Adding Elegance To Gothic Lolita

Many people consider any Lolita in black to be Gothic Lolita, while I personally feel that Gothic Lolita has to be a bit more... well, Gothic. I think that if you can replace the black parts of a dress with pastel pink strawberry covered print, and change all the black accessories to white and it turns out looking perfectly Sweet Lolita than it was hardly ever Gothic Lolita in the first place. Don't get me wrong though, I love Kuro Lolita and Sweet Lolita in black colorways, I just wouldn't ever call it Gothic Lolita. So, why do black Lolita outfits tend to get lumped as Gothic Lolita simply because they aren't covered in pastel pink ponies? Maybe it's just because popular opinion says so, or maybe it's because not everyone is entirely familiar with Gothic styles outside of the J-fashion world, because, as any Goth worth their eyeliner will tell you "Just because it's black, doesn't mean it's Goth, but Goths don't only wear black." So in this post, which is a bit more personal opinion than Lolita law, I'll hopefully be giving some tips on how to make Gothic Lolita coordinates actually a bit Gothic.

What makes a Gothic Lolita outfit? If not simply the color black?

A lot of things make an outfit Gothic Lolita, and some of these things are very hard to pinpoint, as Gothic Lolita tends to be one of the more fluid and varied Lolita sub-styles, at times blending with Classic, Punk, or other non-Lolita Jfashions. If I were to try to describe exactly what makes it different, I would say the mood of the outfit. Good Gothic Lolita can manage to look gloomy, elegant, mysterious, and even a bit macabre all at the same time. If you want a bit more details, well, here's a handy bullet list!

• Motifs- Crosses are the most common motif in Gothic Lolita, but chandeliers, crowns, spider webs, coffins, bats, flowers, and just about anything that is typically goth are used in Gothic Lolita coordinates, only a bit more elegantly than they are used in other fashions. You really wouldn't have a flaming neon pink skull or a naked woman riding a crucifix in a Gothic Lolita coordinate, but things like this are often printed on Jpunk clothes. On the other hand, you aren't going to be seeing any Egyptian motifs like you so often seen in Western Goth. So, sorry, we're all going to have to leave our ankh necklaces behind.
• Fabric- An all-black Gothic Lolita outfit will tend to rely on texture to make it stand out from other styles of Lolita. You will often see jacquard, brocade, tulle or lace overlays, good quality satins, and velvets much more in Gothic Lolita than you would in any other style of Lolita.
• Details- Gothic Lolita dresses don't use prints or rows of lace as details as much as other styles. You will often see metal findings such as grommets, busks, or eye-hook closures used as a functional decoration. Distressed details such as raw hems, artfully crafted rips and holes, overlapping prints, and other such things, are to be found in Gothic Lolita. Look to brands like Alice Auaa or h.NAOTO for distressed gothic pieces. Necklines in Gothic Lolita are also a bit lower than in other styles, the square neck being a very popular gothic style. And by lower necklines, I don't mean you're allowed to have half your boobs hanging out, that's still unacceptable.
  
• Accessories- Accessorizing can sometimes be the key difference between Kuro Lolita and Gothic Lolita. Gothic Lolita headdresses are pretty much never bows, corsages being a popular choice, as well as Victorian-style bonnets. Mini top hats are also seen fairly often (worn correctly, and not straight out of the 50 cents bin at a craft store) but are really not all that popular ahead choice because they tend to look very silly if you do it wrong. Victorian style jewelry is a great addition as well, beaded chokers combined with a low neckline being one of the most elegant Gothic Lolita styles. Gloves, either short or opera length, lacy, or otherwise are also seen more often. Purses are rarely ever shaped like adorable animals or cutesy shapes, but instead are often plain and black, or are sometimes bat or coffin-shaped.
  
• Shoes and socks- Below the knee socks are rarely ever seen with Gothic Lolita, as they make the outfit look much too childish. Instead, over-the-knees are seen most, if not simply opaque tights. Lacy black tights are also often seen, as well as funkier tights, such as diamond print, stripes, or sometimes even ripped up stockings. The old-school platform heeled mary jane, often with many buckles going up to the mid-calf, is a common Gothic Lolita shoe, but boots or a heel with a more pointed toe are also seen. The only kind of Lolita shoe that tends to look odd with Gothic Lolita is the more cutesy shoes with a sensible heel, such as Tea Party shoes.
  
• Hair and makeup- Hair and makeup for Gothic Lolita are often very similar to other styles of Lolita. Makeup is still kept to a minimum, with maybe a little bit of a smokey eye and some tinted lips. Hair is pretty much the same as in other styles, except it is often found down more often. Pigtails, either braided or super hairspray, are not often worn because, like socks that fall below the knee, the look is usually too childish for Gothic Lolita.

I've dug around my Gothic & Lolita Bibles and other Lolita magazines and scrounged up some Gothic Lolita pictures (the best place to find them are in the street snaps!). These, in my personal opinion, are all pretty great examples of Gothic Lolita.