Gothic style has featured strongly throughout history and prior to their being a fashion style for so called "goths", buildings, literature and art were referred to as being "gothic". The original goths were a Germanic tribe that were recorded as having a major part in the fall of the Roman Empire. At the time, Europe's style was classical and after the fall of Rome, during the Renaissance period, new styles appeared that were unusual and subsequently were referred to as "gothic".

Gothic sub-culture has always been associated with darkness, mystery and the supernatural as well as the Roman Catholic church. In decades following the Renaissance, a nostaligic wave swept over Europe and the facination with gothic ruins and this alternative lifestyle started to create a following.

Literature and films have developed over history, typically set in a castle or dark ruin and usually featuring an appearance from vampires, mysterious beasts and femme fatales.

Gothic fashion

Romantic style gothic clothing

Gothic culture and fashion is considered to ultimately be about expressing one's self and being able to be creative, imaginative and unique in appearance and personaility.

Typically, gothic dress consists of mainly black clothes often with black dyed hair, black painted nails and heavy black eyeliner as part of the makeup. Clothes may include tight fitting trousers, long black coats or gowns, gothic style dresses, PVC corsets, chokers, black buckled shoes or boots, piercings and silver or pewter jewwllery. As gothic culture has a strong connection to the Catholic church, crucifixes often feature.

A gothic outfit is often put together mixing items of various different fabrics such as PVC Clothes, latex, leather, fishnet and sometimes fake fur.

This sterotypical gothic look is often referred to as the “romantic goth.

Lolita style gothic clothing

A style called lolita goth” is a similar look to the "romantic goth" and it originated in Japan. Many "lolita" styles borrow ideas from Medieval, Victorian and Elizabethan period dress, such as ruffled high neck shirts, items trimmed wih lace or ribbons and outfits are often both black and white. Accessories such as parasols, lace headresses or top hats accompany the outfit.

Cyber style gothic clothing

More recently, an array of bright colours have been added to the tradional black and people following this new look have called themselves “cyber-goths”. This is gothic fashion moving to a new level as black items are now being combined with neon, wild colourful hair extensions, bright makeup and futuristic accessories such as googles.

PVC Clothes and the gothic look

PVC is one of the most popular fabrics used in gothic fashion. It's shiny surface offers a contrast to other fabrics like velvet or even just cotton. It is cheaper to buy than leather and latex but has a very similar finish and overall look and feel. Items such as PVC corsets are typical of a gothic outfit, as they are erotic and sexual, which is often represented in the style of gothic fashion. Long black PVC coats and dark thigh high or knee high PVC boots are often used to finish off the gothic look.

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