While walking downtown, a small shop might catch your attention, it’s a small, bright and pink store that sticks out like a sore thumb among the grey scale buildings surrounding it. The store is called Angelic Pretty and it’s located downtown on Kearney Street. In the window you’ll see everything from big, puffy and pastel dresses to small heels decorated with bows and lace. When going inside, you’ll be greeted by Yume, the shop’s owner, who’s been into Lolita fashion since 2009.
“I’ve always been into fashion, very cute fashion,” Yume says. Fashion has always been an interest for her, so when she got the chance to run a shop that sells Lolita fashion she couldn’t refuse the offer.
Angelic Pretty is a very popular clothing chain in Japan, but the one downtown San Francisco is the only one in America. All clothing items in Angelic Pretty are imported from Japan so the items sold in the shop can be expensive. Clothing items such as dresses, blouses and skirts can range from $50-120. Bows, hair clips and hair accessories can range from $30-60; and shoes and bags usually range from $100-160. To get into the store it’s best to make a reservation. The store’s policy is extremely strict because of the rampant theft that the store has faced after COVID. You can also be let in by calling the inside of the store or scanning the QR code on its front windows.
Lolita fashion is a subculture that originated in Japan in the 1970s. Taking a lot of inspiration from French and Victorian fashion, clothing companies soon adopted the style giving it the cute and frilly it is known for today. A typical Lolita dress is long and extremely poofy, the top of it usually resembles a baby doll shirt while the skirt part is voluminous which is achieved by using a petticoat. The dresses in Lolita fashion have a lot of patterns such as cake, candy and pastries, just very cutesy things in general; and the more expensive dresses are usually the more detailed dresses, sometimes being completely layered in lace.
The term Lolita was coined in 1987 by Ryuko Tsushin in a fashion magazine, and a very influential movie during the style’s popularity was Kamekazegirls (2004), it was this movie that would inspire Yume to get into Lolita. “Yeah, back in 2004 I watched the movie uhh.. Kamikaze Girls? I don’t know if you’ve heard of it but it was really big in Japan and influenced a lot of people.” She would then carry her love for fashion with her while she moved from Japan to the U.S in 2017, and soon after she would start working for the Angelic Pretty that’s in San Francisco and has worked there ever since.
Personally, I think if you have the money or if you’re interested in the style, this store is the place for you. The items sold here are high quality and will last you a long time so if you have any interest in Lolita fashion, Angelic Pretty might be the store for you.
