Living dolls

Step aside cosplay, as Lolita fashion is about to take Hong Kong by storm. Go shopping in Mongkok on the weekend and you will bump into young girls dressed like Victorian dolls in lacy clothing with frills and ribbons.

The trend started about eight years ago as a street fashion fad in Tokyo's Harajuku district. It is now one of the most talked-about fashions among Hong Kong teenagers thanks to Kamikaze Girls, a favourite at this year's Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) that stars teen idol Kyoko Fukada as a Lolita heroine.

Characterised by Victorian dresses, bloomers, stockings and shoes as well as other childish things such as Hello Kitty and Alice in the Wonderland, Lolita fashion strikes most Hong Kong girls as something innocent, feminine and elegant.

'I always like small and fancy things. Lolita clothing is delicate and the lace is beautiful,' said Elsa Fong (pictured far left), who has embraced Lolita fashion for the past five years. 'Many illustrations in European fairytales are done in Lolita style and I also love these stories.'

The 19-year-old associate degree student at City University of Hong Kong was the winner of the Kamikaze Girls Costume Contest, which was organised by the HKIFF and local clothing outlet Lolita In Touch at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre last week.

'I will wear Lolita clothes when I feel like taking a walk on the streets and have nothing particular to do. I feel more laid-back as I can't move freely or run around when wearing these clothes,' Fong added.