Fashion Inspiration: Welcome To Night Vale

Like a collective hallucination from the minds of conspiracy theorists worldwide, Welcome to Night Vale emerged out of the depths of Tumblr to storm the iTunes charts. A podcast in the form of a spoof local radio show from the imaginary desert town of Night Vale, it features everything from hooded figures to angels in a place where every conspiracy theory is true.

I've been suffering from an addiction to the show for some time now, and purchased tickets to see them in Edinburgh tomorrow; to deal with my excitement, I've spent my time organising Welcome To Night Vale inspired outfits on Polyvore. Creating outfits on a Night Vale theme has been popular for a while now, and The Everyday Goth released her suggestions for gothic Night Vale fashion this summer(she's apparently quicker at finishing posts than myself), but I thought that I'd add my suggestions to the mix.

WTNV: Violetta by anhonestdrug featuring Lipstick Queen

Station Intern
Cecil's sweater-vests have been adopted as unofficial canon by the fandom, but I wanted to experiment more with the look; this is probably what I'd wear for a casual nod to the show. The occult, purple, eyes, and tentacles all feature prominently, but I feel like this is a little bit different from most of the inspiration sets out there.

WTNV: Hooded figures by anhonestdrug featuring Kat Von D

Hooded Figures
The Hooded Figures, associated with the dog park (and stealing babies), are a gift to nu-goth and the ninja goth trend; harem pants, flowing dresses, unnatural heels and oversized hoods. Though it's a very androgynous look, I've also included a more hip-hop inspired outfit - I love that conventional rappers like Jay Z and Kanye West are taking an interest in dark fashion, and fully support black goths using aspects of black culture in their style. Ben also suggested quite astutely that if you're a fan of Victorian goth, long, black lace veils would be an interesting take on this inspiration.

WTNV: Americana by anhonestdrug featuring southwestern home decor

Americana gone wrong

One of the main themes in Night Vale is normal American culture, but gone horribly, horribly wrong - this ties in with the absurd creepy humour of the serious, as normal is made creepy and creepy is made hilarious. Here, I've taken inspiration from recurring characters Old Woman Josie, John Peters (you know, the farmer?) and others for this set.


Has anyone else seen the Night Vale live shows, or listens to the podcast? I'm so excited for tomorrow!



Fee

The Curious Professor's Homework Assignment: Inspiring Songs

First off, apologies for not having this up on time. I could talk about how I was seeing Fringe shows at the weekend, packing for university and working during for the week, but excuses aren't usually of interest to the reader and the reality is that the events of Ferguson really did a number on me. Anyway. Onto business.

Surprisingly, this was a really hard challenge for me. Despite being a great music enthusiast, I must admit something I'm very embarrassed about; I haven't listened to any new music in a long time. And I do mean a very long time.

New music is a very difficult thing for me; I take a long time to warm up to anything I haven't heard before, even if I eventually grow to love it. Added to that the overwhelming labyrinthian network of bands that's out there (which I'm apparently expected to know?), and it's just too much to do.

I find the term 'inspiring' very non-specific; inspiring for what? Swing dance? Swooping about in black lace? Joining an anarchist collective and shouting about the inequality in society? Different music affects so many different facets of my life, in many different ways. However, there are certain songs which affect me in ways others can't, and make me feel like something more, an escape from reality; this was one of the things that so enamoured me about post punk when I first began listening to it. Some of these are very typical hits, but hits are hits for a reason.

Track List
Bauhaus - She's in Parties
Kuuntele Ääniä - Kuudes TuntiJoy Division - 24 Hours
Sisters of mercy - Poison Door
Sex Beat - Sex Beat
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Into the Light
Joy Division - Disorder
The Damned - Smash it up


In reality, I could write an essay on each of these selections (maybe I will sometime?), and why they are so significant, but I'll let the songs speak for themselves. The chemistry of these songs really do inspire my appearance, mindset and mood. Within them, I can find a certain synergy within myself that I can't find solely through other means. My aspiration for next year is to have added more music to this list.

I hope that this selection awakens the same feelings in you - maybe not, because of the individuality of music, but these songs represent a large part of my psyche (sorry if that sounds pretentious). I may check the order later, but I'm tired currently and may have to wait until the morning. Good night, all!

What do you find makes a song personally affect you? Any song suggestions for a musical stagnate? Please do let me know!




Fee

The Occult Trend: Non-Religious Symbols for the Secular

EDIT: I wrote this article running late for a deadline, and the end result I was unhappy with as it failed to convey the points I was trying to discuss properly; I've since overhauled it completely, though I've left the two first comments below (made below I updated the article) for posterity.

I find the current trend in alternative cultures for occult symbolism interesting; though it originates from loftier concepts of alchemy and witchcraft, it has brought fashion brands and symbols such as the St. Peter's Cross and the Sigil of Baphomet which were once derided as too 'mall goth' and intentionally provocative to wear back into popularity. From Blood Milk's dark romanticism to Killstar's pop culture blend, companies are joining in on this enthusiasm and drawing on paganism, ancient Egypt, western esotericism and witchcraft in their inspirations.

This most recent trend is just the newest in a long history of Goth borrowing from religious and spiritual movements; ankhs and crosses have become something of a cliché within the subculture. As far as I've seen the general consensus seems to be that practitioners are happy with this when done respectfully, but I know several bloggers who have stated that they don't personally feel comfortable doing so when they don't believe in the spiritual beliefs the symbol represents - indeed, many of my non-goth friends feel similar, either because they follow a religion of their own or just don't want to. There's a lot valid reasons for not wanting to adopt symbols representative of beliefs; I wear a lot of religious iconography quite happily (primarily the cross, the ankh and pentagrams, amongst others), but inaccurate usage of symbols (such as all the clothing with pentagrams and 'hail satan' slapped next to them) peeves me, as the designer has clearly not done their research, and considering this is another lens through which we view these cultures I think it's important to get them right.

So for those who have made the decision to avoid religious and spiritual iconography but still like aspects of the occult trend, I've compiled a list of alternative suggestions below -

Source one, two, three, four and five (which I've lost).

Brand: House of Widow

So Lip Service makes some pretty sweet clothing under its spin off label, House of Widow. Who knew?

I tend to associate the brand - perhaps unfairly, as they've improved a lot - with the worst of nineties goth, predisposed to an overabundance of corset lacing, chains, zips and straps (usually poorly placed), and I've slagged them off - not directed at their account, I should stress - a few times on twitter. Nonetheless, this line has me intrigued. The inspirations and styles are very current, with lots of draped black and occult symbols, and not unattractively priced for those who can't afford the designer versions.

I realize that I'm about a year behind on this, but I've not seen any of this stuff in my local Glasgow goth shops - why, I don't know, as it would be devoured (by me, mainly). Maybe because it doesn't look obviously goth enough? I'd like the Glaswegian alternative shops to stock more current goth fashions, as love it though I may Cyber has had the same horrendous pin-striped trenches for as long as I can remember.

Though I do understand them moving away from the goth aesthetic and towards fashion more attractive to metal and hipster lovers (got to go where the money goes), and that they have an onus to provide fashion that you can't get on the high street - which, to be fair, House of Widow wouldn't be out of place in - but personally I'm getting a little fatigued with sifting through the same old Hellbunny dresses. Maybe moving with the times would be a good thing.

All images sourced from the House of Widow website. Do you own anything from House of Widow? Do you find it frustrating not seeing more up to date trends in your alternative shops? 



Fee

5 tips for Low effort Trad Goth Style

Victorian goth and cyber goth are often viewed as the more high maintenance looks due to the masses of fabric/accessories or heavy makeup, but the original style of the eighties is in my opinion equally hard work. Having tried to do the dramatic hair, make up and clothing on a daily basis (bearing in mind this was originally a club style, not really an everyday one), I can tell you that it's a complete nightmare.

Lots of generic tips for making your life easier do apply to us all (lay out what you're wearing the night before, use one versatile everyday bag all the time instead of switching between several), and I'd certainly recommend evaluating how much time you're willing to devote to dressing up. However, there are ways to make life easier for yourself when you're in a rush and don't have time to perfect your deathhawk or pick which pair of winklepickers suit your outfit best -

Eyes OR lips

I've never really agreed with the fashion 'rule' of picking lips or eyes to focus on - particularly for going out - but for reducing the amount of effort necessary to look fabulous, choosing between wearing lipstick or eye make up can be useful ( lipstick feels pointless when I'm going out for a meal, and eye make up takes so much time in the mornings). Hell, Siouxsie Sioux, Ancient Goddess from beyond the stars deemed it worthy of gracing her face, so it's good enough for the likes of us. Feel free to go as dramatic as you wish for your choice, however!

Less hair, less fuss

Teasing takes a lot of time. Even with the new faux side cut I learned how to do from a Kazlovesbats' video (way quicker than my usual), it's decidedly more effort than my usual rolling out of bed and yanking a brush through it. If you don't want to give up your teased hair for accessories, hats or other styles (though these are also valid choices), cutting down on the amount you have to tease may be the answer. Side cuts (fake or real), hawks and shorter haircuts are less effort to style, and save you precious time in bed in the morning (I also regularly wear the style you see here, which is suitably gothy and unbelievably low effort). Speaking of having time in the morning...

Crimp the night before

I've always sworn by the adage my mother taught me - 'five minutes at night is ten in the morning'. Getting ready before bed when you don't have to rush can stop stress the next morning. For those goths who are inseperable from their crimping irons, putting in many small braids the night before can be very useful (and are also a good way to get the crimped look if you don't want to make the investment in crimping irons yet) - and as a bonus don't damage your hair as much.

Go easy on the ripped tights

Ripped tights are an easy way to take an outfit from plain to Patricia Morrison, but on the other hand they're a nightmare to get on if you slept through your alarm and are in a rush - this also applies to layering tights and other clothing items. Decorated leggings can be a good alternative for the lazy.

Put the effort into one stand out piece

This is possibly the best piece of advice I can give you; putting the effort into one standout piece of clothing (usually a patched-up jacket, coat or a vest, but it could also be a bag or other item) that you can just throw on when you don't want to make an effort and still look GAF is always worth it. Not only that, but the DIY and effort you put into it will make it a far more personal item that means far more to you as a result.



Thanks for reading!





Fee

Music versus Fashion: The Eternal Goth Debate

Egads. Here we go again. Music or fashion? Is it more important that you wear a Bauhaus t shirt, or know all their B sides?

Since goth music started branching out from post punk, we've been having the debate over whether the clothing or the crooning is more important to the scene. Varying opinions are seen, from Jillian Venters belief that it must be fashion, as turning your wardrobe over to the dark side takes a lot of effort (whilst this is true, I could argue that collecting my gothic rock LPs has taken just as much time and money to amass) to the oft repeated assertion that music is 'the backbone' of the subculture and came first. Every goth is expected to have an opinion on it, even if it's just to say that it's a dumb dichotomy and holding one over the other isn't going to make any difference to goth as a whole.

Just because I like feeling self important, I'm going to buck the trend and say that not only can one be held over the other, but for me they are intrinsically linked.

I mentioned the issue to a friend of mine jokingly sometime ago, and what came out was a quite heated discussion. He asserted that goth wasn't equal to other genres such as punk or rock, because fashion was such an integral part of it. To this I replied by hitting him around the back of the head with a pair of my Dr Martens and pointing out that the fashion evolved naturally from the music scene (and it did, according to the original post punkers), and to look down on something because it focused more on fashion was ridiculous (also, extreme amusement for holding rock above goth or punk, when one of the reasons punk came about was because rock became too self important).

I don't like this kind of fashion phobia. It's the kind of belief that is rooted in centuries of sexism, which says taking an interest in what you wear is frivolous and womanly. I can understand some people just aren't interested in fashion as much as others and music takes precedence when picking your favourite bands, but to criticize something or someone as vapid or self obsessed because they like coordinating their shoes with their bag? That's just playing 'my values are better than your values'. There's also a lot of snobbiness in the music side of the debate, as if it makes you 'greater' or more sophisticated in your enjoyment of the scene. I don't believe that because something came first that it's automatically worth more. Equally, though I wouldn't ever tell people not to take part in the subculture, I do find it odd that some can only enjoy the fashion and not listen to the music, and it's undeniable that goth is a music based subculture.

I find the music/fashion debate irrelevant to me, because not only do I love both parts (it's like asking me do I prefer breathing or pumping my heart more) but, for me, you cannot have one without the other. I mentioned it briefly in a previous post, describing why goth fashion is such an important thing to me -

"I could relate it to dressing for the occasion, but it's more central than that; it's dressing for how you feel."

As someone who likes fashion, I enjoy dressing to match how I feel. This applies to everything for me; if I'm dancing swing, I will pull out the pearls and the seamed stockings. If I'm feeling lazy, it will be jogging bottoms and a t shirt. Goth has heavily influenced my world view - not only that, but the music itself is incredibly moving; you can't help but get into the dissonance and the morbid romanticism of the whole thing. I can't express how strongly the music resonates with me. It takes you up in it.

And because I dress for how I feel, this is expressed through my clothing. This is the reason, I believe, that goth encompasses so many styles - from the winklepickers and the back combing of the early post punkers, to the hair falls and the leg warmers of the cyber goths. Obviously outside influences do play a part (e.g. the lifestyle and availability of clothing, the eighties fashion trend for mahoosive hair), but for me this is the core concept.

For goth, I don't believe in a music fashion dichotomy. I feel that people should have a choice in the matter, and they don't have to like one over the other or even either. It's a personal decision to each and everyone of us, and we shouldn't be telling one another which we feel is more important to the subculture as a whole, because whatever the answer it's not true for everyone.





Fee

Goth Valentine's Day Cards

Valentine's day is fast approaching, folks. Make sure you have a card for the grumpy spookster in your life with these macro ones from the gothic humour tumblr Lolgoths.

The cap has barely aged a day, looking at this photo.

Lots of in-jokes, occasionally terrifying declarations of love, and lots of old school goth. What's not to love?

You can find all of the valentine's day cards on the lolgoths' tumblr under the tag 'goths in love'. They just keep getting funnier.

Much love to all my followers! I hope you have a good day, regardless of your relationship status. :)





Fee




P.S. if nerdy valentines are more to your taste, Ben of The Pop Culture Cynic has made some fabulous geek oriented ones for use as proper cards.



Fatigue with Goth?

As you've all been well aware, I've been venturing into new territory in terms of fashion. Not only have I been finding new inspiration in the twenties and mainstream trends, but I've been feeling a little tired with gothic fashion (and to a lesser extent with the music), and unable to feel like making an effort beyond a cursory nod to my usual monochrome colour palate. Part of it is due to the horrendous Scottish winter, which makes me want to wrap up in as many layers of knitwear as possible and hibernate, and also feeling too ill for anything more than jeans and a tee, but I've not been inspired by my usual idols in clothes or in music, and I didn't want to force it; it was weird feeling a disconnect from what has been a bit part of my life for a few years now, but it would be worse to stick it out and force myself to stay with a persona for the sake of loyalty.

I'm happy to say that, after a brief holiday, my goth side is back with a vengeance.

When coming back home after a trip away, it refreshes anew everything special about it. After I began to feel more like making an effort with life, I ended up flicking through pinterest photos of Siouxsie Sioux and listening to old Banshees hits. And rather than feeling tired and over-played, my favourite albums were refreshed and captured me again. And just like that, my enthusiasm for gothic and post punk subcultures was revived.

As goths, we often make a big deal about how it's not just a phase, and how this is a lasting passion - which is understandable, giving the amount of slander many of us have received about how we'll be back in blue denim when we get a 'real' job. But one of the things I think is most integral to any alternative lifestyle is accepting that it may well be a phase, and not being afraid to drop everything and chase inspiration or sit down the make up and put something else on the record player. As a result of my period of wandering, I've not only rekindled an old love, but also given myself more ideas and stimuli than ever from areas I didn't expect.

Just as important as not being afraid to step away from well trodden paths, the experience made me think about what goth means to me. Many of my friends don't understand the dichotomy between music and fashion in the subculture, and how integral fashion is to the goth scene. I could relate it to dressing for the occasion, but it's more central than that; it's dressing for how you feel. Gothic music, the beating heart and backbone and soul of the movement, is dark and twisting, and has a wrenching beauty that's almost painful. It takes me up in that and makes me feel dark and mysterious and something more than mundane, as silly as that sounds, and I want to represent that in how I dress. There's a delicate balance between beauty and ugliness in goth fashion which is translated from the music; not only does goth challenge what you consider beauty to be, it forces you to think about whether beauty is even important or not. I rarely get compliments when I'm looking particularly gothic, and often get told I 'look so much nicer with lighter make up'. But I don't mind, even if those comments are a little insensitive, because it's not them I'm dressing for.

I'm glad I stood back from goth and considered it. It's made me far happier in my own skin, and more aware of its importance to me.






Fee

Highstreet Halloween: Skulls and Skeletons

Claire's Filigree Skull Drop Earrings  |  ASOS CURVE Skeleton Print Skater Dress  |  Claires skeleton studs

ASOS Cheap Monday Skull T Shirt  |  Topshop X Ray Ankle Socks  | NewLook Skeleton Dress

Is it bad that I half intend on buying most of the items I feature here? I love the filigree earrings, and the Aztec style skull on the Cheap Mondays t shirt, and I've been looking for a skeleton dress as above for ages. It makes me sad how little skeleton hosiery there is right now, though - I would have thought it would be the obvious design choice.

I'm also fond of ASOS' skeleton hand print top and Urban Outfitters' skeleton tank top (I know, I know, but they have some nice things in now), but if you're looking for inspiration for your DIY efforts, ASOS' Skeleton back tee and this 'stay spooky' tank are my pick of the shops right now (though a lot of the other ones I've mentioned look pretty easy to make). Halloween should be celebrated, regardless of one's clothing ethic.





Fee

Music: Bauhaus 'Boys'

'Boys' is the lesser known B side of Bauhaus' first and most famous single 'Bela Lugosi's Dead'. I love it for two reasons - one, it's actually quite good, and two, as the top voted comment on the youtube video points out, it really shows how heavily they were influenced by Bowie, which is amusingly ironic considering the lyrics.

Fee

P.S. I may be feeling it, but I'm not dead. I didn't have the energy to get together a post about my dorm room for today, as my health has been poor, but I'll resurface from my cocoon like a butterfly, sticky, confused and suffering total amnesia, next posting day.
 

Scottish Goth Resources

Due to Scotland not being necessarily as big as some of the cities in the US, it's often difficult for the Scottish spookster to find goth shops and clubs in a new place; indeed, it's nearly impossible in some places (looking at you, Dundee). As a result I've decided to compile a list of all the resources I know of in the main Scottish cities for goths and alternative folks -

 

GLASGOW

Club Nights
Asylum @ QMU, last Saturday of every month.
Cathouse Rock Club @ 15 Union Street, various club nights.
Cryotec @ Classic Grand, first Thursday of every month.
Danse Macabre @ Classic Grand, first Thursday of every month.

Alternative Bars
Nice and Sleasy, 421 Sauchiehall Street.
Solid Rock Cafe, 19-23 Hope Street.

Shops
Cyber Alternative Clothing, 107 King's Court, King Street.
Hellfire Couture, 46 Queen Street.
Inferno and Wonderland (same owner), 86 Queen Street and 72 Queen Street respectively.
Osiris, 51 Queen Street.

Good Secondhand and Vintage Shops
Starry Starry Night, 19 Dowanside Lane (just off Byer's road).
Mr Ben Retro Clothing, 101 King's Court, King Street.

Places to Visit
Glasgow Necropolis, Cathedral Square, Castle St (open days and tours available). 


Other
Glasgow Ubiquitous E. Steampunk Society (G.U.E.S.S.) - not a goth society de jure, but somehow filled with goths anyway.

 

INVERNESS

Shops
Beauty Box - Inverness Victorian Market.
Far Fetched - 8 Drummond St, Town Centre.

DUNDEE

Club Nights
Beat Generator @ 70 North Lindsay Street (various gig nights). 
Distorted @ DUSA, Dundee University Campus, every second Friday.
Kage @ 4 St. Andrew's Lane (various club nights).

EDINBURGH

Club Nights
Ascension @ Jekyll and Hyde, 112 Hanover Street, every second Saturday of the month.

Shops
Underground Nation, 41 Candlemaker Row.

Alternative bars
Jekyll and Hyde, 112 Hanover Street.
Frankenstein, 26 George IV Bridge.



ATTENTION - I will attempt to update this page as and when any changes to the below clubs, bars and shops take place, and when I find a new goth-friendly establishment. Some of these resources aren't necessarily goth oriented, but have been included as they may be of interest.

I currently only have more details for resources in Glasgow and Dundee due to having lived in both locations (Edinburgh is patchy as I usually only get to make day trips there and know little of the clubbing scene, and Inverness I only know about through word of mouth), and hope to get resources up for other cities soon. I also hope to do reviews on each of the establishments and club nights featured below in future, which I will link to in future when completed.

If you notice that any of this information is out of date or have a suggestion, please let me know!
 

Baby Bats: Finding your way in the subculture

Goth beginners! This is a topic that's been to death, unfortunately - we've all been there once, and quite frankly a lot of us are glad we'll never be back. I, certainly, am glad of that, and arguably I had a lot more support than other newbies did. This wasn't even a topic I'd ever planned on blogging about, but the most recent Gothic Charm School post, where the questioner Krista describes feeling like she's 'lost' and a 'fake' entering goth, made me reconsider this.

Starting out the goth subculture is, I won't lie, bloody difficult; as well as expensive or hard to make clothing, 'the list' of approved bands, the high value placed on looking 110% ooky spooky all the time, trying not to look like you've just entered the subculture, navigating the double standards ('don't wear bondage pants, or you'll look like a mall goth! But of course, wear what you want because goth doesn't have a set of rules or anything.') and arguing about what goth actually is, it's a culture shock. We have our own heritage, our own trends, our own in-jokes and social circles, and entering that completely fresh is difficult.

For most of us who have been comfortably identifying as spooky for some time, this might be difficult to remember, but try and think about it from the newbie's point of view; you've only just started exploring your darker tastes, had a wee look on the internet, and BOOM! You're hit with more information than there are sexist double standards in the US Republican Party. Goth is, as I said, completely separate from the mainstream in a lot of ways, and new goths are expected to learn a lot of information very quickly from complete scratch. Whilst those growing into mainstream culture have the advantage of being aware of trends and music and all that from an early age, newbies don't have that. As the questioner from GCS exemplifies, you feel a bit lost.

Being a baby-bat (not a term I'm particularly fond of, but oh well) is difficult for other reasons; the crippling feelings of inadequacy. A lot of us were drawn to the by the photos of elaborate, perfectly dressed alternative models, such as Emily Pollution or Razor Candi, or by the wealth of atmospheric music. But this comes as a double edged sword - there's no way you can listen to all that music history, or build up that kind of wardrobe, dress sense or make up application skill so quickly (particularly when young goths can't buy clothes online, or when we harp on about thrifting or learning to sew so much, which - though great! - does take a lot of time). And what about those who don't fit the modelesque mold? We've already established that fatphobia and idolization of pale skin and western features are problems in the subculture, but even littlethings like not being able to have body modifications because of school can make a new goth feel inferior. As a result of all this, newbies often feel like they won't ever be a 'real' goth and get disheartened.

I started identifying as goth pretty late (comparatively, anyway) in life, just before I started uni, and I struggled with all these things; it took me time to relearn what worked in an outfit and that it was okay to still have a wardrobe in transition. I was worried about not wearing Wave Gotik Treffen-worthy attire 24/7, and only having listened to a narrow selection of gothic rock bands. I struggled with having brown hair in a subculture that values unnatural colours, and because as the only goth in my social circle, I didn't have anyone to look to for advice or to relate to on spooky matters.

I still feel a bit overwhelmed at the amount of goth music out there; it's like staring into a never ending black hole sometimes. I still have moments of 'damn, I wish I'd worn something better today!' when I see another spooky type. But for the most part, I'm comfortable with where I stand. I probably dress non-goth as much as I do goth, but I don't feel guilty for doing so. My friends, though they may roll my eyes when I start regaling them about the interpersonal relationships between the major gothic rock bands whilst drunk (sorry Ben), but I know that regardless of their lack of interest in spooky things they care about me and support me. I may not fit the uber goth image I had when starting out, but I'm sure as hell happy with where I am.

Mysterious black clad femme fatale? Well, no. Delighted at redisovering snap chat on a study break? Absolutely.

Writing this has made me consider making my own advice for baby bats, but I also don't want to contribute to the problem of ALL THE INFORMATION FLUNG AT YOU, so I'm torn. Until I decide what to do about that, I do have this to say -

1. Goth can be confusing. Don't try and learn everything, and don't act knowledgeable if you aren't. 
2. Don't listen to all the 'don't do this horrible mall goth thing' tidbits. If you want to wear crow make up, you go wild. (Just know that some people might turn their noses up.)
3. You don't have to dress to the nines every day; it takes time to build up a goth wardrobe. It's okay that you don't look like Patricia Morrison just yet
4. There is no holy group of essential goth musicians; there's a lot of bands and artists which kick started the movement and many other famous ones, but don't worry if you only listen to them, dislike then and listen other goth genres entirely or are only here for the fashion.
5. Just do what you enjoy! Fuck trying to fit yourself into a box, and take all the time you need to work out what you want to do.

It takes time to become comfortable in your skin, and we need to remember this when we start trying to lecture at baby bats.




Fee




P.S. I don't believe this post showed up in update feeds, so this is a repost! Apologies if you've seen it before.

Question: how did you get into goth?

Apologies for the lack of activity on here! I've been rather busy on holiday, and trying to get everything on my to do list done (I need to update the one on here, as it's woefully out of date).

It just occurred to me today, partially as a result of a post I have scheduled and partially out of the blue, that I haven't actually said much about how I got into goth on this blog - I've certainly shown you how I dress, the crafts I make and the music I listen to, but very little of how I actually got started on the spooky path.

We often like to proclaim, as goths, how we've 'always been this way', and big up our weird childhood influences and whatnot, when in reality the conscious decision to start dressing in black and sway to the March Violets comes much later. However, innate nature and childhood influences do play a significant part, I suppose.

Growing up in Glasgow, probably the most diverse city I know, I've always been exposed to alternative fashion and life style. I watched goths (properly dressed up, nineties style) hang about in Glasgow Central Station holding onto my dad's hand as we passed through, I sat in the Italian café my family always used to go to - now closed - on Union Street and watched the teenagers queue up for the Cathouse, and I attended talks on manga at the Edinburgh book festival with a very elegant lady with long dark hair behind me (if she ever on the off chance reads this, I am so sorry you had to sit next to that Czech couple who sounded like they were making love in the middle row. They were bugging me too).

My dad was always of the opinion that goth was a transient phase, given that he 'never saw a middle aged goth', but I was fascinated by the otherworldliness of them, even if I didn't necessarily like the style. They lived in their own separate world, with different clubs and shops and fashions and friend groups. My taste for alternative clothing manifested in other ways when I was younger, with an Avril Lavigne phase (don't laugh) and many bizarre fashion experiments featuring (god bless my parents, enduring the tutus and trainers).

As for my actual descent into leather and lace? I've been a big fan of punk rock since I was about fourteen, and after a couple of years I got curious and started trying more of the original post punk. After discovering the original gothic rock I began reading goth blogs, and gradually my tastes began to show it. I sometimes wonder if my early 'exposures' at all influenced me, but I'm too busy enjoying my black and my bats to care. :P

So, to open this up to the floor (one of the things I love about blogging is the community that forms around it, and the in depth conversations that result), what inspired you to identify as a goth? Was it purely by chance, or had you only just realised that there was a name for what you liked?




Fee

How To Grow Your Own Poison Garden

Now that I'm back home for the summer, I've been getting invested in gardening once again. Sadly it's not an option for me uni (though I plan on having tonnes of plants in my room next year!), but hopefully if I ever get a place of my own I might have a bit of ground to do something with.

There's lots of suggestions on the web about how to modify your garden to a darker taste; as well as some gorgeous pinterest boards, the Everyday Goth has done a fabulous post looking at horticulture for a darker colour palate. I, however, have decided to blog about something which has been close to my heart for a long time; poison gardens.

Since I was a wean I've always been interested in deadly flora; plants that trapped and ate things, plants that were used as poisons, plants where a single berry could stop your heart... I was a twisted child, I suppose. This has only increased since starting medical school - any drug, after all, can be a poison in the right quantity, and many seemingly deadly plants are used for treating a variety of conditions. The cultivation of these plants has been an art for centuries, with much folklore and many books dedicated to them, and they conjure up ideas of intrigue and mystery, of arcane alchemy. And, of course, one of my great role models is a perfect example of this -

Image from here (original source couldn't be found)

That's right! As any Addam's Family fan worth their salt knows, Morticia is an avid gardener, growing all variety of poisonous and dangerous plants in her conservatory, including her African Strangler Cleopatra. Morticia's green thumb isn't the only example of lethal botany, however; the Alnwick Gardens feature their very own Poison Garden, which cultivates over 100 varieties of both notorious and everyday plants with dangerous effects. I, obviously, am desperate to visit.

Happy World Goth Day, chumps!

I've resurfaced from exams and discovered today that I have successfully passed first year medicine (whoop!), so I have a chance to celebrate World Goth Day!

... Which I did by putting on my favourite playlist and dancing about like a loon while I applied daft make up.

Ah well. Danse Macabre isn't until tomorrow, and my go to fellow spooky folks aren't back in Glasgow for a while yet. Still, I'm sure there's nothing gothier than applying eyeliner while singing along to Bauhaus.

The quality and light of these photos are terrible, being taken on my phone, but at least it hides the fact I've ran out of foundation! Still, now that I'm home I can start using the better camera.

Surprisingly, I wasn't terribly worried about exams - not because I thought I had done well (far from it), but because the medical school is fantastically terrible at communicating with students and told us we'd get them two days earlier, only admitting their mistake when students were frantically calling the office asking where they were. So I got the panic out the way early.



Ah, there's the acne.

This is actually something of a new look for me; black lipstick is always something I've been wary of, as it's quite difficult to pull off (plus I wasn't sure if it would suit my hair), so this was an experiment. I toned down my eye make up - usually it's far darker, with more eye liner involved - though given I was more interested in the lip it's rather messy here anyway. My outfit was just a black tank with shorts and tights for moping about my room, so nothing special on that front either.

All in all, I'd say it was a success! My lips aren't too thin for black, it turns out, and despite a few smudges and a lack of materials (this was done with eyeliner and clear gloss, so I didn't have to fork out for lipstick I might not use), I think it turned out not too bad. Black lipstick has something of a bad rep in the alt community, but I think if you avoid the 'sulky teenager in a hoodie' cliches and stick to a simple classy it work very well.

I'm thankful for world goth day because it reminds me of how awesome this subculture is - while I often get frustrated because nothing I wear seems to work or irritated because the course I'm doing doesn't let me experiment with my appearance to the limits, it's easy to forget that to other people I look strange, unusual and occasionally even magical. Indeed, I've been told by people on my course that they enjoy seeing the bizarre variety of clothes I turn up to classes in, and surprisingly several girls have admitted that they are jealous of the different hair styles I wear (lord knows why, as I rarely manage any of them particularly well).

We goths, like everyone else, are special. We're a bit darker than most, and we get dog's abuse sometimes, but at over thirty years we're still going strong, and from Kenya to Ireland, from Hungary to the US, from Columbia to the UK there's spooky folk out there like me that I have a connection with. So I hope you enjoyed your day, folks.

Three cheers for World Goth Day, and for not having to resit the year!

 

 

Fee

 

P.s. I couldn't talk about my experiences with black lipstick without mentioning Sincerely, Boot's posts How do you wear black lipstick? and her review of the Portland Black Lipstick Company.