gothiclolita - Jezebel

posts about #gothiclolita more →
Goth Trend: Undead, Again
Japanese "Princess Girls" Live Life Like A Fairy Tale
In Her Own Words
Gothic Lolita Style: Rebellious? Or Regressive?
The Gothic & Lolita Bible: Japanese Girls Are Living Dolls

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

hydrogen_jukebox
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
I'm thinking of making my personal palette one that incorporates bright red and saturated purple along with deep cerulean blue. I don't mind wearing any or all of these colors at once, and preferably with a base of black, and the silhouette of a 60's girl-about-town. Ideally.

I'm a bit weird when it comes to clothes, but I always think I come out looking nice. I hope.
Reply

hydrogen_jukebox was starred hydrogen_jukebox was unstarred

hatepaperdoll
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
I always wanted to "do" goth, but I knew I could never pull it off like my cousin and her boyfriend, below, some classic 90's goth:

Reply

hatepaperdoll was starred hatepaperdoll was unstarred

Elizabeth Johnson
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
It saddens me that I'm reading a lot of comments against gothic fashion.We should support people trying to look different from the mainstream ideal of fashion, not constricting people into a little box of what is "acceptable"or "fashionable". Frankly, goths are more creative than a lot of people give them credit for, and creativity is something to be celebrated.

and on another note,I have to defend Lolita style, as a part-time Lolita myself.Lolita is not at all what all the people bashing it says it is. It is more de-sexualized and is HELLUVA creative. It encourages childish fancy, which the world would be a better place IMO if more people had it.

Sorry for writing a freaking novel, but I had to say it.
Reply

Elizabeth Johnson was starred

saintbernadette
05/07/09

@Elizabeth Johnson: I don't think anyone here is implying that people shouldn't dress goth if they want to.
Reply

saintbernadette was starred saintbernadette was unstarred

SylvanSylph
05/07/09

@Elizabeth Johnson: I don't know if this is directed at what I said or not, but I was absolutely bashing the term and not the actual clothes. The clothes are neat! The idea of young girls as sexy is not.
Reply

SylvanSylph was starred SylvanSylph was unstarred

tscheese
05/07/09

@Elizabeth Johnson: Thank you for this. Lolita can be absurdly sweet, creative, sublime, dazzling, and gravity-defying. Sure, the term itself is a little offputting to those who aren't familiar with it, but I've seen handmade frocks that simply took my breath away.

Lolita as a style of dress is not inherently sexual. It CAN be, in the same way that preppy or sporty or casual or dressy apparel can be sexy or not, but it's not inherently a creepy sexual thing. It's ornate, playful, and often simply pretty.

The only overtly sexual "lolita-styled" stuff I've seen is in the cheap Halloween section at Hot Topic, and I don't really think that counts as being any sort of authentic.

I don't really call myself "goth", but I'm creative and pasty-pale and good with eyeliner, so I sometimes indulge in the fashion. As someone who has difficulty distinguishing among the garments in my laundry basket due to the fact that they are all black, I don't mind seeing more playful, fun creations in my color.
Reply

tscheese was starred tscheese was unstarred

Elizabeth Johnson
05/07/09

@SylvanSylph: I understand how the term "Lolita" would set off squick alarms.It's been debated on Lolita communities whether the name should be changed, but every other name sounds kind of awkward.I'm sure many Lolitas wished they had a time machine so they could go back to Japan in the 80's and give a different suggestion to the person who gave the style a name (which is a debatable point in itself). The name has been used for so long that we can't think of another one, sadly.
Reply

Elizabeth Johnson was starred

SylvanSylph
05/07/09

@Elizabeth Johnson: It is squicky. Although I'm enough of a dork to be even more bothered by the fact that no one in the time of the novel would have gone around wearing corsets and whatnot.

Either way, I definitely didn't mean to attack the actually style.
Reply

SylvanSylph was starred SylvanSylph was unstarred

SylvanSylph
05/07/09

@SylvanSylph: Or to type that last "ly"
Reply

SylvanSylph was starred SylvanSylph was unstarred

ColemanElipster
05/07/09

So why did you say that socks with bows on them are all about the sexiness of 8 year olds? That IS bashing the fashion.
Reply

ColemanElipster was starred ColemanElipster was unstarred

SylvanSylph
05/07/09

@ColemanElipster: Whoa, that was a long string of sarcasm in response to someone else's long stream of sarcasm. Sorry if it bothered you.
Reply

SylvanSylph was starred SylvanSylph was unstarred

tscheese
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
The term "lolita" may be unfortunate, and I know it sounds kinda gross if you're unfamiliar with it, but it's a pretty accepted part of the jargon of these types of fashions. I don't think it's going to be relabeled anytime soon because it's kind of "mainstreamed" in the subculture, if that makes any sense.

It doesn't necessarily mean anything overtly sexual. It's a very wide range of styles, actually. There's elegant gothic lolita (which combines a lot of very sharp, structured looks, like pinstripes and crisp little jackets and hats, with the more conventional images of ruffles and petticoats) and "sweet" styles that are lighter in fabric and color (and tending to be on the modest side), and just about every imaginable variant in between.

It depends on where you look, too. A lot of my good friends are young adults who always wanted to dress kind of ostentatiously, but are only now getting the resources and free time to craft their own goth/lolita garb, and thus it's a sort of underground thing--talented kids with free time. (I can barely thread a needle.) I'm not sure if the economic climate has anything to do with these looks reaching the mainstream, though it's interesting to speculate. Perhaps when we can't buy, we windowshop? And the more interesting, the better? Who even knows?

I have some friends who are very crafty and/or good at sewing, and they put some of these accessories and things together, and sell them at anime/comic conventions and such. I guess this is not the place to admit I own silly frilly gloves, various ruffly underskirts, a real steel-boned corset, and cat ears. They are for extremely silly occasions, though, like Halloween and Otakon, and certainly not for everyday.
Reply

tscheese was starred tscheese was unstarred

AtomiClash: humanitarian misanthrope
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again

ahem. tee hee.
Reply

saintbernadette
05/07/09

@AtomiClash is a ball-cutting cybersuccubus: Yesssss!
Reply

saintbernadette was starred saintbernadette was unstarred

marshmallory
05/07/09

@AtomiClash is a ball-cutting cybersuccubus: AZRAEL ABYSS!
Reply

marshmallory was starred marshmallory was unstarred

badmutha
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
Aren't angle wings religious? Maybe she is a bird.
Reply

badmutha was starred badmutha was unstarred

Lin-Z [linguist on duty]
05/07/09

@badmutha: Angle wings are a natural mathematical phenomenon. Angel wings on the other hand...pretty religious.

heehee
Reply

Princess Leela
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
I would say that with the new administration, I am more likely to look for whatever is the affordable knockoff version of what Michelle Obama is wearing.
Reply

Princess Leela was starred Princess Leela was unstarred

hydrogen_jukebox
05/07/09

@Princess Leela: I totally got a Michelle-esque belted black dress with large blocks of white and purple on the skirt. I feel like American royalty when I wear it...and I got it on sale!
Reply

hydrogen_jukebox was starred hydrogen_jukebox was unstarred

Aesop's Foibles. YES.
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
Me and Goth a match do not make, but I love the heck out of that moddle's haircut. Black never looks bad on anyone, though. I mean I've never seen anyone of any shape or size or coloring look bad in it. I like colorful stuff these days and don't wear as much black as I used to. However, I find that black is always a good thing when you have absolutely no knowledge of accessories or fashun in general. Like me.
Reply

Jack_Burton
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
I'm still adjusting to Sunset Strip/hair-metal's comeback - Air Jordans, hairspray, vintage t-shirts...

Silly fashion police, Goth will never go away, it's undead.
Reply

Jack_Burton was starred Jack_Burton was unstarred

nessalicious
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
One of my favourite things is collecting books about Japanese street fashion. I bought 'Gothic & Lolita' a few years ago, and it's great. I wish I had the time to dress like that at all, or the money, but it's such a beautiful look when done right. I love that it removes the religious influence of goths (which I never saw anyway) and presents it in what is really a much 'purer' fashion.

All those ruffles and lace panels really appeal to me, even though I never wear fussy clothes in real life. It's just a brilliant fantastical style really, and the 'Lolita' aspect isn't sexual at all, it's more wearing cutesy clothes on adults.
Reply

nessalicious was starred nessalicious was unstarred

booksrlivres
05/07/09

@nessalicious:

It's more costume-y than everyday wear
Reply

booksrlivres was starred booksrlivres was unstarred

small-fox
05/07/09

@booksrlivres: eh, one person's "costumey" is another person's "cute" or "dressy." If it's a costume, than there's a standard teen costume, standard business woman costume, etc. Just because it's fussy doesn't mean it's a costume; that rather implies that you're pretending to be something else temporarily, rather than just wearing clothes you like.

I like a lot of it, used to wear it occasionally (it is no longer practical or socially acceptable, and I've grown lazy besides) and never considered it anything other than everyday wear when I felt like spending an extra half-hour getting dressed.
Reply

small-fox was starred small-fox was unstarred

nessalicious
05/07/09

@small-fox: I agree that it doesn't neccessarily have to mean a costume. I think that maybe if you are not living in a major urban area it could be seen as that, but once it's been absorbed into your daily routine, it's just as normal as any other dress style.

One of the best things about Japanese street fashions is that it trancends the costume barrier and becomes totally normal again.
Reply

nessalicious was starred nessalicious was unstarred

DinaRonson : Elizabeth Cady Stanton
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
Franken Chick Shoes when oh when will you go away?
Reply

andBegorrah
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
Of course the Japanese Goth aesthetic is "all visual" - it CLIMBS OUT OF YOUR TV TO KILL YOU.
Reply

andBegorrah was starred andBegorrah was unstarred

taranwanderer
05/07/09

@andBegorrah: I see what you did there...And that movie scared the shit out of me.
Reply

taranwanderer was starred taranwanderer was unstarred

hatepaperdoll
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
Whenever I want to look goth I just stage a raid on the Roman Empire.
Reply

hatepaperdoll was starred hatepaperdoll was unstarred

Hamsterpants
05/07/09

@hatepaperdoll: But it's so hard to decide to go with Visi or Ostro! Sometimes I just roll with Vandal with a side of Angle or Jute.
Reply

Hamsterpants was starred Hamsterpants was unstarred

SylvanSylph
05/07/09

@hatepaperdoll: When I was 15, I really really wanted to start a band called "Alaric and the Visigoths."

I was trying so hard to be goth, but I was really just a nerd.
Reply

SylvanSylph was starred SylvanSylph was unstarred

Hamsterpants
05/07/09

@SylvanSylph: Ha! How about Ethelred and The Unready?
Reply

Hamsterpants was starred Hamsterpants was unstarred

Ailatan
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
It's also a good recession look cause most things can be done at home, and the look is completely mostly with accessories, which is the cheapest way to spice up your wardrobe.
Reply

Ailatan was starred Ailatan was unstarred

Ailatan
05/07/09

@Ailatan: "completed" duh!
Reply

Ailatan was starred Ailatan was unstarred

DrunkDialingCoreyHaim
05/07/09

In reply to Goth Trend: Undead, Again
AWW! Kerli, you emerged a year too early!

+ Watch video

Reply

musicpup
05/07/09

@DrunkDialingCoreyHaim: I love Kerli. I don't think she'll go "out of style" anytime soon.
Reply

musicpup was starred musicpup was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion