It is hard for those of us outside Japan to make sense of Gothic Lolita and its variations, especially since we do not see and experience it firsthand. The various terms and categories associated with they style only complicate matters.

We Westerners are familiar with Goth fashion: head-to-toe black, crosses and skulls, veils, general ghoulishness. Lolita, in contrast, conjures up a child decked in pastels and over-the-top ruffles. Gothic Lolita is not so much a combination but interplay between the two aesthetics. The resulting look is unique and very compelling. 

GOTHIC LOLITA.
Achromatic colors, bell-shaped frilled skirts, high-collared Victorian blouses? Looks like Goth Loli to me. DESIGNERS: Moi-même-Moitié, Black Peace Now,
Alice Auaa, MA/MAM, Visible, Miho Matsuda.

Gothic Lolita fashion is widespread in Japan and considered the dominant Lolita variation. The less popular but associated styles incorporate Gothic (and) Lolita elements to different extents. Often, these sub-genres focus on a specific historical influence or theme. After Gothic, the three most popular Lolita styles are Sweet, Classic, and Punk.
SWEET/COUNTRY LOLITA.
Sweet Lolita outfits are distinguished by cutesy prints, baby colors, and frills galore. Country Lolis incorporate straw hats and gingham. DESIGNERS: Baby, The Star Shine Bright, Metamorphose temp de fille, Angelic Pretty, Mary Magdalene.

CLASSIC/ARISTOCRAT LOLITA.
Classic Lolita is a more subdued look that falls between Sweet and Gothic; it is less girlish, less ghoulish, and uses colors such as blue and red. Aristocrat Lolita is an elegant, mature version with Victorian/Edwardian accents and a streamlined silhouette. The above image is a stunning Aristocrat Loli look. DESIGNERS: Innocent World, Victorian Maiden, Juliette et Justine, Atelier BOZ, A Lidel.
PUNK LOLITA.
Punk Lolita softens the Johnny Rotten look (chains, plaids, torn fabrics) with girly-girl touches (poofy sleeves, lace trimmings, bell skirts). DESIGNERS: Stone Angel, Sex Pot Revenge, Putumayo, h.NAOTO, Union Jack, Sexy Dynamite.

Other imaginative Lolita styles are:
EROTIC LOLITA.
Ero Loli clothing is slightly more revealing and inspired by old-time fetish: lace-up corsets, shorter poof skirts, garters. DESIGNERS: Antique Beast.
GURO LOLITA.
Inspired by broken dollies, these “injured Lolis” make morbidity cute with slings, eyepatches, bandages, and fake blood.

PIRATE LOLITA.
If Jack Sparrow raided Elizabeth Swann’s boudoir… you get the idea.
SAILOR LOLITA.
Another subset with nautical themes, particularly sailor tie-collars and caps.
QI/WA LOLITA.
Qi and Wa Lolis combine ancient Chinese and Japanese styles, respectively, with Lolita elements.
PRINCESS LOLITA.
An extravagant variation that brings back the Rococo and tops it with a tiara.  
KODONA.
Boys like to play dress-up too. Kodona (a.k.a. Ouji) boys have closets full of knickerbockers, spats, frock coats, and jabots.

Other mentions are Schoolgirl Lolita (pleated skirts / knee socks) and Deconstructed or Neo-Goth (close to Western Goth but slightly ruffled and layered). Pretty mind-boggling, eh?

GOTHIC & LOLITA
>> by Masayuki Yoshinaga (photographer) and Katsuhiko Ishikawa (editor)
>> Phaidon Press (May 1, 2007) >> 272 pages paperback

Many of us in the West were introduced to Harajuku street fashion through a) Gwen Stefani and b) Fruits and Fresh Fruits by Shoichi Aoki. These photo collections, published by Phaidon Press, document the over-the-rainbow style of Japanese teens. Last May, Phaidon released a new lookbook, titled Gothic & Lolita. Each page has a full-color portrait of one or more youths on the streets of Osaka and Tokyo. Included are their names, ages, and replies to questions about their outfits.

Gothic & Lolita is a prime example of never judging a book by its cover. The term “Gothic Lolita” refers to a distinct category of fashion, along with its subgenres and social culture. The title and cover image (of two Sweet Lolitas) imply that the book focuses on Gothic Lolita and its complementary styles. But the “&” proves to be crucial: the introduction differentiates Lolita from Goth, and the portraits include a number of Punk, Cyber, and Club Goth looks with no Lolita elements whatsoever. And so, we have images like:

There is much debate over what constitutes Gothic Lolita, but hardly anything in Madoka’s outfit links her to the style. Rather than displaying childlike demureness, she’s working the “come-hither.” She bares skin, while Goth Lolis (with the exception of EroLolis) are typically modest. Her lace-up boots, skin-tight satin and black lipstick place her squarely in the Club Goth realm.

At least half of the photos have little to do with Gothic Lolita; in other words, we’re got a lot of pancake-powdered extras from Dawn of the Dead. All this is fine – but if someone picks up the book looking for an overview of Gothic Lolita fashion, then she will be disappointed, or even worse, utterly misled.

Phaidon’s lookbook DOES contain unequivocally Goth Loli outfits, such as dresses and coats from Baby, Metamorphose, and Black Peace Now. But the wide and exhilarating spectrum of Lolita subgenres is under-represented (see next post). And the outfits portrayed are rather paint-by-number:
 
Sorry, girls. Detail and quality make a Goth Loli outfit stand out – and even the flowers in their hair are wilted.

When I read Fruits, my eyes were popping out as I turned each page. I didn’t have nearly the same experience with Gothic & Lolita; the inclusion of strictly Goth looks is confusing, and the originality and whimsy of Lolita fashion is not conveyed. The book is worth a flip-through, but I would turn to the Gothic and Lolita Bibles, Japanese style magazines such as Kera, and websites to get a more coherent understanding of the style.