Gothic fashion

Kilpatrick contributor "Daoine O'" denigrates poseur goths as 'Batbabies' whose clothing is bought at [mall store] Hot Topic with their parents' money".

"[8] Robert Smith,[9] Musidora, Bela Lugosi,[10] Bettie Page, Winona Ryder, Vampira, Morticia Addams,[7] Nico, Rozz Williams, David Bowie,[1] Lux Interior,[1] Dave Vanian,[11] are also style icons.

The common theme of the aesthetic is dominantly black clothing: shirts featuring deathrock bands or horror themes, torn fishnets as a shirt and/or hosiery, pale fleshtone or pale white foundation and powder makeup on the face, black or darkly colored eye makeup, combat boots or Doc Martens, and skirts, leggings, slim fit pants or shorts.

In the later part of the first decade of the 21st century, designers such as Alexander McQueen,[3][16][17] Anna Sui,[18] Rick Owens,[17] Gareth Pugh, Ann Demeulemeester, Philipp Plein, Hedi Slimane, John Richmond, John Galliano,[3][16][17] Olivier Theyskens[17][19] and Yohji Yamamoto[17] brought elements of goth to runways.

[22] Red lipstick and smoky or neatly defined eyes, created using black eyeliner, are typical styles, although as with all lolita sub-styles the look remains fairly natural.

[23] Though Gothic make-up has been associated with a white-powdered face, this is usually considered poor taste within the (largely Japanese) lolita fashion scene.

[24] Brands which exemplify the Gothic Lolita style include Atelier-Pierrot, Atelier Boz, Black Peace Now, H. Naoto Blood and Moi-même-Moitié.

A typical outfit will combine elements of fetish wear with Victorian and sometimes steampunk fashions, including tight pants, velvet sportcoats, top hats, cravats, corsets, ankle length skirts, lace petticoats, and the frilly pirate shirts previously popularised by the New Romantics of the 1980s.

The Cybergoth and rivethead subcultures emerged in America during the late 1990s, and combined classic gothic fashions such as leather duster coats, tripp pants or Demonia brand platform boots with the clothing worn by fans of industrial metal and rave music to create a dystopian, futuristic science fiction look.

[30] The Victorian Era is notable for having big dresses and elegant hair, and these elements have made subsequent integration into modern day main stream gothic fashion.

With early inspiration taken from medieval settings that were used by Edgar Allan Poe, in addition to late-Victorian examples of gothic fashion that are used in Bram Stoker's Dracula.

[31] Social media has increased the level of awareness surrounding gothic fashion trends, but this has also modified the dynamic and expectations within the community itself.

[14] Goth YouTuber Angela Benedict describes in this video, some of the negative impacts that social media has had on gothic fashion.