GOTHIC LOLITA
Gothic Lolita - Gothic Lolita is a distinctive Japanese
fashion style. Gothic Lolita is often seen in places like Harajuku. Gothic
Lolita pictures.
Gothic Lolita or "GothLoli" (ゴスロリ, gosurori; sometimes
alternatively "Loli-Goth") is a youth fashion among Japanese teenagers and
young women. It emphasizes Victorian-style girl's clothing and often aims to
imitate the look of Victorian porcelain dolls. Gothloli's name and origin is
a combination of lolita fashion�appearing deliberately cute to the point of
looking childish�and certain styles found within gothic fashion. The style
started as a youth subculture sometime around 1997-98 and became a
well-established genre available in various boutiques and some major
department stores by around 2001. Some observers consider it a reaction to
the "Kogal" aesthetic.
Gothic Lolita is one of the subcategories of the Lolita look. Other
categories include "Classic Lolita" (more traditional, light-coloured, also
more mature-looking) and "Sweet Lolita" (childish pastel-coloured clothes,
lots of lace and ribbons).
Picture Above was taken in
Harajuku
Gothic Lolita was influenced and popularised by the imagery of more feminine
Visual Kei (or "visual rock") bands. Visual Kei is a Japanese form of rock
music defined by bands featuring performers in elaborate costumes but whose
musical style varies. Mana, the cross dressing former leader and guitarist
of the Visual Kei band Malice Mizer is widely credited for having helped
popularise Gothic Lolita. He coined the terms "Elegant Gothic Lolita" (EGL)
and "Elegant Gothic Aristocrat" (EGA) to describe the style of his own
fashion label Moi-m�me-Moiti�, which was founded in 1999 and quickly
established itself as one of the most coveted brands of the Gothic Lolita
scene.
See
nearly 50 exclusive
pictures of Goth Lolita in Harajuku.
Gothic Lolita - The style
Gothic Lolita style is usually a combination of black and
white, often black with white lace and typically decorated with ribbons and
lace trims. Skirts are knee length and may have a crinoline or petticoat to
add volume. As in mainstream Japanese fashion, over-knee socks or stockings
are extremely popular. Black fishnet stockings and white or black tights are
also common. Shoes or boots with high heels - though not usually stiletto
heels - such as Mary Janes, complete the look. Frilly, ruffled or
lace-trimmed Victorian blouses are also popular especially with "EGL" types,
who may also favour long skirts and jackets rather than the overtly
"childish" designs of typical gothloli's. Apart from the occasional
shortness of skirts, designs are usually modest, sometimes with long
lace-capped sleeves.
Some additions may include an Alice in Wonderland-style apron, tiny top
hats, parasols, lace gloves, and lace headpieces. Mostly black or white,
headgear might consist of a headband with ruffles, ribbons, lace or bows.
Sometimes even bonnets are worn. Hair may be curled to complete the
porcelain doll look. The naturally dark Japanese hair color may be lightened
to blonde or kept black. Some may choose to wear wigs as well.
Makeup is used sparingly and is seen more often with EGL styles than with
other gothloli styles. Black eyeliner is typical. A pale complexion is
preferred, so white foundation might be used. Red or black lipstick is seen
but lighter makeup is the rule.
Goken Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other props like conspicuous
pocketbooks, hatboxes, handbags and other bags, sometimes in the shape of
bats, coffins, and crucifixes. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are
also common, and some brands make special "goken" teddy bears out of black
leather or PVC. Also, many Goken Lolita own Super Dollfies and carry them
around.
"Lolita"
Although "Lolita" is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov's
famous novel, and GothLoli is often worn by teens, most followers of the
style do not consider it overtly sexual. Adherents present themselves as
Victorian children or baby dolls and prefer to look "cute" rather than
"sexy". Many Lolitas claim that the term 'lolita' doesn't necessarily have
anything to do with sex at all. The usage of the word may also be considered
wasei-eigo.
Japanese culture places a higher value upon extremely youthful appearance
and behaviour than Western, and some adult women buy large amounts of
products, such as Hello Kitty goods, that are typically marketed only to
children in the West. GothLoli is perhaps a more visible extension of this
phenomenon.
Goth Loli culture
In Japan it is mass-marketed and has wide visibility
particularly in the streets of Tokyo and Osaka, on television, in manga (see
Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa for an example of gothloli inspired manga) and
computer games. Outside of Japan it is still a fringe fashion although it
has slowly begun to spread to other countries. Gothic Lolita, along with
Cosplay and other Japanese cultural phenomena, can sometimes be seen at
concerts and anime conventions throughout Europe and the United States. The
style has not yet been mass marketed outside of Japan. However, there are
plenty of dedicated fans filling the gap. Gothic Lolita magazines are widely
available for purchase on the internet and at Japanese bookstores, which
also deal in anime and manga. Adherents in Europe and the United States
often sew their own homemade Gothic Lolita outfits, sometimes offering them
for sale to make up for the difficulty of acquiring them from Japan.
Gothic Lolita in the West
Many Goth girls in the west, have borrowed from the
Japanese goth loli style, and have created a market for this style of
clothing (particulary in online auctions). Americas Tokyopop recently
comissioned, along with performer Courtney Love (who is not goth/goth loli
herself, but is a former Japanese resident) an original manga in the goth
loli style, called Princess Ai. This was the first (at least publicised)
Japan/West goth loli collaboration.
Gothic & Lolita Bible
One magazine in particular, the irregularly published
Gothic & Lolita Bible, has played an instrumental role in promoting and
standardizing the style. The 100+ page magazine includes fashion tips,
photos, sewing patterns, catalog descriptions, decorating ideas, and even
recipes.
Gothic Lolita - Shopping
Currently the heart of the Gothic Lolita subculture, at
least commercially, is the Marui Young department store in
Shinjuku, after its predecessor Marui
One closed at the end of August 2004. This large youth-fashion oriented
department store has 4 floors entirely devoted to Gothloli and related
fashions.
Crossover with Goth
"Gothloli" as a fashion is not as strongly associated with
a particular style of music or outside interests as goth, and individual
followers of Gothloli fashion may listen to a wide variety of music
including regular Japanese pop.
In Japan, Goth is a very minor subculture with few followers, partly because
the emphasis upon visual identity in Japanese youth culture makes other
factors such as music and literature less important signifiers and perhaps
partly because Christianity and Germanic culture are not integral parts of
society. In Japan, people who have heard the term "Goth" usually assume that
it refers to "Gothic Lolita", except for the Goths themselves, who strongly
emphasize the differences. (Likewise, some western observers incorrectly
assume that "Gothloli" is the Japanese version of "Goth".)
However, due to the popularity of Gothloli from around 2001�2004 and its
continued acceptance by many young girls, Goth nightclubs and events
increasingly include Gothic Lolita elements in order to attract more
customers. Thus many Japanese "Goth Clubs" will also feature a guest DJ
playing J-pop and Visual Kei music, tea and cakes in the chill-out room,
doll decorations, and other items designed to appeal to the Gothloli sense
of European nostalgia.
Anime and Manga
Due to the popularity of this cute style with many fans of Japanese
animation and comics, characters dressed in the "Gothloli" style may be
found in numerous anime and manga. Some of the most prominent are Paradise
Kiss, Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, Rozen Maiden, Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase,
Othello, Chobits, xxxHOLiC, and Pitaten. Most of these titles appeal
primarily to male fans rather than the gothlolis themselves. However, large
numbers of gothloli girls are visible at manga events such as comiket. They
often buy doujinshi based upon their favourite bands, dolls and movie
characters; and some are interested in other kinds of cosplay apart from
goth loli style.
Movies
The main character in Shimotsuma Monogatari (or Kamikaze Girls as it is
known in the English language release) dressed in the "Gothloli" style.
(Article
based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
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