A Gothic Aristocrat Primer, Part One

Greetings, readers! I am known as Kuroloki Roku (my friends call me Roku), and for my first Anime Blog article, I would like to teach you about the elusive Aristocrats of Gothic and Lolita fashion.

Unfortunately, the terms and different types never imported well from Japan, and if I only told you about my own style, I don’t think I would be representing the whole fashion fairly, so I have been doing a great deal of research on it recently. Please keep checking back and asking questions in the future and I will keep you updated as I learn more.

Background

When Gothic Lolita first became popular overseas (approx. 2002 or earlier), we knew it as EGL, an abbreviation that stands for Elegant Gothic Lolita. We also knew that EGA (Elegant Gothic Aristocrat) was its masculine or mature counterpart.

We later learned that the style we loved was not called EGL, but Gothic Lolita. E.G.L and E.G.A are actually two categories for the clothing brand Moi-même-Moitié©, created by Mana, the apparent King of Gothic Lolita.

Yet, even though we ditched the terms, deeming them incorrect, we still thought in the same binary: Lolita vs. Adult. We simply dropped the “EG” and began to call our Lolita counterpart “Aristocrat”. And to this day, the mature, elegant fashions of Gothic and Lolita subculture still retain this label in Western communities.

Japanese adherents don’t think in this same binary. Whereas we think in terms of Lolita vs. Adult/Aristocrat, they think in terms of Lolita vs. Gothic, because the subculture is called Gothic and Lolita.

It’s necessary to understand that Lolita and Gothic are seen as opposites: while Lolita is girly and cute, Gothic is dark and brooding. Common sense dictates that anything that is not Lolita (in this subculture) is Gothic–unless it is Gothic Lolita, which is an eerie oxymoron to Japanese ears.

Which brings me to my point: Aristocrat is a Gothic style.

What’s ironic is that the style we think of as Aristocrat is called Elegant Gothic in Japanese communities. It’s like we dropped the wrong two initials from EGA! Did they get the name from the same place, or is that a coincidence? I can’t say for certain.

Fashion

There are several Japanese styles that are commonly lumped into the Western label of Aristocrat. The ones I feel confident enough to teach you about, besides Elegant Goth, are called Madam and Ouji. Due to article length, however, I will only be able to tell you about Elegant Goth today.

Please note that these are not the only Gothic styles that exist in Japan. This article only touches on the aristocratic Goth styles, which make up a fraction of the entire Japanese Goth fashion. (It is also worth noting that “Real” Goths do not associate themselves with Gothic and Lolita culture, or even Visual-kei for that matter. And they are right, in a way.)

Some similarities between these styles are:

• Common symbols include crucifixes and Christian imagery, angel wings, butterflies, crowns, keys, Vivienne Westwood orbs, skulls, roses, card suits, and the Fleur-de-lis.
• Asymmetrical hems are popular, as is general asymmetrical balance (for example, wearing one black lace glove and one solid black glove.) So are square-shaped skirts and dresses, which is what gives skirts like those found in Atelier Boz their jagged shape.
• When making your own clothing or buying off-brand garments, use cotton and polyester blends for fabrics; unique fabrics like velvet, taffeta, and silk are virtually never used.
• Female clothing usually incorporates frills and always uses skirts instead of pants (unless she is dressing Ouji style); male clothing is usually much less ornate than female clothing, and either pants or skirts may be worn.
• Gothic makeup can be bolder and more artistic than Lolita makeup, which is meant to look natural. However, makeup is meant to match the face to the outfit, not be the center of attention, so use balance, and look at a lot of pictures for ideas. Both ladies and gentlemen wear makeup, although it is not necessary for men. Do not paint your face white unless you want everyone to think you are a cosplayer. This is especially true in Japan. (Only, my Aristocrat roommate looks pretty hot in whiteface, so I might make him do it anyway.)
• These styles are as modest as Lolita and most of the same body areas tend to be covered (legs, shoulders/bust, midriff, back). Maybe this is overstepping the boundaries, but it is probably possible to add an Ero (short for Erotic) feel, similar to that of Erololi, which uses fetishistic garments as opposed to less garments. For example, wearing underwear such as corsets or waist-cinchers, petticoats, bloomers, or crinoline as outerwear are common Ero traits. (I don’t know of an Ero style for men, sorry guys!)

Elegant Gothic Fashion

In Gothic and Lolita, “Elegant” seems to be an umbrella term loosely used to describe beautiful fashions that hint at antique aristocracy. Thus, “Elegant Goth” is exactly what it sounds like it should be. It might describe only female clothing, because I have not yet found a young man whose outfit was described as “Elegant,” but I have seen young men dressing in styles that I find elegant, so until I learn otherwise, I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

The stage costumes of Arika Takarano (see photo), lead vocalist for Ali Project, could be considered an elaborate version of Elegant Gothic style.

Tips for dressing in this style:

• Wear dark, deep colors. The main color is usually black, sometimes accented by another color, such as white, deep red, or deep blue. Experiment with other combinations if you wish. You are not really trying to achieve “Gothic” in the usual sense as much as you are trying to be pretty, elegant, and Romantic–but also dark.
• The opposite of the above color scheme is to go completely white, or white with black accents. This is called “White Goth“. Sometimes people choose more of an ivory color.
• Skirts tend to be full-length, do not resemble Lolita and may or may not be poofy or require a petticoat. Atelier Boz does make long petticoats for long skirts.
• Men might wear a jabot and long pants, and maybe a corset. Pants are usually loose-fitting. I’ve seen some men wear capes.
• Some brands to consider are Atelier Boz, Na+H, Moi-même-Moitié©, and Miho Matsuda.

This concludes the first installment of A Gothic Aristocrat Primer. In the next article I will continue describing other styles such as Madam and Ouji, and include links to stores that you can purchase clothing or evoke inspiration from.

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Kuroloki Roku will be a graduate of Columbia College Chicago in May 2008. She and her Prince reside in a hidden fortress in Chicagoland, and together they enjoy sipping tea, dressing up for outings, and playing DDR. Readers can read more about gothic and lolita at Roku’s Goth-loli blog. Roku would like to have a career as an illustrator and graphic novelist.

Read A Gothic Aristocrat Primer, Part Two!