Japanese Goth [Paperback]

Tiffany Godoy (Author), Ivan Vartanian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2009

This book is a visual foray into Japan’s popular and influential Gothic-Lolita and Gothic Punk subculture. It showcases a creative lifestyle synthesized from a remix of Victoriana, the macabre, anime, and theatricality, drawing on the early punks of the ’70s and ’80s and the club kids of the ’90s. Japanese Goth blends disparate elements of global pop culture into something fun, stylish, and unique—part Marilyn Manson, part Hello Kitty. It attracts established figures from Tokyo’s trendsetting fashion, art, and design scenes, and has inspired the next generation of designers, tastemakers, and fashionistas. Featured here are key designers, artists, and personalities including Mana & Gackt, Kokusyoku Sumire, Ayako-S, Koitsukihime, Gloomy Bear, and many others.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A delicate balance between the beautiful and the beastly that is Japanese Goth. In a fun new book, Tokyo-based fashion writer Tiffany Godoy paints an intriguing overall picture of the scene.” ~FashionTribes.com

"Lean on text and loaded with striking visuals from the realms of art, design and fashion, Japanese Goth (Universe) documents various strands of this mesmerizing cultural movement, from the Hello Kitty cute to The Cure-like creepy." ~The Atlantan Magazine

"The volume's 200-plus images reference the opulence, femininity, fetishism, innocence, and of course, death and the macabre, at the center of the Gothic Lolita and Gothic Punk movements." ~Nylon Magazine

"Godoy knows a lot about the heart and soul–and history–of genres broadly connected with Harajuku." ~The New York Times

"...what sets (Godoy) apart is the exploration into the ‘why’ factor of the look, with references to the nation’s Kabuki past and doll fascination." ~W Magazine

"Godoy knows a lot about the heart and soul–and history–of genres broadly connected with Harajuku." ~DigLuxury.com

"must-have book for all fashion enthusiasts." ~FashionDig.com

"With a gorgeously twisted mix of Victoriana, anime, punk, metal and club kid culture this book will serve any image starved designer, editor, photographer or stylist very very well." ~Imagist.com

Like the Japanese Goth herself, the 200-plus pages weave together a variety of influences-including fashion, music, art and design-to visualize a delicate balance of the beautiful and the macabre." "the book is all sorts of grotesque gorgeousness and definitely a little deviant." ~Refinery29.com

"Rather than simply provide us with an array of images that demonstrate the various manifestations of Japanese Goth fashions, this book examines the many influences that led to each subgroup's rise." ~SickaThanAverage.com

"It's out. available. and needs to be in the palm of my hands by the end of the weekend." ~DirtyFlaws.com

About the Author

Tiffany Godoy is a Tokyo-based fashion writer who regularly contributes to Vogue Nippon, Interview, and V Magazine. She is also the author of Style Deficit Disorder: Tokyo Street Fashion * Harajuku. Ivan Vartanian is an author based in Tokyo whose books include Drop Dead Cute: The New Generation of Women Artists in Japan, and Setting Sun: Writings by Japanese Photographers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Universe (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789318520
• ISBN-13: 978-0789318527
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ivan Vartanian (b. 1972) is native of New York, where he attended New York University, majoring in Biochemistry. After working for Aperture in the mid-1990s, he moved to Tokyo, Japan, where he has been living ever since. We writes, edits, and produces books on art, photography, and design. For additional web-only content on Ivan's books, visit his company's website at www.goliga.com

Currently, he is reading David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest" in tandem with Will Self's "How the Dead Live" and Carl Sagan's "The Varieties of Scientific Experience".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for all lovers of the Japanese Gothic Aesthetic - Gorgeous pictures, September 30, 2009

By 

J. R. Katovcic "JenKat" (Guildford, NSW - Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Japanese Goth (Paperback)

After finding a copy of Japanese Goth at a local Australian supplier selling for a ridiculously expensive highly inflated price I hunted it down on Amazon and was amazed to find it at less than 1/2 the price, including postage.
When I first began to fall in love with this book and then realised it included examples of Ryo Yoshida's doll art my mind was made up... I had to have it. Gorgeous illustrations and photographs covering a vast array of artistic and fashion related examples including the works of Illustrator Yoh, ball jointed doll artist Ryo Yoshida, illustrator and Lolita fashion brand Angelic Pretty's Kira Imai, Manga Artist Mitsukazu Mihara, the gorgeous illustrative art of Takato Yamamato, exampls of the works of fashion designer h.NAOTO, tthe doll art of Mari Shimizu.... just to name a few. A visually rich feast for the eyes, I highly recommend it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pure Style, Visual Pleasure, December 26, 2009

By 

the blue penny - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Japanese Goth (Paperback)

Glossy pages cover the japanese fashion movement of what is labeled "Goth-Lolita." Here you'll see what the youngsters in Tokyo and beyond have turned into an international fashion movement. Now you'll see fashion inspired by the movement on the runways, but before designers pilfered it, it grew from the heart of the Harajuku district from the spirits of of spunky teenagers. Good looking book, and enjoyable read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars japanese goth-a book by tiffany godoy, July 14, 2010

By 

Nan Lewin "goth chic" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Japanese Goth (Paperback)

I consider the book "japanese goth" to be a little gem. It is a carefully compiled, beautifully put together little bible of recent goth trends in Japan. Not just Lolita. Not just anime or manga. But all sorts of art and fashion and bands. Yoh's Monocramatic World, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, hair hats...the artistic trend as of late ib the past ten or fifteen years is all here, with short biogaphies of the artists and fashion houses, too. The chapters have names like Eros and Thanatos but the book is not pretentious, it is just elegant. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in modern Japanese culture or goth or whatever.