By: Amy Ratcliffe – The Nerdists

July 30, 2015

Cultures often come together in unexpected ways, and that intersection is represented in the fashion of Alyssa Salazar. She’s a 25-year-old convert to Islam and online, she’s known as The Hijabi Lolita. Her style is bright, girl-ish, and not necessarily what you’d expect when you picture a traditional Muslim ensemble. Salazar has taken Japanese Lolita fashion and infused it into her wardrobe while adhering to Muslim standards and the results are delightfully subversive.

Lolita fashion is loosely based on clothing worn in the Victorian era, and the silhouettes of outfits are cupcake-like—petticoats are used to add pouf to knee length skirts—but they’re actually not called outfits, though. In an interview with Vice, Salazar explains they’re called “coordinates” or “cords” because every last detail is given attention. Assembling a cord is more than pulling pieces at random out of a closet. It’s a process: a process that takes patience and planning.

HT: Vice, Bored Panda
IMAGES: The Hijabi Lolita and SugarNoor