Baby Bats to Eldergoths: A Guide to 21st Century Goth Culture

Corp Goths

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This style started off as a way for Goths to tone down their look enough to be acceptable in the workplace but not lose their style. Some consider this a genre in its own right with Goths from the Cyber and fetish scene adopting the style in clubs, but others will adopt a Corp Goth style during the week and “Goth up” at weekends. Corp Goth style usually includes well-tailored or vintage suits, brocades, pin-stripe details and the odd bat, coffin or skull sneaked in for good measure. Though there isn’t really a music genre attached to the style, some gothic musicians have toyed with the look, from post-punk revival band Interpol with their smart shirts, to darkwave stars the Crüxshadows appearing onstage in bespoke suits, even Marylin Manson has made the Goth-in-a-suit look popular. The look is very popular and can be found almost everywhere, a colleague of my father’s even used to come to work in a PVC pinstripe suit!

Vampire Goths

You’ll come across one or two of these in every Goth club, Goths who will tell you over and over again that they really are vampires, no honestly they are, really! Though the connection between vampires and Goths has been there since the beginning, Bauhaus’ first single was called “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” after all, these guys take it to the extreme. Styling their appearance as closely as possible to something from Anne Rice’s novels or Hammer Horror movies, Vampire Goths will even wear fake fangs when out on the town. Since most Goth bands have released at least one vampire-related song, Vampire Goths have the pick of the pops, as it were. They can be great fun to be around, just so long as they don’t take it too seriously and make for your throat!

Historical Goths

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Some Goths choose to style themselves on specific periods rather than bands or movies, most commonly either Medieval or Victorian costumes. Some will go for historical accuracy and re-enactment, while others choose rather to evoke the mood of a period. Medieval Goths’ style can mix Tudor and Renaissance costuming, but most have a fixation with swords and mead! Victorian Goths prefer tea and parasols, many going for the most accurate look they can manage. Of course there’s a lot of cross-over with other Goth styles, but the main difference is that where others will pick and choose antique styles and combine them with other ideas, the Historical Goth tends to stick to one period only.

J-Goths

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J-Goth styles come from the Harajuku street fashions of Japan, where although gothic fashion abounds the music associated with it has more in common with glam, punk and pop, known as Visual Kei. One of the most popular J-Goth looks is the Gothic Lolita style, a look designed to make the wearer look as much as possible like a china doll, with elements of Lolita, Alice in Wonderland and French maids. Lolita fashion has struck a chord with westerners and many western Goths have started to combine the style with more traditional looks. Other J-Goth fashions, like the Elegant Gothic Aristocrat style, has more in common with the Victorian styles popular in the West.  

Steampunks

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Steampunk started off as a literary genre, an equivalent to cyberpunk but set during the golden age of steam-powered contraptions, usually combining science-fiction and fantasy elements. However the strong visuals of the genre soon grew into a subculture and although not all steampunks are Goths, there are many overlapping features, and steampunk-inspired outfits are becoming an increasingly common sight in clubs. Steampunk takes its cues from Victorian and Edwardian fashion, but unlike the dark colour-scheme favoured by most Goths, steampunks usually prefer brown and sepia tones, picked out with brass accessories. Cogs, bits of clocks, goggles and leather are common steam materials, with an emphasis on home made and DIY works. Steampunks are always impressive and tend to carry around accessories with endless possibilities for fun, someone arrived at the local Goth club last month carrying a home-made ray gun prop! Although there isn’t really any steampunk music as such, some bands flirt with steampunk styles, particularly Industrial group Abney Park, singer and violinist Emilie Autumn, and string Industrial group Rasputina.

Gothabilly

A fusion of psychobilly with gothic imagery, the Gothabilly’s tastes usually include psychobilly favourites like the Cramps and the Horrorpops as well as genre-specific bands like the Cult of the Psychic Fetus, Psychonauts and Nekromantix. In terms of fashion, Gothabillies choose 50s inspired outfits and tattoo art, weather-beaten hats and leather jackets, with women’s hairstyles with a heavy fringe (bangs, for the Americans out there) resembling Betty Paige. The style is very popular in the Californian Goth scene, but hasn’t really broken into British Goth as yet, so I confess it’s a little of a mystery to me.

Dark Cabaret

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Dark Cabaret has long been clawing at the edges of Goth, with inspirational artists like David Bowie and Klaus Nomi adding cabaret-influences to their work. When Goth took hold in the 80s, some gothic artists also toyed with the genre, most notably Andi Sexgang on his solo album Arco Valley and Siouxsie and the Banshees on their single “Peek-a-boo”. Recently it has become a genre in its own right, with artists like the Dresden Dolls, Voltaire and the Deadfly Ensemble combining gothic imagery, social commentary and a retro feel. In terms of fashion, dark cabaret enthusiasts can be seen sporting burlesque-style corsets, stockings and bustles along with bowler hats and heavy makeup, the key here to appear classy but sexy, a femme fatale look for the girls and a mime-like figure for guys.