gingerbread boutique
Lula's fashion stylings and general appearance are of importance to her overall
characterisation. As in many other gothic texts, the characters in Red
Garden have distinct exteriors that enhance their characterisation.
The duality in Lula's visual portrayal is an extension of her duality
as a character. In many ways Lula appears to be something beyond human, emphasised
by her exaggerated facial features. This is arresting for both the viewer
and the characters who interact with her. In clothing and physical presence,
Lula is a unique blend of paradoxes.
general physical
As mentioned
above, Lula is a woman of contradiction. She is noted by both Japanese series
staff and Japanese series fans for being sugoi in appearance.
This is an adjective which can dually refer to something wonderful
or dreadful depending on inference and relation. Lula is
a combination of both the natural and grotesque so sugoi
sums up her potential for both decidedly well.
When observing Lula's body one must note that she is a rather voluptuous woman (with particularly broad hips). Her legs are long and she is shown to be the tallest female character in the series (assisted, it must be noted, by her high heels and strappy boots). In the manga her breasts are also quite large, her figure of a defined hourglass shape. Lula is very much a woman in the physical sense, her body shown to be of considerable contrast to the figures of her teenage charges.
Kate is thin and plain, Rachel hides her childishness under make-up, Rose is proportioned with puppy-fat and Claire embodies the rebellious tomboy. Lula often chastises the girls for their immaturity and her overbearing maturity in these situations is often portrayed by her looming feminine physicality. The heroines are eternally youthful, unable to blossom into the woman Lula was when she died and for much of the series they must struggle to define themselves as adults mentally because the general physical is beyond their control. Lula's stature and proportioning show her to be an overbearing representation of adult womanhood however, she is truly an inversion of female physical sensibility- as immature emotionally as the girls she so openly criticises.
the nose
In Red
Garden each of the lead characters has a different shaped nose, the odd
design choice causing many English-language fans to dub the show "Red
Noses". Lula has a very distinct nose for an animated woman, an
aquiline or roman nose
to be precise. The aquiline nose has been linked to great wisdom and horror
in fiction with characters ranging from Sherlock Holmes to Dracula noted for
their hooked nasal features. Astrologers tend to link the aquiline nose with
strength, wealth and independence because of its well-defined shape. Lula's
large nose is an arresting facial feature but one which seems to suit her
proportions well.
the lips
Lula has
incredibly large lips of an almost rounded rectangular shape. Both top and
bottom lip appear to curve down (although this is less emphasised in the manga
incarnation of the series.) Lula's lips are always painted a crimson red,
adding to their grotesque draw. Lips are noted as being secondary sexual organs
(particularly for those in Freud's school of thought) and representations
of feminine fertility. Full lips like Lula's are generally considered to be
desirable and attractive, collagen injections being popularised by women seeking
the full lip look through cosmetic procedures. Astrologers see large down-turned
lips as signs of hedonism, discontent and expression.
the clothes
Lula wears a distinct uniform through out the series; a feminine power suit. The power suit is defined by sharp, angular cuts which help the wearer to appear bold, professional and powerful. As Lula works in a funeral home, her suit of choice is black. When she attends Lise's funeral we see her funeral dress is that of a simple black power suit (jacket and knee-length skirt) with dark gray blouse and black tie (see picture #3 below). It is this outfit (with a white tie) that Lula also wears into the final battle during episode twenty-two.
Picture #1 |
Picture #2 |
Picture #3 |
Picture #4 |
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When simply working in her office or interacting with the Animus, Lula's outfit is slightly different to her funeral get-up. The power suit is far more figure-hugging, with a black double-breasted jacket (that almost wraps around Lula's torso like a pseudo-corset) and knee-length skirt over the top of a sky-blue blouse and vibrant orange tie (see picture #1 above). This is the outfit we see Lula in the most. We have also seen Lula wear an elegant elaboration on her power suit fashion theme, with the outfit seen in Picture #2 (above).
The blouse is a pale gray with light pinstriping over its entirety, darts adding to its feminine appearance. The collar is high and ruffled with the sleeves overly loose and darted to appear "puffy". The cuffs are long and cylindrical. This blouse style (reflecting 1800s court fashion) was quite popular in boutiques during late 2006 (when Red Garden was made). Lula's skirt in Picture #2 (above) was also popular at the time of Red Garden's production; with its dark colouring, high waist and faux belting complimenting the soft pin-striped blouse. Picture #4 (above) is the outfit Lula wears during episode nine, when she dines with JC. The skirt is a simple A-line ensemble in a chocolate brown while the skivvy is an almost malt colour. Lula wears gray tights with this outfit as well.
Lula also owns a cream-coloured overcoat which she is shown wearing during the final few episodes of the series (owing to the winter season.)
as a fujijun creation
fujijun
is the illustrator behind Red Garden's character designs, a talented
young artist with a taste for macabre yet stylish images. Primarily, fujijun
is an illustrator and before Red Garden much of his work was featured
in gothic magazine collections and BJD anthologies. fujijun is, without a
doubt, an innovative talent. The women he illustrates do not necessarily adhere
to the standard conventions of beauty. Some have missing limbs, odd facial
structures and often the most surreal of clothing.
Gothic corsets are regularly mixed with twenties flapper garments and medical fetish accessories. fujijun's creations can be likened to the works of illustrators Nirasawa Yasushi and Mitsukazu Mihara. Lula, as a visual character, is very much a reflection of fujijun's unique style and artistic license.
• Nose - Something seen constantly in fujijun's art is a fascination with uniquely shaped noses. From cute button noses right through to blocky roman noses. His love of large noses on women is particularly apparent in his '04-'05 work
• Lips - Another of fujijun's trademarks, large lips (often painted vibrant colours like scarlet red or violet) are seen on most female figures. There's a certain sexual edge to fujijun's art (especially when you're looking at his distinctly gothic or fetishist art) and bright red "come hither" lips add to the overall allure.
• Character type - fujijun acknowledges that Lula is appealing because she is a "busty secretary" type (apparently Lula was toned down from her original design, when she is drawn by fujijun she becomes a good deal more busty). Lula, and fujijun characters like her, represent a modern style of fashion fetishism.
As we see with Lula's power suits, they have been derived in fitting from a mix of corsets and fifties skirting. While her blouses range from eighteen hundreds couture through to post-modern vibrancy. Lula is almost always sheathed in her black outer-layers of clothing too, adding a gothic edge to her design. So while Lula is an expansion on the traditional "secretary" type, there are splashes of fujijun's unique appreciation for clothing in her design.