Gothic fashion is a clothing style worn by members of the Goth subculture; a dark, sometimes morbid, eroticized fashion and style of dress.[1] Typical Gothic fashion includes dyed black hair, black lips and black clothes.[1] Both male and female goths wear dark eyeliner and dark fingernails. Styles are often borrowed from the Punks, Victorians and Elizabethans. BDSM imagery and paraphernalia are also common.[1] Goth fashion is sometimes confused with heavy metal fashion.
Contents |
Cintra Wilson declares that "The origins of contemporary goth style are found in the Victorian cult of mourning."[2] Valerie Steele is an expert in the history of the style.[2]
Goth fashion can be recognized by its stark black clothing (or hair or makeup),[1] The style initially emerged alongside the early 1980s Gothic rock scene. Simon Reynolds identifies the usual appearance of
| “ | deathly pallor, backcombed or ratted black hair, ruffled Regency shirts, stovepipe hats, leather garments, spiked dog collars, the ensemble accessorized with religious, magical or macabre jewellery (bone earrings, rosaries, pentacles, ankhs, skulls), typically made from silver.[3] | ” |
Reynolds also notes "fishnet stockings, black leather thigh boots, [and] witchy eye make-up."[4]
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.[5] | ” |
Researcher Maxim W. Furek noted,
| “ | Goth is a revolt against the slick fashions of the 1970’s disco era and a protest against the colorful pastels and extravagance of the 1980’s. Black hair, dark clothing and pale complexions provide the basic look of the Goth Dresser. One can paradoxically argue that the Goth look is one of deliberate overstatement as just a casual look at the heavy emphasis on dark flowing capes, ruffled cuffs, pale makeup and dyed hair demonstrate a modern-day version of late Victorian excess.[6] | ” |
One female role model is Theda Bara, the 1910s femme fatale known for her dark eyeshadow.[7][8] Musidora, Bela Lugosi,[9] Bettie Page, Morticia Addams,[8] Nico, David Bowie,[1] Lux Interior,[1] Dave Vanian,[10] Robert Smith[11] are also style icons. Siouxsie Sioux was particularly influential on the dress style of the Gothic rock scene; Paul Morley of NME described Siouxsie and the Banshees's 1980 gig at Futurama: "[Siouxsie was] modeling her newest outfit, the one that will influence how all the girls dress over the next few months. About half the girls at Leeds had used Sioux as a basis for their appearance, hair to ankle."[12]
In 1977, Karl Lagerfeld hosted the Soirée Moratoire Noire party, specifying "tragique exigée absolument noire" (totally black tragic dress required).[13] The event included elements associated with leatherman style.[13]
Goth fashion has a reciprocal relationship with the fashion world. In the later part of the first decade of the 21st century, designers such as Alexander McQueen,[2][14][15] Rick Owens,[15] Gareth Pugh, Ann Demeulemeester, Rodarte, John Galliano,[2][14][15] Olivier Theyskens,[15][16] and Yohji Yamamoto[15] brought elements of goth to runways.[2] This was described as "Haute Goth" by Cintra Wilson in the New York Times.[2] Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Christian Lacroix have also been associated with a gothic style.[14] In Spring 2004, Riccardo Tisci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs and Stefano Pilati dressed their models as "glamorous ghouls dressed in form-fitting suits and coal-tinted cocktail dresses".[16] Swedish designer Helena Horstedt and jewelry artist Hanna Hedman also practice a goth aesthetic.[17]
|
||||||||||||||