Lolita in Singapore
Culture is a lot like art. Once you start looking into it, there’s really no end to the fascination, and the more you know, the more the fascination grows. This is one reason why Singapore is such a spectacular place to visit. There are many ethnic cultures that make up the population, with the majority being Chinese, with some Indian and Malay influences. There are many other cultures living here, as well as different influences, from Japan to Italy, to pretty much anywhere in the world. This makes it a fascinating place in its own rite, and looking at the complex histories that bring these people together is worthy of a lifetime of study. But there are also many cultures within, beneath, and outside of these cultures, and they shape contemporary Singapore society as much as any.
The urban population is very savvy, and certainly trend-setting, where a lot of modern fashion and design come from Singapore. There is also a wonderful food culture here, with plenty of ethnic restaurants, vegetarian restaurants, and hosts of others, representing various kinds of cuisine, and starting off an evening in your favorite new place is a great way to get started in your explorations of Singapore. You might notice that there are some spectacular fashion senses in the clubs and in the streets, and one of the most interesting new trends is Lolita fashion.
This is the style where young people, generally women, wear Victorian-style dresses, with very unique and individual modifications and accessories. Some theorize that it comes from Nabokov’s novel, but it’s really a reference to another era altogether, and the intention is to dress cute, and to resemble the pale porcelain dolls from the same era. But it’s much less about historical reference than it is a modern descendent of punk. Many of the styles incorporate the iconic punk rock colors of red, white, and black, and some of the trends in Lolita go straight into goth. There are some young men who dress in Lolita style, too, sometimes specifically referenced as Oujisama. It originated in Japan, and it’s becoming very fashionable in the rest of the world, too, with groups as far away as the U.S. who are devoted fans of Lolita style.