Gothic & Lolita Bible 37

I feel like I've been waiting forever for the new Bible to come out! Like many Lolita's, I don't really buy the Bibles any more. With import fees they are just too expensive and sometimes they are nearly impossible to find without having to spend even more on shipping. So, instead I wait around for someone else to buy it and scan it and upload it to Jmagazinescans, a Live Journal community devoted to scanning and uploading Japanese magazines. Earlier this morning I did my usual desperate check on the comm to see if the new Bible has been uploaded, and what do you know!? It has been! By two different people no less. You can download your own copy here or here. Of course, there are drawbacks to just downloading the magazine, first of all being that you aren't supporting the makers of the magazine, but also you sometimes have to deal with low resolution scans, missing pages, and you don't get to have your own flesh and blood (er, paper and glue) copy of the magazine. But, for free, you can't complain, and you can always pick up the real thing later if you really like it, and if you can find it.

This issue of G&LB was sort of a let down. Nothing really blew my mind and the photoshoots ranged from "meh" to "sort of neat". The patterns, on the other hand, are awesome, and a good incentive to actually buy it since scans of the patterns are nearly never included with scans of the magazine. Pattern scans for this issue feature a beautiful BtSSB nightgown, an h.NAOTO headpiece, a Peace Now star shaped purse, an Angelic Pretty hooded capelet, and an Innocent World apron, bustle skirt, and detachable bib collar. That's enough goodies to make up for the uninspired photos and coordinates!

One final thing, before I get to a few of my favorite pages, on the topic of complaining about things I love, let's talk about these new photo covers :( Frankly, I hate them. I loved the beautiful cover art that the Bibles used to feature and I really don't care about whoever it is on any of the covers. There is, sadly, little art inside each of the Bibles, so why take it off the cover and replace it with something you can find in abundance inside? The illustrated covers felt like something much more special to me, with glamor shots on the cover it feels like just another fashion magazine. The Bibles have always been a little bit more than just a fashion magazine, containing bits of Loliwisdom and sewing projects and all sorts of other useful things that make you a well-rounded Lolita, even if you couldn't always read the language. But the cover glamor shots sort of take away that feeling for me.

What did I like about this issue besides the patterns? Well, there were a few things at least, and I'd like to share some of them with you. Click for a much larger picture.

This issue also featured what looked like an in-depth guide to the different kinds of Lolita clothes and styles and laces. Which would be pretty useful and interesting, if I could actually read Japanese!