Dolly-Kei
Dolly-Kei, alternatively know as Dolly Fashion, Antique Dolly Fashion, or Grimoire fashion is a style centered around the style curated by the vintage shop Grimoire.[1] The founder of Grimoire, Hitomi Nomura, has said that she draws inspiration from European folk tales, vintage American and European fashion, as well as movies and books like Alice in Wonderland.[1]
Styling
Dolly-Kei outfits used dark colors and jewel tones and have an emphasis on layering, texture, and detail. Motifs tends to be vintage, natural and have a slightly melancholy, or dark vibe with taxidermy, bones and broken dolls being common motifs, though these things are used in a subtle way.[1] Tassels were popular and those along with the Grimoire tights bled over into classic lolita for a time. Using vintage items is encouraged. [1] Unlike Mori Girl, Dolly-Kei does not have an associated life style aspect, and doll-kei coordinates tend to be darker, more detailed and more often have a defined waist than their Mori counterparts.[1]
History
The name Dolly-kei is a bit of a mistranslated. At some point early on, English-speaking fans of the style picked it up from the brand Grimoire's accessory line 'Dolly' and adopted it as a style name.[1] This style name was not originally used in Japan, though it has since been picked up by Japanese media where it's spelled ドーリー系, despite the creators not accepting the term.[1] Japanese wearers of the fashion typically used terms like vintage or antique to describe their outfits.[1] The style was most popular around 2010-2012, and has since mostly died out. [1][2]
