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STEAMPUNK & JAPANESE GOTHIC LOLITA: RETRO-FUTURISTIC FASHION WITH BRASS GOGGLES, CLOCKWORK.


Steampunk Gothic Lolita, Japan steampunk fashion, clothing. Female neo-Victorian steam punk dresses, costumes.

My friend Liz writes for LA Weekly and has one of the coolest beats in reporting. She files stories about Lolita fashion, J-pop club nights, ball-jointed dolls, anime conventions, and everything else worth talking about in the world of Japanese Goth. (Gothic belly dancing, anyone?)

Liz recently did a “Steampunk Starter” piece where she highlights her favorite steampunk TV and film series. I wrote about Steamboy and hear that Fullmetal Alchemist has a great premise. Can’t wait to check out the rest.

Steampunk shares a number of aesthetic similarities to Gothic Lolita, and I’ve seen some compelling “hybrid” outfits. How can you go wrong with brass goggles, gears and clockwork, mad scientist hair, top hats and striped stockings?

However, I haven’t seen the retro-futuristic fashion on the streets of Tokyo; there don’t appear to be steampunk clothing brands or communities, unlike in the West. I think as Lolita evolves, she is more likely to draw upon Wa (traditional Japanese) and fairy kei influences, rather than steampunk. And of course, kawaii is here to stay; quite a few major newspapers have reported on the recent appointment of three “cute ambassadors.”

What do you think of Steampunk merged with Lolita? In what direction do you predict Loli fashion will head? To keep posted on Liz’s latest stories, check out her Twitter.

Song of the Day #67: Abney Park – Airship Pirate

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MISA AMANE FROM DEATH NOTE: KAWAII GOTHIC LOLITA?


Misa Amane from Death Note manga and anime. Misa Misa cosplay, cute Japanese Gothic Lolita drawing, wallpaper.

Ronan and Basil Farrow and I have been watching the thrilling anime series Death Note. I bet many of you are already fans; I love the central concept of the notebook and the intellectual clashes between the characters. As Ronan puts it, “It’s a really vicious show sometimes, so it ends up killing off people you don’t expect or want. I like fiction that isn’t afraid to give you a depressing, nihilistic kick in the balls.”

However, there is a character that we find a tad grating… Misa Amane, the blonde actress/model/idol who will do anything for the main character. (She throws herself at his feet and declares, “I don’t care if you just use me!”) Misa is one of those squealing, bodalicious kawaii girls that we love to dissect on this blog. And here’s the monkey wrench: she’s almost always depicted in Goth clothing, or (as in the video below), Gothic Lolita.

According to Wikipedia, the creators Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata dressed her in Gothloli to complement the themes of the morbid notebook and death gods. Ohba said that he is “into that fashion” and that having Misa first appear in unusual clothing would be “more interesting.” The creators believed that using “hardcore” Gothic Lolita would be “too much.” – so they made her look “a little more natural” and “cute” to appeal to people who “weren’t into the Gothic Lolita style.”

I wonder if I’d be less bothered by Misa if she wore skimpy pink clothing… what are your thoughts?

Song of the Day #65: Death Note – Misa no Uta (Misa’s Song)

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