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Gothic & Lolita Bible
From Virtual Japan
The Gothic & Lolita Bible is a Japanese fashion publication released quarterly by KERA magazine. Promoting the Japanese Gothic and Lolita styles, the publication is released with a combination of illustrations, fashion magazine aspects, and culture guide posts for youth interested or involved in the Gothic Lolita scene both inside and outside Japan.
Contents |
Magazine Focus
The Gothic and Lolita Bible has been published since 2001 by KERA magazine and has recently been translated and issued overseas for North American and European readers with special information included for international editions that pertains to related countries in which it is published.
The magazine contains a wide array of information, including interviews with artists, fashion subculture for Gothic and Lolita readers with sewing patterns, new clothing, and a wide array of images from the current scene.
A greater interest in the magazine has been developed because of the fashion style’s proliferation in anime and manga. Readers will often read the guide for this reason, which has caused it develop a reputation among Japanese youth as an otaku publication, only furthered by the use of manga illustrations on the book’s covers.
The only three exceptions to the normally animated cover have been the use of Ogura Yuko on two separate covers and the use of Kana on the August 2004, Hair and Makeup special cover.
Magazine Availability
The magazine generally costs around 1400 Yen when it is initial published, but can range as high as 3500 Yen online for hard to find back issues. An American version of the publication was released in February of 2008 featuring 128 pages drawn from four separate volumes of the magazine along with a wide array of new features directed towards American audiences. Similar editions for European audiences are or are in the process of becoming available as well.
The Gothic Lolita Style
The style promoted by the Gothic and Lolita Bible has been described in many ways, including a combination of Victorian, Edwardian, and Rococo fashions as seen in children’s dolls of the era. Gothic Lolita culture applies gothic fashion to the otherwise childlike Lolita style to create a mixture of innocence and the mature. This can result in black and white interpretations of classic Lolita styles, pastel and brightly colored gothic clothing, or a highly stylized interpretation of both schools of thought.
Additional stylistic choices will often include parasols, headdresses, bonnets, or top hats as well as ribbons, lace, and bows. Curled and colored hair as well as contact lenses are also used to imitate the look of the dolls the style derives from while certain gothic accessories such as bat or crucifix shaped handbags and backpacks are often added on.
The style has grown in popularity in recent years due to the use of it in manga and anime that has spread around the world in translation. As a result, variations and cultural adjustments to the style in North America, Europe, and other world regions have occurred and Gothic Lolita fashion has only further evolved.