Gothic fashion is a clothing style worn by members of the goth subculture. A dark, sometimes morbid, fashion and style of dress,[1] typical gothic fashion includes black dyed hair and black clothes.[1] Both male and female goths can wear dark eyeliner, dark nail polish and lipstick (most often black), and dramatic makeup.[2] Styles are often borrowed from the Elizabethans and Victorians. BDSM imagery and paraphernalia are also common.[1] Gothic fashion is sometimes confused with heavy metal fashion and emo fashion.
Characteristics
Cintra Wilson declares that "The origins of contemporary goth style are found in the Victorian cult of mourning."[3]Valerie Steele is an expert in the history of the style.[3]
Goth subculture is stereotyped as eerie, mysterious, and complex, and the fashion is used as an outlet to express these characteristics. Goth fashion can be recognized by its stark black clothing. Ted Polhemus described goth fashion as a "profusion of black velvets, lace, fishnets and leather tinged with scarlet or purple, accessorized with tightly laced corsets, gloves, precarious stilettos and silver jewelry depicting religious or occult themes".[4]
Nancy Kilpatrick's Goth Bible: A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined defines "poseur" for the goth scene as follows: "goth wannabes, usually young kids going through a goth phase who do not hold to goth sensibilities but want to be part of the goth crowd (...)". Kilpatrick contributor "Daoine O'" denigrates poseur goths as 'Batbabies' whose clothing is bought at [mall store] Hot Topic with their parents' money".[5]
During the emergence of the goth subculture in 1980's London,[13] many genres of music played a large role in establishing the fashion trends - fashion spelled out the music an individual would listen to. Because of its origins, the major music inspirations during the early emergence of the goth subculture were similarly English bands. Some bands who have influence gothic fashion over the years include bands like Bauhaus, the Cure, Sisters of Mercy and Siouxsie and the Banshees.[14] The Batcave was a nightclub in London, between 1982–1986, that hosted live music and paid homage to all things goth. The interior, as described by Kelly Rankin, included cobwebbed ceilings and a real coffin at the entrance. She says that "The Batcave became iconic because it aided the progression of this movement."[13]
Variations
Deathrock
Deathrock fashion, much like goth music, is closely related to goth fashion. The influences of the style come from a blend of glam rock, punk rock, gothic horror literature, and undead characters of classic horror films. The aesthetic was born from the early Los Angeles punk rock scene, and gained influences from fashion worn by patrons of the Batcave club in the UK as the two regional scenes had met. Many deathrockers have a dark DIY punk approach on their attire. The common theme of the aesthetic is dominantly black clothing: shirts featuring deathrock bands or horror themes, torn fishnets as a shirt and/or hosiery, pale fleshtone or pale white foundation and powder makeup on the face, black or darkly colored eye makeup, combat boots or Doc Martens, and skirts, leggings, slim fit pants or shorts. Iconic hairstyles of this style are the "Deathhawk", mohawks or variants of mohawks, and spiky or teased hair. The horror punk and deathrock fashion section of the punk fashion article has more details.
Haute goth
In 1977, Karl Lagerfeld hosted the Soirée Moratoire Noir party, specifying "tenue tragique noire absolument obligatoire" (black tragic dress absolutely required).[15] The event included elements associated with leatherman style.[15]
Gothic Lolita, sometimes shortened to gosu rori (ゴスロリ) in Japanese (or "goth loli" in roman characters), is a combination of gothic and lolita fashions. The fashion originated in the late 1990s in Harajuku.[21]
Gothic Lolita fashion is characterized by darker make-up and clothing.[22] Red lipstick and smoky or neatly defined eyes, created using black eyeliner, are typical styles, although as with all lolita sub-styles the look remains fairly natural.[23] Though Gothic make-up has been associated with a white-powdered face, this is usually considered poor taste within the (largely Japanese) lolita fashion scene.[24]
Brands which exemplify the Gothic Lolita style include Atelier-Pierrot, Atelier Boz, Black Peace Now, H. Naoto Blood and Moi-même-Moitié. Author and TV Host La Carmina is a popular model of Gothic Lolita fashion.
Traditional goth (or trad goth) is a term defining the aesthetic that reflects the classic and original aesthetics of Goth from the 1980s. The examples are from the attire worn by Bauhaus, Siouxsie Sioux and the Cure. Dominantly black clothing, creepers, winklepickers, and backcombed, disheveled hair are common. Patrons of the Batcave club in the UK had an impact on the fashion with the attire they wore. This also has close relation to the deathrock revival and fashion, as the 1980s goth and Batcave fashion influenced the aesthetic over the decades into the 2010s.
Victorian goth
Victorian goth is a modern fashion movement that interprets and redefines certain aspects regarding fashion of the Victorian Era.[30] The Victorian Era is notable for having big dresses and elegant hair, and these elements have made subsequent integration into modern day main stream gothic fashion. With early inspiration taken from medieval settings that were used by Edgar Allan Poe, in addition to late-Victorian examples of gothic fashion that are used in Bram Stoker's Dracula.[31]
Social media influence
Social media has increased the level of awareness surrounding gothic fashion trends, but this has also modified the dynamic and expectations within the community itself.[14] Bianca Wooden describes the emergence of a new wave of goth fad fashion and says that "goth has become less of an organic movement and more of a calculated brand".[14]
Performative gothic fashion
Goth YouTuber Angela Benedict describes in this video, some of the negative impacts that social media has had on gothic fashion. Some of these include the increased emergence of "elitist goths"[14] who shame others for not being "goth" enough. This has led to many online goths who portray their gloomy attire and dramatic makeup looks only to take pictures or film videos.[14]
Steele, Valerie; Park, Jennifer (21 October 2008). Gothic: Dark Glamour. Yale University Press and the Fashion Institute of Technology. ISBN9780300136944. Retrieved 21 December 2011.