VintageGoth?

[M Tatterscratch]

Ladies and Gents,

A few things I've seen and read here in the Lounge have me wondering - Has anyone besides myself and, I presume, Ms. TheKitschGoth, come to Vintage through the Gothic style/subculture? If so, who, how, and why?

Paint It Black,

T.

 

[Samsa]

I did not come THROUGH the goth scene, though I definitely leaned in that direction in my younger years (i.e. around 14-16 years of age). Actually I looked more like a cross between a hippie and a goth... but close enough.

 

[fernande]

ME!
I was a 14 year old Cure & Siouxsie and the Banshees listening to goth girl- one day stumbled upon some photos of Bettie Page- around 15- and cut my then dyed black hair with bangs-worked that look until I was around 20.
My parents had vintage style- but I got more and more into pinup/vintage look after becoming a Bettie Page fan-then-further explored my father's old movie collection, and got into early "women" era Joan Crawford, Virginia Mayo, Noir Seductresses- and I guess 11 years later you would never think I was ever "goth"-( I've platinum blonde hair , a slight tan- and now pincurls)
but I think I'm still a little "goth" inside!- but if you ask people who are "goth", used to be "goth" or whatever- you are going to get ten million answers about what goth is or goth fashion, and what not- how it relates to vintage style- etc.

I definately liked the romanticism of it, and the Noir style- dark cabaret, hollywood babylon style, Theda Bara- etc
there are photos which surface of me in crazy "aeon flux" / morticia addams styled garb- that elicit the biggest laughs out of me. Not only did I look 35 when I was 17 (because I wore sooo much makeup), but I definately had some "unique" fashion ideas.

I went to College in New Orleans - why? cause I was goth! and it seemed like the perfect place for me and my oooky spooky self. Of course then I discovered Jazz, and Dixieland, and Bluegrass, 40s & 50s strippers and striptease.
I think a good percentage of my friends (especially the ladies) who are into vintage fashion- at some point probably flirted with being goth girls or at least "Noir vixens/Silent Movie femme fatales"- but maybe its just my circle..

anybody else?

 

[Camille]

Yup definitly me!

I started at it through the goth-scene, towards EBM, oi/ska-scene and then onwards to jazz and that's pretty much where it all started.

Always loved all things vintage, though, but I never figured it was ok to actually wear it until a few years ago.

 

[pigeon toe]

I came to vintage mainly through psychobilly. Not quite goth, but it's definitely been influenced by campy horror themes! Psychobilly style (for girls anyway) is like a bad girl, punk pin-up look. I never really did that (I'm not enough of an exhibitionist), I just went the tamer vintage route instead.

 

[Mr. 'H']

I don't think you're alone some-how....

Now tell me: when did Goth come to the the fore?

[huh]

 

[M Tatterscratch]

Think I'll change my avatar for the sake of this discussion...

Me without my mask on for Hallowe'en.

Kisses,

Dr. Phibes

 

[Mr. 'H']

Yikes!

 

[scarlett]

I think its a natural progression. The goth and vintage styles require more effort than mainstream "fashion" and once you develop a taste for either it's really hard to break the habit of personal style. My friends & family would think I was dressed in costume if I showed up wearing anything from a "normal" store. Where I grew up the goth, punk, rockabilly, swing, ska, cowpunk kids were all "misfits" at the same party and had a lot of common interests. I experimented with all and found goth (until I reached 35!) worked and now I am quite comfy w/a noir 40's or bad girl 50's look.
Silly me, I assumed all the Fedora Lounge Lizards were pretty much on the same boat.
Cheers

 

[Jovan]

It depends on what you mean by gothic. If you mean the Victorian sort of Gothic (corsets, high buttoning morning coats, black lace, etc.), I would see that coming naturally. If you however mean the Hot Topic sort of gothic... can't see where that comes in.

Naturally, I prefer the former over the latter. I think David Bowie and Bauhaus really popularized the look back in the '80s.

 

[LolitaHaze]

Old Spook goth right here... *waves*

 

[Jovan]

Pictures? I'm not sure if I've seen that side of you on your MM or MySpace.

 

[M Tatterscratch]

I don't think you're alone some-how....

Now tell me: when did Goth come to the the fore?

[huh]

Well, I'm not a Gothic historian, mind you, but it seems to me that there's always been a long thread running through Western culture to the Gothic movement. What we think of as Goth, though, got rolling in the late 70's and very early 80's in England, with bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees, Southern Death Cult, Joy Division, The Cure, and so on. The New Musical Express was the magazine that coined the term "Gothic", I believe, and the style eventually spread beyond the borders of England to the world.

The original style was wonderful - Elegant but funereal, but Industrial and other styles have entered the scene and changed it into something more circusy to my eye. To be fair, Goth was pretty moribund by the mid-late 80s, and might have died off (heh) if not for the fresh infusion of kids. It all comes down to what you want, a pure corpse or a living stranger. Gee, that question is a better summary than anything else I've written here...

It seems natural that it started with England - All the ingredients were historically in place; the Romantic poets, iffy weather, a repression of overt sexuality and it's corresponding secret nurture of furtive perversions, class division, tradition, and so on. England, this is meant as a compliment - Don't hit me, please?

Basically, though, I imagine there have always been people with what I call "The Goth Gene", people who are more in love with the splendour of decay than the beauty of rebirth. I saw a news article yesterday that stated in incredulous and half-mocking tones that certain cities in England are in the process of promoting their large old cemeteries as recreational areas. When I heard it, I thought, "Now why didn't someone do that EARLIER?!? I spent much of my twenties sneaking into Richmond's ancient Hollywood Cemetery at risk of life, limb, and clean police blotter, just to spend an evening in the place I considered (and still do consider) among the most beautiful and peaceful on earth, and now they INVITE people in!

Call it strange, but it's an attractive and very real thing, and will probably continue to be. In fact, a lady friend and I recently crawled into the supposedly-haunted cemetery near Chicago known as "Monks Castle" one night after the opera, squirming under the gates in evening clothes and opera gown, just to walk and watch the moon.

For a lot of people it's a pose or fad or phase, but as the charming Ms. Fernande (loved your story, Madame) so cannily points out, if you've really got the Goth Gene, it's with you for life, and then some.

Blah blah blah! Never mind me - I'm really thrilled that all of you have piped up so far! I was rather concerned that all I would hear upon asking this question was the chirping of crickets. I really hope we'll hear more stories, particularly from some of the folks who made me wonder about this in the first place. So I'll do a rare thing and pipe down, fold my hands, and see who comes out and admits they still wear black on the inside.

T.

 

[M Tatterscratch]

Old Spook goth right here... *waves*

Hurray! I KNEW it! How wonderful!

Delighted, Madame. *bows*

Oops. Shutting up.

T.

 

[Liz]

I was a teenage goth! The only one in my school too. I discovered film noir thanks to a magazine I'd bought for a cover story on Joy Division (my favorite band at the time). I was totally enamored with the gorgeous photos from the article and soon after became obsessed with old movies and vintage styles. I totally subscribe to the "once a goth, always a goth" theory; I still love a lot of "goth" things, I just don't dress that way any more.

 

[Jovan]

Thanks for your thoughts, M. Tatterscratch. Sounds like a lovely evening you had with the lady. I would love nothing more than to dress up in a four button cutaway coat, dark shirt and tie and do the same.

Liz: Joy Division is a ridiculously good band!

I thought The Matrix sequels had some interesting gothic-esque costuming for a certain Frenchman. Note the high collared shirt and collarless coat.

Apologies if you hate The Matrix being in any way referred to as gothic. I didn't like it any more in the first when people said it just because the characters dressed in black. All black somehow means gothic to many people now.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Bah....

Lightweights...

The first rule....is deny deny deny...

So 'No, I am not a goth'

 

[M Tatterscratch]

That's "Darkweights" to you.

Lightweights...

The first rule....is deny deny deny...

So 'No, I am not a goth'

The "light" part is what hurts worst.

 

[Jovan]

Is there a full picture of the getup in your avatar?

 

[nyx]

I used to work at a gothic/industrial dance club as a bartender here in Cincinnati. I have some clothes that would be considered goth because of it, and since my hair is black naturally, it didn't take much effort to pull off, but I've never really been into goth or industrial music very much, more hippie/punk in taste. I'd say I did go through a period in my freshman year in college, where I was obsessed with the character of Death in The Sandman comic books and dressed a bit like her.

I came to vintage more through rockabilly than anything else. Although, I still prefer 40's and 50's to the earlier eras. Since the Betty Page hairstyle never worked for me, I stumbled upon this site looking for some other vintage ways to do my hair.