Lolita fashion emphasizes Victorian-style and Edwardian fashion girl's clothing and often aims to imitate the look of Victorian porcelain dolls. The Rococo period has also been defined as an influence of Gothic lolita. Gothic Lolita applies the aesthetics of Gothic fashion to the childlike, pretty Lolita fashion. GothLoli's name and origin is a combination of Lolita and Gothic fashion.

Gothic Lolita is the best-known of the various "Lolita" looks. Other categories include "Classic Lolita", which is often more mature-looking and contains more muted colours and floral prints and "Sweet Lolita" which is identified by childish pastel colours and cute prints.

 

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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 popular. White or black tights are also common. Child-like shoes or boots such as Mary Janes, complete the look. Frilly, ruffled or lace-trimmed Victorian blouses are also popular with Gothic Lolitas and designs are usually modest, sometimes with long lace-capped sleeves and/or high-necked blouses.

Some additions may include mini top hats, parasols, and lace headdresses. Mostly black or white, headgear might consist of a headband with ruffles, ribbons, lace or bows, an alice band with a bow or sometimes even a bonnet. Hair is often curled or a curled wig is worn to complete the porcelain doll look. Blond or black are the most popular hair colours.

Gothic Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other props like handbags and other bags, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins, and crucifixes, as well as conspicuous pocket books, pocket watches, and hat boxes. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are also common, and some brands make special "gothic" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC. Also, many Gothic Lolita own Super Dollfies and carry them around.

[edit] History

The typical "GothLoli" style originated sometime around 1998 and became more widely available in various boutiques and some major department store by 2001. Some observers consider it a reaction to the "Kogal" subculture of Shibuya, though those who participate in the fashion may disagree with this^{[citation needed]}. The popularity of Gothloli as a very distinct style and community peaked around 2004 and 2005 in Tokyo, and now it has settled down as one of many "alternative" youth fashions. Its popularity outside Tokyo is still slowly rising or at its peak in many areas, and the related maid cafe phenomenon is still slowly growing.

Mana, the former leader and guitarist of the Visual Kei band Malice Mizer, is widely credited for having helped popularize 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-même-Moitié, which was founded in 1999. Western fans of the fashion tend to wrongly credit Mana as the creator of the lolita fashion, and often use his terms of EGL and EGA as 'official' to describe all brands and styles. Generally among the Japanese followers of lolita, these terms apply only to Mana's clothing label. Other influential figures in the scene include the singer Kana, who often modeled for Gothloli related fashion magazines, and Mitsukazu Mihara, who drew the first eight covers of the Gothic & Lolita Bible. People are often attracted to the fashion because of the beauty and detail of the clothes, perhaps as a romantic revival of a time when all clothes were tailor made and exquisite, contrary to modern day "disposable" fashion.

A typical depiction of a gothic lolita may be seen in a prize-winning Newgrounds Macromedia Flash submission, with graphic art by Emi Greneby and background music by Kumiko Noma titled "Lilium" originally composed as an original soundtrack for the anime "Elfen Lied". The short flash animation is also titled "Lilium," and tells the dark story of a little girl, named as in the title, and her acquaintance with a shadow. Click on the external link below to view the animation. Lilium

[edit] "Lolita"

Although "Lolita" is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov's famous novel, and Lolita is often worn by teens, followers of the style do not consider it overtly sexual. In fact, in Japan many of them were unaware of the connection to the book until it was introduced to them in the Gothic and Lolita Bible as a suggested read. Instead, adherents present themselves as children or baby dolls and consider it necessary to look "cute," "beautiful," or "elegant" rather than "sexy." Some people object to the style, finding the child-like look on an adult offensive, but lolitas defend their choice of clothing as modest and of finer quality, and therefore much less offensive than some clothes that modern children are able to wear.

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.

[edit] Gothic Lolita culture

In Japan it is mass-marketed, though not widely worn, but has visibility particularly in the streets of Tokyo and Osaka, on television, in manga (see Paradise Kiss) and computer games. The fashion is being picked up worldwide, thanks to the Western publication of Japanese magazine anthology FRUiTS, where the outstanding style actually blends in with the other quirky teen trends in Japan. Most regard Gothic Lolita as a fashion but there are still some who consider themselves "gothic lolita" by definition.

Outside of Japan, the lolita fashion is still a fringe fashion; however, 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, Australia and the United States, although certain individuals truly committed to the fashion will confirm that Gothic Lolita is not a fancy dress costume, rather, a way of life. The style has not yet been mass marketed outside of Japan. Major brands, such as Metamorphose, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and Funhouse, have recognized the international recognition of lolita fashion, and have begun to ship goods to the international market. This is still not very widespread, as many of the clothes produced by Western designers are not accepted by the gothic lolita community, for being too related to the western 'goth' or french maid look, and not as high quality as the expensive Japanese brand clothes. 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.

[edit] 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 (particularly in online auctions). America's Tokyopop recently commissioned, along with performer Courtney Love (who used to live in Japan and who popularized the related western fashion kinderwhore) Princess Ai, an original manga in the gothic lolita style.

 Gothic & Lolita Bible

One magazine in particular, Gothic & Lolita Bible (published every season or so), 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. Other magazines such as Kera and "Gosu Rori" (a phonetic of Goth Loli spoken with a Japanese accent) are also marketed to those interested in the fashion.

Goth and Gothloli

"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 and Visual Kei.

In Japan, Goth is a 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 is simply a contraction of "Gothic Lolita",^{[citation needed]} except for the Goths themselves, who strongly emphasize the differences. Likewise, some western observers assume that "Gothloli" is the Japanese version of "Goth", purely on the similarities in fashion.

Previously in Tokyo, the largest "goth" club events, such as "Tokyo Dark Castle", would also attract a noticeable proportion of gothloli customers. However, since 2005 their numbers have dwindled and such events now primarily attract more typical goth, industrial and metal music fans. Visual kei concerts are often attended by many gothloli, but conversely, few goths.

Anime and Manga

Gothic Lolita costumes appear frequently in anime fan art.

Due to the popularity of this elaborate style, characters dressed in the Gothic Lolita-inspired style may be found in numerous anime and manga. Some of the most prominent are Paradise Kiss, Coyote Ragtime Show, Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, Rozen Maiden, Sister Princess, Godchild,Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase, Othello, Chobits, Death Note, xxxHolic,Trinity Blood, Tsubasa Chronicle, Princess Princess, Princess Ai, Pitaten, Full Moon wo Sagashite,Karin, many of the works of Kaori Yuki, Q-Ko-Chan and all of the works of Mitsukazu Mihara.

The 2006 anime, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, also known as The Wallflower, features four sisters who attend the high school of the main characters, who are called The Goth Loli sisters (Lassine, Madeline, Roxanne, and Yvone). They are depicted purely as the subject of much of comedy and they always leave the scene chanting "Goth! Goth! Loli! Loli!"

In some manga, such as X-Day, lolita is portrayed as a method of individualizing and becoming less shy. Most of these titles appeal primarily to male fans rather than the lolitas themselves; however, large numbers of lolita 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 dressing, including cosplay. However, the Gothic Lolita style should not be considered a cosplay, it is an alternative fashion.

Most lolitas, especially those who wear the style on a daily basis, state that "we say we're not cosplay, but they don't listen. Of course we're not happy, but there's nothing we can do about it." (translated from the 2ch lolita fashion messageboard introduction) The comments of this style being cosplay is usually from the otakus that only know of this fashion through anime and manga.

Etiquette and Elitism

As with many youth subcultures, a person usually has to conform to certain rules before they can truly be considered a gothic lolita. The rules and fashion faux pas' differentiate between the Japanese and Western cultures, but the penalty for breaking them can be harsh and excluding in both cultures. In the west, online communities have appeared that exist specifically to point out where people have misunderstood the fashion. The general consensus is that the fashion represents luxury, beauty and time taken over one's appearance, and so when people use lolita as fancy dress, or wear cheap, revealing outfits (one of the main lolita rules is modesty) they often end up being criticised on these communities. Many western 'gothic' fashions have ventured into the gothic lolita look, combining revealing clothes with white lace and ruffled skirts, but these attempts are almost always rejected by those who frequently dress in the fashion. Most will either buy from Japan or make their own clothes, and as a self proclaimed gothic lolita would tell you: "cheap lace and frills does not equal gothic lolita".

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