Gothic Shoe Shopping

Sincere apologies for not writing for a while... You know how life goes.

Right then, one of my favourite topics... SHOES! Yes, not to be stereotypical of the female gender, I am in love with shoes! I adore looking at photo shoots from my favourtie people and bands and so on, and seeing the shoes they wear. I love the pin-up, retro and burlesque styles - for me they are so beautiful. I also think that shoes can really make an outfit! One thing I always struggle with is finding shoes that I like AND in my size. I have tiny feet (UK size 3). 

This makes it nearly impossible to buy beautiful gothic shoes.... or so I used to think! (I am now building up a collection of amazing shoes, to include Demonia boots, Iron fist shoes, Dr Martens and so on!)

My advice for buying the most fang-tastic footwear:

- NEVER be scared to visit shops you would normally not be seen dead in. You can sometimes be surprised at what you find in the shoe section!

- NEVER buy without trying on (unless there are free returns!). Much like bra's, never just assume that because you are one size in one store, you are ''officially'' that size. This is also true with style. Flat shoes may mean you are one size, but in heels you may be another. You get the point.

- The internet is your friend. My most treasured shoes have come from cyber-space ♥

- At first, go for shoes that can go with several outfits - that way, you get good use/wear from them and they become good value for money.

- A pair of shoes can make an awesome addition to your Christmas/Birthday list! We all know in the current economic climate that prices are going up - so with Christmas coming, hunt for a pair that you like, then show (or print a picture) them to your Mum/Dad/Boyfriend/Other and stick them on your list :)

Some of my personal favourite brands include Iron Fist, Pleaser and Demonia. You can get a great idea of all the shoes in the gothic/alt genre by searching the internet for things like ''burlesque footwear'' or ''gothic footwear''.

Some great examples of gothic/alt shoes I've found on the internet:

Iron Fist shoes! ♥

Bordello Shoes ''Teeze''

Pleaser USA - Do cute flats and heels! ♥

Demonia

 

As you can see, there is so much variety! You can have heels, flats, boots - and no compromise on style! You just have to look for it. Another tactic you can use is to check out sites like Ebay in order to get some good deals and savings! I found a pair of patent black Dr Martens in my size on Ebay and saved around £25 off the original price! 

Happy shoe shopping :) 

Candy x

I'm Gothic Lolita and you are a criminal...

Gothic lolita, sometimes shortened to GothLoli (ゴスロリ, gosu rori), is a combination of the Gothic and Lolita fashion. The fashion originated in the late 1990s in Harajuku and was promoted by Visual Kei bands such as Malice Mizer, which brought it to greater popularity amongst fans of alternative street fashion and followers of the musical style.


Gothic Lolita fashion is characterized by a darker make-up and clothing. Red lipstick and smokey or neatly defined eyes, created using black eyeliner, are typical styles, although as with all Lolita substyles the look remains fairly natural. Though Gothic make-up is associated with a white powdered face, this is usually considered bad taste within the Lolita fashion. Gothic Lolita usually uses dark color schemes including black, dark blues and purples, although black and white remains popular. As with some Western Gothic styles, cross jewelry, religious symbols, bags and purses in shapes like bats, coffins, and crucifixes are also used to accessorize the Gothic Lolita look.

Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA) are substyles of gothic lolita (and of aristocrat fashion coined by the Visual Kei artist Mana (click to know who he is), in connection with his own fashion label Moi-même-Moitié.





Japanese brands which exemplify the gothic lolita style include Atelier-Pierrot, Atelier Boz, Black Peace Now, h. NAOTO Blood and Moi-même-Moitié.

Though the term lolita is often referred to a girl who's only goal is to be sexy and attract men, in this case the term lolita means "cute and pretty". Men feel more intimidated by a grown woman who dresses like a little girl and shows no skin than by a woman who shows it all. Also dressing Gothic Lolita and all the other styyles is a kind of rebellion of Japanese against their strict society.

Gothic Lolita style has also been featured in many Animes (Japanese cartoons).