A showcase of the cutting-edge vanguard of Gothic Lolita and punk drawing, and a valuable how-to guide for aspiring artists. Gothic Lolita Punk profiles top Japanese and Korean Gothic Lolita artists working in this hugely popular area of anime and manga—all of whom eagerly discuss their work and share their thoughts on this incredible and increasingly popular genre. Each profile includes a biography of the artist, a visual of his or her most engaging representative work, and a pictorial gallery with detailed explanations of their techniques. Also included is information on the materials used by each artist, how-to draw and illustrate guidelines, and a glossary of terms for drawing lifelike Gothic Lolita manga and anime characters.

This book is a visual foray into Japan’s popular and influential Gothic-Lolita and Gothic Punk subculture. It showcases a creative lifestyle synthesized from a remix of Victoriana, the macabre, anime, and theatricality, drawing on the early punks of the ’70s and ’80s and the club kids of the ’90s. Japanese Goth blends disparate elements of global pop culture into something fun, stylish, and unique—part Marilyn Manson, part Hello Kitty. It attracts established figures from Tokyo’s trendsetting fashion, art, and design scenes, and has inspired the next generation of designers, tastemakers, and fashionistas. Featured here are key designers, artists, and personalities including Mana & Gackt, Kokusyoku Sumire, Ayako-S, Koitsukihime, Gloomy Bear, and many others.

Photographs of Japanese teenagers in their imaginative outfits.

An essential, fully illustrated guidebook to day-to-day Goth living There's more to being a Goth than throwing on some black velvet, dyeing your hair, and calling it a day (or a night). How do you dress with morbid flair when going to a job interview? Is there such a thing as growing too old to be a Goth? How do you explain to your grandma that it's not just a phase? Jillian Venters, a.k.a. "the Lady of the Manners," knows how to be strange and unusual without sacrificing politeness and etiquette. In Gothic Charm School, she offers the quintessential guide to dark decorum for all those who have ever searched for beauty in dark, unexpected places, embraced their individuality, and reveled in decadence . . . and for families and friends who just don't understand.

Featuring twenty-five iconic fashion styles, Manga Fashion is filled to the brim with gorgeous girls in dazzling clothes. Seventy-three of Japan's top manga artists portray key styles from party to romantic, gothic Lolita to nautical. Descriptions of the different styles break them down into their essential components—types of clothing, shoes, and accessories, as well as how the looks developed and what kind of modern manga girls wear them. Classic items like miniskirts, kimonos, military jackets, and ball gowns are covered, as are accessories including high heels, obis, and hair ribbons. And as the cherry on this manga sundae, two manga paper dolls can be found in the back of the book, accompanied by stylish outfits and accessories.

Western fashion has been widely appreciated and consumed in Tokyo for decades, but since the mid-1990s Japanese youth have been playing a crucial role in forming their own unique fashion communities and producing creative styles which have had a major impact on fashion globally. Geographically and stylistically defined, subcultures such as Lolita in Harajuku, Gyaru and Gyaru-o in Shibuya, Age-jo in Shinjuku, and Mori Girl in Kouenji, reflect the affiliation and identities of their members, and have often blurred the boundary between professionals and amateurs for models, photographers, merchandisers and designers. Based on insightful ethnographic fieldwork in Tokyo, Fashioning Japanese Subcultures is the first theoretical and analytical study on Japan's contemporary youth subcultures and their stylistic expressions. It is essential reading for students, scholars and anyone interested in fashion, sociology and subcultures.