"Lolita" fashion is a fashion style from Japan that became international in the late '90s and early 2000s. The style mimics Victorian and Gothic dress themes with a spin.
A Facebook group of Japanese fashion enthusiasts is based out of Salt Lake City. They also call it J-fashion.
Alia Winn, the SLC Lolita Facebook group’s administrator, said the group began in 2008 but died out around 2013.
“About 2019, one of my friends moved here, and she restarted the community,” she said.
That’s the same year Winn said she started dressing in Lolita fashion. She was introduced to it by the friend who started the community.
Winn said there’s a set of rules or guidelines for the outfits that make it Lolita fashion.
“You have your headwear, you have a blouse," she said. "We have a bell-shaped skirt. You have usually bloomers for modesty because we have such big skirts. And then you have a pair of socks and you have your shoes.”
According to Winn, the major Japanese brands used to be the only recognized Lolita brands. But these days the community recognizes more indie brands.
“One of the biggest changes in the Lolita market over the past couple decades has been the inclusion of a larger range of body sizes and types," said Eleniel Morniewen, who has been part of the SLC Lolita Facebook group since the early 2000s.
She said that in the last couple years there have been more providers of Western sizes in the market, making it more available to everyone.
“I want everybody who who's interested in trying this fashion to understand that there are people out there who are welcoming and encouraging," Morniewen said, "and everybody should feel cute, regardless of gender, of size, of age.”
Although Lolita fashion is the main style in the group, it also includes other J-fashion styles.
“We're all into the same alternative style, which is J-fashion of some sort,” said Paige Grim, another member of the group.
Grim prefers the J-fashion style called "Gyaru."
“I found out about Gyaru, and I really liked Gyaru. They take a lot of inspiration from African American culture as well, like the long nails, stuff like that," she said.
Grim specifically prefers the "Hime" Gyaru or "Himekaji." These substyles focus on pastel colors, especially pink.
She has dressed in J-fashion styles for about seven years and wears this style every day to all places except work.
“It's much more effort than you would put into like a normal outfit,” said Atticus DeSantis, another member of the group.
They said they wish they could wear Lolita fashion every week.
“It doesn't have to be a super special occasion in order for me to wear it," DeSantis said. "Just as long as I have more time to get ready."
The group still meets regularly to bond over their shared interest in this fashion.
