<![CDATA[Jezebel: petticoats]]> http://tags.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jezebel.com.png <![CDATA[Jezebel: petticoats]]> http://jezebel.com/tag/petticoats http://jezebel.com/tag/petticoats <![CDATA[Skirting The Issue]]> If a hoop skirt strikes you as an unlikely agent of feminist change, you'd be in good company. But an exhibit at Paris's Palais Galliera seeks to make just this argument. Despite its obvious restrictions, a crinoline provided a measure of comfort: one was not required to wear heavy undergarments and could move with relative ease.

In addition, the curators claim, the garment was instrumental to "the founding of a commercial fashion industry and the force behind democratic department stores and women's active new lives." While it seems difficult to prove whether the trend's correlation to these movements was influence or merely confluence, it is certainly true that the crinoline presided over an amazing period of women's history - and was a triumph of engineering. [IHT]

]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5110582&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Gothic Lolita Style: Rebellious? Or Regressive?]]> While the Gothic Lolita trend has been big in Japan for years (there are magazines dedicated to the style), it has recently been gaining traction on this side of the Pacific, and, on Sunday, the New York Times took a look at some New Yorkers with a penchant for "Victorian children's wear, the French Rococo period, goth-inspired darkness and Japanese anime." While it might seem ironic that ladies in this tough, gritty, city would be attracted to frilly skirts with petticoats, baby-doll dresses and bloomers, the trend actually makes total sense here. As 22-year-old Nancy Ramos tells the Times: "For me, Lolita is rebellion."
Because New York is machine, an environment that's all hard steel and concrete — where even the simplest tasks, like crossing the street or buying coffee, are complicated, expensive, death-defying acts of bravery. Add to this the pervasive sexual harassment on the street and a flaccid economy and dressing like a Victorian schoolgirl makes perfect sense. There's a sense of protection in those full skirts and high-necked blouses, some safety in choosing flat Mary Janes over spiky stilettos. It's also not surprising that the "Sweet Lolitas," the ones with childlike fruit prints and cute animals on their dresses, are "especially popular" here, according to the Times. In a hectic town, who doesn't want some happiness, some innocence? (At a Gothic-Lolita fashion event in Tokyo this week, one long-time Victorian dress enthusiast said, "I would like all Gothic-Lolita girls to refine their inner beauty first. I see a lot of girls smoking and sitting down on the floor in their outfits. I don't want them doing this.")
Of course, one could argue that the subtext here is that by wearing girlish clothes, these young women are telegraphing the weakness or helplessness of a child. Is it the equivalent of wearing a sign that says, "Please take care of me?" On the other hand, fashion should be fun. The Lolitas interviewed in a Times slideshow speak of just loving the clothes. Kelsey Hine, 21, swears that even though she wears knee socks, "It's not intended to be sexual."
Here's the question: Is it only about the clothes (see: Betsey Johnson's spring 2009 collection)? Or is it a form of rebellion for a grown woman to dress like a little girl? And: By embracing Doll's House-style, are Lolitas a setback for women who want to be taken seriously?
Update: Ellie, pictured at left, responds. A New Generation of Lolitas Makes a Fashion Statement New York Lolitas More Lolita Fashion [NY Times] Lolita Goes Victorian, Goth In Japan Cosplay Trend [Reuters] Earlier: The Gothic & Lolita Bible: Japanese Girls Are Living Dolls Fashion Show: Betsey Johnson]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5056235&view=rss&microfeed=true