Old School Chic

Recently I've been pouring through the earliest versions of the Gothic Lolita Bibles, mainly for nostalgia, but also because I'm in love with the Old-School sub-style at the moment. The way that it's not as polished as today's Lolita style is a huge bonus for me, and the slightly frumpy look makes it much more natural and easy to style. It's before the modern print-crazy trend, so it's much easier to make your own dresses and is a lot less busy!

Here's some pages that I loved the most:

 

Both are from the Gothic and Lolita Bible volume 7.
I love this girl; she's really pretty and still has a typically Western figure that Lolita designers seem to forget, yet is still included in the Bible! I think she's a natural Lolita model, with no need for a wig or circle lenses that I think are so excessive. And those clothes are the style I first fell in love with in Lolita; black and white clothes inspired by Victorian things, that also has a slightly Hogwarts feel to it! Also, she makes me really want shoulder-length hair! I need to grow mine longer.

Kamikaze Girls and Novala Takemoto! I must resist the urge to ship Momoko and Ichiko together, but they're so damn cute! And Anna Tsukiya is really attractive...

I love these hair styles and make up; it's so fluffy and sweet!

 

It reminds me of when I first discovered Malice Mizer - which led me to find Lolita fashion. I still listen to them now for hours on end! As a side note, I recall once writing in my French essay that I strive to look like Mana-sama when I grow up! It shows how my style has changed quite a lot in Lolita, although to be honest, I'd still love to wear Mana-sama's wardrobe.

These pages are also really sweet. I like the way they're not as polished as the modern-day Gothic Lolita Bibles, which can seem really fake at times. I just really appreciate natural beauty.

Bara no Konrei~Bridal of Rose

I was surprised to find that my favourite band, Malice Mizer, had made a film in their years together, so I watched it, and I loved it! The film was just like their music; dark, gothic, and beautiful, with religious imagery!

Bara no Konrei is a silent film loosely based on Bram Stoker's Dracula and other vampire tales, with Japanese and English captions for dialogue. Klaha, Mana-sama, Közi, Yu~Ki, and Terumi Nagayoshi star in the film. Malice Mizer's final album taking place in the Klaha era, Bara no Seidou, serves as the soundtrack for the film, with the song Zenchou~ from the album Voyage ~Sans Retour~ included in one of the scenes. I was really impressed by the music in this film, so much that I downloaded the album.

The storyline isn't particularly anything new, but I still like it nevertheless. Klaha plays a character similar to Jonathan Harker from Dracula, who goes on business to Transylvania where he meets Yu~Ki (the Earl of Dracula). And Mana-sama was a female vampire nun, who was meant to be burnt at the stake for being a witch, but was saved. These two were my favourite characters, although Yu~Ki as the womanizing vampire was actually kind of funny in a twisted, strange kind of way!

My favourite parts were the music soundtrack, and the beautiful costume design! There are Victorian-styled clothes for Cecil (a woman kind of like Mina from Dracula) and Klaha, slightly more gothic Victorian clothes for the Earl of Dracula, a gorgeous gothic nun costume for Mana, and some Tudor/Stewart/Baroque-like clothes for Yu~Ki. The costumes in the film make me wish to become a costume designer for films and music videos even more (as well as an author)! Basically, it was beautiful in an odd kind of way, and the gothic music made it really special.

Gothic Lolita Music

For many people music plays an important part in their lives. I'm not really that musical, but I'm going to post some bands and singers that really inspire me.

Malice Mizer

                                                                              

I have to admit, Malice Mizer was basically what got me interested in Japan and lolita fashion in general. I've loved them since I was 11 and I still do years later! The first PV I ever watched was Beast of Blood and now I'm hooked. They are super inspiring for me as they show the beauty in darkness and gothic themes perfectly. Also I love their French twist on things. I can honestly say I like all the eras (Tetsu, Gackt and Klaha) equally. They always make me feel better in rough times and their music is very calming and almost magical in theme! 

ALI PROJECT

First of all, I love almost every song Ali Project produces! I really like Arika's aristocratic and mysterious feel. Her voice is beautiful, and whenever she's featured in Gothic Lolita Bibles she looks amazingly different in every single shoot! My favorite song at the moment is MEGALOPOLIS ALICE, and I love the lyrics to Narcissus Noir. She actually inspires me for some of my OCs and drawings.  

Tangkou Doll Vampire

Here's my Tangkou doll Vampire - I received her whilst I was sick in hospital.

Her wig is very long and could get tangled if you don't brush it every now and again. Her makeup is gothic, and I just love her little fangs! Vampire's eyes can change, just like other Tangkou dolls, but I think only the dark grey eyes suit her. That's just my opinion though. Overall, I love her! 

I'm calling her Garnet, after one of my favorite Malice Mizer PVs.

Garnet was born in Tokyo in 1983. She is age 19 and her birthday is the 18th November. Her star sign is Scorpio.
Garnet is shy, quiet, intelligent and mysterious. She's a Harajuku girl that sews her own clothes and loves Malice Mizer. Her hobbies include poetry, reading, sewing and taking photos at Harajuku.