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Early Imai Kira

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  Let’s explore Imai Kira pre- Angelic Pretty! Most of us were introduced to Imai Kira’s beautiful illustrations through her collaborations with Angelic Pretty inside the glossy pages of the Gothic & Lolita Bibles.  The two began working together sometime in 2001. The following year, Angelic Pretty released clothing with screen-printed Imai Kira illustrations. The two have been intertwined ever since. I think her original art book ‘Rosette’ (released in 2002) summarises the Angelic Pretty influence on her work that is still felt today. It has all the hallmarks of oldschool sweet lolita that you would expect from that time (gingham, strawberries, bunnies) but holds on to some of the edginess from her past. See an introduction to ‘Rosette’ on the blog ' Rose Tea Before Dawn '. I’m very fond of that brief period in the early 2000s where all the sweet lolita brands were coming out with gothic releases.   But anyway, the website states that ‘Rosette’ was her 14th original ...
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Gothic Lolitas in Gothic Beauty magazine vol.9~

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“ Gothic Beauty magazine- Issue 9 ” Hello again. I bought a pdf of this western gothic magazine because the EGL livejournal wrote (10+ years ago) that this issue existed and contained an article on gothic lolita fashion. I didn’t particularly care for the article- the livejournal lolitas were in agreement that it kind of sucked- but I read that it contained photos of oldschool lolitas and mentioned brands such as Alice Auaa and Kazuko Ogawa, so I knew I had to see it.  This blog post has nothing to do with the article itself. Western articles on lolita during this era tend to rely on sensationalised aspects of the fashion that have nothing to do with what it truly means to be a lolita. After reading what must be hundreds of articles and dissertations on this fashion, I’m really just bored of the same stuff repeating over and over again that never treats lolita with the respect that it deserves, or uses its conclusions to make any valuable insights into alternative Japanese culture....
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PROPAGANDA 1996 Calendar

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PROPAGANDA Gothic Erotic Posterbook / 1996 Calendar, photographed by Fred H. Berger, scanned by me. Cover image model: Wayne Arents DECEMBER “Cross My Heart,” 1991 Model: John Koviak Trivia- John Koviak was briefly a guitarist/bassist for London After Midnight, before leaving to pursue his solo project Sub Version. He is also Polish apparently! Eastern European gothic representation .  JANUARY “Azrael’s Pardon,” 1990 Model: Scott Crawford Trivia- Azrael is the benevolent angel of death written about in various Abrahamic religious texts.   FEBRUARY “In The Valley Of The Kings,” 1993 Model: Chad Renard MARCH “Blood Countess” 1992 Model: Tia Giles Trivia- Tia Giles in this shoot was featured prominently in a Propaganda videozine of the same name. She plays an immortal vampire who feasts on the blood of her bound and undressed female victims. APRIL “Kali’s Swoon” 1993 Model: Pola Weiss Trivia- Pola Weiss dated Trent Raznor of NIN during the 90s. And had some sort of relationship w...
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