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Ahaha, me and Yuki in Lolita disguise!
Admit it – don’t you want to try it, just once? Well guess what? Now you can get your Lolita on for around a hundred bucks, with professional hair, makeup, and photos!
And that’s just what my friend Yuki and I did a few weeks ago! The stylistas at Maison de Julietta in the Harajuku Laforet let us choose from their closet full of the latest Lolita frocks (Angelic Pretty, Baby The Stars Shine Bright, Metamorphose temps defille), helped us accessorize with adorable socks, hair thingies and shoes, then whipped us into the dressing room for a Lolita-style makeover!
A few minutes later, this stranger with pale skin, rosy cheeks, swashes of black eyeliner and fake lashes looked at me from the mirror. Then the stylist expertly bundled my hair into an industrial-strength net (ew, glad there aren’t any photos of THAT) and let me choose from a selection of curly or straight wigs, in every shade from darkest black to platinum blonde. Voila! My friend Yuki was so transformed that her six-month-old baby didn’t recognize her!
Then it was into the photo studio for a session with the photographer, who posed us in all kinds of Lolita-like ways and snapped away. Ten days later, the array of photos was up on the website, and we used the passwords they gave us to choose the three we liked best.
![This is my friend Yuki, and she was so transformed that her baby didn't recognize her! Poor Nana was in no mood to smile for the camera. (Here's a photo of how Yuki usually looks!)]()
This is my friend Yuki. As you can see, poor Nana was in no mood to smile for the camera. In real life, Yuki has short hair and works for a venerable financial institution, so you can imagine how Nana-chan might be confused!
![The photographer poses you in dozens of ways on the cute Alice In Wonderland set, and you can order whichever ones you like, in either digital or printed-out form.]()
The photographer poses you in dozens of ways on the cute Alice In Wonderland set, and you can choose three you like, in either digital or (for a small additional fee) print-outs.
Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix.
If you’d like to visit Maison de Julietta, the shop is right at the bottom of the first flight of stairs as you walk into Laforet. You can check out the outfits and make a reservation, or call 03-6434-5464. Base price for clothing rental, professional makeup, and photo session (including downloads of three digital shots) is ¥9,980 plus optional wig rental (¥1,050), fake eyelashes (¥315) and proper undergarments (a tight white t-shirt) to protect the clothing and make it look nice (¥210).
I first got interested in Lolitas and Goth-Lolitas when I was writing Nightshade, the first book in my Only In Tokyo mystery series, but this was my first time actually dressing like one! If you’re curious about this Japanese fashion subcult, check out the first few chapters here.
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