Gothic. The word meant many things to the people of many different eras.
There was the Gothicke language spoken by the Germanic tribes of Goths, Visigoths and Ostrogoths, which generally wreaked havoc on much of Europe during the 3rd to 5th Centuries.
Thus, one of the current meanings of the word, according to the OED is “barbarous, rude, uncouth, unpolished, in bad taste.”
Bad taste is what those living in Renaissance times attributed to gothic architecture, which was the style from the 12th to 16th Centuries. Funny thing is the architecture was not made by the earlier mentioned Goths. It got its name because it too was considered rude and barbaric.
Brunelleschi and other Renaissance men didn’t care for flying buttresses and pointed arches, favouring barrel vaults and classic columns instead.
Snooty opinions aside, the crude architecture experienced a revival in 18th Century England. In the mid 1700s, it became quite fashionable to have your personal home and castle rebuilt in the gothic style.
Shortly afterwards, Horace Walpole wrote The Castle of Otranto and started the era of gothic fiction – a style of writing that was picked up by the Victorians, including writers like the Brontë sisters and Mary Shelley, who penned Frankenstein.
This fascination with the dark and gloomy naturally transcended into the fashion of the day.
The silhouette consisted of a fitted bodice with full, structured skirt. The bodice was often buttoned and tailored for day wear, while evening dresses had lace, bead and jet detailing.
Hats or other hair accoutrements and gloves were de rigueur. Gothic fashion inspiration was one thing, but the Victorians were nothing if not, ladylike.
You could say the devil was in the details for these Gothicistas. The romanticism of Victorian goth goddesses continues to inspire today’s designers.
This beautiful jet neck collar by Louise Black is available at Shrimpton Couture. Wouldn’t it be divine with just about anything? However, the exquisite cape by RSVP now resides in a closet other than ours, my dears.
The lace-up boot was a staple in the wardrobes of these women – usually mid-calf height with a slightly rounded and elongated toe and a curvy heel. Alexander McQueen, who often pays homage to this period of fashion, did a fantastic version for his Fall, 2006 collection. His version included laces, buckles, ruffles and a stiletto heel – always OTT, our Lee.
I have a bit more than a passing affection for this type of boot (look for this in an upcoming post).
Romance reigned for these women – you pictured them walking amongst rain-soaked forests in their grand gowns.
It was all a flight of fancy, this ode to darkness back then. But as the multiple appearances of Edgar Allan Poe’s raven on Olivier Theyskens’ dress for Rochas attests, we are still in love with the romance of Gothicism.
The next post in the Gothenticity series will reflect more modern influences… [Update Jan 4th – read Gothenticity: Part 2.]
Image sources: script, modern script, architecture, Frankenstein, McQueen menswear, Victorian mourning dress, Megan Balanck drawing, High Society book cover, Shrimpton Couture necklace and cape, McQueen boots, purple dress painting, Rochas dress.
Gothic footwear shots taken at the Bata Museum, by moi. [Be a dear and provide a credit and link-back if you use them?].
