The Lolita’s Guide to Romantic Goth

Part of an entry I wrote for a new Live Journal community which caters to the Gothicly inclined within Lolita due to the swamping dominace of sweet style on the main EGL community/sales:

I remember someone writing a Lolita’s Guide to Goth on the main EGL community, but I was slightly unsatisfied with the definition, if it can so be defined :3 (also if anyone has the link, please feel free to chuck it my way)

Knowing that many of the Lolitas who join EGL do not come from an Alternative/Goth background and thus relate to Sweet more than Gothic because there is a standing misconception that: all goths = those scary, icky mall goths bottom-feeders. A sad state of affairs but that is what they define goth to be because it is the only style they’ve been exposed to, the days of velvet, lace, black roses and elegance in Goth is dead.

Romantic Goth is not Dead (it’s only pretending to be)

One could easily co-ordiate a traditional romantic goth outfit/wardrobe using the very same resource all lolitas use – the Gothic and Lolita Bible – and the brands advertised there in

* Moitie, Metamorphose, Stigmata/Sexy Dynamite London, Alice Auaa, Arachnaphobia,  Atelier Boz, Elements, H. Naoto (And sub-lines), Visable/Marbel, Excentrique, Union Jack, Putumayo, Miho Matsuda and Black Peace Now to name a few.

If I could recomend an issue that’s overtly Goth / Goth Lolita / Aristocrat that would be GLB issue 11, heavily a Winter season edition of the GLB.

To those not in the know – what is Romantic Goth? As an aesthetic, it dwells upon the luxurious, the dark, the romantic, the tragic and the bygone. Taking cues from Medieval, Renaissance, Victorian/Elizabethan fashion Vampire and Pre-Raphelite imagery with a layered, deconstructed or tailored lines. Lace, velvet, tulle, brocades and embroidery to give texture and an look of decadence. The colour pallet was one of predominantly black with highlights of dark plum purples, wine red/Burgundy, bottle/dark mossy greens and sometimes flashes of violet, cream, white and gold.

For women, essential items were gloves, corsets, long skirts, floor length dresses, veils, cloaks/coats/capes/shrugs, cameos, silver jewelery and semi-precious stones and dainty pointed toed shoes. For men it was loose poet/pirate shirts, finely embroidered waistcoats, long fitted coats/cloaks/capes, Top hats, canes, cravats/jabots/ascots, tight black pants/dress slacks, pointed toe boots with straps and buckles.

Romantic goth took the more luscious aspects of historical fashion but without becoming historical costume. It was dramatic, shocking but still remaining refined but it was also a lot of fun, you felt like the Royalty of the Night and you danced in the shadows. Also spinning around in long skirts is the best :3

For the most part this is a rather broad look on the style that seems to be fading though few still keep it alive.