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-Where to get belts that don't fall apart in a few months

Check around big all-purpose stores like Walmart or Target. You can get some very durable and inexpensive brands from them. The only studded belt I own I bought from Walmart for $8. You could be a lower-quality belt of the same design at Hot Topic for $20.

Also, if they're available to you, check out local "romance", sex, or S&M shops. I guarantee you- ANY item than could possibly be construed as fetish (studded belts included) will be sold at these stores, and anything you buy at these stores will be high quality.

-Crappy hot topic stuff

Hot Topic is one of the ultimate examples of a big company taking advantage of their brand name in order to sell people crap products. They sell a lot of low-quality items at full price to turn out high profits. End of story.

-Stores with low quality goods in general

I've been pretty lucky with avoiding such shops, so I have little to say...

-The lack of availability of goth stuff

1) Studded belts aren't really part of the tradition goth outfit... while the style is certainly popular amongst goths, it's always had a stronger and more grounded following in the punk and metal scenes, as well as the gay S&M scene from which the fashion originally came.

2) Goth clothes' availability varies from place to place. You can pretty much find any alternative fashion in a big city, but the further you go from them, the harder it'll be to find clothes specifically designed for goths. Though, your own creativity and open-mindedness will make your search easier.

I dress in a "classic goth" style almost daily, and I buy virtually nothing from "goth stores". Almost all of my casual goth wardrobe I purchase from Levi outlets and the GAP.

-The dream that I had last night where I went to the mall and there was this humongo store with all gothic lolita stuff

Not impossible to find, actually. Most major metropolitan cities will have Asian districts, and if you take a stroll down any number of streets in such areas, you can find Goth-Loli clothes fairly easily. There was a single mall I went to in Toronto that had 4 competing goth-loli stores.

With Hot Topic I've learned to avoid it. Thier quality has certainly gone down hill over the years. I first started shopping ther about four-ish years ago, and a lot of the skirts I bought there back then are still together. However, if you go back to about a year ago, I bought some clearance items from them, and none of those items survived more than a couple wears without requiring repair work.

In general, I've become picky with buying clothing. I take forever in the fitting room, looking over the stiching, inspecting the weave of the fabric, tugging at the seams, and just seeing how durable somthing is.




As GilAskan mentioned, most larger cities have alternative clothing stores. These shops are not always tagreted for the gothic subculture specifically, but will oftentimes have amazing peices which happen to be very gothic. Case and point, a shop I go to in Boston caters mostly to the 'scene' look, yet carries several items from Lip Service and Leg Avenue.

Also, if you happen to be over eighteen, you could check out whatever goth clubs are in your area. Though I'm still under eighteen, I've met several people who go to a local club for goth nights, and many of them have mentioned that I should go to a nearby gothic clothing store that most people in the area have never heard of. I've been to the local shop, and it is amazing! It's likely that those who hang out at goth clubs would know of what your region has to offer in terms of gothic specialty shops.

I also strongly urge you to check out your local thrift shops if you're looking for gothic clothing in general (though not studded belts, as I doubt you would have much luck with that!). It is amazing what you can find on a good day while thrift shopping! I've managed to find poet shirts, black velvet gowns with bell-sleeves, combat boots, granny boots, cameos, virtorian-syled tops, luxurious satin skirts, loli-esq bell skirts, and even a cloak, among other things, at my local Goodwill. Though you may leave the store empty-handed on many occassions, the prices and uniqueness of the garments you do find will more than make up for it!




P.S.- Sorry I can't help you find a belt! I never wear belts, so I'm really not much of a help in that department...

I don't know about studded belts (got mine from a consignment store), but I know about belted hats.

Check out fanplusfriend, if you like your goth-loli and Engrish a lot, and want Moi-meme-Moitie clothing without the high price tag.

http://www.fanplusfriend.com/servlet/StoreFront