Sub styles of fashion within the gothic Subculture

Was trying to think of the substantially obvious different styles of dress in the Goth subculture today...and was suprised to be able to come up with so many. However, dressing people up for a shoot meant that I had to represent the clothing in a particular way. It was then that I realised that some goths will mix and match from different sub genres - though plenty will be particular to their group.

Because the subculture has been around for so long, it has had quite a period of time (30 years or so) to develop sub genres of style that exist within the general mileux. It has also been affected by regional variation. So you have an affect where a local variation on styles has occurred, and then passed on to other areas. So goth style is picked up by the Japanese, who then modify it to EGA, which then may go back to the west.

I like lists. So I've put here a list of the most obvious sub genres of style I could think of.

Romantic (which actually looked fairly Victorian, but probably enough differences to make it not so) - Me
Cybergoth
Graver - gothy with raver influences.
Goth Lolita -
Victorian -
Deathrock
Elegant goth aristocrat
EBM Industrial/combatty look.
Early punk-goth look

We noted how the full on Cybergoth look is a bit rare these days. The Graver look is about (as its practical and looks good too), a little bit of goth lolita about, and Victorian you see, though it is a bit rare too.

Corsetry

A very nice journalist person the other day asked me for information about Corseteers in Australia, so I got thinking of who the major corset makers were in Australia at the moment.

While obviously not something thats worn everyday, interest in the corset has continued in a number of aspects fo society..everywhere from historical re-enactors, the goth subculture, Burlesque and other performers, fetish and the sex industry.

There appears to be a bit of interest in corsets from the non traditional corset buying market.
I was at a market with a corset selling designer, and there were plenty of women in their 30's - 40's shoing interest in getting corsets done for them...while the few goths that were there seemed non-plussed..possibly because they already had corsets.

So I guess two important things here. (1)There seems to be an interest in corsetry at the moment, and...(2)you should never be suprised when you sell alt fashion to the mainstream world.

Corsetry can be the flashy thing that can be worn to dazzle and give a stylish traditional look to what you are wearing...or asian look if you want to wear one in chinese silk, as well as something that can be simply worn underneath what you are wearing to give you form. While traditionally were made out of traditional materials, corsetry these days can be made out of leather, PVC, Satin, rubber(I have one made by GeoMythik made from Tyre Innertubes) as well as Metal (I make them out of metal).

Anyways, the big Corseteers in Australia at the moment, that I am aware of are (Alphabetically):

Asylum 7

Defence Mechanism

Gallery Serpentine

Lyris Design

Victorian Gothic

The very talented Mel, from GeoMythik(http://www.geomythik.com/), traditionally has made cyberesque rubber corsets, but now has started using other materials in her corsets as well. Plus if you want Metal corsetry, try my label www.assassinus.com

Sharpies

Normally subcultures in Australia are taken from other countries and just reproduced here. Sharps or sharpies are an Australian specific subculture, developed in Australian specific conditions.

Though influenced by the skinhead subculture, at face value they really look quite different. Their fashion while in some ways was similiar to Skinhead dress, in other ways it was not.

The most obvious point of difference, is the cardigan. Sharps wore cardigans. Possibly one of the few group of people that wore cardigans in any sort of aggressive tone, Sharps got cardigans especially made for them. They were made with certain colours, and patterns. They were generally made really tight so that when worn, they looked pretty macho/aggressive.

Sharps also had slightly longer hair, often short, back and sides. Sometimes possible with a tail, in effect....a mullet

Through our modern eyes, we may find someone wearing a cardigan as not particularly threatening, however Sharps were fairly violent.... in a similiar wat that English Skinheads.
They also had much of the subcultural aspects that you find in gang culture

Like skinheads, sharps wore clothes that extenuated their macho image, and made them look tough. Tight shirts, tight jeans. Sometimes the t-shirts would have the name of a particular gang on it. Sharps wore a particular type of leather shoe, which they could only buy from two show shops in the North of Melbourne. There were also only two shops that would sell their cardigans.

Sharps were biggest in Melbourne 1972 - 1977. Skinheads had evolved from "hard mods" in the late 1960's., a lot of Brits coming into England transferred aspects of the skinhead culture to Australia. Like skinheads, they fought each other and were picked upon by the police as obvious troublemakers.



All photo's copyright Larry Jenkins

http://www.blackburnsouthsharps.com/1024x768/index.htm