Black robes, Victorian lace, silver jewelry, pale skin, a mysterious look - these are the Goths. Fans of this trend look unusual, like aliens from the other world. Each of their appearances in public is a fashion event. People cannot take their eyes off this bewitching, truly devilish beauty. The Gothic style in clothing, shoes and accessories has several directions, but any image is a rare combination: high sorrow and cold beauty.
Representatives of this subculture have a gloomy image and may show an interest in mysticism, horror music, and gothic rock. They are often mistaken for Satanists due to the clichés that have formed in society and their gloomy appearance.
Gothic: history of style
The Gloomy Middle Ages were a time of crusades, knightly tournaments and the all-out struggle of the Catholic Church against heretics. Any manifestations of human sensual nature are prohibited. Strict vertical lines dominate in architecture and clothing: people want to rise up and become closer to God. The color black, which embodies grief and sadness, is held in high esteem. It was believed that clothing in dark colors emphasized nobility and elegance and indicated a high social status. Although bright colors and floral patterns were quite acceptable. In the Middle Ages, it was quite possible to wear a black outfit with bright embroidery.
The Renaissance, which replaced the Middle Ages, brought with it a fresh wind of change. People remembered beauty and wanted to enjoy life again. Interest in everything ancient is awakening, culture is experiencing a rebirth. All previous ideals are recognized as barbaric. Humanists of the Renaissance also treated the Goths, who destroyed ancient civilization. This is where the name of this period comes from; it is referred to as “Gothic”. Over time, this style was forgotten, briefly resurrected at the turn of the 18th - 19th centuries and again sank into oblivion.
This style owes its popularity in the modern world to the desire of young people to stand out and loudly declare themselves. Back in the 70-80s of the last century, the Goth subculture conquered the streets of London and continued its victorious march throughout the world. Young people drew inspiration from Victorian fashion and works about vampires. These ideas turned out to be quite fresh and relevant on the threshold of the new millennium. In the 2000s, dark romantics - goths - conquered the catwalks around the world.
A dark and fascinating subculture
Goths are a subculture that arose not so long ago. Despite this, she managed to gain enormous popularity among young people. Many will be surprised, but the gothic subculture originated from punks. It would seem that aggressive, militant punks and goths, immersed in their own experiences and disappointed in life, could have in common. To understand this, let's remember the history of the last century.
At the end of the 70s, young people begin to understand that revolution and destruction are not capable of changing the world. The rebellious mood gives way to disappointment and apathy. After all, their desire to change the world was in vain. The popularity of the punk subculture begins to rapidly decline. They are being replaced by the Goths with their detachment from the problems of the outside world and an exaggerated perception of their emotional experiences. At first, these two youth subcultures differed little. The Goths preferred the same strange hairstyles, clothes, mystical accessories and black color. With the development of the popularity of this movement, gothic musical groups began to appear. The similarity between punks and goths gradually faded away. Young people who preferred this gloomy style tried to emphasize their difference from others, aristocracy and decadent moods. Gradually, a certain Gothic style of clothing for girls and boys, their lifestyle and worldview was established. As a result, the difference became very noticeable.
Characteristic features in modern times
The modern Gothic style has several directions and bears little resemblance to the classic style that prevailed in medieval Europe (we’ll talk about this later in the review). In that distant period, as the description of those times says, women wore dresses with long trains and pointed headdresses. The narrow bodice did not emphasize the beauty of the breasts, but rather tightened them and made them invisible. But the lush folds in the abdominal area added volume to the figure. The silhouette of the dress was supposed to create the appearance of pregnancy. After all, motherhood is the true virtue of a believing woman. Modern Goths strive to convey deep sadness, universal sorrow with the following fashionable techniques:
- Dark color scheme. The predominant color is black in combination with white or red; purple and burgundy are slightly less popular.
- Complex cut. A combination of clothing with loose and fitted silhouettes is relevant. For example, a tight bodice and a flowing skirt, a loose T-shirt and tight leather trousers. A corset is often used.
- Noble fabrics. These are mainly dense fabrics: velvet, taffeta, satin. Transparent materials: chiffon, veil, organza. The use of lace and leather is encouraged.
Gothic style symbols
A characteristic feature of the Gothic style is the use of accessories only made of silver, or, in extreme cases, white gold. Sometimes the Goths even use inexpensive alloys of non-precious metals. Traditionally, white color in accessories symbolizes the cold, deathly light of the Moon. It perfectly emphasizes the mourning of the Gothic attire and the pallor of the face.
Precious stones are practically not used in accessories. Perhaps this is explained by the fact that in jewelry the combination of yellow gold with precious stones is much more common, and this, as already mentioned, is unacceptable for the Goths. However, the color scheme of the precious stones themselves does not suit Gothic attire very well. The only exceptions may be sapphire and diamond.
But semi-precious stones are found quite often in Gothic style accessories . Cold topaz, black opal, agate and jade, rock crystal - in a word, all stones that are black, white or at least cold in color. No less popular as Gothic accessories are products made from pearls, natural (sea and river) or artificial.
Pendants, earrings, pendants and rings usually have certain symbolism. Thus, in Gothic culture, the Egyptian symbol ankh (ankh), also called the “Egyptian cross,” is very popular . Interpretations of its meanings are very numerous. In addition, among the Gothic accessories you can find crucifixes, Celtic crosses and ornaments, figurines of cats and dragons.
Some of the paraphernalia “remained” from the punks: leather bracelets and collars decorated with metal spikes.
Goth girls love to use elegant hats with a black veil, as well as openwork lace gloves for their outfits.
