Street Culture: Lolitas at Royal/T in Culver City

“I never stop playing dress-up. That’s kind of my guiding light,” said Sheyne Fleischer, of Los Angeles, 27, who is dressed as a Steam Punk Lolita. Steam Punk is a science fiction-, Jules Verne-influenced subculture that recalls the days when steam fueled the world. “I love the post-apocalyptic, deconstructed feel of it,” Fleisher said, “It’s completely being yourself in this fantasy world that never was.”   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Costume designer Kayla Maddox (left) and Kristine Lemen pose in Maddox’s designs. “I love costumes. That’s why I really got into it,” Maddox said of Lolita style. “And I love wearing her costumes,” Lemen said.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Molly Gibson and Paige Butler just moved to Los Angeles three weeks ago from St. Paul, Minn., to study at The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in downtown. The two were enjoying the summer-like weather in October. “Back home its already gearing up,” Butler said.   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Elliot Morrow, 23, of Long Beach, and Andrea Hernandez, 19, of Hawthorne, pose in Hernandez’s designs. “She made this all today,” said an amazed Morrow. Hernandez said she been into Lolita fashion for about four or five years and plans to study fashion _ generally _ at Otis College of Art and Design starting in February.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

“I’m more Goth than Lolita,” said Truemee Lee, 27, of Los Angeles.   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

“It’s just young girls fully covered,” said Truemee Lee, 27, of Los Angeles of the Lolita fashion style.   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Two attendees at the Lolita Halloween Tea Party held at Royal/T, a Japan-centric tea house and gallery in Culver City. The Lolita fashion subculture has it roots in Japanese youth culture and draws inspiration from European Victorian and Edwardian styles of dress. The style is further broken down into subsets, including Gothic Lolita, Elegant Lolita and Pirate Lolita -- all unified by a frilly, feminine sense of whimsy. “We’re scientists by day and then we dress up like this at night,” said Camille Vergara (right), who is a biotechnology scientist. Mandy Ma is a chemical engineer and, on weekends, a waitress at Royal/T.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Lauran Ando, 25, of Los Angeles, earned a B.A. in Japanese studies and once lived near the Harajuku district of Toyko, which is famed for its outrageous and innovative youth fashion.   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Jaime Rivadeneira owns the store Japan L.A. on Melrose Ave. and coordinated the Lolita meet-up. “It’s cute culture for adults,” she said.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Michelle Nguyen is artfully outfitted as the Queen of Hearts and is an editor of the magazine/book Gothic & Lolita Bible. Nguyen said Lolita style is more about being cute and feminine than about showing skin or dressing for a men.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

“Every girl secretly wants to be a fairy princess,” said Aimee Steinberger of Los Angeles.   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

“I live in Orange County. But I come to L.A. for events like this,” said Julie Truong (left), dressed as the White Rabbit from “Alice in Wonderland.” Mary Pham, also of Orange County, said she likes Lolita fashion because it’s so different. “It’s cute and creative ... without being slutty,” she said.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Author and illustrator Dame Darcy signed copies of and read from her new book “GASOLINE: A Rock n’ Roll Apocalyptic Fairy Tale” during the party.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Betty and Hayley Ruszecki wear Lolita gear with a Dia de los Muertos motif. “It’s so much fun and it brings us together,” Betty Ruszecki said of her and her daughter’s Lolita interests.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Julie Truong takes a photo of Hayley Ruszecki’s costume at the Lolita Halloween Tea Party at Royal/T in Culver City.   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Lolitas wait the chance to be photographed by Neil Sharum in the black rose garden window display at Royal/T in Culver City.   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Alix Baril, 14, is supported in her Lolita interests by her mother, Alison, who helps create her ensembles and her hairstyles.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Robin Anderson, 15, of Los Angeles has been into Lolita style since she was 13. “I like cute stuff,” she said.   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

“When you have impressive clothes, you have a more impressive life,” said Nicole Eng, of Los Angeles, paraphrasing a quote from legendary designer Vivian Westwood, who she credits with creating some of the fundamentals of Lolita style, including the cupcake shape of the crinoline-supported skirts. Eng, who was dressed in Pirate Lolita style, said the Lolita trend stands out as an anomaly in an era of mass produced clothing.   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Bonnie Ip of Los Angeles poses with her Super Dollfie ball joint doll. The highly-detailed dolls _ so named for their flexible ball joints similar to artists’ figure models _ are popular but not imperative among Lolita enthusiasts.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Lim Cholong sells Asian ball joint dolls like the one she’s holding at her Elfdoll showroom in Glendale.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

The most Liza Saguto of Santa Barbara has spent on a ball joint doll is $1,500, including the doll’s outfit, which can sometimes be more expensive than the same ensemble would be for a real, live human being.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

The party was the first time Wendy Cibian, 22, and her niece Jackie Deloera, 12, had attended a Lolita event.  (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)

Kayu Wong, 23, of Los Angeles, said Lolita style allows her to indulge in the type of girlish clothes that weren’t a part of her more conservative Chinese upbringing. “My childhood doesn’t have lots of pretty dresses and things like that,” she said.   (Tara Godvin / Los Angeles Times)