Real-world fashion one-ups magical girl anime in frill-count.

Anime costumes are usually much more about looking good than actual functionality, and that’s especially true for series in the magical girl genre. When an outfit isn’t existing in actual three-dimensional space, there’s no limit to the number of folds, frills, and flares an artist can add to a dress.

Here in the real world, though, fashion designers usually have to reign themselves in in the name of practicality, both in terms of how easy an outfit is to move around in and how much time it would take to add all those extra stitches, ribbons, and strips of lace. A notable exception, though, is Japan’s Lolita fashion, where luxuriously elaborate elements are the norm. So when it came time for Lolita fashion brand Nya Nya to collaborate with Puella Magi Madoka Magica, they didn’t hold back at all, creating a pair of stunningly complex and detailed dresses inspired by the two key characters of the magical girl anime franchise.

Offered through Lolita fashion online marketplace Rococo’s Closet, the pink-and-white dress takes its cues from series protagonist Madoka Kaname, while the darker garment draws on the design of Homura Akemi. Neither is an exact copy of the characters’ in-anime outfits, instead using their costumes as a jumping-off point for something that’s familiar to Madoka Magica fans, yet also firmly enough within the Lolita apparel genre to please fashion fans who’ve never seen the anime.

Rococo’s Closet has yet to reveal exact an exact release date, saying only that the dresses will be available for order sometime in May, most likely through the Rococo’s Closer online store here. No pricing details have been mentioned yet either, though a quick browse through the Rococo’s Closet shop shows most of their dresses to be in the 15,000 to 20,000 yen (US$98-US$130) range, suggesting that the Madoka Magica dresses won’t be prohibitively expensive.

Related: Rococo’s Closet online store
Source: Twitter/@Rococoscloset via Otakomu
Top image: Twitter/@Rococoscloset
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