EMILY TEMPLE CUTE
Starting as a branch of the children’s label Shirley Temple, Emily Temple CUTE reimagined childhood whimsy for adults. Known for its playful textiles and period-inspired details, the brand became a staple in Japan’s Lolita fashion.
As a child, my family and I used to frequent a place in my hometown called “Miniature World.” I remember putting my face up to the glass and inspecting all of the tiny displays and dollhouses, trying to take note of all the details the artists had included to make everything as realistic as possible. The little dolls inside these displays were always dressed accurately for the period they were portraying. My six-year-old self was most drawn to the theatrical, lacy dresses and the cutesy Little Bo Peep-esque outfits. All I wanted was to shrink down into one of those dollhouses and wear the dolls' clothes myself. But instead of shrinking to fit doll clothes, Emily Temple CUTE has enlarged these styles to fit real people.Emily Temple CUTE is a Japanese womenswear brand founded in 1999, as an offshoot of the kidswear brand Shirley Temple and the tweens line, Emily Temple. Known for their whimsical custom textiles and voluminous Victorian-style dresses, Emily Temple CUTE gained popularity within the Japanese ‘Lolita’ subculture that emerged in the 1990s. Emily Temple CUTE draws heavy inspiration from fairy tales and children’s books such as Strawberry Shortcake, Pippi Longstocking, and most notably, Alice in Wonderland. Many of their textiles depict repeating patterns of slices of cake, cutlery, playing card suits, and music notes, evoking a sense of playfulness and whimsy that adults rarely get to express through fashion. Each season, Emily Temple CUTE would release a lookbook alongside their collection. Instead of photographs, the garments were hand-drawn, with notes and details about each piece. Lolita History Gallery has archived many of these lookbooks, which are available to view here.
In 2002, the original company (Shirley Temple) discontinued its tweens line to focus the business on Emily Temple CUTE, which was significantly more successful. Emily Temple CUTE eventually surpassed the original brand in popularity, leading Emily Temple CUTE to separate from the Shirley Temple brand in 2012. During the early 2010s, Emily Temple CUTE participated in many partnerships, collaborations, and magazine features. Spoon Magazine featured Emily Temple CUTE in 2011 for their launch with Blythe, called Strawberries n' Creamy Cute. One of the collectible dolls is available to purchase here. Emily Temple CUTE was also featured in street style photos in FRUITS magazine, alongside other Lolita brands such as Angelic Pretty, Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, and Jane Marple.
EROIR has sourced two pairs of Emily Temple CUTE knee-high socks from the mid-2010s, which are available to purchase online. See them below.
REFERENCES:
Lolita History Gallery. Emily Temple Cute | Lolita History Gallery. (n.d.). https://www.lolitahistory.com/gallery/index.php?%2Fcategory%2F220
PETRONIALOCUT. Emily Temple Cute + Blythe | Petronialocut. March 28, 2011. http://petronialocuta.blogspot.com/2011/03/emily-temple-cuteblythe.html
@RainDragon. History of Emily Temple Cute | Tumblr, @Raindragon. https://www.tumblr.com/rainedragon/730396422937116672/im-kind-of-confused-about-the-history-of-etc-did?source=share
