Pure Gothic Black

Announcing the New Look of Gothic Charm School!

Look, Snarklings! Look at the new website, lovingly re-designed to complement the upcoming Gothic Charm School book!

Speaking of the upcoming book, there is now a book FAQ that will (the Lady of the Manners hopes) answer any questions you may have. If you have a question about the book that still needs answering, please write to the Lady of the Manners.

Speaking about upcoming events for Gothic Charm School … if you are anywhere near Seattle on Tuesday, June 23rd, come celebrate the release of the book at the Gothic Charm School launch party at Barnes & Noble in University Village! There will be a book reading and signing, a Q&A session, art from the book on display, a chance to win a signed print of one of those illustrations, and other fun things.

Tuesday, June 23rd, 7:30PM
University Village Barnes & Noble
2675 NE University Village St
Seattle, WA 98105

Pink and Black

Now This Is Gothic Horror

Cosplay: Silent Hill

Taken from anime convention in Chicago, IL. May 2009.

Photos by Judith Stephens

Kanon Wakeshima The Cello Angel

Kanon Wakeshima (分島 花音), born 1990, a Japanese singer and cellist. Genre(s): Neoclassical, Dark ambient.

Before her birth, Wakeshima's music loving parents wished for her to be a musician. At the age of three, she began learning the cello beginning her entry into the world of music. In junior high school she formed her own ensemble group. At the age of fifteen, she transitioned from her former classical ensembles into playing in the baroque section. Appearing in a variety of recitals and concerts throughout her school years, she began writing her own music and combining singing with her cello playing at the age of sixteen. As she transitioned form junior high school to high school, she began writing her own music and singing. She gave her first vocal performances during a high school festival.

Sony Vaio Goes Gothic

Sony has given its new Vaio laptop a gothic inspired makeover.




The limited edition Gothic Arabesque Z Series notebook features an arabesque design to complement its carbon fibre body.

Armed with powerful features including the latest Intel Centino 2 processor, DDR3 memory, and new intelligent technology featuring Hybrid Graphics that can maximise efficiency or accelerate graphics for cutting-edge performance, the Z series is one of the fastest ultra-portable, highly sophisticated notebooks available today.

Additional features include a Blu-ray optical drive, a spacious aluminium keyboard and the latest 13.1 Clear Tough LCD screen with a 1600x900 resolution. A built-in webcam and noise cancelling headphones further enhance mobility.

It weighs 1.48kg with a battery life of up to 5 hours.

Harajuku Gothica

White lolita Girl

Goth Underexploited

Goth has been around for decades, having spun out of the punk movement in the Seventies and reaching a high in the Nineties with Marilyn Manson and movies such as “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “Interview with the Vampire.”

But that macabre vibe is gaining traction once again, and not just in fashion circles. Nobody needs to point out the phenomenal success of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire-themed “Twilight” series — the film based on the first book grossed $35.7 million on its opening day last November.

“Goth has still been relatively underexploited,” says Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, who curated the museum’s “Gothic: Dark Glamour” show earlier this year and is planning a Japanese fashion exhibit for 2010. “Everybody’s been pillaging, say, punk or hip-hop for years; this is still relatively fresh. I think there’s been a growing interest, like, ‘Why aren’t we doing more with this?’ And, I think, the Japanese take has refreshed it.”

Steele is talking about Japan’s prominent Goth figure, the Gothic Lolita, who’s getting the spotlight treatment of late. She’s a different beast altogether from the Western Goth gal here; rather, the GothLoli — or Loli-Goth — is a wonderfully perverse cocktail of “Alice in Wonderland” meets Wednesday Addams. Think petticoats, parasols, ribbons and ruffles — cast in black.

And while the term Lolita may tip its frilly bonnet to Nabokov’s girl, no devotee worth her weight in mary janes would acknowledge a sexual undertone to the style. Its origins are more rooted in Harajuku culture — “and the importance of kawaii, of cuteness, in Japan’s popular culture,” says Steele — and champions the covered-up, modest feel of the Victorian age.




“It’s almost like they’re trying to transform themselves into living dolls,” explains Tiffany Godoy, co-author of “Japanese Goth” (Universe), a new book on the phenomenon. “It’s about being feminine and lovely and taking tea.”


Source: wwd.com

Coraline: The Gothic Tale

Directed by Henry Selick, who also a director of probably the most successful stop motion movie of all time; The Nightmare Before Christmas (with Tim Burton), FilmJunk.com said that Coraline is a creepy fairy tale that clearly draws much of its inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

It's definitely gothic.



It took over 500 people and four years to complete the film. On average, it took an entire week of production to complete only 1.5 minutes of footage.

The crew was made up of people from all over the United States and from eight different countries including Italy, England, New Zealand, France, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Taiwan.

Dark Japanese Lolita Girl

Which One Is You?

Speaking of which, I just reset the poll above after making some changes. So please, make a vote once again. Who are you? Post a comment to tell the world about you.

Cute Japanese Lolita Girl

Here's a cute japanese lolita girl for you...

The Lolita Effect

I'm totally sorry, boys and gals. Been busy with my work so can't keep this blog up. This is a "may day" situation indeed as I need to do something to bring some life here. Immediately!

Okay, this is my first lolita for you...



It's the book cover for "The Lolita Effect" by M. Gigi Durham.

'Americans are bombarded with perplexing and alarming media images: brand name thong underwear for ten-year-olds with the slogans “Wink Wink” and “Eye Candy” written on them; oversexed and underdressed celebrities gone wild; Bratz dolls and their “sexy” clothing line for preteen girls. How do we raise sexually healthy young women in this kind of environment?'

I'd sure love to know the answer. How about you? Have you read this book? Please let me know.