A Confession...

Wearing alternative fashion is scary.

The Goths, Steampunkers, and Lolitas, who go out dressed to the nines in their chosen aesthetic, are incredibly courageous. I've always acknowledged this case, but it never really struck me how brave these people are until last Thursday.

Last Thursday, I finished my Victorian Walking Skirt. Despite the small details to adjust, I was excited to go out for a long promenade  After all, what use is having a walking skirt if you do not go for walks? I would take my newly acquired parasol, a pair of gloves, and Ivan Turgenev's "On the Eve" on a quest to find a quiet place by the river to read. Then, afterwards, I would head off to the mall to search for a new phone chord as mine had broke.  Idyllic, no?

However, I couldn't do it.

My normal outfits are hardly typical, yet never exceed the bounds of eccentricy. My parasol, my gloves, a frilly lolita blouse, gothic lace up boots- yes, each of these had been featured in a daily outfit on their own. But to wear them together and take that step into the truly daring- with a floor length skirt no less? No. I couldn't bring myself to step outside my room.

Instead, my head was filled with images of the amused, contemptuous expressions everyone would have as they saw me striding down the street. Or worse, pretending to walk by having seen nothing at all.  I've read the blog posts of suggestions for dealing with unwanted attention or comments. I know that the best way is to keep your head high, remain polite and courteous and ignore them in turn.

And yet, I couldn't do it.

It is strange running into one of your limitations headfirst. It's taken me nearly a week to fully realize the fear. I want to say now to everyone who dresses up in fanciful clothing with elaborate makeup and extraordinary accessories:

You are brave. Braver than you realize. Take pride in your courage.

When Lolita is Too Sweet II

Due to time constraints and length, I have decided to divide my critique of Lolita in two . My previous post praised Lolita; here is the critique.

However, a disclaimer is necessary. I have not, as of this moment, worn Lolita. My critique is based on the knowledge found in various blogs and message boards throughout the internet. Like my critique of Goth, I am not condemning the fashion as a whole, merely stating why I will not embrace this aesthetic fully.

Clothing tells the story of your life. The garments you chose, the seperates you match, the care and attention you pay to your hair and makeup, proclaim far more to a person than we would like to admit. But consider two people: one dressed in jeans and a baggy hoodie from some name brand store, the other wearing a well tailored skirt and blazer. Who would you invite back to a job interview? Look twice at in the street? Think was more successful? 

The question of the validity of this judging remains to be explored, but we are being naive if we think that people first judge by the qualities of we display rather than the clothing we wear. The right outfit can create an story about our lives that, I believe, our personality fills in to match.

But what is the story that Lolita clothing provides? What is the lifestyle of someone who has applied the aesthetics to Lolita to every aspect of their life?

I imagine her life would resemble that of a pampered cat.

Let me try to paint the picture:

The Lolita wakes as the sun paints golden paths along the pink and white walls of her room. She yawns, rubs her eyes, smiles and clambers out of her canopy bed to begin her day. Her ruffled and lace-frilled night gown is carefully stored in her matching cabinet and the Lolita skips over to her overflowing closet to choose what she will wear today. Naturally, her closet is full of only the best and most beautiful of brand dresses, shoes, socks, blouses, petticoats, skirts, belts, bolero's, head peices, rings, necklaces- the list goes on. After all, Lolita is fashion before philosophy and the clothing is the most important part of her day. 

After dressing, the Lolita descends to the dining room looking over the gardens. Breakfast is already laid with tea, scones, butters and jams prettily arranged on fine china. The Lolita finishes her meal and retires to the garden for a turn among the flowers. After enjoying the beauties of Nature perhaps she meets up with her fellow Lolita's for afternoon tea or a day of shopping and photography in the city. Perhaps she goes on another walk for the afternoon. Perhaps she spends her time embroidering or crafting some pretty new design for a dress or head piece. It doesn't matter; the day is hers.

After a light dinner, the Lolita perhaps reads a novel or finishes her crafting. Perhaps she visits more friends or plays with her pets. Whatever she does, the Lolita returns to her bed happy and content at the hours of her day.

This is not a bad life. Indeed, I would quite willingly spend a month or more spending my days in such a fashion. At first, I would glory in late mornings and days with nothing to do but engage my mind in the most feminine of things. But eventually, I know I would grow restless. After all, what was I doing?

Lolita fashion is fantastically impractical; it is part of the charm. But if I had spent the better part of two hours preparing my outfit, I would think twice about doing anything that might ruin my hard work. 

That 'anything' encompasses most of what is valuable in life: running, dancing, exploring new areas of the woods or parks, lounging, art projects, eating strange and potentially messy food- all the spontaneous adventures that can arise. I would be hesitant to engage fully in any of those because somewhere, in the back of my mind, I would be worried about ruining my clothing.

The activities suited for the Lolita are small and domestic: petting cats, taking pictures, baking cookies and cakes, small crafts. The aesthetic contains no passion or Greatness within itself. If I saw that the best woman general or inventor or politician or writer wore Lolita, I would think they had achieved greatness inspite of rather than because of their fashion.

Perhaps there is no fashion, yet, that can inspire greatness. This is part of my goal in exploring the Neo-Aristocratic philosophy and aesthetic. But if I do find such a fashion, I don't think it will be Lolita with the impracticality, the excessive sweetness, and delicacy of the garments and look. 

There is not enough passion in Lolita, not enough Greatness. The fashion hearkens back to a time when small crafts and activities were the focus of a woman's thoughts not world or life changing ones.

Now, such focus on the smaller sphere of life is necessary at times, but it must be tempered by times for Greatness. Lolita offers the former, but no chance for the latter and a proper, applicable aesthetic should offer both.

Again, I am more than happy to discuss any of my ideas if they raised questions or concerns. If there is some place where my argument was weak or confusing, please let me know. 

When Lolita is too Sweet....

Found on Wikipedia

Lolita may be the alternative aesthetic I have studied the least, but for the past three months I have been obsessed: lurking about egl, abusing googlechrome's instant translate function as I haunt the online stores, dreaming about outfits and even trying to design my own skirts in the margins of my notebooks.

 Needless to say, the Lolita aesthetic appeals to me very much.

Again, there are far better blogs, written by actual lolitas, which explain the aesthetic and details of the fashion. To the best of my understanding, Lolita is a silhouette.

.

How one fills in this silhouette is a matter of taste, but can generally be divided into three main styles: Gothic, Sweet, and Classic. Of these three, Classic is my favorite. It emphasizes an elegant rather than cute look: using muted tones and simpler lines with the influence of  a Victorian lady rather than Victorian doll. 

From Mary Magdalene website

The Beautiful Side of this Aesthetic:

Lolita is primarily a fashion based aesthetic and they do that very well. My appreciation can be divided into two general categories: the quality of the garments and the reasons for wearing them.  

First, real, brand or otherwise Lolita dresses are exquisite. The attention to detail alone is worth of  the praise of an epic poem. In an age of tee-shirts and blue jeans where simplicity without structure seems to be more valued than beauty, looking at the Lolita coordinates and outfits online is akin to looking at the pictures in a fairy tale. Why have ruffles and yards of lace gone out of fashion? Why are details like pin-tucks and embroidery absent from our current clothing?

The answer is disappointing in its simplicity: time and expense. Extra fabric, quality lace, delicate hemming all costs money and takes more time to create. We have forgotten that clothing used to be an art form- not something to be picked up at Forever 21 for twenty dollars or less. So while the prices for a Lolita dress may make the un-initiated blanche at first, they are well worth the price.

The greater expense also fosters a more sustainable philosophy of clothing. In an age where entire outfits can be bought for under fifty dollars, the idea of saving up for several weeks let along months seems foreign and antiquated. But clothing which takes so much effort to purchase won’t be left crumpled on the ground after a long day’s wear. Damage will be repaired rather than signaling a toss to the good will bin.  Even if the dress no longer fits the current aesthetic, the resale value is high enough to demand constant attention and care. 

But more than the simple quality and attention to detail of the individual pieces, to achieve a proper Lolita look, it is necessary to coordinate the entire outfit well. Lolita seems to be one of the few fashion communities left that have strict rules for what does and does not fit the aesthetic. It is not enough t to wear a few petticoats under a skirt with a frilly blouse. No, the accessories must match as must the socks, shoe, headpiece, hair, and makeup. 

Lolita is not a fashion one can just throw on in the morning. It takes attention and an eye for detail that is not often cultivated in this day and age.  Naturally, anything that encourages a greater care and thought to any aspect of one’s life deserves applause. 

But more than just the quality of the fashion, the motivations for wearing Lolita are equally laudable.  Fashion today often seems to be worn out of fear of being out of style, of being unnoticed by men, or of being judged harshly. But fear should never be the motivation for any action. Lolitas are incredibly courageous to take a step back, take a deep breath, and decide that they would rater wear what they want rather than what society dictates.

 Now, most alternative aesthetics do this. But Lolita is unique in their modesty. Plenty of Gothic clubwear or Steampunk fashion still flaunt the skin or is comprised of curve hugging outfits. But Lolita focuses on modesty with longer skirts, tights or socks on the legs and high necked blouses for the tops.  Sometimes, this can come across as childish, but I believe that is a flaw in our current perceptions of fashion than a comment on Lolita.

But the largest apparent reason to dress Lolita is the sheer joy the clothing gives its followers. Personal enjoyment and satisfaction is the way one ought to live one’s life! If some outfit or clothing gives you pleasure for the sheer sake of wearing it and indulging in your own enjoyment, then it ought to be embraced. 

The Lolita Aesthetic is very pleasing to me. There are many other reasons why but these are the most encompassing and philosophical ones I can devise right now. If you want, please feel free to make any comments or corrections about my understanding of Lolita or contact me for a discussion about any alternative fashion.

Roots and Inspiration

Alternative aesthetics have appealed to me since the early days of high school. I would pour over the descriptions of Neo-Victorianism in Neil Stephenson's "The Diamond Age" and stare at the gothic outfits and languor in television shows, dreaming of waking up one morning to either be in a nanotech finishing school or with a wardrobe of black and wonder. However, my life was creative enough, my parents were reasonable enough and my dislike of makeup irrational enough that I never crossed the bounds from loving to living the lifestyle.

Over the years, four main subgroup have constantly been able to reach out and to tug on my aesthetic heart strings, but leave me wanting something more: Aristocratic or Romantic Goths, Lolita, Steampunk and Ayn Rand's philosophy Objectivism.


In the next four days, I will try to explain what in each of these aesthetics appeal and where they fall short of inspiring me completely.  Also, I shall explain why I believe that Objectivism or a devout belief in any philosophical system should be considered and alternative lifestyle on the same level of Goths, Lolita and Steampunk.

Naturally, all thoughts in this blog are opinions only, not fact. Naturally, your opinions may differ wildly from mine in the nature of each of these categories. That's fine. I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of the these subgroups, excepting Objectivism, is from an outside viewer only. I have never dressed like a lolita, gone to a steampunk convention, or a Goth club. My knowledge is limited which is why I am not passing judgment on the groups as a whole, just why they don't work for me. 


However, I will be happy to discuss any of my thoughts with you and read any article or blog you suggest.


~ Lynette



(Note: this is my first blogging challenge! Part of creating this blog is to teach myself to follow artificial deadlines. It is up to you, my dear readers, to critique me soundly if I don't keep on track. Also, what fashion or philosophical inspirations do you draw your own aesthetic from?)