Disconcerting news from the world of Japanese fashion: adherents to the cutesy subculture of Lolita fashion are organizing themselves into an official group. Their target: the whole world. The Japan Lolita Association was formed in February to spread Japan’s special brand of ‘kawaii fashion’ to the world, and the society’s office will be established at Fukuoka’s Omura Beauty College.

The Association’s main activities will be to report lolita news, recruit and appoint Kawaii Ambassadors to support the global lolita network, host events such as tea parties and get-togethers for Association members, and encourage and nominate lolita fashion-related schools and educational institutions. It all sounds perfectly innocent, but who knows what’s really going on behind those frilly petticoats and lacy parasols.

Becoming a member gets you perks such as subscription to their email newsletter and notifications of tea-parties and events. You can sign up here at their homepage. If you sign up with your smartphone you even get a super-extra-kawaii membership image. Count me in?

The Association is also seeking information on Lolita-related events, so event promoters who want their event shared with Lolita fans should submit their information to the ‘Events & Tea parties’ page. While the news is sure to excite some, It’s sure also struck a note of trepidation in the hearts of men and women alike. Just look at that bunny’s eyes.

Source: http://www.rolecosplay.com/blog/pretty-lolita-dresses-win-the-heart-of-more-girls/

To explain the difference between costume and Lolita dress fashion, more girls tend to say to wear Lolita is to be yourself, but to wear a costume is to be something else. Lolita fashion is often confused with cosplay, but since Lolita fashion started we can feel it is established. Although the look has become more mainstream, there still is a way to go as a subculture.

In other subcultures fashion and music go hand in hand, like punk rock or hip-hop. Lolita fashion is not directly associated with a particular music scene, but it has become a subculture in the past decade thanks to the “language” the Western Lolita community has adopted. The Lolita lingo is a combination of abbreviations like OTT for “over the top,” JSK for “jumper skirt” mixed with Lolita brand names.

Just like any fashion the Lolita scene sees evolution and waves in trends. For example, sweet Lolita was very popular, the classic Lolita style has had a resurgence, but it can still be just as OTT with bonnets, corsages, etc. Perhaps the community is growing up because most people who dress OTT Sweet are in their early 20s, and those who dress in classic Lolita are late 20s.

Source: http://www.wig-supplier.com/blog/?p=137