"Gothic & Lolita" charts the current trend of Gothic street fashion that has swept Japan over the last decade. Influenced by Western fashion trends from the mid 1980s, young teenagers, predominately adolescent girls, congregate in the urban centres of Harajuku, Akihabara and a number of underground clubs in and around Tokyo, dressed head-to-toe in gothic costumes and late-Victorian dress. The psychological characteristics of the average Japanese Goth is one of introversion and exclusivity. The majority of girls in the scene are teenagers and most usually stop by the age of eighteen. The origin of the movement was in Osaka in the mid 1990s when young teenagers adopted Gothic fashion in response to the clothes worn and promoted by Japanese Gothic rock bands. In the ten years since the trend began it has expanded to a number of cities including Tokyo and now boasts many thousands of devotees who dedicate their lives to creating ever more flamboyant and bizarre variations on the Gothic theme. From handmade black lace dresses based on designs from the 1860s to 'Lolita' outfits, lacy Gothic designs that have a pre-pubescent 'rococo' edge to them, to dresses with an occult flavour, the Gothic and Lolita scene is one of the more bizarre hybrids within Japanese street fashion. "Gothic & Lolita" is specially commissioned by Phaidon Press. Based on the creative design of the best selling "Fruits and Fresh Fruits", it will feature portraits and group portraits of Japanese Goths and Lolitas both at home and in the urban centres of Tokyo and Osaka. In addition to the visual content of the book each subject will also be asked a number of questions about their handmade designs and why the fashion is so important to them. This text will run in a similar 'question and answer' format as in the original Fruits publications. The coupling of portraits and insightful first-person commentary will together make "Gothic & Lolita" the definitive book on the scene in both the West and in Japan, presenting an ideal opportunity to view one of the more surreal aspects of Japanese popular youth culture in an informative yet entertaining manner.
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About the Author
Masayuki Yoshinaga is one of the leading fashion and reportage photographers of his generation, his images have appeared in such magazines as Dazed & Confused and The Face. His work was recently shown in the Barbican Art Centre's Jam exhibition and at the Dazed & Confused Gallery in London. He lives in, and continues to investigate, the subcultures of Tokyo.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
disappointing:,
By harlequin-beetle (SF, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Gothic and Lolita (Paperback)
]this book doesn't have the creative variety that the 2 other books in the Phaidon Fruits series have. I am a follower of the Gothic Lolita style, and i was very disappointed in the mediocrity of the fashion shown.
it is less "gothic lolita" and more "club goth" styles, with a large percentage of rather lackluster gothic ensembles: mostly just a black skirt, black shirt and over the top (frequently smeared) make-up without the individual flair and creativity i was hoping to see. there are also many photos of girls wearing what appears to be nothing more than their underwear, which might appeal to some, but i feel is out of place when paired with Gothic Lolita, which values modesty, and it takes the book in a more voyeristic direction. a lot of the photos seem very random, like they just grabbed the next kid who walked in the club, regardless if he/she was dressed in a unique style or not. there were a few notable exceptions: there is a stunning 2-page photo of a girl wearing a sweet lolita alice dress in her room, with striped stockings, and a pair of girls wearing handmade outfits and crinoline cage skirts (amazing! why wasn't there more like this?) . but for the lolita component it's mostly just a few Baby the Stars Shine Bright and Metamorphose dresses worn by the book. there was also not very much representation of the various sub-genres of the Lolita style (of which there are MANY) which is what disappointed me the most. i would recommend purchasing instead of this book: the japanese fashion magazine Kera, or one of the Gothic Lolita Bibles, which are published several times a year. [[ASIN:4860480937 KERA Maniacs Special Mook: Gothic and Lolita Bible (KERA Maniacs Nuuberuguu Mook) (in Japanese)] Gothic & Lolita Bible Vol. 4 (Gothic & Lolita Bible) (in Japanese) i hope this does foretell the end of this series of books; because the Fruits books were so well executed, and this one was such a let down.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gothic AND Lolita...,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Gothic and Lolita (Paperback)
This is a book on both fashion cultures NOT just on Gothic Lolita. I did notice on one of the pages that the information about two of the girls had been switched - but that seems to be the only mistake I could find. I am not sure why there are so many bad reviews. These are not models but people found off the street. Many have great skill with sewing and tons of money. Most have to do with what they can find second hand. So you're going to get a mixture. There is a big mixture, from the very serious Gothic to the just starting, or seems to be just starting, Lolita.
15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Somewhat tepid,
This review is from: Gothic and Lolita (Paperback)
Many of us in the West were introduced to Harajuku street fashion through a) Gwen Stefani and b) Fruits and Fresh Fruits by Shoichi Aoki. These photo collections, published by Phaidon Press, document the over-the-rainbow style of Japanese teens. Last May, Phaidon released a new lookbook, titled Gothic & Lolita. Each page has a full-color portrait of one or more youths on the streets of Osaka and Tokyo. Included are their names, ages, and replies to questions about their outfits.
Gothic & Lolita is a prime example of never judging a book by its cover. The term "Gothic Lolita" refers to a distinct category of fashion, along with its subgenres and social culture. The title and cover image (of two Sweet Lolitas) imply that the book focuses on Gothic Lolita and its complementary styles. But the "&" proves to be crucial: the introduction differentiates Lolita from Goth, and the portraits include a number of Punk, Cyber, and Club Goth looks with no Lolita elements whatsoever. At least half of the photos have little to do with Gothic Lolita; in other words, we're got a lot of pancake-powdered extras from Dawn of the Dead. All this is fine - but if someone picks up the book looking for an overview of Gothic Lolita fashion, then she will be disappointed, or even worse, utterly misled. Phaidon's lookbook DOES contain unequivocally Goth Loli outfits, such as dresses and coats from Baby, Metamorphose, and Black Peace Now. But the wide and exhilarating spectrum of Lolita subgenres is under-represented (see next post). And the outfits portrayed are rather bland. When I read Fruits, my eyes were popping out as I turned each page. I didn't have nearly the same experience with Gothic & Lolita; the inclusion of strictly Goth looks is confusing, and the originality and whimsy of Lolita fashion is not conveyed. The book is worth a flip-through, but I would turn to the Gothic and Lolita Bibles, Japanese style magazines such as Kera, and websites to get a more coherent understanding of the style. Definitely check out the Gothic Lolita fashion website, http://www.lacarmina.com
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