Lolita fashion book - Translation 3 (Gothic lolita)

And the final part of the Lolita Fashion Book - gothic lolita is finally translated! Somehow this article was the hardest one to translate, so it took some time. I had to translate it in chunks as well, as I have been translating some other texts and drowning in homework lately. ( > __ < ) I think this will be the last part I translate from the Lolita Fashion Book, so if you have any suggestions for future translation don't be shy to comment! ( ^  w  ^ )

Before posting the rest I would first I like to state following:
The book is Misako Aoki's copyright, this is just a fan translation.
I did not translate the contents of the book exactly as they are written - word by word. I translate in a manner that allows the text to keep it's original poetic feeling and nuance (I hope).

Lolita fashion book part 3

Gothic Lolita 

About the gothic lolita style

This is a style of Lolita fashion influenced by the gothic aesthetics. There are many theories about the origins of this style, according to the most common one: the gothic and lolita style came to be in the middle of 1990s, when indie designer brands started producing and selling gothic lolita clothes. 

Dark, demonic music, like the music from the band Black Sabbath had at that time reached Japan and gained popularity, along with the European gothic aesthetics. These two influenced the lolita style and gothic lolita was born. The gothic lolita style has kept the basic form and elements of lolita, but the overall theme; inspired by gothic elements and using mainly black color, gave this style a darker feeling compared to the previous, mainly cute lolita styles. The boom of Visual Kei music that came in 1990s has also been said to influence the gothic lolita style further. 

The style gothic lolita is popular with girls who like girly clothing, but also with these who prefer a more punkish style. Gothic lolita is inspired by mystical creatures, such as vampires and therefore has a dark, magical feeling to it. The clothes are not always black, other dark colors, such as dark red are also used in this style. 

When gothic elements were first incorporated into lolita fashion, the mixture of the two styles was often referred to as gothic & lolita. This was done to differentiate the new style from the other lolita styles. Since then the style which corporates both gothic and lolita elements has sometimes been called gothic & lolita and sometimes shortened to gosurori. But the most often used, original name is gothic lolita.

 A gothic lolita coordinate

This dark fashion uses mainly black color as its theme, but other colors such as dark red, blue and white are also used. Gothic lolita has the same typical layering style as the other lolita styles - JSK over a blouse, but it also incorporates some gothic, depraved, wicked components. Skirts with a design featuring torn fabric or tulle give the style a mysterious, devil feeling to it - creating a gothic doll-like look. One of the main characteristic elements of the gothic lolita style are birdcage-like designs over skirts and dresses. We should of course not forget to talk about accessories. Fitting accessories for this style are crosses, sculls and black roses. Motifs featuring the holy Mary are also recommended. A particularly popular item in gothic lolita is the coffin shaped bag. 

Black hair suits this style well, match it with accessories decorated with roses, a hat or a mini hat with tulle. Make up is also really important for this style. Strong, dark eye makeup is often used, strive to achieve a pale look; close to the one of a bisque doll.

Point 1 

Adding gothic elements to a JSK that could be worn for kuro lolita. 

Point 2

Adding a colorful detail in dark red or blue gives the outfit an extra dimension and becomes the main point of the outfit. 

Point 3

A cane/walking stick suits the gothic style very well. The umbrella in the photo looks like a cane when closed.