Recently, my friend and I were discussing a previous conversation from months ago. She told me that a girl she knew, who clearly dislikes her, had asked where my friend got her Gothic clothing from. What upset me the most was the girl had mistaken my friend's style as Gothic! Clearly this is wrong. Just because my friend wears dark colors and corsets does not make her goth. Thus, I decided to research a little on the history of Gothic Fashion, a time period starting in 1200 AD to present day.
My friend's heritage is Celtic, so her dress is more of a modern-day Celtic look. Although it's true, she loves wearing corsets, laced boots, long skirts, and dark colors, such as black, red, brown, and dark blue, her style is far from being goth.
The Early Gothic time period began in 1200, where the dress was elegant and sophisticated. There were simple cuts, lower necklines, and shorter tunics being worn. Men would typically wear their hair as bobs reaching the jawline with bangs across the forehead, while women allowed their hair to flow pass their shoulders. Married women, however, wore buns at the nape which they covered with wimples or gorgets.
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| Photo Credit|| One example of the styles worn during this time period. |
The Later Gothic period began around 1350. Men continued to wear bobs, though during this time, the ends were slightly curled. Exposing the neck was common amongst many of the women during this time, and their hair was covered in either netting or round cages.
As time changed throughout the course of history, fabrics became more stiff, and the styles were greatly shifting to exaggerate the upper silhouette, which made use of crisp pleats, tight belts, padded doublets, and leg-o-mutton sleeves.
Photo: Sir Walter Raleigh and his son, wearing a Padded Doublet|| Photo: Leg-o-mutton sleeve
The color palette composed of jewel-toned shades, such as reds, greens, golds, and blues. Mixed with browns and tans, the fashions produced humble, soft, and intense looks. As time progressed, we see a shift in the color scheme. Goth fashions are borrowed styles from Elizabethan, Victorian, or Medieval time periods, and may also be compose of black clothing, black fingernails, black (typically dyed) hair, and religious imaginary with the use of pentacles or medieval crosses.
Gothic Fashion emerged during the same time as the Punk music explosion. Though first shown in the 1970's-early 80's through underground music scene, Gothic Fashion showcases the body. Though considered morbid and gruesome to most, Gothic Fashions produce a blend of styles and textures to create a sophisticated and sexy look. Gothic culture and fashion has a great influence on society today. Some notable fashion designers that incorporate goth style into their designs are John Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen, and John Galliano. This style is called Haute Goth, where the themes and imagery of Macabre, darkness, and sex appeal are blended and interrupted to create an interesting and eccentric look.
Well, that's all for now dolls! Here's just a little history on Gothic Fashion. Lata!
~~ReneA P.
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