LAYLA Gordon is wearing the kind of outfit that gets you noticed. Her knee-length Alice in Wonderland dress is puffed out with petticoats.

A large white bow sits in her hair, or rather wig, of perfect blonde curls that fall to her shoulders. Her large eyes are startling blue, thanks to contact lenses.

Her legs are clad in white stockings and she’s carrying a cane topped with a flamingo’s head.

But this isn’t a fancy dress costume. For Layla Gordon and her sister Azadeh Brown, this is a lifestyle.

And you’re as likely to see them dressed like this on a shopping trip as on a night out.

Layla and Azadeh are devotees of a trend of Japanese street fashion known as Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL).

Japan has exported everything from Judo through karaoke to compact discs, but one of its more unusual creations is the trend for women to dress up as Victorian dolls, or Lolitas.

In Japan, there is a whole sub-culture of women who spend their weekends in knee-length skirts, packed out with petticoats, and carrying parasols.

Some even glue their eye-lids open and use large round contact lenses to give them more of a dolly look.

The trend has been introduced to Western audiences through the likes of Gwen Stefani and her ‘Harajuku girls’.

But Southampton band RazorBladeKisses, of which sisters Layla and Azadeh are both members, have long been bringing the look to their audiences and living the ‘Elegant Gothic Lolita’ lifestyle.

Layla, 35, was always a fan of gothic writing, enjoying reading novels like Frankenstein and the work of poet William Blake, but it wasn’t until she came from Iran to Southampton to study that she discovered the goth look, which she quickly embraced.

When, in 2000, she formed a band with her sister Azadh, Andi Gordon, now her husband, and some other friends, they took their goth look to a more playful level to suit their music.

A friend pointed out that their look was similar to the Japanese Lolita style and they became devotees of the sub-culture.

Layla makes their stunning outfits by hand, based on Japanese patterns but adapted for their body shapes.

“The look goes really well with England, with it being really dark and cool and my sister and I both love dolls,” says Layla, who admits it can take her up to an hour to get dressed in a Lolita outfit – two if she’s going on stage.

For Leyla and Azadeh, 31, who prefers the more grown-up Elegant Gothic Aristocrat, or EGA, look (think Marie Antoinette), there isn’t a distinction between their ‘normal’ clothes and dressing up in the EGL or EGA style.

“With them, the boundary between being dressed up and just what they are wearing is blurred,” explains Layla’s husband Andi.

When I meet them, they are in their work clothes – Azadeh is a university librarian while Layla is a research scientist at Ordnance Survey.

Layla is wearing a black outfit rich in lace and bows with a large cameo brooch and a fascinator in her hair, while Azadeh wears a cute sailor dress, with a large bow and puff sleeves, and both women have heavy make-up.

Andi notes that for them, this is dressed down.

“I do live the Lolita lifestyle without really being conscious of it,“ explains Azadeh.

“I enjoy going to picnics and tea parties or just sitting with my sister and doing tapestries.”

If the mood takes them, they will pop to the shops in their EGL or EGA outfits. Layla says her ten-year-old son, Aryan, is happy to go out with her in a Lolita outfit, although he isn’t keen on the gothic look and favours a hoodie and jeans.

Through their band as well as Layla’s clothing – made under her label Mort Couture – the sisters have gained some notoriety, being featured in numerous magazines, both here and in Japan.

And Layla was invited to be filmed for a TV show with presenter Alexa Chung, although the show didn’t air after a fall out – Layla didn’t feel Alexa was wearing the Lolita clothes with the right attitude and told her so.

The attention – whether it’s from magazines or in the street – is part of the fun and they all see it as a good way to promote RazorBladeKisses.

“I like to turn heads. I like to get compliments and to look different but I like the fun side of it as well,” says Layla.

“I love to feel that I look like a doll.”

Charity fund

Visit RazorBlade Kisses’ website at razorbladekisses.com.

The band is donating all proceeds from the sale of its album to the Global Giving Japanese relief fund for the next two months.