Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony are treasured imagery.
As to why some people want to live a fantasy life, your guess is as good as mine.
Oka said, “I think it’s because they have such a short window where they can be this expressive before they lock into a career. From their teens through early 20s, it’s the first time they’re given the freedom to be this expressive.”
Minami suggests the dressup still comes from Japanese culture’s yearning to belong and wanting to be the same as your friends, no matter how different your group may appear to outsiders.
“Americans like to be different from everybody else," she said.
So true, because one social faux pas is to show up in the same room in the same dress as someone else. She added, "Japanese people feel comfortable and enjoy being the same,” Minami said. “You can see young girls wearing the same sweater sets, carrying the same handbags, and looking like twins, but they are not twins.
“I still like to have the same accessories as my friend. To this day, when I’m buying accessories, I always buy two. One for me and one for my friend. This has been going on for more than a quarter century.”
Both fear that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will alter the character of Harajuku. With money to be made during the games, Oka fears international retailers will squeeze out Harajuku’s small businesses.
“It’s sad. That’s business,” said Minami, who’s optimistic that an independent spirit will prevail, noting that “Harajuku is always changing—the fashion, food and people,” Minami said. “Every time I go back to Japan, I always have to go and check what’s new.”
The street looks below show more of the original looks of the early Harajuku girls and boys, photographed by Shoichi Aoki for his 1994 “Fruits” series:
The Honolulu Museum of Art exhibition will be open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays Nov. 19 through April 3, 2016. Admission is $10, including same-day admission to the Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House; youths 17 and younger admitted free. Call (808) 532-8700 or visit www.honolulumuseum.org.
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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.
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