Gothic fashion has its own mark in the world of fashion. It is unique and different from the other fashion styles. Gothic fashion is homogenous and genderless. It is dark themed and gives a mysterious vibe to the look. People of gothic subculture prefer to wear dresses from gothic fashion. All the gothic dresses, including women’s gothic clothing are of dark colours. In other words the characteristics of a typical gothic fashion includes dark clothing, dark lipstick, kohled eyes, dark nail polish, exotic hairstyle in black colour, tattoos and body piercing. The makeup also includes pale skin. This getup gives a bold, dramatic and expressive look. Both men and women can use this makeup to get a proper gothic look. The gothic fashion style has got its influence from Elizabethan, Victorian and punk cultures.
You can find different types of gothic dresses and gothic accessories online as well. Jordash Clothing is an online store where you are going to get different types of gothic clothes such as gothic skirt, gothic blouse, fishnet, gothic cape and other alternative dresses.
Goth Subculture
Gothic fashion has its influence from the goth subculture. Goth subculture originated from gothic architecture, literature and punk music. Goth subculture has its origin dates back to the 13th century. Between the 13th to 16th century, gothic architecture became popular all over Europe. Features such as tall windows, pointed arches and spires of the buildings give a spooky and eerie vibe to the people. Literature got its inspiration from these buildings that looked creepy and thus during the 1700s, a new genre of literature called Gothic fiction came into existence. Gothic fiction is a combination of dark romanticism and fright. But gothic subculture became famous worldwide in the late 1970s and the early 1980s with the rise of punk rock bands. We can say that gothic fashion has drawn its influence from gothic architecture and fiction but mostly from the punk rock bands. The women’s gothic clothing has its influence from the Victorian gothic fashion and the punk bands of ‘70s and ‘80s.
The Origin Of Goth Fashion
The origin and history of goth fashion is incomplete without the mention of Victorian fashion and lifestyle. The Victorian era has a major role to play for the origin and evolution of goth fashion. Today modern goth, pastel goth and cybergoth are the trendy goth fashion styles; but among these styles, the classic Victorian goth fashion is still relevant.
The Victorian gothic dresses are mostly black in colour. Apart from black, dark shades like purple, violet, burgundy, blood red, etc were worn as gothic dresses in the Victorian era. Even today the influence of this era is seen in gothic fashion when women wear a black gothic skirt or black gothic blouse. The black gothic dresses were mostly worn as mourning outfits during the Victorian era.
The mortality rate during this era was high. So black coloured gothic dresses had become their everyday attires. By wearing these dresses they were expressing their sorrow, grief and a sense of loss. The dresses mostly included dark suits, black hats and black gloves for men; and for women, everything was black, mostly made up of crepe material. The widows would wear black dresses which would further change to white later on. In case of men, they were allowed to wear these dark and black mourning attires for a few months, and in case of women, it was for two years.
The Evolution Of Goth Fashion
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1970’s to 1980’s:
Goth fashion became immensely popular with the rise of the punk rock bands in the late ‘70s and the early ‘80s. The gothic fashion of this era includes dark coloured overcoat and coat and backcombed hair for men, and for women, it includes gothic skirt and fishnet stocking.
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1990’s:
The gothic fashion of early ‘90s saw the tribal elements and the deathrock elements in the gothic fashion. But in the second half of the 1990’s, one could see the rise of corporate goth and the gothic dresses and accessories were minimal in nature.
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2000’s:
The romantic goth came into existence in the early 2000’s. The dresses were dark in colour. The makeup was minimal with kohled eyes. The accessories were also kept minimal.
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2010’s:
2010’s saw the transition from haute goth to cybergoth. Haute goth fashion was based on imagination and creativity. It was a mixture of modern and Victorian styles. It included ball gowns, headdresses and corsets. The makeup was bold, expressive and dark. Cybergoth included trip pants, leather coats, platform boots, neon hair, shaved heads and so on.
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2020’s:
Designers like Yoji Yamamoto, Ann Demeulemeester, Chanel, Philipp Plein and so on have come with a wide variety of spooky elements in the gothic fashion that is completely matching with the dark phase of COVID and post COVID eras.
Summing Up
Women’s gothic clothing comes in a wide variety of styles and designs. They are always in dark shades. The makeup is also dark and bold. All these make us feel eerie and creepy. In the modern era the dresses and accessories are not that dramatic as they used to be in classic goth fashion. But tattoos and body piercing are given more importance.