Royal T with Lolitas

Royal T, 8910 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA
This is L.A’s first Cosplay Café (costume roleplay) owned by Susan Hancock. In this bar, Susan has created a fantasy ambiance that reflects the “Lolita” subculture. The bartender Ricco informed me that Royal T opened 1 year ago; it’s a combination of an art gallery, shop, and café that offers alcoholic beverages as a bar. Waitresses are dressed as “Lolitas”, and the clientele create a bond between Americans and Japanese. Lolita is a unique fashion style with a gothic touch. The fashion is a subculture in Japan that is primarily influenced by Victorian children clothing and costumes from the Rococo period. The movement started in the late 1970’s and popularized throughout Japanese youth and adult culture. Today in Japan, it’s common to see people wearing “Lolita’s” fashion. This new wave movement has begun to spread in Los Angeles. Susan Hancock is an artist and collector; her impressive art collection reflects her passion for Lolita’s subculture. Susan’s passion spills over her art and into her bar with Royal T’s Lolita event that occurs twice a month. The Lolita events attract rather interesting crowds. As I kept admiring the fashion, Daniel Franzese, an actor, introduced himself to me. He had an art exhibition about superheroes. He informed me about the “Lolitas”; and it seems that I was the only one in the event lacking information. I was impressed by how normal the abnormal is; in other words: crazy is the new normal. Royal T isn’t just a shop, but a comic scene. “Zippercut”, also known as Mandy Ma (she is a regular) served cupcakes and people seemed to love her Lolita’s outfit. Today I don’t have to go to the movies to watch comics, I just have to go to Royal T and enjoy beverages with a “Lolita”.