Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.
The subject of yesterday's lecture was Lolita and her influence on fashion. The novel will always have a special place in my heart, as I've yet to read anything more deliciously perverse, yet simultaneously beautiful. Nobakov's choice of words, the way he strings them together to describe little Lolita. The opening above is just perfection.
Whether you experienced Lolita through text or through film (or both), she is nothing if not iconic in a visually stimulating sense. One thing this class has taught me is that fashion so often draws inspiration or makes references to old classic movies. When you really stop and think about it, many of the fashion trends today can be linked back to Lolita. The knee high socks with heels, the oversized bow headbands, and of course, the heart-shaped sunglasses. All serve to infantalize women, to return them to a time when they didn't necessarily know what to do with their inherent sexuality. It's coy, it's youthful - it's simply Lolita.
I leave you with a few visual representations, both old and new.
Sue Lyon in Stanley Kubrick's version of the film. The epitome of Lolita.
Kate Moss in Vogue Italia, 1992.
Most recently, Emma Watson shot by Ellen Von Unwerth. Notice that Lolitas always draw attention to their mouths.
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