Era of Gothic Dress Culture

Gothic Dress is a stark black or dark style of clothing worn by the members of the Goth subculture. Gothic fashion clothing, which is considered by many as a protest against the extravagance, can be described as a profusion of dark velvets, fishnets, lace, tight corsets, gloves and leather shaded with scarlet. Gothic clothing also features Dark make up such as black lips, dark eyeliner, dark finger-nails and black dyed hair.

The Gothic time dress is usually divided into two periods, Early Gothic period (1200-1350) and Late Gothic period (1350-1450). The outfits in the Early Gothic period were more sophisticated, graceful and simpler in cut than the Romanesque period. Sleeves used to be tight and the forearms were given more importance. Minimal trimmings on the Gothic clothing were also a feature of the Early Gothic period. The Gothic dresses were usually longer and the necklines were deep. Styles changed quickly during the Late Gothic period. The period moved from the earlier flowing draperies that metamorphosed, into fabrics that kept on becoming more and stiffer with the passage of time. During the 15th century, the extremes were mostly in the upper silhouette. Crisp pleats, tight belts, padded doublets, leg-o-mutton sleeves were also some of the important features of the Gothic clothing in the Late Gothic period.




In the Early Gothic period, men wore hair at a sensible length often in a bob to the jaw line with a bang across the forehead. Men often bleached their hair as blond hair was popular. Few men wore beards. In the Late Gothic period, men wore hair bobbed with neatly curled ends. Young girls in both periods wore their hair loose, flowing upon their shoulders. But after marriage, they used to confine their hair in a bun at the nape. They also used to wear many types of hair pieces, such as wimple and gorget, to cover it.



Gothic corset is an important piece of Gothic dress. It shapes the body of a girl like an hourglass. It was very popular during the Victorian and medieval ages. Even today, Gothic corset is widely popular as even today, hourglass shape of a girl's is considered as aesthetic and flattering. At the outset, a Gothic corset was very uncomfortable to wear. It is only with the passage of time that the garment became more soft and convenient to wear.




Gothic outfits like fishnets are summer temperature friendly. Fishnets can be worn on arms, legs or even as shirts and jumpers. Cotton bloomers, lace-trimmed long skirt and flowing gauzy skirts are some of those parts of Gothic clothing that are very comfy to wear in the summer. Men wear shirts with ruffles, buckles and lacing that look just like pirate shirts. In summer, male Goths wear light natural fiber shirts and short black trousers, accessorized with wide-brimmed hats, black umbrellas and silver ornaments. Gothic clothing is incomplete without Gothic boots. Female Goths usually wear dark black boots with high heels, while Gothic men wear dark black flatted boots, which are usually heavy. However, one can also come across Goths wearing bloody-red boots.