You won't find the usual "What's her dress made of?" bits at this site because I know next to nothing about garments and the like. Instead, I'm going to write about what I think Lenne's character design entails in the symbolic sense.

Despite "Lenne" being a name of western roots, I believe Lenne was designed to be someone of pure Asian descent, or at least a close variation of it. Below are my logics:

Hair

Long and straight hair is a classic display of femininity by East Asian value. In ancient courts, female courtesans were praised for their "long, straight black hair that fell like silk onto their back". Although a portion of one's hair could be arranged into different types of buns and braids depending on the trend of the time, curly or "spiky" hairdos were unheard of until Europeans entered Japanese salon business (after the Bakufu system was abolished). Even today, straight and long black hair continues to be a hot target for compliments such as "doll-like" and "proper". Now wonder straight perms are still expensive these days.

My assumption is that Yuna's hair style in FFX-2 contains a similar sentiment. The moment she decided to cast away her shy, reserved self as High Summoner, her hair went all anti-gravity to many's dismay. I wonder if Lenne would have done the same were she in Yuna's shoes.

Dress

Ava of 1000 Words mentioned at her site that Lenne's outfit reminds one of sailor-style uniforms commonly seen at Japanese high schools. This reiterates the fact that Lenne's character design is based off on Asian female types.

In modern day otaku community, sailor uniforms are as popular as McDonald's. As a girl, I fail to find much fascination in such a bland design, but it's possible that Lenne's songstress costume was designed to fulfill a manly wish of some sort. Talk about being subtle.

Frill

Dress designs with frills are the epitome of "girly", and they complement Lenne's smooth features well. A bright dress with dark frills can make its wearer appear soft and gentle (see picture to your right, feat. Yuna Ito's debut outfit), and the contrary poses a similar effect: Lenne's dark blue/purple costume might look gloomy by itself, but with feathery white frills as an added accent, the dress becomes more lively and pleasant to the eye.

Visit a big department store in Asia and you'll find more than enough frills at your service in the ladies' section.

Violet

Some might argue that Lenne wears pink lipstick and eyeshadow to show off her trademark colors, but I prefer to describe them as a light shade of violet instead. A variation of purple, the color violet means sophistication and loyalty, both of which are notable traits we spot in Lenne's character. Besides, many girls of 19 prefer purple over pink to look mature these days. (I did not say past personal experience!)



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