Tomautofolia: Gothic & Lolita

i was walking past the shelf with fashion books on it and this book caught my eye.

Gothic Lolita

Foreword by Katsuhiko Ishikawa

Photography by Masayuki Yoshinaga

The evolution of Japan's Gothic & Lolita movement has been unique. Although its origins can be sen in the English New Wave movement of the 1980s ( a trend made famous by the 'Batcave', an English Gothic club, the Japanese scene has acquired an originality and popularity all of its own, and is fundamentally different from its Western counterparts. The social and cultural history of Japan is very different from that of the West, which has allowed the country's teenagers to co-opt the codes of Western Gothic counter-culture and create a new and specifically Japanese Gothic & Lolita style.

The tern 'Gothic' first became part of Japaneses fashion terminology in the late 1990s. The main impetus for its appearance was a succession of highly popular bands of a Japan-specific rock culture visual kei or 'visual rock bands' (characterized by New Romantic-style make-up and elaborate costumes, but accompanied by Japanese pop music0. The enthusiastic supporters of these 'visual' bands started to copy their flamboyant make-up and fashions. Before long, the fans took to gathering in the streets and clubs at weekends. Those who dressed all in black or wore occult-influenced styles became known as Goths and those who dressed in girlish outfits and draped themselves with frills and ribbons were called Lolitas.

By the end of the 1990s, the Gothic & Lolita phenomenon became a fashion genre nt only associated with rock music but also with film, animation and computer games. Like many of the successful visual rock bands that appeared before them, individuals started up their own Gothic & Lolita fashion labels to cater for the new fashion. The majority of these new brands were based in Osaka, Japan's second city, and only later spread to the rest of the country. It is often said in JApan that most innovative culture is first seen in the west( Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto) before being acknowledged by the general public in Tokyo. The Gothic & Lolita movement was no exception, although today it has become a country-wide phenomenon...........

(go pick up the book for more details- Lvl7 [R] 391.00952YOS-[CUS])

Argh... seeing the contents make me really jealous and brought me back to old times. I had this short period of time from 15-19 when i used to dress up a lot as a random gothic lolita. Here are some pics of the LivingDeadWitch.