History of Goth Fashion: Everything You Need to Know
Gothic fashion and culture are hard to narrow down. With so many branches and movements within this varied subculture, it seems everyone has a unique take on what they consider gothic fashion. However, everyone wants to know the answer to the million-pound question: where did gothic fashion start?
First, to understand the roots of gothic fashion, we have to analyse its origins by examining the influences that created it. So, let’s explore its cultural and social history by exploring everything we love about gothic fashion: its beautiful, dark, and diverse origins.
TLDR: Gothic fashion originated from multiple influences:
- Victorian Mourning Attire: The tradition of wearing all-black mourning clothes (popularised by Queen Victoria after 1861) heavily influenced the aesthetic’s dark and romantic style.
- Music Subcultures: The modern movement began with the Glam Rock and Punk Rock scenes of the 1970s. The song “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus (1979) is often cited as the first gothic record.
- Style Icons: Early pioneers include silent film star Theda Bara (America’s first goth) and 1950s TV personality Vampira. Modern icons like Amy Lee (Evanescence) continue the style.
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What is the origin of gothic fashion?
What is the origin of gothic fashion?
The Victorians
We couldn’t write about gothic fashion history without mentioning the Victorians’ lifestyle and customs. While gothic fashion has evolved extensively into modern emo and perky goth, the classic Victorian goth style is still at the heart of the movement.
Gothic mourning attire had a huge influence on fashion as a whole. Due to high mortality rates, death was ever-present in the Victorian era. Whereas now society tends to view death and darkness as taboo, the Victorians considered these elements as being very much a part of their everyday lives and were very open about death.
The Victorian’s willingness to confront mortality led them to use clothing to express grief. When Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, died in 1861, she only wore black. The Victorian upper classes copied this, and it became somewhat of a trend.
Men wore black gloves and a dark suit, and if they wore a hat, it was notably accessorised with a black band. For women, the mourning dress was very strict, with lots of black, often scratchy crepe material. Widows often wore a black veil that could be changed to white later. While men were only required to wear mourning attire for a few months, women were required to wear theirs for two years.
Glam rock, punk, and The New Romantics
These pioneers of gothic fashion arrived as a direct result of the punk scene. The glam rock era of the 1970s, with its sequins, boas, and makeup, was fading, and the aggressive anarchy of punk rock was circulating across the UK.
In August 1979, the dawn of the gothic movement as we know it today began with Bauhaus’ ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’, a song often considered the first gothic record. An entire generation was suddenly exposed to the presence of one of the founders of goth: Peter Murphy.
Although Murphy now denies being ‘all about’ goth and doesn’t explicitly consider himself part of the culture, his influence on it is huge, along with Siouxsie Sioux, who is also credited with epitomising and creating gothic fashion.
The glamour of David Bowie, the intensity of acts like Patti Smith and Iggy Pop, the melancholy anguish of Joy Division, and then the flamboyance of The New Romantics allowed the goth subculture to emerge further into the 1980s. Despite this mix of influences, the fathers of gothic fashion are often cited as Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy and Robert Smith of The Cure.
Who created goth fashion?
Before the influence of Siouxsie Sioux, Peter Murphy and Robert Smith, the 20th century produced some underappreciated gothic style icons who heavily contributed to gothic fashion and culture.
Theda Bara
Silent film star Theda Bara can be considered an OG pioneer of gothic fashion and is known as ‘America’s first goth’. Her gothic fashion stepped outside traditional 1920s attire with her dark eye makeup, revealing yet spooky clothing, and general gothic appearance.
Her name and backstory were changed to evoke more mystery and intrigue. She was born Theodosia Burr Goodman in Ohio, but the film studio named her Theda Bara, an anagram of “Arab death”. The film studio almost entirely fabricated Theda’s backstory to evoke more mystery and intrigue about her. Publicity for the star mentioned her interest in the occult and claimed she was born in Egypt “in the shadow of the Sphynx” and travelled to Paris to pursue acting.
She handmade the revealing costumes and wigs for her films, most of which were sadly lost in a fire at MGM Studios. The surviving images of Bara have become iconic and showcase her love for long black clothing, revealing outfits, dark eye makeup, and an intense look.
Vampira
Vampira was the iconic original character created by Maila Nurmi. Vampira came to life after Maila attended a Hollywood party in 1954, dressed in her vampire costume inspired by Charles Addams’s cartoons in The New Yorker. Attending the same party was Hunt Stromberg Jr, the newly installed programme director at WABC-TV in LA, who was so taken by Maila’s look that he tracked her down and hired her to create a new, original character. And so, Vampira was born.
Vampira was aloof but friendly, sarcastic yet genuine, and her sharp puns were part of her charm. Her long dark dresses, heavily corseted waist, sharp eyebrows, and long, straight black hair made her the antithesis of the popular rockabilly look often associated with the 1950s. Nurmi wasn’t just Vampira in costume; her interest in alternative subcultures, the occult, and all things unique shows that it wasn’t just her love for gothic fashion that made her a goth at heart. Vampira’s character and style influenced horror movie night host Elvira, who became a nineties icon in her own right by combining her Valley Girl schtick, wit, and the goth aesthetic.
Modern gothic fashion icons
Theda Bara and Vampira certainly paved the way for alternative style. Let’s look at some of our favourite modern gothic fashion inspirations.
Amy Lee – Evanescence
We’re sure we don’t need to tell you much about Amy Lee. She is the truly iconic frontwoman of Evanescence, and even Vogue called her “the queen of goth girl style.” Amy is known for her love of fashion, and she often DIYs her own outfits. She handmade the dress she wore in the underwater portions of the Going Under music video and continues to inspire the new goth generation with her incredible style credentials.
Ellie Rowsell – Wolf Alice
Ellie Rowsell is the cooler than cool front woman of Wolf Alice. Ellie’s look leans closer to a grunge, indie sleaze vibe, though she’s spoken about how her on-stage fashion choices have evolved with her confidence and the band’s sound. Early Wolf Alice shows would often see Ellie sporting a slip dress and chunky boots, but more recently, she’s opted for suits, long, flowing dresses and jumpsuits to reflect their maturing sound.
Dita Von Teese
Dita Von Teese is a burlesque performer who has become a fashion icon in her own right. Dita has received much admiration from the gothic communities thanks to her dark, glamorous looks, vintage-inspired aesthetics and a strong emphasis on femininity.
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