Goth Loli Girls in Sacramento

Goth Loli Girls in Sacramento
It's been a few years since my last trip to Japan, but a few days ago I was having some Tokyo flashbacks right here in Sacramento.  My husband and I were driving in Midtown when we passed a group of young women all in Goth Loli garb.  We pulled over, and I jumped out for an impromptu photo shoot.  The young ladies were game, and they struck some great poses there on the street.
Every detail, down to the smile, is considered.

What is Goth Loli?  Well, it's a Japanese street fashion -- part street theater and part costume party.  "Loli" is short for "Lolita," and Goth or Gothic has the same implications that it does in US fashions.  There are a wide range of young women in Japan who identify themselves as Lolitas or "gosururi" in Japanese.

The basic Lolita garb is part-Victorian china doll and part Gothic theater.  Most Goth Lolis wear short, full-skirted dresses, thick tights, clunky shoes, and exaggerated hats.  But there are many variations on the Lolita style including Sweet Lolita, Wa Lolita (using traditional Japanese clothing), and Oji-sama, a "boy style" worn by both genders.
A Sweet Lolita

My Sacramento Goth Lolis were out on a gorgeous Saturday shopping and having coffee together, and for just the briefest of moments I was transported to Harajuku and the fashion feast of Tokyo's streets. 


Check out more fun travel photos on DeliciousBaby.com's Photo Friday!

Faster! Higher! Stronger!

Thanks to all of you who entered to win a copy of William Wallace's new book, Michelangelo: the Artist, the Man, and His Times.  I always love a good giveaway, and I love having fun prizes, too.

Congratulations to Carolyn!

She's the winner of this giveaway.  She has a really nice collection of printable bookmarks on her blog, Corner of the Library -- handy for all you book worms!  You'll find her on Twitter, too: cmcarpenter28.

 I'd love to send you each a prize, but this will just have to do...
Image courtesy of the Walters Art Museum

This gold medal was found in Egypt -- part of a cache of similar medallions one of which was inscribed "Olympic Games of the year 274."  Now in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, this medal may have been a prize from the Olympic Games held during Emperor Caracalla's reign (198-217 AD).  That's Caracalla depicted on the medallion with his shield.

The Romans were as Olympics-crazy as we are today, and they adopted the Greek custom with a fervor.  Nike made an appearance even at those ancient games -- just not in swoosh form.  Look at Caracalla's shield.  That's Nike, the goddess of victory, on the shield depicted in the bobsled of the day, a chariot.
Reverse of the medal. Image courtesy of the Walters Art Museum.

Faster! Higher! Stronger!

Do you Tweet?  
So does the Walters Art Museum! Follow @walters_museum and lots of other great museums on my Museum Twitter List.