EGL & Lolita

Gothic Lolita or "GothLoli" (ゴスロリ, gosurori; sometimes alternatively "Loli-Goth") is a subcategory of the Lolita fashion, a street fashion among Japanese female teenagers and, to a lesser extent, men and young women.

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.

The style

ManaGothic 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.

History

The typical "GothLoli" style originated sometime around 1998 and became more widely available in various boutiques and some major department stores 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. 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.

"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 & 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 foreign, and some adult women buy large amounts of products, such as Hello Kitty goods, that are typically marketed only to children abroad. GothLoli is perhaps a more visible extension of this phenomenon.

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 foreign 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.

Gothic Lolita outside of Japan

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 the UK, Australia, France 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 Manifesteange Metamorphose temps de fille, 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 non-Japanese designers are not accepted by the gothic lolita community, for being too related to the British '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.

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 recipes. Other magazines such as Kera and "Gosu Rori" are also marketed to those interested in the fashion.

Shopping

Currently the commercial center of the Gothic Lolita subculture 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. Some Gothloli boutiques may be found in the area between Harajuku and Shibuya.

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 is 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", except for the Goths themselves, who strongly emphasize the differences. Likewise, some non-Japanese 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.[citation needed] 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.Some prominent manga and anime featuring Gothic Lolita fashion are Paradise Kiss, Coyote Ragtime Show, Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, Rozen Maiden, Sister Princess, Godchild, Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase, Love Hina Again, Othello, Chobits, X-Day, Death Note, xxxHolic, Trinity Blood, Tsubasa Chronicle, Princess Princess, Princess Ai, Pitaten, Fruits Basket, 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 Heng, 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 Death Note, the character Misa Amane is often seen in common gothic lolita dress, even as she is introduced. She seems to think that everyone loves her style of dress and so wears it much too often.

In some manga, such as X-Day and Othello, lolita fashion 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.

The Marvel Comics miniseries Livewires features a Life Model Decoy that calls herself "Gothic Lolita." "Lol" picked up the fashion while on a mission in Japan. She is described by one of her teammates as liking the idea of being the team's "Ben Grimm in black baby doll lace," Lol minimalistically describes her role as "smashing and bashing duty."

Etiquette and Elitism

In the US and other countries, 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.

Info Provided by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Lolita