Gothic Lolita — GothLoli (Gosu Rori)
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Gothic Lolita, sometimes shortened to GothLoli (gosu rori in Japanese), is a combination of Gothic and Lolita fashion. Lolita fashion is a fashion subculture originating in Japan that is based on Victorian and Edwardian clothing, with the Victorian doll as the prototype for the look; the style has expanded greatly beyond Japan. The Gothic Lolita fashion originated in the late 1990s in Harajuku, and is meant to make the wearer look youthful and innocent while carrying the darker palette and mood of goth.
What is GothLoli fashion?
Lolita fashion (ロリータ・ファッション Rorīta fasshon) is a
fashion subculture originating in Japan that is based on Victorian and
Edwardian clothing, but the style has expanded greatly beyond Japan.
Gothic lolita, sometimes shortened to
GothLoli (ゴスロリ gosu rori),
is a combination of the Gothic and Lolita fashion. The fashion
originated in the late 1990s in Harajuku.
Japanese clothing style similar to
lolita style or
goth fashion.
The
Victorian doll is the prototype for this look.
Kangi (gothic lolita) with English definition of
popular Japanese fashion.
There is a distinct culture among hardcore Goth
Lollies, to create a complete Goth Lolly look.
Lolita is one of Japan's many popular street
fashions that is growing in popularity in the Western world, meant to
make the wearer look youthful and innocent. Gothic Lolita is a
subset of the Lolita culture, and is (unsurprisingly) a cross between
goth and Lolita styles.
Learn
how to become a Gothic Lolita at WikiHow.
Learn more about
Japanese Gothic culture.
You may also have interest in reading our fashion blog post about goth inspired fashion accessories.
If this sort of style trend is of interest to you, you may want to also read about alternative apparel.
The difference between goth and gothic is nothing. So, what is goth fashion?
A Complete Look, Not Just a Dress
There is a distinct culture among dedicated Gothic Lolita wearers to create a complete look rather than a single statement garment: silhouette, hair, makeup and accessories are coordinated so the Victorian-doll effect holds together. That completeness is what separates Lolita sub-styles from simply wearing a dark dress — the Gothic branch keeps Lolita's structured, doll-like silhouette and swaps in the goth palette of black, deep reds and dark detailing.
Gothic Lolita in the West
Lolita is one of Japan's many popular street fashions that has grown in popularity in the Western world. As the style traveled, the Gothic Lolita branch traveled with it, introducing Western wearers to the Harajuku street-fashion system in which a named sub-style comes with recognizable rules. Readers comparing branches can move from this page to the wider Lolita fashion and goth fashion entries in this directory.
Common Questions
What is GothLoli?
GothLoli — gosu rori in Japanese — is Gothic Lolita: a combination of Gothic and Lolita fashion, and a subset of the wider Lolita culture. It is a cross between goth and Lolita styles.
Where did Gothic Lolita originate?
In Japan, in the late 1990s in Harajuku. Lolita fashion itself is based on Victorian and Edwardian clothing, with the Victorian doll as the prototype for the look.
How does Gothic Lolita makeup differ from goth makeup?
Red lipstick and smoky or neatly defined eyes created with black eyeliner are typical. Although gothic makeup has been associated with a white-powdered face, that is usually considered poor taste within the largely Japanese Lolita fashion scene — the look remains fairly natural.