VintageGoth?

[gluegungeisha]

I've been a diehard Siouxsie fan for ages, and I got into the 1920's style by emulating Siouxsie's silent screen siren adaptation for a while. I still do that look every now and then...I love it! I was also into the Victorian style long before that.

 

[Miss Brill]

I liked old things as a small child

Same here. I grew up going to "junk stores" with my mom & grandma, and going in antique stores to sell what we had found, so I am very much at home with vintage. It is like my nature. It has never not been there. Our houses were old, and full of old things. As a teenager my mother started giving me her old jewelry, and that is how I started collecting for myself. I have an intense dislike for people who put down antiques, or thrift stores.

 

[fernande]

. I have an intense dislike for people who put down antiques, or thrift stores.

Hear Hear Ms Brill!

Thats why I get smug joy when those exact snooty people "too good to shop thrift or antique malls" (new york city is crawling with them)
pay $500.00 for a vintage dress, I bought for $10.00!

::maniacal laughter::

 

[fernande]

Yours truly back in -83.
Close to a 100 lbs ago...

Was active in the early "synth-scene".
The cover of my first single:

Cheers!

Woland- you look like Frank Tovey !!!! ( of the great FAD GADGET- still one of my favorite bands)

wow, its uncanny-
did you do your makeup yourself? its impressive!

Camille- you look like MRS FIEND (from Alien Sex Fiend- of course) in your "goth pic"

I'm going to have to go dig up some photos to get into the action.....

 

[pigeon toe]

I generally avoid the topic but this thread brings back some wonderful memories of being a teen in the East Village and surrounds during the early and mid eighties. If you have access to a copy of So 80s by Patrick McMullan you can see pictures from my youth, one unatributed photograph of me (thankfully) and many of my close friends from school and from the clubs we frequented. Definitely a wide variety of goth, punk, skinhead, etc. styles all around.

My mom has that book! I'll have to look through it. I think she is in it as well. If not her I'm sure people she knew are! She was friends with a bunch of drag queens in the 80's.

 

[MB5]

I came to vintage through goth in a rather round-about way.

 

[Edward]

Ahh, a Monkees tee to Nick Cave! Now that's turning the tables, Edward...

Yeah, well - what's life if ya don't mix it up a bit? It's always fun to see stereotypes broken down - I mean, some of the most vicious looking street-punk / skinhead kids are some of the sweetest, most polite and helpful folks you could ever hope to meet, while the vilest people are always the ones you'd least expect. Don't they always say the neighbourhood seriel killer was the last one that they'd have expected.... In that vein, the biggest concentration of goths I've ever seen in one place at any time in my life was at the Greenbelt Christian Arts Festival.... so much for goths being all about "the dark side", eh? Still, I guess old Christianity has plenty enough mysticism to suit many goths, not to mention a lot of the prettiest gothic buildings...

BTW, your present avatar..... lose the tache, and I'm thinking Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane....

If I had the money and the right build, I might be a Victorian, though.

Like anything other mode of dressing, it's all about finding something that flatters the individual. I think that's easier for the ladies, maybe, with goth as there are plenty of ethereal looks that flatter the female form whether slight and willowy or curvy and bosomy. For guys, it's maybe a little more difficult, though I've certainly seen plenty of larger framed gentlemen pull it off well. The real key, if you'll pardon the turn of phrase, for the larger built male would-be goth is to avoid frilly shirts which give the appearance of being larger. Being a pot-belly myself, I find frills higher up on the chest help to balance me out a bit, though.

Interesting thread. I personally have never been a goth or anything like that, but I've dated a couple in my HS years, does that count for something? I've been a skinhead since I was 14 back in '83 till I "retired" from it in '98. But real cool, I like goths :eusa_clap

Heh. I get taken for a skinhead on occasion - i guess the rockabilly-lite look i do sometimes (cuffed jeans and harrington jacket) mixed with the shaved head..... lol

Some photos....

This first one was actually taken at the theatre, back when Taboo was running. It's a copy of a costume worn by the Phillip Sallon character (a version of the real-life legendary club promotor of the same name). We had to get a little creative, as the original is a butchered wedding dress over trousers, and I'm a much bigger girl than any affordable charity-shop wedding dress. I like to refer to this one as the "transvestite Clockwork Orange" look; I think it has a certain goth sensibility. I'd love to wear it out clubbing if only I could get that thin again (I was about 147lbs when this was taken, around sixty pounds lighter than I am now, alas!):

Halloween 2004, again still in my heroin-chic days:

Similar outfit, out clubbing:

July 2004, I was an extra in UK daytime soap Doctors, as 'guest at goth wedding' (the lady with pink hair - that's her civvies, she's not in costume - is a dear friend who at the time was a wardrobe mistress on the show and was asked to put the call out for extras who'd work for free and provide own wardrobe..... I saw it as experience of being on a location shoot...):

I guess these two are not really admissible as being definitely costumes, but Tim Burton surely is goth, non?:

Halloween 2006 (and soon to be Christmas 2007, if I can still fit into the trews!):

Good tip I was given for the photos when in skull-make-up: make sure your eyelids are painted, and close them for the photo - at a distance and in dim club lighting, all you can see are two black circles where the eyes should be. Works better in some shots than others!

Halloween 2007:

Sorry if that's too many images, folks, I get excitable about posting photos.

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

Edward, those costumes are just gob-smacking! Bravo!

 

[vonwotan]

Nomi Song or Punk 365

Has any of you seen the film Nomi Song or the new book Punk 365? Nomi song starts way back at Max's Kansas City and follows Klaus Nomi... For those of you on the West Coast , from what I've heard, Punk 365 covers the punk bands and clubs from New York to LA and accross the pond. I've just ordered a copy of the book after my friend saw it at a tour stop in NYC last night.

 

[Woland]

Woland- you look like Frank Tovey !!!! ( of the great FAD GADGET- still one of my favorite bands)

wow, its uncanny-
did you do your makeup yourself? its impressive!

Thank you for the compliment fernande.
To be compared with Fad Gadget, a great band indeed, is an honour.
("Ricky's Hand" is playing as I write.)

Sure I did my own makeup.
Hours in front of the mirror.
Sad to say that extremely few pictures have survived.
Was thoroughly camera shy, believe it or not.

The artwork for my first single was made by the Norwegian artist Dagfinn Knudsen.
He did a great job portraying me in the form of "a Jack" (playing-cards).

Musically I was weird.
Came out of the punk-scene of the late 70s and brought the musical energy with me.
My favourite bands at the time was Throbbing Gristle, Killing Joke, Virgin Prunes, D.A.F, Can, Bauhaus, very early Human League, The Cure, Einst?ºrzende Neubauten, Notorische Reflex etc.

Found this shop in Camden (London) last year.
Resurrection Records.
Virtual services too...

Cheers!

 

[Woland]

Woland, what a splendid face! Very Liquid Sky. Any MP3s of your sound floating about, by chance?

Dear Mr. Tatterscratch (or should I say Baron Samedi?).

Ahhh... The infamous Liquid Sky!
A grand study in celluloid!

No MP3s I am afraid.
The vinyl reaches a more than decent price amongst collectors.
There has been talk of a re-publishing though...

 

[TheKitschGoth]

Musically I was weird.
Came out of the punk-scene of the late 70s and brought the musical energy with me.
My favourite bands at the time was Throbbing Gristle, Killing Joke, Virgin Prunes, D.A.F, Can, Bauhaus, very early Human League, The Cure, Einst?ºrzende Neubauten, Notorische Reflex etc.

Would love to hear some of your music

 

[Edward]

Edward, those costumes are just gob-smacking! Bravo!

Thank-you!

 

[RIOT]

Heh. I get taken for a skinhead on occasion - i guess the rockabilly-lite look i do sometimes (cuffed jeans and harrington jacket) mixed with the shaved head..... lol

Edward – And a dashing skin-a-billy you would make.

 

[nyx]

Edward, those costumes are just gob-smacking! Bravo!

I agree! It's wonderful how much effort you put into your costumes. Halloween is my favorite holiday for a reason.

 

[Ecuador Jim]

Kisses,

Dr. Phibes

The Abominable?

 

[Edward]

Edward – And a dashing skin-a-billy you would make.

Ha, thanks.... I like to think of it as my "Yul does 'down with the kids' " look. lol

I agree! It's wonderful how much effort you put into your costumes. Halloween is my favorite holiday for a reason.

Thank-you! I do love putting a good costume together - time and money allowing, I admit I will knock myself out to put something together (probably some deap-seated psychological thing about wanting to be in costume all the time, heh ). But hey, I'm Irish: we invented Halloween, I can hardly go letting the side down, now, can I? lol

 

[A.R. McVintage]

Edward, I find some of those outfits and make-ups to be positively Nosferatu. Minus the bad dentistry of course.

And why is it that I can picture you in fishnets and corset and pearls doing the Time Warp?lol

 

[Camille]

Har-har! Well, what do you know. Turns out I -did- use vintage-stuff during my EBM-days. Those goggles are from sometime between 20's-30's, I think. A nice little sticker attached to them too saying "Genuine Swedish glass". I love them to death, but since I don't have that style anymore... well... at least hey make a nice addition to my bookshelf. Vintage military-accessories always work in the EBM-scene.

Found some of the old clothing from my goth-days too, and realised some of them actually are late 1800s/early 1900s. I seriously don't think I understood that back then, being only a teenager. Too bad I had no respect for it back then. I don't know how many things I trashed up to make them look cooler or just by wearing them too much.

 

[fernande]

Has any of you seen the film Nomi Song or the new book Punk 365? Nomi song starts way back at Max's Kansas City and follows Klaus Nomi... For those of you on the West Coast , from what I've heard, Punk 365 covers the punk bands and clubs from New York to LA and accross the pond. I've just ordered a copy of the book after my friend saw it at a tour stop in NYC last night.

I LOVE KLAUS NOMI!

that's right up my alley. I love cabaret music, synth pop, etc etc. I had no idea who he was until a couple years ago, when my friend Daniel introduced me to him, and I was gobsmacked- basically because he was a) a german pastry chef b) so amazingly costumed c) sang like a bird d) totally original.
It was like all of the things I like rolled into one person! I'm so sad he didn't really get the recognition he deserved and died so young.


Edward- Your costumes are great. I love your prosthetic "scars" you used in your Scissorhands look. (I was a makeup artist for years, I love scars and prosthetics... oh and bloooood! ha!)


Woland-
<<The artwork for my first single was made by the Norwegian artist Dagfinn Knudsen.
He did a great job portraying me in the form of "a Jack" (playing-cards).
>>
Are you still in contact with this person? I love this artwork, I want to see more- I work with a bunch of illustrators- (speaking of Lady Day- I'd love to talk to you as well!) and I already know that M. Tatterscratch is a fierce illustration talent......

Your album work- It has a little bit of a "scary monsters" vibe- don't you think? but darker?

it sounds like I'd like your music! I stil listen to Can, and Throbbing Gristle. have all the virgin prunes, clock dva, cabaret voltaire, killing joke- almost everyone on Mute records prior to 1987- I guess I save the records, maybe for my kids?
I'm definately more into Peggy Lee & 1930's Bing Crosby now...


I wanna hear your stuff! Its probably right up my alley. I think I've seen this record. What label put it out? Its a single? correct?

I've been toying with the idea of Djing somewhere in nyc, or brooklyn. It would be kind of difficult, because I'd only be playing the "golden oldies" of goth/early industrial/no wave/post punk etc- none of that dance-y depeche mode ripoff electro stuff that's going on now.
It might be a hard sell to want people to want to listen to Neu, Psychic Tv, Visage & Alien Sex Fiend all night long. maybe I'll just invite the entire "goth contingent" on Fedora Lounge!