Gothic fashion dates back to the 1970s when the Goths wore their favourite ‘avatars’ and carried themselves with oomph and grace. Dark and mysterious features are distinctive characteristic features of Gothic dressing. Though unusual, these homogenous and antiquated fashion statements are quite a vogue today.
The Gothic subculture evolved in the United Kingdom (UK) in the 1980s. Gothic fans and Gothic rock followers popularised the culture so much that it took a revolutionary turn and the dark fashion trend continued to emerge in new forms. Just as trends come and go only to re-emerge, this alternative clothing trend also witnessed many changes. However, the theme never alters.
Typically, Gothic fashion is all about darker clothes and complementing accessories that create an evil look. The colours predominantly used are pitch black, dark violet, and dark maroon. To accentuate the outfit, Goths wear dyed hair, dark makeup, and totem accessories with other symbols representing the dark theme, body piercings, and tattoos.
Over the years, the classic gothic subculture evolved. From the 70s to the 80s, Gothic dressing witnessed revolutionary changes. It started with dark-coloured clothing only, with adornments like frills, laces, bodices, and chokers. Besides men’s and women’s Gothic clothing, dyed hair, black nail colours, and loud dark makeup took over.
In the late 1980s, the classic Gothic trend still prevailed. However, backcombed or unkempt hair became the most happening fashion statement. Traditional Goths chose brothel creeper footwear and winklepicker boots.
Come the 1990s, and the era of cybergoth subculture just took over. Popularly called the rivethead, cyberpunk, and raver subculture, the origin of this trend is attributed to the people closely related to industrialised dance music. This trend was relatively newer in Gothic fashion then.
The era of the 2000s saw some sea changes in Gothic fashion. Fashion designers of the latest time like Hedi Slimane, Anna Sui, and Rick Owens introduced Gothic fashion and subculture to the ramps. Cintra Wilson termed this phenomenal move as “Haute Goth” in the New York Times. The most popular Gothic styles trending today are Deathrock, Haute Goth, Steampunk, Gothic Lolita, Traditional Goth, Aristocrat, and Cybergoth. Before buying online, from an overwhelming collection of men and women’s Gothic dresses, choose your favourite style. Wholesale gothic clothing is relatively inexpensive with many options to consider. Do not forget to add a bodice, leather boots, chokers, and fishnet tights to complete the look.
